An Open Letter
From Linda at RFC...
April's article has a
whole new impact in my life since I wrote it. Now, more
than ever, we have a greater sense of urgency to reach
people with the saving grace of Jesus Christ.
Last night, we were
awakened with a phone call that our dear friend A-Fuel
dragster racer, Shelly Howard, was killed in a horrific
accident that also killed her 35 yr. old son. She was
testing a brand new car at the Tulsa Raceway Park (her
home town track) when her car blew over past the finish
line, came back down facing the starting line, bounced
several times, and did a backward burn-out. Then full
throttle, it raced back to the starting line on all 8
cylinders, they think over 200 mph, crashing into her tow
vehicle, killing her son who was in the car.
Shelly's son was
retarded from a birth-related incident. He had the
mentality of about a 12 year old. He was very sharp,
handsome, had a job, and as independent as he could be in
that situation.
Shelly was not afraid
to die. Her greatest fear was what would happen to Brian
when she did.
No one else was hurt
or injured. It's our understanding that a lot of that was
because it was late and no classes had been called to
staging, leaving the lanes empty. The most amazing
reason, is the fact that when everyone saw her car blow
over past the finish line, they all went running down the
track, only to jump out of the way as the car came back.
When it crashed into the tow-vehicle, there was no one
there but Brian.
It is believed that
Shelly was already unconscious from the blow over.
Neither she or Brian had time to fear or feel pain.
I'm grateful that we
were home in OKLAHOMA when this happened so we could be
there for the family. We left our house at 11:30 p.m. and
got back home at 6:30 a.m.
I will always miss my
friend Shelly Howard. She and Brian are the ones that are
with Jesus doing the "Happy Dance." We, back here on this
earth, are the ones who are hurting.
Thank you for letting
me share my heart with you. Please pray for the family
and crew. (She has a husband, 2 daughters, a son-in-law
and a grandson.) You all mean so much to us.
God bless,
Linda Smiley
Racers For Christ
Linda Smiley
April 2005 RFC Article
“NO
MORE TEARS SHAMPOO”
Do you remember that old
commercial on TV of the baby at bath time playing and
splashing in the water? The mom is shampooing her hair and
suds are sliding down the little one’s face, not phasing her
in the least.
I remember when my son was a
toddler. He experienced and tried everything his little
mind could think of. He’d play outside, getting all sweaty
and dirty; he’d play inside and get all sweaty and dirty.
At night, I’d give him a bath, put on his little “jammies”
and he’d go running through the house as happy and silly as
he could be. He felt so good to be clean!
King David said it so well
when he said in Psalm 51:7b and 10-12:
“…Wash me, and I shall
be whiter than snow. Create in me a clean heart, O
God,
and renew a steadfast
spirit within me. Do not cast me away from Thy presence,
and
do not take Thy Holy
Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of my salvation, and
sustain
me with a willing spirit.”
David knew what it was like to
be clean and dance for joy before the Lord, and he
knew what it was to be weighted down with the “dirt”
of the world. He learned early in life, to run TO
God, instead of AWAY from God when he sinned. David
was known to be “a man after God’s own heart.”
In Ephesians 5:25-26, Jesus
uses the example of an ideal marriage to teach us what His
cleansing love is like.
“Husbands love your wives,
just as Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for
her; that He might sanctify
her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with
the word.”
Let THIS wash over you;
Jesus is coming again for His cleansed and spotless
bride (the church), to take her to be with Him forever. He
says so in John 14:3:
“And if I go to prepare a
place for you, I will come again, and receive you to Myself;
that where I am, there you
may be also.”
Sometimes, when we get caught
up in all our earthly pleasures and responsibilities, we
forget that He has prepared a perfect place for us who
believe in the sacrifice Jesus made for our sins. It’s a
“NO MORE TEARS” kind of place. Revelation 21:3c-4 says:
“…and God,
Himself will be among them, and He will wipe away every
tear from their
eyes;
and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer
be any mourning, or
crying, or
pain; the first things have passed away.”
“Therefore, if any man is
in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed
away; behold all things are new!” II Corinthians 5:17
I received an e-mail recently
with this joke entitled, “GETTING
INTO HEAVEN.”
A man dies
and goes to heaven. Of course, St. Peter meets him at the
Pearly Gates.
St. Peter
says, "OK, here's how it works. You need 100 points to make
it into heaven.
You tell me all the good
things you've done, and I give you a certain number of
points
for each item, depending on
how good it was. When you reach 100 points, you get in."
"Okay," the
man says, "I was married to the same woman for 50 years and
never
cheated on her, even in my heart."
"That's
wonderful," says St. Peter, "that's worth three points!"
"Three
points?" he says.
"Well, I
attended church all my life and supported its ministry with
my tithe and service."
"Terrific!"
says St. Peter. "That's certainly worth a point."
"One
point!?!!"
"I started a
soup kitchen in my city and worked in a shelter for homeless
veterans."
"Fantastic,
that's good for two more points," he says.
"Two
points!?!!"
Exasperated,
the man cries. "At this
rate the only way I'll get into heaven is by the grace of
God."
"Bingo, 100 points! Come on
in!"
We often try
to fix problems with WD-40 and duct tape.
God did it with a nail.
Heaven is going to be so much
greater than we can ever imagine! John had a difficult time
even putting it into words in the 21st chapter of
the book of Revelation. The best he could do was to
describe it using “precious, costly gem-stones” and
“pure transparent gold” and “pearls.” He said, “…there
is no need for the sun and the moon because the glory of the
Lord will illumine everything.”
To be with God forever is
heaven. Our passport to get there is by grace through Jesus
Christ as it says in John 3:16:
“For God so
loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that
whosover
believes in
Him, should not perish, but have everlasting
life.”
When we believe, the time will
come for Jesus to return to take us to that indescribable
place called heaven. Larry and I look forward to seeing
you there. When that happens, we will all be a part of the
greatest “NO TEARS” party and feast ever planned! We
will all be doing a “Happy Dance” with King David and
all the angels in heaven!
God bless you.
Linda and Larry Smiley
Team
Racers For Christ
P. O. Box
129
Arcadia,
OK 73007-0129
405-396-2268 home
405-834-4301 cell
IMFORGOD@aol.com
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