On Feb. 7, the Denver Broncos defeated the Carolina Panthers 24-10 in front of a capacity crowd, and 51 percent of television-equipped households tuned into this year’s Super Bowl. As I watched the two contenders battle for the title of champion and then watched the Broncos emerge as the winner, I thought about what it takes to be a champion and what type of champion we would like to be. According to Webster’s New World College Dictionary, there are two different definitions of a champion. The first definition is “a person who fights for another or a cause, a defender, a protector, a supporter as a champion of the oppressed.” The other defines a champion as “a winner of first place or a prize in a competition, excelling over all others.” Which one, if any, are we? Can we be both?
Super Bowl Sundays have always been special to my wife Bodi and me, and the 2016 Super Bowl Sunday was extra special. Earlier that morning, I received an email from my friend and New York Times bestselling author Susan Mustafa containing the first of 12 amazing stories we are writing for a book, titled “Rock Bottom and Back,” which will also include a film and TV pilot with six of the 12 folks in the book. In this book and film, our champions are folks who have gone to rock bottom and back and are now fighting for others and a cause. This particular story was about Billy “The Biker” Rivers who had lived a life of crime, addiction and prison and is now a happily married entrepreneur and chaplain for the Christian Motorcycle Club in New Orleans. As I read the amazing story and watched others being filmed who had gone from desperation to inspiration, I couldn’t help but think about all the lives these 12 stories can change, and I wished we could be showing our film during the Super Bowl to a packed crowd and the 111 million folks watching on TV.
Super Bowl Sunday got even better when my wife Bodi, her mom and I went to church and heard one of the best sermons about our true champion in heaven and His champions on earth. The sermon, titled “Living Like A Champion — Winning The Super Bowl of Life,” was given by our youth minister Rich Mayfield at Parkview Baptist Church in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Below are a few of the comments and tips from Brother Rich’s sermon I believe many of us will remember long after we forget who played in the 2016 Super Bowl.
Brother Rich began with putting the title of his sermon, “Living Like A Champion,” on the giant screens behind him along with a quote from Romans 8:31: “What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?” Like every Sunday and every time I’ve heard or watched a sermon or powerful speaker in the past few decades, I pulled out one of my journals and took notes so I could share these nuggets of wisdom with those I love and care about. Some of the best “Earl’s Pearls” and words of wisdom I have shared with my family, friends, BIC Magazine readers and in our nine books over the years have come from sermons. They’ve also come from listening, taking notes and conducting interviews with others who are champions in the game of life.
Here are some of the tips Brother Rich shared with us:
Being a champion
Live like we are invincible
Live like we’ve been there before
Lastly, a real champion looks at the Super Bowl like just another game. And a real champion in life looks at every day as another great day for sharing God’s message of love to our world.
Have a great day, and may God bless you, your family and your endeavors.
For more information about BIC Media Solutions, visit www.bicmediasolutions.com or call (800) 460-4242.