In Good Company

I'm so excited! I've been struggling a little bit with this whole football thing. my football calling
However, last night I was talking to some guys at "Man Church" - which is where my football journey began - and one of them gave me an awesome idea about my football costume - or rather, uniform. They reminded me of Tom Landry.

Now THAT is a classy look. I can totally go with that. (I actually had a fedora when I lived in Denver. I didn't want to wear a knit toboggan when it was snowing, so a fedora was the perfect answer as far as I was concerned.)

This morning the guys here in the office told me Bear Bryant wore a fedora too.

Not sure hound's-tooth is the way I want to go, but I'm totally going for the classy coach look. My guess is that if I show up at the airport in a classy hat surrounded by football players everyone will assume I'm some really good, really famous football coach or maybe even the team owner.

Of course it wasn't the hats that made these men famous. They were great at coaching. Their teams won lots of games and probably Super Bowls and Orange Bowls and other assorted bowls.

Wikipedia says this about Tom Landry.

"Thomas Wade "Tom" Landry was an American football player and coach. He is ranked as one of the greatest and most innovative coaches in National Football League history, creating many new formations and methods."

More than that - more importantly than that - Tom Landry was a Christian man who was vocal about his faith. Tom-Landry-Under-The-Fedora-A-Committed-Christian

I don't mind modeling my football "look" after these football legends (Landry and Bryant). When people see me in a fedora surrounded by football players I won't mind if they think that I'm in the same league as these two. But more importantly I want people to know - after spending time with me - that I am a follower of Jesus Christ. People knew that about Tom Landry because he wasn't afraid to speak up and say so. Whether I'm in Portugal on football mission or at Wal-Mart in Clarksville I want to take advantage of the opportunities - the divine encounters - that God sends my way.

What about you? You may not be a fedora kind of guy, but are you ready to share your faith when given a chance? Do you have an answer for the hope that is in you? Are you willing to begin conversations about faith - to be the one that initiates such conversations?

I remember a guy once who said "I just witness by being nice and smiling at people." Hmmm. Well, they might just think you're a stalker or a pervert. A smile is interpreted in as many ways as those who see it. Add words! Speak up! Maybe wear a fedora - and when someone says, "Why are you wearing that hat?" You can say, well, I knew about a man once who was a great coach and a great man of faith and he wore one. I'm just trying to be like him. And there you go..... you've begun a conversation about faith and you didn't even have to work hard to do it.