Vision Study Going Well!

God was moving last week during our study at Vision Racing. We finished the study on Coach Dungy's book. We are researching our next study subject. Please continue to pray for the men in the study. Pray for the safety at the testing next week in Homestead. Thanks for your support!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone! Take this week to reflect a bit on just what God has done for you.... We often immediately think to "earthly blessings". Which this past year I am thankful for the opportunity to serve Him in the IRL Ministry and the ability to walk again! That is all great stuff, but stop and think about the sacrifice that God made with Jesus on the cross.... Now that is worth shouts and praise of thankgiving!!

2008 IRL Ministry Pics!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!(CLICK ON PIC then CLICK ON "SLIDESHOW BUTTON" on UPPER RIGHT CORNER of photobucket page!)

Photobucket Album

Vision Study going Great!

We continued with the Vision Racing study, that we have named "Winner's Circle", last Wednesday. We are a little more than half way through the Tony Dungy book study. There was a lot of participation from everyone in the study. We discussed "your security". Neat conversations which many opening their hearts... We want to get to where our faith in God is our security, no matter what. Based on our humanness, that is sometimes easier said than done. Pray that we keep that focus. Pray for the study this week. Pray the Holy Spirit will move mightily.

Praising God on the Recovery Road!

Yuh know, sometimes during our prayer time we spend all our time asking God for things. We ask Him to be with others, help us with this or that, what should we do in this situation, etc. I have been walking a mile a day for the past 3 weeks! 2 weeks ahead of schedule! I have spent that time (roughly 20 minutes) to pray. I ask God for nothing during that time. I use it specifically to give Him praise and glory and thank Him for all he has done for me and my family. I thank Him for healing me and allowing me to walk pain free! I thank Him for blessing me so much. I thank Him for Jesus and what He did for me on that cross.

My recovery is going well. The back and teeth pain are subsiding. My range of motion is increasing. Thank you for all your prayers and support! Take time today to pray. During your next prayer time, thank God this time..... and don't ask for a thing.....

Back to Work!!

I start back to work on a part-time basis on Monday! I am looking forward to "getting back in the groove". I know many of my coworkers have been greatly concerned about my condition and have been praying for me. Those prayers mean more that they will ever know! I started physical therapy last week and am walking a mile a day! I use that time to specifically praise God for having even the ability to walk again pain free! We take so much for granted in this life. Don't let a major event or tragedy in your life force you to thank God for every thing you have and every breath you take. Take time to thank Him right now........

Recovery Update

Well, it has been an interesting road to recovery... The teeth pain I was experiencing led me to an endodontist who discovered a cracked tooth! They did a root canal on the spot! So, I am trying to get over all that on top of the back pain. I have to have a crown installed next week. I am still experiencing teeth pain and not sure what is causing that. The pain has decreased, however, since the root canal. The back is coming along nicely. I see the surgeon today to remove the stitches and a general checkup. I walked a mile yesterday with no walker or cane!!! I was praising God the entire time for even the ability to walk!

We take so much for granted.... Take time today to thank your Lord and Savior for life, your health, and even the breath you breathe! Thanks for your prayers and support!

IRL Ministry in Australia

Pray for Bob Hills and Father Phil as they are making the trip to Surfers Paradise to represent the IRL Ministry for the race this weekend. Pray for safety and that during the long trip that new relationships will be established, existing ones enhanced and the Christ will be glorified in all that they do. Thanks!

Recovering after Second Surgery

I had to go back in last week to reopen the back incision to get it "cleaned out" and test for infection. After the cultures came back, they discovered I had a COAG negative staff infection. The good news is it is treatable by oral antibiotics. So, praise God for that. We were being coached to get ready for a 12 week, at home, IV antibiotic.... yikes....... I am back home and working hard on recovery... I am walking less with walker and more with just a cane....

Pray that God's healing touch will continue. Pray for my patience during the process....... I remain faithful and trusting God expectantly. I am excited about walking without pain..... soon.... Also pray for my angel wife that continues to care for me 24/7!! Thanks for your support and prayers!

"Winners Circle" Underway at Vision

The "Winners Circle" has had its first two meetings at Vision Racing! This is a study held at the shop during lunch. We are currently going through Coach Dungy's book as a basis for the study. So far, there have been good turnouts at the studies. Please pray for continued interest!

I am continuing to recover at home from my back surgery. Things are going well. I am walking a little with a goal to complete a mile by the 6 week mark! Please pray for a speedy recovery and patience, as this is usually a fairly long recovery. Thanks!

Home never felt sooo good!!!!

I am home from my surgery! I returned home Sunday (9/28) afternoon after a 5 day stay at Ortho Indy Hospital on the NW side. Dr. Riina and his staff did a great job and I thank God for gifting those those people! The hip pain and numbness in my right leg are gone! I obviously have lots of pain from the surgery, but I am excited about the other pain being gone!! Pray for patience and a quick healing process. Also pray for my wife as I will be her patient (or testing her patience) for the next few weeks. She has been great! I could ask God for anything more!

Surgery - 9/24

I would covet your prayers as I will be having a spinal fusion surgery done on Wednesday, 9/24/08. The great people at OrthoIndy will be doing the surgery, but the greater physician, our Lord God Almighty, will be overseeing the surgery. Please pray that everything would go as planned, that God would be glorified through this process, and that I may be an effective witness as I go through this journey. As always, thanks for your prayerful support!

Radio Show Features IRL Ministry

Don Kay's Autosport radio show featured the IRL Ministry during the live show last Tuesday's night at McGilvery's Pub. Check out this link for more info.............. http://www.autosportradio.com/current_show.aspx

2008 Food Totals Are In!

Throughout the season, the IRL Ministry coordinated food pick up and delivery from IRL team hospitalities to shelters local to the tracks. This food was either extra unused food or left over prepared food that would have been thrown away... The total food collected was 63,000 pounds of food!!!!! Praise God!

We also collected between 25-150 pounds of soap each week.

