Punchy

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This week we began a new teaching series at QBC looking at the letters in the New Testament. It won’t be an indepth verse/word study type of deal, but more of a ‘flyover’, a big picture look at the different types of letters and how they served the church in that time. (More here if you want to know…)

I decided to kick off with the letter from Jude. You know the one?… The little one just before Revelation that no one ever reads?… Except for the end bit which makes a really cool ‘benediction’ in a church service

To him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy—  to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.

Those are well known and inspiring words, but reality is most people have very little clue what this little letter is about – or just how punchy it is.

Jude is just a page long, but its a grenade. It addresses people who had slipped into the church community and were living immorally and denying Jesus as Lord. He is speaking of those who knowingly, wilfully say ‘I don’t care. I will do as I please and ensure my own advantage is taken care of’

And his conclusion is that they ‘do not have the spirit’. Jude puts them outside the family of faith. Big call hey?…

His message is a hard one, but its one we need to get a hold of from time to time. If you think you can call yourself a disciple of Jesus, but can live a life that doesn’t hold to the things he calls you to then you are kidding yourself. Chances are you aren’t a disciple and you are going to be facing some pretty heavy judgement.

Ouch…

Not really the tone of this blog to get all direct and hard edged is it?

But what if there are still people around in the church today who fit the bill – people who slip in secretly, use others for their advantage and who live as they please while denying the authority of Christ, or more likely re-framing it suit their own ends.

The middle section of Jude’s letter is a series of warnings from Israel’s history describing those who had gone this way before and their fate. If we follow his thinking then what he is saying is ‘if you think you can act the part and fool God (you might fool people) then you are headed for disaster’.

Reality is the letters matter for us today because not much changes.

So Jude is a warning, a teaching and a challenge to the church today as it was back then. We have a strong tendency towards grace (perhaps a corrective to many years of legalism?) but in that we can see flagrant, repeated sin as ‘slip ups’ rather than as raw rebellion and evil. Knowing when to forgive and restore and when to call someone out is certainly a challenge, but one thing Jude reminds us of is that we can’t turn a blind eye.

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Farewell Quitting Season

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Since we came back from our around Oz trip in 2009 and I launched into retic as a serious business I’ve had a period every year called ‘quitting season’. Its that time of the year when the heat hasn’t quite ended, when I am back to working on my own and where I am totally exhausted and considering all other options as viable. It usually runs from around February thru to late April. I begin to question whether this is a waste of time… whether I should do something else… whether ‘God has called’ me to greater things…

Each year it strikes harder and I feel it more forcefully so I’m not sure how many years of retic and turf I have left in me, but thankfully this year’s ‘quitting season’ is over.

Now of course, I will worry that the phone doesn’t ring… that I don’t have work… and all those other complaints of the self employed. (Truthfully I am glad when the phone doesn’t ring and I am ready for a few weeks when no one wants any work done!)

I find it a challenge to keep running a business and be a church leader at the same time. Danelle and I are employed a total of two days between us by our church community  (and we are cool with that – no one is screwing us)  but by the same token it limits what is possible. This week’s sermon (as with all of mine for the last few years) is a result of 8 hours of work and no more. I just can’t sit around and polish a sermon (a turd?…) for longer than is necessary. If it isn’t done in 8 hrs then this is as good as it gets…I find hard but that’s just how it is…

I actually posted my business for sale on Gumtree this year – for the price of our mortgage… I didn’t have a ‘plan B’ to turn to. I just figured I’d work it out in the moment if it came to that. One call eventuated and since then I have relaxed a bit more and can face another year. The ad has been deleted…

I must admit that our Baptist pastor’s conference this year threw a spanner in my works. I found myself around a bunch of motivated people whose focus was on developing others to work in the kingdom of God and I was inspired again for my part in this. (Thanks to Mark Edwards and the crew who made this happen) but it also left me a little disoriented when it came to the life I live.

I have enjoyed being a ‘tradie’ for the last 6 years. I get to see what its like for the rest of the world to have to earn an income and do an ‘honest day’s work’. I also get to swear and no one bats an eyelid because they expect it of me… Just kidding – I don’t swear… if I don’t have to…

But I have also felt the tension of working in a job where the sense of meaning is rather low. I understand that for some people this is life and there is no option of anything more substantial… ouch… I sometimes feel like I have ‘more to give’ than running a retic business allows. Yet I also know that while I run a business I live in the same world most of our people do. I contend with the same issues of tiredness, distractedness and tedium that others also need to grapple with. I think this is helpful for a Christian leader.

