Return of the Eagles

I was watching the news and the sports guy covered a media day for high school football coaches. This one young coach took his turn to talk about his team and where he expected them to perform. As far as what each of them were saying in the soundbites, it was kind of like “yada, yada, yada” to my ears.

Then one of the coaches says, “I have never failed at anything, and I don’t intend to fail now."

You know how there is that radio telescope array that they have pointed out into space, and all these guys are sitting around with earphones, trying to hear intelligent life communicating with us? And when they decide there is nobody over here in these billion stars, so they turn one dish a bit, they turn ALL 50 dishes at the same time? That would be a picture of how I looked when I heard that coach say he had never failed at anything.

I was like, “say whaaaat?" He now had my attention. I am thinking, 'I don’t know you, but now I DO know one thing about you, and that is: I have no trust in you for anything important.' Until you have learned from failure, you really know nothing about leadership, fatherhood, marriage, or just life in general. If you haven’t failed, you don’t know how to forgive, how to ask forgiveness, how to repent, or how to come to God.

Of course, I did realize that the coach was a young guy and trying to talk big in front of a television audience.

It reminded me of the story of the four bulls that I love to tell from time to time: Three bulls are standing around in a field one day. One big ole’ bull, a medium size bull, and one little bull. They are just standing there in the shade of a tree, looking over their cows, when a big cattle carrier backs up to the fence.

The bulls had heard that another bull was coming that day to join them in their field and they were not too happy about it. All three of them agreed that they were not going to share ANY of the cows with the new guy.

About that time the gate swings open and out comes the biggest, the meanest bull that you have ever seen! He is snorting and digging into the ground and making the worst noises you ever heard.

The big ole’ bull is first to speak. He says, “You know, I may have spoken too soon. I think I might be able to share up to a dozen or so of my cows with this new fellow.”

Then the medium size bull says, “Yeah, I don’t know what ya’ll thought you heard me say, but I will be happy to share ALL of my cows with the new guy,”

Suddenly the little bull starts pawing the dirt and snorting in the direction of the new bull, and raising such a ruckus like the other two bulls had never seen him do before. He looked like he was going to charge the new bull!

They looked at him and said, “Are you out of your mind? What do you think you are doing? He is doing to KILL you! Are you really gonna charge him?"

The little bull replied, “Heck no. I just want him to know that I’M a bull!”

Hahaha.

(Spoiler alert here) God knows just what to back up to our gate that will test our words and our works. It is always composed of fire.

…But each one should build with care. For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. If anyone builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, their work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each person’s work. 1 Corinthians 3:10-13

I always said that as long as God granted me the health to continue, I would never “retire” from pastoring. Yet I have to come clean and admit that I did expect our life’s burden to lessen, not increase ten-fold here at what many people consider “retirement age.”

The fire has come, and it is hot.

Be warned. This fire consists of anguish. It may consist of sorrow. You may call for a firetruck, only to see that when it shows up, it is driven by Job’s 3 friends.

Our solace is in the motto of those who have learned some of the depths of God: “Real gold fears no fire.”