WHEN THE FIRST BIG BIKER ON A

LOUD HARLEY-DAVIDSON PULLED UP,

I LOOKED UP AT HIM AND I SAID,

THAT'S WHAT I WANT TO BE RIGHT

THERE.

AS A CHILD, I KNEW IT.

BILLY RIVERS' LOVE FOR MOTOR

MOTORCYCLES STARTED WHEN HE WAS

A BOY.

BY THE TIME HE WAS 17 HE STARTED

NORMAL TEENAGE DREAMS FOR A

MOTORCYCLE AND A NEEDLE FULL OF

HEROIN.

AS THE NEWNESS STARTED

WEARING OFF OF THIS, THEN I

STARTED LOOKING FOR THE DRUGS

NOT NECESSARILY FOR THE

RECREATION PART OF IT, BUT

BECAUSE MY BODY WAS TELLING ME

THAT I HAD TO HAVE IT, IT WAS MY

EVERYDAY THOUGHT.

HE WAS PART OF A NOTORIOUS

MOTORCYCLE GANG AND THOUGHT HE

HAD IT ALL.

I WAS PRETTY MUCH A SOCIAL

OUT CAST OF SOCIETY AT THAT

POINT.

AND IN THE DRUG WORLD AND IN THE

MOTORCYCLE WORLD, I WAS

ACCEPTED.

I HAD REALLY WHAT I WANTED.

ALL I HAD TO DO WAS GO STEAL AND

THE DRUGS WOULD BE THERE.

AS LONG AS I COULD STEAL ENOUGH

TO SUPPORT THAT HABIT.

AND I KNEW THAT THERE WAS

ANOTHER SIDE OF LIFE, BUT I HAD

NO IDEA HOW TO GET OUT OF THIS.

HIS LIFE OF DRUGS AND CRIME

LANDED HIM IN PRISON FOR 11

YEARS.

SO I WOULD PUT THIS PERSONA

ON THAT I AM THIS TOUGH GUY.

AND AT THAT POINT IN TIME I WAS

DOING MY BEST TO LIVE THAT

IMAGE.

BUT THE REAL BILLY WAS HID

INSIDE.

WHEN CHRISTIAN MINISTERS CAME

TO THE PRISON, BILLY SAT AND

LISTENED.

ANYTHING TO GET OUT OF HIS CELL.

BUT BELIEVING IN JESUS DIDN'T

FIT HIS IMAGE.

LIKE I TOLD ONE PREACHER, I

SAID IF I CAN'T SEE HIM AND

TOUCH HIM AND TALK TO HIM, YOU

NEVER GOING TO MAKE ME BELIEVE

THAT HE'S REAL.

HE SAID I'M NOT GOING TO GIVE UP

ON YOU, BILLY.

ONE DAY A VISITING PREACHER

PASSED BILLY'S NAME ON TO JOHN,

A CHAPTER LEADER OF THE

CHRISTIAN MOTORCYCLE

ASSOCIATION.

AND I STARTED RECEIVING MAIL,

LETTERS FROM THIS MAN, JOHN JOHN,

SAYING I DON'T KNOW YOU, BUT I

LOVE YOU.

I'M READING THESE LETTERS

SAYING, WOW, IS HE DRUNK?

WHY WOULD THIS MAN BE TELLING ME

HE LOVES ME?

I'M AN EX HEROIN ADDICT.

I'M A CONVICT.

I'M A THIEF.

I'M A LIAR.

WHY IN THE WORLD WOULD THIS MAN

BE TELLING ME HE LOVES ME?

WHEN HE WAS RELEASED FROM

PRITIOPRISON,BILLY AGREED TO REACH WITH JOHN.

JOHN SHOWED ME THE LOVE THAT

ALL THE PREACHERS HAD BEEN

TALKING ABOUT.

NOT KNOWING ME, HE OPENED HIS

WALLET UP AND PULLED OUT $60.

HE SAID, BILLY, GO BUY YOU SOME

NEW CLOTHES.

AND I SAID WHY?

WHAT DO YOU WANT IN RETURN?

HE SAID FOR YOU TO UNDERSTAND

THE LOVE OF JESUS CHRIST.

THAT'S WHAT I WANT IN RETURN.

SOON AFTER, BILLY VISITED A

CHRISTIAN MOTORCYCLE ASSOCIATION

MEETING.

THE PEOPLE HE MET AMAZED HIM.

AND WHEN I WALKED UP INTO

THEIR MEETING AND SAID I'M A --

JUST GOT OUT OF PRISON, EX

HEROIN ADDICT, I WAS PERFECTLY

HONEST WITH EVERYBODY.

I'M THE LOWEST OF THE LOW.

BUT I HEARD THAT YOU PEOPLE LOVE

PEOPLE LIKE THAT.

AND THEY SAID, YEAH, WE DO.

COME ON IN.

AND WHEN ALL THESE PEOPLE KEPT

SHOWING ME THE SAME AMOUNT OF

LOVE AND EVEN MORE THAN THE NEXT

ONE AND SAYING, YOU KNOW WHAT, I

LOVE YOU, MAN.

I DON'T EVEN KNOW YOU, BUT I

LOVE YOU.

I STARTED BELIEVING THIS.

AND I'M SAYING WHY ARE THESE

PEOPLE TREATING ME LIKE THIS AND

I'M SO ACCUSTOMED TO THE DRUG

WORLD.

WHY ARE THESE PEOPLE SO

DIFFERENT?

I GOT ON MY KNEES IN MY ROOM AT

HOME, CLOSED THE DOOR, BY

MYSELF, AND I SAID, LORD, MY

LIFE'S YOURS.

ALL MY LIFE I'VE KNOWN DIRT,

FILTH, STEALING AND LYING AND,

LORD, THE ONLY THING THAT

APPEALS TO ME THESE DAYS AS OF

RIGHT NOW IS YOU.

I HEAR YOU NOW, AND I CAN EVEN

TOUCH YOU BECAUSE I HAVE YOUR

LIVING WORD HERE IN MY HAND.

AND THAT'S WHEN MY LIFE CHANGED.

THE LORD USED II CRYN YANS TO

LET ME KNOW YOU'RE NOT THE SAME

ANYMORE.

I OWN YOU.

YOU'RE MINE.

I HAVE YOU UNDER MY WINGS.

I LOVE YOU.

I FORGIVE YOU OF EVERYTHING

YOU'VE EVER DONE.

OLD THINGS ARE PASSED AWAY AND

BEHOLD ALL THINGS BECOME NEW.

AND I SAID, LORD, THAT'S ME.

BILLY LIVES A NEW LIFE TODAY.

HE STILL RIDES MOTORCYCLES, BUT

NO LONGER WITH A GANG.

HE'S THE CHAPLAIN FOR THE NEW

ORLEANS CHAPTER OF THE CHRISTIAN

MOTORCYCLE ASSOCIATION.

I HAVE NEVER EXPERIENCED

ANYTHING LIKE THIS, AND I WOULD

NEVER GIVE IT UP FOR ANYTHING

THAT I WOULD EVER EXPERIENCE.

JESUS CHRIST IS THE WAY, THE

TRUTH AND THE LIFE.

SO BEING A SERVANT TODAY FOR

JESUS CHRIST IS THE MOST WEALTHY

THING, IT'S THE MOST BLESSED

MIRACLE THAT I COULD EVER

IMAGINE IN MY LIFE.

GOD'S AWESOME.