Its college football season and I’m a big fan! Being
a Louisiana native, I’ve always rooted for the Purple and Gold; The Louisiana
State University Tigers. My family and
friends all know how passionate I am about the Tigers. For those of you that have
worshiped on a Sunday at Bayside after a Tiger loss, all I can say is I’m
sorry. I’ve heard of kids that warn their parents about my sermons when (on
rare occasions) LSU loses.
This very public knowledge of my deep affection for
LSU was the reason many became concerned when a few months ago, orange and blue
started showing up at my house. University of Florida colors started cropping
up, and even more alarming to some were the pictures on social media that clearly
showed me donning UF gear. You must know that this was of grave concern to my mother, who bleeds purple and gold. If these
pictures were true she was sure I was sick and in immediate need of a mental
health professional. Or perhaps her son (that was practically brought home from
the hospital as a baby in a LSU onesie) was the victim of some hoax, a joke,
and cruel prank. No son of hers would be
caught wearing any other colors, than that of the Bayou Bengals, right? Even
some of my friends seemed puzzled.
So folks are looking for answers. Or as Ricky
Ricardo would say on the “I Love Lucy Show,” I’ve got some splainin’ to do. As several of
you know my oldest daughter is a college freshman at the University of
Florida. And this has had a strange
effect on me, in terms of team allegiance.
Now I will always be a Tigers fan, and I still am the most passionate
about LSU football. But I began to notice about 6 months ago a strange warming
to the Gators. As I saw the desire in her to go to UF, and then to eventually
get accepted there, to now living in Gainesville a fondness rapidly began to
grow. Now it was a process. It took me a few months to get the nerve to buy an
orange and blue shirt. It took me a few more months before I could actually
wear it. But now it’s good. And certainly after we started paying tuition
payments it got really easy! Chomp!
Jesus once said that “where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Our heart
follows our treasure, and our treasure follows our heart. This is true when it
comes to giving financially to the church. If we love the Kingdom of God, if our
heart is to advance the Kingdom’s cause, if our heart is to see more people become
more like Jesus, then our deposits will follow our heart. We will tithe and
make giving to the church a priority. The connection between treasure and heart
is also the reason why those that invest deeply in the church love the church
so deeply.
This principle is illustrated in my new affection for
UF. A person I treasure dearly is there (my daughter) so my heart follows. My
support follows my heart. So now I have two college teams. I’m still passionate
about the Tigers, but now I publicly support the Gators as well. What you
might want to know is, what about when they play each other. Mom will be happy
about this… Geaux Tigers!
“Lord,
you have designed us so that our affections follow our treasures. And you have
blessed us with an ability to invest in things that matter to us. So please help
us to invest wisely, in people, in your Kingdom and in our church family.
Ultimately, it’s your church that we want to cheer on and empower to win. Amen”
