Tom Brady's Secret Weapon in the Super Bowl

By Thomas George on Feb 3, 2015

 

 

PHOENIX - "I didn't even think about it," Tom Brady said as he walked toward an elevator after his Super Bowl news conference on Monday morning. He held in both hands a shiny trunk that stored his silver, football-shaped MVP trophy. He was surrounded by security, yet comfortable, at peace. He looked tired. He looked relieved. He looked patient.

And that was the question: just how much patience it took in this Super Bowl 49 victory over the Seattle Seahawks for him to be content with a night of dinks and dunks and darts. The New England Patriots correctly discerned they could not block the Seahawks for long; that quick, timing passes were the formula. Brady kept picking, plucking. None of his Super Bowl record-setting 37 completions was for more than 23 yards.

This requires extreme patience for any quarterback. Their instincts are often to chuck it long. It demanded an extra dose of patience for Brady, whose long completions in each of his last six seasons were for yardage gains of 69, 81, 83, 99, 79 and 81. Each of those was for touchdowns, too.

So, I'm not buying that Brady "didn't even think about it" when considering a Patriots Super Bowl offensive design that took a dump-truck approach rather than a race-car one. Somewhere in the game plan creation, installation, practices and through four quarters of championship play, Brady had to keep pinching himself, reminding himself of the art of patience. To staying the course and sticking with the plan.

Consider that Brady averaged 6.6 yards gained per pass attempt in the Super Bowl. And that Seattle quarterback Russell Wilson averaged 11.8.

Brady's patience won. Seattle's lack of it, especially in the end, lost.

Now Brady is a four-time Super Bowl winner and three-time Super Bowl MVP and resides in rarified football air. But there is a DeflateGate investigation ongoing.  Was Brady involved in the AFC Championship deflated football controversy?

Brady must patiently wait for that answer to be revealed in the investigation's results. Some people think he already knows. That his fingerprints are all over it.

Brady found a way to navigate through this ruckus, patiently, while preparing for and then rising in the Super Bowl. This is an odd NFL moment. A player just received two of the richest honors the game offers -- a Super Bowl championship and the game's MVP. Yet, the threat looms that soon he could be punished and his team fined for cheating.

This is like hopping on a roller-coaster ride at the end and riding backward.

This trashes that popular notion of "it's not the destination, it's the journey." Heck no, Tom Brady just won it all. This, for now, is all about the destination. Mission accomplished. He will live fully in this moment. For now, it is the safest place.

With patience, he will deal with any potential later fallout, with another trophy by his side and with another ring on his finger.

Ahead by 10 points in the fourth quarter, the Seattle offense kept giving the ball back to Brady, unable to convert third downs and maintain possession and keep him off the field. It is always a dangerous track for a team when Brady has the ball in the fourth quarter with something to prove.

Brady reminded everyone of that once again. So did Patriots head coach Bill Belichick. He said he has never coached a fiercer competitor than Brady.

"It's a game of emotion," said Brady, referring to cornerback Malcolm Butler's game-clinching interception. "It happened so quickly. It was, obviously, as emotional a game can be at that point."

It's a game of patience.

There is no hurry-up-and-wait now in Tom Brady. He will just patiently wait. He will savor the arrival at this latest destination. Then dink, dunk and dart his way through.

Coped from http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/2015/2/3/7969325/new-england-patriots-super-bowl-champs-tom-brady-mvp-deflategate 

Patience is a fruit of the Holy Spirit.  Those who actively trust in God and his Spirit will have patience.   God, in his wisdom, has shown so much patience with his people, in waiting for his people to turn from our sins, to Christ and his Spirit.  If you want patience, turn to Christ and trust in His Spirit to flow to you and through you to others!

Managing the MOOD for FOOD

Gluttony (overeating) is the 3^rd deadly sin.

A few years ago, I heard of an ancient Old Testament manuscript.  Some believed that it’d been lost for many yrs.   It could be part of Gen. 1.  You know, Gen. 1:1 “In the beginning, G created the heavens & the earth.  Then it goes on to tell u what G did Day 1, Day 2, Day 3.  G created trees, vegetation, seed-bearing plants, & it’s possible the next part was lost: 

God populated the earth w/ broccoli, cauliflours, spinach, & vegetables of all kinds,

                                                      so that man & woman might live long & healthy lives. 

