This past weekend we commemorated the passing of a Modified legend, Carl “Bugs” Stevens at Seekonk Speedway. His exploits behind the wheel of a Modified were legendary. He was also known to play a practical joke or two. You knew when he was around. He had a presence that was noticed. We will miss that.

As his family gathered at the start finish line to say a final farewell, his daughters waved the green and checkered flag as the legendary #3 Modified, driven by his son Dave, circled the track with his ashes for one final lap, their emotions and loss were evident. Although he lived 90 years, his presence would be missed.

No matter when our time here comes to an end there will be tears, evidence of how fragile life is. When we are young we take things for granted, we risk the precious gift we have been given, we act like we will live forever. We grow wiser as the years go on and the finality of the end reminds us that we are only here for a short time. This life is fragile and we would do well to handle it with care.

It is human nature to think we have all the time in the world when the end seems so far in the distance. When we plan and look forward our thought is we have plenty of time. We hope, plan, and look to the days ahead, the things we will do and the places we will go. Trouble is the future is veiled by the unknown, we don’t know how many tomorrows we have. We don’t hold the keys to tomorrow, God does.

The writer of Ecclesiastes, Soloman, possessed wisdom, a gift from God and he sought out how he could secure tomorrow. He concluded it wasn’t possible, any endeavor to secure with certainty our presence here on Earth was chasing after the wind.

Ecclesiastes 1:14; NLT; I observed everything going on under the sun, and really, it is all meaningless—like chasing the wind.

He also discovered things change, there is a season for every activity under the sun. We need to realize that what we pursue today will not always be what we pursue tomorrow. 

Ecclesiastes 3:1; NLT; For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven.

We would do well to focus on the things that matter in this life, God, Family, Others and then ourselves. We do get things out of order and we elevate ourselves to the top of the list and God to the bottom. It is in those times that we fail to see how fragile this life is. 

When we focus so much energy on pursuit of our happiness we fail to take into consideration the damage that does to the relationships around us. We rationalize that we can pursue what we want and then, when we attain it and are secure, we will pursue the other things, like family, friends and God. God did not create us to live life that way. When we come to our senses, the reality is there may not be time left to pursue the things that really have value.

There is a time in each of our lives when that realization happens, when we come to the understanding that what we have been pursuing is “like chasing after the wind”. My hope and prayer is that we come to that point sooner than later. That we realize, while there is still time left in our life, to truly make a difference in someone else’s life.

James 4:13-16; NLT;  Look here, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we are going to a certain town and will stay there a year. We will do business there and make a profit.” How do you know what your life will be like tomorrow? Your life is like the morning fog—it’s here a little while, then it’s gone. What you ought to say is, “If the Lord wants us to, we will live and do this or that.” Otherwise you are boasting about your own pretentious plans, and all such boasting is evil.

Understanding how fragile life is a first step. Realizing that we can do nothing to lengthen the days appointed to us is another. We cannot waste the days we have in the pursuit of selfish ambition, that is not right. We need to spend the time given to us in the pursuit of God and allow Him to direct our path. 

There are many places in His Word where we are commanded and directed to acknowledge Him in all things and He will guide us on the right path. When we understand who holds the future and knows the days ahead, it will be best for us to seek him out and allow him to guide our journey.

Jerimiah 29:11-13; NLT; For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. In those days when you pray, I will listen. If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me.

To find the most abundant and fulfilling life we need to seek God first. He has a plan for each of us. A good plan. A plan to give us hope and a future. But we think we know better. We make decisions and plans thinking we are doing well. We will have what we need to make a good life for ourselves. The truth remains we don’t know what tomorrow holds for each of us. Life is fragile.

James 4:14; NLT; How do you know what your life will be like tomorrow? Your life is like the morning fog—it’s here a little while, then it’s gone.

Let me encourage us to embrace the fact that life is fragile. Spend time pursuing things that will matter for eternity. We need to get things in the right order, God, Others and then us. 

Isaiah 55:6; NLT; Seek the Lord while you can find him. Call on him now while he is near.

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.

North Wilkesboro Speedway has risen from the ashes and been brought roaring back to life. An interesting side note, it was North Wilkesboro’s closing that provided New Hampshire Motor Speedway with a Cup date. I visited the track while it laid dormant. It was neat to relive the memories; most everything was as it was left when it closed. The billboards, the paint, looked like something that hadn’t been touched in many years. 

There she sat, looking like a grey ghost, silently reflecting the past, a bygone era of when short tracks dominated the racing world. It is curious how we remember things when we look back. Things in our mind are bigger than life. 

As I sat there gazing at the skeleton of the glory that once was; I could imagine in my mind the noise of the cars, the crowds of people, all the sights and sounds of race day. There had been talk of bringing her back. There had been efforts to get the ball rolling. The question asked; wouldn’t it be cool to run here again? 

That day came to be. Through the work of so many and the efforts and labors birthed in the desires to return to a simpler time and just race! Seems there were more than a few folks who wanted to relive the glory days of short track racing. The mighty modifieds opened the show and packed the house. Fitting that it was the mighty modifieds returning North Wilkesboro to her former glory. It was these same modifieds that got this stock car racing thing going in the first place. 

Revival is an interesting endeavor. Before anything can happen, someone needs to see value in what is to be revived. It takes a special eye to see value in the ruins of yesterday. Most of us just pass by and conclude it is not worth the effort. 

Ezekiel 37:1-3; The Lord took hold of me, and I was carried away by the Spirit of the Lord to a valley filled with bones. He led me all around among the bones that covered the valley floor. They were scattered everywhere across the ground and were completely dried out. Then he asked me, “Son of man, can these bones become living people again?”

