Rivalries

Tonight is the Battle of Big Sandy, the annual football showdown between Decatur and Bridgeport. Decatur has been dominant the last several years but most are expecting a close game tonight. I grew up with the Robert E. Lee/John Tyler rivalry, one that was bitter at times and ended up in physical violence more than once. The stories I could tell...but my mom reads this sometimes so I'll just move along...

I forget what year of high school I was in when the John Tyler building was seriously damaged by a fire. Most of the classrooms were lost and there no place could be found that would house their students except-----the Robert E. Lee campus, the home of the enemy. The two schools shared the campus with Lee students coming early and leaving earlier (class periods were cut a little shorter) and John Tyler students coming around noon or a little later and going through the afternoon. Ribbons were tied around trees and banners were hung to welcome the John Tyler students to the Lee campus.

It was a time where people from two places came together and shared what they had. It was a community taking care of it's members who needed something. It was people working together the way God intends for us to work together.

Our church has a special focus on giving of our time right now. Give 60 is the theme and people are encouraged to give 60 minutes of their week to helping others. I remember that time in high school where we came together and it felt good to know we were part of making a positive difference. It still feels good today to help others. Whether it be our rivals, people we don't know or someone we do know, it feels good to help. I think God wired us so that when we did good things we would feel good.

I don't know where I'm going with all of this other than to say two things. First, I encourage you to find ways to give and help others. In doing so, you help them, you help yourself and you encourage others. The second thing is GO EAGLES!