Building Bridges for Jesus was the theme for the RTCA Conference that was just completed at the Embassy Suites in Grapevine just north of the Dallas-Ft. Worth Airport.
For me it was a special and emotional time. It was to be my last conference as a staff member or board member with the RTCA, it was being held in my home state, in my home city and hosted by the council at Lone Star Park, where I started as a council member many years ago.
The "Bridge" to the conference connected us to RTCA chaplains, council members and RTCA family and friends from 18 states in the USA as well as from Canada, Argentina and Australia!
The "Bridge" also connected everyone to a great line-up of speakers, ministers and musicians who encouraged and lifted up and inspired everyone.
The "Bridge" connected us to a time of prayer, for the needs requested as a group and for each other individually.
The "Bridge" also connected us to fellowship with one another. I loved watching people greeting each other with hugs, playing card games, going out to dinner with each other, sitting around the lounge areas and talking to early hours of morning and taking time to pray and lift up each other.
The "Bridge" connected us to Christ through the gathering of the body of his followers, through the prayer and worship times that glorified God and through all the work of the committees that help move the ministry forward on earth.
I loved giving the "Harvest Report" where the bridge extended from heaven to earth through the ministry programs such as the White Horse Festivals and the daily work of the chaplains. Nearly 20,000 souls have been reached for Christ since 2005!
The Bridge to Eternity runs through a racetrack!
Blessings to all who attended!
Edward Smith
Thursday, April 2, 2009
The Miracle in Mexico! God is so Awesome!
The RTCA has been a supporter of my mission work in Mexico for many years, and a great harvest is underway because of the help of planting seeds by ministries such as RTCA.
I arrived in my Mexico mission field over 9 years ago.
My arrival was supernatural and ordained by God and I will write about that in the near future. I was to partner with an incredible pastor and head of a church alliance of at that time some 40 churches. His name is Pastor Cheto. He is a dynamic, energetic pastor, evangelist and leader. He loves the Lord and that love radiates out to all who are around him.
He rarely slows down and moves from church to church encouraging the pastor and congregation to grown in the knowledge of God through bible studies, they break bread together and they take care of each others needs. I feel like I am in a living New Testament brotherhood when I am with them.
I remember the first visit I made down to the area when we went over high mountains and then plunged thousands of feet down to a river. We were led across the river by horsemen and the water came half way up the doors of our truck. On the other side we rode straight up steep trails on the back of horses to small mountain villages were the homes are made of stick, mud and leaves. Over the years of serving with Pastor Cheto I never saw the man tire and the ministry grew to over 60 churches with over 14,000 born again Christians in the mountains and valleys of central Mexico.
And then two years ago Pastor Cheto was struck with an aliment that took his energy away and began to make him depressed and tired all the time. I would drive 1,000 miles from my home in Texas to spend a few days with Pastor Cheto and his family. Praying for him, trying to encourage him, pushing him, trying to feed him and get him to move about. Now matter what we did he just seemed to to get worse. And a year ago he basically said he was preparing to go on to Heaven and be with the Lord.
I told him I did not feel it was time for him to go and that God had unfinished work for him to carry out with his people. We prayed and I embraced a person whose body felt so light in weight and so heavy in depression- he seemed like he was 100 years old.
And then a few months later I received a phone call from him and his voice sounded like the old and energetic Pastor Cheto that I knew. I drove down to Mexico to see him in person. And when I did I saw a man healed by the Lord!
He was again dynamic, energetic and was racing about doing the work of the Lord!
The RTCA is part of the work I do in Mexico with Pastor Cheto and with my missionary partner Rev. Barri Strait. The radio ministry is where I put the RTCA seed money and it is springing up a great harvest that is leading hundreds of people each year to seek the Lord and make professions of faith.
On the phone today he told me that two people were being baptized that night because of the radio program!
I thank the RTCA for the support and I praise the Lord for restoring my Brother in Christ- Pastor Cheto and for the Lord continuing to use Pastor Cheto to lead people to Christ. As Galatians 3:28 says "There is neither Greek nor Jew, Free nor Slave, Rich nor poor, male nor female- but that we are all one in Christ!"
Blessings-
Edward Smith
I arrived in my Mexico mission field over 9 years ago.
My arrival was supernatural and ordained by God and I will write about that in the near future. I was to partner with an incredible pastor and head of a church alliance of at that time some 40 churches. His name is Pastor Cheto. He is a dynamic, energetic pastor, evangelist and leader. He loves the Lord and that love radiates out to all who are around him.
