Driven

I myself am not a huge NASCAR fan, but I know that many people are, especially in this area. NASCAR claims 75 million fans worldwide--for more on this (perhaps inflated?) number, you can check this out--but whatever the actual number, it's significant.

This Sunday is the annual Father's Day NASCAR race at MIS, and it's also the launch of our new five-week series, "Driven." Not being a fan, I recently took advantage of the chance to visit with Tim Booth, the Director of Guest Services at MIS, and I learned a few interesting things.

• During the two weekend NASCAR races at MIS (consisting of 6 days of racing action), the facility plays host to a half million people.
• There are seven different campgrounds at MIS for people to camp at during the race weekends.
• The campground in the middle of the track (the infield) is the most popular. It even has its own convenience store!
• The average NASCAR team requires around $20 million in sponsorships to race a full season.

A lot of people pour a lot of time, money, and passion into auto racing. With the high speeds and the high stakes, it certainly is an exciting sport. But the drive for heaven and for an eternity with Christ is even more exciting! In fact, everything else pales in comparison. The apostle Paul put it this way:

"I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish that I may gain Christ and be found in him... Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus."

This is what our new series is about--the race of our lives. It's about what drives us, what fuels us, what propels us forward. It's about our goals and crossing the finish line. It's about what it takes to take the checkered flag.

Because the reality is that everyone is driven by something. Every one of us has basic motivations that drive our decisions, our attitudes, and our actions. Some of us are driven by a desire to get ahead. Some of us are driven by a desire to get even. Some of us are driven by our fears. Some of us are driven by our egos. We’re taking five weeks to ask two questions: What drives me? and What should drive me? When you’re in the race of your life, you’ve got to know for sure.

I want to encourage you to take advantage of this opportunity to bring an unchurched friend to this series, especially any friends you might have that are into NASCAR. This could be an eternity-changing series for their lives.