Team Follow Me Racing

Discussion about "Success" for Christians

One of the missions of my work as a Chaplain in the auto racing community is to get the message out that "Success" and the "Joy" that comes from it for Christians is very different from "Success" as the Secular World defines it. The "Pursuit of Happiness" is not about envy and beating the other guy, but rather it is about seeking and receiving God's approval and delight through a relationship with God the Father, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

Here are excerpts from two great articles published by two great organizations:

"Write Your Own Success Story"

Link to Write Your Own Success article:
http://christianfellowshipbreakfast.org/resources/success-story

"We live in a society that is worshipping success. The sad thing is that most people do not know what success really is. They confuse success with popularity, or wealth, or position. If these are the essentials for success, then Jesus Christ was the greatest failure who ever walked this earth! No, success from God’s point of view goes a lot deeper and reaches a lot farther. It is not a shallow thing, but the result of the right kind of life. In this familiar parable, Matthew 25:14-30, Jesus answers three important questions about success; and in answering these questions, He tells us how to succeed."

"I. What is success?

At least three factors are involved in success, and we see them in this parable: the will of the Master, the abilities of the workers, and the talents. Now, please note that Jesus makes a distinction between abilities and talents. He gave the men the talents on the basis of their abilities. We often equate talent and ability, but in this parable Jesus makes a distinction.
We are born with abilities, and certainly nobody can take credit for the abilities he has! Our United States Constitution declares that “all men are created equal,” but when it comes to abilities, this is not true. Before the law, and before God, all men are equal; but compared with each other, all men are different. We all have different abilities.

What, then, do the talents represent? Opportunities to use the abilities. The man with much ability is given more opportunities to invest them; the man with fewer abilities is given -fewer opportunities. But the Master rewards his men fairly: both of the men doubled the talents, and each one received the same commendation and reward. This leads us to a suggested definition of success: Success for the Christian is taking advantage of our God-given opportunities to use our God-given abilities to fulfill the will of God. And in fulfilling the will of God, we will bring glory to God, good to others, and blessing to ourselves.

Life then, for the Christian is a series of wonderful opportunities for fulfillment-fulfilling the will of God, and fulfilling the purposes for which we were born, and born again. If we are doing our own will, we are not successful. If we are neglecting opportunities, we are not successful. True success, for the Christian, is fulfilling the will of God by taking advantage of our God-given opportunities to use our God-given abilities for the good of others and the glory of God."

"Are you obsessed with success?"

Link to "Are you Obsessed with Success" article:
http://fervr.net/teen-life/are-you-obsessed-with-success

"The Bible has some humbling words for people who want to win at everything."

"The Bible on success

This is a really humbling verse:

Then I observed that most people are motivated to success because they envy their neighbors. But this, too, is meaningless—like chasing the wind (Ecclesiastes 4:4)

Read that again. What does this verse say about our real motivation for succes?
More times than not, we do what we do, in an attempt to be “the best”. You see what others have, you envy it and you want it too … or something even better.

Students do this with grades, athletics and all kinds of extra curricular activities. Adults do this with parenting, church attendance, money, and their gardens.

They compare themselves to others, decide they aren't as good as someone else, and then attempt to surpass their peers in some way."

Anti-Christian Atmosphere in a Post-Christian World

Recently, we formed a racing team for iRacing competition, and dubbed it Team RFC-Racers for Christ. To recruit new members, we placed an announcement and invitation in several iRacing forums organized according to iRacing Series. To say the response was a surprise would be an understatement.

The good news is that we gained 12 new members in the first week. The bad news is that several people used the forum to mock or condemn religion in general and Christianity in particular. A few proudly announced they were Atheists and rhetorically asked “Can we join the team?” In one forum for the Skip Barber 2000 Series, several posters decided to make the thread a place for a debate about religion. (One responder displayed a rainbow graphic and the words “#LoveWins” in his post signature—perhaps his deal was that Christianity threatened the Gay Agenda.) I requested that iRacing lock the thread to avoid continued strife.

The incident reminded me of my experience as the Chaplain for the SCCA Washington DC Region. There, our effort to establish a regular non-denominational Invocation before the racing day began was vigorously opposed by the “Freedom From Religion” crowd. Also, several participants openly objected to us playing music and singing as part of our outdoor Sunday Chapel worship service.

Clearly, in the world, and in the racing “community” there is not only ambivalence toward religion and Christianity, but outright opposition.

Unlike some, I would not characterize our present atmosphere as one where Christians fear persecution…yet. (At least in the America’s and Europe.) I would rather state that the relative dominance of the Christian Biblical World View in the America’s and Europe has been substantially diminished. People are not yet opposed to private religious belief, but many are opposed to any public display of religion. In other words, it is OK to pray in private and “be religious” at church, but “keep your religion to yourself”.

