Things that happen to us only occasionally seem to break the routine.  Even an every third month oil change can seem exotic.  But I guarantee it’s not exotic to the guy in the pit at the local drive-through zippy lube.  And our all-knowing everywhere God has presided over every dropped oil drain plug.

And what about that cool chorus that we haven’t sung at church in three months?  God heard it three million times last Sunday.  I know our worship team does it really well, but still . . . .  How does an infinitely creative God bear the repetition?

I think God finds pleasure when words He’s heard almost endlessly emerge from a soul that speaks them directly, personally, sincerely.  He delights in them when they flow from a “we’re having a moment here” context.

In that sense a new song can be old hat before the lyrics are written down.  BUT its also true that I can sing a new song today with lyrics composed centuries ago!  I hope to bring God a little pleasure today with a new song–just to give Him a little break from the routine.

By RICK REILLY
Dec. 26, 2008—

Editor’s Note: This story was reported by Rick Reilly for ESPN Magazine and ESPN.com. It was originally published on Dec. 22, 2008.

They played the oddest game in high school football history last month down in Grapevine, Texas.

It was Grapevine Faith vs. Gainesville State School and everything about it was upside down. For instance, when Gainesville came out to take the field, the Faith fans made a 40-yard spirit line for them to run through.

Did you hear that? The other team’s fans?

They even made a banner for players to crash through at the end. It said, “Go Tornadoes!” Which is also weird, because Faith is the Lions.

It was rivers running uphill and cats petting dogs. More than 200 Faith fans sat on the Gainesville side and kept cheering the Gainesville players onby name.

“I never in my life thought I’d hear people cheering for us to hit their kids,” recalls Gainesville’s QB and middle linebacker, Isaiah. “I wouldn’t expect another parent to tell somebody to hit their kids. But they wanted us to!”

And even though Faith walloped them 33-14, the Gainesville kids were so happy that after the game they gave head coach Mark Williams a sideline squirt-bottle shower like he’d just won state. Gotta be the first Gatorade bath in history for an 0-9 coach.

But then you saw the 12 uniformed officers escorting the 14 Gainesville players off the field and two and two started to make four. They lined the players up in groups of fivehandcuffs ready in their back pocketsand marched them to the team bus.

That’s because Gainesville is a maximum-security correctional facility 75 miles north of Dallas. Every game it plays is on the road.

This all started when Faith’s head coach, Kris Hogan, wanted to do something kind for the Gainesville team. Faith had never played Gainesville, but he already knew the score. After all, Faith was 7-2 going into the game, Gainesville 0-8 with 2 TDs all year.

Faith has 70 kids, 11 coaches, the latest equipment and involved parents. Gainesville has a lot of kids with convictions for drugs, assault and robberymany of whose families had disowned themwearing seven-year-old shoulder pads and ancient helmets.

So Hogan had this idea. What if half of our fansfor one night onlycheered for the other team? He sent out an e-mail asking the Faithful to do just that. “Here’s the message I want you to send:” Hogan wrote. “You are just as valuable as any other person on planet Earth.”

Some people were naturally confused. One Faith player walked into Hogan’s office and asked, “Coach, why are we doing this?”

And Hogan said, “Imagine if you didn’t have a home life. Imagine if everybody had pretty much given up on you. Now imagine what it would mean for hundreds of people to suddenly believe in you.”

Next thing you know, the Gainesville Tornadoes were turning around on their bench to see something they never had before. Hundreds of fans. And actual cheerleaders!

“I thought maybe they were confused,” said Alex, a Gainesville lineman (only first names are released by the prison). “They started yelling ‘DEE-fense!’ when their team had the ball. I said, ‘What? Why they cheerin’ for us?’”

It was a strange experience for boys who most people cross the street to avoid. “We can tell people are a little afraid of us when we come to the games,” says Gerald, a lineman who will wind up doing more than three years. “You can see it in their eyes. They’re lookin’ at us like we’re criminals. But these people, they were yellin’ for us! By our names!”

Maybe it figures that Gainesville played better than it had all season, scoring the game’s last two touchdowns. Of course, this might be because Hogan put his third-string nose guard at safety and his third-string cornerback at defensive end. Still.

After the game, both teams gathered in the middle of the field to pray and that’s when Isaiah surprised everybody by asking to lead. “We had no idea what the kid was going to say,” remembers Coach Hogan. But Isaiah said this: “Lord, I don’t know how this happened, so I don’t know how to say thank You, but I never would’ve known there was so many people in the world that cared about us.”

And it was a good thing everybody’s heads were bowed because they might’ve seen Hogan wiping away tears.

