What do you want in a good mechanic? I know what I look for. The first thing I look for is integrity. I am somewhat jaded in my view of mechanics because I have been burned on more than one occasion by dishonest repair shops. I am vulnerable in this area because I am NOT mechanically inclined. If someone told me I need to have my bumper fluid replaced, I would probably believe them! I want a mechanic who will be competent to diagnose my car’s trouble and honestly repair only the things that need fixing. I despise those ‘up-selling’ techniques whereby; the bill gets inched up bit by bit with small little add-ons along the way.

 

   In a sense, the non-church-going world looks at the church as a big fix-it shop. People in need of all sorts of repairs go into the church to get ‘fixed-up’. Some write off the church because they see nothing in their life that is broken and in need of repair. Others see areas that are broken, but don’t trust the church as the place to go for those needed repairs. They see the church in the same way that many see mechanic shops. These people’s view of the church and its purpose may be largely off base but there is sadly an element of truth to what they think. I only wish they could meet Hart and get to know him a bit. If they did they would see a man that even most non-church-going folks would agree is what a Christian man should be; honest, a man of integrity, compassionate, mature, hospitable, as well as professional and competent in his work.

 

   Hart is VERY competent as a mechanic. He studied mechanical engineering in college and has worked his way up to chief positions in some of Alaska’s most well-known and respected dealerships. He knows just about everything there is to know about today’s extremely complicated vehicles. But He is just as adept at dealing with broken lives. He is a Bible school graduate and has served in voluntary missionary service several times in Russia as well as Burkina Faso (In West Africa) where he and his wife Kelly recently spent four months to assist in the building of a Bible school and adjoining facilities.

 

   Hart knows a little about broken lives because he grew up in a very broken mess of a home himself. His father was an abusive alcoholic and his mother was dealing with her own issues that eventually led to a total nervous breakdown. She had been mixed up with the occult and had dabbled in witchcraft, which brought even more spiritual darkness and dysfunctionality to an already miserable home life.

 

   She eventually turned her life over to Jesus and was born again. She tried to tell Hart about the gospel of Jesus but he was not prepared to hear it from her. He had not yet seen enough evidence of change in her life for her to be considered trustworthy to start doing spiritual ‘mechanic’ work in HIS life. He needed to ‘see the goods’ first. As time went on though he did begin to see fruit and the Lord had in fact been doing a marvelous work in her life. His dad, well that was another story. His dad was still as lost as ever at that stage.

 

   He was about 18 when he started going to Karate lessons where the instructor was a very devout follower of Jesus. He was also built like a tank. He was strong as an ox and could not be accused of following Jesus because he was a wimp or a sissy. He spoke to Hart about Jesus and eventually the light of the gospel broke through. He gave his heart to the Lord and was truly- born again. He wanted to do everything that God wanted him to do right from the start. If the Bible says, ‘get baptized’ then he would get baptized. If it said, ‘go to church’ then he would go to church. If it said, ‘give your time, energy and resources to help build the kingdom of God’, then that is what he did.

 

   Hart has never stopped simply being and doing whatever he knows in his heart that God wants him to do. Even when the Lord spoke to his heart that he needed to go back home and talk to his dad about Jesus and make sure that their relationship was reconciled, he knew he had to work through the pain and frustration of many prior attempts and try yet again. His father was sick and he knew this would be his last opportunity. He obeyed the word of the Lord and visited his father and was able to lead him to faith in Christ before he died.

 

   Hart is many things. He is very knowledgeable and talented in a wide variety of areas. He works very hard at his job and since he was born in Germany, he adds a bit of that German trait of perfectionism to his trade. He does not desire to be perfect just for his own pride and sense of accomplishment however. He wants to do the very best job he can because he sees his dealings with the public as very important opportunities for people to see that Jesus can be trusted with their hearts because Jesus’ people can be trusted in their work. He sees his work as a representation of the Lord’s work IN him and extended THROUGH him.

 

   His work as a mechanic for cars and his work as a mechanic for human hearts are not separate things to Hart. He sees his Christian life on Sunday at church to be the same Christian life he leads on the job. It is the same Jesus he shares with kids in Sunday school. It is the same Jesus he shares when he ministers overseas. It is the same Jesus that he shared as a counselor at Teen-Challenge. It is the same Jesus that he and his bride Kelly talk about at home. It is the same Jesus he shares whenever God opens a door of conversation to a person through his interactions with the public on the job.

 

    The Bible says that Jesus is the same- yesterday, today and forever. Hart cannot claim to be that. But thanks to the unchanging faithfulness of the Lord he is a lot different than he used to be and only God knows what all he will become. But seven days a week Hart is a man-of-God. He is well equipped with a well-read Bible as his tool box and he knows how to minister the gospel of reconciliation and put lives back on the road for God.

 

   If non-church-goers met more people like Hart, a-lot more non-church-goers would start going to church!

 

 

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   If you are one of them ‘non-church-goers’ I wish to express my deepest apologies if there are individuals who have failed your expectations of what you believe a Christian should be. Perhaps you have encountered hypocritical people who claim to love Jesus and have acted in ways that have offended you. You may feel, you would like to get your life into a good 'mechanic shop' for an overhaul but you can’t find a church that you can trust. You don’t know which one is right or where to go. The fact is that the vast majority of the churches I know are full of good, decent, hardworking, men and women of God who are ready and able to help you get on track with God. They themselves have experienced the need to be ‘put back on track’ so they can’t act smug and superior about it. There is a section on the home page of this web-site about how to find a good church. In the meantime, just pray and ask the Lord to guide you to a good church in your area. He will certainly do that if you ask him. He will show you the right one in your area to go to.

 

   Perhaps you are the person who is convinced that your life is ‘running fine’. I know all about YOU! You are the guy who sees the ‘check engine’ light going off and just ignores it! If you are not living right for God; if you have no fellowship or connection with Jesus, brother-sister- the check engine light is screaming at you and you had better wake up and smell the coffee! ALL have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God and ALL are in need of the Lord’s saving grace and mercy. You cannot get your soul into heaven without the Lord himself performing a MAJOR overhaul on your heart. Jesus said, “Unless YOU be born again you shall by NO MEANS enter the kingdom of God.”  Don’t let stubbornness and pride keep you out of heaven! Don’t let your ‘feeling good about yourself’ drag your eternal soul to hell.

 

   You can let the Lord do that overhaul on your life and put you on track for a great life of effective service for the Lord’s work right now! Why wait until your death bed to barely squeak in to heaven like Hart’s dad did with a life full of regret to reconcile in the last few minutes of life. We don’t have a guarantee of even another minute on this earth! NOW is the time! Today is the day of salvation. God does not love Hart or Kelly any more than He loves you. They just had sense enough to see the ‘check engine’ light and get their hearts in to Jesus for an overhaul. There is a button on the home page with information on how to become a Christian. Go there and jump in like Hart did. It won’t be long before someone is writing about what God did in YOUR life!