This attitude creates a serious problem for adherents of Christianity, as well as adherents of Orthodox Judaism and Islam. These major world religions require their adherents to adopt certain behaviors and a particular world view.

The Holy Scripture of Christianity teaches that Christ (God Himself as Man) commissioned the Disciples and the Church to “go out into all the world, preaching the Gospel and make Disciples of all the Nations”. The command was not to “go to church and worship in private” but rather to “go out” and “preach the Gospel”. Now, the exact actions associated with going out and preaching are not described exactly, but true Christians cannot hide their belief in the “good news” that God Loves Mankind and in Christ He has presented a “way” to achieve Salvation and Eternal Life. (Who would want to keep that message a secret anyway?)

So how did we arrive in this “Post-Christian” world? Probably the best book that addresses this is “The God Who Is There” by Francis A. Schaeffer. He posits that Europe crossed below a “Line of Despair” in the 1800’s, followed by the America’s in the 1900’s. Schaeffer writes that man’s despair “arises from the abandonment of the hope of a unified answer for knowledge and life.”

Since Adam and Eve, Man has been in a state of rebellion against God. Christians teach that Christ provides a way for all men to return to the state God originally intended—in fellowship with Him, tending to his “garden” here on Earth. Over a period of 1500 years, almost all of Europe adopted Christianity and it become the dominant religion in Europe and the America’s—until the 1800’s. (Many European flags still display the Christian Cross.) Governments were established based on natural “rights” endowed by the Creator.

Up until the 1800’s, Science was the quest for knowledge about God’s Creation. Then, various philosophers began to question the “absolute” nature of knowledge. Darwin theorized that man was an “random accident” of Nature. Mankind’s urge to stand “equal to God” actually led many to ignore God and even deny the existence of Him. Many began to claim that Mankind had evolved and did not need God or even the idea of Him anymore.

The Christian Biblical Worldview is that Almighty God created the World. He also created Mankind “in his image”. Since all men are “image-bearers” of God, they all have certain inalienable rights and deserve a certain respect and dignity. Morality is not “man-made” but rather “God-made” and therefore absolute.

The philosophers that questioned this absolute nature of knowledge promoted the concept of “average” or synthesis forming from two relativistic, but opposing points of view. What has developed over time is that morality is what the “average” person in “society” thinks is “acceptable”. Man’s continued rebellion against God in the modern world had become a demand for complete freedom to do whatever man wants, “as long as it does not hurt anybody”.

Christians started out as a very small group in a very secular world. (The Roman Empire was about as secular a world as one could possibly imagine.) The power of the Christian message does not require dominance. In a secular world, the Great Commission demands that we be “salt and light” and set an example for others to follow. An example that is so “attractive” that others begin to join us.

Perhaps the best course of action is to show what we are for rather than just what we are against---to be less condemning and judgmental of others and more positive—loving one another and displaying a joy that can only come from a personal relationship with a Triune God. And, proclaiming to others that you are a Christian is part of the program.

"Don't shine so others can see you. Shine so that through you, others can see Him." C. S. Lewis

Donald Wayne Strout, Chaplain

PS. Outside of Europe and the America's, Christians are arguably the most persecuted group on Earth. In many parts of the world, Christians are put to death for stating "Jesus is Lord". Christians should be aware that being a minority can be quite dangerous. History teaches that Atheistic States have seen Christianity as a threat to their power--where the politically correct man-made moral beliefs of the majority (or the State) conflict with the God-made laws supported by Christians. There is already one European country where it is estimated that there are more Atheists than Theists today.

Rebellion against, and/or denial of God's existence, with the freedom to set your own rules, can only produce "temporary" happiness and perhaps only for the young. As people's thoughts turn toward the future (for example as parents concerned for their children) and they approach the reality of death, the "despair" defined by Schaeffer begins to surface. Without God and the Gospel in our lives, we "know" that "something" is missing.

The Christian Biblical Worldview is the only worldview that answers man's basic and most important questions: Why am I Here?, Where did I come From?, What is my Future? Paul's letter to the Romans states that the existence of God is obvious and those that refuse to believe essentially "suppress and deny the Truth". It is time for Christians to declare that Science does not prove that God does not exist--to the contrary, Scientific discovery confirms God's existence. It is time for Christians to declare that true eternal happiness comes only from a personal relationship with Almighty God through Jesus Christ--following the two most important commandments: Love God, and Love Others--and carrying out the Great Commission of preaching the Gospel by living our lives in a way so that others see the "results" of our beliefs.

Apologetics is not about apology---it is based on the Greek word for "defense". As Christians we are required to "proclaim and defend" the TRUTH through the way we live our lives.

One important caution: Here is a quote from Brennan Manning.

"The greatest single cause of atheism in the world today are Christians who acknowledge Jesus with their lips and then walk out the door and deny him by their lifestyle. That is what an unbelieving world simply finds unbelievable."

