They didn’t get there alone!

The hype surrounding Super Bowl LXVI has been relentless!

Previews… interviews… reviews… Taking it all in would be tantamount to enduring the most grueling of tortures!

• Who had the harder time getting here?
• Which defense is toughest?
• Which offence is the most potent?
• Who will be the MVP?
• Who will win?

And everyone has an opinion!

But one thing is for sure. No matter how good a player is, no matter how vital his role, they didn’t get there alone! Regardless of who wins (won, depending on when you read this), it took a team to get there and win the big one.

God has a super-bowl-sized adventure out there for each of us. But none of us will get there alone. We were wired for relationships and we need each other. Only when we give ourselves to sharing the journey will we fully embrace all that God has in store for us.

From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work. ~ Ephesians 4:16

Who are you sharing the journey with and how are you involved with the church family?

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From champ to chump in the blink of an eye!

Last Sunday was a great day for NFL football lovers. Four very talented teams battled it out for a chance to go to the Super Bowl.

I love close games that are won because someone made the better play. Sunday’s games were close, but unfortunately both ended with players muffing what should have been a “sure thing.”

Billy Cundiff of the Baltimore Ravens missed an easy field goal that cost the Ravens a chance to tie the game. Kyle Williams of the 49ers became the goat by fumbling…twice…once in overtime allowing the Giants to win the game.

I felt bad for Billy and Kyle! As you can imagine, their miscues got LOTS of air time and chatter on TV and social networks.

When you’re the chump their isn’t much that you can do. You can’t change it or take it back. You’re blunder becomes part of history and you’re stuck with it. You’re stuck with the fact that millions of people just watched you choke.

These NFL players may not be able to do much but their teammates sure can!

This was demonstrated most clearly by the San Francisco 49ers who came to the strong defense of Kyle Williams.

Tight End Delanie Walker said, “We all lost this game…We play as a team — it’s 45 of us out there. It’s not Kyle’s fault, so don’t go over there and act like it is. Cause it’s not.”

Josh Morgan, another 49ers receiver stood at Williams empty locker and told reporters:

“I’m talking for Kyle,” Morgan said. “You have any questions, ask me. He’s not talking today. I got it.”

They had Kyle’s back. When it would have been easy to throw the chump to the wolves, their teammates stood their ground in support…and acted like true champions.

That’s what grace looks like, and it ought to be most visible in the church!

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As important as loving God

Even if you’re not a fan of NFL football you’ve probably heard of Tim Tebow. He is the current quarterback of the Denver Broncos and has gotten plenty of publicity for being very open about his faith in Jesus.

Every week, Tebow picks someone who is seriously ill, suffering, injured or dying and brings them to the game. Airline tickets, rental car, hotel room and meals – he takes care of it all. Then he visits with them before and after the game.

Two weeks ago Tebow stunned the Pittsburgh Steelers with an 80-yard OT touchdown pass to win the game. In the hour that followed Twitter exploded with 9,420 tweets about Tebow per second! And an ESPN poll was naming him the most popular athlete in America.

Tebow during that same hour? He was talking to 16-year-old Bailey Knaub about her 73 surgeries so far and what TV shows she likes.

“Here he’d just played the game of his life,” recalls Bailey’s mother, Kathy, of Loveland, Colo., “and the first thing he does after his press conference is come find Bailey and ask, ‘Did you get anything to eat?’ He acted like what he’d just done wasn’t anything, like it was all about Bailey.”

“It was the best day of my life,” Bailey emailed. “It was a bright star among very gloomy and difficult days.”

It makes no sense! Most NFL players barely talk to teammates before a game, much less visit with a guest. Isn’t that a huge distraction?

Just the opposite,” Tebow says. “It’s by far the best thing I do to get myself ready. Here you are, about to play a game that the world says is the most important thing in the world. Win and they praise you. Lose and they crush you. And here I have a chance to talk to the coolest, most courageous people. It puts it all into perspective. The game doesn’t really matter. I mean, I’ll give 100 percent of my heart to win it, but in the end, the thing I most want to do is not win championships or make a lot of money, it’s to invest in people’s lives, to make a difference.”

To whom will we make a difference today?

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We should all be so controversial!

Controversial conduct by elite athletes is nothing new and likely won’t go away anytime soon.

A few weeks ago, a college basketball game between Cincinnati and Xavier ended in a bench-clearing brawl. The fight got so intense that the referees decided not to play the final nine seconds. The media and fans were appalled and demanded strong measures.

Just a week before this incident the NFL announced that eleven players had failed drug tests. The media and fans were rightly appalled.

A recent Atlantic Monthly article spoke to this issue by listing the “15 Most Divisive Athletes in Recent History.”

I was not surprised by any of those who made the cut for this editorial save for one – Tim Tebow. Even if you’re not a big NFL fan you are likely familiar with this young man and his recent on-field exploits as quarterback of the Denver Broncos.

Others on the list included Michael Vick, Barry Bonds, Dennis Rodman, Pete Rose and O.J. Simpson. Let’s see… that’s one man convicted of animal cruelty, another for obstruction of justice, one guy who appeared at a book signing wearing a dress, another for tax evasion who was banned from baseball for betting on games and one who in all likelihood killed his ex-wife.

So what did Tebow do to make this notorious list? It started a few years ago when he made a TV ad in which he states that he was glad that his mother didn’t abort him. But the latest controversy is because he is upfront about his Christian faith.

I know! It’s shocking! Wait until they hear about how he grew up serving the poor overseas! Imagine the scandal that will be!