Lessons from the Football Field

Lessons from the Football Field

Carolyn

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It’s that time of year again. My beloved Tennessee Volunteers are back in action, barely scraping out a win in overtime Thursday night over Appalachian State. And my favorite high school team has taken to the field again.

As I was at the football field the other day, the thought occurred to me. When these players prepare to play, they get ready. They spend hours at practice. They lift weights and get stronger. They review film so they will know their opponent, the other team they are playing. They eat right and do everything they can physically to be in shape.

And when they go into the game, they are dressed for action. They have on their uniform to show which team they are on. They have their pads and helmet to serve as protection from injury in what can be a pretty rough game. And they go into it as a team, together.

My thoughts ran to Ephesians 6:10-20. As Christians, are we aware and do we remember that we are in a spiritual battle? We face an opponent: “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places” (v. 13). When we go out into our day, do we consider that there is spiritual opposition for which we need to be prepared? And how do we prepare?

The Apostle Paul gives us help and tells us how:

Be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the full armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil… Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. (v. 11-12, 14-18a; underlined to indicate actions we take and bolded to show the parts of the armor we need.)

Like a football player, we put on various pieces to shield and protect us: the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, shoes, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, the sword of the Spirit, prayer. And like a football player, we take action to prepare: be strong, take up, put on.

The command that fascinates me is the one to “stand.” It’s repeated several times in the text. God equips us for the battle, and we are standing against, withstanding, standing firm.

It reminds me of Exodus 14 when the Israelites were standing on the edge of the Red Sea, and Pharaoh and the Egyptian army were closing in on them. The Israelites feared and cried out to the LORD. And Moses said, “Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will work for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall never see again. The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to be silent” (Ex. 14:13-14).

Which reminds me of 2 Chronicles 20:15, 17, another battle: “Thus says the LORD to you, ‘Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed…, for the battle is not yours but God’s…. You will not need to fight in this battle. Stand firm, hold your position, and see the salvation of the LORD on your behalf, O Judah and Jerusalem.’ Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed. Tomorrow go out against them, and the LORD will be with you.”

What an encouragement that the battle is really the Lord’s! We need, though, to put on, take up, and use the armor He supplies (the Word of God, prayer, faith, truth, righteousness, the gospel, salvation). And we are to find our strength in Him and stand firm. He will fight for us. We can be still and, having done all, stand.

This spiritual battle is real. Our enemy prowls around like a roaring lion seeking someone to devour. But we can resist him, firm in our faith, knowing that our brothers and sisters in Christ around the world are going through the same kind of suffering (1 Peter 5:8-9). Similar to a football team who goes together into the game as a team, we love and support our Christian brothers and sisters and pray for one another that our faith would not fail.

And from football, there’s another analogy we can draw: like the team that is dressed in similar uniforms, we also have an identity. We belong to Christ. We have been bought with a price, the precious blood of Jesus, and we can go out in confidence, knowing whose we are and in whose name we go. We are dressed in the Lord’s armor, standing in His strength, going out under His banner.

If God did not spare His own Son to bring us to Himself, we should have no doubt about His love and faithfulness to us, that He is able to fight for and deliver us from the schemes of the evil one, to keep and protect us, and to bring us safely to Himself. May He be praised!

Lift Up Your Eyes

Lift Up Your Eyes

Carolyn

Several years ago, I noticed while studying Genesis the repeated phrase, “lifted his eyes and looked” or “I lifted my eyes and saw.”

  • In Genesis 18:2 “Abraham lifted his eyes and looked” when three men stood at his tent door, one maybe being the LORD, to tell him that he and Sarah would have a child in their old age.
  • When Abraham had Isaac on the altar, after God stopped him from sacrificing Isaac, it says in Genesis 22:13-14, “Then Abraham lifted his eyes and looked, and there behind him was a ram caught in a thicket by its horns.”
  • In Genesis 24:63-64, Isaac went out to meditate in the field and “lifted his eyes and looked“; Rebekah also “lifted her eyes” as God had provided a wife for Isaac.
  • In Genesis 31:10, Jacob said, “I lifted my eyes and saw in a dream. . .” and in the dream, the Angel of God said to Jacob, “Lift your eyes now and see. . .” as God provided and increased Jacob’s herd. God blessed Jacob as he called him to return to the land of his family.

