The Victory Circle

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This past weekend I had the opportunity to serve as a chaplain at the Iowa Speedway. Pastor Mark Young from First Christian Church is the Director of Chaplains for the Iowa Speedway in Newton.

Pastor Mark Young & Other Ministry Volunteers

I met many great people and had a very memorable time interacting with people from so many different walks of life. One of the things you learn about this type of ministry is the importance of flexibility. There are so many things going on at the same time, all over the track; you just stand ready to jump in and help someone, or just back and stand out of the way and wait for another opportunity to jump in.



I went to the track Saturday morning after I finished giving a tour of the Urban Center in Des Moines and the Men's center in Colfax. That was a great time as well. Hopefully I will find time to write about that in a future blog.

I took this picture from the Command Center

After I got my track "workers" credentials I spent most of the day and evening on Saturday just following Mark and meeting lots of people. It was great making laps around the track's infield/pit area, through the campgrounds, grand stand, and up to the Command Center. Then we would leave the Command Center and make another lap. I've had some people how I liked the race?

My response is that I loved the race weekend, but I only saw about ten laps of racing. So as far as the races went, I heard they were good! Most of my time was spent talking to people. And it was some of the most fun I have ever had a racetrack!

I prayed with one young man from northeast Iowa who was having excruciating back pain. He was at our ministry tent so I asked him if there was anything I could do for him. He asked me if I could get him a pain pill because his back was hurting bad. I told him I couldn't give him a pill but I could give him a prayer. I asked if he would mind if I laid my hands on him and said a quick prayer. He said he didn't mind at all so I did. When I was finished I asked him if he was feeling any relief. He said he was feeling a little better. I got his name and told him I would keep praying for him through the day. And I am still praying for him.

Our Ministry Logo

I prayed for another lady who started feeling ill during the race on Sunday afternoon. I gave her and her daughter a ride back to their pick-up on the golf cart. While visiting on the way we talked and figured out that I will be speaking at their church on July 8th! This church is in a town of less than 400 -and there are only two churches in Lynnville. But we had a great time of fellowship while making that run. As we talked about Teen Challenge and what God is doing in her church, we both sensed that we didn't meet by accident and that something really special is going to happen in that church service in July. That was an encouraging divine appointment! Now I am really looking forward to this church service! Before I headed back to the medical center I asked if we could all pray together. It was a short prayer time but it was anointed. You could feel God's presence there in the field where thousands of cars were parked.

On Sunday morning I was congregating with some folks under our ministry tent waiting for Chaplain Merle Smith to arrive to conduct the chapel service at 9:30. We were having some great conversations and sharing testimonies when someone finally spoke up at 9:45 and asked if we were going to have a service or not? I explained that I was just there to assist but since the other chaplain probably got busy with another need (which he had), I would be happy to read some Scripture, share some thoughts and lead us in prayer. Everybody seemed okay with that so I shared a little about myself and the ministry of Teen Challenge and then I directed us to the epistle of 2 Peter.

I read from 2 Peter 1:3-11 and then I shared some brief observations on the verses leading up to 10 and 11. Before I read these words I said, "this is the place where we ultimately want to end up."

"Do these things, and you will never fall away. Then God will give you a grand entrance into the eternal Kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ."     

The drivers have their own chaplains who travel with them and pray with them.

I used the analogy of a driver in today's contest. I explained that the qualities they must have, to be where they want to be at the end of their race, are not that different from the qualities we need to possess to end up where we want to be at the end of our life's race:

(Verse 5) They have to have faith- faith in their pit crew, faith in the guy waving the flags, faith in his car, etc.

(Verse 5) He has to have moral excellence. He needs to do the right things or he will get disqualified.

A view of Turn 1 from where I was standing for the invocation.

(Verses 5 and 6) He has to have knowledge. He needs to know how to race and how to respond to certain hazards and potential danger. He needs to know how hard to push his car and how his car will respond to certain conditions he will face during the race.

(Verse 6) To knowledge he must add self-control. He's got to slow down when there is a caution light.

(Verse 6) Patient endurance. Nobody can be successful at racing if they lack endurance. But you've also got to bridle your endurance with patience. As a runner who occasionally races, I can testify that I like to be in front of everyone else. But I usually do better overall if I am patient in making my move to the front of the pack. I wait for the right opportunity, I run in my strengths, I follow the strategy that my coach helped me work out before the race. It is hard to be patient sometimes. But patience is what often keeps our strengths from becoming our weakness and our passion from becoming emotionalism.

The goal of embracing these attributes is so that we may realize the end result: "Then God will give you a grand entrance into the eternal Kingdom..."

Pizza Ranch is the Corporate Sponsor of Victory Lane at the Iowa Speedway!

I call that, The Pizza Ranch Victory Circle! That is where every driver at The Iowa Speedway hopes to end the race day at! The driver that is escorted and celebrated there; is a driver that has done very well in running his race!

For the believer in Christ, our goal is to one day occupy an eternal victory circle!  Only one driver will enter today's victory circle at the race track because there can only be one winner. But in eternity, there will be many making that grand entrance because of one who died, paying the way for all his followers to be victorious winners in Him! It is His Victory Circle! Verse 11 states....

"Then God will give you a grand entrance into the eternal Kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ."

Thanks for reading this blog. My prayer for all who read this blog will hear those precious words from Jesus when they stand before God in eternity: "Well done my good and faithful servant! You have run your race well. Enter into your reward!"

We have a great vision for this ministry and we are just getting started! If you think what we're doing is interesting, important and relevant, give me a call and I'll give you more details and testimonies and discuss how you might be able to get involved!

You Are Loved!