Well… My journey in a car club has begun.  Not only is it a car club, but a Christian car club to boot!  This is my first experience in this type of club and to be honest, I did not know what to expect.  I had images of a bunch of guys quoting little known trivia about vehicles, speaking “car guy” lingo that only other car guys could understand and really getting into the hobby.  Well, I will tell you that all my initial expectations were met and exceeded and that for me was a cause for some fear and trepidation. See, I do not own a classic car, I do not have classic car trivia in my long term memory, never completely restored a car, or seriously worked on a car in over 5 years, and I still need some help with remembering the different standard engine displacements.  Don’t get me wrong, I have been around cars, trucks and farm machinery all my life and am not afraid to turn wrenches.  I worked as an automotive durability engineer at Honda R&D Ohio, but I could not hold a candle to guys/ gals who has been turning wrenches with their dads in one hand while holding their baby bottles in the other!

   So, my fears were soon realized during the first meeting when Bryan asked us to go around the room and introduce ourselves.  He asked us to tell everyone our names AND specifics about our dream car.  When my turn came I proceeded to tell everyone that my “dream car” is not actually a car, but a truck…. a 1965 Chevy C10.  Of course, everyone started to tell me their favorite truck stories, “…well my (truck’s) rear end has a 4.10 ratio and man could I burn rubber…” 

   As I listened to everyone’s truck stories, I explained to the group that the 1965 model year was sentimental to me as it was the first truck my dad had ever owned and the first vehicle that I remember.  My desire is to restore completely from the frame to the fuzzy dice a 1965 C10 step side truck (my ultimate dream would be to restore it with my dad).  Everything will look stock on the outside and in the cab, but the drive train will be tricked out with a 427 big block and matching rear end that will lay some serious rubber!  Not many days after I made my wishes known, our illustrious leader stopped by my house one night in his truck and told me he had something for me.  Lo and behold he dropped the tail gate and there sitting on some boards was a set of heads from a 427 big block.  He said “Here is a start to get your hot rod together and to begin your search for your “dream machine””.  Every little bit counts!  That is why I say “Despise not small beginnings!”

Tom Wathen

Despise not small beginnings…

   In part one I was driving down the road on my way home from work when the thought of who is Driving this thing came into my head. Well part two came into my head when I was reading the daily devotional that I receive via e-mail Monday through Friday. It starts with  “Why do we all have different passions? So everything that’s supposed to get done will get done.” God made us all, with different talents and passions. So if you haven’t figured it out yet, yes I think in terms of the automobile. So here it is. It’s kind of like a car. The car is made up of thousands of parts, all working together to get the job done. A car needs an engine to power the machine and most people think it’s the most important part of the car. I really don’t think that it is the most important part, maybe the most expensive. When you look at how a car works, you start to see all the different sub-assemblies and each sub-assembly as a very important part to make the car as a whole go down the road safely. The engine is my favorite part of the car because it speaks with authority, it is the power, but with out the transmission , rear differential, tires and the suspension. How are you going to get the power of the engine to the ground? You don’t, so all those parts have to work together, but with all that power and the car roaring down the road you better hope that the rest of the car is on the same page. You can’t forget that you also need brakes to slow all that power down safely and just in case of that occasional accident you also need bumpers, seat belts and all the other safety equipment so you survive. So every part is equally important. So I guess what I am saying is that in the Church, the body of Christ we all have a passion and we all have spiritual gifts that God has given us. God has made each one of us different, but with a unique passion and spiritual gift. Our passion may not be that same as the next person and what moves them may not move you, but that does not make any one or anybody more or less important. Just like a car, it is the sum of all the parts that make up the car and make it function well, if any one part is broke than the car doesn't run well or won’t operate at all. Our passions and gifts are all important to keeping the Church moving in the right direction. Yes, with out a driver the car doesn’t move at all.  Isn’t great to know that Jesus is doing the driving!

Bryan Rash

Who’s Driving this Thing?  Part II

(The Sum of All the Parts)

Cruizers for christ

Christian Car Club

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