Each time, it seems to indicate God’s provision. It has made me wonder what I would see if I would just lift up my eyes and look, if I would remove my eyes from the circumstances around me and look up to God and see how He might be providing for the need at hand.

This theme of looking up continues throughout the Bible. Looking up might also astound me with the greatness of God! Isaiah 40:26 says, “Lift up your eyes on high and see: who created these? He who brings out their host by number, calling them all by name, by the greatness of his might, and because he is strong in power not one is missing.” 

Looking up might show me the needs around me. In John 4:35, Jesus tells his disciples, “…lift up your eyes, and see that the fields are white for harvest.”

In John 17:1, Jesus “lifted up His eyes to heaven” when His hour had come. When the time had arrived that He came to this earth for—to do His Father’s will, to give His life for ours, to bring eternal life to those who believe on Jesus—Jesus lifted up His eyes to heaven.

Hebrews 12:1-2 shows us that it’s in “looking to Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God” that we find endurance to run the race set before us. It enables us to “lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us.”

I wonder today if we would lift up our eyes and see what we might find.

  • Could God have a provision for us in a difficult situation that He wants to give us but that we can’t see if we don’t look to Him?
  • Could we find endurance in running our race and freedom from sin which wants to entangle us?
  • Could we discover new opportunities to point others to Jesus?
  • Could we behold the glory of God as we see differently those things that otherwise might seem just ordinary or that we might take for granted?
  • Could we look up in prayer and in reading the Bible to help us know and do our Father’s will?

The fall schedule is upon us, schools are starting back. For our family, I start back in my normal work schedule today, my husband and I are going to his faculty dinner to kickoff the new year, the kids are preparing for school, finishing their summer reading and more.

As we go through the routine, we don’t want to miss the glory of God, the opportunities before us, the provisions He makes for us, the ways He can transform our hearts and enable us to do His will. We want to lift our eyes and see! I pray we will all behold Him anew and catch a greater vision of our God as we begin another school year and a new season.

First Date

First Date

Carolyn

30 years ago today, my husband and I had our first date. He drove us in his family car—a yellow Duster. He had been driving for all of 6 weeks. We had dinner at Danver’s and went to see The Karate Kid, Part 2.

Bryan’s family had moved to Memphis two years prior when his dad became pastor at our church. I remember when his dad was candidating for that position, when I heard his last name, in all my young wisdom, I thought, “I hope he doesn’t come. That name is too hard to say!”

1185859_10151652732237862_1255471060_nThis picture is the first time I ever remember meeting them after their family’s arrival from Texas (note the cool Cowboys hat!). This was driving home from the football state championship game at Vanderbilt stadium where our school lost in double overtime. Bryan and his brother became good friends with my best friend’s brother, so we all spent a lot of time together at my friend’s house, in church youth group activities, and at school.

TFullSizeRender-3his next picture was taken two years later, not on our first date, but about 2 months later at some church or school event. Though we’d have a couple of short breakups during our years of dating (which I think is typical of long relationships), I don’t think we ever envisioned ourselves not together.

We would marry almost 7 years later. Life has been an adventure through Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and Illinois, but God gave me the best one to travel through life with, and I give Him praise. God has been good. I take a few moments to remember and thank Him for this journey.

Mentoring and Discipleship

Mentoring and Discipleship

Carolyn

My son recently returned from a missions trip with some students from our church. The pastor and his wife who led the camp where they worked for the week are former students of my husband. We had the opportunity to be there for the last day of the missions trip, and it was great to reconnect with Mark and Ruthi and see their ministry, as well as hear about the week of opportunity and how God had used it in many lives.

One thing that struck me was how my husband had invested in his students who were now investing in our son who was also likewise beginning to invest in this couple’s young children, who promptly told me the nickname they had given my son! I saw a beautiful chain of relationship and discipleship, the worth of investing in the next generation and then seeing that continue. It is an investment of time and friendship, centered around the gospel that gives us this Christian fellowship.