Miami – Community Outreach - 2500 pounds
St. Pete - St. Vincent Depaul - 9200 pounds
Kansas – Kansas City Rescue Mission - 3500 pounds
Indy – Seed of Hope and Wheeler Mission - 4500 pounds
Milwaukee - Family House of Milwaukee and St. Benedict's (www.stbensmilwaukee.org) – 3800 pounds
Texas - Meals On Wheels - 4500 pounds
Iowa - Hope Ministries (www.hopeiowa.org) – 7000 pounds
Richmond - Good Samaritan Ministries – 3500 pounds
Watkins Glen – Salvation Army - 3800 pounds
Nashville - Nashville Rescue Mission – 4500 pounds
Mid Ohio – Bulter Clearfork Nutrition Center, Crossroads Center for Change & Mt. Herman Baptist Church, Harmony House, Salvation Army, Freewill Baptist Church, Heartland Alliance Church – 2500 pounds
Edmonton – Our House - 1200 pounds
Kentucky - Heavens Helping Hands - 1500 pounds
Sonoma - The Christian Help Center in Vallejo Bread of Life Ministries in Vallejo and Casa de Vallejo this is a shelter for the homeless and City Ministries International in San Francisco that feeds the homeless on the streets of SFO - 4,000 pounds
Detroit - Detroit Rescue Mission – 5000 pounds
Chicago – Morningstar Rescue Mission – 2000 pounds

Thanks!!!

To everyone who supported me this past season......
Deatra, Tyler, Reid, Doug, Pingnan, David, Mark, Bob, Hunter, Father Phil, Chris, Sally, William, Andy, Dizmas, IRL Ministry Supporters at Indian Creek, Geoff, Zane, George, Carry, Jimmy, Sarge, Laura, Eddie, Linda, Dan, Amy, Darren, Pam, Rex, Crysty, Rose, Bryan, Henry, Doretha, Kelly & all those of you who prayed and donated!

God Bless you all!

Wow! What a season!

Awesome day today! We had Chapel services in Victory Circle this morning. God gave us an awesome day! We had Andy Schroeder and his family providing the special music. Andy is from my home church, Indian Creek Christian Church (www.thecreek.org). Special thanks to Andy! Jim Evans from Windy City Raceway Ministries (www.wcrm.net) coordinated the food pickup from Morningstar Mission in Joliet (www.morningstarmission.org). We had a great time of prayer before they took the final shipment tonight!

We had a great prayer time with the teams on the grid. I had the opportunity to prayer with some of the safety workers and officials prior to the race. I also had a chance to talk to Len today. Len is the guy who wants to convert me "the other way". I just offered to have the conversation with him at sometime and gave him one of our Racing Daily Bread books. to look over. God will take it form here or provide another opportunity at a later date.

We will have a food ministry updates soon. I will list all the donation weight and locations. Continue to pray for the upcoming study at Vision Racing. Thank you all for your prayers and support this year! Check back for regular updates!

Chicagoland Speedway

Had a good day of practice and qualifying today. I had an opportunity to talk to one of the chef's about his parents who are both suffering from cancer. He has kinda resolved that "whatever happens, happens". I told him that we can pray and it is the kind of faith that the woman that touched Jesus' cloak had when Jesus healed her. He replied that he would think about that and like that way of thinking. Neat time of sharing.......

Also had some time with the crew member who lost his son a few weeks ago. He seemed to be doing better. Please continue to pray for him and his family.

We have a few food pickup logistical problems today. Pray for those to be smoothed out tomorrow. Also pray for our services tomorrow!

God's Plan, Not Ours!

We had a good race yesterday and great Chapel services. The musicians that played for us played jazz Christian music with a piano and a sax... Pretty cool sounds.... We had Chaplain Bob Lewis from the National Guard accompanied us the past couple days. It was awesome to have him there with us. He wanted to help where ever he could. He went with us on the grid for prayer with the teams. He prayed with the Panther Racing, National Guard sponsored team. It was a neat moment!

We had good prayer time with the teams. As the season progresses, they seem to be more and more responsive. It is exiting. I had one guy tell me they wanted me to "bless the car" because ti was cursed. I had another guy approach me after they had crashed out of the race. He said, " I thought you prayed for our team." I responded gently, " sometimes God's plans are necessarily our plans." He agreed and said.... good point..

One race to go one my schedule. Chicagoland Speedway next weekend. Pray we will continue to share Christ. Pray for these crew guys as they are tired. Pray for Chaplain Lewis and all our troops. Pray to do God's plan, not ours. Pray!

Day 2 - Belle Isle

I got the musicians for Chapel all hooked up with credentials, etc. We had a safe practice and qualifying session today.

I had a few neat conversations today with team members and support staff. These relations are important to being able to share Christ with them. I pray that my work today was pleasing to God as I shared Christ's love. One of the team guys, Kevin, was notified that his baby daughter has a brain condition that causes one side of her body to function properly. Pray for him and his family as they work through this tough situation....

Detroit Belle Isle Update

Busy day today..... I met with the reps from Detroit Rescue Mission (www.drmm.org). We had a little communication mix up this weekend about the food pickup. So, we literally called these guys today to see if they were available to do the pickup Sunday night. Not only did they say yes, they were at the track within 15 minutes of my call to check out the trailer location and figure out their route into the track. Pray for this mission.... They serve over 1500 meals per day!

Ran into a couple guys from Larry's team. Larry is the crew member who lost his son last weekend. I assured they guys that we are praying for them and Larry. They are still a bit shaken, so keep praying. Please.

This street circuit made from existing streets on the island. It is fan friendly track with lots to see and do. The view of the Detroit and Canada skylines are pretty cool. It is a little tough to do credentials, shuttle people in, and get to our trailer outside the track. Pray that we get the musician logistics worked out tomorrow. This could be a challenge with limited parking, etc.

I am a bit tired. Pray for physical strength and patience working through some of the details of this weekend.... Thanks for your support! More updates tomorrow!

DIZMAS!!!!!!

What an awesome day today! What an awesome God we serve! We had 2 great, well attended Chapel services today with the special music provided by the group DIZMAS (www. dizmas.com). These guys are the real deal. They love Jesus and love to sing his praises. It was a pleasure meeting them today and hanging out a bit. This was their first ever Indy Car race, so they were lovin' every minute! Check these guys out on their website and on You Tube. Pray for these guys as they tour the world singing about Christ's love for all of us!

