Quarterbacking for Christ

Jake Plummer is the former quarterback for the Denver Broncos who recently made some comments about the present quarterback, Tim Tebow.  "Tebow, regardless of whether I wish he'd just shut up after a game and go hug his teammates, I think he's a winner and I respect that about him,"Plummer said. "I think that when he accepts the fact that we know that he loves Jesus Christ then I think I'll like him a little better.  I don't hate him because of that, I just would rather not have to hear that every single time he takes a good snap or makes a good handoff."  (AOL.Sportingnews.com)

Tim Tebow's extraordinary life in football speaks of a dedicated and hardworking player who excelled to become a professional football player.  The first ever sophomore to win the Heisman trophy, the accolades continued to roll in throughout his entire college career.  The son of a baptist missionary, Tim along with his siblings were home schooled by their mother until high school.  In college he was given the rare distinction of being selected by his teammates for three years as the most valuable player.  The quarterback leads the offensive players to victory by a list of plays which are either sent in by the offense coach or the head coach.  He follows the plays which have been instilled in him by rounds of study, drills, and scrimmages. 

You are my King and my God, who decrees victories for Jacob. Through you we push back our enemies; through your name we trample our foes. I put no trust in my bow, my sword does not bring me victory; but you give us victory over our enemies, you put our adversaries to shame. In God we make our boast all day long, and we will praise your name forever.  Psalm 44:4-8

I only played school-boy football on vacant lots or on the playground at school.  Most of the time I was the last one selected because I was not very athletic.  Tim Tebow would not find a threat in me for his job with Denver.  However, each believer is part of God's team which will one day defeat His enemies: Satan, Death, and the Grave.  It will not be by our own efforts but taking the plans which God has given us and following them.  God trains us, develops us, scrimmages us, and then encourages us as any good coach to take the name of God, I AM, into a dark world.  Living his faith in a public way has made a target of Tim Tebow from those who reject or ridicule his God.  As a running quarterback, he is accustomed to having the enemy chase him when he carries the ball. 

Well teammates, the ball is also now in our hands.  Hike! 

What Trails Are You Leaving in this World?

This morning I watched as two planes flying thousands of feet in the sky left long, white streams of clouds called contrails.  A contrail gets its name from the words condensation trails.  As the plane flies in the frigid air, the moisture from the exhaust of the engines condenses into puffy white streams.  If the atmosphere is dry this moisture might be absorbed and no trail would be seen.  These trails can remain depending upon the upper level winds and when your eye follows them you might even find the plane which left the stream across the blue sky.

Like following the direction of the contrail across the beauty of God's heavens, the nation of Israel followed the cloud God brought to lead the people during the day and a pillar of fire by night.  As anyone who has ever tried instructing a child to do a task, doing it so they can see always has a better reward. Why?   Students with a visual learning style rely on sight to take in and understand information. They remember what they have seen.

Let the redeemed of the LORD tell their story— those he redeemed from the hand of the foe, Psalm 107:2

This past weekend at the Vineyard, the pastor baptized over forty people during four services of the church.  As the person stepped into the baptismal, they moved the waters.  As they were baptized in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, they moved the waters.  And as they were raised to a new life as Paul said, they again moved the waters.  These are the beginnings of the contrails the believer should make as they travel through this world.  The redeemed of God are to tell their stories of how God saved them from death and the grave, and if they need, they should use words.  As we helped to collect food for the House of the Carpenter, a feeding ministry in Wheeling, WV, Stefani asked me why people would refuse to purchase even a can of soup to give?  I told her they may not know the "Greatest Gift of God" and how this gift changes our hearts of stone for hearts of flesh.  We knew it and it gave us joy to help.  It also was a contrail of our life showing the world and giving testimony of our redemption. 

Happy Thanksgiving!