Catching the fever
Every new year brings with it a great wave of religious fervor. Millions of the faithful gather each week to sing praises and shout words of edification and encouragement to their fellow believers. At no other time do otherwise seemingly sane people completely sell out their very souls and take to the highways and hedges to proclaim their allegiance. Of course, I’m talking about the football bowl season. By now, 32 bowl games have taken place and we are now in the lead-up to the holy grail of all bowl championships, the Super Bowl, which is so elevated that it is designated by Roman numerals. Regular numbers are just not good enough.
But for all the raging passion, hoopla and hype surrounding these games, in the end, people will file out of the stadiums or turn to another TV channel. The bright lights will be extinguished, and the stadiums will go dark. It’s over. A hundred years from now, few words will be uttered describing any aspect of these championship games.
Dedicated young men have spent nearly their entire lives preparing for those few fleeting moments of glory. Their dads tossed footballs to them, encouraged and taught them. Once they were in school, coaches took over. Slowly, and at times awkwardly and painfully, they developed into world-class athletes.
Developing children into spiritual champions is accomplished much the same way. It begins with parents who do everything possible to set their children on the right road to spiritual development at an early age. And then along comes the local church to take seriously its role in equipping parents to mentor those children well.
That's why you are so very important. Awana missionaries, ministry team members, commanders, and directors are the coaches to both kids and parents. You have been called to help prepare young people for the greatest event of all – let’s call it the “Eternity Bowl.” Only this “bowl” is not a game. For the winners, the lights never go out; it’s never dark, and it’s never over! Thank you for leading, teaching, and coaching the winning team. May God richly bless each of you.