Grow Up

Many times we are faced with decisions in how to respond to a certain situation. Sometimes we respond like a mature adult and sometimes we respond like a little child. Does it make a difference how we respond? Sure it does, we cannot act like little children. Greetings in the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

I have watched recently the response of some competitors when events on the track didn’t go the way they wanted. They responded like a spoiled little child would. You know the response, if I don’t get my way I am taking my ball and going home. They run away and hide not wanting to take responsibility. What kind of example does that show others?

Let’s face it, in racing there are going to be good days and bad days. Some times everything is going to fall in place and you will find yourself in Victory Lane. Sometimes everything is going to go against you and the guy that ends up in Victory Lane doesn’t deserve to be there. As one songwriter put it,” Some days are diamonds and some days are stones.” How we respond to the days that fall short of our hopes and dreams reveals how mature we are. It also sets the tone for days to come.

We may not realize it but when we act in a way that doesn’t honor God we set in motion a path that leads away from Him and His plan for our lives. Think if it this way, good produces good, bad produces bad, good doesn’t come from doing things against God.

Yes, we all know bad things happen to good people. There are many reasons for that, one being not everyone has your best interest at heart. Most times people are so caught up in themselves that they don’t take the time to think how their actions affect others. When someone acts in a selfish way, good people will sometimes get in the way and bad things happen.

We can however still honor God. This just provides another opportunity for us to respond differently than what other might expect. We need to remember who is in control and let God direct us. Think of the example we set for others when we respond in a mature and honoring way? Here is a passage that will help at times like these;

Matthew 5:43-48, “You have heard the law that says, ‘Love your neighbor’ and hate your enemy.  But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven. For he gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and the unjust alike. If you love only those who love you, what reward is there for that? Even corrupt tax collectors do that much. If you are kind only to your friends, how are you different from anyone else? Even pagans do that. But you are to be perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect.

We have all seen drivers who drive like no one else in the race matters to them. They drive with one vision, get to the front at all costs. Sometimes they win; sometimes they end up on the hook, wrecker or checkers. But what about the damage and chaos they cause along the way? What about the drivers who are the benefit of that driver’s immature behavior? Maturity requires that we think about our actions and how they affect those around us. We can’t just run roughshod through life and leave a path of destruction along the way. That does not honor God.

Some of us excuse it if the driver is one we like. Some of us are disappointed that the driver resorted to bad driving techniques to secure the win. Some just reason it away as good hard racing. We have many ways of looking at it. Let me help you understand something, how you view this goes a long way toward revealing your own maturity level.

Paul, the writer of the Book of Ephesians, challenges us to grow up, become mature in our faith so that we won’t be tossed about, believing anything we hear as the true Word of God. He says;

Ephesians 4:11-16, Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ. This will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ.

Then we will no longer be immature like children. We won’t be tossed and blown about by every wind of new teaching. We will not be influenced when people try to trick us with lies so clever they sound like the truth. Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church. He makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love.

We are all teachers and teach by example; our job is to build up the Kingdom of God. We cannot do this if we act like immature children. The goal is that we are mature in the Lord and do our part to make the body of Christ one, whole, healthy, growing and full of love.

There is a danger if we fail to grow up; we will be tossed about, running from here to there not knowing what to believe. Think of a dog chasing his tail, running around and around in circles, he only knows what he is chasing when he catches it, bites it and feels the pain. When we are not mature we can be led astray by some find sounding teaching, we are like that dog, chasing after something we believe to be something else, only to catch it and find it is nothing at all. Then we feel the pain of deceitfulness.

Solomon asked God for wisdom to understand all things. God granted him that to him. He then set out to determine what was real and worth pursuing. He determined that the pursuit of man’s desires were like “chasing the wind” and that nothing lasting and fulfilling came from those pursuits. You can read his thoughts in the OT book of Ecclesiastes, here is his conclusion;

Ecclesiastes 12:13-14, That’s the whole story. Here now is my final conclusion: Fear God and obey his commands, for this is everyone’s duty. God will judge us for everything we do, including every secret thing, whether good or bad.

We need to mature in our faith, learn and teach about God. We need to have a respect for God that is above everything in our lives. We need to be obedient to His guidance, direction and instructions. Don’t waste away your life living like a little child, tossed here and there, without anything to hold you firmly in place. Grow up.

THOUGHTS FROM THE ROAD

SYRACUSE, ROLLING WHEELS AND DIRT- As many of you know this race season can be summed up in a word, wet. Syracuse was no different, that is until we showed up. Super Dirt Week was met with challenging weather conditions that produced some interesting attire in the garage area. This was my first dirt track event other than sitting in the stands once, back in the 80’s, at Lebanon Valley. I learned some things about what the proper foot wear should be and that black pants don’t look as good covered in mud as kaki pants do. Here is my fashion advice for you novices out there, match your footwear and pants to the color of the track, black for asphalt, brown for dirt. I needed some L.L. Bean boots and kaki pants, oh well I guess I’ll know better next time. Yes, there will be a next time.

Being a rookie at a dirt event has its plusses and minuses. First everyone wants you to fully experience the nuances of dirt track racing. This entails clouds of dirt, flying clumps of the track, slipping in the clay as you cross the track, dirt/clay covered pace car, gritty teeth, shoes that were once black becoming brown, watching where you sit, boot scrapers, raccoon eyes, the list goes on but you get the point, dirt track racing is a different animal than asphalt. I enjoyed every minute of it. It didn’t matter that we were there for the first time they treated us like family. Aren’t racers great? You bet they are.

