Could be one of the reasons GM is in trouble...

OK we've all heard how the American car companies are in trouble. All because of so-called quality issues. Well, here is my experience with cars. The "miles" are the miles the car had on it when it was 'retired' - except for the last two which are still going strong...

1975 Buick Skyhawk - first car i ever bought - 186,000 miles - mom didn't want me driving back and forth to Texas in it even though it was running great. So they helped me get a newer model used car

1985 Buick Skyhawk - 2-door sport, 4-cyl, 5-spd - - 36 mpg, fun to drive, but was killing my knee (knee surgery) so had to get rid of it ughhh...so took the opportunity to go for the v-8

1986 Chevy Camaro - 72,000 miles - but got married, got children, and got no room for kids on our New England trips so was either tie the kids on top, make them a red wagon trailer for them to ride in as i pulled it, or get rid of it...sigh, got rid of it - miss the t-tops.

1989 Mazda 323 - the only foreign car I ever owned - camshaft CRACKED at 68,000 miles - so much for foreign quality

1989 Ford Aerostar Van - first minivan I owned - 286,000 miles with one engine replaced at 140,000 due to my backup driver (vanpool) not believing the temperature gauge UGHHHH

1989 Dodge Grand Caravan - 144,000 miles - their infamous transmission/transaxle trouble bit me - but still got 144,000 miles....

1995 Ford Windstar - 152,000 miles - stopped using, donated to charity

1998 Chevy Venture - 222,000 miles and still going strong as the workhorse (commute to work, all errands, etc.) - affectionately call it my tuner van...will be an upcoming blog :-)

2001 Ford Windstar - 70,000 miles and runs/rides like new - the semi-tuner family van

That's my major car experience. I've had no problems out of ordinary stuff with American cars. So why am I titling this blog entry as "...GM...trouble"? Because of an issue with my tuner van. One of the 'piddly' things that is wrong with my 98 tuner van is the driver's side window will not go up and down correctly. It basically acts like it is drunk, especially when you try to raise it back up. I found out the problem is with the mechanical part, called the regulator.

While checking my trusty eBAY for a guitar tuner and a couple of other totally non-related items, I 'accidentally' (thank you Jesus) found lifetime warranted Chevy Venture window regulators for $32.00 with FREE shipping from a company who has been on eBAY for 10 years with 160,000 transactions and a 99.7% postive feedback. For you non-eBAYERS, that means they are real good. My trusty mechanic who is awesome (Auto Experts) says that he'll install it with 1.5 to 2 hours labor. So total repair should be well under $200.

Just in case, I called the local Chevrolet place and was reminded why I didn't get this repaired by them a couple of years ago. The service rep informed me the entire apparatus has to be purchased for the whole door, and that the part alone is....Mr Fudi, insert drum roll here..... NINE HUNDRED AND TWENTY TWO DOLLARS.

I said "what?" as I gagged on my dry oatmeal (where are those chick-fil-a milkshakes when you need them???)....and he repeated the same number.

Auto Experts/eBAY, here I come....

GM, thanks but no thanks and hope you survive your crunch....

Later...and be careful out there.

Church of Flocks and Families

There are many things Jesus taught on while He was here. I consider the things the gospel writers chose to write on as Jesus' "greatest hits", because we KNOW Jesus spoke on MUCH more than what they wrote down for us. Two of His greatest hits are the parables of the Lost Sheep and the Prodigal Son.

The parable of the Lost Sheep is about the shepherd who leaves the flock in search of the one sheep who has become lost, isolated from the flock, or perhaps even wandered off. We are not specifically told how the sheep got lost, why he wandered, how, etc. All we know is the shepherd finds out one of his sheep is missing. The lost sheep in the parable is not one who is in search of a flock, or who is being pursued to be asked to join the flock. The lost sheep is already a part of the flock. When it is discovered to be lost, the shepherd actively pursues and searches out the lost sheep and doesn't just lead or bring him back, but even carries him back.

In the Prodigal Son, the son makes known his plans and runs off and squanders everything the father had for him. The prodigal already belonged to the family and was an active member of the family, and then he left with what was his. When he realizes his foolishness and decides to come back to see if his father would just hire him as a servant, what does the father do? He welcomes his son back with open arms, even running off in the distance to meet him, and throws a tremendous celebration in his honor. Again, this is not a new son, or an adopted son, or someone welcomed in off the street. He is a member of the family who has purposefully and actively 'run off' and returns.

What is it about the shepherd and the father that is so poignant and applicable to the church? Love...love for the flock, not only as a group, but for each individual sheep. Love for the family, not only as a whole, but each individual member of the family.

The advice and encouragement I have, for what it's worth, is going to sound simplistic and perhaps even trite to some. But in the extremeness of its simplicity lies its foundational, undergirding truth. Pastors, staff members, leaders, volunteer leaders...love the people in your church as Christ loves the church.

Later...and be careful out there.