My automotive career started as the assistant service manager at La Plata
Motors in Durango, Colorado. I started knowing very little about the automotive
business, and left knowing even less, but did learn about people. In domestic
shops, GM, Ford, Chrysler-they were an American company back then, the different
tasks were designated by type of work, you had a tune up specialist, a front end
man, brake man, interior man, and a heating/AC man. Your car may come in with a
rattle, see one man, service the transmission to the next, brakes to another,
and finally having the front end aligned by another. Which meant some were
always busy, while others stood around. With a pecking order of the best jobs,
read quickest, cleanest, and the ones the mechanic could make the most money
on. The pecking order ruled what you worked on, and time at job, and time at
dealership weighed heavily in what you worked on.
This was 1978, and the oldest mechanic was a guy named Ernie, who had
joined the shop just after WWII. He only wanted the gravy jobs, such as setting
cars for the altitude, cars came from the factory to sea level specs, and in
this non-computer age, you changed jets, and settings on carburetors. It paid
well, all new cars had to be adjusted, as well as Texans passing through, and
Ernie was a master at it. It paid two hours flat rate time, it took him about
20 minutes, and he thrived on them. When he was done, he would stand at his
toolbox, which meant get me another car, and one morning, we were slow, and he
just stood there. When I explained all I had was a 1965 Mustang 6 cylinder that
needed a clutch, he didn’t move a muscle. So I pulled it in his bay, and went
away not looking at him. He was cheesed off at me, and about 45 minutes later I
saw him standing at his toolbox, where I had left him. When I asked him “you
going to work on this?” he replied, “it’s done, get it out of my stall.” He
had taught me a lesson, he could do the jobs, and very well, he just didn’t want
to. With only a bumper jack, he had done a job that should take a few hours in
45 minutes. I had gotten the message.
But things are different in foreign shops, where techs now are bumper to
bumper. The same domestic car that might have the fingerprints of many techs on
it, would only have one in a foreign store. Which meant they had to work on all
problems, from AC to radios to fixing rattles and rebuilding transmissions and
motors. Each man might have a specialty, but each man had to be able to work on
every area of the car. We did have one AC guy who could replace a leaking
evaporator, which meant taking out the entire dash, it paid over 20 hours, he
could do two a day. But he too would have to repair whatever was in his bay.
So each man might have a specialty, but they were responsible to be a bumper to
bumper technician, a far cry from the days of Ernie. Two shops who did the same
thing, repair vehicles, but each one doing it differently. Leave it to the
Germans to design a shop that was not only more efficient, but where the techs
were well rounded. Where the specialty was any tech could do any job.
Scripture tells us that each Christian has been given a special gift of
ministry by God. That doesn’t mean that is the only skill set they should have
or use, yet I know many churches where the pastor’s specialty is teaching, or
healing, prophecy, or organizing others to do the other things he is not called
to. I once went into a new church with a question, and when the receptionist
asked me what the nature of it was, then called for the appropriate pastor.
Notone who was available, but the one she felt best qualified. Seems bumper to
bumper pastors were not the norm at that church, and fortunately the pastor she
recommended was not busy, and I saw him. But later when visiting another
church, I was just given to the next pastor on the list. They rotated dealing
with whoever came in unless they asked for a certain person. One man gave me
insight as per his specialty, the other and I sat for two hours and I was
ministered too. Has your personal ministry become so specialized you have
become useless to actually minister to anyone else? Think about that one for a
minute....
On any given day, Jesus would heal the sick, teach, organize as he did when
the 5000 were fed, cast out demons, visit people and pray for them, and
encouraging those in their faith, while performing miracles. Jesus came to die
for us, imagine if he just went to the cross only, we would be saved, but have
no examples of how to minister. No miracles would be recorded, no blind given
sight, no lame walking, nobody forgiven. He had one job to do, but many ways to
accomplish it. Have we become so specialized in our walk we are missing out on
blessings and seeing a side of Jesus in our prejudices? How is his life
affecting your life? The spirit works different ways in each person as per the
gift given, but we need to remember Jesus showed them all, and in love. Pastors
learn this, as they never know what the next problem will be, but without the
spirit guiding them in love, the answers are not personal, and may be what is
taught out of a manual, not of God. We need to be fully equipped as the gospels
tell us, for all seasons, and all reasons. Ministering occurs on many levels,
and does not have to be a specialized process. We have all been given Jesus’
spirit to guide, and I have seen little old ladies minister to big bad bikers,
and bikers minister to little kids. We can do all things in Christ when it is
his spirit, and his strength. For all gifts are from the same spirit!
One time visiting a new church, I asked which one was the pastor. “Oh,
just look for someone helping someone, that’s probably him.” Would that
probably be you? Which one are you? Gifted and specialized, or gifted and
ministering in love? With age brings experience, not necessarily wisdom. That
only comes from God. Maybe if we lived and ministered like I learned in the
shop, we not only fix cars, we fix people too. Bedside manner, Jesus calls it
love. An action word, but also a noun. God is love, but he is always actively
loving. Which shop do you go to get fixed? Or your fix? If you haven’t
experienced the fullness of Jesus Christ, remember Jesus tells us he will show
us an even better way. Love. Do what you love and love what you are doing.
The word for that love is Jesus, expressed by your actions. It takes the
spirit....who ministers bumper to bumper, yet still specializes. We are all
important to God, trust him and find out just how much by showing love. A
specialty we all need to work on. Love is the only specialty we need. Which
we all can do. Now about that rattle you are hearing...
love with compassion,
Mike
matthew25biker.blogspot.com