PARKS BROWN

“Winning isn’t everything, but it’s the only thing. In our business there is no second place, either you’re first or you’re last.” In time, Coach Vince Lombardi became uncomfortable with the one message that had come to define him. He later wished he’d never said it. Instead, the infamous Coach wanted his lasting message to be one of “leaving it all on the field.”

Most people under the age of 40 believe the words above were coined by Reese Bobby. Ricky Bobby DID trademark the phrase, “If you ain’t first, you’re last”. But again, his father later regretted the words that had molded his son. Both men give us lessons to be learned about giving it your all and how to start and finish the game of life.

Inherent in the logic behind the philosophy of leaving it all on the field, is the moral of bringing everything you have and taking nothing away when you leave. God has given us all talents and resources to draw from in life. This gifting is one of the most basic of Christian principles and beliefs. He has gifted and equipped us to play and excel in the game of life.

In the vein of Coach Lombardi’s words, God is not interested in what you bring to the game, He’s interested in what you leave on the field. In Christianese, God isn’t interested in what you bring to the altar, He’s interested in what you leave at the altar. Too often we confuse our willingness to come to Christ with following Him. One is simply playing the game as opposed to giving your all.

How often do YOU truly leave it all on the field? Christ taught about the expectations and consequences of having opportunity and ability on the playing field of life. “From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.” Luke 12:48. Jesus was old school and believed in getting your uniform dirty.

John the Baptist was a role model for this lifestyle. In Biblical history, John the Baptist had a few quotes he is remembered for as well. “A man can only receive what he is given from heaven.” John 3:27. John believed in coming to the game ready to play and leaving it all on the field. When he spoke of Christ, John said “He must become greater, I must become less.” John gave it all for the team, for the Kingdom. John the Baptist would have started for Lombardi.

In the Christian life we should expect to be asked to give it all we have. Christ set the example. He shed tears of blood. If you are a follower of His, if you play on His team, be ready. You need to be prepared to go “all in” and “spend” yourself in new ways. As the game of life progresses for you, be ready for the Coach to ask for more out of you. This isn’t an NBA game where you can wait till the last 5 minutes to give it your all. God wants your best at 50 and 60 years of age as well as in your 20’s and 30’s.

Vince Lombardi was competitive and focused, not unlike many American Christians then and now. Without the leading of the Holy Spirit this mentality can lead to carnal Christianity focused more on self and less on Him. The desire to win and succeed can lead to a performance based faith bringing personal awards but not necessarily a Championship.

Jesus dealt with the prima donna attitude straight up. “The man who loves his life will lose it, while the man who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.” John 12:25. Strong coaching. Jesus set the example for Lombardi. Remember, He must become greater, YOU must become less.

If leaving it all on the field means giving up your job, your free time and your self will, will you do it? Are you living each day looking for new opportunities to give everything, to give all you have? For many American Christians the tale of the rich, young ruler is the most scary and bothersome in the New Testament. For those who don’t remember the story, make sure you’re sitting down.

There was a bright, successful and influential believer in town. He was pious, talented, gifted and had all the accoutrements of his success. He WANTED to leave it all on the field for God until Jesus explained what that really meant. Christ told this fella he needed to sell all of his possessions and give the proceeds to the poor. Leaving it all on the field took on a new meaning for this guy. What does leaving it all on the field mean for you? What is Jesus calling you to leave on the field?

At some point you might find yourself spending more time advising others and being more of a player-coach than in the past. You may feel as though you spend more time dealing with other people’s problems. Do you embrace the opportunity and demands on you and your time? The changes you encounter at each stage in life are part of learning to leave it on the field. Remember, much will be demanded…much more will be asked.

At the end of his life Paul confirmed how he played and finished the game. “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge will reward to me on that day.” 2 Timothy 4:7-8. It IS more about how you play the game and not whether you win or lose.

Maybe you win 5 Championships like Lombardi. Maybe you give an end of the game speech like Paul. Play with gusto for the Coach who drafted you. Leave it all on the field for the Kingdom.

“Growth has been too little, for too long.” Was this a quote by Franklin Graham, Hillary Clinton or Christine Lagarde? Was the quote in reference to spiritual growth, climate related legislation or economic growth?

The quote is attributed to Christine Lagarde, managing director of The International Monetary Fund (IMF). The IMF is an international organization headquartered in Washington, D.C. The organization represents “189 countries working to foster global monetary cooperation, secure financial stability, facilitate international trade, promote high employment and sustainable economic growth, and reduce poverty around the world.”