We had great prayer time with the teams and drivers today. The Indy Lights race was a bit rushed again, but we got to all the drivers before they took off! Most of the prayers were with the drivers in the cockpit.... God always provides a way. The Indy Car prayer time was especially special with the Dreyer Reinbold teams, as we lifted up their teammate who lost his son this week. Continue to pray for these guys....

I also had neat time in prayer with a IRL pit lane official and an ESPN reporter prior to the race. I also sent DISMAS off with a prayer before they traveled back home. We formed a circle in the pits and prayed amidst all the Indy Car engines roaring by.... The next race is Detroit. Pray for me as it will be another short week at my "day job".

God bless you all!!!!!

Sonoma Update - Saturday

Had a good Indy Lights race today. It was a bit hurried before the race, so Bob and I worked our way through the grid praying with the drivers as they were getting in their cars. I prayed with one driver walking down the grid on his way to his car, another driver as she was sitting in her car, and yet another driver as he was putting on his helmet. I had one driver that refused to pray, but all others were eager for the divine help!

We have one Indy Lights and the Indy Car race tomorrow. We have 2 chapels and 1 mass in the morning. People coming in, credentials, etc. Pray that we will stay focused on God's work, not man's. As always, God Bless you all for praying.

God's Plan

Met with the Team Jesus Motorsports (teamjesusmotorsports.net) people today. They will be coordinating the food pick up and delivery this weekend. Special thanks to their help!

We had a tragedy today with one of the Indy Car team members. He was notified this morning that his son had died overnight back in Indianapolis. Bob met with him for a little while after the notification and his team manager immediately made arrangements for him to be flown back to Indy. I drove him from the track back to his hotel and then to the airport to catch his flight. We sometimes never know why some things happen. We need to continually trust God in all situations. Keep the faith. Pray without ceasing. Know that God will never leave us or forsake us.
Pray for this team member that God will provide, heal, comfort, and be present in this difficult time.

Sunny in Sonoma

Made it safely to Sonoma. It is beautiful country that God made out here! A little more hilly that Indiana! The ministry motorcoach is not here this weekend (due to fuel prices). So we are a bit out of our element. I believe God will provide everything we need this weekend. Pray that we can focus on the people and not on "stuff". Tomorrow we are meeting with the track's Raceway Ministries that will be coordinating the food pick up and they are going to let us borrow a golf cart! Keep prayin'!

New Speakers - Thanks William!

Thanks to William Guice of the People's Church in Franklin, TN, the IRL Ministry now has new Yamaha speakers for our sound system! As you recall, William sang for us in Nashville. When we were doing his sound check, he asked what that buzzing noise was.... Well, it was our speakers! He replied, "I can take care of that!"

He showed up to sing for us again in Kentucky and had a new set of speakers complete with cords and mounting brackets! They are 300 watts of awesome sound!

Thanks again William. It is greatly appreciated! God provides!!!!

Wow.....

OK, so in all my humanness, I'm all worried about logistics of the weekend. Why do we worry about anything when we trust God.... we shouldn't.....

Had a great day in Kentucky yesterday... William Guice from the Peoples Church in Nashville drove up from Tennessee to sing for our Chapel services. We also worked with John Roberts, the track Chaplain from Kentucky Speedway, to help with their Raceway Ministries Chapel service at 9:00 AM. William also sang for their service. Those guys do a great job ministering to the fans outside the track.

Our Chapel services were well attended and went well. We had Mike Mankel and his wife Beth as guests of the ministry this weekend. Mike is the Regional Manager for KLOVE/Air1 radio. They followed me along with my son Tyler on the grid to pray with the drivers. God was present as we had great reception from most of the teams. Beth hugged me after we had finished praying, with tears in her eyes, and thanked me. She said that was better than a church service! The Holy Spirit was obviously moving in a mighty way.

I had two unique opportunities to pray with people that don't normally get the chance..... As we were making our way thru the grid, two IRL pit safety worked were preparing for the race. I offered prayer and they accepted! Also, there was a group of Firestone pit workers talking before the race. They also were open to prayer before the race!

God was moving.... God was working. I am just humbled that I am being used by God in this capacity. Trust God. Obey God.

Answered Prayer in Kentucky

Every single day in ministry is vastly different. I thank God today for answered prayer today. Our devotion this morning discussed the right as a child of God to be in prayer with our Father and bringing honor to our Father by how we pray to him.

Our prayer today was just that..... that we would not get caught up in the details, but minister in the midst of the details. I believe God answered that prayer today. Many great connections were made and details for tomorrow just fell into place... Why do we ever worry... What a waste of time.... Praise God..... Trust God....

Set up at Kentucky!

Got setup at Kentucky today! Met with a few of the team guys worked through some logistics for the weekend. Will be meeting with the track Chaplain, John Roberts tomorrow.

With all the IRL Ministry visitors this weekend (including Mike from KLOVE), pray that we can work through the technical aspects of credentials, etc. and not let these get in the way of ministry!

Kentucky Tomorrow!

Heading to Kentucky tomorrow for the Saturday night race! Tyler, my oldest son, will be accompanying me this weekend!

Pray that God will work through the IRL Ministry staff this weekend and that we will represent Christ well!

"Winners Circle" kicked off at Vision Racing!

Last Wednesday, Bob and I had a meeting at Vision Racing to introduce the "Winners Circle". This will be a weekly Christian study that will encourage the team emotional and spiritually. This study will be started using Coach Tony Dungy's book, "Quiet Strength". (http://www.coachdungy.com/)

We had a great turnout of about 10-11 team members at the lunch meeting. We are going to buy them all books and study guides. This will be a weekly study held at the shop over their lunch hour.

Please pray that this will be a Holy Spirit led study and that those who need to hear from God will show up. Also pray that the enthusiasm that was shown at the initial meeting will continue as we meet weekly!

Wet Day in Ohio - but not in Spirit!

Sunday started early in Mid-Ohio with our fist chapel service at 7:30! We had great turnouts at both chapel services. We met in a temporary trailer in the paddock area.

