QUARANTINE BLOG # 436

June 9, 2021

There are three more cars in our strange vehicle segment.

James Bond and nearly every other spy with high-tech gadgets have something like the Amphicar, a car that is also a boat.  The Amphicar is a compromise between a boat and a car, which is less than either one.  Its top speed on the water was only 7 mph, which was slower than some sailboats.  Also, it leaked constantly because it had loosely sealed openings. A  bilge pump had to keep pace with the leaks or the car sank.

The 1985 Yugo GV was a terrible car, badly designed and assembled.  It was built in Soviet-bloc Yugoslavia, using substandard practices and materials.  This led to components of the vehicle just falling off and breaking.  Having a sizzling motor and burning smells under the hood were common.  Plus, its available features were a joke.  The manufacturer listed carpet and a rear window defroster that could keep your hands warm as you pushed it. 

The DeLorean DMC-12 gained notoriety for its role in the Back to the Future franchise, but it was not as popular in real life.  Few DeLoreans – only about 9,000 – were made.  It had many specialty parts that need to be special ordered.  As a result, maintaining a DeLoreans was difficult under normal circumstances.  Plus, they needed constant care since it had exposed metal parts that could rust if not cared for properly.

Tomorrow: What they are worth today.

👉  Speaking of cars, tons of people have no idea that right on your dash, you’ll see a gas tank symbol with an arrow on one side – helping you identify which side of the car the gas tank is on – in case you forgot, or are renting an unfamiliar vehicle.

That grab handle in your car that you probably call by a colorful name, was originally added to help handicapped and less mobile people get into cars.  The secondary stabilization helps them get in more comfortably.

👉  We haven’t visited our Historical Facts Collection for a while, so let’s fire up the Way Back Machine.

The Leaning Tower of Pisa was never straight.  Known worldwide for its four degrees lean, and constructed in the 12th Century, it was built on unstable ground, and when builders started work on the second story, the tower started to lean.  After this, the lean only increased as the construction process went on, and it went on to become more iconic than the tower itself!

One man survived both the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and then later Nagasaki.  Tsutomu Yamaguchi was a 29-year-old Naval Engineer on a business trip to Hiroshima.  On August 6, 1945, when the Enola Gay dropped its atomic payload on the city, Yamaguchi was less than 2 miles from ground zero and was thrown into a potato patch.  The next day he boarded a train to his hometown of Nagasaki.  Two days later he was in an office building when the second atomic bomb was dropped on Japan.  Yamaguchi emerged from the wreckage with only minor injuries on top of his earlier injuries. 

👉  There have been hints and teases, but maybe cruising is about to start up again.  Norwegian Cruise Lines announced plans to resume cruising from Miami in August with fully vaccinated passengers, a plan that threatens to defy orders of Gov. Ron DeSantis.  The cruise line’s announcement offered no indication that DeSantis has agreed to exempt cruise lines from his edict banning businesses from requiring vaccines.  Carnival Cruise Line announced that fully vaccinated voyages will take place from Galveston, Texas – nothing about Florida yet.  Royal Caribbean is strongly encouraging but not requiring vaccinations, hinting that passengers who cannot prove they are vaccinated will face testing and other “protocols.”  

👉  Here are three smiles for book lovers:

👉  And a great thought from Charlie Brown and Snoopy:

👉  Today’s close, “The Blessings of Inadequacy,” is by Charles Stanley.

“We are confident because of our great trust in God through Christ.  It is not that we think we are qualified to do anything on our own.  Our qualification comes from God” (2 Corinthians 3:4-5 NLT).

Paul never claimed he was capable of accomplishing all that God called him to do.  He simply learned to look beyond his own inadequacy to the sufficiency of Christ.  If we adopt the same practice, we, too, can discover the blessings hidden in our own experiences of inadequacy.

Our insufficiency drives us to God.  When we realize a situation is bigger than we can handle, we are quick to open the Bible and diligently pray for guidance and power.

Inadequacy relieves us of the burden of self-effort and self-reliance.  The Lord has us right where He wants us – at the end of our rope with nothing left to give.

Inability motivates reliance on divine power.  We will never be adequate until we draw from the Holy Spirit’s inexhaustible strength.  He does in and through us what God never intended that we do on our own.

By using weak, inadequate people, God demonstrates what great things He can do.  He chooses unlikely individuals to carry out His purposes.  There is no limit to what He can do through someone willing to give Him full control.

Inadequacy challenges our faith.  Paul says, “Our adequacy is from God.”  Those who focus on the reliability of this promise and step out in obedience will grow in faith.

Why go through all the fear, pressure, and frustration that accompany feelings of inadequacy when there is an alternative?  Let the Lord make you adequate: rely upon Him and allow Christ to live in and through you.  He will replace your anxiety with a quiet spirit of contentment.

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