Life is Good. Life is Fun.

It's an awesome Sunday when you start with a spectacular view of The Olympic Mts to the West, Mt Rainier to the South and then having an amazing time of praising and worshipping God, seeing over 15 people baptized at The City Church in Kirkland, WA -- home church for many of the Seattle Seahawks' players.  

In fact, Pastor Judah Smith is the Chaplain for the team and directs the chapel service every Saturday night for the players. So, of course, seeing a sea of "the faithful" wearing Seahawks jerseys is a norm at City Church. And, it's quite common to hear prayers for the Seahawks to win their next game.

I read an ESPN interview of Russell Wilson from December 24th, 2015 that said "On off-game Sundays, Russell Wilson (Seahawks' quarterback) is at the Kirkland campus on Sunday mornings -- he doesn't live far from the church. He stands in the front row, sings and raises his hands to the heavens. He doesn't stand out too much, because even though he's a quarterback with great gifts, he's short. Wilson was drafted in 2012, 12th in the third round, part of a Seahawks class that one analyst scored a C and another an F. This was fine with Wilson. He doesn't mind that no one saw him coming. It plays well into his narrative that he was chosen for this, that God sent the world a diminutive man at 5-foot-10, that he was sent with an undeniable cannon of an arm to make the world take notice."

I love that. And, I love the testimonies of other players who have given their lives to Christ and are passionate about being His witness. Of course, I'm a fan of anyone who proclaims Christ and lives an exemplary life of Him, but to see high profile athletes making a statement of faith as role models that our world so needs, is a bonus. In a city that passionately loves their home team, it's easy to get caught up in the excitement and fanfare.  

The Seahawks have been my kids' team since they moved here eight years ago. And, I might add, it's been a great ride for them -- year before last, as the Super Bowl champs and last year defending champs but lost to the New England Patriots.

How fun it was yesterday to host our own Seahawks Party. Great friends, great pizza, yummy snacks, but best of all.....great game (they won big time)!

So what's the big deal? It's just a team, it's just a season, it's just a time for letting off some pent-up energy to cheer, celebrate and be passionate about something that really doesn't matter -- in the light of eternity. But even so, I believe God enjoys seeing His kids enjoy LIFE. Some folks think that being a Christian is the same as saying the party's over, that to be spiritual is to be miserable. Unfortunately, there are many people who don't want to let God into their lives because they fear God will make them give up anything that is fun. The truth is God doesn't want us to live without fun. The apostle Matthew spent three years with Jesus and he wrote, "Jesus came, enjoying life" (Matthew 11:19).

As Christians, we can enjoy life because our conscious is clear. We can enjoy life because we are secure within God's love. We can have fun, laughing in church and laughing at ourselves.

God "richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment" (1 Timothy 6:17).

God wants us to enjoy life.....after all "Jesus came to give us life and life more abundantly!" John 10:10

What Are You Passionate About?

Day 34 of Photo Inspirations -- What are YOU passionate about?
This is Super Bowl Sunday and if you're not a Seahawks or Patriots fan, you may not be inclined to feel "passionate" about today's game.  You probably don't care one way or the other who wins.  But if you are one of those teams' fans, you may be as passionate about the Seahawks as my Seattle family is. 

Not only do they have season tickets for the Seahawks, but their cars and homes bear Seahawks flags, they are decked out in full Seahawks apparel, they paint their faces, cut their hair (i.e., my youngest grandson's new "12th man" style), they promote it on social media and other public forums, and they have "watch" parties where you'd think they were at the live game.  I've been to a few Seattle Seahawks games, and it's true -- the "12th Man" are the loudest fans I've ever heard. 

And, to take it a step further, my son and his buddies rented one of the "Ride the Ducks", loaded it with Seahawks flags and banners, and rode through the City and Lake Washington screaming and hollering about their Seahawks.  Honestly, in my lifetime, they are the most relentless, passionate sports fans I've ever seen. 

Quite frankly, just about everything our family does -- whether it's a favorite football team, a business we believe in, a heart for missions, celebrating a birthday and/or a special event, remembering the sweet things about our past, and mostly, our faith --our heart for God and His Word.

What are you passionate about?  What gets you out of bed every morning?  When motivational speakers and vocational counselors ask this question, they're not looking for answers like "The baby was crying" or "My alarm rang."  They want to help you identify your "passion" -- something you love to be doing with your life, the purpose that fires you with energy.  Bottom line -- a personal encounter with God can be the X-Factor in your life.  Having Him at the center, causes life-at-large to become your passion.  Having Him as your greatest passion, will cause just about everything else in your life -- your job, your family, your hobby, your favorite team or favorite outreach to become your "Wake-Up-With-Passion" each and everyday!