The rains came before the Indy Lights race and delayed things a bit. With the rain (and lightening), it was a little chaotic working our way through the grid to pray with the teams and drivers. I pray that God directed our efforts. Also due to the rain, the Indy Car driver introductions were scrapped. Because of that, the drivers were actually at the cars when we were praying with the teams on the grid. We got neat participation with the drivers and crews on most teams. Once again, some prayed, some turned and walked away. Pray for God to continue to move!

Thanks to Jalane from Heartland Alliance Church (www.heartlandalliance.net) who helped organize the food pickup this week. We collected about 25 pounds of soap products as well. The donations went to the following local organizations. I pray the food was used to help Christ to be proclaimed!

• Bulter Clearfork Nutrition Center
• Crossroads Center for Change & Mt. Herman Baptist Church
• Harmony House
• Salvation Army
• Freewill Baptist Church
• Heartland Alliance Church

Thanks for your continued support!

God is Present!

We had a safe day of practice and quals today. There was a fire in the pits at the ALMS event. The crew member was burned and flown to a local hospital but the injuries were not life threatening. Please pray for him and his family as he recovers...

We were very hurried on the grid today before the Indy Lights race. There were no formal driver introductions, so the drivers just followed their cars to the grid locations. Bob, Hunter, and I individually worked our way through the grid and had a word of prayer with each of the drivers before the race began. While it seemed quick, I believe God was honored. We had an individual comment to Hunter and I that overhearing a prayer made "it" seem all real..... I responded to him by telling him "God" is real and there is no higher honor than to pray the Almighty God.

God is present! Your prayers are greatly appreciated!!!!

Mid-Ohio Report

Had a good, safe day at Mid-Ohio today. No travel difficulties yesterday as well! Neat track with lots of history. We got the chapel flyers hung in the garages and distrubuted the soap donation boxes. I got in touch with some new people today to donate food for the minisrty. With the ALMS racing on the same course this weekend, some of their hospitality people are going to donate their left over food! We also got the ABC/ESPN catering to donate their food as well....

Had some good conversations with some Indy Lights drivers today. Seems like everyone is getting tired with the back to back race schedule.... There will be an Indy Lights race tomorrow and they also run a second race on Sunday. Pray for these guys as they have a busy weekend.

We will have two chapel services on Sunday morning. I will be singing at both of them this weekend..... The chapel times are 7:30 and 9:30 with a mass at 9:00. Pray that these will be led by the Holy Spirit!

I am excited to have my youngest son, Reid along with me this weekend. He is truly a blessing and fun to be around!

More updates from the track tomorrow! Thanks for your support!

Great Chapels & Prayer TimeToday!!

We had great turnouts at both Chapel services today! Special thanks to William Guice (http://www.williamguice.com/) from The Peoples Church (http://www.thepeopleschurch.org/) in Franklin, TN for providing the special music. It was very heart felt and I believe Christ was glorified!

We had great prayer time with the teams on the grid with both the Indy Lights and Indy Car series. It seemed the teams were very receptive today to our prayer time. I thank God for working and softening hearts!

Please continue to pray for God to move during these events! Pray also for travel safety for the ministry staff and the teams! May God bless you for supporting this ministry!

Busy day in Nashville!

Had Indy Lights practice and qualifying and Indy Car practice and quals today. Praise God for a safe day today..... There were no driver incidents that required a trip to the infield care center!

Met with the guys from Nashville Rescue Mission (http://www.nashvillerescuemission.org/) today. They are going to be taking the food and soap donations from this weekends race. These guys really have a heart for God and for helping the homeless. Pray for their efforts this weekend and pray that God will utilize the food resources for His glory.

Two Chapel services tomorrow. Pray that God will be worshipped well and glorified!

Made it Safely to Nashville

We are safe and sound in Nashville. I said we.... my wife, Deatra is accompanying me this trip! It is very exciting to have her along. I worked a half day at JDSU, then picked up the rental car, and headed south...... Special thanks again to Doug, George, and Zane at JDSU for covering for me while I am away from work and allowing me to have the time off!!!

I met with some of the hospitality chefs today to help coordinate the food pickup for this weekend. Interesting comment from one of the chefs today.... He told me that since he knows the food is never wasted, he intentionally buys more food than he will need. He does this for two reasons. 1) it helps him not have to plan so accurately for food usage and 2) he knows the food is always going to a good cause to help the homeless! Pretty cool stuff.... Who would have ever thought that the chefs would "overbuy" because they WANT to donate the food.... God is working.....

Also, special thanks to those of you who are praying specifically for me and the ministry. Your prayers are deeply appreciated!

Bending the Knee......

Made it home today safely from Richmond. Had a couple neat "God moments" on the grid before the race...... After praying with the teams on the grid I had one of the IRL Technical Inspectors come up to me and specifically requested prayer on the grid. She had never done that before, so it was neat to see how our sovereign God put me in the right place to be able to minister in that way.

Had another "first" on the grid.... Helio Castroneves' team did not qualify well for the race. When I approached them to pray, one of the team members replied, "ya, we need some serious prayer!" He then proceeded to drop to one knee. I responded by dropping to my knee with him and commented that we should pray humbly before the Lord. What followed was incredible....... one by one, the entire team (20 plus members) followed and everyone dropped to a knee. After then team was on a knee, we all put one hand in the middle of the circle and I prayed that God would bless their efforts. They ended up finishing second in the race!

Praise God the presence of His Holy Spirit in the midst of the business proceeding last night's race!!!! Thanks again for all your support..... My next race is in Nashville, TN in 2 weeks...

Hot & Humid in Richmond

Had a good day of qualifying and practice today at Richmond. Got everything ready to go for tomorrow Chapel Services. Met with Carrington from Good Samaritan Ministries in Richmond. They will be taking the excess food tomorrow after the race. We had a great prayer time together asking God to bless their efforts and use it to glorify Christ and further His Kingdom! Chapel services are at 1:45 and 3:15 tomorrow. Please pray that the Holy Spirit will lead!

On a side note..... The USAC Midgets were running tonight at Richmond. Tom, the flag man, invited me up to the flag stand to watch the start of the race from there!! IT WAS AWESOME! What a view! I even switched off the yellow track lights at the end of a cautions and handed him some of the flags.... Quite a different perspective. Tom is a Christian. Pray for his safety at these races. He is also flagging for the Indy Car race.