Those of you who don’t care about or understand markets and economies, PLEASE stay with me. There IS a bigger picture here. To realize the bigger picture, just re-read the description of the IMF I quoted above from their website. WOW !! Sounds like a god-sized effort to grow jobs, foster global cooperation and decrease poverty doesn’t it? Well, it is.

According to every economist, fund manager, banker and prognosticator across the globe, lack of growth is the biggest problem facing the world. I only wish every preacher, priest and evangelist believed lack of spiritual growth was as big an issue for the world. Yes, we need to find and follow Jesus, but that’s just the start.

Economic growth AND spiritual growth have been too low for too long. All of our churches and spiritual leaders need to remember their God-sized agenda that is greater than the IMF. We all know growth is good and the lack of growth is bad. But growth is not initiated by monetary policy or a sermon. According to 1st Corinthians 3:7, “So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow.”

So, where is God when we need him to push things along? Is God not doing His job? Can’t He just raise our maturity and growth like the Federal Reserve will raise rates in December? The answer is a resounding YES. But his WAYS are not our ways. We know that scripture from Isaiah don’t we?

I love definitions. Merriam-Webster, the OLD dictionary defines growth as “a stage in the process of growing : size (2) : full growth”. Wikipedia, the NEW dictionary defines growth as “a positive change in size, and/or maturation, often over a period of time.”

If you’re into nature or enjoy yard work, you know a little about growth. Growth comes in seasons, with time and by pruning. Growth involves changes in size that are positive and negative along the path to maturity. Nature prunes with the changing seasons and economies used to work the same way.

There used to be a natural business cycle of growth and retraction that never ended. Spiritual growth is not as much a cycle but more about maturity. Maturity is a process you don’t want to circumvent. It takes T-I-M-E. And there is the rub.

We live in a day and age where we want it all immediately. We want it now. We don’t want to wait and will do whatever it takes to make that happen. We assume we can make things grow how and when we want. We have a god-sized agenda of our own and a god-sized ego to believe we can make it happen. The only thing missing is God with a capital G.

To meet their own agenda, economists and politicians decided to circumvent natural cycles with monetary policies and legislation (zero interest rates, inflated deficit spending, ect). Most of you don’t care about such policies or see how these spiritual and natural occurrences are related. We have given responsibility of our personal and economic growth to someone other than ourselves or our God.

We expect a central banker or politician to solve the economic problems. We think attending church or writing a tithe check will take care of our spiritual growth as well. Too many have given up hope because their selected officials in both camps have become feckless. There is not much worse than lost hope. It tends to lag right behind or right before lost faith.

If our faith and our country are going to grow again, I submit they can and need to do it together. We must remember where growth comes from and how it occurs. We need to LEARN about suffering, pruning and maturing if we want to know growth. You can’t have growth for very long without the other. That doesn’t sound fun but it is Biblical.

Man made institutions that have god-sized agendas and expectations of themselves are getting a wake-up call. Growth has been too low for too long…and WHY is that? Because God causes growth and God is mainly concerned with our growth and maturity into the image of his Son, Jesus Christ. THAT growth is not measured in worldly charts and figures.

There is a day of reckoning coming for all nations and people. The IMF has done about everything possible to foster economic growth with zero results. Too many churches have tried to grow attendance with more services and programs at the expense of hard truth and repentance. The results are about the same.

Growth HAS been too low for too long. Low, slow or no growth the question remains….where’s YOUR growth !!

I watched the Chicago Cubs celebrate after their team won the National League Championship on Saturday night. Everyone was smiling, hugging, and high-fiving like one big happy family. They were basking in celebration of achieving a common goal. Fans and players were all together…they were united…they were one.

Unity is a great thing. Not much feels as good as when people are on the same page. Whether it’s a sports team that functions as one unit, a business that works together to accomplish a common goal, or a happily married couple. The bottom line is we are better together.

Christians are called to function the same way. “Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit-just as you were called to one hope when you were called- one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.” Ephesians 4:4-6. That’s pretty straightforward and simple. One team.

Paul wrote these words to remind all the folks in Ephesus that unity was what brought them together. Paul told them they were one team, they had one owner, one coach, one goal, one objective. And, to reach the goal, everyone had to keep THAT in mind and function in THAT regard.

Paul laid it out. In fact, in the verse right before he told the Ephesians how they got there and where they were going, he told them HOW to do it. “Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.” Good advice.

