4/30/2009
WHO WILL BE
SUCCESSFUL
(PART ONE)
by Rev. Don Rivers |
The new season has started and questions have started to be answered. Who
will have success? Who will be successful? These are two similar questions
but with very different answers. Greetings in the name of our Lord and
Savior, Jesus Christ.
A successful season is different for each team. Some will judge the
season a failure if they don't end up with the championship. Some are
looking just to improve over last year's performance. Some are looking for
seat time and for some finishing the race in one piece is judged a success.
Whatever our standard, having success is different for each one of us.
Being judged successful however is a different thing altogether.
You know there are two different ways of looking at things, our way and
God's way. When we judge success in earthly terms we focus on
accomplishments and status. We look at awards and recognition. When we look
at success from a Biblical viewpoint we focus on those who have submitted
themselves to God and have chosen to do His will.
Will you be successful? That depends on the standard you use. Many
thought Jesus a failure as he hung on the cross. They challenged Him to save
Himself. They hurled insults at Him and questioned His claim to be the Son
of God. In the end Jesus accomplished what He came to do, He gave His life
so that we might have life.
In this passage of Scripture from the Gospel of Luke we can find
some help in our quest to be successful.
Luke5:1-11, One day as Jesus was
standing by the Lake of Gennesaret , with the people crowding around him and
listening to the word of God, he saw at the water's edge two boats, left
there by the fishermen, who were washing their nets. He got into one of the
boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little from
shore. Then he sat down and taught the people from the boat. When he had
finished speaking, he said to Simon, "Put out into deep water, and let down
the nets for a catch." Simon answered, "Master, we've worked hard all night
and haven't caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the
nets." When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that
their nets began to break. So they signaled their partners in the other boat
to come and help them, and they came and filled both boats so full that they
began to sink. When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus' knees and said,
"Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!" For he and all his companions
were astonished at the catch of fish they had taken, and so were James and
John, the sons of Zebedee, Simon's partners. Then Jesus said to Simon,
"Don't be afraid; from now on you will catch men." So they pulled their
boats up on shore, left everything and followed him.
In chapter five Luke tells us about the calling of the first
disciples. We read about the calling of Simon Peter. He had just finished a
night of fishing and was cleaning up his nets. Think of it like the end of a
race. You had trouble and didn't finish, a DNF. You and your crew are
cleaning up and along comes this guy who wants to use your hauler as a
pulpit. After he is done speaking he starts to tell you how to set up your
car and how to win the next race. You look at him as if to say, "What do you
know about racing?" He says trust me and do what I tell you. Reluctantly you
agree. You set the car up and sure enough you run the fastest you have ever
run. Maybe there is something to this guy? Maybe I should follow him?
Let's examine what has taken place. First we have to let Jesus in.
Whether it's our boat, our hauler or our life, success cannot happen without
Jesus being a part of it. If we refuse to let Jesus in we are doomed to
failure from the start.
Once Jesus is a part of our life we have to let him have control.
What good is it to have Christ as a part of our life if we are not going to
listen to him? He will guide and direct us to what is right and just. He
will guide us to places we would not go on our own. We need to listen and
follow.
As we take a closer look we need some background. The best time to
fish was at night and in shallow water. Jesus instructed Simon Peter to put
out to deep water in the middle of the day. Peter, like us, questioned if
Jesus knew what he was talking about. Jesus did and proved it with a large
catch of fish.
On the road to success here are our first set if directions;
1) The first step to being successful is including Jesus. He must be a
part of our life.
2) We must allow Jesus to have control of the direction and decisions in
our life.
3) Jesus will guide us to people, places and things that we wouldn't have
met, gone or done if we didn't follow Him.
I would encourage you to spend some time this week reading and
reflecting on this passage of scripture. Next week we will look at this
passage again and see what further application we can find. Until next week
keep the Son in your eyes. God Bless, Rev. Don
THOUGHTS FROM THE ROAD
ONE - A lonely number if you listen to Three Dog Night, but it
is the sweetest number if you are TC. If you have ever heard of Three Dog
Night you are in the same age bracket as the man who has dominated the
Whelen Modified Tour this year. So far TC has only had to remember one
number, one. Again he set fast time and won the pole, then went out and won
the race. TC has been difficult to catch this year in his title defense. We
will meet again at Stafford the Friday night of Memorial Day Weekend, I
wonder if that number will change?
