New Football Season

Football is back and it is bigger and better than ever. Much to the she-grin of wives and pastors. Many wives are now football widows and will not have much time with their husbands as they will be watching every game. My oldest son and I were talking about the schedule of football games and you can watch football every single night of the week. With the right cable or satellite programming combined with internet you can see every NFL, college and now even high school games. That presents a problem for many families especially where there is no synergy around football. This also presents a problem for pastors as well.

The men are gone from the home and the church. The most popular sport in the United States is played on Sunday and most games have a 1pm start time, making is very difficult for people that attend the games to attend church services. Some pastors have even gone to placing televisions in the fellowship hall and having men's ministry and fellowship after services so that they can attract more men during football season. Wives equally have a hard time getting attention from their husbands and the need for pastoral counseling increases during football season. These football wives are upset because their husbands do not spend enough time with them. It is not grounds for divorce but it is grounds for concern.

I have some suggestions. First, place God first. Attend church and record the first part of the early game. Do not make football a god before GOD. Second, if your wife is not a football fan, make some special time for her where you do exclusively what she wants to do. Make a big deal out of it, just like you do with the game. Next, try to pick a limited amount of games to watch and limit that to your dosage per week. Too much of anything is bad for you. Next, if there is a big game like playoffs etc... tell your wife in advance so that she is aware of what is going on and she can make other plans. Please note: all games are not big games. Finally, be considerate even when the games are on. There are other things going on in your household especially if you have children. Those suggestions should make life a lot easier during football season and may keep you out of the pastors office.

I know that football is a huge part of our culture, but it is not bigger than God or family. If you have gotten to that point, then you are way out of line and you need to reel yourself back in. I am a fan of the game, and in my younger years I played the game. I understand the excitement and anticipation associated with big games and big rivalries. I am from Detroit, Michigan and have been a Detroit Lions fan and University of Michigan fan all my life. I am not insensitive to football fans. However, we should always have balance and priorities in life. When anything takes God and family out of balance and creates other priorities, then it is going to cause us problems, whatever it may be. So remember football is just a game, but God and family is real life. Go Lions!