A good parts man is tough to beat. But a great one is hard to find. Notice I didn't say manager-they usually are more administrative in today's world, or counterman-they can be someone who knows his way around a computer, as has been my experience recently. No, a parts man. The guy who stays up on all the TSO's, reads the updates, and probably knows more about the repair of an item than the tech. He is the man who knows that you need new gaskets, o-rings, and bolts when replacing an updated water pump, and knows both the old and new numbers. He knows, and has been in contact with the factory, to correct them on a misprint or the latest mistake online, it used to be a microfiche, or before that the parts book. In my time I have known two such men, and both were so good that no one else was even close, including sometimes the parts book!
Earl Zook worked for Ford in the fifties, and into the seventies. The Ford store I worked at parts department ran around him. And it needed to, as Earl was the source for parts. The last and only dealer to not be on computer, they had Earl. And he could tell you not only the right part, but where it was, who to call to find it, and at the mention of his name, they shipped it. He was that good, but when he retired, Ford rushed in the next day with computers, and things got slower, and less personable without Earl. One of a kind, he knew his business.
My friend Richard is also the same type, except he worked for Mercedes Benz. He told me once that when he entered the business, he wanted to be the best, and he was. He studied, and more than once had been passed over for management because who would replace him? But I knew him as a parts manager also, and the world needs more Richards. I also worked at dealers without him, and he was also getting called, because no one knew Mercedes Benz like Richard. A tribute to my friend, the best there was.
But both these men had a similar driving instinct, but also didn't suffer idiots very well. Both were more than willing to help, I saw it many times, but expected you to learn. Not to keep up, but at least to remember. And when you didn't get it after two or three times, you were demoted when you called. You had become a time waster, and no longer welcome. They were happy to promote new Earls or Richards, teaching them the ways, and also the parts, but if you were just another flunkie too lazy to look it up, they knew it, and your calls weren't answered quickly-if at all. And interestingly, neither man thought they were unusual-just doing their jobs as they should be done. All others, I wish you would take note. Even to the point of when no one could find the part that the cards said was in stock, they would go to the shelf to show them where it was. How many parts departments would do that today?
It was more familiarization than memorization. Remember the difference. Some have knowledge, these guys had wisdom. And I think the difference shows. I know many men who know the Bible better than me. They have memory verses, have studied deeply, and even read many outside commentators on certain subjects. Talking with them is like a Bible talking to you. Yet there is something missing. Many know the Bible, but don't have the intimacy of knowing the person who wrote it. Knowledge not for application, but for knowing. I usually last as long as two classes under these types, as they have knowledge, but it is so impersonal they don't know how to apply it. Unlike my parts men example, who knew the applications intimately, these guys are little more than an education experiment on memory. And I want more from the Bible than that, and a lot more from God!
So I am leery when I am introduced to a Bible teacher. I rather see the evidence of his ministry application, than his degrees or recall. Why? It's not personal, and God is. Jesus calls us friends, not subjects. Not numbers. We have to get to know Him, not the other way around. And I want to be close to God, closer to the action. But it takes a commitment, a commitment of love. And the evidence is not found in diplomas, degrees, or titles. It is found in testimony. For Jesus tells us that without love, our words are just like a tinkling bell-noisy. No wonder some people duck when they see us coming. Or change the subject, or sadly avoid Christians all together. For they get it better than we do-we care more about us than them. And it shows.
That is why im Matthew 25 Jesus rebuked the church types. They had rebuked demons, and even prophesied in His name. But it wasn't personal, they didn't know Him. He was more impressed by those who showed His love by feeding the hungry, giving water to the thirsty, clothing the naked, visiting those in jail and sick, and welcoming strangers. He did all these things in love to us-and wants us to do it to others-IN HIS NAME. Not just a trendy salutation, but real words. So do it!
Ask the spirit to guide you when you read. Whether it is a verse, a chapter, or a book-pray before reading. And watch as you are given insight by the one who wrote the scriptures. Who knows what you need, where to find it, where it goes, and where to find it on the shelf. He is always available, and always in stock.
And just like a valued parts man, willing to show you how to find the answers you, or in their case parts you need. Reading more and getting less? Ask Jesus-before you read. Reading less, and getting more-thank the spirit. And think on the things that God shows you during the day.
A good parts man not only knows what a veeblefetzer is, but where it goes. A loving God knows who you are, what you need, and where you are going. Make it more personal, and watch your world change. And your relationship with God grow to a depth beyond recall. Be more than a part on the shelf-be the right part, in the right situation. Only in the spirit will you become what God desires for you.
love with compassion,
Mike
matthew25biker.blogspot.com