I’m not sure how many years of retic fixing I have left in me, but I’m guessing I will play that one by ear. Already as things have slowed down I observe my ‘pastor’s gut’ starting to show. That isn’t something I ever want to see happen.

Each year seems to bring a new level of weariness in business, but I also like the autonomy and freedom it provides so I am wary of giving it up. In essence the business is the way I support myself to do what I am actually called to do, but the fact is that it drains me physically and emotionally means I have less energy to give to my sense of calling – Christian leadership and mission.

At this stage it seems to be that God has said ‘too bad how sad – suck it up and keep going’. So I guess that is what I will do. Press on with this mix of running a business and leading a church. I don’t call this ‘bi-vocational’ because I am clear on my vocation – it is in the area of Christian leadership and missiion – but at least for now one of the ingredients in that seems to be an involvement in my community via a business.

Of course I could explore the possibility of hiring people to run the business / expanding / restructuring etc, but I every time I move in this direction I see myself opening up a layer of complexity that I don’t want to attend to. I’m not lazy – its just not where I want to put my best energy. And I can see a black hole sucking me in if I head down this path.

So at this stage it looks like I will continue to be a retic bloke Tuesday-Thursday and a church leader at other times. I will continue to try and walk the balance of running a business and leading a church and see where it leads.

 

 

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Just a Story for Monday Morning

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I cam across this wonderful, yet disturbing story a few years back via an online ezine. As I was fossicking in some old files I found it again today.

If you want an inspirational story of how the Spirit of God works in spite of any of us then read this. If you want a challenge to consider how we can interact with what God is doing then this oughta spark some questons!

“The ‘E’ at the heart of emerging”
Paul Thomson

About 40 of us in late 70′s (all teens) found Christ IN our housing estate in Aberdeen, Scotland – we grew up in – this was completely outside known perameters of ‘mission’ at the time… BEFORE we ever came near a CHURCH.

No one ever told us about this incredible strange figure in that strange big book… WE stumbled on to him- it was OUR delicious secret – like finding ET in your kitchen, at the backside of the world -the estate was a terrifying place – many of us were beaten every week – day in day out by bullies at school or came through kids homes. Some of our chums – both boys and girls -were currently being abused by dads uncles. We were too young and scared to speak out (Aberdeen -70′s nuff said!) as we know now! no one would have listened to us – or believed us – anyway.

What did it look like … (church?) We would get together every day – we’d pack out our ma’s place – when she was at ‘yoga’ – 40 of us – some on ‘glue’ – bringing ghetto-blasters, biscuits, pocket money – to put in bowls to share we’d fill every room – kitchen, bedrooms, sitting room , hallway – outside in the back yard… when one of us said – they’re startin tae speak te God in the sitting room… everybody would squeeze in or join in thru the hatch (opens from kitchen)… sitting round – spikkin tae Goad … min… the heat in that room – I can still feel it (as well as the smell of glue and kids prefume and biscuits… the smell of God. I remeber that it gave us ‘guys’ permission to talk – really talk to each other… we even had a game – we would give each other all our wages – part time jobs – at the end of the week – or lay hands on our dog to see what would happen.

The words we used – our conversation with God – shocking even here among more refined – ‘emerging church and mission’ sensibilities – (I count myself in here too now – so I’m not joshin you’all) the word ‘christian‘ – i don’t think – we…used or understood the word – yet – or church… NO ONE knew we even existed.. at this point – this is difficult to imagine, perhaps, but ‘I’ even wondered if any other of these ‘disciple’ types we read about to each other – in the gospels…existed in aberdeen??? until eventually I found a christian bookshop – I stammered – words to the guy behind the counter – ‘are yooz like in the bible… ‘ (I don’t think I even knew of the word: christian at this point – wasn’t in the gospels)

Now here is the really freaky bit.. I suddenly began to become ‘aware’ of ‘church buildings’ – It’s wierd but It was odd to me how I never noticed before.. their ‘existence’…. I’ve explained this to many people before – its like they were there – you kicked a ball against the wall of the thing – it made bell noises every sunday… but it WASN’T HERE…. it was an alien patch of ground from another place… where people had cars and came every week – (I was usually in my bed so I never saw them) and inside lived a mannie… with a funny soft voice… It’s odd but I had the distinct impression… that he looked so fragile – like he would break…something.. a sad soft posh person… I didn’t like him much… but thats all I remember. .

