Do you remember the scene, in the movie Friday Night Lights, where the camera was in a car slowly driving around the town of Odessa? The car was showing home made signs in the windows of businesses. The signs said, ‘Closed early for the football game’ or ‘Gone to the game’ or something similar to that.

Friday night high school football games are still a big thing in the cities and towns of not only Kansas, but the entire Midwest. I don’t know if that is everywhere across our nation or not, but I know it is here. It is a testament of how much we love the game and we want to support the kids of our communities.

What about Sunday mornings? Is going to church in your community still an important thing to do? What if everyone who claims to be a Christian in Kansas went to church on Sunday morning?

Now some people can’t make it Sunday mornings due to sickness of family members or necessary work, but the rest of us could go.

Most of us, as Christians, would have difficulty getting up in the pulpit on Sunday morning and giving our testimony. Most of us would also have trouble going door to door in our communities to tell people about Jesus and the Gospel. But one thing we could do, we could and should go to church on Sunday morning. What a testimony that would be, if all those who call themselves Christians, went to church?

The churches would be filled up in our communities. Actually, would there be enough room to hold all the people in the churches if everyone showed up?

Give your testimony next Sunday morning by going to a local church and worshiping God for an hour or so!

1. Pew research on religious composition of adults in Kansas (76% say they are Christians)
2. Pew research on how many Kansans go to church (37% of us)

From the book ‘How to Win the Culture War’ by Peter Kreeft is the following quote, “Perhaps the popular conception of saints is ‘nice,’ but real saints are not nice. They are warriors. They really bother people, so deeply that they are often martyred. If they don’t bother anybody, they are not saints. That is what Jesus said: “If they persecuted me, they will persecute you” (John 15:20). You don’t take nice people and nail them to a cross.”

Have you ever seen the movie, ‘Cool Hand Luke?’ In the movie Luke (Paul Newman) is put in a fight ring with Dragline (George Kennedy.) Luke refuses to give up. When I read the book ‘How to Win the Culture War’ by Peter Kreeft I thought of the movie ‘Cool Hand Luke?’ As Christians we should never give up the fight and tolerate sin and believe in the false peace that the world would give us.

There has been lots of speculation over the years about the movie having religious symbolism with Luke being Jesus. Let me encourage you to watch the movie and read the book from above.

https://youtu.be/trDsXlDJIbM

A man’s man on prayer, Harold Burke-Sivers on video.

God can do great things through nobody’s.

As a man of faith you will be attacked.

All of us have been given talents and you will stand before God someday to answer for the gift you have been given.

San Diego QB Phillip Rivers talks to teens in a 20 minute talk.

Research your own Bible App, but maybe it is time for you to read the Bible everyday on your phone, tablet or computer. I am not promoting any one over another one just encouraging you to get to reading today.

Jonathan Evans the son of Dr. Tony Evans a preacher in the Dallas area. Will you take the challenge to live a life of greatness?

The object of the game of football is to win the game. To win the game you must score more points than the other team. Sure defensive football coaches like to say, “If the other team never scores we will never lose.” But your team must score to eventually win that game.

So in my mind the offense is very much a part of the foundation of a football team. The foundation of the offense is the offensive line, the center, guards, tackles and yes those offensive ends.

The offensive line never gets the glory. The quarterbacks name is always in the paper. The top running back is always interviewed by the media. The defender who makes a great play or has the most tackles will get some publicity also. Once in awhile the offensive end will get some press but he has to do something besides just blocking to make the grade for the media.

This basic foundational part of football was taught to me back in high school. I was an offensive end. My high school football team ran the Wing-T with two tight ends most of the time. When the coach would divide the team up into positional practice, the offensive ends went with the offensive line coach.

I did not understand, why did I need to learn to pull like a guard, cut block, crab block, pass block or any of the other things an interior offensive lineman learns to do? Only after high school was over, did I finally realize the importance of the offensive line. When I would go to football games, post-high school, I was constantly watching the offensive line to see what was really happening in the football game. So the best education I received, about football, was when we were with our offensive line position coach.