We were surprised to see so many folks we knew, we ran into Bryon and Buzz Chew, former competitors on the Camping World Series East, who have now hooked up with Stewart Friesen and are getting their feet dirty. We reminisced about old times and different tracks we have been to. The sand pits at Beech Ridge came up. They were always a challenge because the sand found its way into everything. This weekend though they would have traded the sand for the mud at Syracuse anytime. That sort of thing happens when a dirt track meets a rainy stretch.  At an asphalt track you just have to worry about the puddles, at a dirt track you may just start sinking and need to get pulled out. Have you ever noticed how sticky clay is? It sticks to everything!

I witnessed first hand, up close and personal my first WOO show. WOW, they are fast. I was amazed that the could make the entire lap at Rolling Wheels five-eighths mile track without lifting with the faster cars running times in the low sixteens. That is fast! One thing that I took note of was the crowd, they had to squeeze them in. They kept asking the folks to squeeze together to make more room. Getting close wasn’t a problem on this night as it made the cool temperatures more bearable. Ran across Jimmy and Bubba Broderick in the pits, Bubba was trying to make the feature but with the number of 410’s the odds were against him as he runs a 360. Maybe there is a 410 in his future; it would be great to see him run on the same plane as the big boys.

Also had the opportunity to meet and minister with Finish Line Chaplain Ed Harkins. Ed can usually be found at Lebanon Valley on Saturday nights but made the trip to Syracuse to be with his drivers that were running there. We had a wonderful opportunity to get to know each other and make plans for the future. We are looking forward to a building a great relationship with our dirt track brothers.

We would like to thank all the folks at World Racing Group, Syracuse, Rolling Wheels, and Joe Skotnicki for rolling out the brown carpet and letting us participate in their event. It was a blessing for us and I am sure that there were folks that were blessed by our participation. We can’t wait to get back out there and play in the dirt. The next time though I’ll wear the right colors!

ONE RACE TO SETTLE IT- We head to Thompson this week to crown the 2009 Whelen Modified Tour Champion. Two drivers have the inside track to the crown; Donny Lia sits in first place 26 points ahead of Ryan Preece. You know what is neat about this race to the crown? It is being contested by two historic race teams, the Mystic Missile and Ole Blue. Two teams steeped in modified racing history now have the chance to add another chapter to the book. Let’s hope for a great race and a champion worthy of the crown. We’ll see you there.

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

***HAPPY BIRTHDAYS***
October 14
JASON JARRETT- Hickory, NC NNS/ARCA driving grandson of Ned and son of
NSC’s Dale.
JOE VENEZIAN- Proprietor of Perth Amboy Springs (NJ) and Statewide Trailers.
JERRY GLANVILLE- Roswell, GA occasional ARCA/NNS driver, former NFL
coach and TV commentator.
PATRICK MANNING- Sheldonville, MA Carl Pasteryak NASCAR WMT fan.
October 15
MATTHEW PELLETIER – Oldest son of #27 SK Light Stafford Motor Spedway driver Earl turns 12.
EARL PELLETIER – Driver of the #27 SK Light at Stafford Motor Speedway.
KRISTIN MARQUIS- Another one of Enfield, CT Karen and NASCAR CWES/ WMT
driver Jerry’s kids and she celebrates on their anniversary.
October 16
SEAN WOODSIDE- Saugus, CA NASCAR West Series driver.
DON PRINGLE- Ontario, NY Street Stock driver at Spencer Speedway.
WOODY FEBRIELLO- Retired asphalt Modified team owner.
TOODI ROSATI- The former Toodi Gelinas, famous weekly racing columnist,
wife of retired Modified driver John Rosati in Agawam, MA.
October 17
KEVIN PELLETIER- Owner of the #27 SK Light at Stafford Motor Speedway.
MARK BRIDGES- Durham, ME former Joe Bessey crewman.
October 18
KEN SPRING- The “Area Auto Racing News” and Racing with Jesus Ministries
CWES photographer from Braintree, MA.
RIT DULAC- Plantsville, CT NASCAR retired Modified and CWES driver.
October 19
SHAUN ROBERTS – Crew member for the #27 SK Light at Stafford Motor Speedway.
RICK FULLER- Auburn, MA NASCAR WMT/Super Late Model driver.
DANA PATTEN- Enfield, NH former NASCAR CWES/NNS U.S. Chrome driver.
GARY ST. AMANT- Columbus, OH late model driver.
YOLANDA SHERIDEN- Retired Riverhead Raceway lady driver.
LISA WOOD- Wife of Pelham, NH SuperModified driver Russ.
MICHELLE SAVERY- Daughter of Seekonk driver Dana and wife Laurie.
RUSS DOWD- Thompson Speedway General Manager, golden throated announcer
and friend of this ministry.
HOLLY PRINGLE- Ontario, NY 2002 Stock Microd champion at Sodus Microd Club.
October 20
LARRY BROLSMA- Midland Park, NJ dirt Modified driver.
BOBBY ZUROWSKI- Riverhead Raceway LM driver.
STEVEN COLLICHO- FormerTom Baldwin NASCAR WMT team crewman.
BILL ARMOUR- Bluefield, VA writer.

SHARE YOUR SPECIAL OCCASIONS WITH YOUR RACING FAMILY. SEND THEM TO RACING WITH JESUS MINISTRIES AT PO BOX 586, Tolland, CT, 06084.

Sources: Rev. Don Rivers/RWJM

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