The group of kids and their leaders got back on the Ugly Little Blue Bus and left the Streetcar Diner.
They traveled to the city of Atlanta Illinois and the kids could not believe what they saw! It was a giant statue of a man holding a giant hotdog! Immediately the kids were hungry for hotdogs and wanted to eat, but there was no hotdog stand in sight! The kids wanted to know why that giant statue was holding a hotdog if there was no place to buy a hotdog.
The leader had a surprise for them! In the back of the ugly little blue bus he had a cooler with hotdogs and everything else they needed for a picnic lunch! They went to a park and cooked those hotdogs and had lunch! After lunch the leader told the kids the story about the giant statue of a man holding the hotdog.
In the 1950’s thru the 1970’s there were many giant statues made in this country to advertise different things, most of the statues advertised car repair places and the statues held giant car mufflers, so the statues were called ‘muffler men’. Most of them were between 18 and 30 feet tall! The statues are made out of fiberglass over steel frames. They will not rust and their colors will not fade for a long time! There are still several of the giant statues on Route 66, but none of them have mufflers!
The statue in Atlanta Illinois is 19 feet tall and was originally in front of a hotdog stand just south of Chicago. When the hotdog stand closed, the statue was moved to Atlanta Illinois.
In Wilmington Illinois there is a muffler man that is called the ‘Gemini Giant’.
This muffler man is 30 feet tall and is dressed up like an astronaut. He is holding a 9 foot long rocket in his hands. This statue honors those who risked their lives developing the space program for this country that eventually landed men on the moon.
In Springfield Illinois there is a muffler man in front of a tire store. He used to hold a giant tire, but now he holds an American Flag.
There are two giant statues in Tulsa Olahoma. The first giant statue is not a muffler man, it is called the Golden Driller, it is 76 feet tall and has his arm leaning on an oil derrick. The statue frame is covered in concrete instead of fiberglass. This statue honors those who drill for the oil that keeps our cars running and heats our buildings.
The second statue in Tulsa Oklahoma is a muffler man called ‘Buck Atom: Space Cowboy’. This muffler man is 21 feet tall and is the newest muffler man, he was made after 2006. He is dressed partly in a cowboy outfit and partly as an astronaut. He is holding a rocket.
In Flagstaff Arizona there is a 20 foot muffler man that is a lumberjack. Recently he was moved from in front of a resturant to the campus of Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, and repainted in the school’s colors.
The strangest muffler man on Route 66 is in Los Angeles California. It is called the ‘Chicken Boy’. It is 22 feet tall and has the body of a man and the head of a chicken!
That evening at the campground the Leader told the kids that they were going to talk about the Muffler Men and learn a little bit more about God! The kids were curious; how can the Muffler Men teach them about God?
The Leader told them that the Muffler Men were made so big so that everyone would notice them and pay attention to them. The Bible teaches us that we are supposed to be the opposite of the Muffler Men. We should not try to draw attention to ourselves, the Bible tells us that we should be humble. None of the kids were sure what the word ‘humble’ means, so the Leader explained that being humble means that a person does not try to make themselves seem important or expect everyone to go out of their way to meet their needs. A humble person does not draw attention to themselves, and they put other’s needs ahead of their own needs.
In the Bible in Philippians 2:3-11 it says:
Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others too. You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. Though He was God, He did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, He gave up His divine privileges; He took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When He appeared in human form, He humbled Himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross. Therefore, God elevated Him to the place of highest honor and gave Him the name above all other names, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue declare that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
We should try to live as humble people and put other’s needs ahead of our own needs. God is watching and when He sees us being humble, He will lift us up in His perfect time!
In the Bible in James 4:10 its says:
Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will lift you up in honor.
Jesus gives us an illustration of this in the Bible in Luke 14:8-11, it says:
“When you are invited to a wedding feast, don’t sit in the seat of honor. What if someone who is more distinguished than you has also been invited? The host will come and say, ‘Give this person your seat.’ Then you will be embarrassed, and you will have to take whatever seat is left at the foot of the table! Instead, take the lowest place at the foot of the table. Then when your host sees you, he will come and say, ‘Friend, we have a better place for you!’ Then you will be honored in front of all the other guests. For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”