December 4, 2009
There aren't many American men do not know the name Joe Gibbs. He's a member of the NFL Hall of Fame, and former head coach of the Washington Redskins who led the team to three Super Bowl championships. He's also a three-time NASCAR champion.
But what many fans may not realize is that my friend Joe's ultimate goal has never been victories on the football field or the race track. It's been to be a witness to how Christ was leading his life and career.
In his new book, Game Plan for Life, Gibbs writes that, as a young man, he'd bought "into some of the biggest myths our modern society has to tell" about what is important in life—money, fame, career success. But he had a nagging feeling that "this life is not all there is." He writes, "I knew there was something deeper, something more important out there than me and my frantic quest to make something of myself.
Gibbs wants to pass on to other men some of the truths he's learned and the discoveries he's made about life—and help them avoid some of the mistakes he made.
"Wherever I go," Gibbs writes, "on business or for speaking engagements, sporting events, or whatever—I run into guys who all seem to have the same questions and challenges." These men look at Gibbs, see the success he has achieved, and ask how they can succeed, too. Not just in terms of money or fame, but how to be happy, to be good husbands and fathers and live lives of relevance.
Gibbs wants to teach these men that, whether they are professional athletes or not, all of them are, every day, playing the most important game of all—the game of life. And that the head coach is God Himself.
Gibbs's experience as a coach and team builder convinced him that to win a game, including the game of life, one needs a game plan. So he decided to put together a book to provide solid answers to the questions men asked him. But while he was great at building teams, Gibbs knew he was no theologian. So he gathered together a team of "assistant coaches"—people who are experts on the spiritual playing field.
John Lennox, a professor of mathematics at Oxford University, wrote a chapter on how life begins. Christian apologist Josh McDowell writes about the truth of the Bible—the ultimate play book. Christian scholar Os Guinness describes how to go about building a successful life and career. Ravi Zacharias, a great Christian thinker, writer, and radio broadcaster, explains how to overcome sin and addiction. Tony Evans, founder of The Urban Alternative, tells men how to get the most out of life.
And I'm honored that Gibbs chose me to write a chapter on salvation—how to get on God's winning team.
If you know somebody who loves sports, but has never done much thinking about what should be the ultimate goal of life, give him a copy of Game Plan for Life. Visit BreakPoint.org to order it.
This book is co-authored with Jerry Jenkins, one of the best writers in the Christian world. And it's in an easy-to-understand style for men who have not done much thinking about spiritual issues.
Joe Gibbs's Game Plan for Life will teach them how to get on God's team—and win the biggest game they'll ever play.
Chuck Colson's daily BreakPoint commentary airs each weekday on more than one thousand outlets with an estimated listening audience of one million people. BreakPoint provides a Christian perspective on today's news and trends via radio, interactive media, and print.