God asked Ezekiel an interesting question. Much like the question many asked about North Wilkesboro, can life be breathed back into something so dead? Ezekiel answered that only God knew if they could live. God instructed Ezekiel to speak.

Ezekiel 37:4; Then he said to me, “Speak a prophetic message to these bones and say, ‘Dry bones, listen to the word of the Lord!

I encourage you to read the entire passage, Ezekiel 37:1-15, you will find the valley of dry bones became a great army, the nation of Israel, restored to their lands and former glory. All because of the Word of the Lord.

Let’s put a different face on revival; what if it is a person? How do we handle it when we know someone who is in need of a fresh start, a do over, a clean slate? Revive, refresh and renew, the re’s of a new beginning.

Re is a prefix that indicates we need to do it again. I am glad God is patient with me and allows me to start over with a clean slate each time I fall short. Revival begins with listening to the word of the Lord. Much like the builders we talked about last week, to withstand the storm we need to follow the instructions of the Lord.

But what about the other guy? Is there any hope for him? Here he is sitting on the ground, his life destroyed all around him. Does he have hope? Yes!

Ezekiel 37:4; Then he said to me, “Speak a prophetic message to these bones and say, ‘Dry bones, listen to the word of the Lord!

Jesus welcomes anyone no matter what their past looks like. He doesn’t require anything from us other than to accept His gift of grace. Come as you are, even if we are just dried up bones, and he will breathe life into us.

Mathew 11:28-30; Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.”

John 10:10; The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.

Revival is available and necessary for us to experience the blessing God has for us. He didn’t intend for this life to be a burden. With his presence in our lives, we are able to withstand the storms and still be standing. He provides for all our needs.

Psalm 23:1-3; 1The LORD is my shepherd; I have all that I need. He lets me rest in green meadows; he leads me beside peaceful streams. He renews my strength.

Let’s set our focus on revival, listen to the words of the Lord, follow His guidance and instruction and let his blessing and provision take our life in a new direction.

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.

Look around, life abounds, waking up from its sleeping slumber. We see the hope of life in those things we thought were dead; Springtime. The trees and flowers are blooming, the color of brown is fading behind the bright colors of springtime. Time to awaken and make some noise.

We experience it at the track, the smell of rubber and racing fuel, yes spring has sprung. The cars and their new paint schemes; the drivers and their new suits, the new teams, the old teams, everything seems fresh and new in Springtime. Practice days at our local tracks have gotten the cars out of the garage, into the box, transported to the track and shaken down. The annual rite of spring in the racing community, noise! 

What seems new to you this year? What does it bring to mind? Has the sounds of spring rekindled a zest for life? Springtime reminds me of the new life I received in Christ, once dead with sin, now alive through Him. The spring of living water has renewed my hope and given me life.

One of the difficulties with this new life is living like we have really been given a new start. It can be hard to believe that God meant what he said. If we take Him at His Word we would live differently. In Steven Curtis Chapman’s song; Live Out Loud it encourages us to make some noise! 

“This is life I’ve been given. I was a dead man who has been called out of the grave. Wake the neighbors, make some noise!”

You know what’s neat about a spring morning, the noise! The sun approaches the horizon and the neighborhood wakes up. You’ve heard it, the birds singing, announcing the new day. Have we been given a new lease on life?

EPHESIANS 4:17-24, NLT; With the Lord’s authority let me say this: Live no longer as the ungodly do, for they are hopelessly confused. Their closed minds are full of darkness; they are far away from the life of God because they have shut their minds and hardened their hearts against him. They don’t care anymore about right and wrong, and they have given themselves over to immoral ways. Their lives are filled with all kinds of impurity and greed.

But that isn’t what you were taught when you learned about Christ. Since you have heard all about him and have learned the truth that is in Jesus, throw off your old evil nature and your former way of life, which is rotten through and through, full of lust and deception. Instead, there must be a spiritual renewal of your thoughts and attitudes. You must display a new nature because you are a new person, created in God’s likeness—righteous, holy, and true.

Think of the comparisons found in these verses. Hopelessly confused, closed minds, full of darkness, hardened hearts, don’t care about right or wrong, surrendered to immoral ways, full of all kinds of impurity and greed. They describe a life without Christ.

Throw that away: It’s rotten through and through, full of lusts and deceptions.

Put on a new Spirit; renew your thoughts and attitudes; 

Phil. 2:5-8, Your attitude should be the same that Christ Jesus had. Though he was God, he did not demand and cling to his rights as God. He made himself nothing; he took the humble position of a slave and appeared in human form. And in human form he obediently humbled himself even further by dying a criminal’s death on a cross. 

Our new self is not one of demanding our rights, but one of humble servants, obedient to God’s direction and will for our lives.

Listen to the contrast in Galatians 5:19-23;

When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, your lives will produce these evil results: sexual immorality, impure thoughts, eagerness for lustful pleasure, idolatry, participation in demonic activities, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, divisions, the feeling that everyone is wrong except those in your own little group, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other kinds of sin. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God.

But when the Holy Spirit controls our lives, he will produce this kind of fruit in us: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Here there is no conflict with the law.

I encourage you to make some noise, sing a new song, this is life we have been given, and we have been called out of the grave. 

Demonstrate it in the way we live; not demanding to be treated a certain way or rights, but humble, with a servant’s heart, obedient to God’s will. Remember our life should reflect the presence of the Holy Spirit; love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control

Eph. 4:23b-24; There must be a spiritual renewal of your thoughts and attitudes. You must display a new nature because you are a new person, created in God’s likeness—righteous, holy, and true.

Make some noise this spring with a new attitude, a renewed mind and a commitment to live in a way that honors God. People will take notice, and blessings will abound. 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.