Music City Motorplex Updates...

I haven't blogged on it much this year, but in between our travels with the NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour Michelle and I have been in the midst of our FOURTH year of ministry at the Music City Motorplex at the TN State Fairgrounds...WOW!

Looking back to the first two years that Michelle and I were at the Motorplex and seeing where things are today is just amazing. There is a renewed, heightened sensitivity towards God throughout the community...and it has been humbling, yet exciting to be used as a funnel in this community, sharing the goodness and fullness of his Grace.

Two years ago Michelle and I held our first chapel service at the Motorplex, one person was in attendance. For the remainder of that season Michelle, one driver, and I paused a few moments after each drivers meeting to look at God's word.

Fast forward two years. Two weeks ago another Motorplex race fell on a Sunday, to which Raymond, Michelle, and I organized a chapel. Well over fifty of us gathered together, sang Amazing Grace, spent time in prayer, and then looked to God's word. That is not something that you see everyday at a racetrack. That is God working in peoples lives.

We have also been thankful to have Raymond Rizzo as a part of the team this year. At the end of 2006 we realized that our schedule was becoming bigger than we were. Through our friendship with Raymond, we developed a ministry relationship that was nothing short of a God thing. Raymond has connected with people Michelle and I couldn't connect with, spanned bridges we thought couldn't be spanned, and been a creative, motivational go-getter in the ministry.

I can't fully capsulate what has transpired over the past 4 years at the Motorplex, and how God has acted on behalf of so many people. For those of you who know what I went through the year and a half leading up to our ministry at the Motorplex, you are probably just as astounded and amazed as I am. For those of you who don't...ask me sometime!

I wish I could put it to words...but one day in Heaven, we will all see the importance of this ministry.

NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour Championship Race

The championship race for the NWSMT was held at Caraway Speedway in Asheboro, NC…our sixth visit to the track this season.

Prior to the race we met up with a friend of ours who now works for Petty Enterprises for lunch with him and his wife. We had a great time of sharing and encouraging each other in Christ…and just hanging out! After lunch we went our separate ways…however they did meet back up with us later in the evening back at Caraway Speedway.

We arrived at the track around 2:30PM as people were signing in, and haulers were entering the track. Upon arriving we pulled out our letters and trusty blue painters tape and hit the row of haulers taping up the last devotional of the season, which was centered on Philippians 3.

Much to our dismay, practice for all of the support divisions that would be running along side our race began seemingly the moment they pulled the last trailer across the track…and the noise would not stop until five minutes prior to our drivers meeting.

There is normally a window of time when we are hanging the devotionals that we are able to talk and interact with everyone…however the noise hindered any conversations from developing leaving us going trailer to trailer with a smile and a wave.

I know we were at a racetrack and it is to be expected, but it was just so loud throughout our entire day at the track that there was not a lot of one on one interaction with anyone. It really hindered us in a way that we had not yet encountered this season.

As soon as the motors quieted we went straight into the drivers meeting only to resurface to the noise of qualifying upon exiting the building. The few moments of peace and quiet that we did have around the facility were the moments that I was praying with drivers on the line.

Another clean race brought to a close the 2007 NWSMT season. What a year it was…we welcomed someone into the family of Christ, we prayed over many needs, we shared the word of God, and we opened ourselves up so that the goodness and love of Christ could flow through us. How blessed and privileged we are to be utilized in such a unique fashion.

We have a few more local ‘gigs’ as well as two banquets left on our schedule before the smiling faces at the airport car rental counters stop seeing us walking through he doors for the winter…time to recharge, relax, and re-energize for another season of God’s work.