Daily Encouragement

Wednesday, June 19, 2024

An unrestored truck at the Columbia car show demonstrating lots of patina.

_^"Patina"

Message summary: As we age we will all inevitably have more and more patina, the claims of "age defying" creams notwithstanding!

Listen to our message on your audio player.

“So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal” (2 Corinthians 4:16-18).

Practically every weekend through the summer we have car shows in various communities here in Lancaster County. People enjoy restoring old cars and then gathering with others to show it off. Sharon is a friend of ours who regularly attends these shows driving her classic '67 Chevy Nova and enjoying the relaxing time with her husband and her mother.

Last Saturday I went to a huge car show in Columbia PA with over 400 cars interestingly named, "Thunder On The River" since Columbia lies next to the Susquehanna River. When they had all the engines rev up at the same time it actually sounded like roaring thunder!

Most of the cars are older and beautifully restored. Now "older" even includes cars from my childhood and early adult years but to me "older" describes cars made before I was born and there were a lot of those.

However, there were two other types of cars. First there were several newer cars that I just couldn't figure out what they were doing there such as a 2021 that didn't seem special at all. Actually it was quite a bit newer than either of my cars. I asked one of the show volunteers and it seems some people like to participate in car shows and there's no requirement that the car is anything special.

The second type was something new to me. Apparently it's becoming more common to not restore cars and just leave them as original as possible, rust and all (see lead photo) which is seen by some as a thing of beauty!

The exterior effect is called patina which is a green or brown film on the surface of metals, produced by oxidation (rust) over a long period.

Here's an explanation from a car site:

Patina is the history of the car written in the surfaces that we see and interact with. An old car has been around for a while and stuff has happened to it; it has a history. If you take that car and restore it with new paint, chrome and interior, you effectively zero the history meter and you get to start all over again. Not a bad thing, just not the same car. Walk into any garage containing an old British car and you will SMELL the patina. Never to be confused with new car smell.

Now certainly my greatest interest will be in seeing the beautifully restored or maintained cars at these shows. However the patina look is growing on me!

Yesterday we had breakfast at the Railroad Diner in rural Lebanon County. As we walked back to our van after we had eaten we followed an elderly plain (Mennonite) couple laboring just to get back to their car and then the second laborious effort was to get himself seated in the car. I saw lots of patina, but I also considered what this real time picture likely represented: their lives full of joys and heartaches, their enduring marriage covenant, their likely commitment to righteous living.

Wilma Dourte, along with her husband Jesse, were a very colorful older couple we met about 15 years ago. Both are now with the Lord.

Wilma described her aging body like that of an automobile. At her memorial service her daughter, Loine, read the following reflection about aging that Wilma herself wrote:

"Age will weather, some of my parts with rust. My upholstered padding has already begun to get threadbare in some parts and lumpy in others. I can't put just any kind of fuel in my gas tank without expecting stalls, backfires, or fuel line stop-up. My headlights aren't what they used to be. Sometimes my tail pipe drags. My battery gets so tired just trying to get started for the day that I suspect one morning it will not turn over at all. My mileage is something only my repairman knows."

Today's text presents an indisputable and ultimately comforting reality but let's just focus on one phrase, "our outer self is wasting away" which may not seem comforting! Other versions render, "our outer man is decaying" NIV) "our outward man perish" (KJV) "our physical body is becoming older and weaker" (ICB). What a harsh reality!

As we age we will inevitably have more and more patina, the claims of "age defying" creams notwithstanding!

We both memorized the daily text when we were young, before we had much, if any patina. What assurance it brought then and now even more so.

Be encouraged today, Hebrews 3:13

Stephen & Brooksyne Weber

Daily prayer: Father, from the time we take our first breath our flesh begins the decaying process since we are clothed in mortality ever since Adam and Eve disobeyed in the garden of Eden. But we take heart in knowing that though our flesh and our heart may fail, You are the strength of our heart and our portion forever. We lack nothing when You are at the center of our lives, and though our bodies will someday perish, our immortal body will forever live in the place where we will never grow old, where our flesh will not decay, our minds will be sound and our bodies will be whole. Keep our eyes on Jesus so that the painful things of this world will grow strangely dim and the glories of heaven will capture our focus. In the name of Jesus we pray. Amen.

Today's Suggested Music and Supplemental Resources

"Finish Well" Watch on YouTube The Bontrager Family Singers

This family singing group is coming to our own neighborhood on Sunday evening June 23, 2024 at 6:00 PM, just one street over at the Brubaker Farms 493 Musser Rd., Mount Joy, PA. It will be a free will offering. The location is a beautiful setting in the meadow on this side of the creek in the photo below. Bring lawn chairs. Brooksyne will be there. Stephen made a prior commitment to speak to a men's group that evening.

The Brubaker Farm
(Click on photo to enlarge. This photo, probably from a drone, is on their website)
The farm is located a little over 1/2 mile east of our house (see map)

Brubaker Farms Mission Statement: "Our mission is to glorify the Lord through the stewardship of our team, animals, community, and the environment".

"Faithful Still" Watch on YouTube KingsPorch

"King of Glory" Watch on YouTube Passion This song we enjoy singing at our church came to mind due to the opening lyrics:

Don’t lose heart oh my soul, oh my soul
Don’t give up there is hope, there is always hope
There is peace in the storm, in the storm
Don’t forget he is Lord, He is Lord of all

The Columbia car show is held on a street that leads down to the river. We sang the National Anthem followed by a Christ-honoring prayer. After all, this is in non-woke, small town America.

Most of the cars that I found interesting were like this one. Note: This was a solo trip since Brooksyne is really not into car shows and was preparing a meal for a large gathering the following day.

Here's another beauty but note the green car beside it, a 2021 regular car.

Here's another example of an unrestored classic. This is probably similar to the station wagon we had when I was young. The rear seats faced backwards. Now to see kids riding facing the back of the vehicle you have to come upon an Amish buggy!

We took this photo about 15 years ago near New Holland, PA

Send a message to Stephen & Brooksyne

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