Banquet time is a time of celebration; a time when we celebrate the accomplishments of the past season. A time when we get together and reflect on what we accomplished as a team. We define our success based on our performance.

But God’s love is not performance based. God loves each one of us regardless of what we have done. This is what makes Christmas a celebration for all. Jesus came for everyone, not just a select few that performed well. 

Remember those familiar verses from the Gospel of John where it states “everyone who believes in him.” God did not restrict the celebration to just the top teams. God didn’t even restrict the celebration to the ones who loved Him. 

John 3:16-17; NLT; “For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him.

The celebration is for all mankind. John wrote it this way in another of his writings;

1John 4:9-10; God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him. This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.

God loved us before we even considered loving Him. That is a true gift. God provided for us before we even knew we needed something. God wants all of us, “everyone who believes in Him” to have life and have it to the full. We must first accept the gift God offers, the gift of His Son. This isn’t just any gift, this is the ultimate gift. Read what the writer of Colossians says about Christ.

Colossians 1:15-20; He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.  

Paul goes on to explain to us what the meaning of this gift is and how we should respond.  

Colossians 1:21-23; Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation– if you continue in your faith, established and firm, not moved from the hope held out in the gospel. This is the gospel that you heard and that has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul, have become a servant. 

God has made the provision that can restore our relationship with Him; the provision that will forgive our sins; the provision that will make our life complete; the provision of a Savior, Jesus Christ. He asks only that we receive the gift. Are we willing to receive the gift that God presents to us this Christmas? Are we willing to receive Jesus as our Lord and Savior?

Sometimes in life, when we are living in the moment, we have trouble comprehending what others have done for us. I look back on my childhood years and can now appreciate all my parents did for me. I didn’t see it or understand it so much back then but now I know what it cost them to provide for me. I can now understand what sacrifices they made to help me grow into the man I have become. Take a look around as we celebrate this season. Who has provided for us; who has sacrificed for us; who has gone above and beyond; those are the people we need to thank God for.

The fact about Christmas is we celebrate the birth of our Savior, a Savior whose death was necessary to bring us salvation. We cannot fathom the love it takes for someone to lay down their life for us. The celebration has its foundation in the understanding that Jesus came to sacrifice everything He had for us, His very life. We celebrate the hope made flesh to dwell among men. If you know forgiveness, don’t hold back. Celebrate; Jesus is the reason for that forgiveness. He alone made it possible for us to know that we have been forgiven. He alone made it possible for us to have that assurance.

Philippians 2: 6-11; (Jesus), 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!

Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. 

That is why we celebrate. That is why we rejoice. That is why Christmas is one of the most holy times of the year. Jesus came.  He was willing to do what was necessary so that we could have life. Jesus said;

John 10:10; The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. 

We can only have a full, satisfying, abundant life through our Savior Jesus Christ. Every other way leads to dissatisfaction and strife. May I suggest celebrating the holiday in a special way this year. Remember the gift that God sent to you. Receive it with an open heart. Celebrate the fact that Jesus was willing to come for our sake and give his life so that we might have life.

Have a wonderful Christmas celebration! Remember the best gift of all, Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ and receive it as your own! God’s continued blessings from everyone here at Racing with Jesus Ministries.

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. Merry Christmas

This time of year is a time of preparation, preparing for a season of giving, getting, fun, frenzy and exhaustion. Just like preparing for a race, the Christmas season leaves us with much to do. In churches at this time of year we hear about the Advent season. Advent is a time to prepare for Christmas. Each Sunday we focus on the blessings from God as we lead to Christmas Day, You’ll hear about Hope, Joy, Peace, and Love. But what are we really in preparation for? 

I am amazed at the amount of time it takes to prepare for the race. Teams arrive hours ahead of the race and spend that time on getting the car ready for the track. The time spent at driver’s meetings, time trials, practice and don’t forget chapel service. Obviously, the winner did not get to Victory Lane by deciding to race that day and showed up at the track just a few minutes before the race began. There is a lot of preparation that goes into racing. 

So why does preparing for Christmas really matter? We run around trying to find the perfect gifts, getting ourselves into debt and sometimes mumbling about how we can’t wait for this season to be over. The marketing world can get us so worked up about buying that we forget the true meaning of the season. Are we just trying to show those close to us how much we care about them? Isn’t that what Christmas is supposed to be about? 

If we look back in history we will find that giving gifts for Christmas is actually a relatively new thing. It wasn’t until around two hundred years ago that gifts started to be exchanged (before that it was considered an insult to give gifts on Christ’s birthday) and if a gift was given then it was a simple handmade or inexpensive gift so as not to make someone feel ashamed about the worth of their gift. Commercialism started to take over somewhere around 60 to 70 years ago. From there it has spiraled out of control. We have all fallen into the trap of buying bigger and better gifts than the year before. Can we even remember what we received the year before?

