And sometimes it don’t.

I get that Mr. Jensen’s article is satirical. Still, it made me think about the not-so-satirical talk I’ve heard by the talking heads of various sorts about “fixing” NASCAR. Folks love to wring their hands and get “wee-wee’d up” over how things are. Specifically, how dare Jimmie Johnson be on the verge of winning a fourth straight NASCAR Sprint Cup title.

The thing I hate about this is that there will likely be rule changes, schedule changes… something…. that will in effect punish Johnson/Knaus for succeeding in the system NASCAR created. The Chase schedule has essentially been what it is since its inception in 2004- and Kurt Busch and Tony Stewart won under that format. And if I recall correctly, pundits were saying that Johnson would have won in 2003 if they had been under the new system, and also in 2004, if it had been under the old system. (And many declared, at the time, that was unfair to Johnson- probably the same ones declaring this wrong!)

The problem isn’t Jimmie Johnson or Hendrick Racing. It’s the simple fact that NASCAR has lost focus on the single thing that they exist for- racing competition. Their desire is for no one to stand out too much, or stink too bad. It’s about sponsorships and money. But what they have lost is the simple notion that good racing, more than anything else, will put butts in seats.

NASCAR seems to think that old-fashioned racing is to low-brow for audiences outside of the South. So they take away rivalries, traditional tracks, affordability, personalities, and everything else you expect in a sporting environment. They even take away competition by trying to “level the playing field”. It’s like the NFL declaring that all linemen must be 6-4, 300 lbs, and not run anything other than a 4.9 forty. Or the NBA setting a minimum and maximum height for forwards, or a cap on free-throw percentages.

So they’ve got what they wished for- a level, one-size-fits-all system where the only thing left to complain about is if anyone succeeds!

I think if Bill France, senior and junior, were alive today, they wouldn’t call Brian France to the white trailer to discuss the state of things. They’d grab him by the nape of his luck-of-birth neck and haul him out behind it for a good old fashioned tail-whuppin’ with a switch. And the whole time they’d be swinging away, saying “It’s about the racing, son. The racing!”

They want to change the rules? How about this? You get in the race based on your qualifying time. Period. You win the race by being the first over the finish line at the end. Period. You win the championship through winning and/or consistency. The teams that win the most get the most money. Don’t like that? Well, then figure out how to do better and you win the most money. If your driver can’t hack it- fire him and hire a wheel man who will hustle that thing around.

NASCAR recently inducted some great legends into the NASCAR Hall of Fame. Of those drivers- Richard Petty, Junior Johnson and Dale Earnhardt Sr., I don’t think any of them would have stood up under the new system. (Just look at the state of the remnants of those folk’s teams as owners….) They became legends on the track racing under the simple notion that winners win and losers lose. Bring a car to the track that’s better than everyone else’s and drive hard and get there “the fustest with the mostest”. Period.

It’s called competition, NASCAR. Look it up.

Thought that was what a “good friend” was for.

Wow. I guess people will buy anything.

Guess it took a study to prove it. (Probably funded with tax money….)

Still, it’s an interesting read. What I found fascinating was it was done on college students. I had always thought my loss of ability to multi-task was age related, but this shows even younger folks face it. Doesn’t mean it doesn’t diminish with age also, I suppose.

I would think further on the subject, but that’s another task. I’ll do that after I post this.

We’ve known for a while my daughter needed all of hers removed. Since they were not bothering her, and it was going to be so expensive, we decided to see if we could wait until next summer. By that time, we’d be on my wife’s insurance.

Well, last week her teeth started bothering her. So we talked about it and prayed about and basically concluded we’d go forward with it now, and trust God to provide.

Now to finish this story I have to tell a side story.

About 3 months ago we got some official looking mail from a local Clerk of Court describing a class action lawsuit. Apparently a company we had a loan through several years back had some issues with how loans were handled, and some people got some lawyers and sued them in a class action lawsuit, whatever that is. Anyway, we got a letter from the court that said we were listed as a plaintiff, and we had to do nothing, but we may eligible for a part of the settlement. To be eligible, we didn’t need to do anything. If we wished to withdraw as a plaintiff, we could.

So we read it over and checked it out and it was legitimate. So we figured we’d stay in it- figuring we might get enough for dinner or something. I filed the letter away and promptly forgot about it.

