It is hard to hear of the devastation that happening down South. The loss of life across the country is harsh but especially the numbers in Alabama. We can only echo Scripture at this time.

Dear Lord would you speak now like as in Job 40:6 Then the LORD spoke to Job out of the storm. Dear God would you calm the winds as in Psalm 107:29 He stilled the storm to a whisper; the waves of the sea were hushed. Lord we know with a word you can hush the gales Mark 4:39-41 He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm. He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?” They were terrified and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!” Please do so now. And dear Heavenly Father we call out on You for comfort for those affected by the weather as in Psalm 119:50 My comfort in my suffering is this: Your promise preserves my life. This we humbly come before You sovereign LORD.

As I heard accounts, I could not help but think about one Alabamian who said, “It was like hell on earth right before my eyes.” I could hear the immense pain. But I was also immediately reminded of the message of warning that resounded. The man had seen and experienced a few moments of tragic power and devastation. It was pain, real pain, but all the buildings he was looking at can be rebuilt or replaced. The life lost cannot be regained yet God ordains all of our days.

Here is the warning placed on my heart. He said, “Hell on earth”. It is brief. Think of having to endure that pain, that agony for eternity. If you do not have a personal relationship with the Lord, if you have not sought His forgiveness for your sin, if you have not cry out in agreement that, “Jesus is LORD”, you are facing that pain and more. I agree with God that I do not want any to perish without repenting. If you have not reached out for salvation, would you consider the pain of those in the South and consider bowing before God right now and seeking Him? I hope you would.

If I can help you understand this or open the Bible for the true answers to salvation, please allow me to by contacting me.

See you at a track soon and have a great day racin’ in the SONshine,

Todd

Better name: Resurrection Sunday

What a great week to reflect on who we are, the need we have, who God is and the love He has for us!

I usually try to tie in a racing tidbit to the articles but this day I can not. On Friday we looked at the horror of Jesus’ death and we said it is Friday but Sunday is coming, thankfully! Now we look at it, the day we celebrate the empty tomb, the resurrection of the Savior but before we do that let’s think about the sentence I lead with.

Who we are – 1 Kings 8:46a “When they sin against you-for there is no one who does not sin and in the New Testament Romans 3:23 says, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, We see clearly in the Bible that we sin, that means simply to miss the mark of God, not meeting His standards which we will see below.

The need we have – Luke 5:31-32 ³¹ Jesus answered them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. ³² I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” And in the Old Testament Isaiah 59:2 But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear. Our need is for a Savior as in picture form we are on one side of a canyon and God on the other with NO bridge and NO way to cross over yet for one. We are isolated from God due to our sin and will be held accountable and have to take responsibility.

Who God is – God is perfect, holy, Creator, Father, Son and Spirit. He is too great and perfect to understand or comprehend. He is awesome and mighty. Volumes have been authored yet only a glimpse can be seen. Nehemiah 9:6 You alone are the LORD. You made the heavens, even the highest heavens, and all their starry host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them. You give life to everything, and the multitudes of heaven worship you. 1 Chronicles 16:10-11 ¹⁰ Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice. ¹¹ Look to the LORD and his strength; seek his face always. Job 37:5 God’s voice thunders in marvelous ways; he does great things beyond our understanding.

The love He has for us – Romans 5:8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. It is amazing to thank about a love that would drive Jesus to die on the cross for me who rebelled and strayed so far from Him.

Finally, the reason for the celebration of Easter and the victory HE HAS RISEN! Matthew 28:6 He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. Luke 24:34 and saying, “It is true! The Lord has risen and has appeared to Simon.” 1 Corinthians 15:57 But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

See you at a track soon and have a great day racin’ in the SONshine,

Todd

There is no good or easy way to talk about this week or day in history. Jesus came to Jerusalem with a focus; a purpose. He, being God, knew the amount of pain that lay ahead of Him. He would have an entry into the city where people would look to Him as their king (looking for quick relief from the Romans) and instead He came humbly. He would eat the Passover knowing He was the central figure of the meal. He would listen to His own disciples say things He knew were not going to happen, yet there was hope because He knew that in the coming years they were going to stand for Him in the face of their own deaths. He would have a long teaching and prayer time. He would have a talk telling Peter to get behind Him and that Peter would deny Him. He would send off the one who was going to betray Him. He would return to prayer in a secluded place. He would allow His betrayer to hug and kiss Him and watch Peter react by taking a swipe to cut someone’s ear. He would listen to the crowd screaming, the soldiers mocking, the High Priest accusing, and Pilate sentencing. His beard would be pulled out.  He would endure beating and the sharp cutting of the thorns. He would carry the cross until exhaustion. And then crucifixion; one of the most feared, brutal, inhuman tortures known to mankind. To study what crucifixion is, is sickening. To think of the calculated pain and time management of this tool of agonizing death will repulse anyone. It is an excruciating means of death that no one, let alone an innocent person, should have to suffer.