On another side note........ Bob and I were watching the end of the USAC race from the pits. As we sat there, the 9 car came into pits on fire and stopped right in front of us. As soon as the driver jumped out of the car, I grabbed a fire extinguisher and jumped over the wall. As I got to him, a couple other guys had doused him with water. I then went to the car that was still on fire and started putting the fire out. This entire time I thinking, " where are the fire guys?" As I was spraying the car down, they showed up and finished the job. Thank God nobody was hurt!! God does protect and provide!!!!!!!

In Richmond!!!!!

Made it to Richmond safely today. Met up with a few crew guys walking through the garage area. Chapel services will be on Saturday afternoon this week since it is a Saturday night race.

God is good. My prayer this week is that I will follow the Holy Spirit's leading in everthing I think, say and do!!!! Please pray and may God bless you for your continued support!

Pray for the people in Iowa

Had a great race in Iowa yesterday. Due to some weather in Chicago, I did not get into Indy until early Monday morning. Had some interesting and very specific prayer requests with some guys on the grid. Had a request for their fueling process on a pit stop and had another request for a particular crew member that had a lung collapse earlier in the weekend. Obviously, I honored those requests. But the interesting part is these guys are seemingly more comfortable with prayers and asking for prayer. That is huge in this environment.

I also had an ESPN reporter come up to me right before the race to specifically to request me to pray with him before he went on the air. We prayed on pit road that Holy Spirit would lead and guide him that day. I cried shortly after that and thanked God for allowing me to serve Him in that way......

Also, pray for the people of Iowa. The floods have left damage to many of the fields and crops in that area.

Thanks again for all your monetary and prayerful support!!!!!!!

Iowa Update

Great Indy Lights race today. The Indy Car qualifying was rained out. Had great opportunities to talk with many of the Indy Lights guys prior to the race. I prayed with many of the teams on the grid before the race.

There was one team member in particular that wanted a "good luck" handshake from me....... While there is no such thing as "luck", the interesting part about that seemingly brief interaction was he is accepting of our (the IRL Ministry) presence there. That acceptance is what we need relationally to open doors to later to approach these guys about Christ.

Keep praying!!!!!!!

It's All about Jesus!

That is why I am here in Iowa. It is about telling others about Christ and encouraging believers. Give God the glory!

Met with Bill from Hope Ministries (www.hopeiowa.org) today and a couple of other people from that organization. They will be picking up the food from this weekend's race for their shelter. Had a great fellowship and prayer time with these guys! Also met and prayed with Bill the motorcoach driver. He is going through some tough personal times. Pray for Bill and his faith during this time.

We are having a 9:30 chapel tomorrow for the Indy Lights guys. Pray for the service and their race tomorrow.

Iowa on Friday

I leave for Iowa on Friday. I will be returning late Sunday night. Please pray again for connections with team members, drivers, and officials that I may be an effective minister of the Gospel of Christ!

More updates from the track!

Headin' Home!

We had two great chapel services this morning. The Holy Spirit was truly present! I had the opportunity to pray with many teams on both the Indy Lights and the Indy Car grid today. We had both shelters, the Family House of Milwaukee and St. Benedict's at the track to pick up food for their shelters. Special thanks to both of those organizations for their extra efforts (and trips to the track) on race day. I'll give an update in later blogs reporting the amount. We were able to provide over 150 lbs of soap and shampoo products to St. Ben's for their hygiene program!

I will not be going to the Texas race this weekend. This was not a planned race for me this season. I look forward to the upcoming race in Iowa. Continue to pray for traveling safety for all involved and that the ministry will continue to be effective in sharing Christ's love with others in this community!

Report from Milwaukee

Got to Milwaukee safely yesterday and had a good day today. Met with two local mission groups and coordinated their credentials and logistics of picking up the food tomorrow. One group (www.stbensmilwaukee.org) picked up the left over food today. I had a great prayer time with both groups that the food would be used to feed the hungry and gloify Christ.

I also met with a motorcoach driver who is going through some tough marital issues. Pray for him as he struggles with being away from home during this difficult time.

I will be leaving directly from the race tomorrow evening and driving home. Pray for a safe race, Spirit led Chapel services, and safe travels. I am also singing tomorrow at the 2 Chapel services!!

Thank you for your support and prayers!!

Pray for Robert.......

During my month with Vision Racing, I met a guy named Robert. He is a young guy that gave his life to the Lord at an early age, but then fell away. He approached me one day after we were done running for the day and he asked me if I was a "preacher"....... I replied that I was a kind of a preacher... He confided in me how difficult it is to try to do the "right things" in this environment and that he wants to start going back to church. We sat on the pit wall for the next 20 minutes and talked about his struggles and his faith walk. I explained to him that being a Christian is not about "following the rules", it is about having faith in Jesus Christ. I told him once you have that faith, you will want to do the right things..... We also talked about the that he should be working as if he is working for the Lord and not man.... We also discussed how Jesus, as in the story of the prodigal son, is waiting for him on that front porch. That He will run towards him with open, accepting arms when he comes back to Christ.

I told Robert that earlier that very morning, in my devotion time, I was working on praying more expectantly. I prayed that God would send someone, today, that needed to hear from Him. I told Robert, God sent you...

I prayed with him on that pit wall, in pouring rain, under an umbrella..... He thanked me over and over...... I told him that is the way God works..... He went to Chapel service with me on race day. Please pray that Robert will continue to work on his relationship with Christ and that he will be protected in that environment.

Pray expectantly.......

Indy 500 Pit Stop

I am the air jack guy on the right!!!!

Hamilton Finishes 14th in the 500!

Davey Hamilton finished 14th still on the lead lap after a long hard race..... he fought an understear (push) condition all day long. We made air pressure changes and front wing changes to get him a better handling car. We found out after the race that we had a broken front wing adjuster that was causing the problem and not enabling us to make the changes.

Davey is a great guy and it was wonderful to have Kingdom Racing as a sponsor on the car (www.kingdomracing.net). Please pray for Davey, Kingdom Racing, and the guys on Vision racing!

