19 "All this," said David, "the Lord made me understand in writing, by His hand upon me, all the works of these plans."
20 And David said to his son Solomon, "Be strong and of good courage, and do it; do not fear nor be dismayed, for the Lord God--my God--will be with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you, until you have finished all the work for the service of the house of the Lord..."
God had a plan for Solomon's life, and part of that plan was to build a Temple that would reflect the glory and character of God. David, as a wise and loving father, instructed Solomon to be "strong and of good courage," recognizing that God would be with Him. Our reliance on God will produce courage in our lives. If we are acting in order to honor Him, He will provide the resources we need in order to fulfill His call for our lives.
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In Romans 5, we see the progression of how the presence of Christ in our hearts will produce godly character:
1 Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
2 through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.
3 And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance;
4 and perseverance, character; and character, hope.
Tonight in Bremerton, Washington, there just might be more anticipation about what will take place after the game than during the high school football team's homecoming game. Joe Kennedy is a coach for the high school football team, a Desert Storm and Desert Shield veteran who, after being inspired by the movie, Facing the Giants, began a practice in 2008 of walking to the 50-yard line after the game, where he would offer a short prayer of thanksgiving for the safety of the players, the fairness of the game and for spirited competition. That's according to a piece from Todd Starnes of Fox News, who writes that, "Over the years, students joined the coach – all voluntarily."
Well, the Bremerton School District has issued a three-page letter to the coach – forbidding him from praying before or after high school football games.
He told Starnes: “I’m being investigated for thanking God for the opportunities that have been given me,” adding, “It’s absolutely ridiculous.”
Attorney Hiram Sasser wrote, “There is no lawful prohibition against Coach Kennedy’s practice of saying a private, post-game prayer,” and he added, “The prayers are Coach Kennedy’s private religious speech, and no reasonable observer could conclude that BHS sponsors, endorses, or encourages student participation.”
And, there's another coach to whom I want to call attention, who is a 1948 graduate of Woodlawn High School, who went on to attend the University of Alabama and Howard University. Another post on the Woodlawn blog said that this successful college coach, "had prayer before and after every game and a team Bible devotion the night before every game as well as a Bible devotion and prayer time at his morning coaches meetings. Each of his coaches took turns leading the discussion group."
The post says that every season, Coach Bobby Bowden took his team to two church services in Tallahassee. One of those trip was to a predominately white church while the other was and to a predominately black church. He is quoted as saying, "It’s a wonder the ACLU didn’t get after me pretty good,” adding admits. “I really kept thinking they would…" He said that he wanted the players to "see they were welcome no matter what the color of their skin was at either church.”
And, I just have to share what the coach wrote on his Facebook page just yesterday:
Three coaches - Kennedy, who will be taking to the field tonight, perhaps for the last time, to pray at the 50-yard line as an expression of his faith. Geralds, who was at the center of a spiritual revival in Birmingham, whose own life was changed by the power of Jesus Christ. Bowden, someone who is known not only for national championships, but for being a champion for Christ.
So, what are you known for? We can be challenged to examine our lives to determine if our life reflects the presence of the indwelling Christ, and to make sure that we are willing to "go public" for Him. That can certainly be a challenge, and there may be consequences for our obedience. But, in our boldness to follow Christ, we can know the satisfaction of following Him.
If we are applying God's principles in our lives, and allowing Jesus to live through us, then He will shape our conduct and our character. We can be known for who we are in Him as we follow in His identity and in the power of the new creation.
1 Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
2 through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.
3 And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance;
4 and perseverance, character; and character, hope.
Tonight in Bremerton, Washington, there just might be more anticipation about what will take place after the game than during the high school football team's homecoming game. Joe Kennedy is a coach for the high school football team, a Desert Storm and Desert Shield veteran who, after being inspired by the movie, Facing the Giants, began a practice in 2008 of walking to the 50-yard line after the game, where he would offer a short prayer of thanksgiving for the safety of the players, the fairness of the game and for spirited competition. That's according to a piece from Todd Starnes of Fox News, who writes that, "Over the years, students joined the coach – all voluntarily."
