Iron Sharpens Iron

I watched a sports story last night about the Wisconsin Badger's new head football coach, Luke Fickell. I instantly knew he was going to be a success. How? His shirt says it all.

I said to my wife, "Hmm. A Bible verse."

"What?"

"Yeah. The guy's shirt. It's a Bible verse from Proverbs. 'As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.' Something like that."

"As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another." - Proverbs 27:17 NASB

Close enough. The point is the new Badger's coach is most likely a Christian, and 'winning games' is not his highest priority. That's a good thing.

The Bible also tells us to do everything as if we are doing it for The Lord (Colossians 3:23). The blessings will come. This coach has already done that in Cincinnati. And in 2021 he was voted coach of the year.

"Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving." - Colossians 3:23-24

A lot of younger people these days feel like they should be given everything. Good things come to those who work for them. Not only short term but for one's entire life. And beyond.

A good coach will not only teach his players how to suceed in football, he will teach them the truth about God as well.

The Writing on the Wall

There are many reasons why the Packers lost their playoff game against the 49ers this past Saturday. Most would attribute the loss to special team's failures - a blocked punt and a blocked field goal. But there is another reason. One that dates back years. And the number of his name is 12.

When the Packers won their first Super Bowl Aaron Rodgers was one among many who gave the glory to God for the victory, and not to themselves.

Times have changed, and people have changed - like Aaron Rodgers. Rodgers no longer acknowledges God as his personal Lord and Savior. Big mistake.

I was reading a passage from Daniel the other day when I found myself thinking about Aaron Rodgers and anyone else who ignores the majesty of Almighty God - Daniel 5 - The Writing on The Wall.

King Belshazzar threw a party for 1,000 people. Drinking, concubines, you get the picture. They began to worship their gods of gold and silver. That's when a severed hand appeared and began writing on the wall. That frightened the king and everyone else in the room!

No one could read the writing on the wall, so they called for Daniel. Daniel first told a story about the king's father. Verse 20.

"But when his heart became arrogant and hardened with pride, he was deposed from his royal throne and stripped of his glory." - Daniel 5:20

Doesn't that sound like Aaron Rodgers and his failing yet again to win, much less even GET to, the Super Bowl? Here is Daniel's interpretation of the writing that was on the wall.

“This is the inscription that was written: MENE, MENE, TEKEL, PARSIN

26 “Here is what these words mean:

MENE: God has numbered the days of your reign and brought it to an end.

27 TEKEL: You have been weighed on the scales and found wanting.

28 PARSIN: Your kingdom is divided and given to others (the Medes and Persians).” - Daniel l5:25-28

The days of Rodgers tenure with the Green Bay Packers is about to come to an end. Rodgers has definitely been found lacking when it comes to playoff wins. He and the Green Bay Packers will become divided (if the Packers are smart) and the Packers can get back to building a quality team, not around one or two players, but around God.

After interpreting the king's dream, Daniel was given a purple robe and a gold chain. Hmm. Purple and gold. Perhaps Rodgers will get traded to the Vikings. A place where old quarterbacks go to die.

Daniel 5

 

Why The Packers Lose

It's always hard to watch when our favorite football teams self-destruct. Missing tackles, fumbling away opportunities to win, it's sad to see. What happened to the once-great Green Bay franchise this year? I have a theory.

Back in 2010, when the Packers won the Superbowl, Greg Jennings was quick to give praise to God during a post-game interview. That was nice to see. The Packers won. They gave the glory to God.

Oh, everyone loved the Packers back then. But then Aaron Rodgers began to stray. God and church were diminished in importance. The good looking quarterback began doing television commercials. He started dating a Hollywood actress who said in an interview, "We have sex as often as we can."

After crediting God early in his career, Rodgers was now placing God in the back seat. That is not a wise thing to do. Just ask God's people, the Israelites.

On the other hand, look at the Philadelphia Eagles, last years Superbowl champs. Nobody picked them to win it all, their starting quarterback was out yet there was "something special" about them. Their head coach, Doug Pederson, an unashamed Christian, was quick to give glory to God during the Superbowl post-game interview.

