Super Bowl XLI

This year the Super Bowl was more than funny commercials (which were disappointing once again...) or the football game --Go Colts! :) This year two men who love the Lord revealed to the Nation that putting Jesus first in your life produces far greater worth and purpose than winning any football championship.

Here's a clip from PluggedIn magazine:

Much has been made of the fact that Super Bowl XLI was the first to pit two black coaches against one another. But after his team's victory, Indianapolis coach Tony Dungy was more interested in sharing his faith than focusing on race. He told CBS Sports commentator Jim Nantz, "I'm proud to be representing African-American coaches, to be the first African-American to win this. It means an awful lot to our country. But again, more than anything, I've said it before, [Chicago Bears coach] Lovie Smith and I [are] not only the first two African-Americans, but Christian coaches showing that you can win doing it the Lord's way. And we're even more proud of that." The previous week, Lovie Smith voiced similar sentiments when he told a different reporter, "My relationship, first, is with Jesus Christ, and He is the center of my life. I try to live a Christian life. I would like for players to know my faith based on what they see on a day-to-day basis." Prior to the big game, the two coaches appeared in a full-page ad in USA Today's sports section encouraging people to visit the evangelistic Web site beyondtheultimate.org, sponsored by Athletes in Action. The advertisement testified to their faith and put their sport in eternal perspective: "On Sunday, one of us will be a world champion. It's the ultimate goal—but we know that there is more to life than football. Even when you have achieved the ultimate, something better lies beyond. We're pro football coaches, but we're also men of faith. A faith that defines who we are. It comforts us in tough times and produces hope in the midst of adversity. It is through our common faith in Jesus Christ that we have individually experienced God's love and forgiveness."

Third Culture Kid

I found this list and think it reveals just some of the odd things TCKs deal with. It's amazing because it mirrors my life so well...especially the last one! :)

*You know you're a TCK when:

-"Where are you from?" has more than one reasonable answer
-You flew before you could walk
-You had a passport years before your driver's license.
-You have frequent flyer accounts on multiple airlines.
-You constantly want to and do use said frequent flyer accounts to travel to new places.
-You know how to pack.
-You own personal appliances with 3 types of plugs, know the difference between 110 and 220 volts and realize that a transformer isn't always enough to make your appliances work.
-You fried a number of appliances during the learning process.
-You speak with authority on the quality of airline travel.
-You go into culture shock upon returning to your "home" country
-You get confused because US money isn't colour-coded.
-You feel odd being in the ethnic majority
-You wince when people mispronounce foreign words
-You sort your friends by continent
-Someone brings up the name of a team, and you get the sport wrong.
-You don't know where home is
-You realize it really is a small world, after all.
-You know the geography of the rest of the world, but you don't know the geography of your own country.

Emerald Bowl

So the Emerald Bowl was hilarious. First of all, I didn't even know such a bowl existed! But hey, it was a surprise my Seminoles made it to a bowl game...after such a horrible season. Secondly, I didn't know there were bowl games in December...again because the Seminoles usually get into a bowl game that is played in January, I guess you learn a lot when your season sucks. Thirdly...the sponsors of this bowl are just plain genius. I don't think I've laughed so hard during commercial breaks and actually looked forward to seeing commercials so much in my life. I found a snippet of an article about it and they described it so well I thought I'd quote part of it:

If you haven't caught the ads, they're as simple as they are absurd. In one, a chubby North European stands by a giant target as someone shoots arrows around the bull's-eye. The European coaches the archer, who is off-camera. Even when an arrow hits the dude in the leg, he remains cheerful. Then the tag line goes: "E. N. Encouraging Norwegians love Emerald Nuts."

Yes, it is completely ridiculous...but then again I think random things are hilarious! Like the Superbowl commercial for Tabasco sauce...there's a guy who's eating his pizza and you'll have to click the link to see what happens!

Anyways here are the four Emerald Nut commercial tag lines I saw while watching the Seminoles win the game. :)

Envious Nomads love Emerald Nuts! <--my absolute favorite one! Extreme Nurses
Electromagnetic Navigator
Entangled Nine-year-olds

I went on a hunt to try and find clips of these commercials, but alas I didn't find them. However, I did find other ones...

Official Website: (click "tv ads" at the top of the page, then click "hi" or "lo" connection speed)
Eccentric Matadors Exercising Religiously And Littering Do Not Use The Steamroller
Engrossed Manicurists Eventually Relay Advice Like Do Not Untie That String

Superbowl 2006:
Eagle-eyed Machete Enthusiasts Recognize A Little Druid Networking Under The Stairs

Superbowl 2005:
Umm...that's not true Jim. <--My siblings and I laughed so hard at this one and replayed it many times...we all decided the girl in this one is just plain strange and slightly creepy...but so much fun to imitate!

keeping the right perspective on $$

I read this article today and I was reminded of the value of keeping the right perspective on the link between money and our responsibility to the Lord. It is all His, I am merely a steward not an owner. If I can continually view my possessions as His, then it will be easy to give them up when He asks, and trust Him, for He is much more creative than I am at providing for His children's needs. :)

Spending God's Money
by Heather Koerner

I certainly didn't wake up on that Sunday about five weeks ago expecting God to teach me a major life lesson. Expect to learn? Yes. To worship? Of course. To get a serious attitude adjustment? Decidedly not.

