Connections
“Connecting People to God and Each Other”
God Speed Ministry E-letter -- Oct 2011
God Speed Ministry
“Connections” is a
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In This Issue
HERE’S WHAT’S GOING ON IN GODSPEED
At the Division 2 East Team Finals, five people accepted Christ! God is great!
The teen division of GSM, InVision, is growing! If you want to be a part of this on any level
please contact lisa@godspeedministry.com. We are specifically looking for divisional
InVision chaplains, teen leaders and Christian resources for teens.
Don’t forget about our RACER PARTY at the Summit World Finals! Friday night in the
Summit Tent from 7:30 until.
 Love – The Current…
Many, many thanks to all who have already donated or signed up to help! If you still want
to sign up for something, choose from the list below:
-Donations for BINGO prizes
-Tables, cooking pots
-Salad, desserts, drinks
 Monthly Video
Feature
Email Renee@godspeedministry.com or call 704-473-4212 with questions or to sign up.
We look forward to seeing everybody there for a GREAT time!!
 What’s going on in
Godspeed
 Coincidence or Plan?
 Practical Christianity
Prayer Concerns &
Praise Reports
**Praise the Lord for
new believers recent
events. Please be in
prayer for these guys!
**Pray for upcoming
elections
**Pray for marriages
and families
**Pray for the leaders
of our nation, our
towns, our schools and
our racing
LOVE – THE CURRENT OF THE KINGDOM OF GOD
By Renee Bingham
It is my firm belief that most human beings live far below the level of life God intended we
should live. It is also my firm belief that Jesus Christ paid far too high a price, His Life, to
purchase Abundant Life for us to continue to live in bondage to sin, debt, sickness and
disease. It is the mission of my life to discover how to live this Abundant Life and then
share that knowledge, by word and example, so you can experience God’s Abundant Life
here, now and forever.
Love – The Current of the Kingdom of God
Christian love—the highest and best gift
1-3 If I speak with the eloquence of men and of angels, but have no love, I become no more
than blaring brass or crashing cymbal. If I have the gift of foretelling the future and hold in
my mind not only all human knowledge but the very secrets of God, and if I also have that
absolute faith which can move mountains, but have no love, I amount to nothing at all. If I
dispose of all that I possess, yes, even if I give my own body to be burned, but have no love,
organizations.
**Pray for the lonely
and brokenhearted.
**Be in prayer for the
vision of God Speed
Ministry
Follow all prayer
requests at our Prayer
Site or join our prayer
chain! To become a
prayer partner email
Renee@godspeedminsi
try.com.
Upcoming Events:
Oct 5-9 D2 North Team
Finals
Oct 7-9 D4 Team Finals
Oct 14-16 VMP Sportsman
Spectacular
Oct 14 Racer Party
Divisions:
Patriots Div. 1
Heat Wave Div. 2
Northstars Div. 3
Renegades Div. 4
Thunder Div. 5
Raiders Div. 9
Contact Us:
God Speed Ministry
Renee Bingham
I achieve precisely nothing.
4 This love of which I speak is slow to lose patience—it looks for a way of being
constructive. It is not possessive: it is neither anxious to impress nor does it cherish inflated
ideas of its own importance.
5-6 Love has good manners and does not pursue selfish advantage. It is not touchy. It does
not keep account of evil or gloat over the wickedness of other people. On the contrary, it is
glad with all good men when truth prevails.
7-8a Love knows no limit to its endurance, no end to its trust, no fading of its hope; it can
outlast anything. It is, in fact, the one thing that still stands when all else has fallen.
13 In this life we have three great lasting qualities—faith, hope and love. But the greatest
of them is love. 1 Corinthians 13:1-8, 13 (PHILLIPS)
Love is the current of the Kingdom of God. It is the power with which we are to operate
our lives. Without it we are “useless nobodies” and “achieve precisely nothing.”
Now before you get offended by that last statement, let us compare human love with
God’s love.
Human love is based on what others can do for us and also has certain conditions
attached. When we say, “Don’t ever cross that line with me,” we are establishing
conditions. We have preconceived ideas of what we can and will “put up with” from other
people. Once those lines are crossed we get “up on our high horse” and ride away in smug
self-righteousness, protecting ourselves.
