Are You Ready For Some Football?

“Study and be eager and do your utmost to present yourself to God approved (tested by trial), a workman who has no cause to be ashamed, correctly analyzing and accurately dividing (rightly handling and skillfully teaching) the Word of Truth”

2 Timothy 2:15 (AMP).

Fall means cooler temperatures. Leaves fall and pigskins fly high. In the South, football is serious business. The elongated weekend begins with the Thursday night NFL game. Friday night, high school players take to the field and the hometown fans jam stadiums to cheer their team on to victory. Saturday is dominated by college football. The pros take over again on Sunday afternoon and the weekend winds up with “Are You Ready For Some Football?” - the Monday Night Game. Personally, I miss Hank Jr. doing the intro.

As a life long Eagles fan I'm happy, my team has started out strong this year (condolences to Nancy Pike and other Giants fans, I know your pain). So far there's room for cautious optimism, but hey, it's still early in the season. Philly fans are known for two things: booing Santa and the exceptional ability to endure repetitive disappointments.

Two weeks ago I discovered an interesting fact about Christians and now I think I've discovered the root cause of my team's propensity to fail. Only 20% of the players read the playbook! Check out the numbers.

The final roster of an NFL team is 53 men. 20% of 53 is 10.6 so for ease of math I'll round up to 11. This figure happens to be the maximum number of players a team can have on the field at any given time. If all of a team's prepared members are defense they'll be brilliant in comparison to the ill-informed offense and vice versa. If the number is split between offense and defense, both will be equally mediocre. What if those 11 players are bench warmers? How can any coach effectively call a game if no one on the field understands what he's saying? This might explain the erratic performance of my hometown heroes – and the church.

There are those rabid fans whose lives revolve around their team. The rest of us realize that the morning after the Super Bowl, the BCS College Championship, or any other game of importance, based on which team won, only a small microcosm of the world's population awakens with a new view of life. Both the elation of victory and the sting of defeat are short-lived. Soon things return to normal.

Football doesn't change the world. If 80% of the players fail to prepare the contest will be a bore but the earth will still rotate on its axis. None of the problems, threats or challenges that can upset the fragile balance of peace are resolved by any game's outcome.

Should we not be surprised that Christianity's impact on the world isn't more profound when only 20% of its adherents read their playbook, the bible? Unlike football, Christianity can change the world. If 80% fail to prepare is it any wonder that success is so elusive and results sporadic?

Which group are you part of – the 20% or 80%? What changes could you implement to be ready when The Coach sends you out into the game? There's one thing you can do to help ensure victory. Read the playbook.

Video from youtube