Second in a series
By Dr. John Ed Mathison
Executive Director
John Ed Mathison Leadership Ministries
You have an IQ – Intelligence Quotient – for which you’ve been tested. What is your TQ – Team Quotient?
Bear Bryant said, “Individuals win awards – teams win games.” He always emphasized building a team. He knew about winning.
This was illustrated in the recent National Championship
football game between Clemson and Alabama. Both are great teams and had a lot of high-profile players who are going to the pros. But one team executed perfectly the last play.
That decisive play occurred when two guys, who are evaluated on the opposite ends of the spectrum of talent, worked together to win the game. Deshaun Watson was a five-star recruit and at Clemson was a two-time finalist for the Heisman Award. With six seconds left on the clock, and trailing by four points, he threw a touchdown pass to Hunter Renfrew, a “zero recruit.”
Hunter was described as a “five-foot nothing” receiver. He drew no attention as a prospect when he came out of high school. He turned down a scholarship to play at Appalachian State because he wanted to play at Clemson. He walked on. Renfrew looked like he would fit in better with Clemson’s Computer Science program than performing at a football facility.
But Renfrew became a vital part of Clemson’s National Championship team. In that championship game, Clemson ran 99 offensive plays. Renfrew was on the field for 98 of them. (Don’t know where he was on that other play.) Clemson teammate Artavis Scott refers to Renfrew as “just a little sniper. When you look at him you think, ‘who is this white receiver?’ He lulls people to sleep, and he’s an amazing guy.” Teammate Wayne Gallman, said, “He’s just one of the greatest receivers I’ve seen at Clemson.”
The win came because everybody functioned together as a team. Read I Cor. 12. The coaches had to call the right play. The rest of the team on the sidelines was cheering. Eleven players on the field executed together. The offensive line blocked, and the five-star African-American player threw a pass to a white walk-on – all of them together. Teams win.
Two guys walked out of Raymond James Stadium as national champions. They both are strong Christians and gave credit to what God was doing in their lives, and they gave credit for the victory to their team mates. Deshaun and Hunter come from different racial backgrounds, different talent evaluations, different sizes – but they both were important parts of the team.
Together gets it done. Someone has said, “We may not have it all together, but together we have it all.” And that’s not just a picture for athletics and business, but for the Church and for life.
When you read the book of Revelation, you see described a lot of great music in Heaven. You don’t find any solos – it’s all the company of Heaven as a great chorus singing together. Life is not a solo – it’s a chorus, a team, a group of folks who win together.
What’s your TQ – Team Quotient?
John Ed’s blog posts appear in For His Glory each week.1
Contact: JAM Executive Suite 4,4131 Carmichael Road, Montgomery, AL 36106 Phone: 334-270-2149 Email:info@johnedmathison.org
1Listen to John Ed Mathison's one-minute daily devotional on Facebook. https://www.facebook.com/johned.mathison/ and click “PLAY" on the audio YouTube in order to listen. Or you can go to his ministry page at https://www.facebook.com/JohnEdMathisonLeadershipMinistries/
For His Glory 
When you read the book of Revelation, you see described a lot of great music in Heaven. You don’t find any solos…. I like that alot 🙂
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Glad you were blessed.
John Ed was my pastor for 14 years when we lived in Montgomery.
He’s a fantastic speaker too. His messages are always down to earth and written simply enough to be read and absorbed by children.
You should try listening to his one minute daily devotionals. The link is at the bottom of his posts.
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