God’s love is unconditional. Love knows no limit to its endurance, no end to its trust, no
fading of its hope; it can outlast anything. It is, in fact, the one thing that still stands when
all else has fallen. (v. 7-8) That is great news for us as people who are learning to live
God’s way in a world where most people are seriously concerned with protecting
themselves. You and I were once participants in that way of life where we looked out for
#1 at the expense of others. We sometimes fail in pressure situations where we should
love the irresponsible driver who just cut us off in traffic, the spouse who just pushed that
button AGAIN, etc., etc.
Christianity must be practiced to be perfected. The Apostle John wrote, “It is only when
we obey God’s laws that we can be quite sure that we really know him. The man who
claims to know God but does not obey his laws is not only a liar but lives in self-delusion. In
practice, the more a man learns to obey God’s laws the more truly and fully does he
express his love for him. Obedience is the test of whether we really live “in God” or not.
The life of a man who professes to be living in God must bear the stamp of Christ……The
man who loves his brother lives and moves in the light, and has no reason to stumble. But
the man who hates his brother is shut off from the light and gropes his way in the dark
without seeing where he is going. To move in the dark is to move blindfold.” 1 John 2:3-6,
11
John teaches how love gives life and light. Love is the current of the kingdom of God. Love
turns the light on so we can live and not stumble.
Gary Bingham
Richard Guy – Division 1
Joe Sannutti – Division 2
All of us have experienced electrical power outages. We can have every appliance plugged
in and turned on but without electricity they are useless. Without electricity we cannot
cook, clean, heat or cool our homes, which are the basic essentials of life. Without love
we do not have the basic essentials of abundant life.
Mike Imhoff – Division 3
Bill Dickerson – Division 4
Carol Rix – Division 5
God Speed Ministry
141 E. A. Bingham Road
And just as we depend upon a source (a power company) for our electricity, so we must
depend upon God to supply Divine Love, the current of the Kingdom of God. We cannot
manufacture God’s love. We must receive it. Just as the electrical panel of our home
controls the function and distribution of electricity from the power company to various
parts of our homes, our hearts receive God’s Divine Love and distribute it to our minds,
mouths and body.
Kings Mountain, NC 28086
704-473-4212
The Word
Romans 8:31-39 NIV
31
God gives us everything we need for life and godliness. 2 Grace and peace be multiplied
to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, 3 as His divine power has given to
us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called
us by glory and virtue, 4 by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious
promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped
the corruption that is in the world through lust. 2 Peter 1:2-4 (NKJV)
What, then, shall we say
in response to these
things? If God is for us,
who can be against us? 32
He who did not spare his
own Son, but gave him up
for us all—how will he not
also, along with him,
graciously give us all
things? 33 Who will bring
any charge against those
whom God has chosen? It
is God who justifies. 34 Who
then is the one who
condemns? No one. Christ
Jesus who died—more
than that, who was raised
to life—is at the right hand
of God and is also
interceding for us. 35 Who
shall separate us from the
love of Christ? Shall trouble
or hardship or persecution
or famine or nakedness or
danger or sword? 36 As it is
written:
You and I just have to turn on what God has given us and unplug the old ways of thinking
and acting. God has equipped us with a new, better way of living. Let’s get engaged with
it! Do whatever it takes to learn how to operate in this new way of life.
“For your sake we face
death all day long;
we are considered as
sheep to be slaughtered.”
We have all spent time replaying offenses in our heads and coming up with things we wish
we had said or done that would have “put them in their place” and made us “look” better.
Now go back to those offenses and look at them through the power of love and think
about what you can do the next time that situation occurs. What would Jesus do? How
would He show love in the face of offense? Jesus looked at the heart and realized hurting,
wounded people strike out at others in frustration and self-defense. It is a subconscious
plea for help and love.
37
No, in all these things
we are more than
conquerors through him
who loved us. 38 For I am
convinced that neither
death nor life, neither
angels nor demons, neither
the present nor the future,
nor any powers, 39 neither
height nor depth, nor
anything else in all
But be prepared for attacks from the enemy. The devil knows that love cannot fail. He
fears love most and will do whatever he can to stop us from loving. While he cannot
separate us from the love of God according to Romans 8:38, he will do whatever he to get
us to trip a breaker in our ‘love panel’ and put that area of our lives out of commission.
We have all experienced a tripped breaker in our electrical panels at home. A circuit is
overloaded and trips the breaker. Everything connected to that breaker is now powerless.
The devil will put offenses, trials and tribulations in our way trying to get us to “blow a
fuse” and stop the flow of love’s power flowing through us.
