I remember the Harvest Festival we had at Emmanuel Baptist Church where I was the Pastor back in the late 90’s. We used the occasion of Thanksgiving to come together as one body in Christ. Let me explain. Emmanuel Baptist Church reached out to several different people groups, Deaf, Hearing, Romanian, Moldavian, Korean, Central Asian, Nepali, Bhutanese and the list goes on. Most times we meet at different times because each service was in a different language. The Harvest Festival was different; we would all come together for one worship service and to partake of the Lord’s Supper as one congregation.

That event was special, standing room only. We enjoyed worship together as each group brought something to share. No one understood all that was said, but God did, it was just a snapshot of heaven, all people from all nations together worshiping one God.

It reminded me of a family reunion of sorts, when the in-laws and outlaws come together to celebrate. They celebrate for one reason, they are family. I guess the Northeast racing family has a thanksgiving celebration of sorts also. For the last Fifty+ years it has been held at Wall Stadium. It is called the Turkey Derby. When we gather this Thanksgiving for the running of the Turkey Derby look around and you will see some diversity in the racing family.

It is good to be with family and friends; eating and drinking, catching up on each other’s lives, sharing special moments, relaxing as a family. We should feel at home with each other. We need, however, to define family. If this is a day to be celebrated, it should be with those who have become family, not necessarily our relatives.

While it should be a time to be celebrated there can be tension in the “family”. I don’t recommend including everyone because they are related by blood or marriage. I know that may sound odd, but it is necessary to understand that not every relationship is beneficial to us, even family ones. Sometimes we have to distance ourselves and protect ourselves from “family”. We each need to understand that and include those who we can truly relax around and celebrate.

Matthew 12; 46-50; NLT; As Jesus was speaking to the crowd, his mother and brothers stood outside, asking to speak to him. Someone told Jesus, “Your mother and your brothers are standing outside, and they want to speak to you.”

Jesus asked, “Who is my mother? Who are my brothers?” Then he pointed to his disciples and said, “Look, these are my mother and brothers. Anyone who does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother!”

There is another family we can belong to also, the family of God. We enter into the family through faith in Christ. The goal of this family is to love one another as God loves us.

Paul writes to the church at Colossi how thankful he is to have them as family members;

Colossians 1:3-4; NLT; We always pray for you, and we give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. For we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and your love for all of God’s people,

Paul’s comments bring to mind an interesting point, have we been a blessing to someone? Have we given someone a reason to be thankful for us? Many times we are on the receiving end of someone’s grace and kindness. In fact it is by the grace of God that we are saved from death and destruction. That should move us to be a blessing for someone else.

Think about those we are thankful for this Thanksgiving. Think about those who have loved us, supported us, provided for us, and encouraged us. Then think about what we have done for others. Have we done the same for someone else? God gives us the ability to reach out to those in need. Take the opportunity to give back something.

We have been blessed with a Lord and Savior, not everyone knows the peace that comes from knowing Christ. We need to rejoice in that; we need to live a life that shows the love of God; we need to be a blessing to others.

Philippians 4:4-7; Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

May the grace and peace of God be with you this Thanksgiving holiday. May the blessing of friends and family make this a special time. May the memories you share encourage you to be a blessing for someone. 

God’s continued blessings, Rev. Don

Run the race in such a way as to win, throw off everything that hinders and focus on Jesus. 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.

If you recall the last time we talked, the object of our thanksgiving was for the efforts of others. I am thankful for Todd and his willingness to step in while I was away and write this column. As I reflected on the past 20+ years I have written this since taking over from Rev. Pat there have been a few times when someone stepped in as a guest writer. I am thankful for them all.

Today we look at the subject of guidance. Providing guidance to someone can be a double-edged sword, guidance must be received to be beneficial. We have to give someone the authority to guide us. Sometimes people don’t take kindly to guidance that was only meant to  be helpful.

Life is full of temptations, challenges, difficulties and decisions. Do we have someone guiding us through or are we trying to get through it on our own? Is there someone walking beside us? Who is spotting for you on the road of Life? 

Proverbs 3:5-6; NLT; Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.

I was standing at the front desk of the hotel confirming that the special arrangements requested were in place. As I was passed from employee to employee no one seemed to know what was going on. Finally, the general manager showed up to get things sorted. The first thing she did was insult me.

I am a Christian and I am supposed to behave in a way that honors God. I didn’t. I responded in a very human way. That was wrong. Thankfully God put a special person in my life, my wife. We sorted out the room debacle without any further insults, but the damage was done.

I am thankful for her guidance and holding me accountable to the challenges of honoring God. Without her by my side I would certainly make more of a mess of things than they already are. Who provides you with guidance and direction? Are you thankful for that input?

Wouldn’t it be great to have a spotter that looks out for us and warns us before we do something damaging. I do know having a spotter doesn’t mean we will always listen, but it is a voice that we need to hear.

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 and a way to communicate. We can all watch, but a good spotter sees difficulty coming before it happens. A good spotter doesn’t overload us with information that we don’t need to run the race. Most importantly, a spotter needs to be able to communicate. Our spotter needs to speak our language, we need to understand what each 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 means a DNF. 

