Facing the Giants Part II

Yesterday, I recapped the NFC Championship game between the Green Bay Packers and the New York Giants. Today, I will continue on with a football theme, but in different arena. There is a movie called "Facing the Giants" released in 2006. This movie is about a down-on-his-luck high school football coach who is also having many problems with his life as well. Not only has his team never had a winning season in 6 years, he starts hearing rumors that he is to be fired and that his assistant will become the new coach.

His home life also is in turmoil. He and his wife are unable to have children. His car breaks down frequently, they have no money to buy another car or fix the current one. His house is falling apart, just like his life. The team lost their first two games, the most recent was the against the weakest team on the schedule. At his lowest point, he prays for direction. The next day, an old man who visits the parochial school daily and prays for the children, stops by the office of Coach Taylor. He shares a story of two farmers during a intense drought whose crops are failing. Both farmers prayed for rain, but only one prepared his field for rain. Only one received rain. Which one did you think received it?

Coach Taylor finally changes his focus from despair to the Lord. His new attitude is first shown with his team. The team has no confidence and appears to be going through the motions at practice. He challenges his best player to a grueling drill while wearing a blindfold. He encourages the player every yard of the drill to keep going. On and on the player continued, many times past the points of stopping as the pain level increased. Finally, the player collapsed in the end zone, twice the distance he ever thought possible.

That display of heart and faith carried through the team. They won their next game, and the next, and the next. At the end of the season, they had their first winning season and earned a berth in the state playoffs. After advancement by a disqualification and another victory, they faced the undefeated Giants for the state football title. The Giants had not lost a game in two consecutive seasons and lived up to their name in stature and numbers against the smaller school. No one gave Coach Taylor's team a chance.

Well, I won't spoil the ending. Miracles in everyday life are many times unbelievable, but they happen more frequently than you imagine. What about your life? Have you prepared your life for the blessings that you want?

For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows. If we are distressed, it is for your comfort and salvation; if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which produces in you patient endurance of the same sufferings we suffer. And our hope for you is firm, because we know that just as you share in our sufferings, so also you share in our comfort.

He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us, as you help us by your prayers. Then many will give thanks on our behalf for the gracious favor granted us in answer to the prayers of many. II Corinthians 1:5-7,10-11 (NIV)

If you have comments or questions, please feel free to contact me at the address below.
Email: DeltaInspire@panama-vo.com