Are you ready for some football ........... to end?

Good Tuesday morning, here on January 10, 2012, where the buzz about the BCS has now been put to rest. The college football season has now officially ended with the crowning of the champion. I actually watched the first meeting of these two storied teams back in the regular season and I thought that game was one of the most bruising and hard hitting I had ever seen televised. Last night LSU did not show up for the championship game. Give Alabama credit. They did. And, they did in a big way, dominating on both sides of the ball. LSU had a great regular season but when it came down to that one and only final game, let's face it, they blew it, big time! I know folks take their football seriously no matter what area of the country you happen to live in. But, the folks over in Louisiana, well, I do believe they may have the corner on fanaticism when it comes to the Bengal Tigers. I can only imagine how crushed the folks over there felt. Embarrassed, disgusted, and angry could also be an apt description of how Tiger fans are feeling. But life does go on and they always have their beloved Saints that are still in the hunt to be champions of the world. Speaking of being overheated, I got home from Church Sunday evening just in time to see the overtime between the Denver Broncos and the Pittsburgh Steelers. I know folks have made much out of the Tebow saga but we who are believers cannot help but admire this young man's testimony and outspoken devotion to his Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. That being said, I got home, my wife was sitting on the couch, and four of our grandchildren were there. When Tim threw that 80 yard pass in the opening seconds of the overtime period, I literally lost it. I was jumping up and down like a foolish person and my grand kids thought it was the funniest thing they had seen in a while. I even jumped up and down during the replays, therefore, I plead guilty as charged because even now I can't help but think it was rather silly, but, it was also exciting. My wife questioned whether I should have said "Praise the Lord" so loudly when I was jumping up and down. I suppose she had a theological point to make but as I told her, Tim was no doubt doing exactly the same thing, therefore, I was just agreeing with him. How many yards did Tim accumulate? How about 316 total yards? How did the media report his yardage? Total yards: 3:16 as in the Gospel of John. You just have to love it folks! Amen.

I think it was our pastor who announced that football season would soon be over. And, while there are many more ladies today who are plugged in to keeping up with both college and the pros, when he said that, there was a fairly loud chorus of amens called out from the females there. I do remember several years ago the pros in particular began to target ways to get more women to watch the games. I suppose that is wise since the ladies continue to outlive men and they are in most cases the main purchaser of products and services for the household. I believe I have observed quite an increase in the number of ladies that both follow and talk football. Our local professional team, the Texans, won their playoff game last Saturday. I am glad they did but I also thought the hype leading up to the game was way overdone by all the local news media outlets. We had wall to wall coverage of everything including play by play of the tailgate parties beginning in the wee hours of Saturday morning. I was at my eldest son's home when the game started. I listened to it as I drove back to our house. When I arrived I was shocked to find some of our grand kids watching Sponge Bob. While I am not that much of a fan, due to the magnitude of that game I was alarmed and immediately announced that the program in progress would have to be interrupted due to an emergency switch to the channel carrying the playoff game. They all gave me that 'whatever' look and we finished out the game and then continued to watch the Saints trounce the Lions. It does not get easier from this point forward for our Texans and certainly not for Brother Tebow. But as far as football goes, it was a pretty decent weekend.

I've written before about some of the responses to Tim Tebow's public displays of his faith. Everyone is entitled to their opinion and I understand the argument made by some who are genuinely offended. However, there have been some who have been way over the top, perhaps even dangerously so. One player on the Ravens made some bold predictions about what they would do in the playoffs and then added that they would do so without God on their sidelines. He went on to say they did not need God on their sidelines. I would not want to be the person who mocks Almighty God even if it was for the purpose of making fun of Tim Tebow. According to The Scriptures, without the providential mercy of God we wouldn't have the next heartbeat or the next breath in our bodies, therefore, this fellow's comments were ignorant of the truth at best, or, if he knew better, they were blasphemy against the Creator God. But, that's the way I see it. I admire some sports commentators that while they do not align themselves with Tebow's faith, they support his right to be who he is. If he is genuinely committed to his belief in Jesus the Christ as the Savior, then they recommend that people leave it at that. Many have pointed out that no one would be criticizing a player for an outward display of devotion to their Muslim faith. The point many of these commentators make is to let Tim be Tim, cover his football performance, and quit obsessing over his faith. Good advice, at least as I see it. Have a wonderful Tuesday and may God bless each one. Amen.   .....More later.