by Dan Robb
THE PHILIPPIANS 4:8 GAME PLAN
A Guide for Better Thinking
Dan Robb
2017
All Scripture quotations are from the NIV
DEDICATION
To my wonderful and supportive wife Heidi and my friend Tom Jarrett the world lost an amazing person in 2016.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I could not have completed this book without the help of some awesome people. Thank you to Josh Bissell for the hard work on the cover. I have to give a huge thanks to Chuck Abbott and Charlie Abbott for reading and rereading my work and providing vital feedback. Also a thank you to all the students at Hill Country Bible Church, you all were a major reason I decided to do this project. Lastly thank you to my wife, Heidi, for always supporting my dreams.
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This book should be used as a springboard to help people receive better results in their lives. The more it is used is the more empowered the individual will be for change. I used the game plan on myself and it transformed my marriage, relationships, and career. My prayer is that it would enhance your life as well. Thank you.
The pre game speech
This book should be used as a springboard to help anyone receive better results in their lives. The more it is used the more empowered the individual will be for change. I used the game plan on myself and it transformed my marriage, relationships, and career. My prayer is that it would enhance your life as well. We have to do the work if we want to win in life. I hope and pray this book will be a blessing in your life. Thank you.
The Kickoff
Sports tend to bring out the competitive side in me as it does with most people. It is difficult not to get emotionally involved when your favorite team is winning or losing. You might even find yourself yelling at the TV while your guests stare at you in disbelief. I was in my first year as the Offensive Coordinator for a local high school football team in Costa Mesa, California. I relished game days, because all the hard work, drudgery of the off-season, and preparation would finally pay off once the ball was kicked off.
We were up against Calvary Chapel and it was a game I wanted to win every year because that school played upper classmen against my school’s pure freshman squad. I understood Calvary’s reasons behind playing upper classmen, because they did not have a Junior Varsity team. However, I always made the game personal, because if my squad could compete and win then it would boost the players’ confidence going forward.
Calvary jumped out to a commanding 14 to 0 advantage however my team hung around and managed to pull close by tacking on 10 points. In the final minute of the game we were driving on Calvary in their territory, with zero time outs left. To compound matters there was no scoreboard clock, therefore the officials had to keep track of time and let us know how much was remaining after each play.
I was told we had 10 seconds therefore my quarterback launched a pass toward the sideline. Our star player jumped to catch the ball, but the defensive back arrived before the ball did. It was obvious. Plus the defensive player did not even bother to glance back to play the pigskin. A penalty should have been called, and we should have been given one more play. One more chance that was all we needed.
Nevertheless, the pass fell helplessly to the ground and the ref signaled game over and the Calvary fans and sideline erupted in shouts of joy. I stood there stunned and silent for a minute, staring at the spot the penalty occurred. The game was over, but not for me. I marched over to the referees, who were scurrying away like rats fleeing rising water on a ship. I remained reasonably calm in the face of the tired referee and said, “That was face-guarding. It should have been a penalty.” A stout referee with a mustache hung his head and opened his mouth to apologize, but an older, referee interrupted the other, and “The game is over you had your chance.”
This senior referee’s dismissiveness concerning his mistake annoyed me. I persisted, “You missed a blatant call.”
He raised a waging bony finger saying, “Look sonny the game is over. If you don’t like the score then you should have done something about it during the game.” They stomped off and I stood there holding my clipboard. I picked my jaw off the ground and jetted to my players. My heart sank for my players they did their best even though we came up short.
The referee was correct, as a game does not come down to one play. Even when a game is close and appears to come down to one play, there were still many plays that led up to that significant one, which could have transformed the outcome. In a game there are plays to be made every second, as much as we may want to shout at a referee on TV for missing a call our team could have done something on their end at some point in any given game to divert the outcome. Players and coaches are not held hostage by referees’ whistle.
Life is much like a sports game. When the clock hits zero our time is gone on this earth. Therefore, it is imperative that we have a game plan for our lives and how we live, because few people truly live remarkable lives. A huge part of our game plan for life should include what we think about, because it has been said that we have on average over 60,000 thoughts a day. Whew! That is a lot of thinking that goes on. Therefore, this should behoove us to be proactive in the way and what we ponder in every day living.
Our thinking is founded upon our experiences, circumstances, relationships, and education. This little book sets forth a game plan for a person’s thoughts, which will impact their actions and habits. If we choose to ignore this important aspect then we should not expect remarkable results. It has been said by someone (maybe Albert Einstein or Ben Franklin or someone else) that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, but expecting a different result. I realize that quote was a reflection of most of my life. We can either use our thoughts for positive results or be used by them for the same old results. This book was created to be a game plan for lasting change through thinking.
The bible verse Philippians 4:8 says “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.” The verse was and is a godsend to me and I hope that it will also be a blessing to you.
FIRST HALF