Christians in Auto Racing-

Emerson Fittipaldi (Two Time F1 World Champion in the 1970's and 1989 IndyCar Champion with two wins at the Indianapolis 500 (in 1989 and 1993) Video is in Portugues with English subtitles.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sw1X7oNx07A

Article about Fittipaldi's "near death" experiences.

Trevor Bayne, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Darrell Waltrip and others

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xjm3I0BjaFA

Joe Gibbs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QvV2B9MkKho

Aryton Senna ("God Shows Me the Way")

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=awCuP_umhVA

teamrfc-at-iracing.blogspot.com

We have established a weblog/website for Team RFC @ iRacing:

Team RFC @ iRacing website

Forming a new Team for iRacing. Starting in September, this logo will be available to display on the cars, with a few exceptions.

You may copy the above image and upload it to your Personal Stats section of My Career Stats.

Here below is the HTML code to have the logo show in your iRacing Forum Profile Signature. Just copy the code and paste it in the Signature section box of your Forum Profile.

Starting with 2015 S4, the logo can be placed on your car in official iRacing, but using the drop down Sponsor menu in the Paint Shop. Available for all cars EXCEPT the VW TDi, Williams FW31 and Super Late model

This link below is for those who want a smaller signature so they can put livestats in too.

Competing in the World as a Christian-In Sports and/or Business

Summary of Presentation to Men's Breakfast at The Bridge Church 05/02/2015

Is the God who is Love also the God of the competitive atmosphere of sports, business or law? How does one reconcile the concept of beating your competitor with the command to love thy neighbor?

A great deal of Christ’s teaching is contained in Matthew 5, the greatest Sermon ever preached. In that Sermon, Christ tells us that the Meek shall inherit the earth. In Matthew 11, Christ tells us to learn from him as he is “gentle and humble in heart”.

Differing Christian attitudes regarding competition can be summarized:

1) Christ Resists—this point of view condemns competition, claiming that it is an evil entrapping the Christian. Christ-likeness (gentle and humble in heart) and competitive desires are inherently opposed and irreconcilable;

2) Christ Reforms—this point of view acknowledges the “potential” evil resulting from competition but believes Christians have a duty to participate in it and reform it;

3) Christ and Competition in Partnership—God created competition to be good for man’s benefit and for God’s glory; and

4) Christ and Competition in Paradox—Competition is neither condemned or encouraged as it can be good or evil, like the “world” Christians are called to be “in” but not “of” competition.

I think the first attitude is inconsistent with scripture. Like, the attitude some have toward money being evil because it is the root of all evil.

Competition is a part of God’s creation. You see competition all around you. One cannot be in “in the world” without participating in some way, in some form of competition.

In John 17, Christ prays to the Father for the protection of Christians, that are in this world but “not of this world”.

Christ’s last commandment to Christians, The Great Commission was and is to “go and make disciples of all nations-- teaching them to obey everything I have commanded.” How can one obey this commandment without being “out and about in the world” and engaging in competitive activities?

Some of the attitude that competition is “bad” relates to the teaching that “the Meek shall inherit the earth”. How can one be meek while being bold, trying to “win’ at the expense of another? Isn’t competition of form of seeking dominance over another?

So, let’s examine what the original text regarding the meaning of “meek”. The English translation of “meek” is from the original Greek word, “praus”. In the proper context, the word is used to describe a horse under control of a bridle—or as power under control. So put another way, “The powerful, who maintain control and remain humble and gentle shall inherit the earth”. The shepherd who is gentle, but capable of defending the flock is the ideal.

I think as Christians we are called in our “life ministry” to display the gentle characteristics of the shepherd. But a study of David, a “man after God’s own heart” shows that even shepherds are sometimes called to engage in less than gentle activities, like slaying the lion, when necessary. Sometimes, as men, we are called to be a kind and gentle, but very masculine, testosterone filled knight to serve and glorify God in the world. Competition can be a part of our lives where men are sometimes called to act consistent with our created role as kind and gentle, but very masculine, testosterone filled knights.

God has created us “in his image” and accordingly gives each one of us a strong drive and aspiration towards mastery. As God is the master of his creation—he gets pleasure when we display our own mastery over our creation/s. He has also given each of us unique and special gifts. He gets pleasure when we use and display these gifts for the right purpose/s.

Remember, God made you for a purpose. If God meant you to race, he also made you capable of being fast—displaying a mastery of machine and speed. So when you race, race for the “right” reason and you will feel God’s pleasure. And……what’s the “right” reason?

Scripture gives the answer: “whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God” 1 Corinthians 10:31 and “Love your neighbor as yourself” Matthew 22:39

Why should Christians display their Talent and Performance?

"Don't shine so others can see you. Shine so that through you, others can see Him." C. S. Lewis

Why so many ignore God's Invitation

Here is a line from one scene in the movie: God's Not Dead. The son is speaking to his mother, making the old argument that life without God can be better than life with God...