As the Tornadoes walked back to their bus under guard, they each were handed a bag for the ride homea burger, some fries, a soda, some candy, a Bible and an encouraging letter from a Faith player.

The Gainesville coach saw Hogan, grabbed him hard by the shoulders and said, “You’ll never know what your people did for these kids tonight. You’ll never, ever know.”

And as the bus pulled away, all the Gainesville players crammed to one side and pressed their hands to the window, staring at these people they’d never met before, watching their waves and smiles disappearing into the night.

Anyway, with the economy six feet under and Christmas running on about three and a half reindeer, it’s nice to know that one of the best presents you can give is still absolutely free.

Hope.

Watch the video here.

Copyright © 2009 ABC News Internet Ventures

One way to track fears and worries is to follow the money. Another is to follow them back to other people’s possible judgments of us (p.171). In chapter 15, Welch shifts our attention to another source of fear our craving for approval. He reminds us of his previous maxim: whatever you think you need will control you.

The author uses the story of the spies of Israel in Numbers 13 and 14 to illustrate the fear of man. This is a fear of enemies, but Welch points out that there is a correlation to our more common people fears. We too can encounter enemies that threaten our lives, but more often our enemies are those who threaten things as important to us as life itself. They have the power to both give and take away our reputation, acceptance, prestige, and love (p.177).

Welch assures us that there is nothing wrong with wanting to be loved or wanting a good reputation. The trouble comes when this desire supercedes our desire for God’s glory. The author reminds us that we have all, at times, been ashamed to stand for the Gospel.

Discussion
What did you do in high school to manage your image?
Did you think you would grow out of that insecurity?
In what ways have you NOT grown out of it?

What do you need from other people?
Where do you value people and what they can give above God?
How do you put your trust in others?

Welch’s thirteenth chapter is an exposition of Psalm 27: Worriers should be experts in a handful of passages. The story in Exodus 16 about manna is the basic framework; the worry passages in Matthew 6 and Luke 12 add essential detail. Although other Scriptures won’t change this basic outline, they will dress it up in a way that will bless you. Psalm 27 is a classic (pp. 147-148).

The author divides the Psalm into four sections beginning with Confidence. In this section, the psalmist makes a public declaration that the Lord is his light, salvation and stronghold. We are encouraged to focus on the Deliverer more than the deliverance.

The second section is One Thing. David asks God for what is most important, that is, nearness to God. David was captivated by the beauty or perfections of who God is.

David comes to the prayer in the third section of the Psalm. Welch understands this section, not as a chronological retelling of events, but as happening concurrent with the confidence and seeking. So, David is feeling a contradiction between his situation and his faith in God. Psalm 27 emphasizes the motto, When in doubt, pray. It seems simple, but we don’t. Instead, we worry more and look for ways to gain control of a situation (p. 156).

Finally, the psalmist reveals his Confidence. Here he takes his faith public with the priests and the people.

Welch wraps up his analysis in this manner: Worry looks for new answers, but it won’t find them in this psalm. This psalm offers no novel techniques. But remember that fear and worry don’t need something new. Instead, fear and worry need to act on what we already know. Do we pray about those things that cause anxiety? Do we precede our prayers with declarations about God, his character, wand his mighty acts, especially as they culminated in Jesus? And do we respond even out loud, publicly to the promise that God will be with us and his kingdom will come? (p.157).

If anxiety and worry thrive on the unknown future, the promise of future grace is the believer’s peace. That’s the chapter in a nutshell.

Anxiety asks for more information so it can be prepared for the coming apocalypse. It also asks for more information so it can manage the world apart from God. Worry and anxiety think that more information will help. The truth, of course, is that it won’t (pp. 137-138).

Welch argues that what calms anxiety in the present will also work for worry that looks ahead. Jesus cure for worry in the now was a kingdom focus where the love of the King is our delight and we search for ways to express that love to others. The cure for anxiety about the future is to believe that God’s grace will be sufficient to sustain our kingdom mission.

The grace that we may count on for tomorrow will not shield us from experiencing hardship. If you get in the car accident you dread, you will have grace to know that God is with you, and you will have grace to bear fruit even in that difficult situation. If your loved one dies before you, you will have grace to know God’s comfort and to shine brightly as you reflect your Father’s glory. If poverty knocks on your door, you will have grace to trust your King and know that poverty cannot detract from your privilege of being an ambassador who blesses others in his name (p.140). This grace does ensure that we will have what we need to sustain us.

Furthermore, this grace for tomorro’s need will be more than we can imagine today. We will fail if we project onto tomorrow, the grace that we have been given for today.

My own journey

This last thought was my take hom for the chapter. When I have anxiety about an upcoming situation, I should not be surprised that I cannot imagine today how God’s grace could be sufficient for that eventuality.

