The Unexpected

Racing Update:

Opening night was full of the unexpected. The high temp was in the low 40's. Rain and snow was supposed to come in the afternoon. We weren't able to put the rest of the graphics on because it was so cold. However, we went out to the track praying God would keep the wet weather away. There weren't a lot of fans and there wasn't a high turnout of racecars. Many of those that did show up probably wish they wouldn't have. I watched as a PowerStock's (8 cylinder stock car) throttle stuck during practice sending him wide open into the wall. I don't like crashes. I was crying and praying. The driver is OK but he took a hard hit. A few people blew engines, transmissions, etc. My heart ached for so many people. Aaron, on the other hand had a better day then we expected. Not only did he beat his fast time by getting a 17.783 (75.915 average mph), he won the first race of the season, an 8-lap heat race. He was supposed to start in the front row of the 15-lap feature but during the 5th division's heat race, the rain started. They canceled the remaining races because even if it did stop raining, it would have been impossible to dry the track with it being so cold. So, we loaded up in the rain called it a night. The rain turned to snow on our way home.

Ministry Update:

Since the races ended early, we weren't able to set up our table to hand out candy, toys, testimony cards, etc for the fans. However, I did have a wonderful conversation about the rapture with someone in the motor pits that afternoon. He mentioned how he wished that he would be more excited about the rapture. We talked about how even Christians are a little too attached to our life on earth. He mentioned how if we were in love with Christ, we would want him to come. Wow! It was nice to talk about his desires to have a closer relationship with God.

The Next Morning:

Sunday morning we woke up to a couple inches of snow. It was hard to believe that we raced the night before. The drive to church was beautiful as the snow was stuck to the trees. The message at church was about the unexpected response of Jesus after the triumphal entry. A few days before Christ died on the cross for our sins, a huge crowd praised and honored Him as He rode into town on a donkey. Read Luke 19:28-44. Our pastor pointed out Jesus' unexpected response - vs 41, And when he drew near and saw the city, he wept over it,- He wept because He knew their hearts and that in a few day most of these same people would be saying "Crucify Him". We were challenged to examine our hearts. Many think that the days are coming soon when Christians will be persecuted in the US. Will we still stand for Christ?

Michelle