Timothy D. Holder

 Schools are back in session across the country, and with this rite of August/September many people are reminded of issues relating to the role of Christianity in our public schools.  Some people point out that in colonial America, Bible reading and prayer were a routine part of the school day.  Others argue that freedom of religion includes freedom from religion, and they point to a line that Thomas Jefferson wrote in a letter that included the phrase “a wall of separation” in reference to the relationship between Church and State.

 Pro faith people note that Jefferson was telling a group of Baptists that the government would not persecute them for being Baptists (which had happened in colonial America).  Secularists point out that today we are a multicultural society and, they say, this fact needs to be dealt with when discussing matters of religion in the public sector.

 Wouldn’t it be nice if what the politicians and judges argued about was irrelevant?  Wouldn’t it be nice if there were so many people who were followers of Christ and they were so loving and hardworking that it didn’t matter what the rules about Church and State were because everyone would be impacted anyway?  Wouldn’t it be great if the people in our society who need Jesus would see such a contrast in the lives of believers that people would be getting saved in droves? 

 Of course, this puts the responsibility for the spreading of the gospel on the backs of Christians (as led by the Holy Spirit).  But isn’t that what Jesus intended?  It is easier for me to complain about the government interfering with my expression of my faith than it is for me to do my job as a Christian.  I guess it’s too bad that we’re not supposed to settle for the easy way, huh?

By Timothy D. Holder

Are you angry about something?  There’s a lot of that going around.  Maybe you’ve been wronged by your boss/dad/mom/brother/friend/enemy/co-worker/professor/love of your life.  Maybe you’re frustrated because life isn’t turning out the way you want.  Maybe you’re upset because someone you know seems to be much better off and he/she doesn’t work as hard as you and doesn’t appreciate his/her circumstances as much.

Wouldn’t it be cool if I could give you a formula to prevent circumstances and people from ever making you mad again?  It’s too bad I can’t do that.

I could talk to you about how unproductive and even how physically unhealthy it is to have a lot of anger in your life.  But, you know, if you really have a problem with anger—and if you’re still reading this, either you might or you’re my Mom (hi Mom!)—anyway, if you really have a problem with anger, you don’t need more advice; you need more Jesus.

Does that sound judgmental?  Sorry, but I don’t see any way around this.  If we believe in God, if we accept that Jesus died to pay the price for our sins, if we have embraced Christianity and been filled with the Spirit of God, then we should be different people.  Under such circumstances I am supposed to die to the way I would normally handle life’s frustrations.

If I’m going through life angry a lot of the time, maybe the answer is to go to God in prayer more often and spend more time reading what God wants me to know in the Bible.  Wait a minute, read the last sentence again and cross out the word “maybe.”

By Timothy D. Holder

            Pro football is a great game.  I’m a big Redskins fan—I read about them almost year round in the Washington Post.  And unlike other sports, I’m actually happy to watch some football games even when the Redskins aren’t playing. 

            In the overall scheme of things, though, it would be easy to argue that football is unimportant, and its great popularity is just an example of how shallow Americans are.  On the other hand, I’ve seen something going on recently in the pro football universe that is anything but trivial.  Former coaches Tony Dungy and Joe Gibbs have come out with inspirational books recently that are candid about their Christian faith.

            Dungy was the Super Bowl winning coach of the Indianapolis Colts.  His most recent book, Uncommon, focuses on Dungy’s life, his relationship with God, and his message to young people that they matter to God.  And because they matter, Dungy says, they can lead significant lives.  I’ve heard some very positive feedback about this book.

            Gibbs was the Hall of Fame coach of my beloved Washington Redskins.  His latest book, Game Plan for Life, deals with eleven topics men wrestle with and uses Gibbs’ life and career to tie these issues together.  Gibbs talks to several influential Christians like Ravi Zacharias, Chuck Colson, Tony Evans, and others to gain their insights.

            Okay, here’s something weird: I haven’t actually read either of these books.  Okay, actually I read about three pages of Dungy’s book.  And I saw part of a Gibbs interview on the Mike and Mike Show.

Normally, I wouldn’t endorse them until I had actually read ‘em. But I’m making an exception this time because (A.) I’ve already got other books that I’m trying to find time to get through, (B.) what I found interesting was that both books were written by NFL coaches, both books were outspokenly Christian, and both seem very creative in their approach to topics that we need to address.  It also helped that I had read other books by these men and I was very impressed.

Let’s here it for football.  Woo hoo!  But let’s be even more excited that these men are using their fame and success as a platform on which to do God’s work.