Did you know that Doug Pederson has a Superbowl ring as a Green Bay Packer quarterback? He backed up Brett Favre when the Packers won Superbowl XXXI.

 "I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you." - Genesis 12:3

Everybody has a theory as to why the Packers are failing this year. As for me, I feel God is no longer using the Packers to make Himself known. Our focus should be on God, not the Packers.

Aaron Rodgers once said, "I don't think God cares much about football."

You're right Aaron. But God DOES care about those who make much about HIM. And that's the problem, Aaron.

To God Be The Glory - Greg Jennings 2010
Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ - Doug Pederson 2018

Not A Fan

 I was watching the Lions-Seahawks game the other day and I must confess a certain sadness in watching the Lions lose.  Not because I wanted them to win necessarily. It's just that the Lions ALWAYS seem to lose. The looks of the players on the sidelines exemplified depression and loss.

If you think about it, only one team in the NFL can truly feel satisfied with their season if every other team loses. If a Superbowl win is a team's mark of success, 97% of NFL fans experience loss and should be dissatisfied with their team's season.

Look at politics. It's the same thing there. We just had a presidential election in our country and half of the population didn't like the results. That happens every four years but this year was different. The losing team really did not like losing and they are letting everyone know about it. There were scandals. There were lies. There was sexual innuendo. Yet most people felt their candidates did no wrong.

There is no contentment in being a fan . . . a fanatic . . . just disappointment sprinkled with an occasional victory that doesn't last. Isn't there something or someone we can find hope in that doesn't disappoint!?!

:)

Well . . . 

There once was a man who placed his faith in God at a very young age and, although this man made some mistakes and sinned against the very God he had placed his faith in, God forgave him. God could have disappointed him but He didn't. This was the man's response when he prayed to the God he was devoted to. Does he sound like a disappointed fan? Or a devoted follower?

"Oh come, let us sing to the Lord! Let us shout joyfully to the Rock of our salvation. 2 Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving; Let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms. 3 For the Lord is the great God, And the great King above all gods. 4 In His hand are the deep places of the earth;The heights of the hills are His also. 5 The sea is His, for He made it; And His hands formed the dry land. 6 Oh come, let us worship and bow down; Let us kneel before the Lord our Maker. 7 For He is our God, and we are the people of His pasture, and the sheep of His hand." - Psalm 95:1-7

May we all be devoted followers, not fans. Through highs and lows, let us praise Him, for ALL His ways are good. And should we EVER find ourselves disappointed in God, let us examine ourselves thoroughly because if we are disappointed in Him, we don't really know Him.

Facing The Giants - What Are You Living For?

Doing What Is Right

People can do the stupidest things. Yet, we can also do the most amazing things. We're weird that way. We do stupid stuff one day and really neat stuff the next. Why is that?

I think we humans should come with an alarm system that will go off whenever we're about to something exceptionally stupid.

WARNING!! WARNING!! Do not put your finger in that fan!! Do not stick your tongue on that frozen flag pole! Do not check to see how much gas there is in the lawn mower by using a lit match to help you see! And my personal favorite, do not drive off without locking the trailer onto the trailer hitch!!

Today I'm going to tell you two short stories to illustrate both extremes of this point about us humans. My first story is really short. It's about Colin Kaepernick. Are you ready? Here it comes.

What were you thinking?!? End of story.

My next story is about a young man named Travis Rudolph. Most people will not recognize that name, but he made a big impression on me this week simply by eating pizza. Oh, and by the way, he is a wide receiver for the Florida State Seminoles. That's him pictured above.

Here's another picture of Mr. Rudolph. He's eating lunch with Bo Paske, an autistic middle school student. Rudolph was visiting the school when he noticed the red-haired boy sitting all by himself at lunch. So Rudolph asked the boy if he could join him and the rest is history. Young Bo is now the most popular kid in school!

We can easily form opinions about each of these football players. I don't know Mr. Rudolph's taste in music, who he's going to vote for in the upcoming election or what size shoes he wears. None of that matters compared to doing what is right in this life and in my opinion, Mr. Travis Rudolph did amazingly well that day. What he did was almost . . . biblical!

