Another Tragedy

We talk about all the joy, hope, peace and love of the Christmas season that we have in Christ. Yet, we also recognize that for many Christmas can be a very painful time. In the past couple of months there seem to have been a number of untimely deaths. The latest to grieve my heart is news today of Indianapolis Colts' Head Coach Tony Dungy's 18 year old son James having been found dead in his Tampa, FL apartment. This article on the Buccaneers' website speaks of James, Coach Dungy's time in Tampa (1996-2001) and especially speaks of Coach Dungy's faith in Christ.

As a Buccaneers fan I have fond memories of Coach Dungy's time in Tampa, and of seeing James shadowing his dad on the sideline during games. I remember during games I attended seeing James (at about 12 or so) running out on the field after kick-offs to retrieve the kicking tee. I remember one day that I attended a training camp practice when I noticed James was dressed exactly like his dad, wearing the same team baseball cap, and following his dad around with a clipboard on the practice field. I even remember a game on television where James was run into on the sideline as a tackle took players out of bounds, watching him get up and shake off the hit to continue at his dad's side.

One of my fondest memories of Coach Dungy's time in Florida was a video spot he did for the Promise Keeper's event in Tampa that I attended with a group of men, where he spoke of his faith in Christ and the importance of being a father, and spoke particularly of his relationship with James. Join me in praying for Tony and Lauren and their household.