Mark: You prayed and believed your whole life. Never done anything wrong. And here you are. You're the nicest person I know. I am the meanest. You have dementia. My life is perfect. Explain that to me!

Mark and Mina's Mother: Sometimes the devil allows people to live a life free of trouble because he doesn't want them turning to God. Their sin is like a jail cell, except it is all nice and comfy and there doesn't seem to be any reason to leave. The door's wide open. Till one day, time runs out, and the cell door slams shut, and suddenly it's too late.

The movie does an excellent job explaining that the rewards for a life with God sometimes occur after death---eternal life of our spirit and peace in heaven. And, that rewards for a life without God sometimes come from God's enemy who God has given temporary power on Earth so that we have a free choice between good and evil. God's enemy is "Prince of this World" and he sets a "trap" for those who choose to ignore God's invitation.

I highly recommend the movie. Anti-Christians hate the movie because it makes a powerful and effective case of why it is important to have a relationship with God and Jesus Christ. The only response the Anti-Christians can make is to mock it.

New Book--Restoration: God's Plan for America

Been working on this book on and off for more than two years. Finally was able to finish over this winter.

If you are even a little concerned about the direction of our great country, it might be an interesting read.

Click on the links for more info.

Book Preview Page

Amazon Author Page

End of a Racing Career

With deep sadness I must announce that I am “out for the season” due to a seriously broken wrist. I would appreciate your prayers for healing. I broke the scaphoid bone, one of the small ones in the wrist and chipped off a piece of the big arm bone that it connects to. (Riding lawn mower tractors can be dangerous when you hit a tree stump at full speed!)

The injury was more severe than I expected and the healing time longer due to my being a 63 year old man. I'm pretty sure that 30 years ago, the incident would have been just a sprain. But we get more brittle as we age. Therefore, it has caused me to evaluate the wisdom of my exposing myself to potential injuries from unavoidable future track incidents. So, I have decided that my racing “career” is permanently over and I am selling my car and equipment. I will continue to make myself available as a Chaplain to anyone who needs to talk with someone about how competitive racing can fit into a rewarding and successful life as a believer in Jesus Christ.

I started racing in Detroit in 1970, converting my '67 Mustang to a drag race configuration. Decided it was not something I could afford while supporting a family, so the next phase came in 1985, driving a Camaro in SCCA GT-1 and Trans-Am Series. I won the SCCA's Southwest Region Championship. Moved on to Formula Ford and Formula Vee in SCCA in 1986, with one pro race in FF2000 at Sanair in Canada. Then into NASCAR Winston Cup in 1987 where I crashed hard at Rockingham with resulting broken bones. Returning in 1988, I decided that I would never be competitive as a professional driver at the highest levels and lost interest in racing until 2011 when I bought a Formula Vee. In 2012, the Vortech Formula Vee and I won two out of six races at Summit Point. In 2013, I purchased a Legends Car and raced at local dirt tracks in Central Pennsylvania. Legends Cars are a lot of fun and very challenging, but there is a lot of car contact that can be rough on a old man's body. Like football, it is probably better suited to younger men.

So all good things come to an end. Perhaps 8 years of on track competitive racing over a 44 year period is enough risk. Praise God that he has protected me all of those years--despite lots of "incidents" and crashes, I was seriously injured only once, and recovered without too much residual effects.

But, modern technology allows the old racer a wonderful opportunity--on line racing using sophisticated virtual reality equipment. IRACING using computers and racing simulators that even provide road feel and g-forces! So, we can keep seeking mastery without the risk of breaking bones.

BTW, top prize money for oval track IRACING is $10,000. And, top prize money for open wheel road IRACING is $10,000. And, there are almost 50,000 drivers participating from all over the world.

Confronting Injustice

Many times, Christian behavior is criticized because it is inconsistent with a common mis-perception that Christians are supposed to passively take whatever is dished out and to meekly sit by and witness injustice without any action beyond prayer.

As a follower of Christ, we are to be "Christ-like" and to the best of our ability live according to his teachings. Christ never taught us to avoid "rocking the boat".

A careful reading of scripture brings to light the fact the while Jesus condemned violence, he did not ignore injustice and when improper behavior rose to a certain level--he was even capable of visible display of anger. I believe that Christ taught his followers to stand up to injustice and bullying--to confront it in a non-violent "loving" way, without being threatening, but standing firm--and strong with visible courage.

When Jesus entered the Temple and witnessed the focus in the House of God on commerce rather than prayer, he confronted the activity with anger overturning the moneychanger's tables.

When Jesus witnessed the crowd threatening to stone the prostitute, he confronted the hypocritical aspect of the injustice by challenging the crowd with their hypocrisy. "He who is without sin, cast the first stone".

His teachings, many times have hidden meanings. Following is a perspective on the real meaning and purpose of "turning the other cheek".

Here is an article I ran into on a couple of Christian websites attributed to Marcus Borg.