He rarely slows down and moves from church to church encouraging the pastor and congregation to grown in the knowledge of God through bible studies, they break bread together and they take care of each others needs. I feel like I am in a living New Testament brotherhood when I am with them.
I remember the first visit I made down to the area when we went over high mountains and then plunged thousands of feet down to a river. We were led across the river by horsemen and the water came half way up the doors of our truck. On the other side we rode straight up steep trails on the back of horses to small mountain villages were the homes are made of stick, mud and leaves. Over the years of serving with Pastor Cheto I never saw the man tire and the ministry grew to over 60 churches with over 14,000 born again Christians in the mountains and valleys of central Mexico.
And then two years ago Pastor Cheto was struck with an aliment that took his energy away and began to make him depressed and tired all the time. I would drive 1,000 miles from my home in Texas to spend a few days with Pastor Cheto and his family. Praying for him, trying to encourage him, pushing him, trying to feed him and get him to move about. Now matter what we did he just seemed to to get worse. And a year ago he basically said he was preparing to go on to Heaven and be with the Lord.
I told him I did not feel it was time for him to go and that God had unfinished work for him to carry out with his people. We prayed and I embraced a person whose body felt so light in weight and so heavy in depression- he seemed like he was 100 years old.
And then a few months later I received a phone call from him and his voice sounded like the old and energetic Pastor Cheto that I knew. I drove down to Mexico to see him in person. And when I did I saw a man healed by the Lord!
He was again dynamic, energetic and was racing about doing the work of the Lord!
The RTCA is part of the work I do in Mexico with Pastor Cheto and with my missionary partner Rev. Barri Strait. The radio ministry is where I put the RTCA seed money and it is springing up a great harvest that is leading hundreds of people each year to seek the Lord and make professions of faith.
On the phone today he told me that two people were being baptized that night because of the radio program!
I thank the RTCA for the support and I praise the Lord for restoring my Brother in Christ- Pastor Cheto and for the Lord continuing to use Pastor Cheto to lead people to Christ. As Galatians 3:28 says "There is neither Greek nor Jew, Free nor Slave, Rich nor poor, male nor female- but that we are all one in Christ!"
Blessings-
Edward Smith
“The RTCA Screwtape Letters” A Vision and Devotion for the RTCA -Edward Smith
(This devotion has been modified from the one I sent before a EC
meeting held back in 2008-but I think it is relevant for all to read in 2009)
Christian Author C.S. Lewis wrote the book “Screwtape Letters” that was a Christian satire to show that powers of the dark worked in an organized way to destroy people and prevent them from knowing Christ or discredit their life testimony if they accepted Christ. The chief demon “Screwtape” wrote 32 letters to his nephew the demon novice “Wormwood” on how to “handle” the person he was assigned to destroy.
As you know I have been on the road quite a bit along with Dr. Torres and President Waverly and we have been visiting with a lot of our chaplains, working with or on council issues, and seeing all the various places that our ministry is growing, flourishing or facing challenges, at home and abroad.
While traveling I bring books with me, many are about the history of the horse or horse racing. And in some of the books I read the history of many of our Race Tracks. And that history revealed to me why Satan truly believes the tracks are under his domain and a stronghold for his powers.
For example-Hawthorne Race Course in Illinois was founded by, “Big Ed Corrigan”. A rough and tumble guy he so infuriated Colonel Lewis Clark (the founder of Churchill Downs) that he threatened to shoot him, Big Ed tried to take over the Fairgrounds through violence before being driven up to Cicero, Illinois where he carved out the Hawthorne Race Course that became his very own House of Vice with rigged races, paid off police and had a private army of thugs that had shoot outs from rival race track gangs that wanted to take over his race track in the 1890’s!
So, then consider this. Thirty-seven years ago Salty stood against the dark forces that had come into his life on the racetracks. And at the end of his rope and in full addiction he cried out for Christ. And Christ transformed his life and Salty put the call out for others to join him in reaching out to the racing community. And respond they did and the RTCA was born.
And along the lines of the “Screwtape Letters” I began to think about this. That thirty-seven years ago a low level demon at Tampa Bay or Fairgrounds or Belmont began to report people “preaching about Jesus” on their racetracks, and their “demon boss” probably said “nothing is going to happen, it will blow over, just keep pushing drugs and alcohol and sex.”
And the years passed and the reports began to pick up from low-level demons that chaplains were now “living on the backstretches!” and more people were coming to Christ and many lives were being transformed. And the Demon bosses responded- “Make sure you keep the main stream churches away from the tracks, play the pious and self-righteous card, without resources this will go away, keep the workers from the word, push all the vice and loneliness you can on them, separate the herd.”
