I reflect on this subject every time I have the opportunity to officiate a wedding ceremony. It is especially personal when the couple shares their own special thoughts to each other. The main theme is that they will be there alongside through thick and thin. That is what marriage is, a commitment to be together, forever, no matter what comes our way. To stand alongside one another with mutual respect and love. 

I was reminded of the role a spouse serves when I was standing behind the grandstands at the track talking with a friend. We were waiting for the Modifieds to take the track for practice. I wasn’t sure what the schedule was but when I started to see the stream of spotters walk by with the tools of their trade I knew the time was close. 

A spotter’s tools seem simple; a good set of eyes to be able to watch what is happening, good judgment about how to advise the driver, language the driver understands and a way to communicate to the driver. We can all watch the race but a spotter sees things differently, they see difficulty coming before it happens. 

Some things that happen need to be communicated to the driver, some don’t. A good spotter doesn’t overload the driver with information that they don’t need. A good spotter needs a way to communicate to the driver. Just having a radio and talking into the mike doesn’t qualify. The spotter and the driver need to speak the same language; they need to not only hear each other, but understand what the other means. 

Look at it this way, when the spotter says “inside” does that mean go inside or go outside? It could mean either, that is up to the spotter and driver. The driver and the spotter develop a language all their own and develop an understanding of each other so that they can communicate with each other. When that works, things go well. When it doesn’t it usually leads to a frustrating day at the track. 

Over the season I’ve heard it happen several times, a car runs into a wreck and the announcer says “the spotter didn’t warn them.” With our ability to listen to the driver/spotter communications, we know if it is true. It isn’t always that cut and dry though. Sometimes there just isn’t enough time. Sometimes the driver doesn’t listen.

One of the rules in racing is that when you are on the track you need a spotter. Wouldn’t it be great to have a spotter for life also? God provided that in our parents but let’s face it we really don’t pay that much attention to them sometimes; do we? When we find that special someone to share our life with we begin to see the benefits of having someone alongside.

When I agree to perform a marriage ceremony there is a requirement of premarital counselling. We spend the most time on communication, learning how to communicate to one another. It doesn’t come naturally. If you think it is, just ask your spouse where they want to go for dinner. As your relationship grows you start to be able to finish one another’s sentences.

With or without a spouse, we need someone who is in our ear, living inside us and guiding us in the right path. God has provided that someone for us all; his name is The Holy Spirit. Listen to what Jesus says about the Spirit;

John 14:16-18, 25-27, (Jesus answered) And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever– the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. 

   “All this I have spoken while still with you. But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

In addition, we read in Romans

Romans 5:5, And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.

The Holy Spirit is given to us to guide our heart in the paths that are right. I am reminded of the cartoon with the devil on one shoulder and the angel on the other. This is a good illustration of what happens when the Spirit dwells in us. He guides us with the right advice, but there is that other voice. The voice inside us that is telling us something different, something not of God. Which voice do we follow? Which guidance do we take?

The answer is to have another person in your life. Someone who will hold you accountable to the choices you make. Someone trustworthy, someone who loves you. Someone who would lay down their life for you. We need this kind of person in our lives also. I hear so many couples describe it, I get to marry my best friend. Having that friend alongside will change everything.

We can ignore the voice of the Spirit and make wrong choices, but with a friend alongside our walk through life is much easier. They look out ahead and spot the trouble that we can’t see or are blind too. They talk to us and provide information to guide us around the difficulty. Ultimately it is our choice, but that friend alongside wants us to finish the race of life in the best possible condition.

Having The Holy Spirit as our guide helps us experience life to its fullest. We receive The Holy Spirit when we ask Jesus to come into our heart. When we seek forgiveness from God for our shortcomings and accept the sacrifice Jesus made for us. When we ask God for that He sends The Holy Spirit to live in our heart, to guide us in the paths that are right, to counsel us, to show us the truth. 

Do you have The Holy Spirit in your heart? You can. He will be with you and never leave you. Ask God today to send Him and God will honor that request and send Him. The key component is asking with sincerity in your heart; you have to want to. Seek out the guidance of The Holy Spirit today. Accept the sacrifice Jesus made for you and ask God to forgive your sin. If your heart is sincere then the transaction is done, your life has changed. 

I would ask that you share that with us so that we can rejoice with you. We will help and guide you along the road. We will come alongside you and walk with you through life. We will help you through the difficulties and celebrate the victories. We will do our best to help you figure out life and learn how to live it to the fullest.

Until next time, remember God loves you and Jesus is Lord over Auto Racing! God Bless. Remember, that your prayerful support and donations helps us continue this ministry. Thank You.

