From the Desk of Pastor Diehl MAY We live in a very mobile society, and Americans love cars. They are our main means of transportation as well as social statements. I have always been aware of this, having been born and raised in the Detroit area....Motor City....the car capital of the world, well, at least up until the last several years. But recently I have been reminded again of how much Americans are interested in cars. I've never seen or experienced the kind of interest and conversation about any car as much as when I recently purchased a 2008 smart fortwo. (Yes, all lower case letters, and "fortwo" as in, it is built "for two" people.) Two of the most distinguishable vehicles in the county...
Normally a pastor wouldn't say much about buying a new car, but in this case, I have a couple of things to say. After driving my little red Geo Tracker for the past 16+ years around Vero Beach, folks have gotten to know it pretty well. Often someone would stop by the office during the week and say, "I saw your car out there and thought I'd stop by to see you." That's always welcome. But in the future, you might not see the little red Tracker as much. More likely you will see a new little yellow (very yellow) "smart". That is, unless Karen drives it to school, in which case, you'll see the old Tracker. Just wanted you to know that you are still welcome to stop by if you see either of those cars. The other reason I mention this is that the smart is no ordinary car. In fact, this car marks kind of a paradigm shift in the auto world. While this car (or the earlier generation of it) has been in Europe for about 10 years, it has just begun coming to America and is the smallest car sold in America. It is about 3 feet shorter than a Mini Cooper, if that gives you any idea. But more than just being small, it has the smallest "carbon footprint" of any car made today, including hybrids. What that means is that from the production process, to the materials used, to the recycle-ability, to the clean burning, efficient engine, this car has one of the lowest negative impacts on the environment of all vehicles made today. It’s not just about high gasoline prices. Since transportation is something we need anyway, I felt that this car (one of the first in Indian River County) will not only get me around, but will also hopefully help us all think differently, not just about our means of transportation, but about our total stewardship of God's creation. In fact, at our Florida/Bahamas Synod Assembly in Daytona, the first weekend in May, a number of workshops will be held on the environment and how congregations can be better stewards of God's creation. For all of us who live in America, and who consume an extraordinarily high percentage of the world's resources, it seems that any little reminder to help us think differently about our consuming, would be a good thing. And if my little smart car alone doesn't do that, maybe the license plate will help. It reads: LV SMPLY. In fact, between that license plate, and the one on my Tracker, GRACED, that pretty much sums up my life! And for that, I am very grateful. May we all learn better how to live more simply, and to better live in God’s grace. (For all kinds of information about the "smart" car, you can go to www.smartusa.com.) + Living in God's Amazing Grace + Pastor Jack |
April
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