There are many things that happen in our lives, some a direct result of our
choices and others because of someone else’s choice. How is it then that we
can have some sense of peace about what the future holds for us? How can we
be confident that no matter what happens we will have what we need to get
through? Greetings in the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
We live our lives trying to wrestle control of events, agendas and
the future. We make plans for tomorrow and look to the future, wanting to
make it secure. We search for a peace in our heart that will enable us to
relax and enjoy. An elusive prize, out of our reach, but yet we struggle to
attain it.
Where does that peace come from? Where does that rest and
relaxation reside? How can we find that balance we need to make our life
fulfilling and satisfying? Sometimes it seems too far away to grasp, but yet
it is at our fingertips waiting for us to reach out and take a hold of it.
A few of the events of this weekend brought to my attention how
necessary it is to have God in our lives. Most things in life and racing are
out of our control. Andy Petree had a great weekend going, qualified fifth
for the Whelen Modified race on Saturday, things were looking great until
practice on Saturday morning and due to circumstances beyond his control his
car ended up in the hauler, wrecked, unable to run the race.
Justin Bonsignore continued to struggle with engine issues that
have plagued him all year. His sophomore season on the Whelen Modified tour
has been a struggle to say the least. After many hours thrashing on the car,
getting it ready to race, turn one, lap two would be where this race would
end, another frustrating result.
Eddie MacDonald, a winner at New Hampshire and former track
champion, lost a motor, replaced it, started scratch in the race, faced
adversity, and climbed back into the top ten, winning the Move of the Race
award. Not an easy weekend for the Grimm Construction Guys.
Corey LaJoie in his sophomore season on the K&N Series has hit his
stride, after refocusing his life and adjusting his driving style he has
seen results, another top ten finish, making it five out of eight races he
has finished in the top ten.
Bryon Chew left the track Saturday with a headache, but the results
could have been much worse. As he competed in the FW Webb 100 a piece of
debris, a connecting rod from an expired engine on another car, entered his
racecar, hit the front center roll bar, deflected, struck him in the
forehead and left a dent in the roof before coming to rest inside the car.
Bryon had just received a new helmet that day, shipped right to the track
for the weekend. It was that new piece of safety equipment that prevented
serious injury. God had his hand on Bryon.
Every racer comes to the track hoping, expecting the best, but the
fact remains we do not know the results until we run the race. How is it
that some are able to be at peace no matter how the race is run, yet others
do not have that capacity? It lies in who you put in control of your life.
When we turn to God and ask him to guide and protect us we need to
expect that He will. The results may not be what we hoped for but they will
be beneficial to our lives. God gives us the ability to see the bigger
picture, to see beyond the events of the moment and realize there is
something bigger than the race we are running. There is something more
important than just what we see around us.
Ryan Newman dedicated his win on Sunday at NHMS to Beau Slocomb.
Many of you may have never heard of him, he was a racer from Macon, Georgia.
Recently Beau went home to be with the Lord as a result of complications of
cancer. He was still a young man. Ryan and his wife, Krissie, had extended a
hand to the Slocomb family allowing them the use of various resources they
had. Most recently it was a trip to NYC to see a doctor about treatment and
it was the pilots of Newman’s plane that went the extra mile to help the
out. As Maggie recorded in Beau’s blog,
“Beau, Jessica and I flew up to New York on the Newman's plane and
with the help of Preston and Ted (the pilots) we were able to get Beau to
and from his appointments. This was no easy task when you consider we were
traveling with a wheelchair, about 10 small oxygen tanks, an oxygen machine
and Beau who gets worn out pretty quickly right now. We could not have made
it without Preston and Ted...thank God for them!”
Beau’s life, however short in human terms, was a testament to our
Lord. He lived it fully dedicated to serving God and putting Him first.
Despite the setbacks and the challenges putting God in control of your life
will lead you to discover the peace that passes understanding, the
fulfillment even when things don’t go the way you plan, the satisfaction of
doing your best regardless of the results, the safety and protection that
come when we put God first in our lives.
