Wide Right?

I am wondering if I should abandon this project. It seemed like a great idea to move men closer to spirituality. A way to demystify an ethereal concept that we men need more exposure to than ever before. It can be something we can discuss in an open forum. I always like to think that the metaphor of football and spirituality could become kindred spirits, but I am just not sure at the moment anyway.  

Thrown for a Loss

Spirituality with football rules will guide me to either run pass or punt, and sometimes being thrown for a loss can set us up for the next 1st and 10.

The Spirituality Handbook

The football handbook for prayer and spirituality contains a 'grid iron' to mark our daily progress and a 'scorecard' to track our standings week to week.  In order to make the 'playoffs' in this 'league' we merely need to have a winning record.  We compete daily against the self we are leaving behind. Our adversary will continue to 'score' we have to be prepared for that.  Old habits aren't 'tackled' easily and we still 'penalize' ourselves by 'holding' onto familiar run patterns that our competition throws at us.

Kickoff

Well it’s summer and its time for the unveiling of Spirituality With Football Rules or SWiFR. 

As I have alluded in my trailer entries leading up to today spirituality is more like an invisible force that doesn’t have a breeze or precipitation that announces it’s arrival.  It is more of a subtle awareness that contains magnetic forces that we can either be attracted to or repelled from.

I chose football as my metaphor primarily because as men we are rooted in the concrete world and less comfortable in the ethereal one.  If we examine football it contains all the VAK* we want as men.  V is for visual.  We watch the game.  A is for auditory. We listen to the announcers, the crowd and the referee’s whistle and his call of the infraction.  K is for kinesthetic.  We feel the anguish of the dropped pass, fumble, interception or the exultation of a kickoff return TD or a bomb caught by our team in the end zone. 

Spirituality contains these elements as well with the difference being that instead of us doing the initial sensing we sense through the reflection of others whether they are those we love, hate or are indifferent to. 

Let’s take a time out, except there will be no commercials in SWiFR. 

Mini Camp

When football teams hold mini camps they get the new players acclimated to the schemes they will be facing as summer approaches.  Spirituality has no such scheme only a design for living and there is no risk of injury to boot.  

The Do Over

Penalties are assessed yards backwards.  Spirituality recognizes infractions but there is no penalty, only a chance for a do over. 

Who Are We?

The Male Composite: 

Spiritual/Physical/Emotional/Psychological

So we are not just idiots that stare at the TV screen during the winter on Sundays?