Likewise, my daughter’s second grade teacher was someone we enjoyed immensely right from the start. She left the school after a few years when her first child was born, but we kept in touch through church.

When my daughter reached high school age, this former teacher led a summer Bible study for her and a few other friends. This was a wonderful investment in their lives as they began a new stage of life. Now she lives just down the street from us, and my daughter babysits for her. Gospel relationships. One generation to the next.

Another of my husband’s former students began a mentoring ministry. A few years ago, my daughter and I were able to attend the conference for teen girls, where the moms (mentors) also received training. Last year, I also attended her mentoring conference for adults with my mom and a friend from church.

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I love the vision for this ministry: “Legacy Living Ministries is committed to training women of all ages how to engage in an active love relationship with God, apply His Word and disciple like Jesus. They have seen and believe that through discipleship and mentoring relationships people begin to grow exponentially in their active love relationship with God and their understanding of how to live out His Word in their everyday life.”

When our friend comes to our home once or twice a year, she is so intentional with talking to both of my children and getting underneath the surface to hear what’s going on in their lives and encourage them in their faith. I love how God has gifted her and is using her.

How thankful I am for the teachers, pastors, friends, and family who have taken time to invest in our children. So many come to mind. It makes me ask myself how I am investing in others’ lives. There are so many ways to do that, including teaching children’s Sunday school at church or having a Bible study or praying for these students regularly.

We can always invest while being invested in, learning from the generation ahead of us who have sought the Lord and have insights we have yet to see, and helping teach the next generation who are maybe just beginning in their own walks of faith. We can be involved in peer relationships as well. It’s always enriching to leave lunch with a friend having had gospel conversations that spur us on in our faith and encourage us to love God more.

What ways have you seen this happen in your life?

Blogging Update

Blogging Update

Carolyn

Since I gave myself a very public 30-day blogging challenge, I suppose an update is in order. I only blogged 8 times in the first 12 days, and have since fallen off. Here’s what I have learned so far:

  • Though I have many ideas about which to write, each one takes time to develop. It would be imprudent for me to rush those and throw them on the page without deeper reflection.
  • I desire for my thoughts to be anchored in Scripture, in biblical truth, and that also takes time to study longer than I can give to get a piece posted in a day. I don’t want to sloppily throw something up or base it all on experience.
  • I tire of hearing myself! I don’t want to talk just to talk.

However, there have been many benefits:

  • If I’m writing, I’m thinking about that and developing those thoughts. When I have spare time to think, this is where my thoughts go. It takes me away from other thoughts that would not be as beneficial. Has your mind ever been stuck in a rut of replaying something, of thinking over and over about something that isn’t healthy? Those kinds of thoughts can become toxic. But when we truly can turn our minds in a Philippians 4:8 way—to the things that are true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, commendable, excellent, praiseworthy—then we can be free of anxiety, full of peace, and enjoying thoughts focused on God. It gives us a whole new perspective. This is what blogging helps me do.
  • Before I post, I run it past my husband or my mom for quick thoughts or feedback, and I love having them part of the process and hearing what they have to say. And as my husband spends his mornings working on his latest novel, when he comes downstairs, I like to pretend I understand the life of a writer! That we are on the same “page” with that (pun intended)! Ha! But he has been most kind to engage with me on this, and that’s been a fun part of it. Only one piece does he keep sending back to me—yesterday with red font type interspersed!—which has led to dead space on the blog for several days, but perhaps I’ll get it right or move on soon.
  • It’s a way to pursue a little bit of a hobby I can enjoy. This challenge pushed me out to actually do something more consistently with my blog instead of continuing to push it aside. Whether it’s worthy of even sharing or whether it will develop or just end at the end of 30 days, I don’t know. But I’ve enjoyed it.

So I have not met the 30-day blogging challenge. But I’ve learned a lot and hope to continue at a reasonable pace and learn and grow in these things. My desire hasn’t been to be a writer as much as a recorder of God’s work and things I learn from His Word, to praise Him. That’s what I want to communicate, particularly to my kids so these stones of remembrance are collected and not forgotten. Thanks to those who have offered encouragement on this little journey.