Help comes in many forms and is available from many sources. There is always someone who is willing to share their opinion about what we should do. Not everyone who offers help has our best interest at heart. One of the first things we need to figure out is; who can I trust?

I have heard many discussions about help at the track. Sometimes we solicit help and other times it is offered for free. Knowing the source helps us qualify whether we follow or ignore the advice. We observe as the information received is processed and the decision on what adjustments to make is made. Sometimes the wrong help guides us in the right direction, it confirms what we know to be true and helps us move forward.

Think of it this way, if we know the motives of the one providing the help we can easily determine whether the advice is for our good or theirs. I think of the cartoon with the two angels speaking into each ear, one good in the right ear and one bad in the left. Which one do we follow? 

Let me share this with you about the voice of God in our ear. If the voice calms, reassures, enlightens, encourages, comforts, leads, stills, or convicts you then it is the voice of God. But, if the voice rushes, pushes, frightens, confuses, discourages, worries, obsesses, or condemns you, it is the voice of the enemy.

There is a lot of noise in the world around us, every voice is wanting us to listen to them. Many of them have their own agenda, they want to instill in us certain thoughts and emotions. We need to have a filter so that we only pay attention to what is for our benefit. That is difficult. Many times we have to shut some of the noisemakers out. Many have decided not to watch or listen to the mainstream media because they have determined the information they present often comes with an agenda.

That is only one place in our lives where shutting some of the noise out can help us think more clearly. Let’s face it there are not many voices of truth in the world we live in. So where do we find the truth? We need some help. Remember the directions we received Jesus said;

John 14:6; NLT; Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.

Jesus is the truth; his voice will help us know what is right and which direction is his. As he prepared to suffer and die on the cross for our sins he shared with his disciples that he would send his voice, The Holy Spirit, to us.

John 16:7; 13-15; NLT; But in fact, it is best for you that I go away, because if I don’t, the Advocate (the Comforter, the Encourager, the Councilor) won’t come. If I do go away, then I will send him to you.

13 When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own but will tell you what he has heard. He will tell you about the future. 14 He will bring me glory by telling you whatever he receives from me. 15 All that belongs to the Father is mine; this is why I said, ‘The Spirit will tell you whatever he receives from me.’

This is the connection we call the Holy Trinity, three in one. God the Father, Christ the Son and The Holy Spirit. All one in the same, one voice that helps us find the way to true satisfaction and fulfillment. 

The Holy Spirit is described in Scripture as our advocate, comforter, encourager and councilor, our helper. Without His presence in our lives we cannot hope to find direction or the truth. He is necessary and provides a voice that counters the noise we hear from the world. Remember the cartoon, without the Holy Spirit there isn’t a good voice.

In the absence of the Holy Spirit the voices we hear are others, the world around us, and our own, the desires and thoughts of our own mind. The choice we make is not between good and bad, it is between what they want me to do and what I want to do. We need help!

We need an outside voice that will guide us in the way of the truth. A voice that will help us look beyond what we see and into the lives of others. A voice that will, when followed, provide true fulfilment and satisfaction. A voice that will lead us to life, an abundant life.

Some of us know that voice, we have made a decision to submit to God and let Him put that voice in our hearts. Some of us haven’t. The opportunity is there, it is a gift God offers us, free for the asking. God extends to each of us the opportunity to receive Jesus as our Lord and Savior. When we do, Jesus promises to send us a helper, The Holy Spirit, to guide and connect us to Him and the Father. 

The first step is to come humbly before God and ask for His help, confess our sin and ask for forgiveness. Believe that Jesus is the Son of God who gave his life for us and God raised him from the dead.

Romans 10:9-10; NLT; If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by openly declaring your faith that you are saved.

Ephesians 2:8-9; NLT; God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.

John 15:26; NLT: 26 “But I will send you the Advocate (helper)—the Spirit of truth. He will come to you from the Father and will testify all about me.

As we look forward to celebrating Easter, the resurrection of our Savior, we must remember the cost, he gave his life as an atonement for our sin, so that we could be forgiven. He is the way, the truth and the life. Without being connected to Him we can do nothing.

Please let us know if you have questions or would like to make this decision in your life. We are here to walk alongside, support and encourage your new found faith in God.

Until next time, remember God loves you and Jesus is Lord over Auto Racing! God Bless. Remember, that your prayerful support and donations helps us continue this ministry. Thank You.

