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PLAYOFF FAITH — RUN TO WIN

Allen Frederick Leave a comment

1 Corinthians 9:24-26


Imagine a sharp, high-definition shot from a night playoff game. Stadium lights cut through the cold air. Breath is visible from the linemen at the line of scrimmage. Grass is torn up under cleats. A roaring crowd is pressed in on all sides. On the field, helmets collide, jerseys stretch, and every yard is fought for. In the stands, thousands of hands are raised. Voices are lifted. Hearts are fully engaged. Yet only twenty-two people are actually in the game.

That’s the picture Paul presses into when he writes:“Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it.”—1 Corinthians 9:24

Every athlete starts the season with the same uniform. They have the same schedule. Everyone faces the same long list of practices and meetings. Film sessions are also part of the routine. In the same way, many believers step into the life of faith. They put on the “uniform.” They attend services. They lift their hands in worship. They learn the language of the kingdom. But Paul’s words cut through a dangerous assumption: simply being on the team does not guarantee the trophy. Not everyone who runs wins. Not everyone who shows up finishes with a crown.

There is a subtle mindset that creeps into the church. It is much like the attitude of some fans in the stands. They think, “I’m here, I’m cheering, I’m emotionally invested — so I’m part of the action.” The stadium needs spectators, but the scoreboard only tracks what happens on the field. In the same way, Christianity was never meant to be a spectator sport. It is not just about watching, reacting, and commenting from a distance. It is a participation calling — a summons onto the field, into the contact, into the cost.

Paul won’t let us hide in the bleachers. He pulls us down to field level and says, in essence: Look around. Everyone is running. Everyone is moving. Everyone appears busy. But only those who run with intention, discipline, and focus actually obtain the prize. That is the difference between regular-season faith and what we call Playoff Faith.

Regular-season faith is content to be present. Playoff Faith is determined to prevail.

Paul continues:“Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable crown, but we an imperishable.”— 1 Corinthians 9:25

Players on the field will push their bodies to the edge of exhaustion. They will study film deep into the night. They will live with relentless focus. All of this effort is for a trophy that will gather dust and a ring that will one day be buried. They do all of that for a glory that fades as soon as the next season starts. Meanwhile, believers are called to train for a crown that will never tarnish. It will never crack, never be outdated, and never be replaced.

Yet if we are honest, many of us have given more discipline to our hobbies, our careers, our favorite teams, and our entertainment than we have to the race of faith.

Paul refuses to preach from a safe distance. He does not see himself as a commentator in the booth, narrating the game while others take the hits. Listen to his language:“So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.”— 1 Corinthians 9:26–27

This is not fear talking; it is focus. This man understands that calling is not the same as finishing. He knows gifting is not the same as winning. He knows that the uniform gives you access, but discipline brings advancement. He refuses to assume that being on the roster of preachers automatically places him on the podium of finishers.

This is where Playoff Faith is born. It doesn’t emerge in the spotlight. It grows in the quiet, unseen choices that separate contenders from the crowd. The ones who advance in the kingdom are not always the most talented. They are not always the most visible or the most loudly cheered. They are the ones who refuse to coast. The ones who refuse to confuse attendance with endurance. The ones who refuse to settle for a spiritual participation trophy when God has placed a real crown within reach.

Playoff Faith is the faith that steps out of the stands and onto the field. It’s the believer who decides, I will not only sing about surrender; I will actually surrender. I will not only clap for obedience; I will actually obey. I will not only cheer for others who run; I will run my own race to win. Christianity is not something we watch; it’s something we walk. It is not something we consume; it’s something we carry.

Playoff Faith wakes with purpose. It trains when no one is watching. It guards the heart when compromise whispers, “Just ease up. You’re doing more than most.” It keeps running when the season gets long and the hits get heavy. It remembers there is a finish line ahead. There is a real reward beyond it. It takes Paul’s words seriously: not everyone who enters the race wins the crown. Everyone who runs to obtain it has a real chance to finish with that crown in hand.

