Holding it Down in '08: Faith on the Football Field

Peace and blessings,

I want to wish everyone a blessed, and fruitful New Year. I wanted to kick off this new year with a recap of one of the most moving sports stories I have ever heard. Depending on how you look at it it may not seem like much, but to me the idea is truly revolutionary, and is a clear example of how lives can be changed when Christ's love is demonstrated in all areas of life. The story is about a Florida high-school football game between

Grapevine Faith and Gainesville State.

What makes this football story more moving than any other football story? The fans. Prior to the game, the coach for Grapevine Faith asked his players' parents if half of them would cheer for the opposing team, Gainesville State. Since Gainesville State is a correctional facility and their players play every game on the road, Grapevine's coach wanted Gainesville's players to know that they are valued and loved.

Given Obama's election, other ideas I've encountered last year, and the power of this story, I am getting the feeling that how well we progress as a people in 2009 has alot to do with out ability to "think outside the box" and "go the extra mile" for one another. In my opinion, the best way to do that is to orient our lives (e.g., relationships, everyday interactions, job, career, hobbies, gifts, knowledge, skills) towards Christ, so that we can love others (and ultimately ourselves) they way he showed us to.

Click here for video highlights of the game.

What do you think about the story? How powerful do you think it would be for everyone if sports competitions were prefaced with an understanding of mutual love between opposing fans and players? Take care and speekonit...