JAMA Racing Ministry

Many years ago, a pastor friend told me I would have to pass 3 tests as a minister, the gold, the girls and the glory. I have to amend it to say in life you have to pass 3 tests and it does not necessarily apply just to men.

The gold…we’ve never been rich people, that’s just not part of our family history, not in the past nor do I necessarily see it in the future. I have learned to be happy eating hot dogs or steak. Our bills are paid, clothes on our backs and food in our bellies…what more could a person ask for? I am blessed.

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Yesterday we received confirmation we will be streaming over 60 events in 2014. We were waiting on one customers final schedule. This was the group that had a competing company bidding on a portion of their schedule in the 11th hour. It was hard for me to ‘sit on my hands’ while I waited for a decision. However, I knew I had to trust the Lord.

I did make a final email pitch for our services before the meeting with the other company. It was a simple 4 bullet statement explaining our experience and capabilities. In the end the racing group chose to use us to stream all of the races we originally bid on and work side by side with the TV production company. I did not see that one coming at all!

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There are some days when quit looks real good. After the leaking oil line the day before, yesterday was one of those days that just did not make sense. We had an uneventful trip to our first event location. Everything was working good until we noticed the house heat (propane forced hot air) in the motor home was not shutting off. We finally pulled into a rest area and shut it down manually from outside.

We arrived at the track, parked and started set up. Set up is done in a sequential order. Coach set up, satellite launch, equipment and then the production suit. Since we were a day late, it would be essential that we all work to get things done. After we had the mid track camera platform in place, I decided to make a quick check on the satellite. It was up, but no lock in.

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We left yesterday morning for our first event of the year. A little over an hour into the trip, I noticed debris on the lens of the backup camera. It was oil from a cracked line that feeds the turbo. The back of the coach and the trailer were covered in oil. We looked everything over, made a call to the local cat dealer at home and found all of the parts we needed.

My son and I made a temp repair and we turned the rig north for home. An hour and a half later, we backed into the yard. I went to Macon, picked up the parts, swapped them out, changed the oil in the motor while my son cleaned up the mess…and it was a mess! (There’s a sermon in that line.) The kicker, it could have all been prevented. As we got ready to pull out yesterday morning, my son noticed a small leak on the turbo. I thought it would be OK. Had I taken the time to look at it, I would have realized how serious it was and could have prevented a lot of pain for all of us.

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As we navigate our business expansion, each step of the way I am asking for guidance from the Lord. Should I hire that person? Should I use this type of financing? Is this the right equipment?

A few years ago I would have been a mess trying to figure all of this out. Yes, you count the costs. Yes, you search for the right equipment. Yes, you talk to the bank. Yes, you talk to vendors and yes, you talk with your spouse about all of this. However, ultimately, it is His guidance I seek.

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Over the last few years, there have been times when I wondered if streaming video would ‘catch on’ and make all of our work worth while. In the early days quality was marginal and the ability to stream to more than a few hundred computers was almost impossible. There were days when quit looked real good, especially when we’d come to the end of our checkbook and see no way forward.

What I always found amazing, and perhaps I shouldn’t have, is the bills were always paid, we had food on the table and clothes on our backs. We never lacked for any basic need. It was in those times I realized the Lord was with us on this venture and that He had a plan to use our work as a way to show His love to those we came in contact with.

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