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? We need 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 Holy 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 the book of Acts;

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 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 becomes our spotter. He guides us with the right advice, but there is that other voice. That voice inside us that tells us something different, something not of God. Which voice do we follow? Which guidance do we take?

To answer that question it is helpful to have another type of spotter 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, a true friend. My wife is that person for me and I thank the Lord for her every day.

God provides 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 ask 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. 

I am thankful that God cares about me enough to send a spotter to guide me. 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 can also 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. We will do our best to help you figure out life and learn how to live it to the fullest.

Run the race in such a way as to win, throw off everything that hinders and focus on Jesus. 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.

For most of us 2020 has been anything but business as usual. Our lives have been turned inside out, our jobs have been deemed essential or nonessential. Schools were relocated to our homes. We were limited in our freedom to go out and about in our daily life. But in the midst of all that there are some things to be thankful for. 

There is something to be said for slowing down, taking a step back and looking at all the things we do. Fact is we don’t do it. This time, for many of us, the choice was made. Many of us had time to do just that. Getting to slow down and reevaluate priorities is a good thing. Be thankful if you had the time to do that.

Racing wise there wasn’t much going on for a while. For some the season never got started. For those of us who had the opportunity to get back to the track we’ve learned to value that now more than ever. They say you don’t truly appreciate something until it is taken away. That is something to be thankful for.

Speaking of racing who would have thought we could get over 50 Asphalt Tour Modifieds together for a race? That hasn’t happened since 2004. Well due to the efforts of the Arute family to get racing back up and running at Stafford Motor Speedway and the Tri-Track Modified Series needing a track to run their 10K to win event the date was set and on an October Saturday at Stafford Motor Speedway the modified racing community was treated to a special gathering. That is something to be thankful for.

Because of the diligence of those at Stafford Motor Speedway a framework was set to allow racing to return in Connecticut. Both Thompson and Waterford followed the guidelines and were able to put cars on the track and fans in the stands. Cris Michaud and John Mayberry made sure the tradition of the World Series continued at Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park. That is something to be thankful for.

We here at Racing with Jesus Ministries were especially thankful that the World Series was held. That event allowed us to continue a tradition of our own. Forty years ago on an October afternoon Racing with Jesus Ministries held its first Chapel service at Thompson Speedway. This year we continued that effort and celebrated 40 years of serving the racing community. That is something to be thankful for.

Psalm 100, A psalm of thanksgiving.

Shout with joy to the Lord, all the earth!

Worship the Lord with gladness.

    Come before him, singing with joy.

Acknowledge that the Lord is God!

    He made us, and we are his.

    We are his people, the sheep of his pasture.

Enter his gates with thanksgiving;

    go into his courts with praise.

    Give thanks to him and praise his name.

For the Lord is good.

    His unfailing love continues forever,

    and his faithfulness continues to each generation.

For us at RWJM there is more to be thankful for. Over that 40 years God has grown this ministry to reach far and wide. Bear with me as I give a shoutout to those who serve you through RWJM. My right hand man, Rev. Dan Petfield, serves NASCAR, ROC and wherever he is needed. Todd Heft in his short tenure with us has moved from behind the scenes to front and center as he handles our IT, Social Media, NASCAR, ROC, NEMA and anything else that needs to be done. In the New England area we have Bobby and Vinetta Somers at Lee USA; Scotty Frazier who handles northern VT, NH and Maine; Tim Garrison who focuses on Stafford Motor Speedway and Bob Hamel who handles Thompson with me and also Waterford. We also have those who float; Ray Pavkov in CT, Gary Maston in MA, Chris and Christine Minnich in FL and MD, Josh Turner in IN, all help where needed. Regionally Bob Menschner handles Wall Stadium in NJ and Mountain Speedway. Rev. Scott Kraniak and George Muse are at Riverhead on LI.

Steve Fowler from his home base in Montana coordinates our outreach with the World of Outlaws and the Dirt side of things. He is helped by Kevin Griggs with the Late Models, Jeff Myers with the Sprints; regionally we have Joe Kelly in FL, Mike Kray in OH, and Gary Dionne in CA. We also have many Loyal Lieutenants who ride shotgun watching our backs and lending a hand. We have come a long way in forty years and there is more work to be done. That is something to be thankful for.

I got into the thanksgiving mode a little early this year. There is a reason for why we celebrated Thanksgiving at our house a week ago Sunday.  Our daughter was able to get all her protocols in order and traveled home from Florida to be with us for her birthday. It has been a year since she has been able to be here so we took the opportunity to celebrate and give thanks. All our girls and grandkids gathered with Lynda and I around the table. That is something to be thankful for.

I wonder if you have been able to see beyond the circumstances and restrictions of the past few months and find the things in life that matter. I hope you have been able to find some peace in the midst of chaos. I hope that you have been able to find joy. Those are things to be thankful for.

John 14:27; NLT; “I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.

That is something to be thankful for.

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.