Fellowship 500 and The Daytona 500

Every year Nascar begins their season with the Daytona 500. It has become the Superbowl of auto racing. Thousand descend to the beaches of Daytona to watch race team qualify for the Great Race. Then comes Sunday, when 43 owners, crew members and drivers put it on the line to win a piece of History and the Harley J Earl trophy.

I have a lot of memories of Daytona and had the joy of attending one race there back in the late 90's. As I walked out of the tunnels into the racing arena I was in awe at how big and ready it all seemed. Every detail had been thought about and the day was on as 100K+ people crowded onto uncomfortable bleachers to watch cars go fast (wow how easily we are entertained).

Today I want to challenge your thinking. If Daytona is that important to our nation and its sporting community, how important is it to do church well and be ready for those God sends us. It just might be that next Sunday when we announce "Ladies and Gentlemen start your engines!", God may have plans for things our minds could never imagine.

The Fellowship 500 is in the planning stages, come Sunday its live and we must do all we can to put Jesus in the poll position, I am believing that many will be hear to cross the finish line of faith.

Here's how you can help: Invest, Invite and Encourage

Invest in someone you know that does not attend church. We don't want church members from other churches, we are partners in ministry and we want to see all churches grow. Invest in those who are far from God. Spend time talking to them, people want to know you care. Help them know Jesus because they know you.

Invite that person to attend church with you. 80% of those surveyed said they would attend church if someone would invite them. When you invest and earn the right to invite, you will be surprised how successful you are.

Encourage people to pursue a relationship with Christ not church. We don't want people to come just to connect with Church, we want people to connect with Jesus. If they connect with Him their lives will be so much better. The world is filled with hateful people who are connected with church, we don't need more of those. But when a person come to Jesus it changes everything.

Lastly, what happens when you do these things and they don't come? Satan wants you to believe you have failed and that it is a waste of time. He is a liar! It may take years for the person you are investing in to come, let them come on their time table and that's all you need to worry about. But I think you will be surprised at how often you see them come. Also remember we live in the Bible-belt, actually the buckle, so don't worry if they reject you, they have had church pushed down their throat's, let God do the work.

Well that's about it for today. Don't forget the count down to green in the Fellowship 500 has begun. See ya Sunday April 12 at 9:15 and 11:00 am.