^"8 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable - if anything is excellent or praiseworthy - think about such things. ⁹ Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me - put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you." - Philippians 4:8-9

One of these two football players has done what was right in the eyes of The Lord. The other, well, we must pray for him. And although there may be problems in this world, we must each chose how to address them without alienating millions. Each of these men acted. One acted righteously.

As you and I walk through this world I pray we would be more like Travis Rudolph. This world needs more people like him. Our actions tell others a lot about who we really are. Are we sending a message to others through our actions that tell them, "Hmm, they must be Christians." Or do we look just like "the world?"Let there be NO doubt who we are and WHOSE we are. May we live OUR lives

 "3To do what is right and just is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice."- Proverbs 21:3

"8He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God." - Micah 6:8

Courageous - Casting Crowns

FSU Football Player Eats Lunch With Kid Who Has Autism

Safe!

I haven't really been watching the World Series with all that's been going on around here. I did manage to watch the Packers beat the Vikings Sunday night but that's about it sports-wise. However I WOULD like to use a few sports analogies in this post today to make something clear to a young friend of mine.

During the Packer game Aaron Rodgers threw a short little pass to Jordy Nelson. It was a simple crossing pattern across the middle of the field. But God has gifted Jordy with tremendous running speed and it wasn't long before Jordy was celebrating a touchdown in the end zone.

Prior to his scoring that touchdown, Jordy was running hard. He had to elude some would-be tacklers on his way to ""the promised land." And only after Jordy crossed the goal line did he finally have time to relax and celebrate. What joy for Packer fans everywhere!

Have you ever seen a baseball player, rounding third base and headed for home? I'm not talking about someone who has just hit a home run and is simply trotting around the bases. I'm talking about the guy who is not sure whether he is going to make it home safely or not.

He is the guy who is extremely focused on what he is doing and is running as fast as he can. He knows there is going to be a play at the plate and he REALLY wants to arrive there ahead of the ball.

Maybe he's run past the third base coach's signal to stop. The coach isn't sure whether the runner is going to make it or not. But the runner is focused. As the base runner gets near the plate maybe he sees one of his teammates behind the plate flapping his arms and yelling for him to "SLIDE!!!"

The catcher receives the ball and begins to turn as the base runner begins his slide. The crowd stands and the look to the umpire . . . the final deciding authority, for the signal.

SAFE!!!

Our lives are a lot like that. We spend our time running around, totally focused our our lives and our jobs, that we forget all about OUR final judge, Jesus.

Did you know that God (Jesus) transcends time? He was there when the world began and will be there when it ends. He saw you get born and he has already seen you die. Time means nothing to him.

Did you ever see the movie The Matrix? That scene with the lady in the red dress? All the people are scurrying around, doing the same thing day after day. Focused on their own lives. But then Morpheus says "Freeze it!" Then he tells Neo, "If you are not one of us, you are one of them."

Sounds a lot like the words of Jesus . . .

"Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters." - Matthew 12:30

Matrix Training Video

God transcends time.

How easy would it be for someone to score a touchdown if all the other players were suddenly frozen in place like the people in the street in The Matrix. Baseball player wouldn't have to slide, hoping to score a run. He could just stroll up to the plate, touch it with his toe and head for the dugout. Simple.

It's that easy to be safe in God's Kingdom. It doesn't take much effort at all. Read this from the book of Matthew . . .

"23 And Jesus said to his disciples, “Truly, I say to you, only with difficulty will a rich person enter the kingdom of heaven. 24 Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.” 25 When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished, saying, “Who then can be saved?” 26 But Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” 27 Then Peter said in reply, “See, we have left everything and followed you. What then will we have?” 28 Jesus said to them, “Truly, I say to you, in the new world, when the Son of Man will sit on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. 29 And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands, for my name's sake, will receive a hundredfold and will inherit eternal life. 30 But many who are first will be last, and the last first." - Matthew 19:23-30

We must repent of our sins, realizing there is nothing that we can do on our own to earn our way into heaven. We must acknowledge Jesus as our Lord and our savior. It is our faith in Him and our making Him Lord of our lives, surrendering ourselves to His will, that allows Him to save us. We must humble ourselves and submit to Him is every area of our lives. And in that way . . . as the scripture says, the last shall be first.