Someone shared; “Beau was a talented competitor but always a
gentleman. We lost a giant of a man. I am honored to have known him.”
A Scripture verse is noted on Beau’s blog reminds us;
Romans 8:29;
"What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be
against us?"
Is God
with us? Is God with you? It makes a world of difference. It will change
your life. Take a step back, look at the events of the past few days, has
God been there carrying you through? You may have to change your perspective
a little, sometimes we don’t always see the benefit when things do not go
the way we had planned, but I will say this, God is worthy of our trust and
faith. If we call on Him and give Him control, He will lead us to the right
place and provide for us the necessary things that are beneficial to a full
life, peace, joy, satisfaction and fulfillment
God spoke through the prophet Jeremiah and gave us this promise;
Jeremiah 29:11-13; For I know the plans I have for you," declares the
LORD,
"plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a
future.
Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to
you.
You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.
I
encourage you to put God in control of your life, call on the name of Jesus
and he will forgive you and save you. Turn to God and he will have mercy on
you and cover you with his grace. Life is worth nothing if it is spent in
the vain pursuit of satisfying ourselves, but life’s value is only evident
when we use it to honor and serve God. As Paul reminds us;
Acts 20:24; “However, I consider my life worth nothing to me,
if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given
me -
the task of testifying to the gospel of God’s grace.”
THOUGHTS FROM THE ROAD
NHMS AND A FEW OTHER TRACKS - One of our biggest race
weekends of the year has come and gone; we have traveled the highways and
byways of New England and have seen a few races in between. We started out
heading north to NHMS for qualifying for the K&N and WMT, then headed south
to Thompson for the TTNT, Friday it was back up to NHMS and Saturday we
headed to Canaan after the WMT race for Ricky’s Race for Kids. Wow, what a
weekend.
This week holds some of the same in store, Seekonk gets things
going with Open Wheel Wednesday, Thompson follows with the running of a 100
lap PASS race and a Tour Type Mod open event on Thursday, Stafford’s running
of the 8th Annual CARQUEST SK 150 on Friday, the K&N guys in Columbus, OH,
on Saturday along with Riverhead’s running of the 77 Lap Baldwin, Evans,
Jarzombek Memorial, the Valenti Modified Racing Series is at Oxford Plains
as part of the Oxford 250 weekend and the WOO are at Lebanon Valley to close
out the weekend on Sunday. What do you think, too ambitious? Maybe we’ll
need to split up a little and cover more ground? I am sure we won’t get to
every one of these but I can assure you it won’t be because we didn’t try!
We have hit the heart of the racing season and for the next few
months we will be on the fly. Please pray for us as we travel, pray that God
would provide the resources we need to reach out to as many of these events
as we can and pray for those who are on the road as much as we are,
traveling to compete and entertain the fans. I will make every effort to
keep you in the loop, if I miss something please send me a note.
2ND ANNUAL SHANE HAMMOND MEMORIAL RACE - scheduled for July
30, 2011 at The Waterford Speedbowl. They are looking for corporate sponsors
to help with the cost of the day. Last year’s shirts looked awesome and we
can't wait to see what Bill Smith from Wild Child Design comes up with this
year. All corporate sponsors will be featured on the shirt and program.
They are also selling laps for $20.00. You can choose a lap and a
position to sponsor; even which division and that race team will receive an
extra $20.00. All lap sponsors will be featured in the program as well. It
takes time to coordinate all the events of the day, volunteers, raffles,
food and fun. Please consider being a part of this year’s Memorial Race.
Every Dollar helps put this event together and all additional
monies are divided evenly to NEMA & NEMA Lite divisions. Please spread the
word, visit
www.shanehammond.org or friend them on Facebook at Shane Hammond
Believe. Thanks for your continued support.
NEW GRANDPA IN THE HOUSE - Rev. Ray Pavkov and his wife
Sandi are the proud Grandparents of Hadley Burke Pavkov; weighing in at
7lbs.-5oz. entering the world at 9:31 pm, Sunday, July 17, 2011 in Cape
Coral, Florida. Mom, Savanna, dad, Adam and baby are doing fine.