This is the invitation God puts before us. It is not to run casually. It is not to drift. It is not to live as if the outcome is automatic. The invitation is to run with fierce determination, to run with focused determination. That includes seeking the pleasure of God. It involves experiencing the joy of obedience. It testifies to a life that did more than watch from the stands.

You might feel small as a single player in a massive stadium. However, heaven is not judging you based on your seat. It is watching your race.

Playoff Faith does not settle for being on the team. Playoff Faith refuses the comfort of the bleachers. Playoff Faith runs, and trains, and presses, and finishes —to win.

🏈 BENEDICTION — FOR THOSE WHO RUN TO WIN

May the Lord strengthen your stride, discipline your heart, and focus your eyes on the imperishable crown.

May you refuse the comfort of the bleachers, the drift of casual faith, and the illusion that presence equals victory.
May you run with purpose, train with fire, and finish with joy.
And when the hits come, when the season stretches, when the crowd thins —may you remember that heaven does not reward the loudest cheer, but the deepest endurance.
You were not made to spectate. You were called to participate. You were chosen to run.
So run to win.
In Jesus’ name —
Amen.

The Worst Call Ever! or Was It?

Allen Frederick Leave a comment

All the talk today has been about the LAST PLAY of the Green Bay-Seattle football game. All the people ‘in the know’ have cried foul over the final call by the referee. All the buzz has been about how the ‘NFL franchise’ is being tarnished by these ‘unprofessional’ replacement refs calling the games.

That got me to thinking.. watch out folks when this bird-brain starts thinking.

Whoever enters an athletic competition wins the prize only when playing by the rules. 2 Timothy 2:5 (GW)

Anyway I only have a few things to say about the replacement refs, the tarnishing of the franchise, and the result of the last play of the Packers and Seahawks game.

Tarnishing the brand?

Well if wearing PINK SHOES and PINK gloves does not tarnish the brand then I think the NFL can survive a few weeks or even a season of ‘unprofessional’ referees. If the sissification (my made-up word for the kid-glove tackle policies of the NFL) of game play does not tarnish the franchise of the NFL neither will unprofessional referees.

Apparently the team owners are not concerned about tarnishing the brand since they are the ones who are supposedly behind the lock-out of the regular referees over defined pension benefits packages. (Those costly unfunded benefits that are drowning cities and states in red ink.)

The NFL referees only work part-time averaging about 20 games a year and hold down other jobs as their main career. Yet they are paid on average around $149.000+ a year. And want more of course.

We Are All Professionals Here

The players are crying about safety issues and fairness in officiating and yet they all are paid pretty handsomely to play a “GAME”. In addition they refer to themselves as PROFESSIONALS and as such I would think they could behave PROFESSIONALLY with or without professional supervision. Hey just saying.

Everyone on the field and on the sidelines are familiar with the rules of the game and yet, as I have been observing, it is apparent to me that the players and the coaches are taking advantage of the ‘unprofessional’ staff officiating thus showing a total disregard and lack of respect for the role of the officials on the field and the rules of the game.

You would think PROFESSIONALS would conduct themselves with more PROFESSIONALISM. Or could it be that FOOTBALL is at the core a brutal sport played by brutal men, who enjoy rough-housing on Sunday’s?

As a point of perspective I recall, in my younger days, the pick-up football games we would play at the local school yard after school and on weekends. There were no officials, and we all played for the love of the game. Yes there were a few who would ‘play dirty’ but even as kids we all knew this was wrong and would police ourselves. If the game got too out of hand we simply quit playing and went home. BUT WE WERE NOT PAID MILLIONS OF DOLLARS TO PLAY.

Was it Really a Bad Call?

Finally to address the last play of the Packers/Seahawks game that seems to be causing all the controversy today I have only one thing to say. Why did Jennings CATCH THE BALL? All he had to do was BAT IT DOWN and the whole thing would be a non-issue.

So now I have to ask who really made the biggest bone-headed decision in that game? The referees calling it or Jennings who caught the ball? By Jennings catching the ball he put himself into a position to get a simultaneous possession call which he should know would be called for the offense. AND YET he held on to the ball… or could it have been that Golden Tate was the one who was actually holding onto the ball since Jennings would have every reason to let go of the ball?