REV. DAN’S TRIP SOUTH - Tri-County is a very well kept clean
facility. They even had a crew go out before the practice session walk the
track with buckets and pick up anything that was not supposed to be there.
The bathrooms were even well maintained and cleaned throughout the day.
Note: when you travel through the night, well kept bathrooms are high on the
priority list.
Chapel went great - well attended and I have to give Race Director
Kip Childress a big thank you for arranging the days schedule so we are able
to have the service right after the drivers meeting. I missed most of the
practice session as I had to take a nap after driving through the night to
get to the track - something that I will willingly do to be the chaplain for
this series. Many hearts and lives were touched by the ministry in chapel
and in the pits throughout the day. Many thanks to Ricky Maddox for taking
the time out of his busy schedule to make the trip south. He was invaluable
as a second driver and as a chapel assistant - He prayed beautifully with
much enthusiasm and was an encouragement to me this weekend.
Alan Tardiff did a great job and took the pole in qualifying. The
race reminded me of the typical short track racing that was the roots for
the Camping World Series East. Congratulations to Matt DeBenidetto who took
the win of the 150 lap race that ended on lap 165 with an exciting green
white checkered finish. Jody Lavender crossed the line 4th sideways with
smoke and sparks flying due to contact with Patrick Long. Walking through
the pits after the race, you could tell that this was a short track with may
cars sustaining body damage. Great racing put on by all the drivers of the
Camping World Series, and I can't wait for Iowa!
WEDDING CAKE IN VICTORY LANE - As many of the fans in
attendance for the pit party at Stafford found out, this was a perfect day
for a wedding. I had my back to the crowd as I performed the ceremony in
victory lane and didn’t realize how many folks were watching. When I
pronounced the couple husband and wife a roar usually reserved for the start
of the race rang out. As the pit party ended they cut the cake and shared it
with all the folks who wanted some. Congratulations to Mr. and Mrs. George
Jones!
NEW ADDITION TO THE RWJM TEAM - This weekend we added
another team member to the crew. Kyle Moreau spent his inaugural weekend
with me at Stafford . Kyle will be Phillip Satkowski’s right hand man as
they minister to the Whelen All-American Series racers at Stafford Motor
Speedway. He may also join me out at Thompson from time to time. If you see
Kyle out there let him know you appreciate him.
Here’s to another racing season under way, we have a little gap in
the schedule as both divisions are off next week. We however will be on the
road. We are participating in a car show and auction for Plumstead Christian
School in Plumsteadville, PA. Grimm Racing will be sending a car down to
display alongside the RWJM Pace Car. If you are in the area come down and
see us.
Be a witness for our
Lord with the ministry decals and apparel. See them at the Online Apparel
Store at www.RWJM.org.
Call us with your prayer and counseling needs and list all your prayer
needs, no matter what part of our racing family you are in, with the Racing
Family Prayer Request Page
www.rwjm.org/page/prayers.php also send your prayer request by mail.
Until next time, remember that God loves you, we love you and
Jesus is Lord over Auto Racing. GOD BLESS.
Mail reaches us at Racing with Jesus Ministries, PO Box 586,
Tolland, CT 06084. Check our weekly printed pages in "Area Auto Racing
News", the East Coast’s largest weekly racing paper" See our on-line Apparel
Store for subscription information. Check our home page
www.rwjm.org for past
articles. We invite you to input your thoughts as you sign our Guest Book.
Please remember, we can only do what we do because of your prayerful
financial support.
Numbers 6:24-26 "The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord
make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face
toward you and give you peace."
May God always Bless you, everyday in everyway. Rev. Don
CHECKERED CHEERS
***WEDDING ANNIVERSARIES***
May 1
BILL & KATHY COTROFELD - The couple who haul and display the Featherlite
Show Trailer have their 33rd.
RON & SUE CORNELL - AARN and Maine based "Racin' Paper" columnists
from Westport, MA have their 32nd anniversary.
May 3
WOODY & ELAINE FEBRIELLO - This former NASCAR Modified team owner and
wife from Waterbury , CT share their 37th anniversary.
