Too much Horsepower? (Blasphemy!)

Wow! Your calls and comments and exortations to write more have been most encouraging. Thank you all so much!

So what happens when you put too much horsepower (if that were possible) into a really snazzy little car? Why you CAN get a very fun car. That was my experience when we built, sold and serviced AC Cobras (a full sized car that looks and works almost identically to the 1963-1969 joint venture among Carroll Shelby, AC Cars of UK and Ford Motor Co. of USA) Here's a pic of our car at Opryland Hotel just before Thanksgiving of 1994.

I suppose the real life analogy for too much horsepower is a life that is skidding out of control. Can you do it with an expensive sportscar? You bet! BUT you can also do it with a Yugo. It's not really a too much horsepower problem (phew!) It is either a too little traction problem (hardware) or it is a driver with poor control problem (software sort of).

You know the tale and it may be yours. It could be finances out of control, or relationships gone amok, or a little hobby that has taken over or a horrible dread that one of these days your house of lies is going to fall in on you.

The problem usually has two root causes, right? One or more bad choices on your part (bald tires, too much gas or turn too late) and some outside factors (rain, telephone pole (OUCH the thought even hurts)) So in my life it could be lack of maintenance (like eating right, exercising, getting enough rest) or it could be setting my sights too high (aiming for President when I'm really well suited for greeter) or I could be doing what I know to do too late or not at all. Most of those should be recoverable by themselves.

But this is where we get cornered so to speak, at least I did. I made my bad decisions, but then circumstances happened around me AND people reacted to me and BLAMMO I own a 10 1/2"diameter lodgepole pine hood ornament with creosote plating!

So what's the solution? I'll tell you what's working for me...

1- do the basics: eat, sleep exercise, be in the Word, in prayer and in worship regularly

2- preventative maintenance: read, introspect, have an accountability partner and listen to them

3- keep it simple: refuse to keep up with the Jonses or even the Grabowskis

4- be thankful for what you have.