By learning my faith lessons today, I can prepare myself for the crises of tomorrow. But that preparation is not the skills of self-sufficiency, it is simply the instinct and ability to trust.

In 2Cor. 1:8, Paul writes: For we do not want you to be unaware, brethren, of our affliction which came [to us] in Asia, that we were burdened excessively, beyond our strength, so that we despaired even of life . . . How do you reconcile Paul’s experience with Jesus’ promise, seek first the kingdom and all these things will be added? That’s the subject of chapter 11. Of course, it is much more than the academic discussion of reconciling two biblical passages. It’s all about understanding our own doubts and fears in light of Jesus’ promise and the experience of life.

Did Paul forget Jesus words about worry? How did he reconcile Jesus’ observation about birds that are fed by the Father with his own history of hunger and near-death experiences? Just when you are willing to believe that God will care for your physical needs, you find that he was not speaking literally! (p.127)

Welch teaches that the provision we were promised is spiritual provision. He continues: “Now is the time to bury the myth that spiritual means intangible, something only for the by-and-by. The words of God to which Moses pointed, which was the strength Paul found from Christ alone, are spiritual in the sense that they are eternal. The contrast between earthly and spiritual is not a contrast between the tangible and the intangible; it is between the transitory and the eternal (p.127).

One more quote to round out what I believe the author is getting at:

The pattern is this: the Father genuinely cares about the daily needs of his children, and he is constantly caring for us, but he wants this to point us to something better. If we don’t find our life and strength in Jesus Christ, we will go from one worry to the next (p.131).

If I read Welch correctly, he is saying that God will provide physically for his children, but as they become more mature He will? / may? withhold physical provision in order to lead them to the spiritual manna. This spiritual manna is satisfying in the same sense (real, tangible, temporal) as any physical provision only more so.

My own journey

I feel like I’m constantly being yanked back into the kingdom of this world. I don’t want to be possessed by temporal things and I can take elementary steps of stewardship. But then I am forced to make decisions about taking care of my home, and planning for the future, and . . . and . . .

Still, the tension is mostly tolerable until I rub shoulders with people living more on the edge than myself. Then I strain to hear God’s voice and his will. The next step in generosity and stewardship seems like it’s off a cliff.

Discussion

What exactly does Jesus mean when He says, My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish he work (John 4:34)?

The author is still working with worry themes from the Sermon on the Mount. In the Sermon, he observes that seeking the kingdom is the antidote to worry. In this chapter then, he attempts to explain how seeking the kingdom combats fear.

Welch insists that with the arrival of Jesus the King, the kingdom is present. This kingdom is essentially God’s reign in the spiritual realm, right here and right now, where Jesus’ will is done. It is more real than the physical realm, but may seem elusive.

Any one of us can participate in this kingdom in a growing, expanding, progressive way as we submit to the rule of God in our lives. This spiritual kingdom is one in conflict, however. For that reason, while we enjoy the blessings of God’s kingdom, we also find ourselves engaged with Satan in battle.

Within this battle, worries are a way that we doubt the King’s presence and power. By contrast, the essence of faith . . . is that we choose sides: in whom do we trust? (p.120).

The expectation of the Christian should not be a dramatic elimination of all fear and worry, but small steps of faith. As this experience of the kingdom grows, so will our sense of security and peace.

My own journey

I believe that Welch’s explanation of the kingdom concept is oversimplified from a theological standpoint. However, I would concur with the application he derives from it for our present age.

The battle to overcome fear and worry must be fought on the spiritual plane. The tangible evidences of health and prosperity will never be substantial enough to banish fear.

Understanding my life within the larger context of God’s kingdom enables me to face the dangers of life from the perspective of ultimate victory.

This chapter begins a section in Welch’s book entitled God speaks on money and possessions. The chapter brings Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount (particularly Matthew 6:25-34) into the discussion. The author suggests that the Old Testament manna story, with its lessons, is a prequel to the Sermon on the Mount. Welch examines the passage phrase by phrase.

What is important? [The] new kingdom is so beautiful and important that it can override our worries about everyday concerns like food and clothing (p.106).

Your Father cares for the needs of the birds. Rather than rebuking us for our concern with physical needs, Jesus actually hears my myopic concerns and sets out to prove that our daily needs “our physical needs”are important to God (p.107).

You are more important than birds. Because we are uniquely made in God’s image, God has a unique interest in caring for us.

He clothes non-human creation in beauty. He will certainly do the same and more for you. The argument is that if God cares for these transient aspects of creation, won’t he care much more for children who share in his eternal kingdom? (p. 108).

O you of little faith. This is the essential question for all worriers: Whom do I trust?