Racing isn’t easy. There are difficulties around each turn. It would be great if all you had to concern yourself with was getting your car setup for the race. Today we have to worry about many other things. We think we have it hard. I remember a talk given by Dale Inman, former crew chief for Petty Enterprises. His title, “It hasn’t always been this easy.”

He spoke of the days when you drove the actual race car to the track, sounds easy enough. Well how about when the track is in California and you are in North Carolina? Not only that but the seats have been removed for weight; you have a piece of plywood for a back seat and you share the ride with all the tools, jack and spare parts. The motor under the hood is the race motor and you have to baby it for the first 500 mile to make sure it wears in right. You don’t have the benefit of a speedometer and meet with the local law enforcement types no short of 10 times each way. It hasn’t always been this easy!

I am encouraged when I see teams rally to help other teams when they face difficulties at the track. I know of several occasions when parts were lent or crewmembers worked on a competitor’s car to help them get ready in time. I remember just recently watching an engine being carried and installed by several “helpers” when time and space would not allow a more conventional way to move it. Why, because we want to race. We want the opportunity to win out on the track, not in the garage. We want everyone to have a chance to race.

We also face difficult times in life. Difficulties have a way of finding us when we can least afford it. We think we are prepared but we find we are not. What is the right way to respond when we see someone going through a difficult time? Listen to what the Paul says in Galatians;

Galatians 6:2-3, Share each other’s burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ. If you think you are too important to help someone, you are only fooling yourself. You are not that important.

When we help someone who is going through a difficult stretch, we are obedient to God. We honor God when we sacrifice our time, resources and abilities to help someone in need. Have you ever reached out and helped someone?

“Do you follow Jesus this close?”

I wouldn’t be the man I am today if someone didn’t reach out to me in my time of need. His name is Steve and he was always willing to help in any way he could. He never asked for anything back, he only said when you have what someone needs, give it. His willingness to give and his attitude toward giving came right from God’s Word.

2 Corinthians 8:10-15; And here is my advice about what is best for you in this matter: Last year you were the first not only to give but also to have the desire to do so. Now finish the work, so that your eager willingness to do it may be matched by your completion of it, according to your means. For if the willingness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has, not according to what he does not have. 

Our desire is not that others might be relieved while you are hard pressed, but that there might be equality. At the present time your plenty will supply what they need, so that in turn their plenty will supply what you need. Then there will be equality, as it is written: “He who gathered much did not have too much, and he who gathered little did not have too little.”

There are many lessons for us to learn in these verses but for now we need to understand that some of us have a surplus while others have needs. We need to recognize the burdens of others and be willing to give freely. Remember it is the effort that matters not the size of the gift.

So, let me ask you, how is your back? Are we willing to carry someone’s burden? Are we willing to let go of our time, talents and possessions so that we might relieve the pain of someone? I can tell you this, Christ was. 

Christ left his throne in Heaven, set aside his attributes as God and became man. He came to dwell with us and serve us. He carried our burdens to the cross and nailed them there. We are forgiven because Christ came and took the burden of our sin. Paul reminds us that our attitude should be the same as Christ’s. 

Philippians 2:5-8; Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: 

Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death— even death on a cross!

Look back at the first passage we read, if you think you are above helping someone you are a fool, you are not that important. Christ didn’t think of Himself that important to come and give His life for you. 

A man approached me in the garage at Langley. He shared a testimony of how God moved him to get on a train and head to NYC following 9/11. He didn’t know why but was obedient. As his wife and he traveled she asked why are we going? He answered, “God will let us know.” He arrived and helped where he could, he had 26 years of public safety experience. Then he heard a choir singing and followed the sound, when they finished he shared how encouraging it was to listen and shared a story that brought him to NY. He saw a pastor preaching on TV asking for God’s help in the difficult aftermath. The person he was talking to said, “she is standing right behind you.”

He turned to see the person he had seen a few days earlier on TV. She looked tired and exhausted. He held her and explained that God had sent him to “lift her up” and as he prayed for her God revealed this is why I called you here. After he finished, he turned to his wife and said, “we can go home now our mission here is done.”

Take a look around, I think you might be able to find someone who has a burden or two. Give of yourself to help that person. When you do you honor God and are obedient to His commandments. When you think it is beneath you, remember, you are just not that important. 

Until next time, remember God loves you and Jesus is Lord over Auto Racing! God Bless. Remember, that your prayerful support and donations helps us continue this ministry. Thank You.

We have been talking about the people we are thankful for. We have some by our side and others we gather with. There is one who for the most part is not seen. He is the Holy Spirit. Sometimes his role is misunderstood. As we continue to give thanks let us also give thanks for the provision of a guide, counselor, advocate, comforter, convicter and helper.

