The Super Bowl of Preaching | 2022

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- Hey, welcome to the Crossroads Super Bowl of Preaching.

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I'm Kyle. - I'm Hannah.

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- And this is kind of like the best pregame show around.

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- It's amazing. It's got like five stars on Yelp.

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[record scratches]

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- Okay, you can check it out.

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I'm not entirely sure about that,

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I'll research after the game.

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We got an entire preaching competition with commercials,

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a halftime show.

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We started this because this was

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the last attended weekend for church, ever.

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- That's exactly right.

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And we've been doing it for 20 years.

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Can you believe it? -Oh, my gosh.

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And we are excited that you are here, wherever you are.

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Let's hop into it.

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- Thanks, guys. Here we are at the 20th --

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Wait, is that right? 20th?

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I mean, how is this thing even lasted that long?

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All right, 20th Annual Super Bowl of Preaching.

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I'm Solomon Walcots alongside my partner,

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Cincinnati Bengals legend

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and NFL Hall of Famer Anthony Munoz.

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- Thanks, Solomon.

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While the spectacle we'll see today is

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in fact 20 years old, I can assure you the humor

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will not exceed that of a third grader.

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- Oh, that's accurate,

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especially if Brian Tome is involved.

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Now this year's competition is sure to bring

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its twists and turns, but one thing remains to be seen:

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who has what it takes to bring home

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the coveted Super Bowl of Preaching trophy,

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Team Tome or Team Mingo?

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- There are a lot of things to like about each team,

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but one thing that I do know is that their skill level

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with this has absolutely nothing to do with the outcome.

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- Boy, you could say that again.

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You know, I was able to sit down with each team

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to get their thoughts on today's big game,

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and here's what they had to say.

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Chuck Mingo, Alli Patterson, here we are again,

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the 20th Super Bowl of Preaching.

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Got to ask you guys, what makes Team Mingo click?

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- Solomon, it's always good to be with you.

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We couldn't be more in sync.

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This is all day.

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I mean, it's everything from shared work ethic.

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We genuinely like each other.

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I think Brian pays Kyle to like him.

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And we share a common goal this weekend,

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it is about seeing Team Tome meet their doom.

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- Oh, absolutely.

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I mean, there is no worldly treasure

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that makes me happier than when Brian's Tome

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cries like a baby and drinks a cup of his own tears.

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I mean, Tome, you will drink defeat.

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- You see this? There is an intensity in you, Alli,

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and I like it.

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- Well, that intensity is going to be put to the test.

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As you guys well know, the NFL has made it

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a point of emphasis their new taunting penalties,

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zero tolerance policy.

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So how might that play a role in this year's contest?

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- I'll shoot you straight, Solomon.

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Seriously, I don't have a problem

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keeping myself in check, unless we're running up

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the score on Team Tome.

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And so I'm just going to say it,

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there might be some taunting in this game.

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- I mean, Tome is going to try to taunt us.

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There's no way around it,

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but we're going to pass it, kick it,

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boom it, stir fry it.

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We are going to smoke those guys

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and smear them all over the field, in Jesus's name.

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- Now, this year's teaching topic

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is championship habits.

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What habits have brought you to this point?

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- You know, the Super Bowl is so close

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to the start of the year.

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I start the year in several weeks of fasting every year

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and I feel really close to God.

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It always resets my year, focuses me, gets me sharp.

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And this game benefits every time

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because it's in February.

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I mean, I am ready to go

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and I couldn't feel better coming into the big game.

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- Chuck, what about your championship habits?

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- Well, I mean, you know, it's reading the scriptures.

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I mean, I'm so excited that this is a year

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where we're focusing on that as a big team,

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as a Crossroads Church.

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You know, it really does play well

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to our strengths as communicators.

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We're in our Bibles. - Yeah.

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- I don't know if that's true, for the other side of the ball.

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- Could be a problem for Tome. - It could be, but you know,

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we're in our Bibles and it's really good.

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I mean, there's my staples, right?

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You know, there's my clam chowder popsicles.

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And if you haven't tried this,

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Nutella smothered hard boiled eggs

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will make you lean, mean, and wide as a washing machine.

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- It'll do a lot of things for you.

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- It will.

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- Well, any final words for the opponent?

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- Get your popcorn ready.

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- Because we're going to put on a show.

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= Guys, the three of us this year,

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we are going to do this thing.

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- What is -- what?

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- Are you guys ready for this?

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You're looking at your new kicker.

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The three Amingos.

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- Amingos? [indiscrnible]

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- We're in sync.

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We're adjusting as you're talking about it.

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Thanks, Solomon.

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- Brian Tome and Kyle Ranson, once again you guys

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find yourself pitted against Team Mingo.

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What's the game plan for today?

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- Attack, teach, repeat. Attack, teach, repeat.

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Attack, teach, repeat. It sounds cliche, but it's true.

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It's old school Bible smash mouth preaching,

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and there's going to be some bloody lips today.

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- Yeah, I don't have much to add to that.

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It's pretty simple. They don't stand a chance.

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We're going to win. It's going to be very easy.

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And look, here's the thing, if you can back it up,

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it's not bragging.

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And I'm going to say it's not bragging.

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- Well, in the past, we've seen

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a lot of different faces on Team Tome,

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but you guys seem to have developed

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a certain sense of chemistry.

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To what can you attribute that to?

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- Soliman, I've been doing this for about 20 years now,

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and as you know,

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I've had a lot of teammates over the years.

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I've had more teammates than outhouses have flies,

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just just a lot of them, right?

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But but this one I connect with because

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we're just an amalgamation of manly men.

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The masculinity upon this side of the ball,

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it takes us over the top again and again.

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And this year again, it's going to take us over the top

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and through Team Mingo.

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- Yeah, absolutely.

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I mean, every morning we come together,

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we have a manly masculine breakfast.

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We're doing 30 eggs a piece, not not dividing up,

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a piece, sometimes we crack the shell,

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sometimes we just shoot them.

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- We always eat the yolk.

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We're not separating our yolks. - No!

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- No, keep that yellow stuff in there.

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The yellow stuff - That's the good stuff.

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- It came inside as God intended,

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it's going to go inside has God intended.

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- Geeze, are you a Christian or not?

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I keep the whole egg, you know what I mean?

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Then we follow it up with a pound of bacon,

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again, a piece and they wash it down

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with some barrel aged, unfiltered, uncut,

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just coffee straight from the source.

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- Go back to that unfiltered coffee. Really?

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- Just a handful. I mean, this stuff, it's incredible.

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You want a little hit of that?

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- Oh, yeah. Oh, oh, oh, oh, man. Oh yeah.

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It's so much better this way.

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- Woo!

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- Yeah, right, you can feel it everywhere. Down here.

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- It's coursing through my veins.

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Do you want some? - No, to each his own.

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But I got to talk to you guys about

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this year's teaching topics is on championship habits.

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So tell me about your championship habits, Brian.

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- I believe my best habits start

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the end of the previous day.

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So I've gotten a lot of good night's sleep

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this this last year, I felt really healthy

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and I'm sleeping, having dreams

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about winning football games and having preachers cry

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as they've been trampled over.

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It's wonderful dreams, really.

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And that actually sets me up for

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my time in the morning with God, in all seriousness.

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It's just good to be able to have

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time with God in the morning.

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I feel good about my Bible regimen this last year.

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My time in the Crossroads App and prayer

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has been really strong because

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I got that good night's sleep the night before.

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- Great championship habits.

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How about you, Kyle?

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- I mean, really, that's it, right?

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What we like to post about in social media

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are the big moments.

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I ran a marathon or I went on a three day retreat

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or I did whatever.

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That's not what actually makes your life better.

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What makes your life better is I faithfully wake up

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and I hit twenty five minutes on the treadmill.

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I faithfully wake up and I spend 30 minutes with God.

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That's what leads to life change, period.

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- That's big time. Is there anything else? [siren]

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- Team Tome, Team Tome, Team Tome.

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Hey, guys. - Hey, hey, yeah.

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I'm drafted, I'm on team Tome.

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[indiscernible]

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- Ok, I guess the manly metaphors

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aren't going to work anymore but,

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Alex, I'm all about you all the time.

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- Oh, yeah. [indiscernible]

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- I like my eggs separated.

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- No, you do not. You're just saying that.

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- I do. - No, you do not.

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- No, I do. But I'm your new kicker.

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I'm going to let you guys preach.

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- You will be amazing.

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- All the trivia questions I've got.

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- You will be amazing.

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- All about training. All about training.

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Nice to meet you.

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- I'd like you to meet our new kicker. She's amazing.

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- Yeah, yeah. You'll whip these guys in the shape.

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And guys, I've got to ask you, is there one final thing

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that you have to say to this year's opponent?

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- We should probably ask our new kicker.

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What would you -- What should we be saying to them?

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- I feel like -- [siren]

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Team Tome! Team Mingo, Team Shmingo.

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My answers for trivia will be better than that.

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- Oh good, I hope so.

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So I'd probably say give up, give up.

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I mean, we appreciate you having the old college try,

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just showing up, but just give up.

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- Just go home.

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Look, these size seven and a half,

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they are coming for you, Mingo, you right here.

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Did you like that? That's how we --

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- I like that. [indiscernible]

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- What size are you, by the way? - Seven and a half.

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- Yeah, yeah.

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- Well, there you have it, Anthony.

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The teams have their sights set on one another

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and they're ready to go.

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- I've not seen this level of intensity

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from either side in quite some time.

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This is going to be a battle for the ages.