& Satan created McDonalds.  & McDonalds brought forth the 99-cent cheeseburger,  & Satan said to the man, you want fries w/ that?  & the man: Supersize them.  & the man gained pounds. 

God created health-food yogurt, so that woman might keep her figure that man found so fair. 

Satan froze the yogurt & brought forth chocolate, nuts, & bright candies to put on yogurt. 

& woman gained pounds.

God said: Try my crispy, fresh salad. 

& Satan brought creamy dressing, bacon bits, & shredded cheese.

                                             There was ice cream for dessert, & woman gained more pounds.

God said: I’ve sent u heart-healthy vegetables & olive oil in which to cook them.

Satan brought forth chicken-fried steak so big that it needed its own platter.

                                                         & man gained pounds, & his cholesterol went sky-high.

God brought forth running shoes, & man resolved to lose those extra pounds.

Satan brought forth remote-control cable TV,

   so man would not have to toil to change channel bet ESPN & ESPN2.  & man gained pounds.

God said: Devil, you’re running up the score.

God brought forth potato, a vegetable naturally w/ low-fat & high nutrition.

& Satan sliced the starchy center, & deep-fat-fried them & created potato chips,

                                                                                                            & created sour dips,

Man clutched his remote-control & ate the potato chips loaded w/ cholesterol.

& Satan saw & said, It is GOOD.

Man went into cardiac arrest.  God saw, & created triple bypass surgery.

That’s how the missing text ends.  Wow, there may be more truth in there than we realize. 

Managing the Mood for Food.   -7 Deadly Sins – gluttony. 

Message overview:             MANAGING THE MOOD FOR FOOD                           7-7-13

-dieting - Have you ever gone on a diet of any kind?

               When your diet ended, did you gain the weight back, & maybe some more?

So how much are we supposed to care about our bodies?

God wants us to RESPECT & PROTECT our body…

 

The New Testament Greeks associated one’s emotions & heart w/ the stomach, or gut.

Old KJV: bowels of passion

-idea: The stomach is the seat of your emotions; it controls a lot in your life.

           If your stomach feels good, the rest of your life feels good.

Philippians 3: 18-19

               For, as I have often told you before & now tell you again even with tears,

              many live as enemies of the cross of Christ.

              Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach,

              & their glory is in their shame. Their mind is set on earthly things.

For some people, their PHYSICAL APPETITES -food, drink, lust, drugs - are so strong that they live to fulfill their passions; their physical appetite becomes their primary drive or motivation in life.  Thus they make a FALSE GOD out of their STOMACH, out of that feel-good in one's stomach.  So they live by the philosophy - if it feels good, do it.

So we need to learn to bring our appetites, mainly food, under God's control.

6 KEYS TO CONTROL YOUR APPETITE, instead of letting your appetite control you.

Key 1:  COMMIT YOURSELF TO GLORIFYING GOD WITH YOUR BODY.

My body & your body matter to God.  The freedom from letting our appetites control us is found in YIELDING OURSELVES to the Lord Jesus.  When you surrender to Christ, the Holy Spirit comes INSIDE your body, and at that point, there's a transfer of ownership of your body.

Corinthians 6: 19-20  Do u not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you,

         whom you have received from God?

         You are not your own; you were bought at a price.   Therefore honor God with your bodies.

Some say, I can do whatever I want with MY body.  But if you're trusting Christ for salvation, God says, No, your body belongs to me, because my Son paid for your body with his life on the cross.

Key 2: IDENTIFY HOLES IN YOUR HEART THAT YOU MAY BE TRYING TO FILL WITH FOOD.   & ask GOD to reveal that to You.

 We've been created w/ 2 empty, needing-to-be-filled holes - the stomach & the heart.

The holes in our heart include hidden hurts, resentments, anxieties, fears, etc.  

