Remember that cartoon we spoke of last week with the angel on one shoulder
and the devil on the other. I am sure we have all, at one time or another,
been confused about which one to follow. We know what is right and want to
do the right thing, but there is still that voice in there that tells us we
can do what we want. That internal struggle challenges each us. Greetings in
the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
Sometimes we think we can handle the situation. We think we can
deal with the consequences of making the wrong choice. We know it is wrong
but we do it anyway; always hoping that things will work out. They won’t,
bad doesn’t produce good and good doesn’t produce bad. Our mind is just
playing tricks on us.
We struggle with how to balance what the world calls good with what
is good in the eyes of God. We need to avoid the trap set for us by the
enemy. We must not call evil good and good evil; no matter how good it makes
us feel. If evil wasn’t appealing it would be easy to choose.
We must fight the temptation to change our moral code to fit our
behavior. No matter how tempting it is to say something is alright, if it
isn’t right in the eyes of God it is not going to benefit us. It may feel
good for a short time but eventually reality sets in.
We must change our behavior to fit God’s moral code. God created us
and knows what is most beneficial for us. God desires to shape and mold our
lives into fulfilling, prosperous and satisfying lives. We cannot become
what God created us to be without winning that struggle, there is no easy
way out.
I am reminded if a story about a cocoon…
A man found a cocoon of a butterfly. One day a small opening
appeared, he sat and watched the butterfly for several hours as it struggled
to force its body through that little hole.
Then it seemed to stop making any progress. It appeared as if it
had gotten as far as it could and it could go no farther. Then the man
decided to help the butterfly, so he took a pair of scissors and snipped off
the remaining bit of the cocoon. The butterfly then emerged easily.
But it had a swollen body and small, shriveled wings. The man
continued to watch the butterfly because he expected that, at any moment,
the wings would enlarge and expand to be able to support the body, which
would contract in time.
Neither happened!
In fact, the butterfly spent the rest of its life crawling around
with a swollen body and shriveled wings.
It never was able to fly.
What the man in his kindness and haste did not understand was that
the restricting cocoon and the struggle required for the butterfly to get
through the tiny opening were God's way of forcing fluid from the body of
the butterfly into its wings so that it would be ready for flight once it
achieved its freedom from the cocoon.
Sometimes struggles are exactly what we need in our life. If God
allowed us to go through our life without any obstacles, it would cripple
us. We would not be as strong as what we could have been.
And we could never fly.
There are two paths we can take; for some, we think we can just
forgo the decision and not participate in this spiritual birth that God
offers us through Christ. We think we can just do our best, try to be good
people and that will be good enough.
It won't, if we do not accept Christ, we are destined to
destruction. Our sinful nature will lead us down a road that makes life
meaningless. We will wake up one morning and regret the path we took and
wonder if there is still a way out.
Our only hope comes from accepting Christ.
The writer if Romans encourages us;
Romans 6:12-14, nlt,
Do not let sin control the way you live; do not give in to sinful desires.
Do not let any part of your body become an instrument of evil to serve sin.
Instead, give yourselves completely to God, for you were dead, but now you
have new life.
So use your whole body as an instrument to do what is right for the glory of
God.
Sin is no longer your master, for you no longer live under the requirements
of the law.
Instead, you live under the freedom of God’s grace.
Living without the anxiety of
looking over your shoulder is a wonderful blessing. Getting there takes some
practice. We have to replace all those desires that are in us with the
character of God. The Holy Spirit that dwells in our heart will help us
learn what decision is right.
We need to change the direction our lives are going. If we stay on
the path of self fulfillment, satisfying our selfish desires, we will find
out too late that we missed the boat. We will find ourselves living a life
without meaning or substance. We will find ourselves lost; looking for the
turn we missed, wanting to move our lives in a different direction.
As long as you are here there is still hope. Hope that comes in the
form a Savior, Jesus Christ. Take time to consider how many times you have
to look over your shoulder to see who is coming up behind you and wonder if
you treated them right.
Accept the hope that Jesus offers and start your life down the road
that leads to security, satisfaction, fulfillment and life. Win the battle
that wages across our heart between the old and new. Do not follow your
heart; Lead your heart where it needs to go. Amen!