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- It sure is, ready or not, it's nearly time

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for Super Bowl to Preaching 20. Guys, back to you.

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- Well, thanks a lot, gentlemen.

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I've got to tell you, if you're just joining us,

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Greg McElfresh aside my esteemed colleague

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Hannah Driskill.

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Anthony's pinky gets me every single time, Hannah,

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- Every single time. You know what, though?

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The energy in this room is palpable

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and I can feel it and I can sense --

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That's right. That's right, make some noise,

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because I can sense that the players,

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they're ready to get out there, they're ready to play.

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It's fired up in here. It's fireworks.

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- What do you think this whole kicker thing

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is going to do? It seems a little awkward.

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But hey, I'm no pro.

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- You know about kickers.

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- This year's NFL season was all about the kicker.

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Anybody ever hear of a little guy

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named Shooter McPherson round here?

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I think it could be good.

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- That's exactly right, it's going to be, yes.

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- Yeah, that's right.

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Well, folks, I think it's time to meet today's teams.

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Let's send it down to the field

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for our starting lineups.

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- And now your 2022 starting lineups:

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the home team introducing a pulpit pounding pastor

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from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

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He's emanating masculinity

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and oozing with outdoorsy-ness, Brian Tome.

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Alongside Tome we have a 3 foot 4 bundle of dynamite.

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Slayer of the sermon and oracle of online, Kyle Ranson.

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And for the first time

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in Super Bowl of Preaching history,

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a rookie kicker who packs a bigger punch

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than Sporty Spice on steroids: Alex Williams.

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Give it up for Team Tome!

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[music, cheering]

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Your visiting team,

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introducing the Mr. Rogers of the neighborhood,

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the destroyer of division, a titan of togetherness,

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and the unicorn of Unity, Chuck Mingo.

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Next, we have an unapologetic truth teller,

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fierce says a tiger

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and ferocious as a toddler missing naptime,

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Alli Patterson.

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And in his first Super Bowl of Preaching appearance,

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the savant of student ministry

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and kicker extraordinaire, Joel!

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Let's hear it for Team Mingo!

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[music, cheering]

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Quite a display of athleticism.

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Oh, man. - Who Dey!

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- We are seeing the strong teams come in strong

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right out of the gate. You know what?

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Greg, tell us how does this thing even work.

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- You know I'm feeling bad

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for the folks over in this section a little bit.

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- I know. Do we see this?

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- Well, if you're new here,

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we're going to try to explain the rules.

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Try to hang with us. Here they are.

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First of all, each team will preach

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two 7 minute quarters.

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They must use one Bible reference,

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could be difficult for one of these teams,

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and each quarter they'll be given a random phrase

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they must effectively work into their message.

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- That's exactly right. You know what?

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Seriously, that random phrase is about as random

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as the ref eating chili out of a can right now.

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- I'm not sure what's happening. - I am not sure what's going on.

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- And unfortunately, all of today's decisions

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are going to come down to the complete jurisdiction

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of our esteemed referee.

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- Who is high on chili beans as we speak.

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- Yes, he is.

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How how are the points going to work out?

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- Yeah, you know what?

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Because that's what matters here today, folks, right? Winning.

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So here's how the points work. It's super simple.

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Compelling message in seven minutes.

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- [indiscernible]

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- Here they are. They're preparing.

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Is only six points.

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If you use the random phrase correctly,

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it's three points.

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If you've got a trivia question answered, it's 1 point.

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And then if you're going to do the Bible trivia,

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here's the big kicker.

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Here's the kicker, folks, is a two point conversion.

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Big deal. - It's a new add this year.

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- Penalty, negative three points.

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And like you said, it's a new add.

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It could be the difference between

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winning or losing today. - All right.

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Well, his strong suit is definitely not math,

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but let's send it down to West Side Community Pastor,

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our esteemed referee, Matt Castleman, for the coin toss.

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[cheers]

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- Bring it in for the coin toss.

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- Try not to throw up.

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- Okay, I want to be the first to tell you

00:14:48

that I've been actually studying the sports

00:14:50

and so I'm so excited that the Ohio Tigers

00:14:54

are going to be in the World Cup today.

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I'm so excited we're going to beat the St. Louis goats.

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Come on.

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- I like that, St. Louis Goats.

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- Come on. That's right.

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- I have one question.

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Fine line, St. Louis Goats.

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How is it that I'm the one who signs the paychecks

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and I have to wear this jersey?

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- You're not worthy of this.

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[yelling and grunting]

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- Who Dey! Who Dey! Who Dey!

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Who Dey think gonna beat them Bengals?

00:15:29

Who Dey! Who Dey!

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That's right. Get in here, that's right!

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[indiscernible yelling]

00:15:39

- Group hug, man,

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we even got a group hug out of that. Amazing.

00:15:44

- Who Dey! All right, referee, reign us in.

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- I have a little costume change here, too.

00:15:47

- All right.

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- I was saving it for second act.

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My mom always told me to be a champion,

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so let's do this.

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Now, this is the coin toss.

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This side is heads. This side is tails.

00:16:00

You don't have a coin in your hand.

00:16:01

Oh, I forgot to tell you that today is coin toss

00:16:04

is sponsored by bitcoin.

00:16:06

- That's not a real coin.

00:16:08

- So we're just going to make it up anyway.

00:16:09

- Okay.

00:16:11

- All right, Brian, call it in the air.

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- It's still in the air.

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- Wow, wow. Heck of a throw.

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- Tails - Tails, it is heads.

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- Wow, heads it is. - Okay.

00:16:24

- Hey, he's your boss and my boss too,

00:16:26

I'm trying to help you out.

00:16:27

Would you like to receive the Bible?

00:16:29

- You know what?

00:16:30

We're actually going to defer to the second half.

00:16:32

- Very good. - We'll kick it off.

00:16:33

- All right.

00:16:34

- Team Bingo defers, Tome for the kick off.

00:16:37

Now, to set up the single event that over 20 years

00:16:40

has gotten us the most number of emails,

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the kicking of the Bible. [laughter]

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- The kick good. Oh, it leaves his hands.

00:16:50

Whoa, Tome's got touch ball.

00:16:54

- It's good, he's safe. Safe!

00:16:56

- Oh, God. Geeze.

00:16:58

- All right.

00:17:01

- Strong leg, that's a strong hit.

00:17:02

- Slightly concussed, but safe. - That's a rookie kicker.

00:17:05

- All right, Brian, please choose

00:17:06

your actually random phrase.

00:17:11

Your random phrase is:

00:17:13

and that's why every time I hear Taylor Swift

00:17:15

I have to do this move.

00:17:17

- Could it get any more random than that?

00:17:20

- It's going to be good. [laughter]

00:17:28

- You're supposed to blow the -- [whistle]

00:17:32

- The ref forgets to blow the whistle.

00:17:34

- Are we having fun yet? [cheers] I hope so.

00:17:37

Man, we've just tried to just bring

00:17:39

a little levity to everything because everything

00:17:42

is so deep and intense all the time, seemingly.

00:17:44

And we've been doing this for 20 years,

00:17:46

and it's a way for us to actually come together

00:17:48

with each other and have fun with each other,

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and in a different way,

00:17:51

actually learn something about God today.

00:17:53

And I think that's going to happen,

00:17:54

and you're going to learn some about yourself, too.

00:17:56

So let's pray before I go any further.

00:17:58

God, I'm thankful for the ability laugh,

00:18:00

thankful for the ability to cheer for a team

00:18:02

in the Super Bowl and thankful for the ability

00:18:04

to be here with people today

00:18:05

looking at meaningful things.

00:18:07

Meet us where we are we pray.

00:18:09

In the character and identity of Jesus I pray. Amen.

00:18:13

[whistle]

00:18:15

So we're going to look at what it's like

00:18:17

to be a champion, what do champions do?

00:18:19

Who wants to be a champion?

00:18:20

Just curious who wants to be a champion?

00:18:22

I do. I want to be a champion.

00:18:23

Here's what this quarter is about:

00:18:26

champion's associate with champions.

00:18:28

Champions associate with champions.

00:18:31

Did you see Rob Gronkowski,

00:18:33

arguably the greatest tight end in history,

00:18:36

some people believe, has said recently that

00:18:38

if he was to go some place else next season,

00:18:40

he'd like to go to the Bengals. [cheers]

00:18:43

- Good news.

00:18:44

- He's he said he wanted to go

00:18:45

where the young buck was and where there was a winner.

00:18:48

And like, "Wait, is this my lifetime? Is this?

00:18:51

Is this a city where I live where, like,

00:18:53

the NFL greats want to come here?"

00:18:56

Oh, my goodness, it is wonderful.

00:18:58

It is beautiful.

00:18:59

Politics obviously doesn't unite us.

00:19:02

Religion unfortunately doesn't unite us any more.

00:19:05

The only thing that unites us,

00:19:06

you have a chance at is sports.

00:19:08

And think about this for a little bit,

00:19:10

how awkward and unusual this is.

00:19:13

How are we so excited about a team

00:19:18

that we have nothing in common with?

00:19:20

I mean, think about this.

00:19:22

I love it. It's great. It's amazing.

00:19:24

But we're talking about people who

00:19:26

they can't identify with me.

00:19:28

I can't identify with them.

00:19:30

The average, the minimum rookie salary in the NFL,

00:19:34

the minimum rookie salary is $660,000.

00:19:39

I don't make that.

00:19:40

If you add that with me

00:19:42

and my three adult children with college graduates,

00:19:45

we don't meet $660,000.