We do a lot of standing around and waiting at the track. Sometimes we get so into a conversation we lose track of the schedule. Then there is that reminder of what is happening on the track. You start to see the stream of spotters walk by with the tools of their trade. You know it is time for the racing to begin. 

A spotter’s tools are simple; a good set of eyes to be able to watch what is happening, good judgment about how to advise the driver and a way to communicate to the driver. We can all watch but it helps to know what we are looking at. A good spotter sees difficulty coming before it happens. Some of those things need to be communicated, some don’t. A good spotter doesn’t overload the driver with information that they don’t need to run the race. The third thing a good spotter needs is a way to communicate to the driver. I’m not talking about having a radio and speaking into the mike, that doesn’t qualify. The spotter and the driver need to speak the same language, not only to hear each other but to understand what the other means.

Think of it this way, when the spotter says “inside” does that mean go inside or go outside? It could mean either, that is up to the spotter and driver. The driver and the spotter develop a language all their own and develop an understanding of each other so that they can communicate with each other. When that works, things go well. When it doesn’t it usually means disaster.

I have heard it said many times after a car runs into a wreck and the announcer says “his spotter didn’t warn him.” With our ability to listen to the driver/spotter communications, we know if it is true. It isn’t always that cut and dry though. Sometimes there just isn’t enough time. Sometimes the driver doesn’t listen. Just remember, we may be speaking, but that doesn’t mean we are communicating.

Spotters are required when you go on the track. Wouldn’t it be great to have a spotter for life also? Well we do if we look around. The past few weeks we have talked about the people we surround ourselves with. We have influences around us but what if we had a voice inside our head? Someone who is in our ear, living inside us and guiding us in the right path. God has provided a spotter for us all; his name is The Holy Spirit. Listen to what Jesus says about the Spirit;

John 14:16-18, 25-27, (Jesus answered) And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever– the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.

   “All this I have spoken while still with you. But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

In addition, we read in Acts of the Apostles

Acts 5:5,  And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.

The Holy Spirit is given to us to guide our hearts in the paths that are right. I am reminded of the cartoon with the devil on one shoulder and the angel on the other. This is a good illustration of what happens when the Spirit becomes our spotter. He guides us with the right advice, but there is that other voice. The voice of our own making telling us something different, something not of God. Which voice do we follow? Which guidance do we take?

We need the help of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Someone who will hold you accountable to the choices we make. Someone trust worthy, someone who loves us. Someone who would lay down their life for us, a true friend. We need this kind of helper in our lives. The Holy Spirit’s job is much the same as a race spotter. They look out ahead and spot the trouble before we see it. They talk to us and guide us around the difficulty. They want us to finish the race of life in the best possible condition.

We need to have The Holy Spirit as our guide. We receive The Holy Spirit when we ask Jesus to come into our heart. When we seek forgiveness from God for our shortcomings and accept the sacrifice Jesus made for us. When we seek out God He sends The Holy Spirit to live in our heart, to guide us in the paths that are right, to counsel us, to show us the truth.

Do you have The Holy Spirit in your heart? You can. He will be a spotter that will never leave you. Ask God today to send Him and God will honor that request and send Him. The key component is asking with sincerity in your heart; you have to want to. Seek out the guidance of The Holy Spirit today. Accept the sacrifice Jesus made for you and ask God to forgive your sin. If your heart is sincere the transaction is done, your life has changed.

I would ask that you share that with us so that we can rejoice with you. We will also be here to help and guide you along the road. We will come along side you and walk with you through life. We will help you through the difficulties. We will do our best to help you figure out life and learn how to live it to the fullest.

Until next time, remember God loves you and Jesus is Lord over Auto Racing! God Bless. Remember, that your prayerful support helps us continue this ministry. Thank You.

We have many opportunities to help others. I know at the racetrack when someone has a problem there are many who are ready to lend a hand. I think that is one of the greatest things about the racing family, their willingness to help when there is a need. Sometimes though help requires a little more than lending a hand. I remember an engine change on Joe Brady’s modified. A group of guys worked to get the engine out of the car while another worked to get the backup out of the hauler. Because of space limitations it took some pretty strong guys to lift the motor out and onto the ground. Sometimes you need more than help you need brute strength.

The Scripture I want to start looking at this week tells us about some friends who wanted to help their friend out. In the end they needed brute strength to cut a hole in the roof. They also needed a roofer to come back and fix the hole. Was it worth it?  Read along and we’ll talk about it.