THE TRUE MEANING OF TURN THE OTHER CHEEK

By Marcus Borg http://www.marcusjborg.com/my-books/

Both the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Mahatma Gandhi said Jesus' Sermon on the Mount provided the foundation for their political protests. Yet the Sermon on the Mount seems to recommend passive acceptance of injustice and oppression.

According to Matthew 5:39-41, Jesus says:

If any one strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also.

If anyone wants to sue you and take your coat, give him your cloak as well.

If any one forces you to go one mile, go also the second mile.

For much of Christian history, people have heard these verses as affirming political acquiescence, not active resistance. Yet King and Gandhi interpreted Jesus as justifying political action. Which interpretation was right? Recent Jesus scholarship suggests these verses are creative non-violent strategies of protesting oppression. Such is the persuasive argument of New Testament scholar Walter Wink.

In his books "Engaging the Powers" and "The Powers That Be," Wink argues that Jesus rejected two common ways of responding to injustice: violent resistance and passive acceptance. Instead, Jesus advocated a "third way," an assertive but non-violent form of protest.

The key to understanding Wink's argument is rigorous attention to the social customs of the Jewish homeland in the first century and what these sayings would have meant in that context.

To illustrate with the saying about turning the other cheek: it specifies that the person has been struck on the right cheek. How can you be struck on the right cheek? As Wink emphasizes, you have to act this out in order to get the point: you can be struck on the right cheek only by an overhand blow with the left hand, or with a backhand blow from the right hand. (Try it).

But in that world, people did not use the left hand to strike people. It was reserved for "unseemly" uses. Thus, being struck on the right cheek meant that one had been backhanded with the right hand. Given the social customs of the day, a backhand blow was the way a superior hit an inferior, whereas one fought social equals with fists.

This means the saying presupposes a setting in which a superior is beating a peasant. What should the peasant do? "Turn the other cheek." What would be the effect? The only way the superior could continue the beating would be with an overhand blow with the fist--which would have meant treating the peasant as an equal.

Perhaps the beating would not have been stopped by this. But for the superior, it would at the very least have been disconcerting: he could continue the beating only by treating the peasant as a social peer. As Wink puts it, the peasant was in effect saying, "I am your equal. I refuse to be humiliated anymore." That is not all. The sayings about "going the second mile" and "giving your cloak to one who sues you for your coat" make a similar point: they suggest creative non-violent ways of protesting oppression.

Roman law permitted soldiers to force civilians to carry their gear for one mile, but because of abuses stringently prohibited more than one mile. If they ask you to do that, Jesus says, go ahead; but then carry their gear a second mile. Put them in a disconcerting situation: either they risk getting in trouble, or they will have to wrestle their gear back from you.

Under civil law, a coat could be confiscated for non-payment of debt. For the poor, the coat often also served as a blanket at night. In that world, the only other garment typically worn by a peasant was an inner garment, a cloak. So if they take your coat, Jesus says, give them your cloak as well. "Strip naked," as Wink puts it. Show them what the system is doing to you. Moreover, in that world, nakedness shamed the person who observed it.

Thus, these sayings from the Sermon on the Mount, these seemingly mild sayings, are actually potent ways of confounding and exposing injustice. King and Gandhi may not have been aware of the finer points of modern Biblical scholarship, but they were no doubt clear that Jesus was counseling a radical new way of empowering the underclass.

And so, those little verses from the Gospel of Matthew are the foundation upon which King and Gandhi built their world-moving campaigns for social justice.

Qualifying for the ‘A’ Main Event

Message given during "Racer's Church" by Wayne Strout as Co-Chaplain at Dirt Trackin Show 2014, York , PA

As racers, our goal is to “get into” the “A Main” feature race of the night. In other words to “qualify” for the most important part of the event. We first must run in the Heat race to which we are assigned, running against many opponents and having to overcome the challenges of that competition in order to finish well enough to “get into” or “qualify” for the Main Event.

In many ways, the Heat race illustrates real life.

The Bible even uses a similar illustration in scripture, Hebrews 12 where we are reminded: “And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us.” (Yes, the Bible acknowledges that racing is a part of living! Our lives, in fact are the “race God has set before us”!)

In real life, the Main Event is everlasting life in Heaven with God. And, what we do in our daily lives is all about our “running with endurance the race God has set before us”. In real life here on Earth, our daily lives are our running the Heat race in order to qualify for the Main Event.

So how do we finish well enough in the Heat race of life in order to “qualify” for entrance to Heaven?

That’s what the wonderful “Gospel” or “Good News” is all about. God himself came to Earth as a man, God’s Son, by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth. He allowed himself to suffer pain and death. He then caused himself to be raised from the dead and ascended into Heaven. This is the famous scripture, John 3:16 “For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.”