00:19:47

And it's fine. It's all good.

00:19:49

I'm just going like I've never played,

00:19:51

I've never thrown a pass in Paul Brown Stadium,

00:19:55

never thrown a block. None of us ever will.

00:19:57

We're cheering these people who are probably

00:19:59

not going to live in Cincinnati

00:20:00

at the end of their career is.

00:20:01

And at the same time it doesn't matter

00:20:03

because we feel awesome, right?

00:20:05

It's awesome. It's great.

00:20:08

We're not on the same team with them,

00:20:10

and yet we feel like we are on the same team with them.

00:20:13

It's beautiful. It's wonderful,

00:20:15

because they represent us, our city,

00:20:17

if you live anywhere near Cincinnati.

00:20:20

This, believe it or not, parallels to a biblical idea

00:20:24

that happens again and again and again and again.

00:20:26

It is based on where you want to go

00:20:28

you've got to get around people

00:20:30

who are where you want to go.

00:20:31

The Book of Proverbs says again and again

00:20:33

that if you want to get ahead financially,

00:20:36

get around people who are doing well financially.

00:20:39

If you want to be around wise people

00:20:41

and that's how you're going to get wise.

00:20:43


00:20:46

None of us in here, I'm not an AFC champion,

00:20:50

yet I feel like I'm an AFC champion.

00:20:53

And it's wonderful. It's beautiful.

00:20:56

Why? Why do I say it's wonderful and beautiful?

00:20:58

It's not just because I need more reasons

00:21:01

to feel good in my life.

00:21:03

It's not just that, but it's because

00:21:05

we're actually tapping into a biblical principle

00:21:08

that one person represents us,

00:21:11

one person who we aren't represents us

00:21:13

and can actually make us a champion.

00:21:15

That person would be Jesus.

00:21:17

He's always the answer in church.

00:21:19

Jesus, He's always the answer in church.

00:21:21

This is the basic core tenet

00:21:24

of what's known as the gospel.

00:21:26

Jesus -- Jesus lived a life that I can't live.

00:21:31

He threw a pass I can't throw.

00:21:34

He has strength, spiritual strength I can't have.

00:21:37

He lives a sinless life like

00:21:40

I haven't been able to live a sinless life.

00:21:42

He goes to a cross and on a cross

00:21:45

all of his righteousness, all of his goodness

00:21:47

as a result of being on a cross,

00:21:48

all my bad stuff goes on him

00:21:51

and all of his good stuff, his righteousness,

00:21:54

the theological term for that I learned

00:21:55

in seminary was imputed righteousness.

00:21:57

All of his righteousness comes to me.

00:22:00

So he actually represents me. He is my champion.

00:22:05

And as a result, I am a champion.

00:22:08

2 Corinthians 5:21 says this:

00:22:10

For our sake he made him who knew --

00:22:13

made him to be sin who knew no sin for --

00:22:17

Excuse me.

00:22:25

That's why every time I hear Taylor Swift

00:22:28

I've just got to do this move, every single time.

00:22:32

- Yeah, yeah. That's the random phrase.

00:22:35

Well done, Team Tome.

00:22:37

- I expected to flag on that play.

00:22:40

- No flag on it.

00:22:42

- Feel like a champion, that's what the verse is saying.

00:22:44

I am a champion, you are a champion

00:22:47

when you come into a relationship with Jesus.

00:22:50

He represents us. He is us.

00:22:53


00:22:55

I grew up in Pittsburgh.

00:22:56

Some people, my friends in Pittsburgh,

00:22:58

"Oh, my gosh. How are you rooting for the Bengals?"

00:23:00

You know, God called me a Cincinnati,

00:23:02

so I'm for the Bengals, not for the Steelers.

00:23:04

I made that transition a while ago.

00:23:05

[cheers and applause] - The crowd loves that one.

00:23:07

- That's pretty smart.

00:23:08

- That was a very difficult transition to make,

00:23:11

I might say, but nonetheless was able to make it.

00:23:14

One of my favorite memories in Pittsburgh,

00:23:15

I had some friends that play for the Steelers

00:23:17

when I lived there.

00:23:18

One of them was a coach, an assistant coach

00:23:23

for the Steelers, and he gave me the invitation

00:23:26

to come down and help him break down film one time

00:23:28

at Three Rivers Stadium.

00:23:30

Of course I'll do that. Yes.

00:23:31

So I walked into Three Rivers Stadium.

00:23:33

They had 4 Vince Lombardi trophies in this thing.

00:23:36

I was like, Wow, this is amazing.

00:23:38

Walked in and I knew one of the receivers.

00:23:39

He was down the hall. He recognized me.

00:23:41

He said, "Hey, Brian, how are you doing?"

00:23:43

His name is Weegie Thompson, like,

00:23:44

I think he was third receiver.

00:23:45

Went down, was talking with him.

00:23:47

As I was, talk with him out from behind me walks

00:23:50

Art Rooney, senior. He is a god in the NFL.

00:23:55

He's one of the founders of the NFL.

00:23:57

No one has anything bad to say about Art Rooney.

00:23:59

Looked exactly like the photos have,

00:24:01

coke bottle glasses, cigar in his mouth,

00:24:03

sticks his hands out at me

00:24:05

and says, "Are you a player?"

00:24:06

He thought I was down for a tryout, or something like that.

00:24:09

- That had to be so long ago, if that happened.

00:24:10

[laughter]

00:24:12

- And he had to be blind.

00:24:13

- Yes, his eyesight was going, I admit.

00:24:15

Yes, it was. It was.

00:24:17

I said, "No, no, no, just down here

00:24:19

to hang out with some friends." He said, OK, good.

00:24:21

So I got done with that, went in,

00:24:24

I had to go to the restroom.

00:24:25

I'm in the restroom thinking about things.

00:24:27

I'm like, this is unbelievable.

00:24:28

I'm down here at the mecca of football.

00:24:30

I'm interacting with one of the gods of football,

00:24:33

Art Rooney.

00:24:34

He's mistaking me for somebody

00:24:37

who actually plays for the Steelers.

00:24:39

And then it hit me like a ton of bricks.

00:24:41

Like, someday I'm going to go before God in heaven,

00:24:44

and he's going to ask me, "Are you a player?

00:24:46

Were you a player?"

00:24:47

He's going to know the answer to that,

00:24:49

but my answer is going to be,

00:24:51

"Not only that, I was a champion.

00:24:54

I was a champion, because Jesus was my champion.

00:24:57

I was a champion because he represented me,

00:25:00

because I have his righteousness."

00:25:02

This is why it says in the book of Romans 8:37 says:

00:25:08

More. We don't just get by, we don't just subsist.

00:25:11

More than conquerors through him,

00:25:13

through him, the champion Jesus.

00:25:15

I'll tell you what. No matter what happens tomorrow,

00:25:17

if you're in the family of God,

00:25:19

if you receive Jesus, you are a champion.

00:25:22

You're more than a conqueror now.

00:25:24

And if you haven't done that, and you're looking to do it,

00:25:27

that's why Crossroads is here to help you get to a new place

00:25:30

because champions associate with champions.

00:25:33

[whistle]

00:25:35

- That's the end of the first quarter.

00:25:36

- Touchdown Team Tome. - Touchdown for Tome.

00:25:39

- That was strong out of the gate for Team Tome.

00:25:42

- Brian, you were awarded six points

00:25:44

for a great message.

00:25:45

Additional one point for

00:25:46

the excellent use of the random phrase.

00:25:48

Alli as kicker, would you like to go for

00:25:49

the one point trivia or the two point --

00:25:52

- Did you say Alli? - That's Alex.

00:25:53

- Alli.

00:25:54

- I know all white women look the same to you,

00:25:56

but that's Alex, not Alli.

00:25:57

Ut-oh.

00:25:58

Did you go to school for musical theater?

00:26:01

- Yes. Yes, I did.

00:26:02

- I call you, Alli. Let's do it.

00:26:05

All right. One or two points?

00:26:07

- It's early on. I think we've got to do it.

00:26:09

We've got to go for the two point.

00:26:11

- You're going to go for 2? - Going to go for 2.

00:26:12

- Bold move.

00:26:13

- It's a bold move. I think we got to start out strong.

00:26:16

- All right, the two point question for you:

00:26:18

According to Philippians 3:5,

00:26:20

which tribe of Israel was the Apostle Paul from?

00:26:26

- She's going to get to confer with her team

00:26:28

just a little bit.

00:26:29

- I don't think any of them know the answer.

00:26:31

- They don't. - Five seconds.

00:26:33

- We're going to go with Benjamin.

00:26:35

- That is correct. [cheers]

00:26:37

- Extra points and the kick is strong.

00:26:40

- Two point conversion.

00:26:43

- The kick is good, everybody. - Yes.

00:26:45

- It's those musical theater skills coming out.

00:26:47

I see it. All right.

00:26:49

That results in an end of first quarter score

00:26:51

Team Tome 9, Team Mingo 0. That's the end of the first.

00:26:54

Strong.

00:26:55

9-0, Hannah. And I'll tell you what,

00:26:57

they don't call it the Tome Dome for nothing.

00:26:59

He comes out strong.

00:27:01

A lot of spanking going on in the Taylor Swift move.

00:27:03

Interesting game to start.

00:27:05

- You know what I saw there was just cohesiveness.

00:27:08

A lot of times we get a lot of spit from BT,

00:27:11

you know, from Brian, but we didn't get any spit today.

