.
Summer is unofficially here! Memorial Day Weekend is the unofficial start of
the summer season. But racing and fun shouldn’t be the only thing on our
minds. Sometimes the true meaning of the celebration gets lost. We should
remember those who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom.
Greetings in the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
No, Freedom Isn’t Free
Author Unknown
I watched the flag pass by one day.
It fluttered in the breeze.
A young Marine saluted it,
And then he stood at ease.
I looked at him in uniform
So young, so tall, so proud
With hair cut square and eyes alert
He’d stand out in a crowd.
I thought how many men like him
Had fallen through the years.
How many died on foreign soil?
How many mothers’ tears?
How many pilots’ planes shot down?
How many died at sea?
How many died in foxholes?
No, freedom isn’t free
I heard the sound of taps one night,
When everything was still
I listened to the bugler play
And felt a sudden chill.
I wondered just how many times
That taps meant “Amen,”
When a flag had draped a coffin
Of a brother or a friend
I thought of all the children,
Of the mothers and the wives,
Of the fathers, sons and husbands
With interrupted lives.
I thought about a graveyard
At the bottom of the sea
Of unmarked graves in Arlington.
No, freedom isn’t free.
Freedom Isn’t Free is a poem written to recall the memory of those who
paid the ultimate sacrifice in the giving of their lives. Their willingness
to give secures to this day our freedom. Freedom to do what we enjoy,
racing.
I was thinking the other day what would this country look like if we
weren’t free? Would there even be racing, as we know it? On any given
weekend I can choose where I go to watch a race. We can choose where to
race. If you don’t like going to a certain track you can choose another. We
have the freedom of choice. That is not something to take lightly.
Stop and think of all the choices we can make in our life and then think
of some of the other nations in the world who don’t have the same option.
The difference is freedom. The founders of our country decided to build on
the foundation of God and freedom of choice. We have fought for over 200
years to maintain that, not only for us but also for other nations and
peoples of the world.
God also gives us the freedom to choose. He makes available for us a life
of abundance and freedom. We can choose if we are going to accept that life.
Jesus said…
John 10:10, The thief comes only to steal and
kill and destroy;
I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.
Paul adds in Galatians…
Galatians 5:1, It is for freedom that
Christ has set us free.
Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of
slavery.
Jesus came and gave His life as a sacrifice so
that we could know the abundant and free life that God has offered us. Not
unlike those who have fought for our country’s freedom so that we can enjoy
an abundant and free life. For us to experience freedom it cost someone
something.
For us to have freedom many men and women paid the price with their very
own lives. They made the ultimate sacrifice for the good of others. They
gave their lives. Likewise Jesus gave His life so that we might have life.
John 3:16-17, 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.
For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to
save the world through him.
Let me ask a question, do you enjoy your
freedom as an American? If you do take the time to say thank you to those
who have made it possible.
Let me ask another, do you want to experience an abundant and free life
that only comes from knowing Jesus Christ as your Savior? He gave His life
to give you that opportunity, accept it and free yourself from the penelty
of sin.
Freedom isn’t free. It cost someone, something. Be thankful there are
those who are willing to pay the price for our freedom. Thank them! Amen.
A WEEK OF FIRSTS - Wednesday night we got things rolling at
Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park with their biweekly Whelen All-American
Racing Series events. We were asked to bring an invocation and also closed
the driver’s meeting in prayer. Two firsts for us. It is great to be an
integral part of the program and we look forward to serving the racing
family at Thompson.
Another first was the opportunity to sit in the stands with Russ Dowd. As
many know Russ was the voice of Thompson for many years and he stepped away
from the microphone on Icebreaker weekend. But he didn’t step away from
racing. We had a great time talking about the past. He shared about driving
his first racecar and the journey he traveled in racing. What a blessing. We
thanked each other for the efforts put forth to make racing a better place
to be. We may miss the voice but look around, you might find him sitting
next to you in the stands.
Spent some time with the Valenti Modified Racing Series on Friday night
at Stafford Motor Speedway. With a new season, new race director and some
new faces it was good to sit down and talk some things through. In the
turmoil at the end of last season some things got overlooked and we are
hopeful that those things are behind us.
Saturday was another first; The Modified Touring Series ran their
inaugural event, The Winchester 200, at Monadnock Speedway. While it is
always a difficult this to get a new event off the ground, just ask Kevin
Rice, having some veterans like Ben Dodge and Dick Brooks around helped move
things along.
I walked up to Brooksie to say hello. He took one look, said, “Glad
you’re here, you’re the pace car tonight!” I was happy to help out. He said
a few other things but when you are trying to pull things together you can
be excused for venting. Besides, sometimes you need to get things off your
chest and we are only glad to listen.
Two Hundred green flag laps is a tall order, especially at a bull ring,
but the race ran well, the competition was good. I think everyone involved
did a good job making this event happen. I hope they can continue this and
build on their success.
ON THE ROAD AGAIN - Usually Memorial Day Weekend finds me close to
home, but this one will be a little different. On Saturday night I will be
at Chemung for the ROC makeup date. It will be good to return to one of the
places that hold special meaning for Mod fans.
Sunday finds me visiting a new facility, Dominion Raceway in Woodford, VA
with the K&N Pro Series East for a Monday afternoon race. This facility in
Northern Virginia is a replacement for Old Dominion which was closed due to
many noise complaints. Dominion Raceway is a motorsport complex with a
2-mile road course, a 4/10 mile oval track, and a 1/8 mile drag strip.
Always good to welcome a new facility on board!
Until next time, be a witness for our Lord with the ministry decals and
apparel. See them at the Show Your Faith Apparel Store at
www.rwjm.com. Send us
your prayer and counseling needs no matter what part of our racing family
you are in, or give us a call. Remember that God loves you, we love you and
Jesus is Lord over Auto Racing. GOD BLESS.
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Tolland, CT 06084.
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Numbers 6:24-26 "The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord
make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you;
the Lord turn his face
toward you and give you peace."
May God always Bless you, everyday in everyway. Rev. Don
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