There we were…. Seems like the beginning to many of the stories I’ve heard. But, no, there we were sitting in victory lane waiting to get the 50^thRunning of the Greatest Race in the History of Spring kicked off with the invocation and National Anthem but there was a delay. There was damage to the wall in turn three and it needed to be repaired before we could continue. Let’s reminisce about previous races. Who has a story to tell?

It just so happened that many of the past champions and car owners were assembled there for opening ceremonies so why not take the opportunity to tell a few stories. From Bugs Stevens to Bob Garbarino to Ed Flemke Jr. talking about his dad’s victory, to Fuller, Marquis, Coby, Preece, Santos and Pitkat. Names like Boehler, Barry, Stefanik, Blewett and Christopher; Modified Royalty. We had stories to tell and they were just about one race.

The trio of Grand Marshals were the ones who had the idea some fifty years ago and we have them to thank for such a rich tradition in Modified Racing; Dick Berggren, Lew Boyd and Bruce Cohen. They shared their story of how this whole thing started. A big Thanks to these guys for coming up with this idea for a race and having the courage and wisdom to see it through.

There is another part of the story I’d like to share, my story. The first memory of the Sizzler I have is from a painting that hung in a Barber Shop in Rockville CT. Someone took a photograph of the field coming to the green and from that painted a large, maybe 3’ x 6’ painting. I was just a teenager and I had been to Stafford a few times, but that picture was larger than life. 

I remember the excitement the barber had as he asked; “Do you know what that is? That’s the starting line up of the first Spring Sizzler, look at those cars and the names of the drivers….” He got carried away.

He had stopped my haircut at this point and was lost in the memory of that day. I heard it all, the way the sun shone, the thunder of the cars, the anticipation…. I don’t remember the haircut or much else other than the passion and excitement with which he told the story of the Mighty Modifieds. 

To say it made an impression on me was an understatement. Here, on this sunny Sunday afternoon I stood amongst those stories of so many. The stories of folklore; do you remember the time….

Fast forward to a Sunday afternoon thirty years later. As a pastor I don’t have too many Sundays off. The congregation usually frowns on me skipping church. But on this Sunday, I was in a transition spot in my walk with the Lord. I was between jobs. 

God has a way of writing our stories in a way that we don’t see until we look back. We see His hand and how he led us through. He is there beside us, sometimes He carries us, but always we are not alone. I remember David as he spoke of the closeness God shows us;

Psalm 23:2-4; NLT; He lets me rest in green meadows; he leads me beside peaceful streams. He renews my strength. He guides me along right paths, bringing honor to his name. Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me. Your rod and your staff protect and comfort me.

I wasn’t on the right road in my teenage years, my folks divorced when I was 11, my dad died when I was 15 and from there I was on my own. I managed to find my way through, but as I look back, I am confident God was there alongside. I met my wife and we married young; I am blessed to say we celebrate 42 years of marriage this year. That is more her doing than mine. I was and continue to be a work in progress.

During the first ten years of our marriage, she carried the load and I looked after myself. Something had to change. God had a hand in that, brought someone alongside to lead me to Him and my life changed direction at 30. 

I am not a sideline sitter, sitting still is not my strong suit. I got involved and pursued God as much as anything I had pursued in my life. At age 39 I was ordained to the Gospel Ministry, I became Rev. Don, pastor and minister. My first position was Pastor of Emmanuel Baptist Church in West Springfield MA. Things were going well until God indicated he had another place for me to focus on. 

The process of moving me isn’t an easy one, because of my background I have a desire to know the road ahead before I commit to follow. God said trust me. I said show me. God won, I stepped down from the pulpit and waited for God to indicate where I was to be headed next.

We were living in Willington CT at the time and as I sat at home that first Sunday without a pulpit to speak in, I could hear the roar of the mighty modifieds from Stafford Motor Speedway. That’s right, they’re running the Sizzler today, it had been postponed for a few weeks because of weather. I turned to my racing buddy, my daughter Elisabeth, and said let’s go!

