It's Football Season

Vince Lombardi had enough. In his first year as coach of the Green Bay Packers, he was frustrated by the performance of his players. In true Lombardi form, he blew his whistle and yelled, “Gather around”.  He held up a football, pointed to it, and said, “Gentlemen, this is a football.” Coach Lombardi knew that without a firm foundation of the basics of the game, his team would never be successful. For the Green Bay Packers, winning started with the basics. The turnaround was stunning. In his tenure as the coach of the Packers, he won four NFL championships and the first two Super Bowls.

It’s football season. If you are a Tampa Bay Buccaneer fan you can watch Super Bowl champion and New England Patriot transplant, Tom Brady, lead the Bucs to a championship (am I dreaming?). If you are a Florida State or University of Florida fan you can watch your team on television this fall. If you are a Penn State fan, like myself, you get to pout because the Big Ten cancelled its season because of Covid 19. What Vince Lombardi said many years ago is still true. Whether your team is playing or not, the foundation of a successful team starts with the basics.

Let me ask, “When you wake up in the morning who do you try honor with your life that day?” Though it may be hard for you to get your body going in the morning, honoring your Heavenly Father in all that you do and say is one of the most important basics of the Christian life.

In Colossians 3:23-24 the Apostle Paul says, "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Father in heaven you are serving." The Bible says you and I should live each day honoring the Father with your whole heart in all that you do.  When you work, you work with all your heart. When you pray, you pray with all your heart. When you're listening to someone, you listen with all your heart. When you play, you play with all your heart. When you're with someone, be with them with all your heart. In the words of missionary martyr Jim Elliott, "Everywhere you are, be all there!"

Why should we live each moment of our day with our whole heart? Because your Heavenly Father who made you and who died for your sins, is watching you. Don't play for the crowds. Don't play for yourself. Play for the one person in the stands who matters most - your Heavenly Father. He's the reason you do what's right. He’s the reason you serve and love others. Your Father is the reason you stay away from what's wrong. It's not only the rules or holy law that you break, you also break the heart of your Father. And when no one else seems worth playing for, remember you're doing it for the one who saved you from eternal punishment and also has given you the gift of eternal life.

I love this story. Ted was a high school player. He was the starting center. But the game he remembers most is the one he didn't play in. All season, the second string center, Billy, hadn't played much. Actually, he hadn't played very well until the day Billy talked to the coach and said, "Coach, I know you haven't felt I was good enough to start, but I want to ask you to start me in the next game. Please. It means a lot, and I'm just asking for a chance." The coach reluctantly agreed and Billy amazed not only his coach, but his teammates and his hometown fans. He played an incredible game. No one had ever seen anything close to this kind of performance. Needless to say, immediately after the game, the coach rushed up to him and said, "Billy, what in the world happened? I didn't know you had it in you!" Billy's explanation was something the coach will never forget. He said, "My dad died last night, Coach. He was blind, but not now. Tonight was the first time my father could see me play!"

For this high school football player, it made all the difference knowing his father was watching him play. For every one of us who claims to belong to Jesus, that's what should determine how we live our life, knowing that our loving Father is watching us work and play. If you try to live for the approval of a family member, the boss, or the people you spend time with, you will never truly succeed. As a Christ-follower there is only one person you have to please and that is your Heavenly Father. So remember who you are playing for. The One who loves you the most is watching you, and you’re going to
make your Father proud!

Pastor Jeff

Last fall, we invited our church family to participate in a survey to help us enhance Sunday mornings at FPC.  Your input and feedback were instrumental in helping us make a variety of improvements.  FPC widened the parking lot entrance and made the secondary exit more usable.  We added a traffic officer at the intersection of Circle Four Drive and CR-544.  FPC also added curb cutouts for wheelchair access, installed handrails and better signage, expanded handicapped parking spaces, and made many other enhancements.

This year has offered new challenges and opportunities, and we are asking you to take a few minutes to provide your feedback and help us continue fulfilling our mission of "glorifying God by changing lives through the message of Jesus Christ."

Thank you in advance for your time and feedback!