THOUGHTS
FROM THE ROAD
ROLLING THROUGH THE SEASON
- Although it was an off weekend for the tours it was a very busy weekend.
With Thompson on Thursday, Stafford on Friday, NHMS and Star on Saturday,
Father’s Day was a welcome sight that saw me napping in the hammock.
Thompson continues to press on with the hope that the cars counts
will improve. I am sure it is a challenge for them to figure out and like
most things in racing there is no shortage of opinions on how to improve the
situation.
One of the challenges was addressed at the driver’s meeting; lack
of respect for each other. If you wreck someone you will be parked and asked
to leave. I know that is difficult to do with the car counts being what they
are, but things have to change. Respect for one another on the track should
be a given and is only the first step.
My hope is that this is followed through on and the competitors see
the bigger picture. My fear is that if they don’t things will go in the
wrong direction and other steps may be necessary to turn things around.
Friday night saw Stafford Motor Speedway usher in summer with its
Summer Blast-Off, complete with fireworks. Unfortunately the fireworks were
not limited to the sky. With a couple of multi-car wrecks in the top two
divisions it looked like a race out of the school parking lot. The Late
Model Race featured a pile up more suited for a fog shrouded freeway, the
fog being provided by Tom Fern’s blown engine. With most of the field
involved it took a little time and a red flag to sort things out. When the
dust cleared Woody Pitkat took home the victory, his first in the Late Model
Division this year.
Saturday, joined by my wife, we headed north to New Hampshire. I
was asked to participate in the opening ceremonies for The Loudon Classic,
the nation’s oldest Motorcycle rally/race. It was great to see the vintage
side car race, those guys in the side car are nuts! They hang out of the
car, almost touching the ground at high speed with only their hands to keep
them from falling out, crazy!
From there we were off to Star Speedway for the Exeter Decorating
SBM 125 II. After a stop at Dudley’s Homemade Ice Cream stand we headed to
Epping. The excitement generated by this event had many remembering the old
days and the classic “open” shows up and down the east coast. With many of
the top drivers from the regional touring series this had all the makings of
a classic. The side by side racing up front brought the fans to their feet
and reminded us all of why we enjoy modified racing. The several single car
spins left us scratching our heads. In the end Matt Hirschman prevailed and
again reminded us of his ability to get it done on these bull rings. Ryan
Preece made it interesting though, black flagged early for overheating
problems the cautions fell right and they were able to fix it. From the back
of the pack he made his way through the field to contend for the victory
bringing it home second. Local track competitor Josh Cantara used his local
knowledge to come home third, a great accomplishment for the young driver.
This one had it all, competing tour drivers that don’t get a chance
to race each other, local guys who can test their skills against the touring
guys and a great crowd that saw a good race. Next open show is at Seekonk on
July 18, see you there.
Lynda and I were joined by Bobby and Vinetta Somers, chaplains at
Lee USA Speedway and for the Valenti Modified Racing Series. It was good to
have them along after their action at Lee on Friday.
Friday night under the lights at Lee continues to see car counts
grow and the competitors settling down for some good racing. This Friday
night had us all thankful for the advancements in safety equipment. The #99
of Michael Welch had the throttle stick and he crashed hard into the turn
one wall breaking through it. It was questionable if the racing could
continue, but after repair the program resumed. Michael was not seriously
hurt and we look forward to his return.
Bobby added that it was great to return to Star Speedway on
Saturday night, the place where much of his driving days were spent. In fact
his last competitive race was run there. Let’s just say the Lord got his
attention with the forth turn wall and he determined that serving God was a
better choice.
DOUBLE HEADER WEEKEND - For you Modified fans out there
you can get two for one this weekend, two races with one trip that is. With
the Valenti Modified Racing series running Friday night at Stafford and the
Whelen Modified Tour returning to Waterford Speedbowl on Saturday night it
has the makings for being a memorable weekend for modified fans.
LANGLEY FOR THE K&N - Rev. Dan heads to Langley Speedway
in Virginia for the K&N guys. This race last year saw Brett Moffitt come
from two laps down to finish second gaining on the leader. Langley lends
itself to some great racing action. If you are in the Williamsburg, Newport
News, Norfolk area make plans to check it out..
