It’s Super Bowl Sunday! We Win – No Matter What!

My word(s) of the day is/are SUPER BOWL -- the National Football League’s championship game, played annually in the United States between the two best professional football teams: the National and the American Football Conferences.

I’m one of those “fair weather” football fans. If one of MY teams are playing (Dallas Cowboys or Seattle Seahawks), I’m watching the game. If they’re not or they're out, then I’m only watching the big finale – the SUPER BOWL.

I was on a fact finding mission as I created today’s blog post. Today, February 4, 2018, Super Bowl 52 will be played at 5:30 pm at the U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, MN with the two BEST teams competing for the Vince Lombardi Trophy made by Tiffany & Co. that cost $50,000.

The prize for Super Bowl players isn't shabby. It’s worth it for each player to give their all for a few hours to be paid $107,000 on the winning team and $53,000 each on the losing team. For most of the top players, this bonus is more about bragging rights because because they already have lucrative professional contracts with their respective teams. New England Patriots average squad salary is around $2.3 million a year which goes to show the Super Bowl bonus is peanuts for them.

To see the big game in person, as of yesterday, the average price of a ticket was $4,000. You can get a bargain 50-yard ticket, 3rd row for $16,887 and an end zone seat at $5,557.

The Patriots are favored to win, but there are those who are declaring the Eagles will crush the Patriots. I understand how the Patriots are favored because Tom Brady has led the Patriots in winning five Super Bowls in his career with them. If winning, Tom Brady will become the oldest quarterback to start a Super Bowl (40 years, 186 days). Philadelphia Eagles have never won a Super Bowl and haven’t been to one since 2005.

Will Tom Brady prevail again or will backup quarterback Nick Foles lead the Eagles to Philadelphia's first Super Bowl win? In either case, let's hope for a game that's at least as entertaining as the commercials (currently at $5 million for 30-seconds). Super Bowl Sunday is a legend and I’ll be watching for the best team to win.

No matter what....whether you are a SUPER BOWL fan or not…..this day will be just another day in things that matter most. This day will pass away, and in the light of eternity -- it won't matter. BUT, being on the WINNING TEAM is really what matters. I'm not talking about football, baseball or dominoes. Patrick Henry, a REAL Patriot during the American Revolution said, "United, we stand. Divided, we fall." It won't be just Tom Brady or Nick Noles that will win in this game today. It is being united with their team that will seal the deal. United is what we pray for those of us who desire strength and unity in our homes, our country and our faith.

Isn't it time for OUR team to be the one that says "As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord?" (Joshua 24:15). The winning team is God's team of fully devoted followers. I've read the Play Book (the Bible) and I’ve read the back of the book.....and this TEAM that REALLY matters -- the one that will defeat the enemy once and for all.....WINS big time. In fact, we’ve already won!

Psalm 108:13 “With God on our side we will win; he will defeat our enemies.”

What Is It That Makes a House a Home?

My Hyde Park at Tulsa Hills community is one of the stops if you're checking out the Parade of Homes in Tulsa this week. Four beautiful new houses are being featured -- houses with touch faucets, heated bathroom floors, geo-thermal energy features, high-end appliances, and so much more that makes a right-sized house so welcoming.

My post today, however, isn't about homes in the sense of mortar, brick, wood and stone. It's about human lives -- the people -- the families that live in those homes. I started thinking "What if there were a Parade of Homes that we could look at -- one that exemplified "family values" and a place where God's love and character showed Him to be the CENTER feature of their homes? You walked into THAT home and the atmosphere was warm, welcoming and you just wanted to hang out there.

We often say "God is our #1 priority!", and while that sounds really top-notch in terms of ranking order, I remember what my husband and I considered to be our main core value and non-negotiable. It was that God had to be right in the CENTER of our home and family. When a decision was made, it was based on what God's opinion would be. When a little "tiff" (my kids called it "Mom and Dad are having another 'discussion') would arise between my husband and I, we couldn't let the "tiff" last for long, because our CENTER always (sometimes later than sooner) drew us back to harmony and peace.

Our CENTER meant we prayed together, laughed together, listened to each other, helped each other, encouraged each other, forgave each other and gave each other lots of hugs. Did we always get it right? No, but because our CENTER was our non-negotiable, we did course corrections and soon came back to our CENTER. Most certainly, if we made God our CENTER, then, who knows, just maybe others would be drawn to make Him their CENTER, too.

“....but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.” Joshua 24:15.