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“More than ever, other people and organizations make our choices for us.”

A thought by Darren Whitehead and Jon Tyson (2011-07-19) from their book, Rumors of God: Experience the Kind of Faith You´ve Only Heard About (Kindle Locations 362-363). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition.

Millions of people tomorrow at 6:30 pm will stop for a few hours to watch an event that will change people’s desires and needs.  Yes some will be watching the Super Bowl for the football but many more will be watching for the commercials.  I used to watch the World Series to see the new car designs for Ford, General Motors and Chrysler introduced.  I remember when Ford introduced the Edsel and when Chrysler came out with those big fins.  Yes sports and advertising go together.

Now if we can just watch all those commercials and not get hooked then it would be OK but we will watch and then want even when we have more of that particular item than we really need. 

Right now I am sitting in a Starbucks writing this after I have just walked for 1 ½ hours.  I got here at 8:00 am and there was a line outside of Foot Locker to get something when the store opened at 10:00 am.  These people got up early on a Saturday to get something that they didn’t really need but someone had told them they had to have it so here they are.

Why do we do this?  Darren and Jon say that “Perhaps it’s because we have yet to find all we need in Christ Himself.”  We have this deep hunger that only Christ can fill but we strive to fill it with stuff and it doesn’t work. 

Jesus over in Matthew 6:5 -6 (Msg) says, “You’re blessed (happy) when you’re content with just who you are—no more, no less. That’s the moment you find yourselves proud owners of everything that can’t be bought. You’re blessed (happy) when you’ve worked up a good appetite for God. He’s food and drink in the best meal you’ll ever eat.”

Have fun watching the Super Bowl but try not to get sucked in.  OK?  OK.

By the way, who is going to win?

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