"12 Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.” - Acts 4:12

"23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." - Romans 6:23

"8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God - 9 not by works, so that no one can boast." - Ephesians 2:8-9

Fight!

It's football time here in Wisconsin! I know it's still summer outside but the Green Bay Packers are already half way through their preseason schedule! And they havent won a game yet!! Players are battling for positions with the team, and for some, these positional battles mean the difference between having a high-paying job in the NFL or tending bar in some small town back home. Making the team is serious business!

Things get so desperate sometimes that there are actual fights at practise . . . between members of the same team!! Watch this short video and you will see what I mean.

Fight at Packers training camp

These are grown men vying for key roles on MAJOR NFL teams, but in the heat of battle we can ALL lose our cool. When the going gets tough we ALL will take a stand for the things that are really important to us. No matter what our skill level is, we ALL will fight if we are pushed hard enough.

What if you or I really wanted to play for the Green Bay Packers? Good luck with that!! But what if we REALLY wanted to play for them? Or how about this scenario . . . what if we HAD to play for the Green Bay Packers or we simply would die? What would we do? How would we approach our daily lives if every decision we made determined whether or not we would make the team?

Well, first we might analyze the team and figure out where we had our best chance. Quarterback is not an option. Aaron Rodgers has pretty good at that job. Most of us are probably too small to be linemen. I guess I could gain a couple hundred pounds and become "an immovable object." That might work.

Of course I'd need to have a try-out with the team. Hey, I spoke with the chaplain of the Packers once for a few minutes. Maybe he could get me in. Or maybe I could find out where the head coach lives and mow has lawn or walk his dog or something like that. Maybe that would help?

Let's face it. There is absolutely NO WAY on God's green earth that most of us could EVER be good enough to make the roster from the Green Bay Packers, or any other team for that matter, and for me that includes Pop Warner League football for grade school kids! So, what about my "make the team or die" scenario? Well, I guess I should be making funeral arrangements instead of writing this blog because I don't have a snowball's chance in hell. (How about THAT for a major league segue?)

There is another team out there though that is more powerful than the Green Bay Packers. This team offers a tremedous benefit package and retirement plan. And making the team does not depend on how well we throw a football or how many times we can kick a football trough then uprights. It doesn't involve and "skills" at all!! Just a simple belief in the coach & general manager, Jesus.

Even though we don't really have to DO anything to make the team, there are many would-be players on God's Team that act as if they are still trying out. They try to DO things to show God and others that "they have what it takes." It's like they are screaming, "Pick me! Pick me! Look how far I can throw a football!" Those are not the kind of players God is looking for.

God's team is made up of losers. We are the lowly, rejected sinners of the world, not worthy to be chosen by ANY team, let alone God's. Yet we HAVE been chosen! We've been drafted!!

"No one comes to the Father (God) except through me (Jesus)." - John 14:6

If we are looking to "make the team," God's team, we must do so through Jesus Christ. We must acknowledge who He is - The Son of the Living God (Matthew 16:16), repent of our sins (Acts 2:18) and then we must give up everything we have (Matthew 19:21) and be willing to follow Him wherever He may go.

"Then Jesus said to His disciples, "If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me." - Matthew 16:24

There are several believers in Christ scattered throughout the NFL. Aaron Rodgers is one. Tim Masthay, the Packer's punter, is another. Tim Tebow (New England), Ray Lewis (Baltimore, recently retired) but I fear that many more are NOT followers of Christ, but followers of The World. We need to pray for them and for all who have not made a decision for Christ. Because, quite honestly, although they might be "stars" in THIS world, they don't have what it takes to make it on God's team - faith. But there IS a way, THEE Way, Yahweh. Do YOU have a roster spot (in The Book of Life). I pray that you do, because it is nearly game time!

"Peter replied, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit." - Acts 2:18