We sat in the sunshine watching the cars assemble on the mini mile. At the front sat a white dodge with colorful graphics. I learned that was the Racing with Jesus Ministries Pace Car and the driver was none other than Rev. Pat Evans. I turned to my daughter and said; “that would be a great ministry to be involved with.”

Twenty years later I stood in Victory Lane with Modified Racing Royalty, delivering the invocation for the 50^th edition of the Greatest Race in the History of Spring. God prompting me; see I told you it would be an incredible journey.

Deuteronomy 31:6; NLT; So be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid and do not panic before them. For the Lord your God will personally go ahead of you. He will neither fail you nor abandon you.

The journey hasn’t always been easy, there are days I’d rather have not experienced and things I would have done differently had God asked my opinion. That doesn’t change the fact that he has been beside me the entire way, providing guidance, direction, discipline, protection and comfort. 

As Billy Graham was fond of saying; “I don’t know what tomorrow holds, but I do know who holds tomorrow.”

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.

There are some opportunities that the beginning of the season presents. A clean slate, everyone is tied in the point standings at zero. Anticipation is high. Plans thought through and put in place over the winter can now be implemented. The first few races give us some idea of the direction our season is headed. My hope is that we all see the blessing in the opportunity we have to pursue our passion in racing. 

We have come through a difficult time and have persevered. Based on the crowd and car count at Stafford Motor Speedway this past weekend I think it can be said, we are back! Spring has always been a time of anticipation, excitement and energy, but this spring it seems that has been multiplied. Everyone wants to be out there doing something. 

I am reminded of the times in Scripture where the subject of refresh, renewal and restore comes up. Spring is a glorious time to see the refreshing renewal as life is restored to our surroundings. For some that is flowers, trees and grass. For racers that is the smell of race fuel, rubber and the sound of a finely tuned race car making laps. Ah, the comforting sound as the throttle is feathered and speed is coaxed, chasing the winter idleness. We feel the passion stir, we know the reason we have returned, the adrenaline starts flowing, and our need for speed is refreshed.

How about the other parts of our lives? Has renewal begun in our hearts? Do you remember the familiar Scripture, Psalm 23, where David talks about how the Lord restores us?

Psalm 23: 1-6; The 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. He guides me along right paths, bringing honor to his name. Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me. Your rod and your staff protect and comfort me. You prepare a feast for me in the presence of my enemies. You honor me by anointing my head with oil. My cup overflows with blessings. Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will live in the house of the Lord forever.

We can look with anticipation for what the new race season will bring, but we also need to look internally and renew our relationship with God through Christ. I think it is always good to periodically take the time and appreciate the benefits our relationship with God provides us. The beginning of a new season is the perfect time to remind ourselves who God is and how he provides for our needs.

This isn’t an exhaustive analysis of the passage but just a few highlights to remind us that God is a part of everything we do and provides for us. Sometimes we forget that or get complacent. Let’s take a look and remind ourselves what it is that God has for us.

God provided the opportunity for us to have a relationship with Him through the sacrifice of Christ; we focused on that this past Easter as we remembered the cross and the empty tomb. The next step is ours, receive the gift He offers. David says; “The Lord is my shepherd”. That signifies a decision David made to submit to God and allow God to guide him. A shepherd guides, nurtures, protects and loves his sheep.

Ephesian 2:4-5; NLT; But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, 5 that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!) 

Before we can taste the blessings and provisions that God offers, we need to first accept Him as our shepherd. In the acknowledgement and fulfillment that comes with that decision we realize, like David, “I have everything I need.” The presence of God in our lives fills the void that each one of us has in our heart. A void that only He can fill. 

Having everything we need is a difficult concept for us to grasp. Everywhere we look we are surrounded by messages that tell us we need this or that to be complete. From diets to our houses to the cars we drive, there is always something new and improved that we can’t live without. That’s a lie of the enemy. Why? Because if we buy into that we will never be satisfied and fulfilment will always be just one more thing we need. The truth is, God is all we need.