When we look into the meaning of Advent we find it means “to come to” or “an arrival” and that it refers to Christ’s coming into this world. 

Luke 2:8-20, The Shepherds and Angels

That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep. Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terrified, but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David! And you will recognize him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger.”

Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others—the armies of heaven—praising God and saying,

“Glory to God in highest heaven,

    and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.”

When the angels had returned to heaven, the shepherds said to each other, “Let’s go to Bethlehem! Let’s see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”

They hurried to the village and found Mary and Joseph. And there was the baby, lying in the manger. After seeing him, the shepherds told everyone what had happened and what the angel had said to them about this child. All who heard the shepherds’ story were astonished, but Mary kept all these things in her heart and thought about them often. The shepherds went back to their flocks, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen. It was just as the angel had told them.    

However, Advent has another meaning; it refers also to Christ’s second coming as He has promised to come back again.

Revelation 21: 1-4, Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the old heaven and the old earth had disappeared. And the sea was also gone. And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven like a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.

I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, “Look, God’s home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them. He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.”

We focus our thoughts on the birth of Christ at Christmas. As Christians though we should also be looking for the second coming of Christ. It should remind us that He is found within us every day, we are never alone and one day he will come back in glory so that we might share in God’s Kingdom with Him.

By bringing the true meaning of Christmas back in front of us we will be able to let go of the pressure of thinking that it is all about finding just the right gift, how much money to spend this year, which party to attend and do we go to the grandma’s house or just stay home this year? 

If we take the time to slow down and step back from all the frenzy we will find the moments that bring us the most joy. What would happen if we spent less time shopping this year? Perhaps we wouldn’t spend the next few months trying to pay it off or catch up with the bills? 

Advent reminds us of the Hope, Joy, Peace and Love we have in Christ.

Romans 5: 1-5, Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us. Because of our faith, Christ has brought us into this place of undeserved privilege where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God’s glory.

We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.

As we spend time looking into what Christmas should be about, maybe we can let go and focus on thanking God for the gift He gave us with the birth of Christ and the promise that He will come again. 

When we look at the gifts that we can give, we should all realize that the best gift is our time. By helping those in need, visiting a lonely person, giving a friend a call or praying for a closer walk with God we will let go of the need to compete with those around us and the true reason we celebrate Christmas will follow us long into the New Year. 

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 jump in with our first word study to focus on, patience. As I have said before God’s Word has a way of building on itself. Just as we cannot reflect the true character of God without the presence of the Holy Spirit, we will find it easier to develop that character if we build on each previous character trait.

This passage is one we may be familiar with. Galatians 5:19-23. For the next few weeks, we will focus on the last part of verse 22 and 23, one word at a time. We will discover the byproduct of having the Holy Spirit in our heart.

Galatians 5:22-23; But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!

It is said; “Don’t pray for patience.” Why? Because, God will continually put us in situations where patience is required. That can and is very frustrating if we fail to realize what is going on. We want patience but we don’t want to have to develop it. Waiting isn’t something we are good at. We have been conditioned by the world around us to get it now, don’t wait, you’ll miss out. 

There is a phrase echoing in my brain; “You can’t win the race on the first lap!” no truer words have ever been said, unless it is a one lap race, then by all means get to the front! No, even a one lap race involves patience. Let things sort out and find your way to the front. While you cannot win on the first lap we can certainly lose the race on the first lap.

I remember a Modified race at Monadnock, it was scheduled for 200 laps. I am sure each team had a pit strategy and was prepared to make the adjustments needed to move to the front. They wouldn’t have the chance. The race ran green to checker, no caution. Wow, didn’t see that coming. What transpired is a lesson on patience.

Have you heard the story of the tortoise and the hare? The polesitter settled in running consistent laps while other competitors raced to the front only to fade at the end. The polesitter fell back to fifth place as the laps ticked off. As the end drew near, one by one each rabbit faded and the polesitter gained another position. When the checkered flag fell, he won the race. 

This was one of those times where the stats don’t reveal the true nature of the race. The polesitter won from the pole, no cautions, no drama. That wasn’t the case at all. Not only was there the excitement of watching different cars take their shot, we all were on the edges of our seats wondering when the first caution would fall. It never came, the race was won with patience.

I grew up with access to farm fresh milk. The reality was you had to shake it to mix it back up because the cream rose to the top. You may be familiar with the statement the cream rises to the top. That has become less applied to milk and more applied to life. We view the cream as the good stuff. It takes time for the good stuff to rise to the top. That is why skim milk isn’t so desirable, they skim the good stuff off the top. Don’t let anyone fool you, the fat is the good part.