Paul was the Vince Lombardi of his time. In today’s vernacular, Paul said to remember no one person is going to win the game for the team. Remember everyone has a role to play and we can’t win without working together as a team. Be patient and stick with the game plan. And, oh yeah, bear with your team mates and pull for them. Love ’em regardless if they have a career day or not. Dang good locker room speech.

When we see unity today it’s a beautiful thing and the results are equally so. When we see dis-unity it’s ugly. And, there are plenty examples of ugly. In politics, in business and in churches. Wherever people are being separated and torn apart, the result isn’t victory for the team. In 2016, too many teams are being divided and not united.

Go to a Cubs game and see the diversity ON the team, then look at the unity OF the team. Black and white, rich and poor, young and old all cheering and celebrating together. Cub fans and players wear the same team colors, caps and jerseys. They dress similar to each other. They all LOOK and ACT like Cubbies. They reflect Chicago.

Christians are called to be united in the world but not act like the rest of the world. Christians are called to reflect heaven and be united with other believers. We are called to grow closer towards our teammates, not away from them. We are called to unity.

Teams SHOULD be united. Everyone can see and tell when a team plays together. The players and fans know when they are playing together. There is evidence when we are united together. Christians are bound by one Spirit and belong to one body, not a political party or a corporate culture.

Don’t fool yourself. On the team of Christians you WILL stick out compared to the rest of the world. The longer you’re on the team the more you SHOULD look like a Christian. The longer you’re a believer the more you should look like the captain of the team. That’s called spiritual maturity. Spiritual maturity is a lifelong process that yields results for the team. The Bible calls it fruit.

Christians may not physically look like each other but we should ACT like each other. Galatians 5:22-23 says you can tell the Christian team members by their “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control.” You can tell the guys on the other team as well. They wear “hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy” just to name a few. According to YOUR actions can everyone tell what team you are on?

To continue with the analogy, the league is changing every day. The game is becoming more physical and demanding. Some of our team members in the Middle East are being carted out on stretchers. Some in the U.S. have given up on a winning season and quit playing. Some are still dressing out each week, but just sitting on the bench.

Are YOU loosing touch with the team you were saved to be a part of? Maybe you need to recommit to the ownership, get off the bench and get back in the game. Unite with a local group of active members with whom you can play. Just because you wear a jersey once a week doesn’t mean you’re a player, you may be a poser. Make your words and actions a litmus test and find out.

Don’t let corporate or political games distract you from your team, your mission and your goal. Make sure your actions reflect your ownership. Make sure you play up to your ability.

This baseball season is coming to a close. YOUR season will come to an end. It took the Cubbies 75 years to get back to the World Series. I’m afraid you don’t have the same luxury. Play to win today. Play in unity with your team.

In this season of life and this place in time, who do you trust? Who CAN you trust?

I’m afraid we have allowed ourselves and our hearts to be led astray. In turn, our country has been led astray. It’s become easier to answer the question of trust by default and make a list of who and what you can’t trust. Our trust was misplaced onto people and institutions who have betrayed us. We must ask ourselves where our trust belongs and get back on track.

Gone are the days when our country’s elected leadership puts America’s interest before their own. When a man or woman’s actions show a consistency of self interest and enrichment over the needs of those they have pledged to serve, trust is weakened. When a person’s words are filled with anger, lies and reminders they consider others as less than themselves and deplorable, trust is lost.

Virtues such as faith, hope and love are the foundation for life. When this foundation is shaken and cracked, trust won’t be far behind. There is a sense of despair and anger in our country today because the people have lost trust in their leadership. We have been putting too much faith and trust in the wrong people and places. When we trust anything more than or in place of our creator this is what happens.

“The Lord detests lying lips, but he delights in people who are trustworthy.” Proverbs 12:22. Heck, none of us like people who lie to us. How can we be served and represented by people who God intensely dislikes? According to Jeremiah, “…the Lord has rejected those you trust: you will not be helped by them.” We have to realign our trust.

No wonder our country is experiencing ambivalence and discontentment. We should be concerned, we should be perplexed. The answer is not found in another candidate or in another election cycle. The answer is found in returning to the only one we can trust. “The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and he helps me.” Psalm 28:7.

For far too long we have been buying a lie that separation of church and state means to separate your religious beliefs from your politics. Look where that’s gotten us. We have also been told to keep our spiritual life out of the workplace. See what’s happened in the corporate world. We have been told to keep our faith out of the school system. Is it ironic mass shootings follow?

When a nations leadership tries to push God out of the people’s lives we are left with men and women who see themselves as the ultimate power and authority. If there is no absolute truth and sovereign God followed by the state, why should a ball player stand up for the national anthem? Now, entire college teams are staying in the locker room to separate themselves from the state.

