One of the keys to great athletes is slowing down, pausing, breathing, gathering their thoughts. We see it in lots of sports. In racing the adrenaline rushes through the body. It is not just in sports, it is in a lot of different things in life. We can feed off of the drug. Those that can slow the adrenaline down and gather in their thoughts, their breathing, their reflexes, can have success. It takes focus. I remind the kids of this often in their sports and it is a small part of their success (credit really goes to God). Think about the racer that does not control it. They go out and just mash the gas and fly into the corner and wad up the car. Worse is they pile up others with them. If they just slowed down, breathe, think and then find the hole they could have passed a bunch of cars. Think about guys that make the move from the back to the front. They are patient. They know when to move forward and pass and when to wait in line.

The Bible has tons of great verses and chapters. I have many, many favorites. Here is one that jumps out right now

Psalm 93:1 The LORD reigns, he is robed in majesty; the LORD is robed in majesty and is armed with strength. The world is firmly established; it cannot be moved.

Slow down and soak it in. Think about being in the presence of the Lord God Almighty. This can only happen if you have salvation. Salvation only comes to those that slow down and see life as God sees it and by obeying His Word. Lead by the Spirit of God, we see our sin as it is, ugly, distasteful rebellion against God¹. The Lord then opens our eyes and heart that Jesus is the one and only way². Next, God leads us to see our need for His mercy, grace, love and forgiven³. And finally we cry out in repentance and seeking Him and salvation⁴.

See you at LaCrosse and have a great day in the SONshine,

Todd

¹ Romans 3:23-24 ²³ for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, ²⁴ and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. And Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Can you believe how fast the season went? It seems we just started. First thing we have to do is thank the Lord for safety this season. Yes there were some cars torn up at times, but if my memory serves me right, Scott Broughton was the worst accident. Also thanks to John Wells for allowing the kids to sing again. They and I so much enjoy serving that way.

As we think about how fast the season has come to an end I think about Scripture. It too mentions a beginning and an end. Check out the following

Revelation 1:8 “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.”

Revelation 21:6 He said to me: “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To him who is thirsty I will give to drink without cost from the spring of the water of life.

Revelation 22:13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.

Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

John 19:30 When he had received the drink, Jesus said, “It is finished.” With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

In the words of Jesus, He is the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. Think with me about that. God who needed no time, was not bound by it, has always been and will always be. It is a term of, “I AM complete!!!” Jesus, God, is in need of NOTHING! On the other side, He knows every minute, every second of our life, every millisecond. He was there at creation as the Creator. He was there at the law and covenant and is the law-giver and Judge. And He was there at the cross, dying and rising as the Lord and Savior.

Can you handle this? Stop and read that paragraph again. WOW!

Do you know Him as Creator, as covenant God, as Lord, as Savior? I hope so. I hope you have seen your sin, you admitted it was your sin. I hope you have said, “Lord I know You alone forgive and save. You alone can pay for the wages of my sin.” I hope you want to turn from sin, to repent. I hope you have cried out to God, to Jesus, to forgive you and save you. I hope today there is no doubt where your eternity lies. Don’t miss it, don’t miss heaven with the Lord and worship of Him.

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

Todd

Recap: Last week we talked about the core value #1 at church and broke down four keys to the value. We looking at Seek and Close and this week we will look at God and First Priority and the conclusion.  Let’s go over what the first core value says. Seeking to be Close to God will be our First Priority.

God – the object of who we seek to be close to. Who will it be, or what will it be? It is easy for our god to be racing or other sports, or our work, tv, movie, music, shopping, workout, food, etc… God must be the greatest thing in our life. He must be the focus. In racing there is the driver that gets most of the attention but behind the drivers it a team and a sponsor but ultimately there is an owner. In life that owner must be God. We must be “fixed”, fastened on Jesus, God, as we see in Hebrews 3:1b fix your thoughts on Jesus. Hebrews 12:2 Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross.

First Priority – what is of importance to us, must get done type thing, what is going to be a value to us, to rank. What will be the most important thing today? How do you start your day? Do you wake with this in mind? In racing what is the first priority, for some it is making the race, for others it is a top ten or five. For some anything less than a win is not good enough. Scripture gives us reason to place the LORD as first priority. Psalm 93:1 The LORD reigns, he is robed in majesty; the LORD is robed in majesty and is armed with strength. The world is firmly established; it cannot be moved. Read it again slowly and let it sink in. Is you first thought, caus I know it can be mine, “what is the level of pain, or the first step going to be like”. Do I think about my day or do I come calling out to God and giving Him ownership to the day. Scripture says, Mark 12:28-30  he asked Jesus, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?” “The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one.  Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. Matthew 6:33a But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness.

