What side are YOU on?

Crusaders vs. Raiders....Central vs. Mayer....however you want to put it, the schools are rivals. THIS week they meet on the field of football. How will Mayer respond after their first loss of the season? How will Central carry over the confidence they have from winning 2 of their last 3 games? Will the energy of Homecoming week give the Crusaders a boost?

 All FUN questions to ponder and answer for sure! And you know what- those are just the on field questions....see the game also involves students and fans too in the bleachers and you KNOW they will be excited. And exactly what will we HEAR from the fans? I've been to enough Mayer/Central games to know that sometimes....on occasion...every once in awhile....insults can fly or twitter fights break out.

Friendly rivalries can be fun, BUT too often they become personal or negative. These schools are no different. And what we end up with is bruised egos and damaged relationships. So WHERE can we look to for guidance in a matter of football rivalry?

Well, check out the Bible and the story of Jacob and Esau. They were brothers. Now having a brother myself, I KNOW rivalry exists between brothers (I'm playing mine in fantasy football this week and I STILL want to win more b/c it's my brother). Their story doesn't involve name calling or smack talk BUT instead just Jacob tricking and stealing everything his brother was supposed to receive from his parents. We are talking about his COMPLETE inheritance. Esau will receive nothing. At first, Esau is SO mad, Jacob flees for his life (this isn't the part of the story I want you to focus on)! However, sometime later Jacob returns to see Esau. PLEASE take a minute to read THIS exchange: Now THAT is how to handle a rivalry!

What a response from Esau. Forgiveness and love. Don't forget that this week.

See on Friday night, what I will really see is 15 awesome kids from the church I serve at, playing a game of football. People always ask me, WHO are you going to cheer for? I always tell them the same- I'll cheer for the kids- NOT the teams. Because the reality is, no matter what school you go to, or what color jersey you wear- YOU are a child of God! 

So have a great game Nick, McHayl, Cade, Reed, Payton, Mitchell, Jaret, Baden, Andrew, Caleb, Will, Kaleb, Blake, Chad, and Ian! I hope you can be a part of helping to show the fun side of rivalries, instead of the ugly ones.