Jim Grassi - Guts, Grace, and Glory: A Football Devotional

2013 by Dr. James E. Grassi

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Unless otherwise noted, Scripture quotations are taken from the HOLY BIBLE: NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. 1973, 1978, 1984 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked NKJV are taken from the NEW KING JAMES VERSION. 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked HCSB are taken from the HOLMAN CHRISTIAN STANDARD BIBLE. 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003 by Broadman and Holman Publishers. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked MSG are from TheMessage by Eugene H. Peterson. 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked NASB are taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE, The Lockman Foundation 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995. Used by permission.

Scripture quotations marked NRSV are from the NEW REVISED STANDARD VERSION of the Bible. 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked KJV are from the KING JAMES VERSION of the Bible.

Scripture quotations marked TLB are from The Living Bible 1971. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.

ISBN-13: 978-1-4003-2089-9

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Tom Landry was truly one of the great Americans and coaches of our time. Coach Landry was one of very few men who have evoked the respect and admiration of a nation. Behind his stoic expression and trademark profile stood a man full of passion who was able to motivate people to reach their fullest potential. While striving to be the best at whatever he laid his hand to, he remained steadfast in his immovable character and his tremendous faith in God.

This book is dedicated to all coaches, players, team chaplains, and fans who aspire to uphold the ideals and values Coach Landry humbly modeled in his life. He left us with a wonderful legacy of what a true disciple of Christ looks like.

Thank you to coaches Steve Mariucci, Jon Gruden, Steve Spagnuolo, Mike Waufle, and Tom Cable and a number of players who contributed to my research on this project. I especially want to recognize my good friend Don Davis, retired NFL linebacker, for helping me make a few of the important cameo contacts. To my faithful partner and wife Louiseyoure the greatest. Finally, I wish to commend and thank the very gifted staff at Mens Ministry Catalyst for their patience in allowing me to pursue my passion to share Gods Word through projects like this.

A Special Thank You

I especially want to thank Kurt and Brenda Warner for their support of this project. Thanks, Kurt, for your foreword. I hope all our readers will support the fine work of Kurt and Brendas non-profit organization, First Things First Foundation. The foundation helps build recreation centers in childrens hospitals, rewarding single parents for achieving the dream of home ownership, and encouraging and assisting special needs individuals. You may contact them at www.kurtwarner.org, One N. First Street, Suite 735, Phoenix, AZ 85004.

Table of Contents

I AM NOT SURE WHERE THE POPULAR ADAGE, NO GUTS, NO GLORY, ORIGINATED, BUT THEY MUST HAVE HAD THE GAME OF FOOTBALL IN MIND. To stand in the pocket, knowing that a 300-pound man is running full speed at you and that your receiver is not quite open yet, so you have to hold the ball another secondletting the defender get closer and closer, only to let the ball go as you get driven to the turf... takes guts. To be a running back who goes back to the huddle over and over again knowing as soon as he gets the ball in his hands, eleven guys are going to try to hit him as hard as they possibly can... takes guts. To be a coach that is willing to stand up in front of hundreds of cameras and reporters and tell them that you made a mistake that cost your team a game... takes guts.

But what I also know is that where there are guts, glory is not too far behind.

It is that last second of holding the ball, allowing a receiver to get open, that often leads to a touchdown being scored... glory. It is also more often on the tenth, fifteenth, or twentieth carry that the running back breaks through the line to nothing but open field in front of him as he runs untouched to the end zone... glory. And it is in the admitting of fault that a coach earns the trust of his team to the point that they are willing to follow him anywhere... glory.

In the game of football, it is next to impossible to get the glory without having the guts to get knocked down, the guts not to be afraid when things are going badly, and the guts to stand up and admit you were wrong. The ironic thing is that this idea is not unique to the game of football.

The game of life, and especially the Christian life, beckons us with the same call, No Guts, No Glory!

As difficult as it is for a quarterback to hold the ball a little longer, knowing he is going to get drilled, its just as difficult to stand up with integrity and determination when a corrupt world is closing in on you, trying to knock you out. As difficult as it is for a running back to get up over and over again, knowing its only going to lead to another hit, its just as difficult to turn the other cheek when offended, even though you know its going to lead to getting hit on the other side. And as difficult as it is for a coach to admit he called the wrong play at a critical moment in a game, its just as difficult to go to work or look your family in the eye and, regardless of the consequences, admit that you were the reason for the failure.

Football is not a game for wimps! Life is not a game for wimps! And the Christian life, most definitely, is not a game for wimps!

In this book, Dr. Jim Grassi does a wonderful job of using some great anecdotes from the game of football to demonstrate how gloryon and off the fieldhinges on the guts with which one plays.

But what I love about this book is that Jim adds the missing piece to the old adage. He understands the need for guts if you are going to achieve glory, but he also shares with us the most essential component to living with both: grace.

Jim does an outstanding job of putting on display the fact that the lives we lead are never perfect. The quarterback often holds the ball too long, resulting in a sack. The running back, no matter how dependable, sometimes fumbles. The coach who makes mistakes is often fired. And the man or woman who desperately wants to live a blameless life will inevitably stumble and fall. Thus, there is always the need for grace.

I believe that in reading this book you will be entertained, but more importantly you will be inspired and encouraged to seek glory by living your life with guts. Guts that allow us to accept our shortcomings and face the most difficult of circumstances with courage, knowing that because Jesus had the guts to live out His life for us, we have been provided with the grace that will ultimately lead to our living in Gods glory!