It was once just your average car; a small grey compact. A sturdy and reliable design, proven on the roads of every continent. Influenced by the grace of the (then) modern body style it was pretty, albeit stubby. It was born in Wolfsburgh W. Germany, 1976. It served it's owner(s) reliably for over 123,000 miles, endureing beyond the end of it's era. Worn and rusted, it was taken off the roads to be parted out in an Atlanta car shop. It donated an engine (and several smaller organs) to serve it's creator-race even while it corroded, rusting down to the dust.

Purchased for a small sum, it was placed in the hands of boy who was ignorant and unappreciative. The boy rebuilt it. With guidance from his father(a skilled mechanic) the Beetle was disassembled and a cleansed of it's rusting. Every part was to be removed from it's place to be cleaned, painted and replaced. One engine was assembled from two. These engines were born also in Wolfsburgh, but at an even earlier date. 1972 is the auther's estimation; based on serial numbers.

Thus the Beetle was reborn, out of it's time, a peculiar car. It is now Chrome Yellow and black, with tube bumbers made of water pipe from South Africa. The fenders are abreviated, the rear apron removed. The boy had installed a minimal interior, recalling the style of an even earlier era that which the Beetle had been born into.

It must said that the boy has changed as well. At first he was easily dismayed. The needs of the car could not be met by his ablities. The realities of the Beetle were not what his untrained mind thought them to be, thought they should be. A Greek philosophy once wrote : " It is by having hands that man is the most intelligent of animals." As the boy rebuilt the Beetle, he work on his soul in like manner. This work has persisted 5 years and continues to this day.
But I digress....

On the 19th day of the 8th month ( that's the tenth on your calender) the Beetle capacity ot live it's new life was truly tested. It's first subtantial journey was to begin. Lasting 10 hours, this trial would show the virtue of the Beetle's design and reconstruction. Virtueous it was. Flawless, it was not. Some years before, the boy and his father had rebiult the rear suspension. In this process they had modified the torsion arm, changeing the geometry of the down stop. Increaseing the preload via Torsion Rod slpines they "lifted" the car. The resulting "lift" proved in the testing to have an adverse effect on the CV joints. Ecxessive force and ,consequentialy, wear was applied by the vertical diplacement of the axles from the transmission (transaxle differential). The most severe consquence was also the most immediate:

The coaxial transfer of load from the over deflected CV joints to their corresponding mount bolts
was, in essence, subjecting the bolts to rotation. They came out. At 65 mph one half mile from exit 2 on the 275 bypass around Cicinnati. The Beetle was brought to a stop off the shoulder of the offramp. It would be towed (by a rope around the front bumper) to the Holiday Inn parking lot that same evening. The following day, being the 20th day of the eighth month, it was towed(by dolly) to Springport Indiana. Over the 2 days immediatly following the 20th the Beetle's suspension was rebuilt again, as were the CV joints on the Left side. (the right side having not come loose)

With it's drivetrain reassmbled and all inappropriate "lift" removed from the rear suspension; the Beetle was whole once more. It was washed. It looks good, real good. However it may actually look that is this writer's opinion.

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God has provided in abundance all that I need. In my time of need His servants gave me aid.
My Rock held me above the crevices, my way is made smooth. Praise the Lord of Hosts! For the Almighty is Salvation to the uttermost.



Edited for photographic content.

The wedding of my cousin to his beloved was a joyous event, and I am happy for them. It was also uplifting and pleasant to be with family.
As usual among us (you know who you are) there was some serious discussion, and a lot of flippant talk. Several inclusive memes were form, used, then duly abused.
However pleasant the occasion was I still must earnestly quote the immortal Caveman; " We weren't bred for this."
I spent so much time with no occupation other than socializing to no clear and present purpose. No insult is intended to those I socialized with, and no insult to those I worked(?) with can be imagined.

I have done good. I have done no good.

I can honestly say both.

For some hours of every day I had some way to be of use to my brethren and the blessed couple.
But for what felt like many days my hands have been Idle and my soul has sat in luxury.
So it is with agitation and that I face the night, restless to do good, and troubled because of my fatigue.
By the grace of God I cannot grow weary in doing good. But in ease....dissipation seeks to devour my soul.

I will not trouble my reader with what I mean by "doing good," but you may know the ways my Patriarch and the ways of my God.


Consider it all joy....





Post Scriptum: I was graced to have met so many pious and gracious folks. I hope none found me cold or unsociable, though I am a quiet person.

Jon 3:5 So the people of Nineveh believed God, and proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them even to the least of them.
Jon 3:6 For word came unto the king of Nineveh, and he arose from his throne, and he laid his robe from him, and covered him with sackcloth, and sat in ashes.
Jon 3:7 And he caused it to be proclaimed and published through Nineveh by the decree of the king and his nobles, saying, "Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste any thing: let them not feed, nor drink water:
Jon 3:8 But let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and cry mightily unto God: yea, let them turn every one from his evil way, and from the violence that is in their hands.
Jon 3:9 Who can tell if God will turn and repent, and turn away from his fierce anger, that we perish not? "
Jon 3:10 And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God repented of the evil, that he had said that he would do unto them; and he did it not.

-KJV

Hint: I was never this cute.



Hint: you don't need one.

1st John 2 verses 18-27

1Jo 2:18 Little children, it is the last hour: and as ye heard that antichrist cometh, even now have there arisen many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last hour.
1Jo 2:19 They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they all are not of us.
1Jo 2:20 And ye have an anointing from the Holy One, and ye know all the things.
1Jo 2:21 I have not written unto you because ye know not the truth, but because ye know it, and because no lie is of the truth.
1Jo 2:22 Who is the liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, even he that denieth the Father and the Son.
1Jo 2:23 Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father: he that confesseth the Son hath the Father also.
1Jo 2:24 As for you, let that abide in you which ye heard from the beginning. If that which ye heard from the beginning abide in you, ye also shall abide in the Son, and in the Father.
1Jo 2:25 And this is the promise which he promised us, even the life eternal.
1Jo 2:26 These things have I written unto you concerning them that would lead you astray.
1Jo 2:27 And as for you, the anointing which ye received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any one teach you; but as his anointing teacheth you; concerning all things, and is true, and is no lie, and even as it taught you, ye abide in him.

-ASV


I chose this as to read before the assembly. (in the NKJV though)

It has stayed with my throughout the day as the junction of "the anointing" and "truth" struck me.