It takes patience for the cream to rise. Just like it takes patience for good to work its way out. One day a friend was at a traffic light, patiently waiting for it to turn green. The fellow in front seemed to be paying attention, but was deep in thought. The light turned green, he didn’t move. Beeping, yelling, waving hands, telling him he is number one, nothing worked. As the light turned yellow the fellow in front looked up, saw it and sped through. 

He was livid, he fumed, shook his fist and beat on the dash of the car when he noticed the cop behind him, lights flashing. He pulled over. The officer approached; “out of the car please.” He was cuffed and brought into the station. 

After some time, the officer came back and was apologetic. “I am sorry sir; I was sure you stole that car.” Puzzled he asked, “Why?”

The officer explained he watched the whole scene, all his antics, heard his colorful language and watched his hand gestures. The officer then noticed the Christian bumper stickers on the car. That didn’t add up. Surely the driver couldn’t be a Christian. He certainly didn’t display the character traits of God. He must have stolen that car.

Romans 2:4 (NLT), Don’t you see how wonderfully kind, tolerant, and patient God is with you? Does this mean nothing to you? Can’t you see that his kindness is intended to turn you from your sin?

God shows us his patience with us, helping us and waiting on us to develop the character that reflects His presence in our lives. As I have more life experience here on the third rock from the sun, I realize things don’t have to move so fast. Things are not as immediate as I think they are. Oh, don’t misunderstand, there are things that need to be done now, but when we develop patience we will come to understand not everything needs immediate attention.

Patience is about letting things sort themselves out. Letting things calm down and the dust settle. Patience allows us to see clearly and determine what needs to be a priority. The important and significant things reveal themselves when we have the patience to wait and see.

How many times have we pursued something only to find it wasn’t what we thought? We can be guilty of making decisions with half the information and then reacting in a way that reveals our sinful nature when, if we just were a little more patient we would have seen things clearer. With patience we can see things for what they are.

One of the tools of the enemy is haste. He prompts us to react and decide before we know the whole story. We are good at jumping to conclusions, wanting to find a solution and then move on. Truth is those 99 things in our head that we think we need to deal with, the majority of them are not real, we just think they are. So how do we sort them out? Ask God and patiently wait as He reveals the answer. 

We never know who is watching. We never know who is following our example. It is important to reflect the character of God if we claim to be His. Think about that this week.

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.

This time of year is a time of preparation; preparing for a season of giving, getting, fun, frenzy and exhaustion. Just like preparing for a race, the Christmas season leaves us with much to do. In church at this time of year we hear about the Advent season. Advent is a time to prepare for Christmas. Each Sunday leads up to Christmas Day and we hear about the messages of Hope, Peace, Joy, and Love. But what are we really in preparation for?

When I am with Don at a race, I am amazed at the amount of time it takes to prepare for the race. Teams arrive hours ahead of the race and spend that time getting the car ready for the track along with time spent at driver’s meetings, time trials, practice and I had better not forget, chapel service. Obviously the winner did not get to Victory Lane by deciding to race that day and showing up at the track just a few minutes before the race began. Just showing up doesn’t guarantee a win. We can want to win but it can all fall apart by perhaps missing the driver’s meeting, not focusing on practice, not making the right adjustments or not having good communication between every crewmember.

So why does preparing for Christmas really matter? As we run around trying to find the perfect gifts, getting ourselves into debt and sometimes mumbling about how we can’t wait for this season to be over, aren’t we just trying to show those close to us how much we care about them? Is that what Christmas is supposed to be about? 

If we look back in history we will find that giving gifts for Christmas is actually a relatively new thing. It wasn’t until around two hundred years ago that gifts started to be exchanged (before that it was considered an insult to give gifts on Christ’s birthday) and if a gift was given then it was a simple handmade or inexpensive gift so as not to make someone feel ashamed about the worth of their gift. Commercialism just started to take over somewhere around 50 to 60 years ago. From there it has spiraled out of control. We have all fallen into the trap of buying bigger and better gifts than the year before. Let me ask you how many of us can really even remember what we received the year before?

Recently I looked into the meaning of Advent and getting ready for Christmas. I first must admit that I was well on my way to having a rather bad attitude towards Christmas that year. I couldn’t possibly see how I was going to find the time to shop or even think about what to buy. I anticipated feeling overwhelmed and tired and I was sure that Christmas was going to come and go before I was able to enjoy it. I found the meaning of Advent, it meant “to come to” or “an arrival” and that it refers to Christ’s coming into this world. 

Luke 2:8-20, 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. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,

 “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.”

When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”

So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.

