Anyone who knows me knows that I love football. One reason I love football is because football is pregnant with illustrations, and – as you know – preachers love illustrations. Another reason I love football is because it is a place unlike many others where a player’s distinct attributes are able to be expressed displaying strength, determination, self-control, skill and power in concert with others forming a collective impact without the denial of individual contribution.
Love cares more for others than for self. . . . [Love] keeps going to the end. —1 Corinthians 13:3–7, The Message
The story is told of an elderly woman who visited a local church one day. When the service drew to a close, this elderly woman in her worn and tattered clothes went forward in order to become a member. The preacher listened to her tell him that she believed in Christ and wanted to be baptized. He also found out that she was still and had been a cleaning woman all of her life.
For 42 years, I’ve been making small regular deposits in this bank of experience: education and training. And on January 15, the balance was sufficient so that I could make a very large withdrawal. —US Airways Captain Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger, in an interview with CBS Evening News, June 12, 2009
Those of us who have received Christ are literally children of royalty. —Beth Moore, Breaking Free