And finally it hit the fan! The evidence was in. This ministry that was going to go away had chaplains in over 118 racetracks. Just since 2004 over 16,000 of their “own people” in the “strongholds of Satan” had come to the Lord and thousands of people were being transformed and thousands were in bible studies and the RTCA was in partnerships not only with churches and denominations but the people of the horse racing community- Owners, Trainers, Jockeys, Management and workers- were contributing money to the “Cause of Christ”
Further- that the “little jockey” Pat Day (who had slipped away from them despite many programs targeting him) had the audacity to be a part of a RTCA White Horse Evangelism Team (so pray right now for Dr. Torres, Pat Day Kevin Thornton, those that will be joining the RTCA evangelism team and all those connected in serving on this team and all chaplains presenting the gospel on the tracks) and was bringing the word in outreaches right in the heart of the racetrack! How dare the RTCA, the chaplains and their families, the EC Board that was in full agreement with these outreaches, the home office that was dedicated to keeping the work going forward and the councils that were serving on the tracks- how dare they continue.
The reports had kicked all the way “downstairs” to the Chief Operating Officer of Hell himself. Demon heads had rolled, a terrible purge of the demons assigned to the racetracks had taken its bloody run and Big Red was going to handle this himself.
Dear RTCA family this is what my vision has shown me. That the devil in all his evil glory is sitting in his war room right now with his top demonic chiefs. There is a large map of our racetracks and RTCA logo up on the screens and on his video table. He has pictures of our racetrack chaplains and our evangelical programs; he has your pictures and those of our families.
He is calling for unrestricted warfare on the RTCA. His strategy is simple- stop, disorganize or destroy the RTCA by any and all means necessary. His tactics include- to come as a wolf hidden in sheep’s clothing (or horse in this case) and sow seeds of discord and disunity among the RTCA body. To bring physical harm and illness to any and all connected to the RTCA. To attack marriages of the chaplains or create family problems as well as cause financial hardships and other distractions. He works on many levels and at all hours of the day or night. He is bringing denominational distrust or disunity into our ranks, theological issues to divide, and he will attempt to split us apart through culture, language and gender. He is coming with powerful tools and weapons to stop thirty-seven years of ministry progression because he wants his stronghold back for himself.
But, we know he can be defeated. The call for prayer cannot be over emphasized enough- because the war being waged against the RTCA is in the spiritual realms. We must turn this war over to God and be diligent to respond to His action plan.
So, as you read this and reflect upon its words, consider the “satire of the RTCA Screwtape letters” and say, is this just something to think about or is this something that the devil is indeed doing.
It is important to have your mind, body and soul in order for the meeting. You must imagine that the devil sits in on the RTCA board meetings and council meetings just as the Holy Spirit does. The issues on hand that you will deal with are essential to the future course of the RTCA. Let nothing hinder your prayers to the Lord.
God Bless all of you for the work you do in serving the RTCA and thereby those who serve the horse we serve. As you serve in whatever capacity for the RTCA stay in anticipation of opposition or challenges to your work and know that the Lord will untie any knots, overcome all obstacles and show the clear path to His will and purpose for the RTCA.
I will keep you in my prayers and thoughts constantly as I now go to serve at Victim Relief Ministries! Thank you for letting me share this devotional thought with you.
meeting held back in 2008-but I think it is relevant for all to read in 2009)
Christian Author C.S. Lewis wrote the book “Screwtape Letters” that was a Christian satire to show that powers of the dark worked in an organized way to destroy people and prevent them from knowing Christ or discredit their life testimony if they accepted Christ. The chief demon “Screwtape” wrote 32 letters to his nephew the demon novice “Wormwood” on how to “handle” the person he was assigned to destroy.
As you know I have been on the road quite a bit along with Dr. Torres and President Waverly and we have been visiting with a lot of our chaplains, working with or on council issues, and seeing all the various places that our ministry is growing, flourishing or facing challenges, at home and abroad.
While traveling I bring books with me, many are about the history of the horse or horse racing. And in some of the books I read the history of many of our Race Tracks. And that history revealed to me why Satan truly believes the tracks are under his domain and a stronghold for his powers.
