Coaches

One of the models of those in spiritual leadership is that of a coach.

Having been an avid sports fan for the last 40 years, I've seen a number of different coaches of different sports. Good coaches have a combination of vision for where a person or team should go, a realistic understanding of where a team and its individual members currently are, the ability to influence group dynamics within the team, the capacity to train and/or recruit individuals to the team, and personal integrity. They also win games, especially the big ones.

One of my favorite coaches is Bo Schembechler, who recently died and had a banner in the University of Michigan locker room that said, "Those who stay will be champions." I admired Tom Landry's calm demeanor on the sidelines of the Dallas Cowboys.

I caught the end of the last Super Bowl on French television a couple weeks ago. The Indianapolis Colts finally got by the New England Patriots in the AFC conference championship, then defeated the Chicago Bears in the Super Bowl.

I found out afterwards that both coaches are committed followers of Jesus Christ. The testimonies of Tony Dungy and Love Smith can be found at http://www.beyondtheultimate.org/

Jesus was the ultimate coach. He took a bunch of unlearned and rough people and trained them with him for 3 years. They ended up changing the world.