As most of you know, I am an avid football fan. When I think that the first week of college football is a just around the corner, excitement wells up from deep inside of me. Some of you may be thinking, “Football is just a stupid man-thing, driven by testosterone”. There might be some truth to that, but for me it’s so much more.
There are 2 major brands of football-NFL and College. Subtle differences separate the 2. NFL atheletes are paid gargantuant sums to play, while college atheletes, at best, receive a scholarship. NFL rules are slightly different than the college game- a player must get 2 feet inbounds on a pass in order to have completed it, the clock continues to run after a “first-down” has been achieved. NFL stadiums hold 60,000 to 70,000 fans, while certain college stadiums hold over 105,000!
For me, the excitement of the college game far exceeds that of the NFL. This is due in large part to the size of the college stadium. The buzz that goes up from Ohio Stadium when the Buckeyes score a touchdown during a critical game could blow out your ear drums! The band, a college football tradition, also adds a deeper dimention. But it is the sense of community that I love the most about college football.
During our white water rafting trip in West Virginia, noticing I was wearing an Ohio State Buckeyes hat, shouted out to me from his boat, “O-H”. Immediately I returned with, “I-O!” I didn’t even know this man. We had never talked, yet I felt a bond with him because we exchanged a universal Buckeyes cheer!
Acts 2:1 says, “When the day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.” Pentecostalism is about speaking in tongues, it’s about evangelism, it’s about walking in the Spirit, but it is also about drawing believers together in community. Whatever you are into, whether it be football, reading, vegging out on your couch, remember, the church is where it’s at and you’ll never find true community without plunging yourself into loving relationships with God’s people.