Find God at a Party

February 5, 2012 by Leave a Comment

By Karen O’Connor:

Lots of food, fun, family, and friends will show up on Super Bowl Sunday. Stores are advertising drinks and grub at great prices. Take-out restaurants are urging you to leave the preparation to them. They’ll even deliver platters and punch. But I’m wondering if anyone will stop and find God at a party. Some people may assume that’s about the last place one could relate to the Lord. He’s for Sunday service or the church choir or a family Bible study.

But the truth is God is ever present everywhere because he is personal, relational, and emotionally invested in each one of us. Whether we’re having fun cheering for our favorite sports heroes or working hard on a project at the office or driving the kids to soccer practice, God is with us, providing the spiritual refreshment we need to keep going in our busy lives. Yes, even at a party.

So the next time you’re attending a get-together or planning one, think about how you and your guests can interact in ways that honor God—by relating to each other with kindness, hospitality, and generosity. When you bring God into your midst you are less likely to eat and drink too much or lose control of your words and actions. He will help you be moderate in all ways so that you can enjoy the festivities without the regrets that so often follow the next day.

Find God at a party and you’ll remain happy and satisfied regardless of the outcome of the event or the game you’re watching.

Need a football party snack idea? Try Betty’s Party Pigs-in-a-Blanket Recipe:

 

©Karen O’Connor. Karen is an author, writing mentor, and frequent contributor to Finding God Daily. Visit Karen on the web at www.karenoconnor.com

Share
Filed Under: In Life Tagged With: , , , , ,

Find God in the Super Bowl

February 4, 2012 by Leave a Comment

By Dianne Neal Matthews:

This Sunday while we watch one of the most popular American sporting events, we can also find God in the Super Bowl. During the early 1960s, the upstart American Football League (AFL) sought to compete with the more established National Football League (NFL). On January 15, 1967, the champions of these two leagues played each other for the first time. The Green Bay Packers of the NFL beat the Kansas City Chiefs of the AFL by a score of 35 to 10. When the two leagues merged to form the modern NFL in 1970, the championship game became known as the Super Bowl.

Today, the Super Bowl is played every year between the champions of the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The game is so popular with American television viewers that advertisers will pay an average of 3.5 million dollars for a thirty-second ad during this year’s game (Time magazine article, by Brad Tuttle).

Professional football players devote themselves to diligent practice and to performing their best in regular games with the dream of someday becoming Super Bowl champions. This same principle applies to the spiritual life. For example, when ­Jesus taught about finances, he said, “Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much” (Luke 16:10, NIV). If we prove ourselves in the little things, God will use us for bigger purposes.

While David tended his father’s sheep, he sometimes had to kill a lion or a bear. Because he had experienced these victories, David was prepared to battle Goliath and was confident that God would empower him to overcome (1 Samuel 17). If we are faithful in handling our ­every­day challenges, perhaps God will give us the privilege, as one of his champions, of slaying a giant. Reflecting on this truth will help us find God in the Super Bowl.

Learn about the first step of becoming one of God’s champions at www.GodTest.com.

 © Dianne Neal Matthews. Dianne writes articles for magazines and websites, stories for compilation books, and daily devotionals. This material is adapted from The One Year On This Day (Tyndale House 2005).

Enjoy this ad from Focus on the Family, which aired this month during the Denver Broncos vs. New England Patriots NFL Playoff game. Now that’s an ad for something meaningful and life changing!

 

Share
Filed Under: God's Love, In History, In Life, In the News Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Finding God in Football with Tim Tebow . . . Again

December 18, 2011 by Leave a Comment

By Dianne E. Butts:

Photo from Wikipedia

Tim Tebow, quarterback for the Denver Broncos, did it again. Well, with the help of his teammates, most notably kicker Matt Prater. And because he did it again with his teammates, people are now talking about finding God in Tim Tebow . . . again.

Neither the Broncos nor the Chicago Bears scored in the first half of the game on Sunday, December 11, 2011. according to the Denver Broncos news:

“A 10-yard Marion Barber touchdown run and a franchise-record 57-yard field goal from Robbie Gould put Chicago up 10-0 at the start of the fourth quarter.”

Then the Broncos turned the ball over on a fumble. It looked as if it were over with the Broncos down 10-0 with only 4:34 left in the fourth quarter and no timeouts. But the Broncos got the ball back and, led by Tim Tebow, they worked their way down the field until Tebow found Demaryius Thomas open in the corner of the end zone for a 10-yard touchdown pass. The Broncos were down 10-7 with 2:08 remaining in the game. The Broncos got the ball again, and Matt Prater kicked a 59-yard field goal to tie the game in the final three seconds.

In overtime, Bronco Wesley Woodyard forced a fumble from Bears player Marion Barber and Matt Prater kicked his second 50-plus-yard field goal of the game for the Broncos’ 10-13 win!

The Washington Post said it this way:

“Prater’s 51-yarder in overtime that sent the Broncos past the stunned Chicago Bears 13-10 on Sunday was his third straight walk-off field goal. It followed his 59-yarder that tied it with 3 seconds left in the fourth quarter.”

The Denver Broncos’ web site gave these stats:

“For the third straight week, Matt Prater has ended the game with a field goal to deliver a Broncos victory on the final play. Prater beat San Diego with a 37-yard kick in overtime in Week 12, Minnesota with a 23-yarder as time expired in the fourth quarter in Week 13 and Chicago with a 51-yard field goal in overtime. With his kick on Sunday, he helped Denver set a franchise record with its third overtime victory of the season.”

Now, with the Broncos’ win/loss record 8/5—that’s 7/1 under Tebow’s quarterbacking—people are again talking about Tim Tebow’s faith. Other professional players, even Christians, have said Tim Tebow should back off his “First of all I thank my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” tag line. But Tim Tebow persists and the affect of his faith is evident on fans everywhere.

Several sound-bites on Denver radio after the game had fans saying, “It’s a miracle” and “You have to believe.”

Another fan, from my current hometown, Pueblo, Colorado, was also on Denver’s local radio. He said during the game he told his friends he’s an agnostic, but if the Broncos pulled this game out, he’d go to church. After the game he said on radio that he already knows where a Catholic mass is near his home, and he’ll be there next Sunday. I’m sure that will be Sunday morning and he’ll be home to in plenty of time to watch the Broncos play New England Patriots.

Tim Tebow’s faith is still the talk of sports-town, and people really are finding God in Tim Tebow . . . again.

Enjoy this YouTube video: Tim Tebow & His Faith

Related posts (sports themed):

  1. Finding God in Tim Tebow
  2.  Finding God in a Cross Country Meet
  3. Finding God in Basketball on the U.S.S. Carl Vinson

 

To enjoy day-to-day encouragement from Finding God Daily, enter your email address:
Delivered by FeedBurner
Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...
Share
Filed Under: At Church, In the News, Prayer Tagged With: , , , , ,