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The Ultimate Restoration

After you read through the Ultimate Restoration you may also want to read this:

The Big Show

All automotive enthusiasts, car nuts, gearheads, and such really enjoy seeing an automobile, whether it be considered a classic, streetrod, musclecar, exotic, etc., brought back from literally nothing.  Sometimes these long forgotten automobiles are called "basketcases."  The "basketcases" are found forgotten and abandoned in fields, barns, old garages, and junkyards.  So many parts are missing from the automobile that only the true enthusiast or collector of that particular automobile would even recognize it.  Here's some examples:

The average person would look at this as a junk car.  Do you know what this is?  Well, most enthusiasts would recognize the body style as either a Camaro or Firebird.  The rear spoiler and wheels would lead you toward it being a Firebird.  You'd have to check the VIN and/or cowl tag to determine that this is a 1972 Trans Am.  Would you try to restore it or crush it?  That all depends upon how important a 1972 Trans Am is to you.
The average person would never guess that the Trans Am shown in the picture above would look like this one, BUT the die hard Trans Am enthusiast could.  The Trans Am enthusiast could see the potential in the Trans Am hull above.  Seeing the potential is what drives the Trans Am enthusiast to work hard to restore the hull back to a Trans Am that is similar to this picture here.  (Note:  These two pictures are not the same Trans Am...only shown for illustration.).
Do you know what this is?  Just a junk car?  By looking closely, you notice the air extractor on the front fender, the wheel flare on the rear wheel opening, and the rear bumper which lead you to determine that this is also a Trans Am.  The VIN and cowl tag reveal that this is a 1978 Gold Special Edition Trans Am.
Again, most people would never guess that the Trans Am shown in the picture above could ever look like this one.  But someone who REALLY cared about 1978 Y88 Gold Edition Trans Ams would see the potential and work hard to restore it.  (Note:  These two pictures are not the same Trans Am...only shown for illustration...actually I own BOTH of them).
Do you recognize this car? This car has a really cool story. In 1991 the owner of this car was driving it to a car show. It was a nice day so he put the top down. Well the wiring to the power top motor shorted once the top was down, the insulation on the wiring caught on fire, and then the convertible top material caught on fire. A trucker blew his horn to get the driver's attention that his car was on FIRE!! He got the car pulled off of the interstate and tried to do something, but it was too late. The fiberglass decklid was now on fire and all they could do was watch...
Have you figured out what kind of car this is yet? Well let's continue the story. The car literally burnt to the ground as you can see in these pictures. Thankfully no one was hurt. The car was insured and the insurance company paid the owner $55,000 for the car. End of story right... wrong! The owner took a tidy sum of his own money, put it with the insurance money, and COMPLETELY restored this car. Why? This car was IMPORTANT to him. There was tremendous sentimental value to him. The owner cared enough to make, what would appear to most of us, a GREAT sacrifice to restore this car instead of discarding it and replacing it with another car.
WOW!! NOW do you know what kind of car this is!  A Shelby GT500 convertible!! This picture was taken by me at a 1994 car show where the fully restored Shelby was shown. I can tell you personally that it was quite a story to hear of the painstaking effort put into the restoration of this Shelby. Intense heat can really wreak havoc on steel, glass, plastic, fiberglass, etc...it warps it, cracks it, melts it, etc. Most folks would have never attempted, much less successfully complete, such a restoration project. Which brings me to the topic of this page... the ultimate restoration.

You see, just as there are cars in need of restoration, people too are in need of restoration.  And just as a car cannot restore itself, neither can people.  Now I'm not talking about physical restoration, but rather spiritual restoration.  Yes, we have doctors, nurses, pharmacists, technicians, and specialists who can help us physically, but they cannot prevent the fact that all of us will eventually die.  Without spiritual restoration, a person will spend eternity is a place where no one wants to be... hell.  Spiritual restoration by Christ RESTORES our relationship with God that was lost due to the sin of Adam and Eve.

Romans 3:10 says, "There is no one righteous, not even one;"

Romans 3:23 says, "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,"

Romans 6:23 says, "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."

You see Christ paid our debt of sin by His death on the cross for all sins.  You thought the man in the story above made a great sacrifice to restore his Shelby... God made a sacrifice for all of us the cannot be compared to anything... He gave his Son, Jesus, to die for our sins on the cross so that through Christ we could be saved.  

Romans 5:8 says, "But God demonstrates his own love for us in this:  While we were still sinners, Christ died for us."

John 3:16 says, "For God so loved the world that He gave his only begotten Son that whosoever believeth on Him would have everlasting life."

Car enthusiasts all know the thrill and excitement of getting a lead or tip on a rare musclecar that has been discovered. The car is sought, bought,  and brought to a shop where it is carefully restored.  We too are "sought, bought, and brought."

As Christians, Christ wants us to have that same zeal for people who have not accepted Him as Lord and Savior... and in need of spiritual restoration. He wants to provide us opportunity to "find" these people who are lost, share Christ with them, and help them to come to Christ for true restoration of fellowship with Christ and spent eternity in heaven.  The "junk" cars in the pictures above would not be noticed by anyone other than those who are car enthusiasts.  We notice them because we can see the potential of what these cars could be restored.  Christ also sees the potential in all people and wants them to be restored to Him... even though some of these people have been overlooked or not noticed by others.

The car hobby is not just about the cars. If you could never share these cars, stories, and experiences with other people, make friends, and develop relationships then this hobby would not be much fun.  So while helping folks track down cars, parts, technical information, and restoration services is very rewarding, it is even more of a blessing to help them come to know Christ as their Savior and Lord.

You want to properly care for your restored car too.  You buy books on how to properly maintain it.  You also have a great book on how to properly maintain your life as a "restored" person... the Bible.  Hey, even if you've not accepted Christ, but you feel like you want to know more... then read the book of John in the New Testament.  The Gospel of John is a great place for a someone to find out about Christ and what He has done for us!!

Have you been restored?

Have you accepted Christ as your Lord and Savior?  Have you been spiritually restored?  If not, and you want to know how, read on:

Romans 10:9-10 says, "That if you confess with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord,' and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.  For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved."

If you've got questions... send us an email... we're not just interested in Trans Ams and parts!!