Tuesday, 10 December 2019

Strong Foundations for Successful Performance


Strong Foundations for Successful Performance 
Bible readings: 1 Corinthians 12; Matthew 7:24-27; Luke 6:46-49. 
Also consider: Brighton & Hove Albion Football Club's recent progress. 

A dream house's inner, invisible foundations are just as important as its outward, visible appearance; you cannot realistically have the latter without the former. 

These words might well describe the recent successes of my football club, Brighton and Hove Albion, and their current level of performance in the Premier League. Brighton, a club founded in 1901, were only narrowly saved from complete bankruptcy in 1997, and were promoted to the Premier League for the first time at the conclusion of the 2016-2017 season. Today, the Club enjoys great success, having recently beaten Everton and Tottenham Hotspur (apologies to any supporters of those clubs reading this!). 

Financial stability; financial instability. All kinds of team members – some staying for a short time, others for longer – and all working in their own fields. Different styles of leadership. All these variables have changed over the years with the Club, and for the greater good of the club; for example, the Club are now performing much better under our recently appointed Manager, Graham Potter – and yet his successes with the Club would not have been possible without his predecessor, Chris Hughton, who laid the foundations. 

I think this model is often seen in many other scenarios, such as in the Church – whether in our own communities or across the wider Church as a whole. As St. Paul suggests in his First Letter to the Corinthians, we all bring our own gifts to the Church – many different and sometimes unique gifts, but under the inspiration of the same Holy Spirit, and all for the same common goal. 

And whether we are considering our personal formation or the start of a new mission or project in our communities, we must take one step at a time – ensuring that, in order to achieve our goals that our foundations are not built on sand, but on rock. 

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