3rd & Goal

Every time I turned on the TV this weekend it ended up on football. Saw bits and pieces of some really good games. Saw Boise State play on their famous blue turf, watched the Giants crumble under pressure, and my favorite watched Steve Spurrier get out coached. I don't have a team I follow regularly. I prefer just a good game. There are a few individuals I route for but that is more because of their off the field actions than on. I do enjoy coaching from the couch. It seems so easy as I sit there to call the right plays. Of course, I do not have the pressure, noise, or my job on the line. It is easy for me to say be aggressive or fake a kick when it is not my neck on the chopping block.

That is the way life is though. We have a coach who seems to be making the calls and a crowd of coaches sitting on the couch calling out plays from the safety of their seat. It is easy for them to call in a play where if it fails they have nothing to lose. It is easy to criticize when you have nothing at risk. If you fail from the couch you have nothing to lose, not even your seat. Maybe if you have the ultimate "play" you shouldn't be sitting on the couch. Strap on the gear and go make a call.

The coach has to take the responsibility of the outcome, win or lose. The coach can't pass the blame. A good team though helps shoulder the blame. A good team keeps the coach in check not allowing him to believe he earned that win single handed. Nor does the team let him believe he lost the game single handily. They shoulder the blame together. We win or lose as a team.

How many good pastors have been out coached from the sidelines? How many pastors didn't have a team to have their back? How many pastors never heard good play? How many pastors called the play as the church sat in the pews? How many pastors had no team?