You have heard the saying; “We’ve always done it that way.” How many times
do we fall back on tradition, what is comfortable and what we know and think
we are moving forward? Let me say this, moving forward has little to do with
where we have been and what we know than we think. Greetings in the name of
our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
Recently we stayed in a cabin by a creek. As I sat there in the hammock
relaxing I remembered the quote from Greek Philosopher Heraclitus, “No man
ever steps in the same river twice, for it's not the same river and he's not
the same man.” We are ever changing along with everything around us. We are
never in the same place twice.
Think about the race track, we visit the same tracks, we race the same
distances but the conditions, track and weather are constantly changing.
This especially came clear at dirt track, during the racing the track
condition is ever changing, figuring out what the conditions will be come
feature time is the goal.
We all have setup notes about what we did in the past, what worked and
that is a good place to start, but that cannot be the end. We adjust from
there based on the feedback we get from the driver, car and conditions. If
we refuse to make adjustments we will lose the race.
That became clear to me one year when I talked with the Championship Crew
Chief; he said that during the last few races they kept a setup they knew
and didn’t work on anything new. They wanted to make sure they didn’t mess
up the chance to win the championship.
What they lost was clear the next year; while they were being
conservative the other teams were working on advancing their knowledge. The
championship was won but they were far behind the other teams when the new
season started. They had to play catch-up.
What happens when we fail to change to the situation around us? I have
heard it said many times; “This was good enough for us, it is good enough
for them.” That type of thinking only guarantees you will be left behind.
When we look at the future and decide to stay in the past we assure
ourselves of failure.
There will always be a group that is comfortable and secure in the way
they always have done things, but you can see how that type of vision limits
our ability to embrace and understand new opportunities.
As I have been teaching in the Book of Acts I have noticed the friction
that was taking place between the traditionalist and the progressives. Let
me say this, God is progressive, He doesn’t sit still, He is constantly
building on the foundation He set to build our lives into lives that reflect
His character. If we refuse to allow God to change us, we relegate our life
to less than what God wants it to be.
Acts 15:1;
Some men came down from Judea to Antioch and were teaching the brothers:
"Unless you are circumcised, according to the custom taught by Moses, you
cannot be saved."
These men didn’t want things to change. They
wanted everything to be as it was. Why is it that we struggle to rely on the
Holy Spirit? Why is it that we need to create a set of rules that we feel
comfortable with to determine the motives of someone’s heart? We struggle
with allowing God to do what He wants with who He wants.
Religious behavior is just that, doing the same thing over and over
religiously. We can be religious about anything. How does that help us? It
doesn’t. To live in a way that honors God we need to have trust and faith.
We need to let Him guide and direct us, lead us out of our comfort zone.
Looking back at the first disciples it occurred to me that we would have
had trouble listening to a bunch of fisherman and such proclaiming the Good
News. We would have looked upon them with some doubt. What would it take for
us to believe? The Holy Spirit!
Do we trust God? Do we have faith that He knows what He is doing? You see
faith isn’t just about what is happening in our lives, it is also about what
God is doing in the lives of others and through the group of believers we
call the Church.
It is not that God is changing His moral standard; it is that He is
revealing it to others in ways we couldn’t imagine years ago. Look at this
message, in print and on the web, never could that be considered in the time
of Christ. Our methods of communicating the Good News must be reflect the
times. As Paul said;
1Corinthians 9:22b;
Yes, I try to find common ground with everyone, doing everything I can to
save some.
If we rely on tradition to determine the work of
God we will miss the work of the Holy Spirit. Just because that is the way
we have always done it doesn’t mean that is the only way God works. Let us
break from tradition and let God lead us through His Spirit. Let’s commit to
letting the Holy Spirit lead us!
Peter said;
Acts 15:11; We believe
that we are all saved the same way, by the undeserved grace of the Lord
Jesus.”
THOUGHTS FROM THE ROAD
FINALLY!
We got it in! The TSI Harley Davidson 125 at Stafford Motor Speedway was
finally run this past Friday night. After three tries and the challenges of
the weather the race was run and Doug Coby came out on top. It didn’t take
long for the #2 WMT team to put together a winning run on the Tour,
something I know was the goal from the moment changes were announced.
Although winning in Daytona was great, that wasn’t a points event. With the
win the momentum has been regained and they are looking for more. With the
next Tour race at Waterford Speedbowl, a track Coby is very familiar with,
the potential for another victory is there.
SEEKONK GRAND PRIX RAISE THE ROOF - A great turn out for the
Hinckley Family Fundraiser raised over $5,000.00 and Wayne Darling is
matching that total and then some. What a great show of support from the
VMRS community for Les and his family. I don’t have the figures from the
other fundraiser at Sonny’s Place in Somers, CT but when I receive them I’ll
pass it along.
MASSE BREAKS THROUGH - Five different races, five different
winners, this time it was Steve Masse that broke through at the Seekonk
Bullring. The most consistent driver in the series has been former WMT
Champion Todd Szegedy, who holds a twenty point lead over former 2-tim3
champion Chris Pasteryak and a twenty-three point lead over 2013 champion
Rowan Pennink. Next up is Stafford for the VMRS, hope to see you there.
OFF TO FIVE FLAGS - I head out this week to the Sunshine State for
the K&N East drivers. It will be my first visit to Five Flags in Pensacola
and I am looking forward to visiting this famed Late-model track. My travel
plans are a bit convoluted but when all is said and done I will be able to
cover a few bases. Wally World here I come!
PRAYERS NEEDED - Please keep the DuPont family in your thoughts
and prayers as Jim’s son suffered severe injuries in an accident at work.
The DuPont's, Jim and Denise are regulars on the Mod Touring scene.
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.
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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
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