So when we bring this all together because God is the highest priority, the greatest treasure, and He allow us to have a relationship with Him we will draw near to Him by focusing on Him first and throughout the day, valuing Him more than any other. Are you with me? More important, are you with the LORD on this? I hope so. If you would like to hear what the other 5 core values are just ask me next time you see me at a track.

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

Todd

Here we are at the 10 year anniversary of the 911 attack. It has been a difficult 10 years with great loss of life. As I think of this anniversary, I must first think of the families that lost loved ones. O Lord would You provide them comfort as this weekend comes upon us?

Second, I think and pray for the soldiers, firemen, police and others who had friends and family that they lost. I also thank them for the continue service.

Next, I think of Scripture that tells us to stand firm and to be united. 1 Corinthians 16:13 Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong. Galatians 5:1Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. Colossians 3:14 And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.

In the above verses we see we are to be on guard, on guard against evil, against sin. Each of us have to guard against an enemy and sometimes it is the sin we sin. Are you on guard against sin? Are you stopping it before it moves from thought to action?

We are told to stand firm in faith, upon the Lord, the Rock. We are to take courage, be strong. Do we want the policeman, the soldier, and, or the firefighter to be weak, to fear. NO! We want them to rush in and save. We want them to be strong. We are that policeman, soldier, firefighter in our family, our marriage, our work place, at the race track, etc… Are you found faithful, strong, and courageous?

Next the verses remind us, don’t be enslaved by sin and its slavery, instead being loving and united.

As you reflect on the anniversary, please remember the men and women that have served but also remember that God calls us to stand firm on Him and Him alone and to be united in Him and give thanks.

Have a great day in the SONshine and see you at a track soon,

Todd

P.S. Are you missing a firm place to stand? Jesus says He is the Rock and it is upon Him we stand. Salvation is the place to start. First recognize your sin.  When you look at the Ten Commandments do you see that you fall short? Jesus paid for sin on the cross but He calls us to turn from sin and give our life to Him, to repent. He says we are to call out to Him and live for Him instead of self. Don’t miss it. If you have done this, share your story. I would love to hear it.

Have you heard a driver say, “We made a statement” meaning they had a great race or there are things coming that are going to be big. I have heard that after a win in different sports, as if it is a turning point or a stake in the ground. (Remember the “Drive a Stake” message from June 6, 2009, go back and check it out!). When I think about making a statement I think about how important it is to have a personal statement of values and/or mission or vision statement. Why are they so important? Without them we just wander through life hoping it turns out ok or letting others guide us and set our goals and standards. This is dangerous ground to be on.

At our church we have a mission statement (to know Him {the Lord God Jesus} and to make Him known) and we have a set of core values. I would like to share our church’s #1 core value. It is “Seeking to be Close to God will be our First Priority”. We teach and echo the core values quite often and a few weeks ago I taught on them again. Let me share the 20,000 foot overview, as this should be important to all of us.

First we worked on memorizing the statement again. Then we looked at the key words asking what do they mean? We looked at four words:

Seeking – to search, to look for, there is an established value that tells us how hard we will search. If we decide the value is low we send someone else, if the value is high we assemble a team and turn things upside down until it is found. Think about search for that tenth of speed when you know that it is there. 2 Chronicles 18:4b “First seek the counsel of the LORD.” Deuteronomy 10:12-13 And now, O Israel, what does the LORD your God ask of you but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to observe the LORD’s commands and decrees that I am giving you today for your own good? Matthew 22:37-38 Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’   This is the first and greatest commandment.

Close – to be near, next to, to know the person intently, personally. It is amazing to think that God wants a relationship with us, one that is personal, close, intimate, in which there is true love, care, cherished. In the draft at Daytona, how does it work if you are a car length? Not good. How about a couple of feet? Not really. But when you are hooked together, man there is speed like being shot out of a cannon. You have seen the two cars hook up and blow by the field. We want to be that close to God and Scripture backs this up in James 4:8-10 Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom.Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up. Psalm 73:28 But as for me, it is good to be near God. I have made the Sovereign LORD my refuge; I will tell of all your deeds. Isaiah 55:6 Seek the LORD while he may be found; call on him while he is near. Hebrews 10:22 let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith.