Consolation and Conviction (back from the body shop, part 1)

Well, Body Guy is done painting the top and the engine compartment.  The top is white, but the engine compartment is body color.  The paint is very, very good!

Number 2 son was home on spring break, so he helped out and took these pictures.  It was really good to share the experience with him, even though we had a lot of waiting.  Paint guy wasn't in the shop when we arrived, but he had taped a card from his recommended tow company to the windshield.  I needed to move the car to Uncle Packard's garage, just a few miles away, and the other guys at the shop encouraged me to arrange for the tow, even though I hadn't paid for the work!

Well, Tow Guy arrived and we loaded the car.  He is a pretty cool guy who knows Uncle Packard pretty well, since old Packards tend to break down.  If you drive them much, it pays to have a relationship with the local towing company!  Of course he knew the address, and asked how Uncle was doing.  By the way, Uncle Packard turns 80 next month.  He doesn't want a party, but we will have one anyway.

Just before we pulled out, Paint Guy came back to the shop. I was able to pay for the last bit of work he had done, and have a pleasant chat.  Paint guy's Dad, "Body Guy", is doing better since his heart valve replacement, but he's still not 100%.  I have to say that "paint and body" is, for them, a passion rather than a business.  They don't seem concerned about finances or schedules, even though I would be in their position.  They both clearly love working on old cars, and making them look beautiful.  They seem very happy just continuing to be able to do that.  Their shop seems run down, but is very productive.  It is cluttered with maybe 50 cars in various stages of repair, some of which have been there for years.  As I said, it's a passion not a business!  There is a lesson in this for me.

The 'bird between '29 and '36 Packards!

Once in Uncle Packard's garage, "Aunt Packard" came over to take a look.  She remembers driving this car when it was my Grandma's, and her first words on seeing the engine compartment were "it's the wrong color"!  I patiently explained that yes, it's not going to be the original color.  After some dialog and at least one "it will knock you eye out", she asked if I thought that the original Turquoise was too effeminate.  I had to respond "yes, Madam, I do!". I love my Aunt, but she is the source of some interesting conversation!

With this body color now clearly established, I can more effectively evaluate interior color options.

This is an upholstery sample of the original turquoise color

This is a sample of the original dark blue-green, laid on the original dash.  The dash may have faded, but I suspect that the original dye formula was lost.  Key question is: am I willing to recover the dash? 

Here are the green, turquoise, and Dresden blue samples.  I won't use turquoise in the interior, and I'm committed to Dresden blue for the seats.  I think the dark green will work for the dash and trim.

Seeing the car in this condition, well on the road to recovery, has caused me to rethink the next steps.  I'm focused on getting the car running, and to avoid the extra work of disassembling the dashboard for repainting and recovering.  I'm starting to feel convicted that I'm not digging deep enough, not willing to take the effort to really do the job well.  The excellent paint and engine work is setting a rather high standard, and I feel a little awkward about not applying the same standard to the dashboard, which is still a mess:

God has empowered me on my own journey of recovery.  The work already done in me has set a standard... when I look at how my life has changed, it is a high standard!
- He has done extensive work in my heart, just as I have done with the t-bird, and I now feel that my heart is right, my intention is pure, and that is a very strong foundation.
- He is doing extensive work on my external relationships, how I appear and interact with others, just as I am doing with this with body and paint work on the t-bird.  I am being drawn more deeply into a community of faith and recovery, and have started some serious repair work with my family.
- He is preparing me for more effective work in the world though things like building houses in Mexico and leadership in recovery,  just as I have invested in repairing and upgrading the brakes and suspension for the t-bird.

So, how do I feel convicted?  The dashboard is the car's primary interface to the driver.  I have been neglecting this, frankly... unwilling to take the considerable effort  necessary to disconnect all the wiring and remove the dashboard.  I'm afraid of what I will find under there!

Maybe, today's lesson for me has to do with my willingness to restore my interface with my personal driver, Jesus Christ!  Maybe my spiritual dashboard is as ugly as this car's... in some ways functional, but definitely not fun for the driver.  Maybe I need to be bold, let go of my fear, recognize the need for deeper work on this, and devote myself to it without reservation.

God has been with me through this so far.  He is worthy of my trust.  All I need to do is take the step.