00:27:13

I feel really good about that, and I think that's why

00:27:16

they got that two point conversion.

00:27:17

- I think you may be right.

00:27:18

Well, folks, we know you don't come for the teaching.

00:27:21

Let's throw it to our first commercial break.

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00:28:53

- February 27 The Big Night for students

00:28:56

in 6-12th grade.

00:28:58

All right, we need a jingle. Students love a jingle.

00:29:00

Remember, the theme is throwback.

00:29:02

- I'm way ahead of you. OK?

00:29:04

- Oh wow, great. Ok, let's hear it.

00:29:08

- Big night throwback. Bum bum bum. Bum bum bum.

00:29:13

- Oh, isn't that the we are fun?

00:29:16

- I got another one.

00:29:18

- Big, big, big, big, big, big night throwback.

00:29:23

Throw, throw, throw, throw, throw back.

00:29:27

The Big Night. Ouh!

00:29:32

- You'll just have to come see for yourself.

00:29:36

- I got one more. One more.

00:29:38

The Big Night. The Big Night. The Big Night.

00:29:40

The Big Night. The Big Night.

00:29:48

- Progressive presents at home with the referee.

00:29:59

- Jackpot.

00:30:03

Thanks, Chuck.

00:30:05

Moses supposes his toes are roses,

00:30:09

but Moses supposes erroneously.

00:30:11

Touch, goal, touch.

00:30:31

- Man, that was disgusting.

00:30:33

- Hey, hey, ref,

00:30:36

are you actually living at a Crossroads?

00:30:39

- You can't put all those beds out in the atrium

00:30:41

and expect people not to sleep here.

00:30:43

- You know, the worst part about that

00:30:45

is I don't even think that was the West Side,

00:30:47

which is where he's the pastor.

00:30:48

- That's right.

00:30:49

Hey, by the way, our referee

00:30:50

is already messing up the math.

00:30:52

Random phrase is worth three points, score is 11-0.

00:30:55

- That's right.

00:30:56

- Let's send it down for

00:30:57

the start of the second quarter.

00:30:59

Patterson's got the Bible.

00:31:01

- He messed up.

00:31:02

- Are you sure? - Yes, we're very sure.

00:31:04

- Yeah, we're the analyst.

00:31:05

- Oh, it is. Oh, look at that. Okay.

00:31:08

- Thanks a lot. Thanks a lot.

00:31:10

- All right, Alli, please choose your random phrase.

00:31:13

Your random phrase is: at my funeral

00:31:17

people will talk about that casserole.

00:31:20

- That casserole, living legend.

00:31:25

- Well, here we are second quarter

00:31:27

talking about championship habits today.

00:31:28

And what I know is that champions

00:31:30

make it a habit to know their opponent.

00:31:34

Champions study the enemy that's going

00:31:36

to be coming at them on the field.

00:31:38

They know there's a plan of attack against them

00:31:41

and they're prepared for what they're going to face.

00:31:44

I think in the NFL, one quarterback that is known

00:31:47

for this habit has to be Peyton Manning.

00:31:49

Peyton Manning is a champion,

00:31:51

and he embodied the habit of knowing your opponent.

00:31:55

I mean, this guy was not a flash in the pan.

00:31:57

He played in the NFL for 18 seasons.

00:32:00

He's the only five time NFL MVP.

00:32:04

He went to the Super Bowl four times,

00:32:06

and he won twice on two different teams 10 years apart.

00:32:09

This guy was a champion.

00:32:11

But what made him a champion?

00:32:15

Because on paper and in real life,

00:32:17

he wasn't the strongest. He wasn't the fastest.

00:32:20

He definitely wasn't the most athletic quarterback.

00:32:22

Peyton Manning secret weapon is that

00:32:25

he was prepared for every defense

00:32:28

he was going to face on the field.

00:32:30

He knew the enemy that was going to come at him.

00:32:33

His film study was the stuff of absolute legend.

00:32:37

I mean, he would be in front of film

00:32:39

for hours and hours, knowing every player,

00:32:42

every position, every defense that was going

00:32:44

to be coming at him that week,

00:32:46

right down to calling a college coach

00:32:50

from 16 years earlier because he thought

00:32:53

of a way to come against what he was seeing on film.

00:32:56

He called that coach and he said, "Coach,

00:32:59

I mean, I'm mixing up the defense over here,

00:33:02

and it might as well be like a casserole

00:33:04

because at my funeral,

00:33:05

people are going to talk about that casserole."

00:33:08

- There it is.

00:33:09

- That's the random phrase right out the gate.

00:33:11

- Beautifully done.

00:33:12

- What he actually said to that coach

00:33:14

when he called him is he wanted a play

00:33:16

that he remembered from 16 years before that called

00:33:18

a flip right dual x motion fake pass 98 block special.

00:33:24

[whistle] - Flag on the play.

00:33:26

- That's a real --

00:33:27

- Pastoral foul,

00:33:29

speaking tongues in church without interpretation.

00:33:31

[laughter]

00:33:33

a three point penalty will be assessed

00:33:35

at the end of this quarter.

00:33:36

- That was a lot of gibberish. - It was a lot.

00:33:38

- Whatever, Peyton Manning knew his opponent,

00:33:42

he even had a nickname that he earned because

00:33:44

he would watch the defense as they were moving

00:33:46

right in front of him on the field.

00:33:48

And he had a habit of calling an audible

00:33:50

right as it was coming at him.

00:33:52

So his friends and his teammates,

00:33:53

they called him the sheriff because

00:33:55

he laid down the law

00:33:56

just as the defense was coming at him.

00:33:59

Jesus had this habit too.

00:34:01

Jesus knew he had an opponent.

00:34:04

Jesus knew that opponent so well,

00:34:06

he probably knew him better than he even knew himself.

00:34:11

Jesus actually was only in public ministry, like,

00:34:14

all the miracles, all the teachings

00:34:16

that we've read about in the Bible.

00:34:17

Those happened in the last three years of his life.

00:34:21

And right before that three year period began,

00:34:23

he disappeared for 40 days into the wilderness

00:34:26

to prepare for the big game.

00:34:28

And when he was there,

00:34:30

he was connecting with his father.

00:34:31

He was fasting. He was praying.

00:34:33

He was deeply in communion with his father,

00:34:36

preparing to face his opponent on the field.

00:34:39

And his enemy actually paid him a little visit.

00:34:42

We have a record of him coming into the wilderness

00:34:45

and challenging Jesus three different times.

00:34:47

And every time they struck at

00:34:49

the heart of his connection to his father,

00:34:52

he was trying to disrupt that.

00:34:54

But he made a mistake.

00:34:56

And that mistake was assuming that just because

00:34:59

Jesus was physically weakened

00:35:01

from his 40 days of fasting,

00:35:03

that that meant he was spiritually weakened,

00:35:05

and nothing could have been further from the truth.

00:35:07

His connection with his father had never been stronger.

00:35:10

And just ask Peyton Manning, it doesn't matter

00:35:13

if you're the strongest on the outside,

00:35:15

if you're the most prepared on the inside.

00:35:17

Jesus had that because

00:35:19

he had a connection with his father

00:35:21

and he beat every play in his enemy's playbook.

00:35:25

And that is such good news for you.

00:35:27

It's such good news for me, because that,

00:35:30

what happened between them in the wilderness,

00:35:32

that was your pregame film.

00:35:35

There is an opponent to your life,

00:35:38

and he is running all those same plays.

00:35:40

He is running a defense against your life right now

00:35:44

and his goal is the same.

00:35:45

He wants to keep you from the mission

00:35:47

that God sent you here to accomplish.

00:35:48

He wants to steal some of the life that

00:35:51

you could have in connection with your father.

00:35:55

And I'll bet you hear the same whispers

00:35:56

that Jesus heard in the wilderness.

00:35:58

I do.

00:35:59

Do you think I step up here and I don't hear,

00:36:02

"Who do you think you are anyway?"

00:36:05

Or maybe you hear,

00:36:09

"You think God is really going to help you?

00:36:12

You think he could really provide for you?

00:36:14

You think he could reward you

00:36:15

better than you could just go get for yourself?"

00:36:18

And these plays, they're working, right?

00:36:21

They are working.

00:36:22

If you look objectively at our lives,

00:36:25

we would have to be honest and say,

00:36:26

"Sometimes these plays are working

00:36:28

and we can kind of see it in the patterns

00:36:30

that we can see in our life."

00:36:32

Anybody else have a look and think,

00:36:34

"I keep slipping back into this pattern

00:36:36

of bitterness or a need to control,

00:36:39

because truth be told, I don't think

00:36:41

anyone's going to come and help me.

00:36:42

I don't think anyone else is ever

00:36:44

going to provide anything for me"?

00:36:47

Does anyone else look at their family tree

00:36:49

and you can see the defense that's been run

00:36:52

against your family, maybe for generations?

00:36:55

I sure do. I look down one limb of my family tree

00:36:59

and I see alcoholism repeated.

00:37:01

I look down another and I can see

00:37:03

mental illness of all different forms.

00:37:06

Friends, there's a defense against your life right now.

00:37:09

You have an opponent who is trying to

00:37:12

come against the life that God has for you.

00:37:14

We live in the wilderness.

00:37:17

But also, that's exactly where Jesus

00:37:20

put the smack down on his enemy.

00:37:23

His final words to him in the wilderness

00:37:25

were just simply, "Away from me, Satan," and he left.