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
http://www.rwjm.com/store. 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
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Check our home page
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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***
June 21
DENNIS & PAT PUNCH- This Hickory, NC Wolf Head's Oil NNS Public Relations/
Team Manager pro and wife have their 28th anniversary. Dennis is also TV
announcer Dr. Jerry's brother.
June 23
STEVE & ESTHER DEVINE- This Lebanon Valley Speedway Modified driver and wife
from Danbury, CT complete 28 laps together.
June 26
CHARLIE & TERRY LEACH- This Beech Ridge Speedway driver and wife celebrate
their 30th anniversary.
TOM & JUDY KEHLEY- This Brooklyn, NY couple former Modified team owners have
their 40th anniversary.
***HAPPY BIRTHDAYS***
June 20
This is Rev. Pat's Birthday, please remeber his family today.
JERRY COOK- Six time NASCAR Modified champion from Rome, NY, now with NASCAR
in Charlotte, NC.
RON HORNADAY, JR.- Palmdale, CA NNS/CWTS driver.
DAVID HUTTO- Rock Hill, SC NASCAR driver.
JODY TANNER- Portland, OR NASCAR West driver.
BRIANNE LEHMAN- The daughter of Smithville, OH AARN columnist "Doc" Lehman.
DAVE SUKUP- A son of retired Midget owner, Joe Sukup, of Schodack Landing,
NY.
TYLER HEARN- Son of famous dirt Mod driver Brett.
GEORGE McKELVEY- Official at New Egypt and on the Whelen Modified Tour
enjoys his special day.
June 21
CHRIS JONES- New Milford, CT NASCAR Modified driver.
BOB SLOTTER- PA asphalt Modified driver.
PHIL PARSONS- Detroit, MI Former driver now TV commentator.
JUDY WIBBELSMAN- The wife of RWJM advisor Dick, down in Gainesville, FL.
June 22
JAY SAUTER- West Salem, WI born, Mooresville, NC NASCAR CWTS/NNS driver.
DAN JIVANELLI- Hampton Bays, LI Riverhead Raceway and Legends driver.
JEFF WARD- Glasgow, Scotland born, now San Juan Capistrano, CA IRL driver.
RED SEAVER- Stafford Springs, CT member of the Brad Hietala WAARS SK
Modified team at Stafford.
PAT JONES- Enfield, CT Brad Hietala fan.
June 23
ROGER TREICHLER- Retired D.I.R.T. Hall of Famer.
MELISSA RESNER- Wife of Riverhead LM team owner Richie.
June 24
HUT STRICKLIN- Former NSC driver.
JIM BOWN- Portland, OR NNS/CWTS driver/ team owner.
CLAUDE BOURBONNAIS- lle Perrot, Quebec IRL driver.
PETER DANIELS- Lebanon, NH ProStock/Modified/CWSE driver.
HENRY ST. JOHN, SR.- The father of the proprietor of Jewett City (CT)
Service Henry, Jr.
June 25
JOE BESSEY- Former KNPSE championship driver/owner.
BOBBY GILL- Dalton, GA NASCAR All Pro Series driver.
DAVE MAVLOUGANES- West Springfield, MA photographer.
JERRY ELLIOTT, JR.- Montville, CT Mike Stefanik and Waterford Mod's Jerry
Pearl fan.
JOE DUNAY- Crew member for the #20 SKMod at Stafford Motor Speedway.
June 26
KRAMER WILLIAMSON- URC Sprint driver.
STEVE GRISSOM- Gadsden, AL former NSC/NNS driver.
KEVIN LePAGE- Shelburne, VT NSC/NNS driver.
STEVEN DINO- Pennsy Sprint KART driver.
KIMBERLY SASSAMAN- Daughter of Pennsy dirt superstar Kenny Brightbill.
ALLISON ZYLA- Elysburg, PA writer/editor Greg's daughter.
REBEKAH PERKINS- The sister of Angelina Stuart, wife of Preston, CT JDM
Chassis proprietor and LM driver Jay.
RACHEL WISOCKI- This Old Saybrook, CT Jim Broderick fan.
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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