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  The Chrome Horn - Racing With Jesus Ministries

   12/09/2011

ARE WE READY (Part 2)
by Rev. Don Rivers

   We continue on in our discussion of having the right equipment and being prepared for what tomorrow brings. With December comes the Christian celebration of Advent. In expectation of the fulfillment of Scripture we focus on being prepared for the coming of our Lord and Savior. Greetings in the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

   For us to be successful it not only takes the right equipment but it requires us to prepare, it just doesn’t happen. In racing we must prepare for the track, the weather conditions and the competition we will face. That is essential. If you do not prepare properly our chances for success are severely diminished.

   Try it and see how much preparation plays a role in your racing success. For your next race don't bother going to the shop. Don't load the truck. Don't do anything ahead of time. On race day just go to the garage, load the car and leave. How successful do you think you will be?

   The same happens when we don't give any thought to what God has in store for us. If we don't take the time to read about the promise of a Savior in God's word. If we ignore the guidance and direction God gives. If we fail to anticipate the blessings that God has for us then what? We are not prepared for the birth of Jesus.

   Having a relationship with God is the beginning but now we must prepare for what He has in store for us. As we begin Advent, the preparation time for us to reflect on the significance of the birth of Christ. Christmas isn't about Santa Claus and reindeer. For Christians it is the celebration of the best gift of all, a Savior. If you have watched "A Charlie Brown Christmas" you have heard the story. Linus reads it from the Gospel of Luke.

Luke 2:8-1; And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night.
An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.
But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.
Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.

   The angels proclaimed the birth of a Savior, but how did the shepards know? How come they didn't just ignore them and reason it away as too much wine. They were expecting this night. The prophets told them that this day was coming. They had received hope from the prophet's words about a coming savior. They rested in that hope and when the proclamation came they knew it was true. The prophet Isaiah proclaimed;

Isaiah 7:14; Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son,
and will call him Immanuel.

   The entire Old Testament points to the coming of Christ. Isaiah said we would call him Immanuel, which means God with us. The promise from God was a Savior; not only a Savior, but His very presence with us; the one who would be born of a virgin; our hope and salvation. Let us prepare to welcome Him.

   Have you ever wanted something for Christmas that you couldn't live without? We dropped every hint we could think of. We hoped that your parents heard, saw and understood all of our hints. We waited anxiously, hoping that you would receive that gift on Christmas morning.

   Remember that movie "The Christmas Story"? Ralphy wanted a "Red Ryder carbine-action, two hundred shot Range Model air rifle with a compass and this thing which tells time built right in to the stock!". He couldn't live without it. He dropped every hint he could and hoped it would be there on Christmas morning. He cringed at the warning, “you'll shoot your eye out.” He knew he could handle it. His father made sure he received what he asked for.

   Allow me to substitute Jesus as that present. We can't live without Him. Our Father in Heaven knows we need Him. God being a good father provides the gift we cannot live without; the gift of a Savior.

   Prepare for his coming just as we would that gift we wanted as a kid. We learned everything you could about it. We knew all the ins and outs of it. There wasn't anything we didn't know.

   How much do we know about Jesus? Do we know Him completely? Do we know everything about Him? That's what the time of preparation is for. Prepare to know Jesus. Prepare to receive God's gift and the hope, peace, joy and love that comes with him. It is truly a gift we cannot live without. Don't let this time of year pass you by without taking time to contemplate the blessed event of Christmas.

Isaiah 9:6;
For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given,
and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

 

   THOUGHTS FROM THE ROAD

   PRI PRESENTS A TIME TO TALK - As the racing industry continues to struggle with having two premier shows to showcase their wares there was a difference in the air in Orlando this year. I am not sure if we are seeing the trough of the wave that the recession has caused or folks are just being more cautious in their purchases, but the foot traffic at this years show was noticeably down. One of the benefits, although not financial, was that there was sufficient time to talk and visit with friends and customers. The hope is that that extra time would lead to further commitments and business down the road.

   It was like a weather delay at the track, we are there to race but conditions prevent us from doing that. So we stand around and talk about the things we know best, racing. Something we never seem to have the time to do, sit and talk about the state of things. We are always too busy to take the time then wonder how we ended up here, things happen.

   This was certainly an opportunity to take that time. We were there anyway, why not take the time to get it off your chest. I had some great discussions. Maybe those discussions will lead to changes that will benefit the entire industry, but that is a discussion for tomorrow.

   Also, the time available gave many the chance to stop and take notice of what was available. We move so fast sometimes we don't see what is right there in front of our face. I hope it will make a difference.

   I enjoyed the time spent with the crew from Design 500/ Lady Eagle. We seem to always find a way to have fun. I also want to send a note of thanks to the Rosarius family for putting up with me for a few days. They opened there home and made sure I had a great place to stay.