Hummmmmmmmmm perhaps the replacement refs made the right call after all?

In the end though it is ONLY A GAME get over it already!

But what do I know I am only a bird-brained commentator.

This has been a view from the nest. And that is the way I see it. What say you?

This has been A View from the Nest. The statements, comments, or opinions expressed are solely that of the author and do not represent the views or opinions of the host of this site or any affiliates thereof. Any questions or comments should be directed to myself and not to the host or hosts of this site.
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Getting Ready for Game Day

Allen Frederick 2 Comments

Everyone who enters an athletic contest goes into strict training. They do it to win a temporary crown, but we do it to win one that will be permanent. 1 Cor 9:25 (GW)

Brett Favre
Image by Jvstin via Flickr

Thursday September 9th was the kick-off of the 2010 NFL football season with the Saints and Vikings taking to the field. The Saints easily handed Brett Favre and company a 14-9 loss, as the Vikings showed a great deal of miscommunication on the field. There were many missed passing patterns, and mental errors leading to a number of penalties from which the Vikings could not recover. Favre looked rusty, or old depending on your perspective, as he labored behind center not able to connect with receivers. Play was lumbering and appeared un-rehearsed, which as it so happens was the case.

It’s hard not to think Favre’s late arrival is at least in part to blame for the Vikings’ stagnancy. And because he is nearly 41, it seems inevitable that it will take him more time to round into form. But after Thursday, it’s fair to wonder if Favre can get back to the form that generated perhaps his greatest season instead of regressing to the kinds of seasons that spelled his departure from Green Bay and the Jets after just one year.

During the off-season Favre was nursing the damaged ankle he sustained in the N.F.C. Championship game for which he has said he is receiving regular lubricating injections to get through the season. He missed all the off-season and training camp and barely appeared in the preseason, and it showed Thursday night. He was rusty and wildly off target, and if he didn’t go down as often as he did in the championship game, he also didn’t come up with as many of the jaw-dropping plays that keep Favre, and fans, coming back for

Favre finished 15 for 27 for 171 yards, with one interception and one touchdown. It wasn’t the way anyone imagined a rematch of last year’s high-flying National Football Conference championship game going. Some of Favre’s passes were so far from their intended targets that the incompletions could be chalked up only to a lack of practice, but the Saints entered the game with a simple plan: make Favre dink and dunk his way downfield, which broadens the opportunities for a mistake.

Success is more likely to arrive after intense preparation. When you have done all you can then it is time to enter the competition, not if you only half-heartedly participated in the practice drills.

The Saints on the other hand looked like a finely tuned automobile hitting on all cylinders and they ended up winning the game.

As Christians we are also engaged in a win or lose fight to the finish. Our adversary has played this game for a long time and is highly developed in his tactics and defenses. He is looking to exploit any weakness he sees in our game plan and will stop at nothing to end our lives not to mention our game. As a result we are instructed to be well prepared to enter the game of life with the full knowledge of what obstacles we must face and overcome. Unlike Brett Favre we are not left to our own limited abilities because we can call upon the strength of the Lord to come to our aid.

Continue reading “Getting Ready for Game Day” →

60 Minutes

Allen Frederick Leave a comment

clip_image002A View from the Nest

Random Ramblings from the Resident Raptor

Insight from the Journey across the Sky

By Allen Scott

I have fought the good fight. I have completed the race. I have kept the faith. 2 Tim 4:7 (GW)

clip_image00460 Minutes is an American investigative television newsmagazine, which has run on CBS since 1968. The program was created by long time producer Don Hewitt who set it apart by using a unique style of reporter-centered investigation. It has been among the top-rated TV programs for much of its life, and has garnered numerous awards over the years. It is considered by many to be the preeminent investigative television program in the United States. The autumn of 2008 saw the program’s 40th anniversary, and it currently holds the record for the longest continuously running program of any genre scheduled during American network prime time; it has aired at 7 p.m. Eastern Time Sundays since December 7, 1975 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/60_Minutes

Although 60 Minutes has the reputation of being the longest running news program, on Sunday evening Oct 4th, 60 Minutes was not the only 60 minutes in prime time. The evening featured not one but two 60 minute programs when the Pittsburgh Steelers took on the San Diego Chargers in what proved to be a 60 minute nail biter finish.

