There is an old buddy of mine I am remembering today on Valentines Day. He was a guy who probably didn't feel very comfortable in the pews of a church on Sunday. I don’t think he felt real good about his occasional back row seat. I think he came primarily to appease his wife.
He was a little, maybe a lot, rough around the edges. He was a hockey coach and I am sure felt more at home in the grit and grind of this kind of competition. It was raw out on the ice and one could not be a poser for too long with out getting his face smashed against the glass. He was somewhat famous for his antics on the ice. To call him demonstrative in the face of a bad call would be an understatement.
There was a particular game I attended with my children, who were young back then, where he became animated to the point of being expelled from the game. (Not easy to do in a hockey match) From center ice, as he threw his clipboard into the air, I, along with the rest of the crowd, screamed our applause and the referee motioned for him to exit the building. This enthused the crowd even more.
As he exited the arena in the midst of the noise and chaos, he walked past my seat. Yes, I was front row on the ice where none of the action was to be missed. As he passed by me he paused and said, "Hey Dave, when are you preaching again?" I yelled back, "This Sunday coach." "OK", he said, “I'll be there.” Then he stopped and yelled at me again, "Do you know why! Do you know why I'll come?" The crowd thinking he was yelling at me roared even louder. I shook my head no. I had no idea why he would want to come other than to appease his wife and I figured he could do that on any Sunday.
He kept yelling as he poked his finger in my chest, "because you got heart, that's why, you got heart!" He may have even added an explicative or two that should not be utilized in this blog but I knew what he was talking about. It was maybe the greatest compliment I have ever received as a preacher. A moment I will hang on to for the rest of life I would imagine.
I think that's why I always liked the coach. Even though we probably didn't agree on every jot and tittle of theology, I liked him because he had heart. He was never shy to go to battle and when he did he gave one hundred and ten percent. The kind of guy who liked to cut through the "crapola" and get right down to the heart of a matter. It's interesting to me that a guy like this didn't feel like he fit so well in church. I suppose I am not so sure he did either. I've been thinking the last couple of days that this is antithetical to scripture.
I came across this passage in the Old Testament. "For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart. This sounds more like the coach than it does some believers but it's a biblical statement on how God views things. A religious spirit from the pulpit might use this to engender condemnation and a successful alter call. This Spirit may even want to remind us that "the heart is deceitful above all things." Today on Valentines day I think I want to challenge some of that and suggest that these passages be put in context so that the truth can be celebrated and even lived out.
There was a great Old Testament Prophet who foresaw a time when things would be different; a time when Messiah would come and call a people of heart to Himself as a kingdom was being ushered in. Speaking for God he says, "I will sprinkle clean water on you and you shall be clean from all your uncleanliness and from all your idols I will cleanse you. And, I will give you a new heart.” Those of us who would count ourselves as citizens in the kingdom should be on this Valentines Day celebrating the new heart we have received and allowing life to flow out of it as we reject the lies the enemy would spin into our conscience that keep us bound to a mediocre existence.
Thanks coach for the compliment and for the valuable lesson.
Happy Valentines Day, enjoy your new heart!
David Fuller
He was a little, maybe a lot, rough around the edges. He was a hockey coach and I am sure felt more at home in the grit and grind of this kind of competition. It was raw out on the ice and one could not be a poser for too long with out getting his face smashed against the glass. He was somewhat famous for his antics on the ice. To call him demonstrative in the face of a bad call would be an understatement.
There was a particular game I attended with my children, who were young back then, where he became animated to the point of being expelled from the game. (Not easy to do in a hockey match) From center ice, as he threw his clipboard into the air, I, along with the rest of the crowd, screamed our applause and the referee motioned for him to exit the building. This enthused the crowd even more.
As he exited the arena in the midst of the noise and chaos, he walked past my seat. Yes, I was front row on the ice where none of the action was to be missed. As he passed by me he paused and said, "Hey Dave, when are you preaching again?" I yelled back, "This Sunday coach." "OK", he said, “I'll be there.” Then he stopped and yelled at me again, "Do you know why! Do you know why I'll come?" The crowd thinking he was yelling at me roared even louder. I shook my head no. I had no idea why he would want to come other than to appease his wife and I figured he could do that on any Sunday.
He kept yelling as he poked his finger in my chest, "because you got heart, that's why, you got heart!" He may have even added an explicative or two that should not be utilized in this blog but I knew what he was talking about. It was maybe the greatest compliment I have ever received as a preacher. A moment I will hang on to for the rest of life I would imagine.
I think that's why I always liked the coach. Even though we probably didn't agree on every jot and tittle of theology, I liked him because he had heart. He was never shy to go to battle and when he did he gave one hundred and ten percent. The kind of guy who liked to cut through the "crapola" and get right down to the heart of a matter. It's interesting to me that a guy like this didn't feel like he fit so well in church. I suppose I am not so sure he did either. I've been thinking the last couple of days that this is antithetical to scripture.
I came across this passage in the Old Testament. "For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart. This sounds more like the coach than it does some believers but it's a biblical statement on how God views things. A religious spirit from the pulpit might use this to engender condemnation and a successful alter call. This Spirit may even want to remind us that "the heart is deceitful above all things." Today on Valentines day I think I want to challenge some of that and suggest that these passages be put in context so that the truth can be celebrated and even lived out.
There was a great Old Testament Prophet who foresaw a time when things would be different; a time when Messiah would come and call a people of heart to Himself as a kingdom was being ushered in. Speaking for God he says, "I will sprinkle clean water on you and you shall be clean from all your uncleanliness and from all your idols I will cleanse you. And, I will give you a new heart.” Those of us who would count ourselves as citizens in the kingdom should be on this Valentines Day celebrating the new heart we have received and allowing life to flow out of it as we reject the lies the enemy would spin into our conscience that keep us bound to a mediocre existence.
Thanks coach for the compliment and for the valuable lesson.
Happy Valentines Day, enjoy your new heart!
David Fuller