One day a man heard about us.. visited us and was blown away – he started using words like ‘revival’ etc… he was awfully happy … we were too… finally we made contact with the ‘outside’ and a real adult too to boot… he advised us to start ‘going to ‘church’ – very soon though… it died! They didn’t mean for it to… it just did. I now understand that – whatever lived in that soil or environment – was too fragile to be moved into an alien landscape – I remember watching it… the uprooted crew ….at church… slowly they got quieter less animated… less free and – ‘themselves’ … our language made people wince… our route into Christ completely alien… I was treated like a hero… they had me preach every 2 weeks – and got to ‘lead worship’ – with our own written stuff… that we had composed in the estate… It was all wrong – I felt it – but I was too young and scared – and we were all wowed by these al these bright talkative kind posh people with big faces, who knew better about church and God and a that! Now after being thru the – wimber alt worship/NOS to clubchurch now.. to the possibility of a wide luscious multicoloured valley – of tribes… linking out to the edges and beyond of the alternative and even – the anglosphere… altogether (O God i hope so)…. we come to Emerging church…. (with Big J nothing is lost and the best comes with us – NOS too).

without the E…. however, there is no E-merging anything … just good ol’ MERGING…. so here is my 2p (or whatever your currency is) worth …

E in E merging stands for (in the Uk anyway…) stands for ESTATES……

this time – for the first time, perhaps in 1500 years… i our aristocratic obsessed Country …the poor might just get back in…. from the cold…. the experience of the ‘absence of Christ’ – remarked by many in Europe since the before the world wars… is for a purpose… it induces the song of solomon phenomena – the search for him… in the wackiest places… but its, if you notice a story about the ‘king/prince’ choosing to hang out with the poorest… (dark)

….. if you miss the presence… spend a few years with/among/the outcasts…. be baptised among the religious poor… like the Jeruslamites and temple goers – immersing themselves among the cackling and rough tones and raw emotions of those at the jordan with John-the immerser…

if you are poor – for goodness sake don’t be ashamed of it – help the middle classes … let go.. their obsessive need to help you… and ‘communicate chunkily’ – with each other and God… from their heart… they’re so nervous of losing their ‘cool’ … of catching ‘ poverty’ and ‘neediness’ … oof protecting their masks… they are in great pain because of it.. help them let go a bit… aybe they can then go from letting God move their heart – to letting God move their butts! and dance…. something the poorest have always done….

can you imagine ‘NEDS’ leading … the emerging church… into her future …and heritage and promised land… why not? the benjaminites… (the smallest tribe) were asked to lead Israel across the jordan… I bet they were surprised….that must have been a sight…

or rough Galileans cluelessly leading the church into her future in Europe and Africa Century 1

ending up as stories from Egyptian traders among the tatoo’ed unwashed natives of Scotland and Ireland…

put ESTATES at the heart of the emrging church in the UK and enjoy the presence of Christ ….sup to yooz (ooh I’m gettin ma voice back min)

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The Bible Says It – I Believe it – That Settles It

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bible

Really?…

I grew up with this statement ringing in my ears and I am guessing I may have even cited it a few times myself in my younger and more ‘knowledgable’ years.

It sounds convincing, authoritative and difficult to argue with. But it isn’t a statement I see much value in these days at all.

Now its more a case of ‘the Bible says it’, ‘I believe it’, but chances are you may read the same Bible, be a genuine follower of Jesus and arrive at a totally different place to me in your convictions.

And that’s ok…

‘The total statement offers an apparently logical progression in thought, that is actually far from logical. The first part is fine. The Bible does ‘say it’. But the fact that I believe it actually settles nothing. It simply offers you my take on how I see the text. Any student of hermeneutics (biblical interpretation) will know that few things are as cut and dried as this statement makes them sound. In practice, this claim really means, “My view of the Bible is the ultimate authority.” It doesn’t allow any room for debate or disagreement, because you would be arguing with the Bible…

The statement has its roots in a fundamentalist paradigm – one that will call people back to the Bible as an authority (which is all well and good) but that will only read it one way – their way.