For example-Hawthorne Race Course in Illinois was founded by, “Big Ed Corrigan”. A rough and tumble guy he so infuriated Colonel Lewis Clark (the founder of Churchill Downs) that he threatened to shoot him, Big Ed tried to take over the Fairgrounds through violence before being driven up to Cicero, Illinois where he carved out the Hawthorne Race Course that became his very own House of Vice with rigged races, paid off police and had a private army of thugs that had shoot outs from rival race track gangs that wanted to take over his race track in the 1890’s!
So, then consider this. Thirty-seven years ago Salty stood against the dark forces that had come into his life on the racetracks. And at the end of his rope and in full addiction he cried out for Christ. And Christ transformed his life and Salty put the call out for others to join him in reaching out to the racing community. And respond they did and the RTCA was born.
And along the lines of the “Screwtape Letters” I began to think about this. That thirty-seven years ago a low level demon at Tampa Bay or Fairgrounds or Belmont began to report people “preaching about Jesus” on their racetracks, and their “demon boss” probably said “nothing is going to happen, it will blow over, just keep pushing drugs and alcohol and sex.”
And the years passed and the reports began to pick up from low-level demons that chaplains were now “living on the backstretches!” and more people were coming to Christ and many lives were being transformed. And the Demon bosses responded- “Make sure you keep the main stream churches away from the tracks, play the pious and self-righteous card, without resources this will go away, keep the workers from the word, push all the vice and loneliness you can on them, separate the herd.”
And finally it hit the fan! The evidence was in. This ministry that was going to go away had chaplains in over 118 racetracks. Just since 2004 over 16,000 of their “own people” in the “strongholds of Satan” had come to the Lord and thousands of people were being transformed and thousands were in bible studies and the RTCA was in partnerships not only with churches and denominations but the people of the horse racing community- Owners, Trainers, Jockeys, Management and workers- were contributing money to the “Cause of Christ”
Further- that the “little jockey” Pat Day (who had slipped away from them despite many programs targeting him) had the audacity to be a part of a RTCA White Horse Evangelism Team (so pray right now for Dr. Torres, Pat Day Kevin Thornton, those that will be joining the RTCA evangelism team and all those connected in serving on this team and all chaplains presenting the gospel on the tracks) and was bringing the word in outreaches right in the heart of the racetrack! How dare the RTCA, the chaplains and their families, the EC Board that was in full agreement with these outreaches, the home office that was dedicated to keeping the work going forward and the councils that were serving on the tracks- how dare they continue.
The reports had kicked all the way “downstairs” to the Chief Operating Officer of Hell himself. Demon heads had rolled, a terrible purge of the demons assigned to the racetracks had taken its bloody run and Big Red was going to handle this himself.
Dear RTCA family this is what my vision has shown me. That the devil in all his evil glory is sitting in his war room right now with his top demonic chiefs. There is a large map of our racetracks and RTCA logo up on the screens and on his video table. He has pictures of our racetrack chaplains and our evangelical programs; he has your pictures and those of our families.
He is calling for unrestricted warfare on the RTCA. His strategy is simple- stop, disorganize or destroy the RTCA by any and all means necessary. His tactics include- to come as a wolf hidden in sheep’s clothing (or horse in this case) and sow seeds of discord and disunity among the RTCA body. To bring physical harm and illness to any and all connected to the RTCA. To attack marriages of the chaplains or create family problems as well as cause financial hardships and other distractions. He works on many levels and at all hours of the day or night. He is bringing denominational distrust or disunity into our ranks, theological issues to divide, and he will attempt to split us apart through culture, language and gender. He is coming with powerful tools and weapons to stop thirty-seven years of ministry progression because he wants his stronghold back for himself.
But, we know he can be defeated. The call for prayer cannot be over emphasized enough- because the war being waged against the RTCA is in the spiritual realms. We must turn this war over to God and be diligent to respond to His action plan.
So, as you read this and reflect upon its words, consider the “satire of the RTCA Screwtape letters” and say, is this just something to think about or is this something that the devil is indeed doing.
It is important to have your mind, body and soul in order for the meeting. You must imagine that the devil sits in on the RTCA board meetings and council meetings just as the Holy Spirit does. The issues on hand that you will deal with are essential to the future course of the RTCA. Let nothing hinder your prayers to the Lord.
God Bless all of you for the work you do in serving the RTCA and thereby those who serve the horse we serve. As you serve in whatever capacity for the RTCA stay in anticipation of opposition or challenges to your work and know that the Lord will untie any knots, overcome all obstacles and show the clear path to His will and purpose for the RTCA.
I will keep you in my prayers and thoughts constantly as I now go to serve at Victim Relief Ministries! Thank you for letting me share this devotional thought with you.
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