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Faith walk: Really important things

Dr. William P. Register, Pastor
Posted 3/1/17

In 1975, Alabama played football against Notre Dame in the Orange Bowl in Miami. Alabama had a perfect record of 11 wins and was expected to win the national championship. Notre Dame was 10-2. The …

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Faith walk: Really important things


Posted

In 1975, Alabama played football against Notre Dame in the Orange Bowl in Miami. Alabama had a perfect record of 11 wins and was expected to win the national championship. Notre Dame was 10-2. The 1975 game was won by Notre Dame by a score of 13-11, crushing Alabama’s national championship hopes.

My son, Billy, a young teenager at the time, was at that game. He was brokenhearted that Alabama lost. (I think his only allegiance was to “southern roots.”) He saw the Alabama coach, Bear Bryant, at a book signing the next day in a Miami mall. Billy went up to the coach and almost tearfully, he said, “Coach, I’m so sorry you lost the game last night.” Bear Bryant looked at him and in his low, gravelly voice, said, “Son, it was just another ball game.”

Coach Bryant had been denied a national championship the previous year by a loss to Notre Dame. Alabama came into the 1975 bowl game undefeated with eleven wins. Notre Dame had two losses. Alabama was expected to win. But once again, Coach Bryant and his team were denied a championship by the same team.

The next day he could say, “It was just another ball game.”

That is having your priorities in order. It is having an understanding that there are important things, and there are really important things.

I am not saying those football games had no importance. They were, in fact, important to many people at the time.

Important things may be important at the time. Really important things have lasting importance!

I don’t care who any celebrity is dating. Or going to marry. Or whether they are having a boy or girl. I do care when a friend or family member receives a disturbing medical diagnosis. Or a loved one dies. Or when a terrible accident disables or impairs someone for life.

I want to be able to distinguish between something that may be important, and something that is definitely, really important.

www.firstagcc.org

Write the Pastor at PastorBill@firstagcc.org