Quiet Strength

Lately there have been several athletes who have made their faith public. I heard Jason Hanson on an interview before the Lions Thanksgiving game say that most of all he is thankful for his salvation his Jesus Christ, and John Kitna is very open and outgoing about his faith, but there is one man who deserves our attention because he is a man of great faith. I recently finished reading the book "Quiet Strength" by Tony Dungy. I picked up the book because I had heard it was a great book and I figured that it would be about football. This book was about much more than football, it was about character, life, and faith. Excuse the pun, but it is a playbook for life. Tony Dungy says, "This book is about priorities, choices, approaches, and habits that lead to being a winner and to experience true success...When it's all said and done, you'll see its really all about Him." That quote in the introduction really sets the tone for the entire book. THE theme that is evident throughout the book is God, Tony begins each chapter with a Bible verse or significant quote, and usually ends each chapter with how his faith influenced him in that period in his life. The story was a rare kind of book, page-turning non-fiction, but it really wasn't a story of coach Dungy's life, it was a story of God guiding him through his life. God walked with coach Dungy through several points in his life, such as his marriage, choosing the next coaching job, and witnessing his faith to others. God also carried Dungy in other points of his life, such as being fired from his first head coaching job, the tragic loss of a son, and winning the Super Bowl. After reading this book I realized that our priorities in life must be straight. Coach Dungy was always able to keep his priorities straight, and is still successful. Football doesn't really mean much in the grand scheme of things, and God, family, and witnessing our faith to others are much more important than a 3 hour game of football. There is only one thing that I disagree with Tony Dungy on in this book. He always believed that being a football coach was unimportant, but coaches affect millions of people and the way he goes about his business has positively affected peoples lives. Whether they be former players, people that saw him share his faith after the Super Bowl victory, or people that have read this book they have all been positively influence by this man because he is a noble man in a position of authority. In a society where not many athletes are good role models, coach Dungy is one of the best role models out there. Whoever said nice guys finished last was wrong, coach Dungy is a terrific football coach, but more importantly a man of integrity and character. I wish that I had the strength in my faith be be like him. His blog, where he shares his love of God even more, is available here. He will always be a winner in my book, not because of his football achievements, but because of his passionate belief in Christ.