Using your head

(duck!)

With all three girls playing soccer this fall I will occasionally flip on a match from the English Premier League to see how the game is played at its highest level. Recently Manchester United was playing Stoke City on ESPN when Man U took a hard shot on goal. A player from the Stoke City side stuck his head in front of the shot and knocked it away. I don’t know if this was a conscious strategy or an instinctual reaction but it was pretty obvious that it hurt. Both effective and painful I couldn’t help but think, “That’s using your head!”

Using your head in a soccer match is one way to move the ball around the field. Using your feet is a better way. The ball gets to its destination quicker, with more authority and with greater control. The head is good, but you can’t stop there.

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding” Proverbs 3:5

Understanding intellectually that everything around us was intelligently designed is good. Accepting that a historical figure named Jesus of Nazareth lived 2,000 years ago is good. That’s using your head after all. But allowing the knowledge to travel the 18 inches from head to heart is how the real life changing action gets rolling.

Believe and trust with all your heart and live in the truth of the gospel. Now that’s living.

Brian

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Volume 6, Number 24

it's never too late

(gooooooaaaaaaaal!)
The FIFA Women’s World Cup featured a match between the United States and Brazil this weekend. I don’t pretend to understand all the strategy and rules of soccer but the basic premise is straightforward. Kick the ball into the net and your team gets a point.

When the US team had a player sent off in the second half they were compelled to conduct the balance of the match one player short. They played incredibly well; probably better than they did with all 11 players. But they fell behind; I shut off the game and left to do other things.

I found out later that the team had pulled off an improbable victory…scoring the tying goal in the 122nd minute… then winning on penalty kicks. They proved it’s never too late to get the outcome your heart desires.

“Pray without ceasing”
1 Thessalonians 5:17

I’m pretty certain that Paul didn’t mean for us to literally pray 24/7. Instead he is exhorting us to never give up on praying for that which we hold dear. And to never give up the belief that our prayers will be answered. Many of us know someone who has prayed for years for a family member or a friend to kick an addiction or find salvation and finally saw the fruit. We can see examples from the Bible like Hannah or Sarah who prayed unceasingly and saw their prayers answered.

We might not get the answer until the last minute…but we won’t get it at all if we stop believing!


Thanks for all you do.

Brian
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Volume 6, Number 14