26 Jan, 2007

Super in the spotlight!

Tony Dungy and Lovie Smith are shining out the Light.

Super Bowl Coaches Dungy, Smith, Known For Christian Testimony

MIAMI (BP)--Super Bowl XLI will feature two teams making their first super game appearance in two-plus decades, two Midwestern teams separated by only a couple hundred miles, but most importantly two coaches who are strong believers in Jesus Christ.

Head coaches Tony Dungy of Indianapolis and close friend and fellow Christian Lovie Smith of Chicago gave credit to God following their respective teams' victories in the conference championships Jan. 21.

“The Lord set this up in a way that no one would believe it,” Dungy said following the Colts' win over New England. “The Lord tested us a lot this year, but He set this up to get all the glory.”

The news that two witnesses for their personal faith in Jesus Christ would have a two-week international spotlight for their beliefs thrilled Christian leader William Pugh, executive director of sports ministry Athletes in Action, a branch of Campus Crusade for Christ.

“We are so excited to see the Bears and Colts in the Super Bowl,” Pugh, a close friend of both head coaches, said. “We could not have picked two better coaches to represent all that is good about sports.”

Smith is in his first tenure as a head coach and hasn’t had the public opportunities to share his faith like Dungy, but he has told the Chicago media he believes in Christ, listens to Christian music when driving his car and does not smoke, drink or curse.

“I’m so happy for Lovie who does things the right way, without cursing and shows things can be done differently,” Dungy said of Smith. “We give God all the credit.”

Dungy has served as the cover spokesman for a special Super Bowl witnessing video and tract. Several of his players, including star tight end Dallas Clark, put out a special faith-based DVD titled "Power to Win" about their faith in Christ and their need to honor Him in all that they do.

While the media will concentrate on the game itself, the men in charge of leading their teams to the big game plan on sharing the most important things in their life, something that has nothing to do with runs or passes or even the final score.

story courtesy bpnews.net & art sticklin, 1/22/07, photos courtesy images.google.com

Matthew 5:14-16 - (NLT)
14You are the light of the world--like a city on a mountain, glowing in the night for all to see. 15Don't hide your light under a basket! Instead, put it on a stand and let it shine for all. 16In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.

In today's God's Story scripture, what is Jesus teaching us about being like a light in this world?

I can't say it any better than the study notes in Tyndale's Life Application Study Bible:

If we live for Christ, we will glow like lights, showing others what Christ is like. We hide our light by (1) being quiet when we should speak, (2) going along with the crowd, (3) denying the light, (4) letting sin dim our light, (5) not explaining our light to others, or (6) ignoring the needs of others. Be a becaon of truth - don't shut your light off from the rest of the world.

The two coaches in this year's Super Bowl are in the spotlight big time! While their football teams may put on quite a show next week, these guys are showing Jesus to the world.

How can we connect today's God's Story scripture to our lives?

  • Praise your Heavenly Father for shining the light of Christ into your life. Confess any way in which you have been hiding the light of Christ in your life. Ask His Spirit to make you willing to humble yourself so that your life will shine out Christ to your world.
  • Review the LAB study notes above and be honest about one way you tend to hide Christ's light. Pray about this every day until you see this part of your life light up!
  • Make it your weekly goal to shine Christ's light toward one person who is in spiritual darkness...this might be a friend at school, at work or a family member.

How can we connect today's story, God's Story and our story to others?

  • Pray that God will use coaches Dungy and Smith to impact millions of people who will follow all the Super Bowl stories.
  • If you have friends in your storysphere who like sports, ask them if they have seen the media coverage about the faith of the two Super Bowl coaches? Talk about it together and ask for their impression? Listen carefully, because it will help you understand their stories better.
  • Use this DAILYBIDE in your small group or youth group discussion this next week. Send it as an encouragement to another friend who is a follower of Jesus.
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The Daily Bide is brought to you by a team of writers from Youth for Christ/USA. The writers all have various years of experience in youth ministry but share a common bond in serving Jesus and discovering what it means to abide deeply everyday and to connect God's Story with those around them. A number of the Daily Bide writers have also written portions of our 3Story® resources. You can check out our resources at the 3Story.org website or connect with our writers at 3story@yfc.net. If you have a question or a story you would like to share, please reference the Daily Bide date in your email.

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