David reminds us that in Christ we find the things we truly need; rest, peace, renewal, guidance, comfort, protection, deliverance, goodness and unfailing love. These things will provide the satisfaction and fulfillment we truly long for. These things are the blessings from God we receive when we allow Him into our lives and follow His direction. These are the things that make life worth living. Pursue such things!

We are all guilty of pursuing things we want and desire, thinking that when we achieve them or attain them life will be complete. There will always be another “thing” to pursue. There will always be another “thing” to buy. It is when we fail to achieve and attain that we become burdened with the twin thieves that prevent us from being satisfied, regret and fear. We regret yesterday and fear tomorrow. Those burdens prevent us from rest and peace. Without the rest and peace, restoration is not possible. Without restoration following God’s direction isn’t possible. If we are not moving in the direction God is leading, we will not experience the comfort, protection, deliverance, goodness and unfailing love that we so desperately need.

Our relationship with God is an interconnected journey, it builds on itself. As we walk with God, we start to see all that God is and offers to us. Trust in Him, He created us and knows us better than we know ourselves. Invite Him in and begin the life changing journey that allows us to dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

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.

During the year there are many significant dates. On the racing calendar Daytona marks the beginning of the racing season. Time to get things started. For Christians, Christmas marks the beginning of the life of Christ.

John 1:1-4,1:12-14; In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of men. 

… to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God– children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

Are you busy? Do you have your shopping done? Too many parties, not enough time? The holidays can be a tremendously busy time. We spend more money than we have. We struggle to get everything done. For most of us it is like a race. We are looking for the finish line, if we can just get through to Christmas morning. I am here to tell you, Christmas is not the finish line. Christmas is the beginning. Christmas is the gift that God sent to each one of us. The opportunity to live!

The coming of his birth foretold by the prophets. 

Isaiah 9-6; For to us a child is born, to us a son is given and the government will be on his shoulders.

And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Isaiah helps us understand the character of our Savior; wonderful, mighty, everlasting, giver of peace. It also helps us understand the priority he should have in our lives; God, Father, Prince and Counselor. Isaiah told of the Savior yet to come.

Luke 2:4-7; Joseph went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

We race for the finish line, but this is a race to the starting line. Think of all the work in the shop to get to the track, Joseph and Mary made the trek to Bethlehem, they had no choice but to go to the town of their ancestors. Shunned by family and not being welcome they searched for a place to stay. They found a stable and a manger. The humblest beginnings for our Savior.

He arrived on that first Christmas with only the animals of the stable there as witnesses. His earthly parents, Joseph and Mary knew the destiny of this child. They had found favor with God and were part of the wonderful event, the coming of the Messiah. On the night of Jesus’ birth the angels proclaimed to the shepherds his arrival.

Luke 2:8-1; And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.

The shepherds left their flocks and went to find this Savior. When they found him they went out and proclaimed his glory. The beginning of the efforts to proclaim the good news of great joy, a savior has been born. He would save his people from death and destruction.

When the proclamation of the Savior comes which way will we run? Will we run to his side and claim him as our own or will we be too busy chasing after the things of the world that keep us busy?

I have often thought of what I would do if an angel of the Lord came and visited me. Remember how they came to Mary and Joseph? Each one received a visit. The angel announced what would take place with each of them, Mary would be with child and Joseph would take Mary for his wife. Together they would be responsible for bringing a child into the world that would be the Savior of the world.

Would I embrace the message? Would I respond as Mary did “May it be with me as you have said, I am the Lord’s servant.”? Would I be too busy to even notice?  We all have the decision to make. Jesus himself came to demonstrate his love for us. Will we accept it? Will we even break away from our busyness to notice? Christmas is the beginning. The race doesn’t end when we get there. This Christmas season take time to begin anew, take time to contemplate what took place over 2,000 years ago for you and I. For unto us a child is born, a savior.

From all of us at Racing with Jesus Ministries we extend the warmest greetings for a blessed Christmas. May this Christmas be a beginning for you and those special to you. With the love of our Lord and Savior, 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.