00:37:29

1 John 3 says:

00:37:35

If you want to win

00:37:36

and you want that destroyed in your life

00:37:39

then you need to prepare the way that Jesus did,

00:37:41

you need a connection to your father

00:37:43

and Jesus is that connection.

00:37:45

And it's not just a one time thing,

00:37:47

though it has to begin.

00:37:48

It's an over and over and over again thing.

00:37:51

And I want to give you your next play right here today.

00:37:54

Your next play, if you've never done this,

00:37:56

is to connect with Jesus.

00:37:58

It's a really come to him,

00:38:00

like, bring your whole heart to him,

00:38:02

your authentic self to him.

00:38:04

I did not say come to church, right?

00:38:06

I want you to do that too, because

00:38:07

I think we can help with that.

00:38:09

But I mean, someday it's just going to be

00:38:11

you and your opponent on the field

00:38:14

and you want Jesus with you when that day comes.

00:38:18

You could be one play away.

00:38:20

You right now, today, could be one play away

00:38:23

from a win that you have never had before.

00:38:26

You could be one play away because the sheriff

00:38:29

can call an audible from wherever you find yourself.

00:38:33

It doesn't matter what your offensive line is like.

00:38:35

Jesus has the leg of McPherson.

00:38:37

He's going to pull out a win for you

00:38:39

every single time because he knows

00:38:42

what Joe Burrow knows this weekend, baby.

00:38:44

It doesn't matter if your franchise has ever won.

00:38:47

It doesn't matter if two years ago

00:38:50

they were all saying you're dead and buried and over.

00:38:53

It doesn't matter.

00:38:54

All that matters is this time

00:38:57

you step on the field again,

00:38:58

and this time you do it with Jesus.

00:39:00

Jesus is the way to the connection that you need.

00:39:04

He can provide for you.

00:39:05

He will provide for you.

00:39:07

And what he does, you and Joe Burrow

00:39:10

are going to stand up there and you're going to say

00:39:13

the words of a champion from 1 Corinthians 15:

00:39:16

Thanks be to God who gives us the victory

00:39:19

through our Lord Jesus Christ.

00:39:21

- Amen, amen! - That's a half.

00:39:23

- That's the half. - Touchdown Team Mingo.

00:39:26

[cheers and music]

00:39:30

- Okay, we've got a touchdown dance,

00:39:33

doing the Creep. Come on.

00:39:43

- All right, you're going for two points.

00:39:45

I knew this was a musical.

00:39:48

All right. For two points, let me see here.

00:39:52

All right. There it is. Hey, no peeking.

00:39:56

The Book of Exodus highlights the story

00:39:58

of Israel being delivered from Egypt

00:40:00

with the help of Moses, their leader.

00:40:03

What was the name of Moses wife?

00:40:08

- The team is conferring just a bit here

00:40:10

before they must answer within five seconds.

00:40:13

- Five seconds.

00:40:14

- Tome whispering on the bench, he knows the answer.

00:40:17

- Phone a friend?

00:40:18

- It's not looking too good out there for Team Mingo.

00:40:20

- All right, we need an answer.

00:40:22

- It's not coming to me.

00:40:23

We're going with Jipporah.

00:40:26

Oh, it's Zipporah. [groans]

00:40:29

- So close, who knew Z counted, who knew?

00:40:33

- But like, I can give you something.

00:40:34

- Yeah! - I was in Hebrew.

00:40:35

- Thank you.

00:40:37

- All right, one point for effort.

00:40:41

- I went to seminary.

00:40:42

Sometimes J's are Z's in the original language.

00:40:45

- Oh, it's Hebrew. Okay, you should get more points.

00:40:50

- Patterson challenging that call.

00:40:51

- So that means you get six points for a great message.

00:40:54

Three points, not one point, for the random phrase.

00:40:56

However, you did have the negative three points

00:40:58

for speaking of tongues without interpretation,

00:41:00

resulting. Oh, hold on. Yep, there t is.

00:41:04

Six carry the two,

00:41:06

resulting in an end of first act score

00:41:10

of Team Mingo 7, Team Tome 11.

00:41:15

It's time for intermission.

00:41:16

- All right, fair enough.

00:41:17

- And it's anybody's ball game 11-7.

00:41:20

Folks here who are wondering this is all scripted,

00:41:23

now realize it's completely made up.

00:41:25

- It's not scripted. I don't have a script.

00:41:27

Did you get a script? - No script here.

00:41:29

- No. You know what?

00:41:30

And he's flying by the seat of his robe right there.

00:41:32

That is exactly what is happening.

00:41:34

But we know you didn't come just for the preaching

00:41:37

or even just for us.

00:41:38

Let's get to what we've all been waiting for,

00:41:40

the halftime show. - Oh, you know it.

00:41:42

We've got a halftime show coming up,

00:41:43

but first this commercial break.

00:41:47

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00:42:12

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00:42:14

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00:42:18

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00:42:46

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00:42:48

but otherwise you look great.

00:42:55

- In the beginning,

00:42:56

God created the heavens and the Earth.

00:43:01

- Wait, wait, wait. What? Is that even possible?

00:43:05

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00:43:06

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00:43:09

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00:43:11

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00:43:13

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00:43:23

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00:44:19

- It is easy to feel like the world is too dark

00:44:22

for any of us to make a difference

00:44:23

and become paralyzed by fear.

00:44:25

But at Crossroads, we believe that

00:44:27

God has called us to change our world for the better.

00:44:30

When we see a problem, we run towards it.

00:44:33

We go wherever help is needed to our neighbors

00:44:36

and to the world.

00:44:37

And we don't go alone.

00:44:39

As a community on mission,

00:44:41

working with our partners across the globe,

00:44:44

we experience purpose and build relationships

00:44:46

that can change the world while changing us.

00:44:49

We believe you were born to make a difference.

00:44:53

Let's run.

00:44:55

Let's rebuild.

00:44:56

Let's pray.

00:44:58

Let's serve.

00:44:59

Let's impact.

00:45:01

Let's grow.

00:45:02

Let's build relationships.

00:45:04

Let's love.

00:45:06

Let's get our hands dirty.

00:45:09

Let's GO.

00:45:12

Find your adventure.

00:45:25

- You got a favorite?

00:45:26

- You know what? I do, because I wish

00:45:28

I could do my own Telesurgery.

00:45:30

I do think I had those noodle toes that were mentioned.

00:45:33

- Yeah, right. Yeah, exactly.

00:45:34

I'm going to draw your attention

00:45:36

back to that second one. Genesis.

00:45:38

That's a series we're kicking off next weekend.

00:45:41

Man, maybe someone brought you here.

00:45:42

You should know that we do church every single weekend.

00:45:45

It doesn't always have commercials

00:45:46

and a halftime show, but we would love

00:45:48

to see you back for that series.

00:45:49

We're talking origin,

00:45:50

very first book of the Bible Genesis.

00:45:52

How did we get here? Why?

00:45:55

We're talking that next week?

00:45:56

- Absolutely. And you know what?

00:45:57

Speaking of, you know, I was looking for

00:45:59

a connection, but I don't have one because

00:46:01

I'm just ready to get to the freaking halftime show.

00:46:03

- Crossroads fans, put your hands together.

00:46:05

Give it up for your Crossroads band.

00:46:08

[cheers & applause]

00:46:15

[music: With a Little Help from my Friends]

00:47:30

- Oakley, how are we doing today?

00:47:35

I said, Oakley, how are we doing today? [cheers]

00:47:38

We are the halftime band, and we came to party.

00:47:41

Hit that.

00:47:44

Now, in order for us to have some fun,

00:47:46

we're going to need your help.

00:47:48

So I need you to grab your glow stick

00:47:50

that's sitting in your cup holder.

00:47:51

And then I need you to stand up, stand up.

00:47:55

Go on and crack that glow stick open

00:47:58

and put it up in the air.

00:48:00

Hit me again, Ben. Oh.

00:48:03

Let me see that glow stick up. Come on.

00:48:06

Oh, wave it up in the air

00:48:08

wave it like you just don't care. Come on.

00:48:11

[music: Levitating]

00:49:26

[music: Real Love]

00:50:29

[music: Ain't No Mountain High Enough]

00:52:22

[music: With a Little Help from My Friends]

00:53:28

- Oh, my gosh, what an epic performance.

00:53:31

I mean, I loved everything about that.

00:53:32

- Amazing. - Truly incredible.

00:53:34

The only thing that could have made it better

00:53:35

is that Dua Lipa thing, that's my jam,

00:53:38

and I was trying to get up there.

00:53:39

Anyway, it was so wonderful,

00:53:41

and I'm so glad that you're here again.

00:53:42

And you know what?

00:53:43

We're doing something as a church

00:53:45

when we're not having fun on stage

00:53:47

playing and having goofy time preaching,

00:53:49

we're actually learning about the Bible.

00:53:51

And one of the ways that we're doing that

00:53:53

this year is through the Bible Challenge.

00:53:55

You can join us right now by going to

00:53:57

the Crossroads App to learn more about that.

00:53:59

And you can download that wherever you get your apps,

00:54:01

because it's free

00:54:02

- Hannah's doing that. I'm doing that.

00:54:04

Thousands of people jump in.

00:54:05

And hey, this entire thing is brought to you

00:54:08

by people just like you who believe in

00:54:10

a God with a great message worth sharing

00:54:12

and changing the world in the name of His Kingdom.

00:54:15

If you want to join the community

00:54:17

of thousands of givers here,

00:54:18

super easy, go to crossroads.net/give.

00:54:21

Second half is about to start.