The other day Sam asked me if the story of Jonah is historical or allegorical. He has asked me about the flood – a worldwide flood?… Really dad?… He’s only ten but he’s wondering about stuff. Its easy to refer him to the above statement and simply say ‘yes – the Bible says it – it is therefore as you read it.’

Except that plenty of people from the evangelical tribe would choose to interpret differently these days. These are people who hold the scriptures as authoritative and inspired but who ‘read’ these stories thru a different lens.

I can’t give my son short answers to questions that I also hold. I have no doubt that God could have made a fish swallow a man, or flooded the whole earth – but I also know its possible to read these texts differently.

Those who may come from a more fundamentalist perspective generally don’t make their wives wear head-coverings to church… even though Paul clearly states it. Why not?…

Why not ‘believe’ that part of the Bible?…

We all have our points of interpretation and our texts that are not negotiable. But the great danger in speaking ‘biblically’, as Rob Bell has said, is that we can use that word as a weapon to batter others into submission. I reckon he’d be feeling just a little smashed around by it at the moment.

Bell isn’t towing the party line on gay marriage and this follows on from his rather ambiguous discussion of hell in Love Wins. He is a high profile Christian leader in the US – - but I continue to be stunned at the way the guy gets belted for no longer fitting within the fold.

I get that he’s a teacher and an influence on others, and therefore has a higher level of accountability, but he’s not advocating salvation by works, or denying the deity of Christ. He’s switched teams on an issue that matters deeply to evangelicals and for that he will ‘pay’.  Those who are ‘in’ have been very quick and decisive in now locating him as ‘out’. I can’t say I see that as a wise decision let alone a grace-filled one. There has to be a better way to navigate paths of difference than hanging someone out to dry because they no longer wear the uniform.

Earlier I said that its ok to read the Bible differently – and in case you are wondering I don’t offer that as a blanket statement, true of every aspect of belief. I think there are some core convictions that will see us come unstuck if we let them go, but outside of them I’m happy to accept that the family is bigger and broader than I had once thought and that God is more generous with who he welcomes than I might be.

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Do You Want to Get Well?

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I read a great book a couple of weeks back – Renovation of the Church – the story of a church that hit the ‘seeker church’ line very hard and then (as they say) took a ‘jackhammer to their foundations’  as they realised they were creating a monster rather than leading people to Jesus.

Having been down that track (a long time ago now) I remember well the challenge of spinning all the plates and keeping everything running yet feeling like we weren’t necessarily seeing people becoming more like Jesus. They were busy – no question – but many were ending up as religious consumers rather than disciples.

One of the central themes of their book is taken from the story of Jesus approaching the lame man at Bethesda and asking him if he wanted to get well.

It isn’t a ‘given’.

He asks because the truth is that the man may not want to get well. His ‘sick’ life may be working for him and he may prefer to stay there. People carry him around… he doesn’t have to work… and to ‘get well’ could be a whole conundrum of expectatons. Likewise when it comes to discipleship. To ‘get well’ – to become like Christ – comes at a cost. We choose to forgo our immediate pleasures and sources of contentment and pursue Christ.

To get well costs but it is where life is found.

CS Lewis puts it like this:

“It would seem that Our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.”

We settle for sensual pleasures and temporal desires when God calls us to recalibrate our thinking and living so that we want what he wants and we seek him.

To ‘get well’ means believing that the rule of God is a better way than the pursuit of our own desires. We don’t always believe that…

Which is why so man of us remain sick for a long time

 

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New Beginnings

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Coming to Yanchep would probably be one of the best moves we have ever made as a family.

The header on the blog now is of our first day in this home.

It was cold and wet the day before as we moved in and on our first morning in a new place the kids wandered out onto the verandah to look out at the rainbow that had formed. Rainbows are symbols of new beginnings and I guess it felt a bit like that on the first morning.

I took this pic from inside the kitchen – hence the ‘spots’ on the window.

Not sure exactly why I love it – I think it just takes me back to a wonderful day

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Stepping Thru The Wardrobe

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thru_the_wardrobeI decided that this year might be a good time to invest in the process of spiritual direction and see where that leads. I haven’t taken this route before, but I’m ready for some new paths. On Monday I met with Jennifer to talk about what I am hoping for and where I hope things might go.