In order to “qualify” for the Main Event and get into Heaven, having everlasting life with God, all you need to do is “believe in Jesus Christ” and follow him. Jesus said as is written in scripture, Matthew 11: 28-30 “Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart; and you will find rest for your souls; For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. “ and in John 10:11, 7-28 Jesus says “I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep“ and “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give eternal life to them. They will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand.”

So to “qualify” we must “accept, believe and follow”. Accepting and Believing is the first step. Following is what, as believers, we are expected to do in order to “qualify”—“running with endurance the race God has set before us”---in other words---the rest of our lives here on Earth.

Does that mean we have to be “religious”????

No…it means that we have to have a “personal relationship with God”, “believe and follow Jesus” and live our lives according to the two most important and simple commandments:

Love God with all our heart…and do our best to please him as we would our loving Father.

Love one another here on Earth, as Jesus loved us when he sacrificed himself on the Cross.

In other words, live our lives, running our race, putting God and others ahead of ourselves.

The way we maintain a “personal relationship” with God is to pray regularly as well as to read and study the Bible.

The “Good News” is that once we decide to “believe and follow”, God will send, in Jesus’s name, a “helper”, the Holy Spirit that will help us to follow these commandments. The Holy Spirit also will help us to understand the Word of God as written in the Bible---words that were meaningless before we accepted Jesus now “come alive” and we are now able to understand the message. Sort of like getting special fuel, giving us more horsepower. God knows, like sheep, we may stumble (like spinning out in a race) but as long as we keep our eyes on him, “believing and following” we will qualify for everlasting life in Heaven with God forever-The Main Event.

And, everybody that qualifies for the Main Event is a Winner! A Winner, Not Being First.

Blessings for 2014 Racing Drivers

May the Lord bless your plans and preparations.

May the Lord help you to maintain and improve your health and driving skills.

May the Lord keep you and others safe and protect you and others from the dangers of racing.

May the Lord bless you with financial success in your work and livelihood.

May the Lord bless you with the moral support and love from your family and friends.

May the Lord help you to find and maintain balance between your love of racing and other parts of life.

May the Lord help you to love your fellow competitors.

May the Lord Bless You and Keep You and May He make His Face to Shine upon you and Give you Peace.

Happy New Year!

Chaplain Wayne

The Consequence of Anger at the Races

"NASCAR announced Thursday that Adam Brown, a Richard Childress Racing crew member for Ty Dillon's team who threw a sledgehammer at Kevin Harvick's truck in Saturday's Camping World Truck Series race at Martinsville,had been suspended indefinitely."

Full Article

One of the greatest challenges of men while competing is the control of emotions. It's not a new problem and really is not more prevalent in racing than in most other forms of "competition". The issue is that it is unproductive--does not really solve anything--and is a danger to the perpetrator as well as the victim. (Physically AND Spiritually). More... afterwards, the perpetrator tends to look a little foolish.

Scripture covers it:

Ephesians 4:26-31 is a good verse to review. And, as usual, there is an appropriate message in Proverbs 14:29: "A patient man has great understanding, but a quick-tempered man displays folly" and Proverbs 29:11 "A fool gives full vent to his anger, but a wise man keeps himself under control."

It is very difficult to find a job as part of a NASCAR Crew. Mr. Brown's career in NASCAR ended forever with one momentary loss of control. Actually, he is still fortunate in that the sledgehammer (a deadly weapon--it was a really BIG sledgehammer!) did not hurt anybody.

Anger is a part of being human--it is the control of it that makes one "wise".

SSP Legends Car Race October 26, 2013

Vast improvement over last outing. Slow at the beginning, but by laps 15-18, was running a four lap total consistent with track record. (22.76 average lap over four laps=91.03 seconds) while running by myself. Good racing conditions--low air temp and dense air---all cars were fast--leaders were turning 22.50 second laps. Still room for more improvement in corner entry speed and more throttle application on corner exit--I still need to cut 0.3 seconds per lap.

We were going through the corners here 9 mph faster than at Trail-Way.

We increased cross weight about 1.5% and car responded well. I think it will take more cross which should enable more and earlier throttle in mid corner to corner exit without too much push on entry.

This was the first race this year where I was not lapped or almost lapped by the leader--in fact we seemed to almost maintain our track position versus the leaders with about the same interval as at the time of the single file restart with them only gaining maybe 1/3 of a lap on us.

I lose a lot of position at the starts by being too cautious in anticipation of possible spins by competitors ahead. Need to stay closer to the "pack" early. These are really "sprint" races.

BTW: Pre-race Prayer was generously answered. We were blessed and protected the entire race.

Here is excellent video from Car #77 who drove a fine race.

Dangers of Passing on the Outside

Special dangers exist when attempting to overtake on the outside of a turn. The "airborne launch" risk of wheel to wheel contact in open wheel cars is always present, but when passing on the outside, centrifugal force amplifies the tendency to roll and can create spectacular crashes. Also, the car being passed is struggling against centrifugal force in the turn and sometimes slides unpredictably into the overtaker's path. Sometimes it's almost completely unpredictable and the victim doesn't even see it coming.