May 4
PHIL & CONNIE RONDEAU - This Baltic, CT Cup/Mod/LM driver and wife have
shared 17 years together.
GARY & TINA DANKO - This Connecticut tracks announcer, radio show
host and wife share their 8th.
***HAPPY BIRTHDAYS***
April 29
CHAD LITTLE - Spokane , WA lawyer and now Whelen Modified Tour Director
for NASCAR.
JIM LOWREY, JR. - NH SuperModified driver.
DAVE FAIR - Oaks, CA SCCA driver.
BRUCE THOMPSON - Newtown, PA Len's dad.
MARK MOCKOVAC - Husband of Claremont Speedway Modified driver Audrey
Stevens and the Media Coordinator for the TVMS from Danbury , CT
BOB MORRIS - Auburn, ME racing columnist.
JOHN SZERENCITS III - Whitehall, PA brother of AARN subscription
sales rep. Don. LINDA & NICOLE BRUNO - The wife and daughter of Jim,
from Absecon , NJ both celebrate today.
DAVE JONES - Driver of the #76 sprint car at Lernerville and other
West Pennsylvania tracks and a member of the "old guy race team".
April 30
MICHAEL WALTRIP - NAPA's NSC driver/team owner for Toyota 's entry into
cup racing.
ANDY HILLENBURG - Indianapolis , IN NNS/ARCA/Sprint driver.
JASON MANAFORT - Plainville, CT former NASCAR CWES driver.
FRANK KIMMEL - Clarksville , IN ARCA Series driver.
JEFF KAUFMAN - Red Bank, NJ Modified owner/driver.
CHRIS GRADY - Son of Lebanon Valley Speedway photographer John.
JACKIE HENDRICKSON - Wife of Lawrenceville, NJ Modified driver Wade.
DAN SERRANO - The grandson of Rusty Farrar, who is also the mother of
Kathy Van Norde, wife of Wall Truck Division driver Bruce, has favorite
drivers we must mention including the Hoffman brothers, Jimmy Blewett and
Darren McCaughey and a writer for
www.newjerseydirtracing.com
May 1
JOHNNY SAUTER - NASCAR Sprint Cup/ NNS driver.
May 2
BUZZ CALKINS - Denver , CO IRL driver.
DAVE MEDLER - Auburn , NY Steve Paine and Mark Martin fan.
May 3
TONY HIRSCHMAN - Northampton, PA Whelen Modified Tour five time
champion.
WALTER CHARETTE - Linwood, MA Mike Stefanik/Dale Jarrett fan.
DAVE DORNBLASER - 270cc Micro-Sprint driver at Borger 's Speedway and
Kutztown Fairgrounds.
CAROL EVONSION - Wife of former Riverside Park Mod driver
S.J.Evonsion.
May 4
JOHN FORCE - Yorba Linda , CA NHRA Funny Car driver.
BILL PARK - Riverhead Raceway NASCAR Modified driver.
TONY URBINA - Riverhead LM driver.
FRANK MANCINI - Father of Janice Brice, wife of Bill III.
WHITNEY BENDER - Daughter of Colden , NY NASCAR CWES driver Tim and
wife Kathy is 18.
TROY OADE ESTELLE- The son of Eddie and Lori Estell. Eddie is a
crewman on the #119 Street Stock driven by Rob Ormsbee at East Windsor , NJ
Speedway . Eddie is also a HUGE Bill Elliott fan and a faithful Wall
Township Speedway fan. Troy turned lap 8.
May 5
MIKE WEEDEN - No. Haverhill , MA retired NASCAR CWES/LM driver.
JEFF YANNETTA - Bridgewater , NJ Flemington Go-Kart driver.
SARA ELIZABETH SANTERRE - The daughter of CWES championship
driver/Car Owner Andy and Sue Santerre is 6.
SHARE YOUR SPECIAL OCCASIONS WITH YOUR RACING FAMILY.
SEND THEM TO:
RACING WITH JESUS MINISTRIES
PO Box 586
Tolland, CT, 06084
TheChromeHorn RWJM Archives
Racing With Jesus Ministries Website
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Source: Rev
Don Rivers / Racing With Jesus Ministries
Posted: April
23, 2009 |
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