Going "over the wall" for #22 - Davey Hamilton in the Indy 500

Found out yesterday that I will be going over the wall on Hamilton's car. Due to a recent change in personnel, they lost an airjack guy. So after a little shuffling of team members, the crew chief came up to me yesterday and said "your it"! So, during the race, I will be doing the air jack on the #22 car and adjusting the air pressure in the tires.

Thanks for all your support and prayers!

Sang at Indy Chapel Services!!

We had two great services last Sunday at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Very well attended and great message on the series of beatitudes. Bob's message was on meekness and I sang Lord, Reign on Me and East to West by Casting Crowns. God speaks in so many ways and touches people on different levels. He did so again this past Sunday. He is an amazing God!

Hamilton Qualifies 18th!

After a gearbox issue in the first practice session on Saturday, Davey qualified 18th for the Indy 500! We ran a 223.6 in the morning practice session, but did not have time to set the car up after the gearbox change prior to qualification. He did average a 222.017. I have a few pics below from the past couple weeks at the track! Thanks for your prayerful support!

Ministry as a Crew Member

It has been a very interesting week working at Vision Racing. I have had a number of guys come up to me and ask me if "I was the guy from the ministry". That has opened up many conversations about relationships, church attendance, an explanation of what the IRL Ministry does, and encouragement to have a relationship with Christ. It is imperative to "earn their trust" as you work along side. I also hope that my work ethic reflects the servant leadership of Christ.

I had a great conversation with one team member about struggles with forgiveness as it relates to past relationships. We discussed God's forgiveness for us and our sins and how it is difficult at times, in our humanness, to forgive others. I also had another conversation with another team member about how he "would like to go to church". He also seemed to have other questions and I let him know I was available for those conversations when he is ready. I will encourage him to go to a Chapel service with me this month!

Continue to pray for God to work through me in this team member capacity!

Chapel Services at Indy

We had two great services today at Indy. Vision racing had a day off so I was able to help Bob with the Chapel services. The current sermon series is on the Beattitudes. Pray for a good series and that people would be touched by God!

Food at the Kansas City Rescue Mission

The numbers are in! The Kansas City Rescue Mission collected 3450 pounds of food for the homeless from the Kanasas race! Praise God for His provisions and faithfulness!

Thanks again to Paul Masao and his staff for all their hard work!

Doin' tires for #22 Vision Racing entry w/ Davey Hamilton at the Indy 500

This year, in addition to my ministry responsibilities, I will be working for Vision Racing http://www.visionracing.com/ . They are running a third car for Indy that will be driven by Davey Hamilton. I will be responsible for the pit equipment and all the tires and pressures. This will be my 10th Indy 500 as a crew member!

Pray that I will be an effective minister of the Gospel as I work along side these guys. We are also trying to get a Bible study started at Vision's shop. I would lead that if it come to fruition. Pray that relationships that are established will help that effort and instill trust in the crew members.

Great Day in Kansas!

We had 2 great Chapel services today. Very well attended for the time slots we had. Jessica from Stoney Point Christian Church did a wonderful job on the special music! Thanks again to Jessica and her family!

Kansas City Resuce Mission picked up the excess food today in a U-haul box truck! We donated 30 pounds of soap and will keep you updated on the final food weight count.

Had great oppotunites to pray with team members and drivers today prior to both the Indy Lights and Indy Car races. We offered to all and many participated. Pray for those who are still opposed. Had a great conversation with an engineer today that I had talked to int he past. He wanted to know what happened when I gave my heart to the Lord. We talked briefly about head knowledge verses heart knowledge and what it means to live for God. Since this was directly prior to the race, I invited him to sit down with me sometime to talk through that. He accepted, but said I would not convince him. I told that my job was to present the truth, not to change his mind. I told him that was up to God! His name is Len. Please pray that God would soften his heart........

Long Day at the Track

I left my hotel this morning about 7:30 AM and returned around 10:00 PM!

One incident... Mario Moraes hit the wall and was unhurt. Father Phil and I met him at the infield care center where he was released. I took him and his team owner back to their gargage area on the IRL Minstry golf cart.

Had an opportunity to meet the singer for our Chapel service tomorrow; Jessica and her mother Diana. They are from Stoney Point Christian Church in Kansas City. I got them their credentials and showed them around the track. We had some great Christian conversations and swapped stories of just how amazing our God is! She will be singing for our Chapel services tomorrow at 8 and 10.

Met with Indy Lights drivers Mark Olsen and Jake Slotten today. Had a chance to get to know them a little better and pray with them together before they started their morning practice sessions. Neat time in the Lord.....

Talked with many of the Indy Car crew members waiting in the qualifying line. Good connection with many of those guys.

Pray for good Chapel services and safe races tomorrow! Thanks again for your support!!!!!!

At Kansas!!!!!!!

Made it to Kansas safely today! Met with Paul Masao from the Kansas City Rescue Mission today. They will receiving the food donations from this weekend's race! I prayed with him today that God would bless their mission and their efforts this weekend.

Chaplain Bob and I had a great time of prayer today. We prayed for the weekend and various items concerning the ministry. You can help by praying for the following items: connections and relations, that we would represent Christ well, future financial IRL Minstry provisions, chapel services on Sunday and a safe weekend for all involved.

More updates tomorrow night!!!!! Thanks for your prayers and support!!!!!!

9200 lbs!!!!!!

That is how much food was donated to the local St. Petersburg food kitchen and shelter at this past weekend's race! Thanks to Chef Bill for picking up all the food. Also thanks to all the IRL hospitality organizations that donated their left over food! We also collected approximately 50 pounds of soap and shampoo from the IRL community! This was also donated to the local shelter. This is a great way to show God's love and provisions. Pray that this food will be used effectively to promote the Gospel of Christ while feeding the less fortunate!

God was Present!

God presence was evident today! Started with Jeremy from a local Christian church. He sang a couple songs for the Chapel service today. Marvelous job. Had an Indy Lights race and an IRL race today. Bob and I prayed with the teams on the grid. Some individuals refused. All teams participated at some level! Praise God for that! God gave us safe races and provided lots of opportunities to talk with crew members and drivers. We collected over 50 pounds of soap and shampoo. This was all given to the local homeless shelter along with all of the leftover food from the team and corporate hospitality locations. Pray I will make it home safe tomorrow! God Bless you all!!