Below is Jason Rochelle at Mountain Speedway--a wild ride.

You will note that in the last Trail-Way Legends Car feature race, I backed off when the white car unpredictably slid outside on the entry to the corner. Some drivers move to the right just before turning left. It is prudent to give these a wide berth. Be sure the reward is worth the risk. It also pays to really know the skill of the driver being passed.

Feature Race Video for Trail-Way Legends Cars 10/05/2013

Feature race. Still need improvement in corner entry. Making slow progress. Car handled well. Changed over to left foot braking. Two or three passes made early in race. First spin in a Legends Car (after 100+ laps) so perhaps I'm pushing a bit harder. Watch in rear camera view during last laps how fast the leader overtakes! Bob Stough (Car #7) is a very talented driver. We have lots of improvement to make.

Video from Trail-Way--Hot Laps 10/05/2013

Still making progress. Still too slow in my second outing here but much improved over last time at Trail-Way. Need to carry much more speed into corners. Need to get much more comfortable driving a loose race car. Felt God's presence and protection all evening!

Developing Speed on Dirt--A Eureka Moment?

Just completed my fourth race on dirt ovals. My rate of speed improvement continued, reaching times within 0.4 seconds of the leaders, but I was unable to perform at my best for every lap and I lost a lot of ground at the start. (I also made contact with another car late in the race--I'll cover that in another post.) Managed to finish 12 out of 16.

The car handled very well, neutral through mid corner and I was able to apply full throttle long before the apex. (Even after being launched airborne several feet as a result of the other car hitting me.) The car felt "fast" but I am still driving it much too slow. No doubt, now almost all of my "lost time" is in corner entry. I find myself mistrusting the track during corner entry. After some reflection and prayer, and checking some of the racing "literature" I ran across this advice:

Quote from Ultimate Speed Secrets by Ross Bentley.

"I found that I if I purposely made the car slide slightly from the second I entered the turn, I was automatically smoother and faster......I had no fear of the car suddenly taking me by surprise....the moment I learned this, I started winning races."

A reminder that God provides for those that seek his assistance thru prayer: James 1:5 "If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you."

Dirt track racing differs from asphalt in that the track is always changing. On asphalt, you learn where the limit is, develop a "speed sense" and duplicate the process each lap. On dirt, the traction limit is changing and if you are shy about testing the limit of your car, by the time you realize where the limit is, your competitors have gained many car lengths on you. You must slightly exceed the limit of your traction with confidence that you can take corrective action immediately. Ross's advice is exactly that. I highly recommend his book!

As most driver coaches know--many times it's not the car or the driver's skill that holding him back--it's what's in his head--fear of being surprised and losing control causing him to intentionally hold back and not drive to the best of his ability.

Sliding is an important part of going fast on asphalt--generally the car will be sliding all the way across the track from mid-corner apex all the way to the corner exit. Those that understand that "controlled" sliding during corner entry as well, will usually be the guys who win races---it is particularly important on ovals. It had taken me awhile to learn this in NASCAR and ARCA and again I needed a reminder.

Let's see how well I apply the knowledge on the next outing. I will be reminding myself of an important scripture: 2 Timothy 1:7 "For God hath not given us the spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind."

First Outings—Slow but Steady Progress toward the Goal

In the Central PA Legends Series, you are required to start last, at the back of the field, for your first three races. That suited me fine since despite having a lot of “racing” experience on asphalt, this was my first exposure to racing on dirt.

So, my first time driving “Sunshine” was at Trail-Way Speedway on July 26, 2013. First time in a Legends Car and first time on a dirt oval.

I admit to having a bit of apprehension, as a quote from Hall of Fame driver Red Farmer about drivers switching from asphalt to dirt bounced around in my head..”An asphalt driver is in for a world of hurt if he has no experience on dirt," he said. Farmer (still racing late models on dirt short tracks at age 80) thinks it may take a year or two to fully learn how to drive on dirt. I certainly was not looking forward to a “world of hurt”.

So “patience” and “caution” were the order of the day. My research on the proper setup, gained by a lot of listening and reading—learning from others' experience as well as my engineering background, seemed to pay off as the car was quite neutral and well behaved. I had been warned about the cars being “twitchy” but my first impression was a bit different. The car had enough power to spin the wheels and get loose coming off the corner, but not more than other cars I’ve driven. The short wheel base makes the car very responsive--perhaps my experience in formula cars influences my opinion, but I think Legends Cars handle very well.

The only frustration was from not having mirrors and knowing that I was slower than the leaders. I could not see or hear traffic overtaking me until they were right beside me. Even though I tried to stay out of everyone’s way by staying high, a couple guys got a bit impatient with me and butted my right rear in the middle of the corner—making the car under-steer toward the wall until they backed off. Also got a couple “butts” to my rear bumper that I needed to repair after the race.