Fast forward to today. I went to the dentist for a follow-up, and told him my daughter needed her wisdom teeth out. The dentist made an appointment to evaluate her this coming Monday. We’d have to draw on our dwindling savings, but if it’s what is needed, like I said, we would place our faith in God to provide, not our savings.

So I get home, and I’m telling my wife and daughter about the appointment. My daughter checked the mail. An envelope came in from that same Clerk of Court.

It was the settlement check.

More than enough to cover my daughters tooth extraction.

I just started crying. How amazing is our God? How great are His blessings.

Heavenly Father I praise Your Holy Name. I cried out to you in time of need and You made provision sufficient, though I do not deserve such mercy and compassion. Holy God I praise Your name, Most High Heavenly Father.

Please take a moment to watch and this and rejoice with me, praising God for His mercy and provision. How great is our God!

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jjxPG_mRHDs]

And I know any Top 10 list can be picked apart. But my problem is with two movies that aren’t on it.

First, “The Blues Brothers”. I can’t recall where I read it, but somewhere I saw that Jake and Elwood’s little tale destroyed more cars than any other movie. I don’t know if that’s correct or if it still holds, but if you’ve seen the movie, that final chase scene- with police cars and motorcycles and country bands and Illinois Nazis…. it is a classic.

Second, and most grievous an omission in my mind, is the absence of a movie that was nothing but a car chase. It crushed cars, spawned TV shows and characters, started automotive trends, and launched obscure movie quotes for years.

Smokey and The Bandit is not on the list.

In my mind, throw the list out.

If only the Blues Brothers was missing…. I might be able to let that slide. But Smokey and The Bandit? That movie showed car chase, redneck oriented entertainment would work. Dukes of Hazzard, anyone? And look at the sales of Pontiac’s black Trans Am with that giant Firebird decal on the hood…. through the roof. I still hear people quoting Jackie Gleason’s Smokey character even today, 30 years later.

It’s like compiling a list of golf movies and leaving Caddyshack off. (Although I can’t think of any golfing movies besides Caddyshack… maybe that one with the kid from Holes…. whatz his name…. Steve Beef or something….)

And they can’t claim that Smokey and The Bandit’s acting excluded it. I mean….. Cannonball Run made it. (Which also means you can’t exclude Burt Reynold’s movies either….)

Yes, there are more important things in the world. It’s just a silly list. And it’s on CNN…. so what should I expect, I guess?

Still….

I reject their list and replace it with my own. Smokey and the Bandit is number one. Followed by The Blues Brothers. The rest are just chasing those two.

I suppose the world might say I should despair. Being unemployed during a time of financial uncertainty and high unemployment is nothing to laugh at.

Yet I know my Lord, and I know His promises to me.

Jeremiah 29:11
For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

I know God has already prepared a place for me. I do not despair what has happened, but I rejoice in what will come. He has shown me His faithfulness in these last 11 years, so why should I despair? I know He already has the very chair in place, ready for me to sit in.

Lord, I praise Your Name. You are my solid rock, my shield, my fortress. Thank You for Your provision and blessing past, today, and to come.

Friends, place your faith in God, not in your own understanding. He will never let you down.

Blessed be the name of the Lord.

As I’ve seen many times, the light turned green. Yet she was so intent on watching the traffic, she missed it. And still sat. Only when she realized that all the cars were sitting still, did she look up and see- green. Then the inevitable stab on the gas as she darted away, glancing in the rear-view mirror to see if I noticed.

I did. With a chuckle. Been there, done that.

Yet it made me think- how many times have I done that to You, Lord? I am so intent on watching events and people around me, trying to decipher what was going on, that I failed to simply look up. And look at you.

What the traffic was doing did not matter. (At least for the sake of the analogy…. running red-lights is a real danger, I understand. ) The only real authority on when to go was the light. All traffic could have come to a stand-still, yet if the light was still red, you don’t go. To do so would be wrong. Breaking the law. Missing the mark.

So often that is how we go through life, though. You’d think we’d learn. It’s not like God hasn’t made it clear to us for centuries.

Psalm 123
1 I lift up my eyes to you,
to you whose throne is in heaven.

2 As the eyes of slaves look to the hand of their master,
as the eyes of a maid look to the hand of her mistress,
so our eyes look to the LORD our God,
till he shows us his mercy.

Even when I think I’ve learned the lesson, I stil find I’m sitting there, watching the traffic. Oblivious to the light.

Forgive me Father. Give me the wisdom and strength to simply keep my eyes on You.