Qualifying day....

We had a slim turnout at the Indy Lights Chapel, so we ended having a prayer service instead. We prayed for the day, drivers, teams, crew, etc. It was very appropriate for the busy day. God sometimes leads us to do things that are different from our "worldly" plans. Today was one of those days! Hunter did the invocation for the Indy Lights race today and Bob and I prayed with the teams on the grid before the race.

Thanks for your continued prayers and support!

Update from the track.....

Had a good day today. Began the day with prayer. Then went right into logistics, credentials, etc. Met Chef Bill from the local shelter. He is picking up the food this weekend. He admitted to me his faith in God is lacking. We talked about how God works and what it means to have faith. I prayed with him be fore he left the track. Pray for Bill that the Holy Spirit will show him the Way!

One Indy Lights Chapel tomorrow at 1:00 with their first race of the weekend tomorrow at 4:45. Watch for more updates tomorrow!

Made It to St. Pete!

Made it to the St. Pete track today. Spent most of the day running around working thru credential issues, scheduling the Indy Lights Chapel service time and location. Hanging chapel flyers at the Indy Lights transporters. Talked with a few of the crew guys along the way. Some of the same ones I prayed with last weekend.

Continue to pray for protection, wisdom, and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in all things. The Indy Lights chapel is at 1:00 on Saturday and the Indy Car Chapel is at 8:00 on Sunday.

Thanks for your support and may God continue to bless you!

Wendy in Seat 16E

On my flight from Miami to Atlanta, a girl named Wendy sat next to me in the plane. We hadn’t spoken for most of the flight when she asked me what I was doing in Miami. I told her about the IRL Ministry. She said she believed in a “higher power”. Then she quipped by saying “I suppose you are going to tell me I need to go to church”. We then proceeded to talk about people’s perception of what Christianity was and I told her that going to church wouldn’t get her to heaven, but she needed to have a relationship with Christ. We talked about how to do that and what that meant. We talked about living in a fallen world and that we are all sinners that need a Savior in Jesus. I told here how He came to this earth to fill the gap between a sinful world and a Holy God. As our time was running short, she told me about a book she was reading about figuring out what we are doing in this world. I suggested a couple others and also gave her a plan of salvation outline with scripture references. She told me she would look those up. She looked at me and said “it wasn’t an accident that she was sitting here”. I said these encounters are not accidents but they are orchestrated by God himself. She told me again, “You don’t understand, I switched my seat right before the flight so I could sit closer to my boyfriend, but he is way in the back”. She said, “I was supposed to talk to you today”. She thanked me and we went our separate ways. Pray for Wendy. That she finds Christ and that she figures out why she is here……. God is amazing……

Great Race! Greater God!

Today was filled with two races, two chapel services, two catholic masses, 4000 pounds of food and lots of prayer! Wow.... Bob's message was about an "All access pass to God" and it tied directly to our relationship with God. An open invitation was offered to all. Sent approx. 4000 pounds of food to two local Community Outreach shelters. At both races, there were so many cars and drivers in both the Indy Lights and Indy Car series, Bob started at the front of the grid and Hunter and I started at the back and we prayed with every team until we met in the middle! Many of the teams were glad to see us others refused to pray, but we offered to all! Some embraced, some looked at me funny, some were eager, some walked away. Our job is to share Christ. I believe we did that today.

Made some great connections today! Had conversations with different drivers, crew members, and track workers about forgiveness, God's protection, disappointment, going to church, the fact that "being a nice person" is not what Christianity is about, and loving Jesus.

God is sovereign, He is good, He provides, He protects, He saves. I have felt the prayers of many brothers and sisters in Christ. I felt protection, guidance, calm, and the leading of the Holy Spirit. Thank you to all that have prayed! Praise God for He is good!

Great Day!

Had a great day yesterday at Homestead. Was able to make some good contacts with people in the garage area. Had an opportunity to pray with a crew member and driver I know that were very nervous about their first practice session. Worked with a local mission representatitve, Bud, to coordinate food pick up for the hoeless shelter after the race. Had a great time in prayer with him asking God to bless these efforts and take this food relief would give Glory to Christ!

I'm singing today at the Chapel services at 9:15 & 4:00. Pray that God would speak through Bob and sing through me! Thanks for your support!

First Day at Homestead!

Got to Homestead today around noon. Worked on a number of different things such as new IRL Ministry display pictures, new decals on the new golf carts, and met with a number of the chefs from the various IRL teams and sponsors to coordinate the food ministry deliveries and pickups. Met briefly with Father Phil, Bob, and Champ Car chaplain Hunter Floyd. Saw a lot of people I have known from past seasons and teams. It is always good to see old friends. Had dinner with Hunter Floyd at, you guessed it, a Mexican place. Great food! Really enjoyed my time with Hunter. He is a genuine man of God. He has years of experience in motorsports ministries and he loves the Lord dearly. I pray I will get to know him better over the season and learn from him as we spend time doing ministry together.

All four of us will be meeting tomorrow morning to go through logistics and responsibilites. I look forward to tomorrow and how I can humbly serve God in this place. I pray that I will have a "feet washing" mentality to be just like Jesus!

K Love / Air1 Meeting

Bob Hills and I had another meeting with Mike Mankel of K Love/Air1 radio and Chuck Petersen of Peterson Engineering today. It is always exciting to talk with Mike. He loves Jesus and wants to do whatever it takes to find ways to bring others to a saving knowledge of Christ! It doesn't appear that K Love will be able to be a part of Community Day at the Indy 500 this year, as there are no further openings for musical groups on that day. We hope and pray that they will be able to be a part of the 2009 Indy 500 activities. There may be other opportunities for K Love to be involved in some way at IMS this season with other events.

We also brainstormed ways that the IRL Ministry can partner with K Love for future sponsorship opportunities for the IRL Transporter and other events. God is definitely at work in this relationship. It is exciting to think of the possibilities. We will continue to pray to follow God's lead and timing on all of them!