MARK 2:1-12, A few days later, when Jesus again entered Capernaum, the people heard that he had come home. So many gathered that there was no room left, not even outside the door, and he preached the word to them. Some men came, bringing to him a paralytic, carried by four of them. Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus and, after digging through it, lowered the mat the paralyzed man was lying on. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.”

    Now some teachers of the law were sitting there, thinking to themselves, “Why does this fellow talk like that? He’s blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?”

    Immediately Jesus knew in his spirit that this was what they were thinking in their hearts, and he said to them, “Why are you thinking these things? Which is easier: to say to the paralytic, `Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, `Get up, take your mat and walk’? But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins . . . .” He said to the paralytic, “I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.” He got up, took his mat and walked out in full view of them all. This amazed everyone and they praised God, saying, “We have never seen anything like this!”

Have you ever reached out to help someone and it ended up costing you something? Most times agreeing to help someone means there is a cost. We know we are willing to help in any way when we don’t count the cost. Referring back to the engine story, not one guy who helped with the engine change lamented their helping. There were smiles of accomplishment and pats on the back for the difficulties they overcame for their friend.

Think about these friends who wanted to get their friend to Jesus so much that they cut a hole in the roof. They knew he needed to get to him, the crowd was too big and so they took matters into their own hands and lowered him through the roof. I wonder how much discussion went into the decision. I think it was much like something at the track. There’s a problem, let’s fix it. When the first guy is committed to the solution others will follow and soon enough the challenge is overcome.

How do we feel about those we care about? Do we think they need to meet Jesus? Are we willing to take the risk and the expense to bring them to Jesus? If we think that meeting Jesus face to face will change their life why then won’t we will go to any length to bring someone to Him? We can come up with many reasons not to but the fact remains if we believe Jesus is the answer we need to make every effort.

If we don’t think it matters whether they know Jesus or not then we will come up with all kinds of excuses why it is not worth the effort. Our commitment and faith in Jesus determines how far we will go to help someone change their life. These friends dug a hole in the roof. What are we willing to do?

Another component of this passage was the people in the house. What were they there for? Jesus was returning home and I am sure there were friends and family who wanted to see him. There were people who heard about the miracles he performed and hoped to see one for them. There were those who needed healing and came with the hope that they would be healed. There were those who were skeptical and sought to trap Jesus and prove he wasn’t who he said he was.

There were so many people the house was full and there wasn’t room for these friends to get to Jesus. Let me note something, most of the people were there for good reasons but they were focused on themselves and they blocked someone else from getting to Jesus. I am glad that the guys that brought their friend were not deterred and dug a hole in the roof.

The life changing encounter with Jesus had an interesting effect on the crowd. Jesus forgave the sins of the paralytic, but that wasn’t enough for some in the crowd. Jesus knew what was on their hearts and met their challenges head on, “But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins . . . .” He said to the paralytic, “I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.”

Take notice that the wall to wall, standing room only crowd was no more. The man picked up his mat and walked out in full view of the people left. Where did the crowd go? I think some realized they were in the presence of the Living God and left because of their transgressions. I think others left because Jesus could see right through them into their heart. Some knew they had crossed a line by challenging God; they would have trouble dealing with that.

I thought about all the people that jump on the bandwagon and want to be around until it gets uncomfortable, they start to drift away. What you have left are your true friends, those you can count on. Amazing isn’t it. When you come face to face with the living God you don’t leave the same way you came.

We can learn a few things, first and foremost, Jesus can and will forgive our sin. He will give us a new, fresh start. Jesus can and will heal our physical problems. We should not be deterred because there are obstacles in our way. Desire in your heart to meet Jesus face to face and you won’t leave the same way you came. Our commitment and faith in Jesus determines how far we will go to help someone have that opportunity. These friends dug a hole in the roof. What are we willing to do?

HEADED SOUTH- When you read this, barring any unforeseen detours, we will have had Chaplains at the tracks in Georgia and Florida. The season has already started and we have a little catching up to do. The 410’s have been racing at Bubba Speedway Park with a couple of familiar names visiting Victory Lane. Thanks to Joe Kelly for being there as things got started.

Our plans have us at Screven, Volusia, Bronson, New Smyrna and Bubba to name a few but I’m not ruling out a visit to Daytona to cheer on some teams with Modified roots. We’ll see how it goes. If you are in the neighborhood track us down and say hi. Looking forward to meeting some old friends and making some new ones.

Until next time, remember God loves you and Jesus is Lord over Auto Racing! God Bless. Remember, that your prayerful support helps us continue this ministry. Thank You.