Seek first his kingdom. When you seek the King, you are seeking the kingdom. Reorienting your life around the fact that God is in control of a kingdom that is His own not yours is key to resolving worry.

Therefore, don’t worry about tomorrow. The word tomorrow reminds us of the manna story. God takes responsibility for the big picture so we can function within the area of our own responsibility.

My own journey

I have a friend who regularly reminds me of the value of a good job description. His concern is not so much from the perspective of management; holding someone to their obligations. His perspective is how the job description frees an employee to focus on his/her own responsibilities and not become overwhelmed.

I can readily identify with trying to carry more responsibility than God intends. I can quickly feel pressure for results that are outside of my abilities, and outcomes that are beyond my control. Whenever I do, anxiety is near to hand.

Discussion

Work through the key phrases of Matthew 6:25-34 highlighted by Welch. Identify the significance of each phrase in relation to worry.

Here’s a twist. Maybe worry itself is something to fear. Welch suggests that the repetition of God’s command not to worry indicates there is something dangerous in fear and worry in and of themselves.

To make his point, he appeals to Mark 4:14-20. This passage is Jesus’ explanation of His parable of the different kinds of soil. In the explanation, the threat to spiritual vitality comes from:

“Satan”
“the deceitfulness of wealth”
“the desires for other things”
“worries”

Here’s what’s wrong with worry according to the author: “Worry is focused inward. It prefers self-protection over trust. It can hear many encouraging words—even God’s words—and stay unmoved. It can be life-dominating. It is connected to your money and desires I that it reveals the things that are valuable to you. It can reveal that you love something more than Jesus. It crowds Jesus out of your life” (p.97).

My Own Journey

Worry is a threat, no doubt about it. It’s an important addition to our discussion, but it is not the truth that will set me free from worry. It seems kind of like saying, “You’ve got the flu. That won’t kill you. But the flu will lead to pneumonia—and that will.” Or, “I know you think your situation is bad, but it’s really worse than you think.”

The value of understanding worry’s place in this parable is that it helps me understand how worry prevents me from connecting to God’s Word of encouragement in a significant manner. With that understanding, the responsibility for my lack of courage rests with me, while the hope of God’s comfort and security remains fully alive.

Discussion
How does worry fit into the parable explained in Mark 4:14-20?
Is this encouraging or depressing? Why?
Are there any solutions suggested here?
How does worry in this passage relate to the fear of the Lord?

“Deliverance is grand except for one thing: it isn’t deliverance unless it’s the eleventh hour. There first has to be some kind of danger for there to be deliverance. Such drama is fun to watch in movies and great to hear in other people’s stories, but we would prefer not to experience it in our own lives” (p.83). With this observation, Welch introduces another facet of God’s interaction with fearful people. The author hopes that our own experiences of the “eleventh hour” will evoke an eager awareness of God’s active presence.

Welch notes that God’s ordinary means of care is not deliverance at the last possible moment. God is always sustaining and providing. Quiet care is the rule. It is against this backdrop that the Bible does record God’s mighty acts in the nick of time. But the author wants to lead us to something he believes is even more dramatic: “As you read through Scripture, there is a gradual progression. Initially the deliverances are at the last minute. By the time of the New Testament, they are delayed to the point where even those who are tenacious in clinging to God have lost hope” (p.87).

Welch reminds us of the widow’s son who was resurrected, and of Lazarus, to show that after-the-fact deliverances are heralds of the real deliverance. “The ultimate deliverance was not our rescue from the jaws of death, because any temporal deliverance from death meant only that death was postponed. The real deliverance was the ‘death of death’ secured by the death of Jesus Christ” (p.88).

Welch acknowledges that the faith of Abraham and others like him (Heb. 11) was extraordinary. For most of us, deliverance is when the check comes in the mail with 15 minutes to spare. But these had reset their clocks so to speak. They still expected deliverance even when deadlines had passed.

Welch encourages us to examine our own experiences for evidence of a deeper deliverance that came after you went through the pain. “Those who imitate Abraham’s faith are always pushing the last minute farther out until it comes even after physical death. Such a person is fearless” (p.91).

My own journey

I like “nick of time” deliverances more than “after the fact” ones. That reveals a lack of trust in me and evidence that I stubbornly cling to the idea that I know what’s best. Only someone who is consistently confident in God’s providential care can cherish and be grateful for an “after the fact” deliverance. I want to be there.

Discussion

Can you identify times in your life when God’s deliverance was experienced on the other side of the trial?
Does “after the fact” deliverance count? What is true and necessary for it to count?
How is God’s glory at stake in differentiating between these kinds of deliverance?
What happens if we carry around a list of personal experiences when we perceive that God didn’t show up?