Charlie Meserve of Bowdoinham traded in his knives, hot guns and wild life for a Bible after hearing the devil and God speak to him while he was riding his motorcycle home the evening of Aug. 9, 1977. “My headlights dimmed and I heard a voice say, Charlie, you are going to die tonight in a motorcycle accident.'” Meserve initially thought he was hallucinating, but fear quickly set in. The headlights brightened and Meserve remembers being overcome with a feeling that was better than “getting drunk off wine or taking drugs.” A Christian since that year, today he belongs to the Brotherhood of Jesus Christ motorcycle club out of New Jersey. Meserve was among a small crowd of motorcycle enthusiasts at the annual United Bikers of Maine bike show at the Auburn Wal-Mart parking lot on Sunday.

After becoming a Christian, Charlie Meserve painted over the naked lady on his motorcycle and replaced it with a Scripture verse. Today Meserve’s custom-designed V45 Honda features religious scenes, such as the Last Supper.