Scripture has lengthy dialogue on the time from Thursday to Friday of that terrible week. In John there are two accounts I wish to remind us of.  John 19:18 Here they crucified him, and with him two others-one on each side and Jesus in the middle. John 19:30 Jesus said, “It is finished.” With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

Remember it is Friday, but Sunday is coming.

Yet Jesus, the Christ, the Lord God would undergo all of this for you and for me. I cannot imagine the love He has that would drive Him to die for me and especially to die in this way. He did all of this for us to have “peace with Him”. To have an opportunity of salvation.

Do you have this salvation? If not, and after reading, has your heart stirred? I cannot give you a special prayer to pray but I can tell you that if you offer your life to God; if you admit to your sin and ask God to forgive; if you confess with your month, “Jesus is Lord” He will save you. Today can be your day of salvation. Then it really could be Good Friday and Easter will be unlike any other you have had.

See you at a track soon and have a great day racin’ in the SONshine,

Todd

Courtesy of Quest Racing Team Jesus Racing Ministry has decals available. Just let me know the size and number that you need. We have the below sizes available:

2” x 3½”
3” x 5”
12” x 20 ½”

Again, thank you Quest Racing for your support,

Todd

It is the beginning of the racing season in the Midwest; the opener. Think about the excitement of a new season and the things that lie ahead. One of the fun things in racing is when the cars enter the track for the first time in a new season. It is especially cool for those coming over the top on to the track for the first time ever. There is a feeling unlike others and for the driver. There is a great surge of adrenaline as the track comes into view. Think with me for a few moments as we examine a different entry; a triumphal entry. In church terms, it is Palm Sunday, the week before Easter; a few days before Good Friday. It is part of the Passion Week of Christ.

Think with me. What do you remember about this from children’s Bible lessons or your own study?

• The streets are lined with people
• It is busy
• They are looking forward to a king
• They are looking for a warrior
• They are looking for freedom from the Romans; the government
• They are looking for powerful one
• They are looking for the anointed one
• They honored Jesus by waving palm branches
• They honored Jesus with shouts of “Hosanna, Hosanna”
• They put their cloaks on the road for Him
• It is Passover so people were looking forward to seeing family
• Others were just thinking about the special meal
• Some were looking for a miracle
• And He has the nerve to ride in on a humble donkey, what is this?

Let’s read the some excerpts on the subject, highlighted are some of the echoes:

Luke 19:36-41: As he went along, people spread their cloaks on the road. When he came near the place where the road goes down the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen: “Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!” “Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!” Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples!” “I tell you,” he replied, “if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.” As he approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it.

John 12:15: “Do not be afraid, O Daughter of Zion; see, your king is coming, seated on a donkey’s colt.”

Mark 11:11: Jesus entered Jerusalem and went to the temple. He looked around at everything, but since it was already late, he went out to Bethany with the Twelve.

Matthew 21:6-11: The disciples went and did as Jesus had instructed them. They brought the donkey and the colt, placed their cloaks on them, and Jesus sat on them. A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” “Hosanna in the highest!” When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred and asked, “Who is this?” The crowds answered, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.”

I only want to hit on a couple of points and then drive one deeper. Notice the truth that you may have heard long ago still echoing true today. Notice Jesus pouring out His love and tears over the city. Notice Jesus again in the temple. It is a great study to look at the different times Jesus was in the temple and the meaning of each. Notice the crowd saying, “Hosanna” which means “He saves” or “save, we pray”.

Now the point I want to think deeply about. They say, “Who is this?” The question does not distress me, it is the answer, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.” Do you catch it? They are not saying this is the Savior; this is the Lord; this is God coming to pay for my sin. They say that he is a prophet. Do you understand the impact of the difference? There are many who would agree that Jesus is and was a prophet but few that would say He is Lord, and even fewer that He is Deity; God. It really does change everything about Jesus, Palm Sunday, Good Friday, and Easter. What’s more is that it can change our lives for eternity so please do take some time and examine this closely.

See you at a track soon and have a great day racin’ in the SONshine,

Todd

Team Jesus Racing Ministry is kicking off its season April 17^th at Rockford Speedway in Loves Park, IL. We are joining the Big 8 Late Model Series and Mid-American Stock Car Series for the 34th Annual Spring Classic.

On Sunday morning at 8:00 am we will have chapel. Hope you are able to join us. We will celebrate with song and the Word on Palm Sunday as we kick off the Passion Week of Christ.

This year Team Jesus Racing Ministry has some special free gifts available to anyone who would like them. We have a special edition Stock Car Racing Bible and a True Success Newspaper which is a Dale Earnhardt Tribute Edition. We will have other items as they become available.

I would also encourage you to go to visit this website often and check out the devotionals that are posted.  There are many topics that most often have a tie to racing and the Bible.

We hope to see you at a track soon and have a great day racin’ in the SONshine,

Todd