Tom Landry was the first head coach of the Dallas Cowboys and coached for 29 years. He was known for creating many new formations and methods that his teams made famous. His most impressive accomplishment was his 20 consecutive winning seasons in the NFL. He also won two Super Bowl titles and compiled a 270-178-6 record. Though he was inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame, his Christian testimony was the most significant contribution. Dr. Billy Graham said, “Tom Landry was one of the greatest Christian gentlemen I ever knew.”

Landry was fired at the end of the 1998 season, despite his years of loyalty and success, after a change in ownership. He never allowed his unceremonious firing to stop him from sharing his faith. He served for many years as a volunteer and board chairman for the Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA). Shortly after he was fired, I had the privilege of having him speak at a packed FCA Banquet in Grand Island, NE, to an audience of more than 1,000 students and adults. Pastor Kenny Moore said it best about Landry’s unrelenting pursuit of sharing his faith, “I hope having him speak will expose some people to the gospel who ordinarily would not come to visit our church, but would come to a function to hear a person like Tom Landry.”

Acts 28 – Unstoppable Gospel

The Apostle Paul, like Tom Landry, impacted many people as he traveled. However, Luke didn’t write Acts only to record history. He wanted to encourage the church in every age to be faithful to the Lord and to carry the gospel to the ends of the earth. Even when the ship on which Paul was traveling was wrecked on the Island of Malta, he used his circumstances to preach the gospel (Acts 28). He never wavered from proclaiming God’s love to all who would listen. Although he was abandoned by the believers in Rome during his second imprisonment (2 Tim. 4:16-17), he continued to use every opportunity to share the gospel with others.

The Kingdom Coach and Athlete share the gospel with those most familiar to them, such as teammates and friends, and seek opportunities to use their sports platform to share with others.

Bible Memory Verse – “Because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. For since the creation of the world, His invisible attributes, both His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen and understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse.” Romans 1:19-20 (LSB)

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Our featured book this week is from the Total Athlete Series, book 3 – Focus (Stay Sharp When Everything Wants You Dull) by Ron Brown & Gordon Thiessen

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