When I was hired as the new offensive coordinator of the Houston Oilers/Tennessee Titans in 1997, I knew that we had big challenges ahead. The Oilers had never made that exciting trip to the Super Bowl, so when the owners moved the team to Tennessee, it signaled a serious intention to reach new heights. Pursuing a road to the Super Bowl was only possible through the grace of God, which motivated a group of players and coaches to work unselfishly together as a team. While at training camp that season, we discovered several effective principles for building a championship team, and these same principles may be applied to our spiritual lives as well, if we’re willing to think beyond ourselves and dedicate our lives to the bigger purposes of God.

Why is it that we must test and prove everything we hear? It’s hard to live by faith because we want to feel in control of life. When we speculate on how many stars there are, we establish space programs to go prove it. If someone tells us that the paint is still wet, we must touch it to see for ourselves.

In today’s world men and women are bombarded with choices, and the decisions they make will deeply impact the rest of their lives. In order to make wise and life-producing decisions, people need truth. Instead, what they see all around then is cynicism and hypocrisy. What’s missing in our society is honesty, fairness, faithfulness, and humility.