American Racing News Vol 1, Issue 2 Issue 5 | Page 20

Straight Line

By Jim Jack

Only Those Who Dare…Drive the World Forward
The men and women who drive highpowered drag racing machines are incredibly daring—to say the least. Visual experience suggests it takes plenty
of intestinal fortitude to step on the
gas and accelerate to over 100, 200, or
300 mph in three or four seconds.
Accepting the challenge to drive fast is
a daunting encounter for the faint of
heart. It’s quite a feat… if you can take
the heat…while in the driver’s
seat…the finish line you expect to
meet…in
only
a
thousand
feet…hopefully a win light there to
greet…anticipating a feeling that’s oh
so neat…unlike a heartbreaking
defeat…holding the trophy is clearly a
treat.
In the world of motorsports—which
encompasses a very minute part of
world history—there are driver’s who
were record holders, won championships, or became famous. These individuals drive the competition to want
to be better in their chosen endeavor.
Therefore, the drive to excel drives
many people to achieve greater success.
One of the reasons for history class in
school is not only to inform, but to
inspire others to learn about the great
people who’ve paved the way. Without any knowledge of past champions
in their respective fields, i.e. science,
medicine, astronomy, writing, and
motorsports, how would we know
what these people dared to do—some
exploring the unknown?
The word dare means; to be brave,
take a risk, challenge something. As a
drag racing driver, you take risks, and
bravely challenge to go faster than

anyone. Drivers become daring because they have faith in their racing
machine. Therefore, daring to understand the Gospel is also something
revealed by faith.
Progress—not dare—should be made
daily in all avenues of life. Many people simply take the easy road, as it
looks like the way of least resistance.
But daring to make eternal waves—
where it will benefit the lives of others—is the proper path to drive on.
People like Galileo, Sir Isaac Newton,
Jonas Salk, George Washington Carver, Abraham Lincoln, dared to drive
the world forward with their gifts and
influence, leaving a legacy for all to
remember.
Others like Noah, Abraham, Moses,
John the Baptist, and Jesus, were people who dared to change the world in
their specific way…that affects what
we do and say…how we work and
play…reflecting a glimpse of an authentic Son ray…better than finding a
needle in the hay…as they blessed us
to live for a future day.
We’re all called to do much more than
we know this very day. We were not
created to hang around for a few decades then disappear without a trace
of impacting others. Do you dare to
drive the world forward? Do you dare
to make a difference? Do you dare to
accept a challenge? Do you dare to
bravely step out in faith?
Names like Ron Braaksma, Don
Ermshar, Clinton Anderson, Kyle Walker, and Sonny Jones, were men who
dared to drive the world of drag boat
racing forward.

Or these names, Peter, Paul, James,
and Joseph, were men who dared to
drive the world of eternal life forward.
They weren’t shy. They weren’t worried about risking their necks. They
weren’t afraid of what others would
say or do to them. They accepted the
challenge and went for it. They bravely dared to walk down the narrow
road.
They were bold… hot, not cold…
preached what they were told…were
not made of fools gold…their spirits
were tightly rolled…on their feet was
found no mold…their words no one
could hold…they were solidly in the
eternal fold.
If you have the opportunity to drive
the world forward, will you go for it or
will you pass? If you have the choice of
becoming a world champion racer, or
world renowned minister of the Gospel, which would you choose? If you
choose racing, you could become famous. If you choose ministry, you
could become a mighty warrior known
throughout heaven.
But, you could choose both, and be
known as someone who made an
eternal decision to serve God in racing, killing two birds with one
stone…with no reason to moan…no
need to break a bone…or behave like
Al Capone…or raise your voice
tone…no need for a second mortgage
loan…you’ll simply end up in the unequaled zone.
I dared to take that initial step of faith
twenty seven years ago, and with that
decision, God placed me in the seat of
His best hot rod, handing me the keys