football

The Best

20121208-235137.jpgTonight I watched my high school alma-mater compete in the Arkansas high school football state championship game for the second time in my lifetime. I was at both games. The preceding event was twenty years ago and I admittedly remember very little about the game other than it was bitter cold. Tonight's game still rings vividly in my mind. The hard hits, almost plays, and intense effort of players on both sides of the line of scrimmage, as well as the clamoring emotion of the crowd, are a testament to the passion my old hometown reserves for its beloved mascot and pastime. It is and has always been a football town.

Chiefly this is probably one of my biggest points of disconnection with my hometown as I have never been overly fond of football. I do appreciate the athleticism it requires and the strategic minds of those who guide the combatting forces from the sidelines. One thing that I love about watching young athletes is their heart. They lay it all on the line every play. They hold nothing back. They give it their best.

Tonight their very best moment came on the opening drive of the second half as a repeated series of small running gains led to the team's only touchdown of the game. I enjoyed watching the crowd's response to the effort of those boys. There was a suspended moment of elation and euphoria as the hundreds of fans in attendance all erupted in a brief celebration of hope. Sadly, it would not last. They would go on to lose the game 28-7, but there was no doubt that they did their best.

What about your best? What does your best look like? Is it the same today as it was ten years ago, or will be ten years from now? Like those young athletes, are you willing to lay yourself on the line, are you willing to be spent for something?

The truth is, all too often our best will not add up to produce the results we desire to attain. Sometimes that is because our desires are skewed. Sometimes it is just because someone is better, but always we can, and should, know that giving our best is pleasing to God.

And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men... (Colossians 3:17, 23 ESV)

Even better--God gave his best for us, all of us, He gave himself. Thankfully, even though our best may sometimes miss the mark, His never has and never will.

Merica's gods: Football, Athletes, & Idolatry

I've spent the last several months thinking about the utter waste in our nation. We waste resources, education, and effort on a wealth of idolatrous pursuits that are at the epicenter of American culture. It makes me sad. It is deeply sinful. And one of the saddest parts about it is that the American church has done or is doing very little to call it's people to repentance. Shame on us. I was reading an article this morning about the new football stadium in Allen, TX. The pricetag for this new pigskin palace? $60 million. Oh, and did I mention that it's a high school stadium? The same school laid off 44 teachers last year. Wha.....?

We all know Texas loves their football, but lest we forget about the plank in our own eyes, so does pretty much everywhere else in this country. And if it's not football it's something else; basketball, baseball, soccer, this list could get really long if I kept going.

We idolize sports. American arenas are the modern version of their Greco-Roman counterparts, places where athletes competed in violent rites of competition. The spirit of competition is a large part of the problem. We don't know how to compete without making an idol out of it. We don't know how to recognize the incredible athleticism of someone without trying to promote them above who and what they are. We don't know how to watch without worshipping. Any time we attribute more value to something than it actually deserves we have turned it into an idol. Shame on us.

This latest monument to idolatry in Allen, TX is only one small part of a much larger issue. Those of us who call ourselves Christians need to openly repent, and then we need to ask God to help us change our behavior. We can start by detaching some of the passion we have for sports and redirecting in a way that brings God glory. There's nothing inherently sinful in turning on our TV and watching our favorite team, but there is something deeply sinful going on when we become overly passionate about it.

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More posts in this series:

Etiquette, Etican, Etican't

Football, Athletes, and Idolatry

Mirrors, Models, and Muscles

Education

Sex

Culture Wars

Religious Tradition and Dissidence

Intolerance

Greed & Consumerism