Accepting His will…  by Harrill Wiggins

 All born again Christians have a testimony of salvation… dramatic or not they still have one. I’m going to save the details of my salvation for another day, but my portion of this story picks up on the heels of my testimony. It was early in the year 2000 and I was a new Christian… just accepting Christ and on fire for the Lord. I wanted to do something for Him because he had done so much for me. So I began to pray that He would use me and show me His will for my life.  Now you Christians out there know that God is definitely not one that you volunteer to work for and not get your wish… and then some. 

 It didn’t take long for me to be pointed in the direction of karting but I kept beating around the bush about what God wanted me to do. I say beating around the bush because I was running from what He really wanted.  I thought that if I stalled long enough that He would change my orders… but God doesn’t change. 

 It was late March and the racing season was beginning.  I was working late in the shop one night all by myself and this struggle I was having with God came to a head.  You see I knew what God intended for me to do but I was reluctant because I feared rejection.  I never said no, but I sure ran. Well, God cornered me up that night in the shop. Was there a bolt of lightning? No.  Was there an angel?  No. Was there a voice from heaven? No… there was none of that. No burning bush and no crack of thunder.  I’m not saying that that type of stuff doesn’t happen; I’m saying it didn’t happen to me. God touches each person differently and mine was a burning inside like I had never experienced before… emotions overflowing.  Many of you Christians know exactly what I’m talking about.

 You see, God wanted me to stand before the karting public and profess my salvation and tell those about him. He wanted me to stand before the same people who have seen me at my worst, known me in my sin and tell about the change. I wrestled with God that night… for what seemed like hours. Finally, God revealed to me what would make me give in… where it came from I don’t know; my Pastor calls it “falling out of heaven.”   I didn’t hear them with my ears but I did with my heart, these words… “I hung on a cross for you, and you cannot stand for me?”  I could type pages about the emotions that I felt at that moment, but what matters is I gave in, I accepted his will… after all, I asked for it.

 The next day I met with my Pastor and told him how I wanted to start something at the karting events.  Even though there had been a few devotional services at select races over the years, there was nothing organized on a routine basis.  After we spoke for some time about it, we decided the best way to start was to organize a short worship service on Sunday at the next National event, which was a Speedway Dirt National in Jasper FL. The two problems we had were, could we get permission and time allotted from WKA, and who would bring a message or speak at the service?  My Pastor agreed to get on the phone and call around the Jasper area and see if he could find a local Pastor or speaker to help out on such short notice, and I agreed to contact WKA about the permission and time.

 Since I was a friend of Tony Barton at WKA, I decided to contact him first. After explaining the situation, Tony was very excited about the idea and worked with us greatly in organizing the service.

 To shorten the story a bit, my Pastor made arrangements for a local evangelist to come and the service was set. Like Mrs. Carol said, that first service was wonderful.  God blessed us with his presence and much to my surprise the attendance was around 150 to 200 people.  During that day I met Mrs. Carol and we spoke a while about what to do next. From that day forward it exploded, God opened door after door.

 You see, God is always working, whether we realize it or not. Yes, Mrs. Carol and I played key roles in this story but we did not orchestrate it. We only see a part of the picture, but God sees all.  I had no idea what God had in mind… I didn’t even know Mrs. Carol and what she had prayed about.  To be honest, it wasn’t until about 4 months ago when Mrs. Carol and I gave this story at my church that I came to know both sides of the story you just read.  Even now, I stand in amazement.

What KFCM is today… 

After that first service in Jasper, our intentions were to have similar services at all of the Speedway National Dirt races that year, but God’s intentions were a little different.  Since that first service, there has not only been a worship service at every Speedway National Dirt race; but also a service at every Speedway National Asphalt race, every Gold Cup Race and with the loving help of Allen Redman, we have had services at every Enduro Series race; not to mention several special events and singings.

Many things have happened since that first service but our focus has stayed the same.  Later in that 2000-year we formed what is now known as Karting for Christ Ministries. KFCM is completely autonomous and is not under the control of any denomination or other ecclesiastical body.  A group of seven karting Christians of various denominations met and discussed the future and focus of KFCM. The group consisted of Robin Bradshaw, Debbie Bradshaw, Allen Redman, Carol Gettys, Bobby Gettys, Phil Petty, and Harrill Wiggins. We established an Organizational Charter and Bylaws, which are available to all members.

Without going into all the details, KFCM is a “faith run ministry.”  This means that KFCM is money less… it’s not “non-profit” or “not-for-profit.” KFCM has no money, solicits no money and accepts no money.  You may ask, “How do you operate?”  God provides. When we established this policy, we saw accepting money as a way for Satan to get in, so we closed that door.  Also, many people avoid Christian activities because some say, “they only want your money.”  Well, they can’t use that excuse here.  Aside from that aspect, KFCM is much like other similar ministries; we simply want to spread the Gospel.

You are invited…

Well, that about wraps it up.  I hope we have shed a little light on the creation of KFCM, and I hope you understand a little better now why creation was a better word that evolution?

As we close, we do want to give a very sincere thank you to Tony Barton and everyone at WKA. Since the beginning, they have helped us tremendously in everyway they could to make this possible. Just the fact that they set aside the time from their busy race schedules to allow us to gather for these services is a blessing in itself.  Please help Carol and I show how much we appreciate their help by telling them the next time you pass by one of them in the pits or simply drop them a note of thanks in the mail.

  There are many others who have played an important part in KFCM over the past two years. The names and stories are to lengthy to list here but the most important ones are those who continue to come to worship with us. The attendance continues to grow at each time we gather, but remember this… there’s always room for one more.

Mrs. Carol and I hope to see you the next time we gather. 

God Bless