I have been feeling lately that I have hit a bit of a ceiling when it comes to my relationship with God. Its like knowing there is more to be had, but not quite knowing how to access it – or maybe even how to describe it… knowing there is a world that I am yet to encounter. As I described what I was feeling on Monday I spoke of it as wanting to ‘step thru the wardrobe’. It was just an image that popped into my head as I was articulating what I was hoping for, but its stuck with me.

Do you remember Lucy’s face when she landed on the other side of the wardrobe? I want to say ‘wow’ again as I meet with God and I believe that is possible. I’m just not sure of how I get there on my own.

I feel like I could sit where I am now and ‘manage’ just fine for the rest of my life, but I also feel like I’d be settling for meat and potatoes when there is some beautiful food to be had.

I love an adventure and I feel like this might be the start of a new one so I’ll let you know where it heads.

We are leading our church in this direction too over the coming year so I’m hoping that others will want to step thru the wardrobe too and join me in a new and unfamiliar place… and say maybe get to say ‘wow…’ again…

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A Vicarious Spirituality?

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I don’t talk to many people who are content in their spirituality.

I don’t talk to too many who say they are enjoying their relationship with God and feeling good about it.

It seems we are in constant struggle to grow and develop our own spirituality. Perhaps that’s why we are attracted to apparently successful images of church. I say ‘apparent’, because some genuinely are ‘successful’ and others are just apparent.

By being part of a happening church, where the worship is intense and the preaching is powerful I can feel like I am in a healthy place. I can feel like I am a powerful, victorious go ahead type of Christian. I think there are many who do actually develop vicarious spirituality – where their own faith is lived through the vibe of the church or the charisma of the leader, but it doesn’t actually take root in their own heart.

That’s a scary place to be, because all you have to do is ask the ‘what if?’ questions.

What if the church splits?
What if the preacher leaves?
What if you get a new job in another city?

More to the point…

What if you wake up one day and realise your spirituality is a thin veneer covering a vacuous space? What if you were to face reality and say that there is no ‘me and God’ there is only me and the ‘Sunday gathering’ and thru this event I meet God?…

What if you find yourself in a place where church fails to cut it for you?

I am all for inspiration, all for creating a vibe that engages people, but I am concerned that there are people living off the fumes of a ‘rockin church’. I am concerned that people have outsourced their own spiritual development to either a pastor or a ‘church’. And church is in inverted commas because I don’t think this really is church anyway.

Sometimes our structures tap into the dark places in our hearts and work against genuine spiriutal formation.

The solution? I don’t think we should seek to be less inspiring, less engaging. But somehow we need to create a space where people are both challenged and encouraged to ask the hard questions of themselves and then to take personal responsibility for their own discipleship – to form a faith that isn’t dependent on the competence of the worship leader, the charisma of the speaker or the vibe of gathering.

When we centre our efforts on creating an event that wows people we can only expect this kind of response. If we were to centre our efforts on helping people get to know Jesus then we probably won’t need to create such events. They may exist and may serve a purpose, but chances are they won’t undermine what we actually hope to do – to help people stand on their own two feet and know who they are in Christ.

 

 

 

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With What Remains

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Around a BBQ at our home a conversation started with a friend the other night about age. She is turning 40 this year. It seems many of my friends are now in this category… I think the word people use is ‘old’.

I mentioned that this year I am 49 and next year 50, which just seems weird. Who’d have thought I could ever turn 50? I remember thinking of 50 year olds as people in a queue for a funeral. Now I am one of them… and I don’t see it like that any more oddly…

My friend asked me ‘so what do you hope to do with what remains of your life?’

I chuckled because it felt like a question you should ask of someone terminally ill. But I also  found myself saying ‘I want to get to know God better’, (which sounds kinda pious and noble) except that as I said that I felt in my gut ‘yep – that’s it. I WANT to do that. I really want that.’

Not in a know about God, understand theology better kinda way, but in a ‘I really think this matters more than anything’ kind of way. As I began to speak of it I said that I don’t want to be one of those people who approaches death with dread, fear and trepidation. I am sure the unknown will hold some of that. But I want to be one those people who is so genuinely connected with God, that I am able to anticipate what lies ahead with joy – that I long for what is to come.

