Living here in Columbus, OH it becomes pretty obvious how dominating sports can be in people’s lives. But I get it……competition has always been interesting for centuries. But something I REALLY don’t get now is fantasy sports. After years of being sucked into being a part of online fantasy sports leagues, I can finally say that I don’t see the need to be in one ever again.

What don’t I get about it? I already feel like I don’t have a life watching countless hours of a race or football game. I’m guessing you’d have to take that time and double it when you add in the “studying” and “preparing” people put in with managing their fantasy sports teams. And at the end of the week, they have a 50-50 chance of being the lucky one and out-guessing their competitor. Here’s the challenge! Is there something better you could be doing with the time God has given you? When you have to look back on life, are you going to regret things like fantasy football? Is it just me, or have we become numb in more areas like this with our time as our culture shifts?

PRAYING that you and I find a balance of leisure and responsibility. PRAISING God for giving us things to enjoy, while also commanding us to never prioritize anything above Him.

How far do you take it? Do you get rid of everything that pleases you? I don’t think that’s what God would want. He intends for us to enjoy this life. One thing I am struggling with right now is television. Watching Virginia Tech football or NASCAR (I know – tech guy and redneck do not usually go together) are the only two things that I care to watch. I don’t watch anything else. Sometimes I get more thrilled about the days those sports are on than I do about spending time with the Lord that day. Or taking time to encourage someone in their walk. There’s nothing questionable about my ethics while watching sports. It’s good, clean fun! But then scripture like this one always come to mind.

“If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father, mother, wife, children, brothers, and sisters, as well as his own life, he can’t be my disciple.” Luke 14:26

God didn’t just make a mistake and let that slip into the Bible, did He? Not a chance. Hate your own family, if that’s what it takes? Are you serious? And I’m struggling with football and racing on the tube. That’s when I start to re-think things. I’m just beginning the journey with this one. The racing season starts in two weeks. Are there things like this that you’ve seen be stepping stones in your walk with the Lord? Do you regret something you’ve given up in an effort to have your focus on what He wants with your life?

Feel free to click on the photo or link below to view some of the other shots I took today. Before the game we had a pretty busy morning. Livi and Ava had soccer photos between 9 and 10 this morning, and games at 10 and 11! It all worked out great. I’ll post some of their photos tomorrow. I don’t think I realize how tired I am yet. Thanks for stopping by!

View photos here – http://www.flickr.com/photos/godsmac

What caught my attention was the fact that before the entire event kicked off they didn’t just start with the national, but with a genuine call to the Lord for safety during the event and thanking Him for offering His Son on the cross for us. If you’ve ever been to a Nascar race, they do the same thing there as well – each race. What’s the deal? Why are basketball, baseball, football and hockey any different. Is God not allowed in the building?

Something that I do recognize with these two events that include prayer might seem a bit awkward or step on a few toes. What most people consider rednecks are the majority of the fan base in these sports. You don’t see money getting in the way out on the farm, or people worrying about their clothes, cars they drive, or what kind of toys their children play with. They’re much more about letting it all hang out, actually being friendly and enjoying community, and the athletes they follow usually don’t raise the roof or do a dance in the end zone. I thank God for these sports, and am excited to head back to the track or down to the pig pen the next time I get the chance. The sports are definitely exciting, but God’s welcomed to show up before the “show” even begins.

P.S. The favorite bull name of the evening has to go to “Whoopy Dinger”!

Lawyers vs. God = no jury required

http://www.beyondtheultimate.org

Seems like the Christians are expected to be shocked I guess? Maybe what this world really wants is for the Christians not to take part in what they are enjoying? There’s definitely other things that I could be doing instead of watching the Super Bowl. WHOOPS…..forgot I could be put in jail for using their copyrighted game title. I might just have to think about those other things that I could be doing. It would be nice to see Peyton win his first title, but that might not be worth it at the risk of pleasing God-hating organizations like the NFL. Maybe the ACLU should buy the NFL? Immaturity and insanity running wild it seems?

I decided to give Livi “challenges” each game. We started out with kicking the ball 4 times, and each game it increased. She shocked me one game by kicking it 12 times when her challenge was still at 8 kicks. Their team tied most of the games (0-0 for the most part), but Livi had something in mind. She told us the evening before her last game that she really wanted to score a goal, which I tried to downplay a bit so she wasn’t crushed if it didn’t happen. It did happen, and in a dramatic way, lol. The coaches are on the field for this age level and help them learn the game by giving them some instruction while playing. The other coach was in the middle of the group of kids in front of the other team’s goal and Livi kicked a good one and hit him right in the shoulder while he was inside of the goal. She was distressed, and told me that didn’t count because the coach kicked it back out. I had to explain to her that he kicked it out to the middle of the field to start the game over, not to keep it from going in the goal. They did start the game with a new kickoff, so that helped her understand that it counted a little, but thanks to her coach – he gave her great encouragement in saying that they were now winning the game. Her and her friend Megan (who ended up scoring 2 goals later in the game) decided the boys could just stick to defense this game………girls rule – boys drool. Well, they better not be drooling too soon……..I wouldn’t take that too well quite yet. I guess it’s safe they were drooling at Dairy Queen after the game…….maybe they liked the ice cream?

We won’t mention the 7 hours it took for us to get home (2 1/2 hours away) thanks to the traffic, but what else can you expect when you and 130,000 other rednecks intrude on some farmland in the middle of nowhere? I’ve posted pics below of our trip to the pits before the race. We both got to hang out in our favorite driver’s box for a while and also grab some 250 pictures of some nice looking loud machines. Marla’s driver ended up blowing an engine on lap 18 of 200, but he’s still a contender for the championship. My driver finished 11th out of the 43 drivers and is also a contender with two weeks to go before “playoffs” begin. You just can’t beat the true patriotic feeling of the national anthem, cheers from drunk rednecks, 4 F-16s and fireworks…….then 43 cars lined up side by side roaring by at 190+ miles per hour. Many people are very correct when they say that Nascar isn’t a sport………..it’s a lifestyle. Don’t say a FREAKING word until you’ve been there……..or I’ll remove your comment – so there! Thanks for the beautiful weather God!