There are signs everywhere that the American way of life for the last few hundred years is broken and sick. We have elected people who reflect our lack of trust in God. Where did we think this would lead? Where do you think it goes from here? I can tell you this, it doesn’t go away folks. Unless we turn our selves and our country back to our creator, the trend continues. If you’re confused, angry or apathetic now, just wait.

“If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” 2 Chronicles 7:14. That’s a call to a specific group of people for a specific action with a specific purpose.

We trust our health until it goes. We trust our job until we lose it. We trust our money until it runs out. We trust our politicians until they desert us. We find all kinds of gods and places to put our trust in until they fail us. And they WILL all fail us.

If we want America to heal and return to being a unified and prosperous shining light for the world, there’s only one God for your trust. Make sure YOUR trust is in the right place.

You’re either part of the problem or part of the solution. Is it really that cut and dried?

It’s easy to look around and identify problems. Our political process and parties are in shambles across the globe. Read the headlines. Our leadership in corporate America has lost it’s moral compass and greed runs rampant. Nations refuse to communicate with each other. Un-elected bodies like the European Union tax a nation and it’s citizens to support an agenda that dissolves sovereignty and therefore irreparably changes the culture of a nation. The list goes on.

The old is either on the way out or has already left the building. Another word for these changes is death. Death to what has been. Death to the old gives life to the new. But what is the new that is coming from the situations we find facing our world and country?

Death is one of the most natural aspects of life. All of us will leave this world 6 feet under. Only when a kernel of corn dies and falls into the ground can a stalk arise and form thousands more. Only when a wildflower is destroyed and the dead seed spreads will fifty more arise. In nature, it is through dying that we live. It works the same in all of God’s Kingdom.

In 2 Corinthians 4:7-11, Paul reminds Christians that death is part of the plan. We should not only expect death but embrace it. “But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed…For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that his life may be revealed in our mortal body.”

The world and it’s inhabitants are being hard pressed. People are down right perplexed about what the heck is going on. Aren’t you? People here and abroad are being persecuted for their beliefs. Folks are literally being struck down, their heads chopped off on video for the world to see. And don’t forget, Christians around the world are at the front of the line in these persecutions.

Christ told us this was going to happen. “All men will hate you because of me, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved.” Matthew 10:22.

We know that what we see is a reflection of an unseen spiritual world. We know we live in a world at war. Our battle may not be against flesh and blood, but we CAN see it right now. If YOU can’t see it today then you’ve been blinded or choose to ignore. Don’t be afraid or run from the death and suffering that is rampant. It is through being broken and shred apart that we become strong.

Like what we see in nature, it is the endurance of one that produces a multitude. “It is written: ‘I believed; therefore I have spoken.'” Fight the inclination to withdraw your words and actions from a world that is dying to the past. Be a part of the change you were born for. Be a part of the change you were saved for. You are here “for such a time as this.” Wake up and don’t lose heart.

Don’t take the passive attitude that this too shall pass. It WILL pass. It will change. What will YOU look like in the new that is to come? “For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” 2 Corinthians 4:17.

For a believer, NOW is the time for more wisdom, more discernment and more revelation than ever before. It IS different this time folks. “The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers.” Ignore that at the peril of your soul and the souls of your children.

America has bathed in the blessings of Almighty God for a long time. We were founded on the Judaeo-Christian principals and beliefs that allowed God to shower our people and nation. But when our leadership declares that we are no longer that nation, be forewarned. We may be a constitutional republic but our leadership represents us to the Kingdom of Heaven and the world. THEY are paying attention.

My point is this. We are seeing a collapse in the faith of people in their governments around the globe. People are allowing themselves to be represented by those who do not share their core beliefs. In turn, that leadership is consciously and unconsciously changing the people they represent. It is imperative that believers return to their God and their faith. That return will be marked by suffering as evidenced in words like hard pressed, perplexed and broken.

In the above referenced scripture from 2 Corinthians, focus on verse 7 for a minute. ‘But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.” This treasure we have is Christ himself. The change and death of the old ways we are witnessing is for the purpose of revealing Him to everyone.

Will you aid in this revelation or be a hindrance? Let others see Him in you. Make sure you don’t ignore or try to avoid the pains this change will bring. Get ready and welcome a little suffering. What you are and what you have is the solution.

Recognize that what we are witnessing everyday is part of His plan. It is pretty cut and dried. Be part of the solution and not the problem.