There are today only a handful of American car brands left from 60 years
ago. And through merger, failure, or attrition, today the Big 3 of Detroit have
been reduced to the Shrinking 2. Chrysler, long the perennial number 3, is now
owned by FIAT. Yeah, that FIAT. Fix It Again Tony. A company once known for
its engineering prowess, and Hemi engines, is now a brand of FIAT. Who also
owns Ferrari and Alfa Romeo. Another marriage unthinkable to my father’s
generation, and laughable to mine. No pathetic is better, as another American
company is sold to a company based outside of our borders. An interesting
alliance, as now the auto world is dominated by Volkswagen, who owns VW, Audi,
Ducati, or Ducaudi, SEAT, Bentley, Bugatti, and Lamborghini. Go figure. So
when BMW can own Mini and Rolls Royce, why can’t an Indian company, Tata,own
Jaguar and Land Rover? What am I worrying about...I drive a Ford, who used to
own Volvo, Aston Martin, Jaguar, and Land Rover, and who cancelled Mercury. And
I almost forgot Edsel. And Chrysler’s heritage goes back to Buick, then through
locomotives, to Maxwell, to Nash and Hudson, to American Motors, and from Willys
to Kaiser Jeep, Daimler Benz, and onto FIAT. Whatever happened to what’s made
in Detroit stays in Detroit, or at least the US of A? Remember the uproar and
lawsuits when Chevy put Olds motors and vice versa in their cars, and how
important brands were? Some men were Ford guys, we had Chevy men, and those who
were dyed in MOPAR colors. Today through diversity, I am not sure what I am
riding in. And it goes way back, to when the apostles were all in one
Accord.
It even rubbed off in the motorcycle world a few years back, when Kawasaki
and Suzuki built similar bikes for motocross. If I wanted a Kawi, I would have
bought one. And now, with FIAT, who is best remembered for the Topolino, the
little mouse, we will soon have small cars, with small engines. No more V-8s,
no more 440 6 packs, no more Hemis. We’ll get what they want to sell us, when
we could have had a V-8. And as badge engineering dilutes the brand, and all
cars look alike, no more can we tell a Ford from a Chevy from a VW from a Dodge,
we all lose something. When we are told we are gaining something. And as
something so emotional as cars lose their appeal, and begin to have all the
appeal of a toaster or refrigerator, as they become appliances or appliance
like, we all lose something of ourselves. And within the next generation no one
remembers. Who would have ever thought both VW and Toyota would outsell GM?
Maybe what was good for GM was good for America, and vice versa. Maybe we
criticized the statement too soon. Maybe we finally took Iacocca’s advice, and
when we found a better car, we bought it. But can you envision car shows of the
future with old men telling stories about FIATS? Camrys? Versas? Even Datsun
is now Nissan, is nothing sacred?
Proverbs tells us good name is better than riches. And many good names
were worth riches, or at least future riches, or they would not have been
desirable to buy. And so we come to the name of Jesus. A common name at the
time, Joe or Joseph of today. But when Christ, meaning savior is added to it,
and He becomes Jesus Christ, things change. And when we take on His name, we
change. And so does our world. Just by taking on His name, we become sons of
God. No other way to heaven either. No other name in heaven by which we can
be saved. In His name we are healed. At His name the nations shake and
crumble, at His name the winds stop, and the waves cease. At His name, we
findthe beginnng and the end, and watch as demons flee, and kings bow down. At
His name...
A name that should be held as holy, for He is God. And we should be Holy,
as He is holy. Wholly God and a holy God. Without Holiness we will never see
God, He is the way. He is Holy. No other way, no unholy alliance, no merger
with any other gods. He is God, the way. If only history and the men who
record it could be so holy, imagine the world without sin? Now imagine heaven,
and you have the promise of Jesus. He is that Holy. Tracing His lineage back
to the beginning, and to God who created the universe-He was there. A lineage I
am proud to be part of, if only by adoption.
Try taking your FIAT to a Jeep store now for repairs. But try again next
year, and maybe...From the little mouse, the Topolino that roared, to the mighty
Chrysler, how far have we fallen, or have they risen? A little leaven going
through the American auto scene, that like sin, leaven in the Bible, changes all
things, and you can see the future. Chrysler-it must have been one heck of a
car. Don’t let the same be said about you and Jesus. If you don’t let sin in,
it will never spread. If you resist the devil he will flee. But putting on
Jesus, you gain immortality. Out of darkness, into light. Maybe what you drive
tells more about who and what you are then you wish others to know. But telling
others about Jesus leads them to salvation. Something Hudson, Studebaker, Nash,
and Packard all lost out on in mergers. So listen to Lee Iacocca’s advice,
“never put two number twos together to make a number one.” Only Jesus is the
one...how important is the brand you represent? And today GM is based in the
Renaissance Center, built by Ford. And to think the apostles were all in one
Accord. All because of Jesus.
love with compassion,
Mike matthew25biker.blogspot.com