The Gospel and Carolina Basketball

Before you send your emails and comments and bash me for either trivilizing the gospel or glorifying Carolina basketball just go ahead and take your fingers off the keyboard.  I just want to share a cool way God spoke to me amidst the joy and chaos that was the Tar Heel Nation Celebration.

First, many are wondering:  Why, Heath?  Why did you become a Carolina fan?  Have you turned your back on everything you ever believed about “them”? Let me say, this was not an emotional decision for me.  Some may call me a “bandwagon” fan and that’s okay.  I realized how much heartache Clemson had caused me through the years.  Lots of disappointment.  Sure, there were some highs, but they were all weighed against a growing number of last second losses, unexpected defeats, and Tate George.  Know this, if we were still living in Clemson and Drake were going to be able to make his own Death Valley memories then perhaps this change wouldn’t have occured.  The fact is we live in North Carolina and I didn’t want my son’s choice of teams to be based on stuff I did when I was a kid.  I also didn’t want him to be dissapointed…year after year after year.   Sure, as UNC fans we will face our share of troubles, but they’ll come in the Elite 8 or Final 4 not in the ACC play in game(which was known as the Clemson Invitational before it was done away with).  There were lots of choices for our new team here in North Carolina, but I want to share the 3 reasons we became Tar Heels and what the church could learn from it.

1.    Carolina fans are knowledgeable about Carolina basketball.
2.    Carolina fans are passionate about Carolina basketball.
3.    Carolina fans celebrate Carolina basketball victories in a memorable way.

What if Christians were knowledgeable about Jesus?
What if Christians were passionate about Jesus?
What if Christians celebrated Jesus’ Victories in a memorable way?
I was a stranger on Franklin Street.  I didn’t know many people there.  I didn’t know their chants, cheers, and traditions.  I didn’t know why they were lighting fires.  Despite this, I was welcomed and I wanted to be a part of it because I knew it was something special.  What if we applied these concepts to new people at our church.  What if we really acted like being a Christian was the best and most exciting thing anyone could ever hope for(and you don’t have to light fires, climb trees and poles, or be completely hammered).  It wouldn’t matter if people knew the cheers, chants, songs and traditions.  They would want to share in the amazing experience.  They would not want to miss out!  I know that getting my son and I matching UNC hats is not the most important thing I will ever do, but for a lot of people in our communities, team allegiance is the only thing that is ever passed down.  Sharing our eternally victorious Savior with our community is an opportunity we can’t pass up.