I will admit it right up front, I have never been a fan of the VW Bug, aka
the Beetle. Ever since I could remember, they seemed to find a way to get in
front of me and cruise 10 under the speed limit on the freeway, refuse to pull
over on curvy roads, and somehow the owners always thought they were smarter
than the rest of us. Long before economy and MPG became the reason we bought
cars, VW launched an ad campaign by DDB, which today still makes me laugh, but
not want to buy one. My experiences have been few, my Dad had a 1963, with the
back seat taken out so he could carry his gold clubs, and my first lesson in
gasoline economics came at the Sunoco station one Saturday morning, he was
filling up with 190 at 23.9 cents/gallon, and the Corvette was getting 260 at
32.9 cents/gallon. He told me “I don’t know how he could afford to put fuel in
it.” Yet it carried us to school on cold mornings, still can’t figure out the
heater, kept him out of car pools-no room for more than two, and couldn’t be
blamed for the coming fuel crisis. And my last driving experience was with my
future wife, when we drove from California to Albuquerque in her 1976 Super
Beetle. Which when added to the car family, I had a 1967 Cadillac, was quickly
traded for a 1978 Rabbit. Still VW, but with a heater, stereo, and able to leap
small hills in a single bound. But the image of the Bug still lingers on, and
may have sold so well initially because of DDB’s great ad campaign. Which I
still love today, its only weakness it never sold me a VW.
Simple ads, with few words, that caught your attention,made you chuckle,
and made you think, “maybe I should check one out.” And once in the showroom,
you were hooked. As millions were, soon VW Bugs were everywhere. Last being
sold in the US of A into the late Seventies, and in Mexico still in the
Nineties, some being used as company executive cars. Maybe an ad just waiting
to happen in itself. Still alive in various forms in desert racing today, they
have gone far beyond iconic, beyond legendary, and still are part of society
today. With Type 2, the vans, going for over $110,000 at auction. Let me see,
a 1958 Corvette or a VW Van for $110k? I’ll take the van....and I still don’t
get it. But some do, and do, and still get in front of me on the freeway.
Maybe the more things do change the more they stay the same. If only my body
and eyesight had.
But I still like simple things, which is why like my Bonneville, nothing
you don’t need, everything you do. And when I need twice the horses, I ride the
Street Triple, which has everything I want, nothing I don’t, and goes fast.
Which is why I get confused with new bikes with electronic settings-too many
buttons to push at 100 mph. And car radios, excuse me sound systems, give me an
on/off volume and 5 stations and I am happy. My old 8 track had two rear
speakers, Theresa’s Mustang has six, and still no songs I want to listen to. So
give me simple, because it gives me time to concentrate on other more important
things, like where to eat. Go into any restaurant, and ask for a burger-you get
75 choices, just a plain burger with onion and ketchup not listed. That’s
special, and may cost more. Or even unorderable, since it is not listed on her
i-Pad screen, and may take a half hour because she has to find a person to talk
to, who translates into Spanish for the cook, who grins and nods yes, and sends
you a #1 with all the fixings. Which makes me think, maybe that old VW was
ahead of its time, and gave you all you wanted, not what you think you needed.
Maybe that is why after 60 years I still wear a t-shirt and jeans, simple, never
out of style, comfortable, and my Wranglers at Walmart are only $15. But then I
think of Rachel, who is the denim expert at Lucky Brand.....wonder what she
drives?
It was my turn last night to teach at Dustin Arms, and I taught the gospel
simply. Using what God had given me, the fact you must be born again to be
saved, and that Jesus said “I am the way.” No misinterpretation there, and
afterwards the questions showed they were thinking, and had listened. With one
comment leaving me thinking. He thanked me for not quoting so many scriptures,
he cannot keep up and gets confused, the two or three I quoted made him think,
and he left with questions answered, and I hope saved. Now I like to tell
people that God made the gospel simple so that people like me could understand
it, and he did. The thief on the cross got it, without notes, classes,
footnotes, or a study guide, and somehow the Apostle Paul finally did after
having all the above, plus an education. In both cases, and in all cases, it
takes a personal one on one with Jesus, and it still does today. We sinned, we
need a savior, Jesus is the one. Repent and be saved. Simple. Yet why does it
take some pastors over an hour to say what Billy Graham can in 5 minutes? Has
the church become like the Internet, more info than we can ever use, but with no
wisdom behind it? Can today’s church find John 3:16 without Googling it first?
And yet some still try to impress us with all their knowledge, yet cannot afford
a hug or a smile. I like St. Francis of Assissi’s advice, “teach the word
daily, if necessary use words.” Maybe the gosple like the old VW ads, simple,
to the point, and we still remember them 50 years later. Maybe we need to
remember that Jesus writes his word on our hearts, and it is our minds that need
to be renewed daily. But enough preaching, what brought you to Christ? The
correct answer is the Holy Spirit, anything else is just a tag line, it s still
all about Jesus.
So while some have been bitten by the Bug, many are still looking for the
simple gospel of Jesus Christ. The one that was good enough for a thief, and a
Pharisee, and might be just what you need. Simple, to the point, and to Jesus.
I just might have to rethink the VW Beetle once again, maybe the idea was way
ahead of its time. But the time for Jesus is now....economy of philosophy and
religion, just the right doses of love. Traction when needed, good mileage, and
if you break down, easy to push. Which makes me think, what kind of mileage are
getting out of your god? Maybe it’s time you tried Jesus. A God for the
people.
love with compassion,
Mike
matthew25biker.blogspot.com