September 7th, 2003
After I came home from church at the West Side, my favorite football team, The Minnesota Vikings were playing their favorite rival - The Green Bay Packers. It is one of the biggest games in the NFL. Over the years these 2 teams are virtually tied in record playing each other. The Packers have just remodeled their stadium in Green Bay, Wisconsin and it was to be the 1st regular season game in their brand new upgraded Lambeau Field.

Some history about the NFL will tell you that the very 1st Super Bowl was played just a few months after I was born. I always know what Super Bowl # it will be by how old I am. I just have to add 1. This coming year on February 1st, 2004 will be Super Bowl XXXVIII, thus I will be 37. It will be the 2nd time that a Super Bowl will be played in the month of February. The first 2 Super Bowls were won by the Packers. (Just as I am writing this a bird smacked into my window on my house and clung to the screen for a minute, it shook off the impact and then flew away a minute later - that was odd, but interesting to see and I thought that I should write that down, so I did.) The Packers have been in 4 Super Bowls total, 2 times - twice in a row. 31 and 32 were the other 2. They have won 3 of them. The Vikings have been in 4 Super Bowls also; 4, 8, 9 and 11. They have won none of them. The best they have ever done is 2nd place. In fact the Vikings have the 2nd lowest score ever in a Super Bowl with 6 points. The worst score in a Super Bowl was by Miami in Super Bowl VI with only 3 points. But Miami redeemed themselves in the next 2 Super Bowls by winning them both. The year after they scored only 3 points, they went on to win in Super Bowl VII and completed the leagues only perfect season.

In Miami's 2nd Super Bowl win they beat the Minnesota Vikings. It was the Vikings 2nd loss in a Super Bowl. (When I was a kid playing football on the West Side of St. Paul, MN, I played for the Miami Dolphins in our little league. The best we ever did was get to the championship and lose, twice, 2 years in a row.) Last year in Super Bowl XXXVII, both starting Quarterbacks on each team were former Minnesota Viking Quarterbacks. Some people say that this broke a sort of jinx on the team - if you believe in those things.

I have always stuck with them, even when they perform badly. I always have had faith in them. Granted it was not of the faith I have in God now. It was faith in that I just enjoy watching them, win or lose. This is my 4th year that I will have season tickets to attend the local games at the Metro Dome in Minneapolis. It will be the 22nd year that the Vikings have played there. Last year before I became a Christian, I had a tattoo placed on my right shoulder at Moondance Jam 11. It is the Norse head logo of the Minnesota Vikings. So yeah, you could say that I am a Die Hard Fan. But it is just a game that I enjoy watching. I never bet on the games anymore, either for or against them. I just enjoy watching them, especially when they play the Packers. �I won't be getting any more tattoos. Had I known God's Word about that, I wouldn't have gotten it in the first place.

Well back to the game at hand. I noticed a few things. The first thing I noticed was that Culpepper, Number 11 through the first touchdown pass to Avery, Number 33. The difference in their 2 numbers is 22. (33-11=22) The pass #11 threw was 11 yards. The 2nd score of the game was from a field goal. The distance of that field goal kick was 22 yards. The 3rd score of the game for the Vikings was a 2nd touchdown pass that Culpepper threw, it was for 2 yards. And before the half ended the kicker kicked his 2nd field goal. 2 Passing touchdowns and 2 field goals were scored in the first half of the game by the Vikings. The rest of the game I didn't notice anything; which was good, because the Packers started coming back and made it a little intense, but the Vikings still won the game. Praise God! So the Vikings are ahead in the over all series by 1 game now.

(Later in the year when the Vikings played the Packers again, The Packers won the game tying the over all record again. What a fun series these 2 teams always have. It is really too bad that the rules and structure of the NFL football system will not allow these 2 teams to ever play in a Super Bowl.)

Last night I said a prayer for the Vikings to have a successful season this year; a very successful season. During the game I said 2 prayers. They were for 2 injured players that were badly hurt for the Packers. Was God at the game? He surely was and is at all of them. He is everywhere. I bet he has some really nice box seats too! (Smiling) Oh I almost forgot, after the first half was over, Culpepper through 10 completed passes out of 21 attempts. My birthday is 10/21/66.
If Jesus were a Vikings Fan, I know he would want the other team to win as he is so unselfish. If there were only 1 ticket to go to the game, he would give it away. If his team were in the Super Bowl, he would want the other team to win. I am sure that there are fans praying for their teams on each side. 1 team has to win and one team has to lose. I really don't know if God has anything at all to do with a football game in the flesh or not. I know he shows up when it's not too late and just at the right time, so he never wants you to give up. But when you are down, he will lift you up. Win or lose, I will enjoy this year's football season and watch it with a new light and a new set of eyes.

In my fantasy football league, for the 1st time, we are using a new format. We play 2 games in our league each week now. I lost them both. My fantasy team scored 66 points this week and it just so happened that the 2 teams I played against each scored more than my team. There were other teams in my league that scored less and had I played them I would have won, but it is the luck of the draw of who you play on any given week. I am not upset at all that I lost them both; in fact I feel quite the opposite. (Smiling again.)
(Later in the season I was the 1st team to go over 1000 points with 1021 - again my birthday is 10/21/66)