00:54:22

- It's coming, I'm so excited. - I can't wait.

00:54:24

I'm like itching to get back in there.

00:54:26

- You changed your jersey? - Well, yeah.

00:54:27

- That's great. - Yeah, it was appropriate.

00:54:29

So, fired up, third quarter about to begin,

00:54:31

but first, let's go to a commercial break.

00:54:34

- The word of the day is: big.

00:54:36

- Yeah, it is.

00:54:38

- This is a big truck stop.

00:54:41

- Let me at that make your own milkshake machine.

00:54:43

- This is a big word.

00:54:46

- Numa Numano madooma madoba microscopeopopus.

00:54:51

- Now, this is The Big Night.

00:54:55

- The Big Night.

00:54:56

- This is happening on February 27th

00:55:00

for students in 6-12th grade.

00:55:02

This is the biggest throwback party of the century.

00:55:06

- I'm going to wear my dad's parachute pants.

00:55:09

- Big Night Throwback, bum bum, bum bum, bum bum.

00:55:20

- Hey, can't get a White Claw. - Yeah, bro, gotcha.

00:55:24

- This -- this isn't a hard seltzer.

00:55:26

-That's right, nerd. This is hard salad.

00:55:29

- I hate salad.

00:55:31

- Who cares? We got bored of seltzers.

00:55:34

- So White Claw is just putting alcohol

00:55:36

in everything now?

00:55:37

- Now he get it.

00:55:39

We're putting booze in everything.

00:55:41

- Hard [indiscernible] toothpaste.

00:55:43

- More like booze paste.

00:55:44

- Spiked stew. - Beef.

00:55:46

- Spiked virgin daiquiri. - Fancy.

00:55:49

- Hard ham. - Ham.

00:55:52

- Spiked diapers. - You can't drink diapers.

00:55:55

- I just want water. Can I get a water?

00:55:57

No, you get a Claw, White Claw.

00:56:02

[belches]

00:56:03

Spike, everything.

00:56:10

- Progressive presents at home with the referee.

00:56:14

- We don't talk about Bruno, no, no, no, no.

00:56:18

We don't talk about Bruno --

00:56:22

- Yeah, man. So that's the guy. - Oh, no.

00:56:25

- Hey, what are you doing?

00:56:33

- Oh, come on, man. Are you --? Really?

00:56:37

[whistle] - What's that?

00:56:46

[whistle]

00:56:54

- Oh, I love it.

00:56:55

- You know, if his hip's not okay,

00:56:57

he can just call Telesurgery.

00:56:58

- That's right. - It'll be great.

00:56:59

- Take care of it at home.

00:57:00

I want some of that hard salad dressing.

00:57:02

- No thanks. - Yeah, that's pretty good.

00:57:04

Well, hey, we've got a whole second half to get to.

00:57:06

Let's throw it back down to the field.

00:57:08

- Team Mingo, you maintain possession

00:57:10

of the Bible for the third quarter. [cheers]

00:57:14

Please choose your random phrase.

00:57:15

- Wait, a second, what's up with the glasses?

00:57:17

- Oh, I just thought they look pretty cool.

00:57:19

What do you think?

00:57:20

- Yeah, it works for you? Yes.

00:57:23

-All right. Your random phrase is:

00:57:25

I could smell it when you said it.

00:57:27

- I could smell it when you said it.

00:57:29

- I think he's talking about his farts

00:57:31

from that Skyline Chili.

00:57:34

- All right, if you know the Bengals

00:57:35

are going to win the Super Bowl tomorrow,

00:57:37

let me hear you say yeah. - Yeah!

00:57:39

- If you know that you know that the Bengals

00:57:42

are going to win the Super Bowl tomorrow,

00:57:43

let me hear you say Who Dey! - Who Dey!

00:57:45

- That's right, that's right, man,

00:57:47

the Bengals are going to be champions.

00:57:49

And one thing about champions is they embrace feedback.

00:57:52

Champion's embrace feedback.

00:57:53

There's a guy that's not getting enough credit

00:57:55

for the Bengals being in the Super Bowl.

00:57:57

He's not on the team,

00:57:58

he's not even a part of the organization officially.

00:58:01

His name is Sam Smathers.

00:58:02

You may not know that name, but Sam Smathers

00:58:04

was a peewee coach in The Plains, Ohio,

00:58:07

for one, said Joe Cool Burrow.

00:58:08

I don't know if you know this,

00:58:10

Joe Burrow did not want to be a quarterback.

00:58:12

Joe Burrow wanted to be a running back

00:58:13

or wide receiver

00:58:14

because he wanted to have the ball in his hand.

00:58:16

So he shows up for the first day of peewee league

00:58:18

and says, "Hey, I don't want to be a quarterback."

00:58:20

Sam Smathers says to him, "It's too bad,

00:58:22

you're going to be a quarterback."

00:58:23

And Joe Burrow said this about Sam Smathers. He said:

00:58:34

On behalf of all Cincinnati Bengals fans,

00:58:37

thank you, Sam Smathers.

00:58:38

We are glad it worked out the way that it did.

00:58:40

[cheers & applause]

00:58:41

- Thank you, Sam.

00:58:43

- He embraced Sam's feedback, and that's what champions do.

00:58:46

They make it a habit.

00:58:48

Now I want to ask you a question,

00:58:50

even up here, my friends.

00:58:51

Have you ever heard someone say to you,

00:58:52

"Feedback is a gift"?

00:58:54

How many people have ever heard that,

00:58:55

feedback is a gift? Am I the only one?

00:58:58

Why is that always said when somebody

00:59:00

is about to give you some feedback

00:59:02

that doesn't feel like a gift? Am I right?

00:59:04

- Always.

00:59:05

- I mean, I smelled it when you said it,

00:59:07

feedback wasn't a gift coming from you in that way.

00:59:11

- Oh, that was seamless.

00:59:12

- Double meaning, I love it.

00:59:14

- That was seamless. Just like Mingo to do that.

00:59:18

- But feedback actually is so necessary for all of us.

00:59:21

So here's the thing I have coaches in my life.

00:59:23

I have people who are helping me grow in my life,

00:59:25

my leadership, my relationship to my family,

00:59:27

all of those things.

00:59:28

And if you have a coach in your life,

00:59:30

there's always that ouch moment, right?

00:59:32

There's always that moment where they

00:59:33

tell you something about yourself

00:59:35

that you'd rather not see.

00:59:36

But listen, we cannot have

00:59:38

an objective view of ourselves, so we need coaches.

00:59:40

We need feedback.

00:59:41

If we don't receive it, we are not going to grow.

00:59:44

We're not going to win in life, in relationships.

00:59:46

We're just not going to win.

00:59:47

Let me give you a tip.

00:59:48

The quickest way to fail at life

00:59:50

is to surround yourself with yes people.

00:59:53

That's the quickest way to fail at life.

00:59:56

This is even a spiritual truth that

00:59:57

Jesus embraced when he walked the planet.

00:59:59

Now, I know what you're saying,

01:00:00

"Chuck, are you are you telling us that Jesus,

01:00:03

the perfect son of God, needed feedback?"

01:00:06

Yes, yes, I am.

01:00:08

One of my favorite scriptures about Jesus

01:00:10

is in Luke 2, and it says this. It says:

01:00:12

Jesus went down with them,

01:00:14

them being Mary and Joseph, his parents,

01:00:16

and came to Nazareth and was submissive to them.

01:00:19

And Jesus increased in wisdom

01:00:21

and in stature and in favor with God and man.

01:00:24

Listen to that Jesus increased. Jesus grew.

01:00:28

Jesus matured as a man who was living a real life,

01:00:32

just like you and I are living a real life

01:00:34

bcause he embraced feedback,

01:00:35

he embraced feedback from his parents.

01:00:37

Jesus embraced the feedback

01:00:38

from his spiritual community as he was shaped

01:00:40

and formed to understand what the Bible said.

01:00:43

Yes, Jesus even embraced feedback

01:00:45

from his very own followers.

01:00:47

In Matthew 16:16, he's having a conversation

01:00:49

with his followers, and he says:

01:00:54

And when Jesus said that he was

01:00:55

putting himself in a learning posture,

01:00:57

so I'm just going to go,

01:00:58

I'm going to go out on a limb and say

01:00:59

if Jesus embraced feedback, then maybe we should too.

01:01:03

Maybe we should be open to the ways

01:01:05

that feedback can grow us.

01:01:07

What if Jesus actually wants to be your coach

01:01:10

even more than he wants to be your teacher?

01:01:13

What if Jesus actually wants you to have

01:01:16

the same trajectory in your life that he did,

01:01:19

growing in wisdom and in stature

01:01:21

and in favor with God and with people?

01:01:23

That's actually the invitation on the table

01:01:26

when it comes to following Jesus.

01:01:27

It's an invitation to a lifelong coaching relationship

01:01:31

with the greatest human who's ever lived.

01:01:33

I've got a question:

01:01:34

who wants to maximize their life?

01:01:36

Who wants to maximize their life?

01:01:38

If you want to maximize your life,

01:01:39

Jesus isn't one of many options.

01:01:41

Jesus is the only option.

01:01:44

In the Super Bowl we are going to see

01:01:46

the world's best football players,

01:01:47

and here's what we're also going to be seeing.

01:01:49

We're going to be looking at

01:01:50

the world's most coach football players as well,

01:01:53

because at some point talent is not enough.

01:01:56

At some point, spiritual knowledge is not enough.

01:01:59

At some point, we need to embrace feedback

01:02:02

so we can change and we can grow.