I haven’t felt this way much before. I certainly didn’t feel like it at 30. There was too much world to conquer and not enough time to do it in.

But as I spoke those words the other night I felt I articulated something that has been gestating in my soul for a while now – a genuine longing to know God better – perhaps in a new way? I’m not even sure quite what I mean and in some ways words are a little inadequate to describe what I feel.

But I’ve been conscious that at times I get a sniff of a life that could be and I want to chase it. I get a glimpse of a life filled with greater peace, contentment and joy than I currently know and I believe that has much to do with how I choose to connect with God.

So, part of the journey this year is to make time to connect better – to put some practices in place that create space in my world and give this intention a chance of becoming an action. There is nothing wild and crazy, but some simple things shaped by a sense of intent that I am hopeful with be productive.

I doubt it will happen this year, but perhaps at 60 I will look back on this post and observe that I actually made some choices that formed my future and my own identity differently.

And if I’m still blogging at 70 or 80 (and I don’t see why I wouldnt be)  I’ll let you know what I have discovered…

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Cars and Craziness

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Late last year I decided it was time to change cars. I do that every now and then – partly necessity, but (let’s be honest) partly because I get bored with the same vehicle.

bigred

The necessity part was that Danelle was driving our old 96 Patrol all over the city during the week and it was pretty expensive, while I was driving a similarly old and expensive car for work. We figured we’d get her a good 4 cylinder and I’d get a work/holidays car – a 4WD of some variety.

The Patrol had 250 000Ks on it and had done us very well, but it was a bit tight on the inside and there was an intermittent problem with the air con that I was tired of trying to locate. It was a beast of a car and in great condition for its age, but I had itchy feet. The Bravo was fine, but I saw an old Landcruiser on Gumtree that looked like a good buy and I decided to quit the Bravo and get the cruiser.

cruiser

I got the cruiser at a very good price and the Bravo sold the next day to a young Scottish couple who had arrived in Australia one day earlier. That was easy… Unfortunately the gearbox in the Bravo lasted one more week before crashing on the new owner. I had no idea it was dodgy, so wasn’t in any way liable, but I did feel rotten for them. I mentioned it on facebook and a few friends offered to kick in to help them out which was a beautiful act of generosity.

In the meantime we had bought Danelle a new car – a 2005 Mazda 3 with just 18000kms on it. The old couple who owned it had been required to hand in their license and stop driving. They advertised for $13K. They wouldn’t negotiate. I paid $13K. You can buy a new car for $13K, but the Mazda is just a bit better than some of what you get in that price range and with such low kms it seemed like a good buy. So far so good with the Mazda… And with the Mazda came the first car we have ever owned that was manufactured in the same decade in which we live. That felt a little odd and even indulgent.

So now we had an HJ60 Landcruiser Sahara complete with shag pile carpet and velour seats, the old Patrol and Danelle’s Mazda 3.  I was trying to love the Cruiser but it was a tenuous relationship. I really wanted it to work. There was so much to like with a powerful 12HT motor, huge fuel tanks and range, heaps of space and very few worries about damaging it. (Those things are built like brick dunnies.) But I was falling in and out of love with this old girl.

Anyway, we advertised the Patrol and ended up selling it to friends. They got a great car at a very good price and we were happy too. They needed a reliable decent sized car and I think they will be good for quite a while with the old beast. It was a car that carried lots of great memories especially from our around Oz, but it was also time for a change.

I think my big mistake with the Cruiser was trying to get the rear air con up and running. It was all going well and the front air con was cold but when I had the local mechanic try to get the rear going, it ran well while we were cruising, but died badly when the car was stopped at lights or in traffic. He tried a few fixes but in the end I concluded that he didn’t really know what he was doing as each step was trial and error. Along the way he mentioned to me that he had been working on air cons for 4 months so this was all new to him… Great…

On one day when it seemed he had got the air con working I headed out to meet a mate for lunch. I was enjoying the relief of a cold car on a hot day, when I had to put the windows down… only to discover that the switch that puts them back up had carked it. I was pretty dark that day as I cruised home in 36 degree heat. A working air con that couldn’t work because I couldn’t seal the car… As it turned out I surfed the forums, located the problem and easily fixed it, but the air con wasn’t fixed… It still got cold on long runs and stifling around the city.