However, Advent has another meaning; it also refers to Christ’s second coming, as He has promised to come back again.

Revelation 21: 1-4, Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”

I have to admit that I tend to lean towards thinking about the birth of Christ at Christmas. As Christians though, we should be looking for the second coming of Christ. It should remind us that He is found within us every day, we are never alone and one day he will come back in glory so that we might share in God’s Kingdom with Him.

By bringing the true meaning of Christmas back in front of us we will be able to let go of the pressure of thinking that it is all about finding just the right gift or how much money to spend this year, which party to attend and do we go to the grandma’s house or just stay home this year? If we take the time to slow down and step back from all the frenzy we will find the moments that bring us the most joy. 

What would happen if we spent less time shopping this year? Perhaps we wouldn’t spend the next few months trying to pay it off or catch up with the bills? Often we don’t realize that we put pressure on those around us to keep up when they can’t really afford to. They end up depressed and often dread this time of year because they can’t “show off” about what they have. 

We have become very competitive about what we have in material things. It’s not that we have to eliminate gift giving or decorating but we need to get back to more of a balance. We often think that by doing less we are depriving ourselves from living the “good life”. What we don’t realize is that we actually will feel better about how we live if we have a more disciplined life. Having more things just means we have more to take care of or more to throw away or more things that we have to replace by buying the bigger or better model. By making things simpler and less stressed we can focus on what God’s plan has always been for us. 

Romans 5: 1-5, Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. 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.

After spending time looking into what Christmas should be about I have changed my way of looking at it this year. I am feeling I have more control over how this season will go, by letting go of the control over it and just remembering to honor God for the gift He gave us with the birth of Christ and the promise that He will come again. 

When we look at the gifts that we can give, we should all realize that the best gift is our time. By helping those in need, visiting a lonely person, giving a friend a call or praying for a closer walk with God we will let go of the need to compete with those around us and the true reason we celebrate Christmas will follow us long into the New Year. May each of us have the blessed season that we were intended to have. God Bless! 

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.

Whenever my children are faced with a seemingly daunting task, like picking up toys, they usually complain that it will take “forever”.  They make sure to emphasize that in a very long and drawn-out voice.  The task is too large and with no end in sight they’re ready to quit before they even begin.  I insist they can get it done quickly and I usually give them a more tangible goal to start.  Over time the job gets done and when it’s done I’m sure to remind them that it didn’t take forever.  

During a day at the track when things are good, you don’t want the day to end.  The car is dialed in and you feel like you can run 1000 miles.  When the setup is off, the checkered flag can’t come soon enough.  On any given day at the track, you’ll have two competitors on both sides of this spectrum. Both of them praying that they can change time.  

God’s sense of time isn’t the same as ours.  God has always been and always will be.  Our brains have a hard time understanding that concept.  We think of things as having a finite beginning and end.  When the green flag waves the race starts, and when the checkers fly the race is over.  God’s timing isn’t our timing and sometimes we won’t understand why things happen as they do, but God always has a plan.

Waiting is hard.  Currently, we are all waiting and wondering when we’ll be able to get back to the track.  It seems like its taking forever.  Time seems slow, drawn-out, and with no end in sight.  We don’t like having no control over the situation.  Fortunately for us,  God doesn’t mind waiting.  He has his own plan that is good and he has all the time and the world to implement it.  When we mess up he’s patient with us and wants us to come back to him.  

“The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.” 2 Peter 3:9 ESV

Let’s look back to a period of time where something seemed to last forever.  In asphalt modifieds, from 1978-1985 Richie Evans ruled the track.  Eight consecutive touring champions and victories in every major race. There was seemingly no end in sight to how many championships and races he would win.  He was the king until his untimely death at Martinsville in the fall of 1985.  While Richie’s reign was cut short, God has a Kingdom that will reign forever.  There is no end.  Best of all, He invites us to be a part of it.  When we accept Christ we gain new citizenship.  

“But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ,” Philippians 3:20 ESV

Like his kingdom, God’s love will also outlast everything we know.   He will outlast this virus.  He is good and He has a plan.  The scripture even says He will love our great-great-great-grandchildren and beyond.  

For the Lord is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations. Psalm 100:5 ESV

While so much has changed in the world over the last three months, it is easy for us to forget that God is still the same, sitting on his throne. 

“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever” Hebrews 13:8 ESV  

God is still in control and his love for us hasn’t faltered one bit.  He still wants a relationship with us no matter how far away we think we are from Him.  Maybe it’s been forever since you’ve attended church or even thought about God.  God still loves you! Let’s remember that we all have an eternity in heaven waiting for us when we accept the sacrifice that Christ made for us on the cross.  We can have a glorious forever with our Father in heaven. 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.