Did you know that everyone that joins the Marine Corps is trained as a rifleman-infantryman first? Doesn’t matter if you will be an officer, enlisted, tanker or pilot you get the basics of rifleman-infantryman training first?

My thought is everyone who joins a football team should also be trained as an offensive interior lineman first. The quarterback, the running backs, the wide receivers, the defensive players, the kickers everyone should learn the basics of the offensive line. I can hear coaches now saying, “We barely have time to teach the kids their proper position let alone teach them some of the offensive line stuff!”

Doesn’t that sound just like life? Sure we go to church as often as we can. We are on the team, but we don’t have time to learn or study the basics of faith. According to studies of Bible readers, only 13% of folks read the Bible daily.1 How much time do you spend in meditation and prayer, daily? How much time do you spend in adult education in your church? Yes, the basics of faith just slip away from us.

Jesus was the kind of man who had the glory but gave it up to be a servant and savior for us. Offensive lineman, give up a chance for glory, (name in the paper or interviewed by the media after games) to deny themselves and give of themselves for the team.

Yes, Jesus is our coach today, but while he was on earth, I think he would have made a great offensive lineman. He was calling the blocking scheme at the line of scrimmage against satan’s evil team. He also was calling the offensive team to him, after the play, to come huddle up with him.

Join the team and learn the basics.

Mark 8:34 If any man would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.

(My football coach, when he got unhappy with offensive backfield players, would send them to the offensive line position coach, to learn about sacrifice.)

1. Daily Bible reading poll

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=9mDzNm7cylw

Catholic or Protestant the call to Battle is real. Discover the battle we are engaged in. Are you going to step into the breach?

The Rt. Rev. Bishop Michael Curry the new president elect of the Episcopal Church speaks about the unity and beauty of the Eucharist.

It has only been a short time, but can you remember the name of the player who collapsed in the Kansas high school football game and died the next day in a Denver hospital?

Do you remember the name of the player who collapsed at a football game in Oakley in 1996 and died? Those of us who intimately knew those young men will never forget their names. Those of us who didn’t actually know them will soon forget their names.

I can still remember the best athlete in my eighth grade class. Mike was a great football and basketball player. For several days in a row he missed school, so one day I asked one of my friends, “Where is Mike?” He said to me, “Haven’t you heard Mike has leukemia?”  Mike passed away a few months later.

My freshman year of high school three guys in the sophomore class and one guy from my freshman class were killed in a car train accident. I can still remember their names and personalities. We honor them when we remember them and we tell their stories to others in our lives.

Think about the disciples of Jesus. They went everywhere with Him for three years. They saw Jesus heal people first hand who were sick, blind, deaf, and diseased and also raised some from the dead. They also saw Jesus beaten badly by scourging and crucified on a cross by Roman soldiers.

Several days later Jesus rose from the dead and walked again on earth appearing to the disciples and others many times. Weeks later he ascended into heaven as they watched. Those disciples and others honored Jesus by remembering Him. They told His stories and lessons over and over.

Do you remember Jesus? Do you honor Him with your memory and your physical presence at church each week? About 76% of Kansans identify themselves as Christians.1 Yet even in my own community only about 20% of the people go to church on any given Sunday.2

I think the great majority of us have forgotten who Jesus was. We instead act like consumers when we think of church. You know, “I don’t like the music.” I don’t like the time they have church.” I don’t like the preacher.” I don’t like the people at church.”

When we go to church we honor God with our presence, no matter what happens at church. When we read the Bible and pray during the week we also are growing our memory and relationship with God the Father. Relationships of any kind are based on giving of your time to each other and getting to know each other. That is true with your friends and family today. It is also true with your spiritual life and your heavenly Father.

Don’t lose your memory of God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit.

Matthew 7:23 Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’

1. Pew research on religious composition of adults in Kansas
2. ARDA research on Scott County, Kansas