Partners in the Garage, Partners in the Gospel: My Love for Cars and Teams

With bowties and books, some of my interests might surprise you. I’ve always had an affinity for cars. My dad watched NASCAR when I was growing up. I went to a race with my brother to Bristol, TN, which is famously called the Thunder Valley. It remains one of my favorite sports experiences as an adult. However, the spark really caught in 2007 when I visited England and discovered Top Gear. As a fan, I started paying attention—not just to the jokes and stunts, but to the craftsmanship and the stories behind the machines.

‌During COVID, I found another British series, Car SOS, where a team restores classic cars for ordinary people who’ve fallen on hard times. Ever since, I’ve had a steady appetite for new car content. A few years ago, while scrolling Netflix, I noticed a show I hadn’t tried. I wanted something different from the original Top Gear crew’s Amazon project, The Grand Tour. I watched the trailer, it hooked me, and I gave it a shot.

The show—now finished after six seasons—is Car Masters: Rust to Riches. It follows the flamboyant L.A. builders at Gotham Garage as they craft custom rebuilds for wealthy enthusiasts. Like most reality TV, it’s probably more scripted than it admits. Still, I keep coming back for the real payoff: remarkably cool cars imagined, designed, and built by a team of genuinely talented people. That team dynamic is what pulled me in season after season. Every member brings a distinct gift, and together they create something greater than any one of them could produce alone.

I’ve realized that’s one of my favorite storylines in any genre: a group of people accomplishing a mission together. It’s one reason The West Wing remains my all-time favorite show—at its heart, it’s a story about staffers striving side by side to advance something bigger than themselves.

I felt that theme land in a conversation recently with a new friend. We were talking about our daughters—his loves dance, mine loves volleyball—and it hit me again how sports teach teamwork in a way academics often doesn’t. School can feel like a solitary arena: your wins and losses are individualized. But most meaningful endeavors in life are shared. The question is: how do we help the next generation understand not only how to shine, but how to belong? How do we form people who can play their role well for the good of the whole? Most parents dream their child will be the star. But one of the most essential abilities is recognizing your place on the team.

Rudy Ruettiger—the famous Notre Dame walk-on—once said his job was to get the starters ready for Saturdays. He embraced that role, and he did it beautifully. Over the years, I’ve realized my own ambition is simple: I want to be a contributing member of a great team. Healthy teams require unity around a shared vision and humility about our particular assignments. We celebrate victories together, and we carry defeats together.

‌Partnership is one of the central themes of Partners and Citizens. I’ve loved collaborating with writers to offer thoughtful, biblically rooted content for our readers and listeners. I’m not sure exactly how God will use these articles and podcast episodes, but I hope to build a team of dedicated contributors—people who want to encourage Christians to strive together as partners in the gospel and to live worthy of the gospel as citizens of heaven in a fallen world.

‌If you’re interested in contributing to Partners and Citizens, email us a writing sample.