Uncommon

As believers in Christ, we are people of hope, who can be challenged to be devoted to Christ, and that devotion can demonstrate His nature in us. 2nd Corinthians 1 says:
20 For all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us.
21 Now He who establishes us with you in Christ and has anointed us is God,
22 who also has sealed us and given us the Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee.

We are called to live to the glory of God - that means to be obedient to Christ and to possess a positive outlook, not in human strength, but because of God's wonderful promises that can be activated through a life that is committed to Jesus.  He is the One who has promised to be with us, He will establish our steps, and we can be convinced that He will act consistent with His word.  As we trust Him to keep His promises, that will shape our attitude and our faith can grow.

+++++

There is a passage in Colossians 3 that can challenge us as we allow the Holy Spirit to govern our behavior:
16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.
17 And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.

This Saturday in Canton, OH, there will be a group of football legends who will be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.  Alabama Crimson Tide fans will certainly watch with anticipation as Kenny Stabler will be inducted.  And if you like the Auburn Tigers, Kevin Greene's induction will make you happy. Many will keep their eyes on Packer great Brett Favre.  Others in this year's class include: Marvin Harrison, Orlando Pace, Edward DeBartolo, Jr., and Dick Stanfel.

And, then there is someone who is described by SBNation.com as "a Super Bowl winner as a player, a Super Bowl winner as a coach, a husband of 34 years, a father, a Christian, a TV personality, a tireless charity worker and author."  Add to that someone you hear on a regular basis on Faith Radio on the Uncommon Moments radio feature.

Yes, I'm talking about Tony Dungy, who says of this honor, according to SB Nation: "This is a culminating piece to the football side of things," adding, "I came to Tampa 20 years ago. I spent 31 years in the NFL playing and coaching. The Lord has directed every step. I remember the last seconds of coaching in our Super Bowl victory, as the clock winded down, thinking about all of the people God put in my path. `How did I get here from Jackson, Mich.?' That's what I was thinking then. You can't do it by yourself."

That article starts out with Coach Dungy's comments on the recent tragedies in Baton Rouge, St. Paul, and Dallas involving African-Americans and police officers.  Referring to the tragedy and misunderstand, the article says:

It pushes him to a thought that silhouettes his life: "What can I do to make it better?"

It is not only a question for him, he says, but for all.

"It is going to take a spiritual weapon to turn this around," Dungy said. "And that spiritual weapon can happen. I think of football. You have your disappointments, your lack of opportunities and tragedies that can happen to your team and its families while you are coaching. But then you get a breakthrough. It follows the model of sports: Work together for a common goal.

"Of course, sports is much easier and life is much harder. But we have to find that common goal and spiritual change. A lot more prayer. It's a big challenge, not just for the African American community but for all of us. The Bible says we have to hurt when others are hurting and rejoice when others are rejoicing. We need more of this in a spiritual need for this entire country." 

Tony Dungy was the first and, to date, only African-American coach to win a Super Bowl.  He has experienced the highs of winning football games and the low of losing a child.  Back to the SBNation article:

He found a way, for himself, to make it better.

"I think as Christians we learn we have to accept everything God brings, not just the things we like," Dungy said. "We can't pick and choose just the good things. This was one of the most painful things you can imagine. But those are the times to give God the opportunity, not pull away. I learned that. As tough and as devastating as it was, I've been able to talk to a lot of people the last 11 years who have gone through losing a child and have been able to be a little bit of encouragement. That means a lot."

According to a Tampa Bay Times story, Tony and his wife Lauren have a total of 10 children. They have 2 other biological children and 7 who are adopted. Their first adopted son, Jordan, is 15 and was born with a congenital disease that prevents him from feeling physical pain. The article says:

That has resulted in many hospital visits and a metaphor for coping with James' death. "Pain inside sometimes lets us know that spiritually we're not quite right and we need to be healed and that God will send that healing agent right to the spot," Dungy says.

When the children started coming, Dungy, 60, never expected the numbers to swell so quickly. But this is what he and Lauren decided to do with their lives, and being pro-life Christians, opening their hearts and doors to children seemed right.

The story points out that...

He went 139-69 in his 13 seasons as a head coach with the Buccaneers and Colts. He made 10 consecutive playoff appearances, made history by winning a Super Bowl. He grew an enormous coaching tree that included NFL minority coaches such as Herm Edwards, Lovie Smith, Mike Tomlin, Leslie Frazier and Jim Caldwell. He served as a sounding board and inspiration for minority coaches for most of the past two decades.

Dungy is also a co-founder of All-Pro Dad, which is focused, according to a CBN.com article, on building relationships between fathers and their kids. Dungy is quoted as saying "The way men connect with football, if we can help them get that same energy with parenting, we're going to have a good thing," adding, "Let's call it 'All-Pro Dad' and let's get it started."  He also said, "We've got to get our men more engaged being parents."  He believes that will head off a lot of problems that are currently being seen.

There are four words that I want to relate as we think about Coach Dungy's incredible contribution to our culture - not just sports culture, but the fabric of our society.  One is the importance of priorities. As the Tampa Bay Times puts it, his priorities are in order - faith, family, and football.   It is apparent that Dungy is devoted to Christ, and we can see that he is shaped by his faith.  His family has withstood some adversity, but he and Lauren place a high priority on them, and he wants to challenge fathers to step up and lead their families.  In football, he has excelled greatly and has been an incredible influence on African-Americans in the coaching profession.

His life has not only been marked by his commitment to priorities, but in the midst of tough times, he has shown perseverance.   The road has not been easy for Tony and the Dungy family, but through it all, he admits that God has directed his steps.   That's a good lesson for us - even in and through hardship, we can be convinced that God is working.

And, as that one article suggests, Coach Dungy is a person that wants to make things better.  I would say that he exhibits a sense of positivism.   We can be challenged to improve the lives of people around us and to provide hope for those with whom we come in contact.

Finally, this future Hall of Famer has done it with class.  He demonstrates professionalism.  He is no doubt committed to excellence, and recognizes that he is a representative of Christ.  Our approach to all we do should be to glorify God, and that means to work hard and work well.