Apparently football season is here. As a football-neutral person, I am happy for the fans and the teams. I like to go to some games and enjoy the energy and seeing friends. But I’m not a loyalist. I live in Louisiana so I hope the Saints and LSU do well. I am glad when any of our Ouachita Parish High School teams do well (and they often do!). And I am excited for the families in our church who have young men on the teams, young ladies on the cheer squads, and the significance this has for them. So I certainly do not dislike the sports talk and excitement.
Sports certainly can teach us great things about life. I’m reading the challenging book by Gary Thomas entitled Every Body Matters. This is what he said about sports:
The thinking was that to live an influential, fruit-filled Christian life required a toughness, a hardy spirit, a confronting and facing of challenges, a learning to deal with failure without giving in to it, and a rising up to keep moving forward — each of these is a lesson that can be learned through sports. Actively fighting temptation, overcoming fears to step out in ministry, learning to work together as a team, handling defeat with grace and victory with humility, developing the courage to face an opponent who honestly (and perhaps quite rightly) scares you — these are characteristics of a woman or man who is being trained to engage in vigorous spiritual warfare. ~Gary Thomas, Every Body Matters: Strengthening Your Body to Strengthen Your Soul
Recently my friend Jimmie Timbes, church secretary at Booneville Church of Christ, posted on facebook a link to some videos from her home town. This was a football game that even a skunk couldn’t resist! Both videos are of the same event, just from different sides of the field!
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5F_79dlge7o[/youtube]
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xzdfsyB-kVI[/youtube]
So have a great season! Hope your favorite teams win! Here are some sports books for your Kindle!
It Never Rains in Tiger Stadium by John Ed Bradley
The Playbook for Dads: Parenting Your Kids In the Game of Life by Jim Kelly
Undefeated: Inside the 1972 Miami Dolphins’ Perfect Season by Mike Freeman
Love Thy Rival: What Sports’ Greatest Rivalries Teach Us About Loving Our Enemies by Chad Gibbs
That’s Why I’m Here: The Chris and Stefanie Spielman Story by Chris Spielman
The Mentor Leader by Tony Dungy
Coming Back Stronger by Drew Brees
Called to Coach by Bobby Bowden
Home Team: Coaching the Saints and New Orleans Back to Life by Sean Payton
Never Give Up: My Stroke, My Recovery, and My Return to the NFL by Tedy Bruschi
It’s Only a Game by Terry Bradshaw
Do You Love Football?! by Jon Gruden
Dallas Cowboys: The Complete Illustrated History by Jaime Aron
Manning: A Father, His Sons and a Football Legacy by John Underwood
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