So at Trail-Way, I started 24^th and finished 18^th, running about 2 seconds a lap off the leaders’ pace. (Got lapped twice.) I had prayed before the race for good judgment and God’s protection—he had answered my prayers—I was happy and thankful.

My assessment of dirt compared to asphalt is that driving on dirt is VERY different. Best description is: to me it’s like driving in fresh, deep snow—enough traction to go fast, but slippery enough to require a bit of finesse and more car control skill than on dry pavement. (I learned to drive fast in the Laurel Highland mountains of south western PA, in the snow when I was 16.) The most interesting difference between asphalt and dirt is that asphalt does not change much, but one night on a dirt track is like driving on three different tracks--the car handles much differently in the warm up versus the heat race and the again a big difference in the feature. And, changing racing lines really changes the way the car handles.

Since Sunshine had survived without damage, other than minor bends to my bumper mounting tabs, I was ready to go again with my second race at Path Valley, a sweet little ¼ mile high banked oval with beautiful mountain scenery. Here on August 3I started last again, 18^th, and finished 15^th. I had moved up at Trail-Way solely by attrition with others falling out of the race or spinning. At Path Valley—a milestone—I actually passed someone! Still I was about a one second per lap off the pace of the leaders but a bit of improvement. This time, I stayed low to keep out of the way and only got lapped once. I had prayed before the race for good judgment and God’s protection—he had answered my prayers—I was happy and thankful again.

Being slow at this point was pretty much because of my being conservative on corner entry. I’ve never been throttle shy, so full throttle off the corner, even if very loose requiring a lot of opposite lock is not an issue. Sliding out to the wall is not an issue either. Losing control by being too hot on corner entry was a concern. My definition of a race car driver is someone who maintains control of his car while going fast—testing the limit without going over it. Plus my racing goal is to be a Chaplain and an Ambassador of Christ, so setting a good example by using good judgment was important—being “Salt and Light” as we as Christians are supposed to be in the world. (Matthew 5:16 NIV) “Let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”

My confidence increasing, the goal for the next race was to work on increasing corner entry speed. On to my third race, at Lincoln Speedway on August 24. Not knocking any of the other tracks, but to me, Lincoln seems like the dirt track equivalent of Charlotte Motor Speedway—a very nice and "classy" track with a lot of spectators. (This race attracted a big field of more than 30 Legends Cars.) Plus, most of my family decided it was time to come out and watch the 62 year old Grandpa race. So four of my Grandchildren (Age 4 thru 14) were in the stands, along with their parents, two of Carol’s sons and one Daughter-in-Law. A little bit more pressure than usual. (Since I’m not yet running out front, nobody is paying much attention to my driving, but I did want to set a good example for the Grandsons and Granddaughter with at least a “respectable” performance.)

In the warm up, I charged the first corner, held wide open throttle longer than usual and trail-braked into the corner. Surprise! The previously “neutral” car was now VERY loose with the back end coming around a lot as I entered the corner. Actually, it was not that much of a surprise…many times a car will be tight in the corner..until you start driving it hard. The good thing---the car responded predictably to my opposite lock correction and moved from tight to loose with throttle modulation. I changed the right front brake bias a bit for the Heat Race.

Starting last as usual, the car handled great. Jousted with another car for several laps and was able to pass him using the classic late apex strategy. Did not qualify for the Feature, but was assigned (earned) a 6^th place starting position in the Consolation Race, giving me a long shot chance of making the Feature, but I opted to follow the rules.. and again started last—11^th.

With more confidence, I charged the first corner when the green flag dropped and passed one car. Unlike at Trail-Way and Path Valley, I was able to keep up with the pack and even passed one more car in the short race, finishing 9^th. Probably should not have made that right front brake bias adjustment as the car was way too tight on entry and mid corner. I also probably could have gone faster if I had reduced my tire pressure and ran a higher line. The best news, only about 0.6 seconds per lap off the pace needed to win. Still not a scratch on the car and no mechanical problems. God had again answered my prayers for good judgment and protection and I was grateful. (The power of faithful prayer is truly awesome!)

Despite running three races, I was humbled to realize that because the races are so short, I still have a total of less than an hour of “seat time” in the car and on dirt. Experience teaches that it takes several hours of “seat time” to become really competitive—probably a full year of racing short dirt oval tracks. Like every "athletic" sport, lot's of focused practice is required to develop "instinct" which is the basis of going fast while retaining control in a race car. So far, our rate of improvement is steady, cutting our "behind the leader" gap by about 50% each outing.

But, God teaches that patience and perseverance are important parts of living according to his design for us. With constant and continuous improvement, along with humility and a gentle nature, people will begin to notice the Cross displayed on “Sunshine” and the good news message of hope for all that it symbolizes. John 3:16 That’s the goal.