   I would like to be headed to Indy for the IMIS show and see if the atmosphere is different, but there are banquets to attend and friends to see in Charlotte . I am looking forward to putting the finishing touches on our lineup for Motorsports 2012 in January. We always like to have a top notch lineup of cars for the fans to enjoy.

   I am looking forward to a few weeks of time off during the holidays, Next week will be our annual Christmas message and I'll return in January to get the year stated with a winter Bible study passage. If you have a Scripture passage your have questions about, drop me a line and we'll see if we can address them during that time.

   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. 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***

December 7
ANDY & SUE SANTERRE- From Cherryfield, ME, now in Mooresville, NC, the 1998 KNPSE Rookie o the Year and 4 time KNPSE champion and lovely wife share their 14th anniversary.
RICHIE & MELISSA RESNER- Riverhead Raceway LM Team owner and wife share their anniversary.
RAY & SANDI PAVKOV- Ray, one of our traveling chaplains and his wife Sandi celebrate their special day.

December 10
JIMMY & TRACY CHESTER This Lebanon Valley couple celebrate thier anniversary.

December 12
ERNIE & MARILYN SAXTON- The legendary Grandview announcer, columnist, Motorsports Marketing Founder/President and Eastern Motorsports Press Association Pres. and the woman who has been by his side all the way have their 36th anniversary.
BILL & CINDY ELLIOTT- Awesome Bill from Dawsonville, GA and wife have their 18th anniversary.
JIM & PATTY MAVLOUGANES- This Wethersfield, CT Latemodel driver and wife share their 13th anniversary.

***HAPPY BIRTHDAYS***

December 7
BRETT BENDER- Son of Colden, NY NASCAR KNPSE/LM driver Tim, now in NC.
CHAD WARNER- Member of the Beers Motorsports team.

December 8
CHRIS MOORE- Vermont based Lebanon Valley Modified driver.
KEVIN HARVICK- NNS/NSC driver and team owner.
KERRY EARNHARDT- Dale's oldest son; former CWTS driver.
FRANK MUOIO- Westerly, RI fan.
RUSS SMITH- Former Riverside Park Speedway scorer.
TODD PARK- Another son of Bob and Dottie and Steve's brother.

December 9
JORDYN DICKERSON- Daughter of Greg and Debbie, a mod fan in the making.
BRAD TEAGUE- Johnson City, TN NSC/NNS driver.
MICHAEL PARES- NASCAR Modified Series "Area Auto Racing News" photographer.
SHARON HEWITT- Wife of former NY Mod driver, now NSC Crew Chief, Doug.
BRIAN TAGG- Son of Webster, MA Thompson/Stafford Modified driver Tom and wife Linda.

December 10
JEFF KERTAINIS- NASCAR WMT team crewman.
ANDREA JIVANELLI- Wife of Riverhead Raceway driver Dan.
LYNN POZZUTTO- Office Manager and devoted employee of Frankland Racing Supply Racing Rears and Clincher Gears; VP Dan's wife.
EDWARD SHELMERDINE- Son of ARCA driver/ Crew Chief Kirk.

December 11
JAROD ROBIE- Manchester, NH Robie Motorsports NASCAR KNPSE and All Pro driver.
STEVE "WOODY" WOOD- Former Truex Crewman, now NSC crewman in Mooresville, NC, also the son-in-law of Doris Bradley.
CHRISSY DIONNE- A daughter of RWJM West Coast Coordinator Gary and Counselor wife Debbie.
RACIN RALPH PERKINS- A fan of Stafford, THompson, Waterford and Maddog has his big day.

December 12
ED LILLY- Retired PA/NJ asphalt Mod driver.
AMANDA & CHRISTEN WAUGH- The twin daughters of RWJM Western PA/Ohio Coordinator/ Challenger Raceway Chaplain Rev. Bill and wife Dawn.
BILL LADABOUCHE- Maine writer.
MARSHA MEANS- NSC Jimmy's wife.

December 13
GARY SHACKFORD- Center Conway, NH KNPSE driver/crew cheif.
TREY TOMAINO- Son of Howell, NJ NASCAR WMT driver/RWJM Rep. Jamie and wife Cheryl.
CHERIE WIBBELSMAN- Wife of Dr. Chris, son of Dunwoody, GA RWJM advisor Dick and wife Judy.

***IN THE SHOP***

CHRIS HAMILTON- Is recovering from a wrist break that happened in his Turkey Derby feature. He is facing some challenges, please keep his continued recovery in your thoughts and prayers.


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SEND THEM TO:

RACING WITH JESUS MINISTRIES
PO Box 586
Tolland, CT, 06084


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SourceRev Don Rivers / Racing With Jesus Ministries
Posted: December 9, 2011

©2011 GeeLaw Motorsports/Wolf Pack Ventures, Inc.