The good news is that I wasn’t beat by any driver in the Test and Tune Gambler race, the bad news is that after 5 passes through the day, I couldn’t get the car started, so I had to forfeit second round to Jason Aaseby.  How do you drain two 2400 Amp 16V batteries in 5 passes and a little break in time in the garage?  Simple answers – not being grounded and not getting recharged.  First off, I forgot an extension cord to plug the charger in, so it didn’t reach the car.  Still, two batteries should have been enough given the situation, that is, unless you aren’t well grounded.  My car was built relying on a chassis ground.  It will soon have a cabled, common ground system.  Even though the battery tested out at 15v, plenty to start the car, bad grounding doesn’t let the power flow.

It’s not really any different than our lives.  We can tap into numerous power sources, but if we aren’t grounded, we will end up drained and unable to continue.

Ephesians 3:16-19 encourages us to be rooted, or grounded to experience all God has for us.

¹⁶I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, ¹⁷so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, ¹⁸may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, ¹⁹and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

Tore down the engine yesterday on the race car. Good news is that everything looks great. Bearings were only slightly worn after two years, cylinders looked as clean as they were when I put it together and no signs of stress on head gaskets, etc. Everything was working as it should be and as the performance of the vehicle indicated with it finishing the year with a 10.02 pass, essentially the same as the 10.03 I started out the year running.
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It has been an intersting winter and now spring as I try to get my car ready to race.  The last 4 weeks have been one setback after another and rather costly at that.

First off, I bit off way more than I can chew in totally rebuilding the car.  Taking it down to a shell and putting it back together in my spare time from November to April was ambitious to say the least, but that never stops me.  So, it’s together.  Yeah, a few things aren’t quite as nice as I hoped.  Afterall, it was my first paint job, I was rushed and less than ideal conditions.  However, from 10 feet away, it looks great, and at 130+ mph, no one will know.

So, I’m ready to put it back together and ran into transmission / torque converter problems.  I tried the torque converter on another transmission and thought it was good, so I sent it all to Maryland to have it looked at.  In the fall, it took 3 days and it was on the way back to me.  In the spring, it takes 4 weeks before they look at it and find nothing wrong with the transmission, so I pay to have it shipped back.  Thankfully, I got a great referral from Joe Schmall on the torque converter and had Dick at Midwest Converter rebuild it.  So I put it together.

Oh, since I’m trying to go faster, I need more shielding.  The flexplate shield from TCI fit poorly to begin with but with perserverance and a little force here and there, I got it on.  Only to find out my headers don’t fit over it and it won’t fit in my transmission / firewall tunnel.   So, while I was hoping to race at Grove Creek tomorrow, I’m instead working on other things as I wait for a new SFI approved bellhousing.  No more shield.

So at this point, Brainerd may be my first race, and the first of a new decade for me as I turn 50.

Lesson learned: the first childhood is much easier and much cheaper.
Second lesson learned: patience.  There is nothing I can do about it at this point anway.
Third lesson learned: Grace for myself.  I did far more than can be expected and flaws are inevitable.

But I can’t wait to race.

John 1:1 begins “In the beginning…”  The first thing that should come to your mind is Genesis 1:1.  This familiar phrase takes you right to where it all started in a familiar story of creation.  John’s use of this phrase is not accidental, and in fact establishes a very important fact about the Christ.

It is not unusual to use commonly known stories to convey a thought, an idea,  or concept without having to Read the rest of this entry »

Well, here it is October 27th and racing is over.  Snow has been in the air and it’s time to start working on the car, but first I’m completing a highlights video for the Rock Falls Banquet.  After that, it’s a list of minor upgrades and cleanups on the car to get ready for the next racing season. Plans include building out the cage, doing some bodywork and rewire the car with a new harness.

Meanwhile, maybe I can actually discipline myself to write more posts this winter.

I usually don’t talk to much about my charitable giving, but I wanted to highlight a cause that I have dedicated myself to support this racing season. The organization is HEAL Africa. I have committed to donating 50% of my prize money this season to them and the causes they support.

Why HEAL Africa you may ask? Well, I was first introduced to them through Upper Room Community, the church I rush off to attend on Sunday evenings. HEAL Africa provides health care and dignity to the people of the Congo. You can read more about them at their website: www.healafrica.org. The causes they serve are important and just seem to me remind me of the perspective we must keep as we look at our lives.

I have been challenged through the teachings at Upper Room to reach beyond myself, to touch the lives around me and make a difference. Not through action that exalts me, but rather one that serves and exalts the lives I touch. Giving to HEAL Africa is one way I can do that. At some point down the road, I hope that I can do more than just give money.

We watched a 15 minute synopsis from Schindler’s List tonight at Upper Room. The scene ended with Oskar Schindler lamenting that he could have done more. Even though he saved 1100 lives, he saw that he was still surrounded by belongings that could have saved another life or two. This was tied to our purpose of mission and we were challenged to bring something that we use that could be sold to raise money. Before the service, I must admit, I was challenged and couldn’t come up with anything that I use that I would want to part with. The meaning of sacrifice was a challenge, but it didn’t stop there Read the rest of this entry »

Everyone is a critic, and like each of us, I can be my own worst critic. None of us have our life perfectly together, but I should, at least that is what I tell myself. If I only would have done it differently… I should have started that 401K when I was 20 like my coworkers advised. I should have saved for our children’s educations. I should have … The list could go on, and does. Even though I am successful by most standards, I still fall short of mine.

In 1 Corinthians 4:3-5, Paul makes a bold statement that not only discounts the opinions or judgements of others regarding himself, but also emphasizes that he doesn’t judge himself. How freeing this could be! To live life fully, with conviction, and have no regrets is absolute freedom. Read the rest of this entry »

After a disappointing weekend for bracket race #10 at Rock Falls Raceway, I was informed that I qualified to go to the Summit Racing Division V ET Finals in Topeka, KS. I’m very excited about the opportunity to race in this event against some of the best drivers in the division. Over 500 drivers from 18 tracks attend the weekend and race for the opportunity to move on to the national finals in Pomona, CA in November. Of course, I have no great hopes of going that far, but one can dream.

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Isaiah 40:31 tells us that those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength, they will soar on wings like eagles. This is an powerful verse and provides us encouragement in the times when we are tired, depressed, and run down from the exhausting stresses we find in every day life. I know I’ve found the application of this verse to be true in my own life.

However, we must be careful to remember the source of our strength. It comes from our hope in the Lord. More specifically, the rest we find in the redemption Christ provided through his death on the cross. We can get so caught up in trying to do the good we know that we lose perspective, we forget about the cross and start relying on our own strength. But even an eagle needs to rest. I took this photo on our recent vacation where we stopped in Ketchikan, AK. Here an eagle turned to the cross for a place of rest. We waited and waited for the bird to again take flight, but it sat there. What a lesson for us to learn. Sometimes we just need to sit at the cross and remember the grace that God has poured out on each of us. Thank you God for the subtle reminders.

(In honesty, I touched up the grey, rainy sky, and made it blue, but a great reminder anyway.)