Well, the Bremerton School District has issued a three-page letter to the coach – forbidding him from praying before or after high school football games.
He told Starnes: “I’m being investigated for thanking God for the opportunities that have been given me,” adding, “It’s absolutely ridiculous.”
Starnes reports that Liberty Institute now represents Coach Kennedy - they fired off a letter on Wednesday to the school district urging them to rescind the prayer ban.
Attorney Hiram Sasser wrote, “There is no lawful prohibition against Coach Kennedy’s practice of saying a private, post-game prayer,” and he added, “The prayers are Coach Kennedy’s private religious speech, and no reasonable observer could conclude that BHS sponsors, endorses, or encourages student participation.”
USA Today reports that at a press conference earlier this week, Coach Kennedy announced he would be praying at midfield after the game.
Isn't it interesting that while thousands will be attending a movie about a spiritual revival at a Birmingham high school, a football coach in Washington state will be taking a bold stand for the Lord? That movie is Woodlawn, and on the movie's blog site, you can read this:
In the forthcoming movie WOODLAWN, head coach Tandy Gerelds found himself in a similar situation. Group prayers with the football team and other religious activities became the center of a school district investigation and garnered intense pressure from the superintendent.The blog post goes on to say that the coach, "instead of caving in...made a bold move that inspired an entire city."
And, there's another coach to whom I want to call attention, who is a 1948 graduate of Woodlawn High School, who went on to attend the University of Alabama and Howard University. Another post on the Woodlawn blog said that this successful college coach, "had prayer before and after every game and a team Bible devotion the night before every game as well as a Bible devotion and prayer time at his morning coaches meetings. Each of his coaches took turns leading the discussion group."
The post says that every season, Coach Bobby Bowden took his team to two church services in Tallahassee. One of those trip was to a predominately white church while the other was and to a predominately black church. He is quoted as saying, "It’s a wonder the ACLU didn’t get after me pretty good,” adding admits. “I really kept thinking they would…" He said that he wanted the players to "see they were welcome no matter what the color of their skin was at either church.”
And, I just have to share what the coach wrote on his Facebook page just yesterday:
Been a dadgum crazy week in college football, don't y'all think? I get notes all the time from young coaches asking my advice about how to move their careers along. I always tell them the same exact thing. I never got a job that I applied for, you know it? Somehow, Ann and me always ended up where I felt God wanted us to be. The unexpected can happen when God shows up in your life! Have faith and work as hard as you can. Just another reminder and reason to see #Woodlawn the new movie coming to the movie theaters tomorrow. It's about my beloved Woodlawn High School. It's where I got to play QB, and play in the band. I still play golf every summer in Birmingham with some of my old Woodlawn teammates. This is a wonderful story that I hope everyone gets a chance to see.I just have to share from another Bowden post here:
Jon Voight does a dadgum good job of playing Coach Bryant in the new movie #Woodlawn. Don't forget it will be playing in the movie theaters this Friday October 16th. You can click on the picture from my post the other day for their page to see a whole bunch of stuff about the movie. I endorsed it, and wrote the foreword for the book it was based on too. It is that good! And it is so true that coaching and preaching are very much alike.That book was written by Tandy Gerelds' son, Todd, along with Mark Schlabach of ESPN.
Three coaches - Kennedy, who will be taking to the field tonight, perhaps for the last time, to pray at the 50-yard line as an expression of his faith. Geralds, who was at the center of a spiritual revival in Birmingham, whose own life was changed by the power of Jesus Christ. Bowden, someone who is known not only for national championships, but for being a champion for Christ.
So, what are you known for? We can be challenged to examine our lives to determine if our life reflects the presence of the indwelling Christ, and to make sure that we are willing to "go public" for Him. That can certainly be a challenge, and there may be consequences for our obedience. But, in our boldness to follow Christ, we can know the satisfaction of following Him.
If we are applying God's principles in our lives, and allowing Jesus to live through us, then He will shape our conduct and our character. We can be known for who we are in Him as we follow in His identity and in the power of the new creation.
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