A Poem on Paul, if he was a baseball coach:

If Paul was a ball coach, he’d wear two pens on his ear

His outfield grass would be pristine, his skies would always be clear

Coach Paul would have the stirrups, sunglasses, and arm bands

Of course, he’d have a worn in glove and a fungo always in his hands

Never lacking in enthusiasm, he’d have the greatest time

Hitting fly balls that could land right on a dime!

He’d have his team keep every book – score books to spray charts

He’d put a fire in his team’s belly, to have much bigger hearts

And they’d even stay after practice, to get more and more cuts

Come game time, they’d steal every base, even home – they’d have guts!

But one thing that their coach would do at times is go on and on

They couldn’t help themselves but sit there and yawn!

There’s not much worse than a coach, after a game or practice, than one that won’t let you go home after a tough day at the diamond because of everything he has to say. Paul was a passionate man indeed, he preached and loved so great. The Holy Spirit burned within him! But he had a pitfall of his own – recorded in scripture for us. 

With his great zeal, he caused an uproar in Ephesus back in the day. He did this in a lot of places. Here, many people came to believe in Jesus, and even began burning scrolls in the streets – coming to the value of 50,000 days wages! After this, Paul took his trip to Troas – where his zeal continued – and his zeal actually got himself into a little trouble. 

This is how the comedic story unfolded, written in Acts chapter twenty:

On the first day of the week we came together to break bread. Paul spoke to the people and, because he intended to leave the next day, kept on talking until midnight. There were many lamps in the upstairs room where we were meeting. Seated in a window was a young man named Eutychus, who was sinking into a deep sleep as Paul talked on and on. 

There’s coach Paul, after a great week of games. Of course, he is talking about every detail, and poor Eutychus is thinking about the cool side of his pillow.

When he was sound asleep, he fell to the ground from the third story and was picked up dead. Paul went down, threw himself on the young man and put his arms around him. “Don’t be alarmed,” he said. “He’s alive!” Then he went upstairs again and broke bread and ate. After talking until daylight, he left. The people took the young man home alive and were greatly comforted.

At least when your coaches go long, there’s only a slim chance that someone will die from it! 

The lesson here is that there are room for details, but there comes a time that we just need to get to the point. Let that be a lesson for all of us – as a coach, player, or fan. Our passion can be too much for the ones around us sometimes!

We love your passion, just not at midnight when we all want to see the back of our eyelids!

Prayer Prompt

Father, ignite in us a fire for you. You have come down like wildfire in my soul. First, we need to get there – get to the passionate love for you – then you can craft that spiritual gift into something that can be used effectively. 

You have set me free! Help us to use our passion to see your name spread like wildfire with intentionality and in the right moments. Help us to recognize the needs of others as we share about how good you are!