Maybe there is an area of your life where nothing is working. If you look closely, you will
likely find an offense has occurred. Darkness, bitterness and unforgiveness have
overloaded your circuit and cut you off from the power of God. It is time to forgive the
offender and also seek God’s forgiveness and get the power of love turned back on in your
life.
Is there any way to protect our ‘breakers’ and prevent power outages in our lives? “ ...
these are God’s words: ‘Therefore if your enemy hungers, feed him; if he thirsts, give him a
drink; for in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head’. Don’t allow yourself to be
overpowered with evil. Take the offensive—overpower evil by good!” Romans 12:20-21
(PHILLIPS)
ANY time you sense offense, take the initiative and do something kind to the person
offending you. Remember, we practice loving others. This may not come easily. It may
seem the most awkward thing in the world to do but it is what love does. Practice will
perfect our love.
Practice ways of showing love to offenders in your mind. Then you will be prepared with a
new way of reacting when a real situation occurs. You can keep your emotions in check
and refrain from “blowing a fuse” and losing power. Thus you will demonstrate your love
for God, the ability of good to overcome evil and the power of love to prevail in all
situations. That’s Abundant living!
MONTHLY VIDEO FEATURE - LAURA STORY
creation, will be able to
separate us from the love
of God that is in Christ
Jesus our Lord.
Blessings by Laura Story
Find us on
www.facebook.com/GodS
peedMinistry
www.facebook.com/GSM.
InVision
COINCIDENCE OR PLAN?
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Sometimes God orchestrates events that we simply never see coming. Last week I was
driving to the store. It's an easy drive, but I got turned around twice. Now, I'm normally
good at getting myself around, especially in the town I live in going to a store I go to often.
So to get turned around twice was especially odd. After the second time, I thought to
myself, "Maybe this is God's way of keeping me from an accident."
I finally get on the highway going in the right direction and head to my destination. Turning
into the parking lot I get rear ended. Seriously, God?? You were supposed to keep me OUT
of an accident! If one tiny little thing had gone different on my drive, I wouldn't have been
rear ended. Maybe if I had made the turn the first time, or even the second. Or if I hadn't
gotten stopped by the light, or... you name it! I thought God was supposed to orchestrate
strange events to keep me from accidents, not to get me in one!
My car, with its plastic bumper, was amazingly unscathed by the large Chevy truck that
knocked me a good five feet. My neck, not as lucky. The chiropractor said it was a classic
case of whiplash, so we're now working on getting me back to normal. Aiyayai.
And I'm left wondering what the purpose in all this is. My friend, Kelli, was rear ended
while the song Blessings by Laura Story was on the radio. A key line in this song says,
"What if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise." Talk about a sign. And her accident
did turn out to be a blessing in disguise. Is mine?
I'd have to say yes, although I'm still learning exactly how. You see, I'm on a journey. We all
are - a journey with God. And in my journey, I needed a little prodding. It came in the form
of a Chevy Truck and a month's worth of Chiropractic visits.
The morning of my accident God told me: "You don't plan your steps. I do. You don't direct
your path. I do." Coincidental? Yeah, probably not. He's teaching me about walking step by
step with Him, trusting Him for each breath and living out of His voice.
4212
I'm generally pretty hard on myself. But living out of the voice of my Shepherd frees me
from being my own task master. The responsibility is the Lord's, not mine. Because He
directs my steps. Sometimes right into the middle of an accident. But even when I'm faced
with my own weakness, which I hate, and with insurance calls, claims and questioning, I
can be free from myself. This freedom comes from trusting the Lord and heeding His voice
at each step. It comes from being found in Him and giving up my own strength and control.
I could go on about my life, even as a Christian, wielding my power to create my own
destiny, being my own task master and handling life all by myself. Or I could see the lights
of a Chevy truck in my rear view as a sign that God sometimes has a different plan. As
Laura Story says, "He loves us way too much to give us lesser things."
What's the greatest thing? An intimate relationship with our Heavenly Father. Although a
safer drive to the store would have been nice, steps toward greater one-ness with my Lord
will always outweigh the lesser things.
PRACTICAL CHRISTIANITY
Think about just one thing you can do this week to love: 1) someone in your family; 2)
someone at church or someone you know socially; 3) someone in your work; and 4) a
stranger. Make a point to put God’s love into practical action this week! Keep this trend up
for a month and see the difference in your life and in the lives of those around you!
We hope this helps! Share your successes and struggles with us! We’d love to encourage
you along your journey. renee@godspeedministry.com, lisa@godspeeministry.com.
www.GodSpeedMinist
ry.com
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