Have you ever thought of football and the Examen together?

Last Sunday someone graciously gave us tickets to the Vikings/Bears game. Amazing seats in front of former head coach and Minnesota legend, Bud Grant (who told us to sit down).

Seats with a suite full of every kind of food you could imagine.

Unfortunately, the actual play on the field this Sunday left us a little disappointed. It was a slow game and we lost to the Bears, but it got me thinking about these stats for how much we see when we watch football on TV.

  • The average NFL football game lasts 174 minutes.
  • Actual amount of time the ball is in play on the field: 10 minutes, 43 seconds. 
  • The rest of the 174 minutes:
    • Commercials: 60 minutes
    •  Players milling around: 75 minutes
    •  Replays: 17 minutes
    •  Cheerleaders: 3 seconds

All of this is just a round about way to get us thinking about this question: What is getting the most air time in your life? 

Is it the most important stuff?

Have you ever considered doing a calendar Examen?

The Examen is an ancient practice you may be familiar with.

It simply means you look back over your day and identify where you sensed being most alive to God’s presence and pleasure (the “spiritual” word is “consolation”) and where He felt most absent (“desolation”)…Where you experienced separation or turned away from God.

So a calendar Examen might mean looking at what’s getting the most “air time” in your life and if it’s the most important stuff. Maybe ask:

  • If the Lord was looking over my shoulder at my calendar, what would He say are my priorities?
  • Where do I experience the pleasure of God? In what environments am I bearing fruit?
  • Are there areas of my life where I’m turning your back on God or ignoring His presence? Do I compartmentalize my faith in only certain squares on my calendar?
  • Are there environments or relationships that draw my attention away from God? 

You might consider writing some of these questions in your journal, or on a calendar page.

May you be open to all that our Friend Jesus might say to you today, and may you receive the gift of His grace.

As always, I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments. If you subscribe via email, just click on the title and it will take you to my website where you can scroll down and share your experience. Don’t worry if your comment doesn’t show up right away. It will!

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