01:02:03

That's what champions do.

01:02:04

So here's the challenge I have for you.

01:02:06

Pick an area in your life,

01:02:08

find a coach and embrace feedback.

01:02:11

If you want to grow, if you want to change,

01:02:13

if you want to go to a new place, pick an area,

01:02:16

find a coach and embrace feedback.

01:02:18

That might look like joining a group,

01:02:19

that might look like finding a counselor,

01:02:21

it looked like actually hiring a coach.

01:02:23

I love what Alli said, though,

01:02:25

the first step for all of us is to seek Jesus,

01:02:28

to find him and see him as a coach

01:02:30

who wants to help you grow,

01:02:32

who wants to help you be a champion.

01:02:34

Because God has a vision for your life

01:02:36

and it's this: God wants you and I to be with Jesus

01:02:41

and to be like Jesus, too.

01:02:43

Mind blowing, mind blowing.

01:02:45

There's a phrase that all of us

01:02:47

Cincinnati Bengals fans have been saying

01:02:49

all season long: Why not us, right?

01:02:51

Why not us? Why not us this year?

01:02:54

Why wouldn't we be the team

01:02:55

that would win the Super Bowl this year?

01:02:57

Why wouldn't we be the team that

01:02:59

are the champions of the champions this year?

01:03:01

And I want you to know the same is true in your life.

01:03:03

Why not you? Why can't you grow as a parent?

01:03:06

Why can't you grow as a leader?

01:03:07

Why can't you grow as a friend?

01:03:09

Why can't your marriage be completely different?

01:03:11

You have a coach that will give you

01:03:13

the kind of feedback that will make you

01:03:15

who you couldn't be without him.

01:03:16

Why not you? Why not us? Why not us.

01:03:19

Friends, it is us.

01:03:21

I want you to say that to yourself: It is us.

01:03:24

We will be those who grow.

01:03:25

We will be those who change.

01:03:27

We will be those who experience what it looks like

01:03:29

to be and live like Jesus as champions

01:03:33

because we embrace feedback,

01:03:34

because we allow him to change our lives.

01:03:38

Embracing feedback has the power to change the world.

01:03:41

But even if it doesn't change the world,

01:03:42

I promise you this, it will change your world

01:03:45

and you will be a champion when you embrace feedback.

01:03:49

[whistle]

01:03:50

- That's the quarter. - There's the whistle.

01:03:52

- Touchdown Team Mingo.

01:03:55

- You know, they call it the Tome Dome.

01:03:57

But Mingo brought down the house. He brought it.

01:03:59

- Here comes the kicker.

01:04:00

- Chuch, you were awarded six points

01:04:01

for a great message, in addition to three points

01:04:04

for an excellent use of random phrase.

01:04:06

Would you like to go for one point for regular.

01:04:08

- Going for two. - Two points for Bible.

01:04:10

- Two point conversion here?

01:04:12

- All right, here is your question.

01:04:14

Where in the Bible can you find the quote:

01:04:17

Even though I walk through the valley

01:04:19

of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil

01:04:21

for you are with me,

01:04:22

your rod and your staff, they comfort me?

01:04:26

- A little bit of conversation here

01:04:28

and Team Tome seems confused.

01:04:30

They can't believe it. - Do you have an answer?

01:04:32

- I hope he gets this. - Psalm 23.

01:04:34

- Do you know the verse?

01:04:35

- Oh, oh, and the referee --

01:04:39

- He thinks 6, 6-7.

01:04:41

- It's actually 23:4,

01:04:43

but you got the chapter correct, worth two points.

01:04:47

- Okay. - Yes.

01:04:48

- What is this, Sunday school?

01:04:50

- You know, that's exactly this is.

01:04:51

- End of third quarter score, Team Mingo 18,

01:04:56

Team -- wait, yeah. - Are you sure?

01:04:57

- Team Mingo 18, Team Tome 11.

01:05:00

- No, he's not. - All right.

01:05:02

- Is it just me, or when Mingo teaches

01:05:04

does anybody else want to do this?

01:05:06

- Oh yeah. Yeah, they do.

01:05:08

- He brings it. He brings it. But here is Team Tome.

01:05:10

- Here's your random phrase. - It's your time, buddy.

01:05:12

- Your random phrase is:

01:05:15

duck lips, it's like push ups for your face. [laughter]

01:05:19

- Duck lips, push ups for the face.

01:05:22

- Duck lips is okay.

01:05:23

- Ranson has done a lot of duck lip selfies,

01:05:24

I've seen them.

01:05:25

- Okay, that's interesting.

01:05:28

See, champions make a habit of choosing optimism.

01:05:32

In fact, the greatest champion of all time,

01:05:34

Jesus Christ, said to choose optimism

01:05:36

even in the face of trouble.

01:05:38

These are his words from John 16, He said:

01:05:41

In the world, you will have tribulation or trouble;

01:05:44

but be of good cheer, I've overcome the world.

01:05:48

See if you're not yet a Christian,

01:05:49

and I'm so glad you're here.

01:05:50

We're pumped that you're with us today.

01:05:52

And I want to make sure that you don't leave

01:05:54

without knowing what it is that Jesus has to offer you.

01:05:58

And if you are a Christian,

01:05:59

I want to gently remind you today

01:06:01

of what it is that you already believe.

01:06:04

It's really simple.

01:06:05

You believe in the resurrection of the dead.

01:06:10

Yeah, that means if if the game is over,

01:06:11

the clock's run out, all the fans have gone home,

01:06:13

all the nails and put in the coffin.

01:06:15

It doesn't matter. Nails in the coffin?

01:06:19

I believe in Jesus, who three nails

01:06:21

couldn't keep him in the grave.

01:06:22

Nails in the coffin, not over.

01:06:24

And here's why I bring it up,

01:06:26

because it's time that we start acting like it.

01:06:28

It's time that we start embracing

01:06:30

and remembering the fact that we believe

01:06:32

in the resurrection of the dead.

01:06:34

These last couple of years,

01:06:36

somebody has spiked our collective cocktail

01:06:38

in the world with this poison.

01:06:41

If you've heard of it, it's called cynicism.

01:06:43

Cynicism is not just pessimism, you know,

01:06:46

like, I think it's going to be bad later on.

01:06:48

It's going to be just be bad.

01:06:49

It's like this pessimism plus anger and resentment.

01:06:53

It's poisonous to you.

01:06:55

It does -- It does have a killer theme song,

01:06:57

though, it's taken over Tik-Tok.

01:06:59

Maybe you've heard it, it sounds like this.

01:07:00

- A, B, C, D, E, F --

01:07:03

- G, H, I, J, K -- [whistle]

01:07:05

- Oh, that was close. - Flag on the play.

01:07:07

- Un-Preacher like conduct.

01:07:08

Yyu can't drop the F-bomb in church.

01:07:10

- I didn't. I sang the alphabet.

01:07:12

What are you talking about?

01:07:13

- We're going to call the New York office here.

01:07:15

- Look at the tape. - You know what?

01:07:16

- Look at the tape, I sang the alphabet.

01:07:18

- Just like everything this year,

01:07:19

every big decision goes to New York.

01:07:22

- That's right. - Look at the tape.

01:07:23

- I honestly just think that's -

01:07:25

- 347-1111.

01:07:27

- That is --That is LaRosa's, not New York.

01:07:30

- That is most certainly LaRosa's.

01:07:32

- Is this the New York office?

01:07:33

- I hope he's got his Buddy Card.

01:07:35

- Oh, well, do you have a New York style pizza?

01:07:39

- See, there it is.

01:07:41

- Okay, perfect, two larges.

01:07:42

- Perfect.

01:07:44

- Well, they weren't helpful.

01:07:46

So I'm just going to uphold my own penalty

01:07:49

since I couldn't get hold of the New York office.

01:07:52

Sorry, Team Tome. - Penalty is upheld.

01:07:53

- Mingo likes it.

01:07:56

- Here's the thing, did you know

01:07:59

that a cynical Christian is an oxymoron?

01:08:03

It's a thing that can't exist,

01:08:04

and yet somehow I became one last year. I did.

01:08:07

I let the little paper cuts of life,

01:08:09

all the other little disappointments

01:08:11

that happen through life just get to me.

01:08:12

It felt like it was happening everywhere,

01:08:14

you know, at home at work, vacation, had three planned.

01:08:17

Before one my daughter broke her arm,

01:08:19

before the other I broke my foot,

01:08:20

and the last one was Christmas break.

01:08:22

Guess what I got under the tree on Christmas morning?

01:08:25

COVID. - Oh, they knew it already?

01:08:26

- Yeah. Maybe you did, too. Right?

01:08:29

It just made me start singing the song

01:08:32

like everybody else. You know the song?

01:08:34

Right, all the lyrics of cynicism.

01:08:36

Oh, here we go again.

01:08:38

I should've known this was going to happen.

01:08:40

Man, this is what I should have expected.

01:08:42

Should've seen it coming.

01:08:43

That's a song of COVID.

01:08:44

See, cynicism doesn't need a massive tragedy

01:08:48

in your life to sink into it and cause damage.

01:08:51

It's like water, just needs a little crack in a rock,

01:08:53

it'll get down in there.

01:08:55

It'll break that rock apart.

01:08:56

That's cynicism with your heart.

01:08:58

It will break your heart apart

01:08:59

if you let it get in there.

01:09:01

And it just seems like it's been getting everywhere,

01:09:04

everywhere and everybody.