It had started off just like most Sunday mornings. After the opening worship songs, I had scurried from the choir loft into our family's usual pew. Bible out, pen clicked, ready to go. Today's text was Acts 2, our pastor informed us. My brain whirred. I know that passage. Acts 2.... Got it. Pentecost. Holy Spirit. Tongues of fire.

"Verses 42 to 47," he continued. Okay, wait, that's definitely after the tongues of fire. I skimmed down the chapter and read it with him. "They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer," he read. Oh yeah, I thought. The early church passage. He continued on....

"Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need...." The pastor continued on, but I didn't. I was transfixed. Like it was marked with a holy highlighter, that one particular verse — which I must have heard a hundred times in my church career — was screaming out at me:

"All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need."

I kept reading it over and over. And then, I swear this happened though I'm not proud of it, a smirk crept across my face and I gave a discreet little laugh. "They had everything in common?" I thought. "Well, that's nice for them, but that would never work nowadays. I can't see Christian communal living working — even here in the Bible Belt."

"And selling their possessions and goods to give to anyone as he has need?" I continued. "Wow! That's awesome, but if the church can't even get a handle on tithing, I doubt that most people would actually sell their stuff." Another discreet little laugh.

That's when the Holy Spirit stepped in. It must have taken tremendous patience for Him not to want to just pop that smirk right off my face. But, as ever, He was patient. The conversation was not exactly chronological, but here's the gist:

You know, Heather, that group's use of their money is just as precious to me as their commitment to the apostles' teaching and to prayer.

Ouch, busted! I sat up a little straighter and tried to fly right. "Yes, Lord. Absolutely. I'm sorry about that." I managed, rather weakly. "I certainly didn't mean that it couldn't happen. Just that I don't see much of it around me."

And what about you?

"About me, Lord?"

That's what I said.

"Oh ... well ... um. You know I'll give whatever you want me to, Lord. If you really wanted me to sell my possessions, well...."

And that's when it hit me. One can tithe. And one can give offerings. But one can still be — or rather ... I can still be clinging to my possessions as if they are really my own. I know what being a steward is. But, sitting there, I realized I had restricted myself to a narrow practice of the concept — that, as a steward, I should be "wise" with my money. You know, not spend it foolishly. Spend it where God wants. All my life I've heard the saying, "God doesn't just own 10 percent of your finances, He owns it all." I knew that. But did I practice it? Would a steward even flinch if the landowner told him to sell a field? I doubt it. It's not the steward's field, why should he care? He'd just go do it. Yet, here I was, flinching just at the idea of having to sell something of value to me.

In the past, I've given out of my excess. "Sorry, God, but the bills are really piling up this month — I only have this amount left over to give to you." I understood the responsibility to give, but didn't really understand that it was the Lord who had control over my finances, not me.

Later, I gave without regard to excess. "Here, God. You're first. No matter what else happens this month, you will not be the one shortchanged." I started to understand the privilege to give and also that getting my financial priorities straight was a major prerequisite for spiritual maturity.

Now, I'm starting to see the person that God wants — and is teaching me — to be. The person He can trust to obey. To do my duty in giving, yes. But to be willing to do so much more. To sell the field, if He commands it, without batting an eye. Have I ever actually sacrificed something that I had? Had to give up something that I enjoyed or — shall I say it — treasured? My clothing? My furniture? My car? Not simply putting off a purchase or choosing not to purchase, but giving up something that I already had?

The answer was no.

"Lord, is there something you want me to sell?" I asked quietly.

You already have, came the answer, just as quietly.

I knew immediately what He meant. I had just sold my daughter's entire wardrobe, infant to size 5, in a consignment sale and sold what was left in a garage sale. The proceeds were still sitting on my kitchen counter, ready to be taken to the bank. I had meant to use the money to replace my 10-year-old, very beat up kitchen table. So I took a deep breath. My God is a faithful God. He has given me what I could never repay. Even in this lesson, He was asking for so little. "You've got it, God."

Later, over Sunday lunch, I broke the news to my husband. "Honey, I think we're supposed to give the money from the sales to the Lord." We met eyes for a second. "Yeah, okay," he said and took another bite of potato chips. "I mean all of it," I said, not sure he had heard me right. "I think God's trying to teach me something." He gave me a little smirk. "Got it, hon. That's fine." Well, I breathed a sigh of relief, that was easy. Thanks, God.

The next Sunday, we had the check ready. "Here we go, God." My toes were tapping a little. I understood in an even deeper way the real joy there is in giving and feeling a part of God's plan. That's when the pastor made an announcement: "By the way, we will be collecting a special offering tonight for our Benevolence Fund — which gives to those in our community who have need."

My husband and I just looked at each other and smiled. Don't you just love it when God ends a lesson with an exclamation point? I don't know who is going to get that money. But God does. And they will get it, not because I am faithful, but because He is. Had I refused God's request, He would have provided through other means. Only I would have been the loser.

I'm sure this won't be my last lesson from Acts 2. But my husband and I both agree that this one has taught us a lot. As anal financial planners (yes, we do have our entire wedded life's finances on Quicken), it can be hard to let go of control and just, as my husband put it, "give that money away." But we know we can't serve both God and money, so, boy oh boy, we know which one we choose. And who knows? This holiday season, maybe you should keep your ears and your heart open. I wouldn't be surprised if God pulled an Acts 2 on you too.