Horsepower

While the weather has me cooped up in the house waiting on Daytona to fire up the beginning of another NASCAR season, it’s time for Detroit and the world auto-makers to show off their new “stock cars”. Even though most cars are starting to look alike, I’ve got to give the manufactures thumbs up in the design department. Feeding the same materials into computers, fuel mileage, aerodynamics, weight, wheelbase and so forth has all the computers spitting out the same basic design for automobiles, hence they look the same. But lately the manufacture is conceiving ways to give their products character, making them readily recognizable from a distance, like the good old days. Plastic, aluminum, fiberglass and other fiber composites are giving designers ways to build autos like never before. And like the good old days, there’s horsepower again, but unlike days past, with fuel mileage. Four cylinder engines are putting out 200 horses, V6 engines 300 horses and when turbo assisted 400 horses! Better than the good old days. The only problem I see with the technical advances of the past ten years is, getting one of these cars fixed will be like buying it all over again. Good luck with that! One good thing about this years’ auto show, no new SUV’s or “land yachts” or gas guzzling limo stretched pick-up trucks. I can hear the racing engines already.
“Dad”, exclaimed the 16 year-old boy on the phone. “I can’t get the car started. I think it’s flooded” To which the father replied, “Where’s the car?” Sheepishly the boy said, “It was in the lake.” Calmly the father said, “You’re probably right, it’s flooded.”
A man found a bottle, rubbed it and out popped a genie. The genie said, “Ask me for what you wish, for I can grant it.” The man said, “I fear flying and would very much like to visit Hawaii, could you build a bridge for me?” Genie: “Oh, that’s a tough one. Is there another wish you have?” Man: “I’ve never understood women. Could you explain them to me?” Genie: “Would you like that to be a two or four lane bridge?”
A senior citizen was driving down the freeway when his cell phone rang. Answering, he heard his wife franticly warning him, “Lloyd, I just heard on the news that there’s some fool driving the wrong way on the road you always travel!” To which Lloyd urgently replied, “It’s not just one car! It’s hundreds of them!”
[Colossians 2: 6 - 4: 6] As a Christian, I at times feel like I’m on the road to forever going the wrong way. I’ve lived long enough to see religion and the church go through a lot of design changes brought about by men and women who feel that changes need to be made to conform to changing times. “The church is too old fashion. We need to modernize it to fit today’s culture.” All I can say to that is those people seem to forget that the church is not of the world and doesn’t have to conform to anything in this world to be the church. What I read in the Bible is that I must conform to the regulations of the church to become a part of the church. It is I who must change not the church. The world is constantly enticing me to conform to its activities, which frankly makes me sick to see so many people simply giving in to the idea that there is no right or wrong to govern consciousness and integrity. Well, although it may seem at times I’m swimming upstream I still know where I’m going. Some people want to make you think you’re missing out on the fun, but I’m working on an eternal reward that will never let me down. The genuine love of my Lord is all the horsepower I need.