It’s the Thursday before the inauguration of the 45^th President of the United States of America.
It’s the Thursday after Novak Djokovic lost in the second round of the Australian Open! (UGH!)
It’s the Thursday before the Green Bay Packers advance to Super Bowl LI – (I was at Super Bowl VII – Miami’s undefeated season! – Beat Washington 14-7)
It’s the Thursday before David Dendy preaches about Volunteering
All that to say… Today is Thursday and that can only mean one thing!!
Time for:
Thursday’s Thoughts from Pastor David
Think of a football stadium…
Not the Cowboys stadium. No one is there…
How about Lambeau Field… where the mighty Packers of Green Bay, Wisconsin play.
It’s Sunday afternoon about noon on the West coast.
The Packers are just about ready to kick off against the Atlanta Falcons.
(Now, I know the game will actually be played in Atlanta, but stick with me here…)
Where will you be when Mason Crosby the kicker of the Green Bay Packers kicks the ball into the end zone of the Atlanta Falcons to start the game?
Where will you be when Aaron Rodgers throws a perfect strike to receiver Jordy Nelson for a touchdown?
Where will you be when the sound of the helmets crashing like thunderbolts echo of the storied stadium walls?
Where will you be?
You have lots of choices…

1. The Tailgate Parties taking place across the street from the stadium in some homes which have been transformed into Packer Backer Party Houses, complete with taps built into the wall, oversized big screen HDTV’s, in the coziness of heated rooms along with watching the game on TV and seeing all the commercials.
2. The Parking Lot – Tailgate parties with brats, ribs, hamburgers and dogs will dot the parking lot as the smoke and the aroma of these animals sizzling on the grill will fill the air. You will be able to hear the distant roar of the crowd, but you will be outside the stadium, not inside. You will know the game is going on, but you will have to rely on secondhand “sound” to let you know how the game is progressing.
3. The Stands – You’ve got your seat snuggled right next to a stranger on a bleacher made of aluminum. Ninety percent of the stands in Lambeau Field are not “seats” in the sense of chairs with backs and side arms with cup holders. Just a bare piece of metal to sit on in sub-freezing temps. You will see the game. You will hear parts of the game. The players will typically look much smaller forty to fifty yards away from your seat than they would up close. The referee will have to be amplified through the speaker system in order for you to hear about all the penalties that will be charged against the Falcons! Binoculars would be a great asset.
4. The Sidelines – Talk about up close! You’re on the sidelines. You can hear the crushing hits and the trash talk. The players are right there in your face, breathing hard with waves of what looks like smoke shooting out from their mouths. The play calling and the coach’s sending in designed plays will be right in front of you. You can turn around and see all the people in the stands.

 
Where would you like to be?
Which place suits you?
Where will you be?
The Parties across the street?
The Parking Lot?
The Stands?
The Sidelines?
Oops!
I left out one more place you could be…
ON THE FIELD!!!
On the field you are PLAYING THE GAME OF FOOTBALL!
On the field you get to hit, tackle, run, catch, throw, block, and talk trash!
On the field, the players are life size, with real faces and eyes and ripped arms.
On the field you get to run an offensive play against a defense.
On the field you get to run a defensive play to keep the opposition from scoring.
On the field you get to experience the game of football like no one else!
Wow!
Where would you like to be?
And so it is with the Christian life!
There’s a game of eternal significance going on and today…
The Thursday after the Green Bay Packers’ stunning victory over the Dallas Cowboys
I am wondering…
I am wondering…
In this game called the Christian Life, where are you?
If it was up to me to share with you where I think you should be, I could sum it up in four words…
GET IN THE GAME!!!
¹² Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. ¹³ Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, ¹⁴ I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
(Philippians 3: 12-14)
 
Grace and peace,
Laugh often and Fear not!
David!
David@seeinggodatworkeveryday.com