And God Said, "it's Good!": Amusing and Thought-Provoking Parallels Between the Bible and Football

by Gary Graf

Book Overview

And God Said, "It's Good " takes the sport of football and compares this favorite Sunday pastime to the Bible--and it works. Once again, Gary Graf combines his love of sports with the Bible, resulting in an amusing and fun-loving book that delights any sports fan. Comparisons include Hail Mary passes and answered prayers; immaculate receptions and Immaculate Conceptions; football stadiums and cathedrals; biblical verses and double reverses, plus good...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0764815784
• ISBN13: 9780764815782
• Release Date: July 2007
• Publisher: Liguori/Triumph
• Length: 181 Pages
• Weight: 0.88 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.9" x 8.5"

Customer Reviews

And God said, "It's Good"

This book is absolutely fantastic. I actually bought it as a gift for my son in law but couldn't give it until I finished it. It has fantastic football knowledge and wonderful references to the Bible. I would recommend it to anyone. I am not a big football fan but I had a hard time putting it down.

Graf's Work is a Masterful Piece of Teaching

I played football from elementary school all the way into college. While I didn't know much about the Bible when I was young, I did become a student and avid reader of scripture later in life. And as God's plan for me has unfolded, I now teach people interested in joining our Church how to use, understand and appreciate the Bible. So, when a close friend told me about Mr. Graf's book, I was intrigued about how he might combine my all-time favorite sport with the Bible. Well, just let me say that Graf has done a masterful job. In his second book (the first was on baseball and scripture), he becomes teacher, theologian, historian and story teller. He has woven and combined treasured and important parts of the Bible with some of the greatest plays, players and stories from football history. Importantly, he does in a very enjoyable, entertaining and thought provoking read. Graf captures my interest and attention right from the beginning. He quite adroitly shows how Lambeau Field in Green Bay Wisconsin was indeed an "awesome place," just as the Bible says the home of God's chosen people was also such a place as is noted in Genesis 28:17. Honestly, when I was a quarterback in the third grade little leagues, there was no more awesome place on earth than the place (Lambeau Field) where the Green Bay Packers played. Moreover, I believe Graf's gift with this book has been to create a marvelous teaching tool that will help with religious education for generations to come. As an example, in one of the early chapters he tells us in his words after quoting Proverbs 3:5-6, 23 that "there are two components to trusting God. One is to prayerfully discern his will for us in how we live our daily lives. . ." Graf cleverly connects religious subject matter in a manner that is unusual and at the same time unexpected. He explains in one paragraph how God wants us to trust our instincts. Then as I am beginning to digest the power of his scriptural analysis, he turns the tables and suddenly introduces former the Detroit Lions great running back Barry Sanders into the story. Graf seems to be a master at uncovering factoids and details about America's most famous sport, reporting that the first pro football draft was held in 1920 and that the first official transaction between teams when tackle Bob Nash was sold from the Akron Pros to the Buffalo All-Americans for $300. You won't be surprised, and nor was I, to read in several following paragraphs that Jesus also drafted his team of apostles. The true spirit and soul of Graf's work is revealed as he is both teacher and commentator, when he says, "In football, a fumble can lose a game. In faith, a stumble can lose a soul. Through the game, we are taught to learn from our mistakes, to pick ourselves up off the turf, remove the clumps of grass from our facemasks, and play on. Through the gospels we learn that though we may stumble time and again, all we need to do is seek forgiveness." One might think Graf is att