Jeepin Bubba recently did a podcast – and well, let me leave you in suspense for a moment. If you want to go listen to it, it’s Episode 83 of the Jeepin Bubba Podcast. But we’ll circle back to that in a minute. It’s important to realize, the automotive community – this car enthusiast haven we all love – is a lot like any other community. The people come from all walks of life: Different upbringings, careers, beliefs, political leanings, & perspectives. And just like any community, that diversity can be both its greatest strength… and sometimes its biggest challenge.

We’ve got welders and Wall Street guys. Diesel bros and drift nerds. Import kids and old-school hot rodders. Some of us grew up with wrenches in our hands, others got hooked through Gran Turismo and/or Fast & Furious DVDs. But no matter how we got here, we all speak a common language: Cars. Now, back to Jeepin Bubba and that podcast… and the reason it matters.

Bubba did something most folks in business avoid… 

He got real. He told you, the listener (whether you’re an existing customer, a future one, a friend, or just someone curious) WHY his shop is closed on weekends. More specifically, from sundown Friday to sundown Saturday. It’s not about burnout, it’s not about work-life balance, and it’s definitely not about just wanting a day off. It’s because of his FAITH. That’s his Sabbath. That’s my Sabbath. And hearing someone say that out loud: Publicly, unapologetically, and without trying to water it down – it hit different. Because in a world where everyone’s trying to keep their business “neutral”, it takes guts to stand on your convictions. Not in an aggressive or preachy way… but in an honest, human way. A way that says, “This is who I am, and this is how I live, even if it costs me business.”

Hearing my brother (yes, my brother) so eloquently explain this principle… 

It resonated with me in a big way. In fact, it inspired this whole piece. We ALL come from different walks of life. And our experiences, beliefs, & personalities often show up in our automotive preferences. That last part is key – as enthusiasts. I’ve always believed that our community is wide open. It can be made up of anyone from any profession or background. That’s part of what makes it so special. But not everyone sees it that way. I remember a young minister in our church who, during a sermon, went off on car enthusiasts. And I mean went off. I was somewhere between 17 & 19, and I’ll never forget him describing this “beautiful greenish car with a lot of extra body cladding” cruising down the highway. My ears perked up – sounded like something I’d want to know more about. Then he said, “You can tell the owner worships that car. That car is his god.”

And man, that rocked me… 

Not because I agreed with it, but because I didn’t know how someone could make that kind of judgment on a man… just by seeing a modified car go by. It stuck with me for years. I started to question my own motives. Was I doing something wrong just because I loved cars? Was my passion somehow unholy? That comment messed with me more than I’d like to admit. It led to a lot of confusion and some bad decisions, all because I was wrestling with this idea that being an enthusiast automatically meant I was putting cars above everything else.

But over time, I found peace… 

Especially after our church went through a split. With our current organization, everything shifted. Relationships became more personal & communication was healthier. I started to see people for who they really were – not just what they liked, what they did for a living, or how they appeared on the surface. Additionally, I began to realize something powerful: everyone’s an enthusiast about something. Some collected antiques. Some loved repairing old clocks or restoring furniture. Others had an encyclopedic knowledge of books, music, or history. And you know what? That passion wasn’t seen as idolatry – it was celebrated as part of what made them unique.

And then, as I started traveling more as a young adult… 

Sometimes solo, sometimes for church events. And I discovered something that changed everything: We weren’t the only ones. Across the country, at congregations big and small, I found fellow car lovers. Real gearheads. People who could name every trim-level of a ‘70s Buick… or who’d built their own off-road rigs from the frame up. And yes – some of them were even ministers. That was the turning point for me. Because if someone could stand behind a pulpit on the Sabbath and still light up talking about their project or their favorite generation of old American muscle car… then maybe I hadn’t been wrong all along. Maybe loving cars didn’t mean I was worshipping them. Maybe it just meant I had a God-given passion – and I should use it with purpose.

So here I am – reaching out to enthusiasts across the board… 

Trying to write articles that resonate with your love for all things automotive. Encouraging you to chase your passion in a balanced & healthy way. To build, to drive, to restore, to race – but never at the cost of who you are. Because at the end of the day, our passions should enhance our identity, not replace it. Whether it’s behind the wheel, under the hood, or sitting around swapping stories at a car meet, the goal isn’t just to build cool cars. It’s to build a life you’re proud of.

Article by David S. Windsor

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