01:09:06

It was that week of COVID, I was kind of on my couch

01:09:08

and I was just like, you know, I was just knocked out.

01:09:10

And that's the moment that God choose to help me

01:09:13

hear what I've been saying this whole time,

01:09:15

the song I've been singing this, this cynicism.

01:09:18

He said, "Son, I haven't made you

01:09:21

to sing along on the song of cynicism."

01:09:25

He said, "You believe in the resurrection of the dead.

01:09:28

Stop singing along in the choir.

01:09:30

See, I put you here to shout joy and hope.

01:09:33

I put you here to be an optimist."

01:09:35

In fact, I don't know if you knew this,

01:09:36

but the benefit of being a Christian is that

01:09:40

we get to be actual, eternal optimist.

01:09:45

That's our job in the world.

01:09:47

If you're not a Christian,

01:09:48

I want you to know that that's the benefit

01:09:50

available to you in Jesus. Why?

01:09:52

Because we believe in the resurrection of the dead.

01:09:56

I just want to ask you, what's harder to believe?

01:09:59

That dead things can come back to life

01:10:01

or that God might do something good in your life?

01:10:05

What's harder?

01:10:06

Champions make a habit of optimism,

01:10:08

every single one has always.

01:10:10

Take King David.

01:10:11

He's the guy who defeated Goliath.

01:10:12

You probably heard about him.

01:10:14

He was committed to this habit of choosing optimism.

01:10:17

In Psalm 27, he said:

01:10:18

I would have lost heart, unless I had believed

01:10:23

that I would see the goodness of the Lord

01:10:25

in the land of the living.

01:10:27

Maybe used to believe that at some point in your life,

01:10:30

good things would happen, but too much time has passed

01:10:32

and you just just kind of stopped, you know?

01:10:34

Like if it was going to happen,

01:10:35

it would have happened by now, right?

01:10:38

Is there anything in your life

01:10:39

that you've made that conclusion about?

01:10:41

Maybe it's dating, maybe it's work,

01:10:43

maybe it's family, maybe it's getting to sense God,

01:10:45

to have that vibrant relationship.

01:10:47

Have you concluded if it was going to happen,

01:10:49

it would have happened?

01:10:50

Well, you know, God hasn't, right?

01:10:54

See, for God it's never too late.

01:10:58

The clock, it doesn't matter if it's run out.

01:11:02

You believe in the resurrection of the dead

01:11:05

and today God is saying,

01:11:06

"Would you risk choosing optimism?"

01:11:08

Again, it's a defining trait

01:11:10

of every champion throughout history.

01:11:12

Take the patron saint of Cincinnati,

01:11:14

St. Joseph of the Burrow, maybe you heard of him.

01:11:16

Here's our patron saint. - Yes, love him. We have.

01:11:19

- I think he's a saint.

01:11:21

I was actually baptized Catholic,

01:11:23

been a minute since I've been in a mass,

01:11:24

but the rules are a little fuzzy on being a saint.

01:11:27

I'm pretty sure it's about performing a miracle, right?

01:11:29

That's it.

01:11:30

The Bengals are in the Super Bowl, people!

01:11:32

- That counts.

01:11:33

- Miracle! - That's a miracle, all right.

01:11:35

- St. Joe. - And we got to see it.

01:11:37

- Here's the thing, before you go right off St. Joe

01:11:39

and the rest of us optimist,

01:11:40

says you're just a lucky people.

01:11:42

You're just the people who

01:11:43

everything's always broke the right way for you.

01:11:46

Let me remind you about Joe's story.

01:11:48

He was third string quarterback at Ohio State.

01:11:50

He couldn't even become the backup, people.

01:11:52

So he decides to transfer.

01:11:54

His number one choice, Nebraska says no thanks.

01:11:56

My wife who is from Omaha

01:11:58

will never forgive them for that, by the way.

01:12:00

Horrible, horrible facts.

01:12:01

The point is, optimists aren't the people

01:12:03

who get lucky in life, and they're not the ones

01:12:06

that pretend that there's no problems.

01:12:07

Jesus was the world's biggest optimist ever,

01:12:09

and let me be very clear,

01:12:11

he saw all the problems of the world,

01:12:13

yours included, with more clarity

01:12:15

than anybody who's ever lived.

01:12:17

Look at this again, John 16:33:

01:12:19

In the world you will have trouble -- He saw it.

01:12:22

But be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.

01:12:28

So choosing optimism means I choose to trust

01:12:31

that the God I follow is bigger

01:12:33

than all the problems and all the pain.

01:12:36

He will overcome it. He will outlast it.

01:12:39

It's a total optimism.

01:12:43

- We've got to optimists in the house.

01:12:45

- That's right.

01:12:47

- Friends, our quarterback one is Jesus Christ.

01:12:50

He's the greatest champion who ever lived.

01:12:53

If you want to follow him, do what he said:

01:12:55

Be of good cheer. Make choosing optimism a habit. [whistle]

01:12:59

- That's our game, folks. - Touchdown Team Tome!

01:13:03

- Oh, you did forget to use a random phrase.

01:13:09

- He doesn't look happy.

01:13:11

- Kyle, you got six points for a great message,

01:13:13

in addition, a three point penalty

01:13:15

for the A, B, C, D, I don't think so.

01:13:17

- Saying the alphabet, I don't know.

01:13:19

- Yep, but the New York office did call me back

01:13:22

and said I should overturn the penalty,

01:13:25

which means it's Team Tome 17, Team Mingo 18.

01:13:29

- It's a close game.

01:13:30

- You need two points for the win.

01:13:32

- Go for the win.

01:13:33

- All right. - Go for the win.

01:13:34

- We've got to go for the 2 point conversion.

01:13:36

We've got to go for the win.

01:13:37

- I think that math works out.

01:13:38

Don't double check me. All right.

01:13:41

Genesis 6 introduces us to Noah,

01:13:44

the guy who built the Ark, and his family.

01:13:47

What were the names of Noah's three sons?

01:13:50

- Shem, Ham, and Yap, Yapheth or Japheth, Japheth or Yapheth.

01:13:57

Japheth is the correct answer.

01:13:58

Team Tome wins! [indiscernible]

01:14:01

- It always comes down to the kicker,

01:14:04

ladies and gentlemen.

01:14:06

[music: We Are the Champions]

01:14:14

- She didn't even have the consultant us.

01:14:16

My gosh. Wow. Impressive.

01:14:22

- With the presentation of the Bible Trophy

01:14:24

and some massive Bengals bling.

01:14:27

- Yeah, you take the necklace. You take the necklace, for sure.

01:14:31

- Team Tome. Take us home, BT. Take us home.

01:14:33

- Let's give it up for Team Tome. [cheers & applause]

01:14:36

- That was a close game.

01:14:42

- Hey, I hope you had a great time today.

01:14:44

I hope you're having a great time today.

01:14:46

There's so much in our culture

01:14:47

that's just tearing us down, tearing us down,

01:14:49

and it's so great to feel like we're champions.

01:14:52

It's not just feel like we're champions again

01:14:54

because the Super Bowl is going to be an amazing win.

01:14:57

It's also because there's

01:14:58

some spiritual things there for you.

01:15:00

I don't know if you came in here today

01:15:02

wondering if you just had to endure through it

01:15:04

and Alli spoke with you on that.

01:15:06

Or if you've been hammered with feedback

01:15:07

or haven't gotten enough, like Chuck has.

01:15:09

Or if you just fallen prey to what I have as well,

01:15:12

just being Negative Nelly, just like everybody else.

01:15:14

That's not what champions do.

01:15:17

And you are a champion, anybody who is in Christ,

01:15:20

and if you're not in Christ,

01:15:21

he would love to welcome you into his family today

01:15:24

right now. He would love to do that.

01:15:25

We're going to -- I'm going to pray for us,

01:15:27

and then we're going to go back to all of our sites

01:15:29

and our final word and let me pray for us.

01:15:31

God, Thank you so much for your goodness

01:15:34

and all you've done for us.

01:15:36

And God, many of us want to receive you

01:15:37

for the first time, some of us

01:15:39

might want to receive you the first time.

01:15:40

We just want to say very simply, Jesus,

01:15:42

I ask you in my life. I give my life to you.

01:15:46

I asked for forgiveness.

01:15:48

And I pray that you fill me with your spirit. Amen.

01:15:53

- Well, thanks for being with us today.

01:15:55

I hope you had fun. I mean --

01:15:56

and here's the most important thing

01:15:58

maybe the entire day, Who Dey! Can I say that?

01:16:02

Is that -- - Say that. [indiscernible]

01:16:03

- That's appropriate,

01:16:04

just based on where we are, that's right.

01:16:06

We've had a wonderful time today.

01:16:07

You know what?

01:16:08

We don't want to just see you here today.

01:16:10

We want to see you come back because

01:16:11

we have an incredible series coming up called

01:16:14

Genesis: Find your way home.

01:16:16

We're not just going to be talking about it.

01:16:17

Word on the street is

01:16:18

we're going to be taking people there.

01:16:20

- It's going to be amazing, special series.

01:16:22

- It's going to be special. We hope to see you there.

01:16:24

See you next week on Crossroads.

01:16:26

- In the beginning,

01:16:27

God created the heavens and the Earth.

01:16:32

- Wait, wait, wait. What? Is that even possible?

01:16:36

- The creation of the universe

01:16:37

is the greatest origin story ever told.

01:16:40

When we know where we've come from,

01:16:42

it's far easier to find our way home.

01:16:44

Join us as we explore the story of Genesis.

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