When I first met Burke he had recently moved to the Golden State from
Texas. Answering an ad for a service manager at a long time, family owned Chevy
dealership, he was hired over the phone, not knowing where or what the condition
of the dealership was. After driving by the day before he was to start, he
immediately went home and started to look for work, but kept the job until he
got another. The dealership was old and family owned, in a bad area of town,
where no one fixed cars, when they quit running they just parked them and stole
another. Business was very slow, and to a man who was used to getting things
done, this was not what he had signed up for. He was gone within a few months,
the dealership a few months after that, and stopping in before it closed, the
parts manager told me he had gone to a Ford store, and I found him there.
This was just as bad, but just the opposite, as it was so big and busy it
was out of control. I was glad to see him, as I had purchased a Ranger pick up
there, and had some problems with it. Every other time I put it in reverse, it
stalled. Take it out of reverse, it would start, but never in reverse. Which
fortunately they could duplicate, but could not find the cause. Because of
Burke’s tenacity, and our friendship, he put an experienced man on it, and one
afternoon, the call came. They were about to condemn the transmission, the
likely candidate since it was failing, and when the tech was underneath the
truck looking for a serial number tag, saw the problem. The ECM, engine control
module wiring harness was routed wrong, and when the truck was put into reverse,
the linkage would pull on it, pulling the two connectors just far apart to cause
a short, and the truck would stall. With me under it, he showed me the problem,
it took only a few minutes to fix, we got in and drove and after several times
putting it in reverse, it never stalled. Problem solved, now his biggest
problem was how to get paid for the warranty work. The tech had spent hours
trying to diagnose, no part had failed, but there are ways, he knew them, and he
got paid, as did the tech, the truck was fixed, and ran until it was stopped by
a tree at 165,000 miles. A loose connection caused it all, not a failed part,
and the diagnosis it took was unique, as no one diagnoses any more, they swap
parts per the flow chart on the computer. Or by process of elimination, the
part that remains must be at fault. No one wants to pay for diagnosis, and too
many times as a service writer and manager I saw parts thrown at a problem,
fixing a problem, but not fixing the problem. The guys like Burke are gone now,
the new breed is young and inexperienced, and like one guy I hired, told me the
most important tool in his tool box was the pen he wrote the estimate with.
Proper diagnosis, once common factor, is now a fine art. A few have it or want
to use it. if you find a guy who does, treat him well, he is worth his weight
in brownies.
“I don’t care what the problem is, just fix it!” we often hear. We are in
such a hurry we don’t care about anyone else but us. and it shows. We want to
get on with what we want to do, and could care less about the cause. Our pride
only allows for us, and a thought about the woman who gave two mites may reveal
more about us than we care to reveal. In the story Jesus tells, a poor widow,
gives publicly all she had, two mites, and only Jesus notices. Everyone else
was busy watching those who gave big amounts, who called attention to
themselves. In a society where charity was needed and used often, look to those
who had it, kiss up to them, and hope for some spare change. Even in the
church, as the giving was to be to God, it was known who were the givers and
why. Who gave and for what reason, and in the midst of this public giving and
adoration situation, woman, a second class citizen, almost just property, dares
to go up and empty all she has. Imagine the embarrassment to those rich,”what
is she doing here? Who let her in?” But they say nothing, as no one seems to
notice her but God, and Jesus tells us she gave more than all the others
combined. She gave from her poverty, the others gave from their abundance. And
God saw the difference. Is that all God sees?
The woman was not afraid to be seen among the big donors of the day, she
knew why she was there. Do we? I have a poor man at Dustin Arms, heavily
medicated, who will give me buttons, and things he finds to put in the
offering. He wants to give, as he was given, and often a can of corn for me so
I don’t go hungry. I readily accept it, his offering for God, as his heart
wants to give and be a part of ministry. As God has given him, he wants to give
to others. He wants it to be our secret, because he is humbled, and thinks no
one would notice or care anyway. But somehow he knows God does. That is
ministry, meeting a need, that is love, giving from our poverty, and that is
what the church should be doing. He makes it personal, takes it down to ta
basic level, one to one. And like the poor widow, remains nameless except unto
God.
For us giving could be reaching over and turning on the petcock of a new
rider about to stall at a light. Opening the door for a man in a wheelchair.
Giving away food and clothes. Meeting a need, that takes time, and the sweat of
our brow,and that which we may not get paid for. It takes our participation, no
substitute was given for Jesus on the cross, he paid it all. Can we at least
pay it ahead for others? It cheeses me off to see plaques in churches for pews
or wings donated, as if the person built the church and should be recognized for
it. Does not scripture say “if God doesn’t build the church we labor in vain?”
What do you have that God has not provided for you? The widow knew that, do
you?
Burke will tell you he was only doing his job. Sadly he went above and
beyond what is the norm today. So did the widow, who had to depend on handouts,
but still gave. Are you robbing God? Do you only pay 10% and miserably? Jesus
saw the value in a cheerful giver, the one in who his spirit dwells. Do you
give hilariously like the scripture says? If not, don’t. God doesn’t need your
money, he needs your heart. What are you showing about Jesus in your attitude
towards giving? Some tithe out of fear, God sees that too. But it is when we
give of what we have the least, we see God’s richness poured out the most. We
need Jesus to be saved, not a healthy tithing history. We need to be guided by
his spirit, not our denomination. There is a difference....
Burke ended up giving more than he got paid for, but he did the task he was
called to. Can we say the same? Why do you write a check to church each week?
Is God your storehouse, or is the church? Do you help others as the spirit
moves you, or are you all tapped out from tithing? If you give, you will never
go without. You cannot out give God, no matter how many church pews you donate
with your name on them. When called to action, what does the spirit show you to
do? Would you empty your wallet to help a poor person if God asked? Or even
give them a ride? To whoever does this to the least of them, does it unto
Jesus. What have you done unto Jesus today? Do you want to undo it?
Where God guides he provides, he will never ask you to give that which you
cannot. The money like the trans was not the problem, it was the connection.
Who you are connected to makes all the difference. Stay plugged in tight to
Jesus, we will reap what we sow. So do not sow sparingly...ever wonder why you
tithe so much and have so little, while others give so little and have so much?
By our actions we will be known...he who dies with the most toys still dies.
Jesus gave it all, all to him I owe. Brother, can you spare at least a
dime?
love with compassion,
Mike
matthew25biker.blogspot.com