Tuesday, June 11, 2019

Letter to our little church group: Spiritual Exercises


6-10-2019
From Joan Boney:
Subject:  Training to be a Champion

Last night, Pam and I saw on TV … Part 1:  Vince Lombardi

He was football coach at Green Bay ... 1959 through approximately 1968

He got cancer and died.

But he trained his players to win and if they would not accept what he said he got rid of the player.


***

As I watched Lombardi, I thought … "I'm not nearly tough enough on our church group!"

The slightest puff from devils or humans can blow you away. That should not be.

Not enough spiritual exercise!

Right at this moment, I got up from bed where I wanted to read the latest list of things I've added to my scripture list … I had to get up to send an email first.

Now I'm going back to bed to read that latest list of blog and scriptures.

Spiritual exercise …



***


Tonight I get to see part 2 of Lombardi.

I know we, Dallas, never beat his teams when Lombardi coached.

Winning is usually not accidental.

Usually the best team, the team that has prepared best before the battle,  wins.

***

Ephesians 4:13-14    Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:

That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;



***

Too weak … we're all too weak.

In Odessa, Texas, in the winning years, the football coach took his players out to Monahans Texas, and made them run the sand hills … in August! ,  even better.  They won.

There is a reason for winning in both spiritual matters and in football.

***

Last night, I watched the last 2 innings of a college baseball game. (I do not like baseball.) But this game was to see which team went to Omaha to play in The College World Series. Tech played Oklahoma State. It was very exciting. Tech (Texas Tech / Lubbock) won … The baseball coach at Tech has gone to the College World Series 5 of the past 7 seasons he has coached there.

When a sports team wins, look at coach.

Coach looks at and executes details and does it better than every other coach!

***

I can tell you I don't like what I see in us.

I'm making changes starting with me!

Joan


***

When I told Pam Padgett about this "sports winning" email, she was reminded of the following which was spoken by the apostle Paul.

I Corinthians 9:24-27   Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize?

So run, that ye may obtain. 

(We don't just run to be in the race … We run to win the race!)

And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things

Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible.

I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air:

But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.
 


*****