Congratulations!
A WORD OF THANKS - Thank you for printing the article
regarding the reunion with my biological parents, Michael and Carol Pares,
as well as the follow-up in the paper. It has been an amazing journey for us
all. To be able to share this momentous occasion with my family’s peers in
the racing community has truly been a blessing. I was welcomed into Wall
stadium with open arms not only by my family, but also by others who had
read our story. It was an experience of a life time that would not have
happened had I not come across your site earlier this year. Thank you again
for being the bridge that brought me home. I am forever grateful, Rachel
Zimmerman. Thank you for the kind words Rachel.
Speaking of Wall Stadium, look for a new banner in the pits, Bob
Menschner has made and installed a RWJM banner to promote the ministry
there. Stop in and let me know how it looks.
Until next time, be a witness for our Lord with the ministry decals and
apparel. See them at the Show Your Faith Apparel Store at
www.rwjm.com. Send us
your prayer and counseling needs no matter what part of our racing family
you are in, or give us a call. 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***
July 21
JERRY & LINDA SOLOMITO- It is 25 laps together for this Long Island driver
and wife.
July 22
BRAD & LYNN LEIGHTON- This Center Harbor, NH K&NPSE Champion driver and wife
share their 20th anniversary.
PHIL & BETTY SMITH- This veteran writer and wife of Westerly, RI celebrate
their special day.
July 23
RED & STELLA MEAD- This Hyde Park, VT White Mountain Motorsports Park (NH)
driver and wife share their 26th anniversary.
DAVE & SHIRLEY ALEXANDER- This retired Maine Modified driver and wife have
turned their track 44 times.
***HAPPY BIRTHDAYS***
July 20
PETE HAMILTON- Retired Massachusetts driver for Richard Petty won the
Daytona 500 in the 70's.
DAVE WHEELER- Lisbon, CT former LM driver.
DAVE SHIPPEE- Former writing partner of New London, CT's John Brouwer, Sr.
now retired in NH.
MIKE MONNETT- Owego, NY writer.
HAROLD K. DAUNCEY- Son of NJ asphalt Mod driver Harold and wife Barbara.
July 21
BOBBY WILKINS- Milford, DE Dirt Modified driver.
TIM McCAULEY- Huntington Beach, CA NASCAR West driver.
July 22
RON YOUNG- Conyers, GA NASCAR All Pro Series driver.
CHRISTOPHER SAVLUK- Son of Lisbon, CT Crew Chief Roger.
RICH YANNETTA- Bridgewater, NJ Flemington go-kart driver.
JULIANNE ELIZABETH COX- The youngest of Bob and Tracy.
July 23
BUCKSHOT JONES- Monticello, GA former NNS driver.
DEBBIE KRODEL- Keith's wife, both Sprint and NASCAR WMT fans, in Pensacola,
FL.
July 24
JEFF HERBERT- Wall Stadium Modified driver.
STAN WATTLES- Glen Cove, LI born, now Sewall's Point, FL IRL driver.
LEONARD WAGNER- This Schwenksville, PA Grandview Speedway fan, along with
wife Earlene, is also a Dale Jarrett fan.
JUDY ROBINSON- Wife of Bill, daughter of Doris Bradley, fan of Wall Stadium,
New Egypt and NASCAR fan of Ricky Rudd. Sister of Sally and Tammy.
July 25
FRANK FLEMING- Mt. Airy, NC Modified driver.
KELLY PUNCH- A son of Dennis and Pat from Newton, NC and crewman for Dale
Earnhardt, Jr.
TODD STILES- Lisbon, CT Tech Inspector.
July 26
RANDY MacDONALD- Canadian born KNPSE,NNS,CWTS owner/driver now living in NC.
RICK CRAWFORD- Mobile, AL NASCAR All Pro/CWTS driver.
ALAN COATES- Connecticut Modified driver.
WILL POIGNONNEC- Kart Racer at Oakland Valley Race Park from East Brunswick,
NJ.
DAVID ALIO- NSC photographer
MIKE SOVA- Windsor, NY writer.
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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