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I have done a fair amount of vehicle maintenance in my life. I started learning how to change the oil and filters in our cars from my Uncle Bill. He showed me how to do front disc brakes, changing the clutch and transmission soon followed. Along the way I learned about rebuilding carburetors, fixing radiators, thawing frozen gas lines, wiring and the agony of points, condensers’, timing, regulators, and alternators. Then it was on to swapping engines, welding and bodywork and painting. Now I cannot claim to be an expert in this work, but I have tried my best to keep up to date on the changing needs of the “shade-tree mechanic! See part of this “disease” of being a self-taught mechanic is that I like to do things for myself. I like fixing things that I break or that wear out. I like saving money. But along the way I have swapped out more good parts than I care to remember. I have broken a few things trying to fix things that were really broken! In the past twenty years the art of reading “codes” from computers is part of the duties of a good home mechanic. Now just because a little device says the code is your oxygen sensor don’t believe it! You see this age of computer diagnostics often just means you get to swap out more parts, and expensive ones, while still not fixing whatever in the world is truly broke. It still takes some common sense, knowledge of how things work, and downright stubbornness to get things working right!

Having the right tools is crucial. I am in the middle of changing the rear wheel bearings on my son’s Subaru. Those bearings are growling, and you would think they would last more than 192,000 miles! I told Isaac in the “good ol’ days” we cleaned and repacked wheel bearings every 18 months or so, thus things are not so bad. But the catch is these new bearings are pressed in, so what is a shade-tree mechanic going to do? I go to the computer and YouTube, several car forums, and with two hours of research we are ready to go…to the tool supplier and buy some tools. Now that is a good thing! We guys always need more tools, right? Ha! So, I bought a slide-hammer, hub remover adapter, seal drivers (I have needed these over the years, but somehow got by) and axle-bearing removal set. I tell Lisa that we are going to save some money by buying two hundred dollars’ worth of tools! I must say my wife is a great gal; she has stuck by me through many rolls of duct tape, and zip-ties and Bondo as we get our cars to keep rolling down the road. She knows that this first job may take a while, and yes it will be aggravating, but she knows her husband is stubborn and that we will be successful, and then use these tools and knowledge to help others.

You see vehicle maintenance reflects life maintenance. Just as a car needs tune-ups, new tires and struts, and some love, so do we people. We start out life as cute little babies, and we look perfect; but truth be told we are not perfect. We are marred by our fallen sinfulness. Just like many new cars come with defects that need to be recalled to be fixed; we are defective in our nature. We are sinners who sin; we sin because that is our nature. Have you ever wondered why you don’t have to teach a small child to lie, or to be selfish; it is inbred in us by our falleness. Some of us are very good at masking our sin. We are subtle and sneaky. But you are not fooling God. He knows you better than you know yourself.

If you have a check engine light on in your car you either use a code reader yourself, or you take your car to the mechanic, and he reads the code and then formulates a plan to resolve the issue. If you have abdominal pain you go to the hospital and get a scan or test to pinpoint the problem, then a doctor develops a plan to get things corrected. If you have money problems you go to a certified public accountant, or financial advisor and they help you get things corrected. You must go to the right specialist to resolve big issues.

If you are struggling with life issues such as depression, lying, cheating, immorality, drug and alcohol abuse, lust, immorality, anger, or anything that is causing you stress at home or work, with family or friends I urge you to go the best resource of all and that is Jesus. His schedule is always open; his counsel is always available in the Bible. Find a real Bible believing and practicing Pastor and ask him to help you mine God’s Word for the knowledge that will help you correct what needs repaired in your life. If you need a Bible, please call or email me and I will get you one. If you need to talk through some things, I would be glad to help you. You see I am not an expert mechanic, nor am I able to solve all your problems. But I know Someone who can fix all your problems and would love to introduce you to Him. Thanks for reading this column!

Dave Carroll is an area missionary with InFaith, America’s oldest Christian home mission agency, and Pastor of the Wolf Creek Baptist Church. You can contact Dave at 406.459.8935 or davecarroll@infaith.org