Ron Smith

Have you seen the inspirational movie, The Blind Side, the true story of a poor kid, Michael Oher?  Michael is one of seven children of an unmarried drug addict and prostitute from the roughest part of Memphis, who became a football star in high school thanks to the “chance” meeting and Christian hospitality from the wealthy side of Memphis, then at the University of Mississippi, and was the first round draft pick by the Baltimore Ravens last year!

Well, go straight to Netflix and rent it today!  It will lift your spirits and give you hope again in our country and your fellow man.  I won’t give away the details, but Sandra Bullock gives, in my opinion, her best performance ever.

The movie takes its title from the book by Michael Lewis.  In today’s NFL (National Football League for the uninformed or uninterested) the players grabbing the most headlines are quarterbacks, running backs and wide receivers.  The players who get the second highest paychecks in the leagues, however, are left tackles.  In the book, and in the movie, we learn that these normally anonymous but essential, offensive linemen are the “insurance” on the mortgage—the quarterback.

Lewis traces the emerging importance of the left tackle back to the career ending injury of Washington Redskin’s star quarterback, Joe Theismann, on Monday Night Football in 1985.  More than 17 million people watched as an incredibly gifted and athletic linebacker for the New York Giants, Lawrence Taylor, blindsided Theismann, breaking his leg.  Theismann never took another NFL snap from center.

Since most quarterbacks are right-handed, the left tackle’s role is to prevent his quarterback from being hit from behind, unseen.  With the next generation of quick, strong, corn-fed athletic linebackers and defensive ends already in the game, it takes a special person to protect the quarterback’s blind side.  Left tackles must weigh more than 300 pounds, have long arms to block,  be very strong, and then must be quick on their feet.  Today’s NFL teams are willing to pay a lot of money to protect the quarterback—presently somewhere in excess of six-million dollars a year!  Only starting quarterbacks earn more.

The role of the left tackle is literally to be his “brother’s keeper.”  This is the role God plays on our behalf.  It is the role that each of us is to play on behalf of each other.    It is what our March message series and Lenten small groups are helping us  to understand and practice.  Are you keeping and protecting your brothers and sisters in Christ at FPCM?  What are you doing to do so?

You will be “experts” when we complete this short series of small groups!

An object of His grace,

Ron