Artist Rendering in Process!

Anne from Chicago is putting together a concept rendering of the IRL Ministry Transporter. The pencil sketch is complete and she will be finalizing the rendering by adding color. As soon as the sketch is available, I will post it here.

Thanks Anne for all your help!

Champ Car Chaplain, Simulator, & More Travel Logistics

We welcome Champ Car Chaplain Hunter Floyd to the IRL Ministry! Hunter is going coming over from the Champ Car series and will be helping us this year at the IRL races. I have known Hunter for a number of years and he is a great man of God. I am excited to work beside him this year!

Took one of our Indy Car simulators to Brookville Community Church this past weekend for mission trip fund raiser they were hosting.

Working on all my travel arrangements for the June and July races!

Continue to pray that the travel money would be spent frugally and that we would get good deals on flights, hotels, and rental cars. God is continuing to bless all these efforts and I thank Him for that every day!

My Scheduled Races - 2008

Below are the races that I will be attending for the IRL Ministry in 2008. There is a chance that I still may work for a team for the Indy 500. If that happens, I will work ministry events as my schedule permits. I am trusting God that he will work all that out!!!

3/29/2008 - Homestead-Miami Speedway
4/6/2008 - Streets of St. Petersburg
4/27/2008 - Kansas Speedway
5/25/2008 - 92nd Indianapolis 500
6/1/2008 - The Milwaukee Mile
6/22/2008 - Iowa Speedway
6/28/2008 - Richmond International Raceway
7/12/2008 - Nashville Superspeedway
7/20/2008 - Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course
8/9/2008 - Kentucky Speedway
8/24/2008 - Infineon Raceway
8/31/2008 - The Raceway at Belle Isle Park
9/7/2008 - Chicagoland Speedway

Mark Olson - IPS Driver

Mark Olson will be running road courses for Michael Crawford Motorsports and possibly a couple ovals if the funding comes through. He was introduced to me by Chuck Petersen (one of the individuals in the KLOVE meeting). Mark is a Christian and is interested in helping the ministry as a Christian driver. Please pray for Mark as the season starts for funding, safety, and God's blessings on this opportunity.

Great Meeting with KLOVE (& others)!!

Had a great meeting with the rep from KLOVE and other individuals interested in working with the Ministry. One of the goals is to have a concert to promote air1, an affiliate station to KLOVE. You can listen to air1 streaming at www.air1.com. All these guys love Jesus and their main goal is to bring others to the saving knowledge of Christ. We'll keep you updated as details become available!

Additional Support Continues to Come In!!!

Praise God for providing our every need!!! Additional support continues to come in thanks to indivduals who love Christ and want to support me and the IRL Ministry. I want to personally thank these individuals and I pray that God may "open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it." Malachi 3:10b

May God continue to bless you and your family!

Trailer is Done & Headin' South!!

The trailer graphics are complete on the trailer and it, along with Bob and the IRL Ministry motorcoach are heading south for the IRL tests at Homestead and Sebring!!!!!

Trailer is Getting a Ministry Makeover!

Employees from Business Art & deSigns are working diligently on the IRL Ministry trailer updating it with custom decals with the IRL Ministry logo and IRL schedules. The time and decals were donated by Business Art & deSign!! It will be unmistakable that this trailer is doing God's work! Check out the mission statement on the side... Thanks to Bart and all his guys for the hard work!!!!!!!

K-Love Meeting Date Set!

The meeting date has been set to meet with Mike Mankel from K-Love radio station. We will be meeting on the evening of 2/27/08. There are some local individuals who are also interested in the IRL Ministry and will be meeting with us as well. We will be discussing how K-Love, local promoters and Christian recording artists can be involved with the IRL Ministry. It will be very interesting to see what God has in store!!!!!!!

Equipment Coming Together

The week of 2/11 we picked up our two new (used) golf carts. These will replace the carts that were stolen earlier in the year. We delivered them to the warehouse that contains the IRL Ministry motor coach and trailer. We also delivered the Target Indy Car simulators to the same location. We are working on getting everything secured in the new trailer. Panther Racing helped with some internal welding for the mounts needed to secure the simulators. The trailer will also transport our new sound system and Bob's Harley.

K-Love and Building 429

God is nothing short of amazing... My wife and I attended the Building 429 concert last night at the Indianapolis Baptist Temple/The Life Center in Southport. It was an amazing concert and those guys definitely have a heart for Jesus. I met representatives from K-Love radio station and Building 429 and we talked briefly about the possibility of having Building 429 play at one of the IRL events and/or K-Love sponsor the event. When I approached them to discuss this they told me that just a few weeks prior they had discussed how they wanted to get involved with the IRL and/or the Indy 500. God made our paths cross last night! We will be meeting with a K-Love representative within the next few weeks to discuss potential opportunities. God has the plan. It is up to us to follow it!!!!

New Trailer!!

The IRL Ministry is getting a new trailer! Our old trailer is being traded for the one shown pictured here... thanks to Sinden Racing Services! The new trailer is larger and will provide room for the golf carts, sound system, 2 indy car simulators, and, of course, Bob's motorcycle. It will be towed behind the motor coach to all the IRL Events (except Japan of course).

The trailer is currently getting new tires and some general maintenance. This is thanks to Sinden Racing Services. It will then get brand new graphics on the side and back thanks to Bart at Business Art & deSigns (http://www.businessart.com/). I'll update the blog as pics are available of the trailer with the new graphics.

God continues to bless the IRL Ministry and our efforts by putting key people in our paths that are volunteering their time and talents to benefit the ministry. The goal of these logistics is obviously to reach others for Christ!!

Arrangements for Homestead and St. Pete Races are complete!

The travel and hotel arrangements are complete for the Homestead and St. Pete races. The flights were a little expensive for the Homestead race, but got a great deal on the hotel which made up for it! The flights were cheap for St. Pete and the hotel was a little more.... But, both weekends are well within my budget!!! Praise God!

Special thanks to Sally at Indian Creek Christian Church for making the flight arrangements and Ian from Greenwood Travel for locating the hotel and rental cars and making those reservations!!

I am really excited to see what God has in store and am ready for the season to start!