When we go through a tough time, we tend to eat whatever makes us feel better.  That's using food as a Feel-Better-Drug.  Others may use alcohol, tobacco, lust, or drugs, but the result is the same - trying to dull the pain or fill the hole in our heart.

-An acronym called S.A.L.T. to help identify hidden issues of the heart:

Overeating can be a response to STRESS in your life.  When we're feeling stressed out, it'd be better to  talk to God about our stress, and plan a strategy for dealing with it.  But we usually to the fridge or cupboard & find something that tastes good to eat instead.  We use food as a drug for our stress.

Matthew 11:28  Jesus said,

       Come to me, all you who are weary & burdened, & I will give you rest for your soul.

Overeating can also be a response to ANGER.   -A in SALT acronym.  We may be mad at people around us, ourselves, or even God.  Ephesians 4:31  Get rid of all bitterness & rage & anger, brawling & slander, along with every form of malice.  Ask yourself if you're using food to deal with anger or hostility in your life.

Overeating can be a response to LONELINESS.  I Peter 5:7  Cast all your cares upon Him because He cares for you.  It doesn't say: Cast food on your plate.  Cast your cares upon Him.

Overeating can be a response to TIREDNESS.  We all get tired.  I know I eat sometimes because I'm tired.  It's easy to turn to food whether we're physically tired or emotionally tired.  A better response would be to take a break, take a nap, talk to God, read, or depending on the time  of day, go to bed.

S.A.L.T .. =  stress, anger, loneliness, tiredness.

These are not ALL the responses to holes in our hearts. There are more. 

We need to identify the holes in our hearts, that we’re trying to fill with food.

-Ask:  How much of our eating occurs because of legitimate stomach hunger?

        & how much eating occurs because of heart hunger & food being a drug for it?

Key 3: ASK G TO HELP U IDENTIFY THE DIFF HUNGER ISSUES & NOT CONFUSE THEM.  A simple secret: Eat ONLY when our stomach is hungry.

Am I eating out of hunger?  Or am I eating for another reason?

If a restaurant brings too much food to eat, take some home.  No one is forcing you to eat everything.  Like many, I was taught to clean my plate when I was growing up.  But there's NO rule that you must clean your plate.  But there is a rule that says: you'll be healthier if you stop eating when your stomach is satisfied.  Ask yourself: Am I eating out of hunger?  Or am I eating for another reason?  Can I stop eating when my stomach says it's full?

We're not talking about giving up your favorite foods, & you don't have to eat seaweed.  :)
But we do need to bring our eating under the Holy Spirit's control.

Key 4: FOCUS ON LETTING GOD CHANGE YOUR BEHAVIOR, NOT ON LOSING WEIGHT.  Diets work only in the short term, because being on a diet is just making the food behave. 

We change the food behavior, but not how we behave.  Very few diets deal with WHY we eat.

Changing our behavior takes God’s power to bring our stomach into line with His will & His control.  Only God can set us free to enjoy food as we're designed, without destroying our bodies in the process, or drugging the issues.

Key 5: CONSIDER THE PRACTICE OF FASTING IN UR LIFESTYLE.

If you have diabetes, hypoglycemia, pregnant, etc, check with your dr. or nurse.

Fasting can release amazing spiritual power in your life.  When you use fasting to seek God’s will on any issues or big decisions you’re facing, it’s a powerful tool.  Fasting is a way to bring all your appetites under G’s control. 

One way to start fasting, would be to fast for 1 meal/week.  Instead of eating, use that time to drink water & pray & seek God for a closer relationship.  Ask God to reveal anything about any appetites in my life that are not under His control, & what needs to be done about it.  Just drink water & juice when you fast.  Fasting is a powerful way to let God help bring one’s appetites under control. 

Key 6: CONTEND FOR G’s PROMISE OF HEALTH. 

Here’s a great prayer to pray for your health:

3 John 1:2:  Dear friend, I pray that you may enjoy good health

                   & that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along well.

Pray this for yourself and give a copy of it to someone you care about.

Much of this is adapted from a message by Pastor Cal Rychener.