If you tuned into the first half of the Steelers Chargers match-up you would have left with the feeling that it was going to be a run away win by the Steelers. However after the first 45 minutes the whole atmosphere of the game changed and the remaining 15 minutes proved to be an intense back and forth fight to the finish.

You do not have to be an investigative reporter to understand that anything can happen on any given Sunday Night in the NFL. And Sunday night Oct 4th proved this truism once again.

Although the Steelers where leading 28-0 through three quarters of play San Diego came to life in the fourth quarter and quickly closed the gap on the Steelers lead. Big Ben and his offensive line could not ride out the clock on this match, they would have to play the whole 60 minutes.

The signature ticking time piece made famous by the 60 minutes news program constantly reminded the audience of how much time remained until the end of the program. An avid 60 minutes fan knows the program is not over until Andy Rooney gives his commentary. And a football fan also knows that the game does not end at the third quarter but when the final seconds tick off the scoreboard.

Casual football watchers may have grown bored with the first half of the Steelers Chargers match-up because it was all one-sided. The Steelers appeared to be running away with the game. The Chargers where unable to stop the Steelers offense.

The game was winding down with three quarters of the game past and the Steelers where holding to a commanding lead. But once the fourth quarter started things began to change. The Chargers quickly racked up touchdown after touchdown, even fielding an on-side kick to add points to the score. The gap was quickly closing as the official time piece was ticking off the final 15:00 minutes of play. The final score was determined within the last 2 minutes of the game’s end, proving once again that a football team has to play a full 60 minutes every Sunday. They can not play half a game or even three quarters of a game. They must play all four quarters.

Many of us schedule our lives by the hour. We set aside hourly blocks for different activities. Usually we set aside at least 60 minutes each Sunday for worship in our respected churches. We schedule lunch hours and business meetings. Much of our lives are ordered around the clock. Each 60 minute segment maps our course and if recorded will show our path and where we have been.

Each Sunday evening, for the last 40 plus years, the news team at 60 Minutes aired their program. And for the last 90 plus years each Sunday evening, the NFL has played 60 minutes of football. Of course it takes almost 3 hours to play those 60 minutes but officially the game only lasts 60 minutes on the official time clock.

Any sports team can attest that the outcome of a game is not determined at the beginning but rather at the end. It is after the last seconds tick off the clock that the final outcome is known. Until the last second there is still

(an opportunity) a chance to change the course of a game. Had the San Diego Chargers decided that after three quarters the game was over they would not have “almost” won the game. Had Pittsburgh decided they only wanted to play for 45 minutes they would have lost the game. The possibility of a Steelers loss loomed large at the start of the last 15 minutes of the game. However, in the end, the Steelers were victorious and the Chargers left town with a lose.

No matter what has happened during your last 60 minutes of life you can still change the outcome. If you are reading this article then the official time clock of your life has not reached the final second. You are still involved in the game of life, and you can still effect the outcome of your life. If things have been going badly for you do not despair, the game is not over. Even if you have been loosing for 3 quarters of your life, there is still the final quarter to play. Never give up, never quit, never lose hope, but keep the faith and fight on, you can still effect the outcome and change the course of your life.

The Chargers charged back during the final 15 minutes of the Sunday night football game and almost came out a winner. Alas it was not to be, but I loved the fact that they never gave up.

Paul wrote to Timothy declaring that he too had fought a hard fight and had kept the faith. He completed the race. He never gave up. There were parts of Paul’s life that were not very victorious, but in the end he could say that he played the whole game. He never quit. He kept at it.

The only losers in life are those who quit living, who quit trying, who give up before the last tick of the time clock. As long as there is breath within you, keep fighting the good fight. Things can change in 60 minutes.

But those who are waiting for the Lord will have new strength; they will get wings like eagles: running, they will not be tired, and walking, they will have no weariness. Isaiah 40:31 (BBE)

Along for the journey

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