The cruiser had had an engine transplant – the 12 HT had replaced the 2H that was in it – and I began to realise that part of the issue was the compatibility of a 24v motor in a 12v car. I hadn’t seen that one at purchase as it drove well and everything worked. But there were signs of more pain ahead and I had already spent $2500 getting it to this point. I figured I could stop there and get my money back, or see it as a hobby and keep spending. Tough choice because I love old 60′s. With an oil leak from the turbo, leaky swivel hubs and signs of other potential issues I decided to wack it on Gumtree and see if it would sell. It was gone within 2 days for $9500 – pretty much what it owed me minus transfer costs. Amazing how these old cars hold their value! Maybe one day I will own a good one…

However I felt like I’d dodged another bullet and wanted to now buy a car that would just ‘go’. Of all the people in Yanchep I know the mechanics better than anyone else… And that wasn’t my plan. I was hoping to put some distance between me and their workshops.

So the plan was to find a car that wouldn’t be an issue for quite a while. It would have to do duty as a work car towing a trailer 3 days of the week, as a holiday car able to cross the country with ease and as a play car for when I want to get out on the dunes. With second hand cruisers fetching crazy prices I began to look at Patrols again. I had very few complaints with the other Patrol so I figured a decent GU could be the go. They are big, beasty and generally pretty reliable.

I set an upper price range of $30K but was hoping to find a good one for $20K. With all the problems attributed to the 2000-2003 models I was looking 2005 upwards. This gave me the serious jitters as we have never spent this much money on cars. It would be a good tax break for sure, but up to now $14K has been our biggest outlay on a vehicle. The Crusier had sold quicker than I expected so I was ‘car-less’ for a bit and needed to jump fairly quickly. My mate Billy lent me his Jackaroo for a few days (a cause of many laughs!) and that got me thru, but I was keen to find something.

I had a done a fair bit of research and could pick a good buy fairly quickly now. A Patrol popped up in Busso – 130K’s, 2007, good condition, brand new tyres and with an extended new car warranty for another 12 months or 30000Ks. It was $30K though… the top dollar… I felt the sphincter clench… But if it was on the money then it was definitely a good buy. Danelle was keen for me to buy a ‘trouble free’ car (which equated to me being less gnarly) so it looked like the one to go for.

patrol

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A couple of friends dropped by and checked it out and gave it a green light. So Jeremy kindly drove me from Perth to Busso with a bank cheque in hand ready to purchase. All was fine except for an annoying dash rattle @ 2000 rpm that will need sorting – and an archaic tape deck for a stereo, so we handed over the cash and drove home. It went well on the way home and felt great to drive.

I didn’t like shelling out that many $$ for a car – which I think has more to do with my ‘car paradigm’ than it does with any real issues – because whether the $30K sits in my driveway giving me a reliable trouble free car, or in my mortgage account is really irrelevant.

This week it began its duties as a work car and towed the trailer well to the first job down in Doubleview. The air con worked beautifully and I was a happy man. After that job I hopped in and took off for Kingsley only to notice the temperature gauge rising quickly. If I hadn’t turned the air con off and nursed it along it would have boiled it within minutes.

You know that sick feeling when you think you’re over the hump of car repairs only to discover you’re not?… Of spending 30K to avoid this kinda crap only to smell it on your shoe again?…

Yeah – that was Tuesday. I wasn’t happy. I don’t think the old owner knew about it. I didn’t see it misbehave all the way home from Busso, but the hot weather and a heavy load exposed the problem.

So today I dropped it in at the local mechanic’s workshop (again…) to get the cooling system serviced. I am thinking its as simple as a radiator flush and clean or a stuffed thermostat but I guess we’ll know this afternoon… Maybe then I can stop this litany of car dramas and attend to the rest of life. Its been a little too consuming lately and I don’t want it to be like that.

At the end of the day I have been reflecting that in all of this there is always a choice as to how to respond – to let the ire rise and the frustration become controlling or to chill and roll with it. There is no easy solution with cars. They do not appreciate in value. They do not run better with age. There will always be issues. And I have had a run of them. My patience is developing or eroding… I’m not quite sure which.

Anyway that was just a litte bit of cathartic journalling on a Friday AM before I kick into sermon gear…

Here’s to a few years of minimal car dramas and lots of great trips in the new beast…

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