Two Bowls

I sit here today, Saturday the 31st of January, between two "super" events. Tomorrow is Super Bowl XLIII, between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Arizona Cardinals. Tell me, does anyone else have trouble with Roman Numerals besides me? I always have trouble translating them into the numbers I understand, having to think about it forever before I come up with the right number. I'm okay up to thirty or so, but after that my dense brain takes a while to process and figure it out. So, without checking this in a book or anything or hearing anyone say it, I do believe this is the forty-third Super Bowl. Am I right? And why don't they just say that in the first place?

The first picture above is the winner of another Bowl, which was held in our area yesterday. The guy you see pictured is John Squibb, who has been given the title "Super Squibb" after wolfing down 203 chicken wings in the 2009 Wing Bowl. (There's the word "super" again.) Now you folks are going to have to bear with me because I'm going to be very negative. I think this Wing Bowl, and all eating competitions that we hold in this country are a national disgrace. There, I said it. First of all, we've been listening to report after report telling us about the horrible economic state our country is in. As an aside, I do want to say that things are bad, but America has been through hard times before and we can come out of this if we do it the right way. But that's another story which I'll leave alone for now. I read a good article about that topic recently which really encouraged me. Read it if you have time.

But it's not just the state of things in our own nation that turns me off so badly when I hear about these eating contests. I wish the money that is spent on the food and whatever expenses go along with them could be sent to one of the countries in this world, like Zimbabwe, where people are starving. Or send it to Feed the Children or some other group that helps feed children who are hungry in our own land. It's for that reason also that I would label such competitions as disgraceful.

I posted the two pictures above because these two events have something in common: chicken wings. A lot of chicken wings are eaten at both. For the Super Bowl, it's a traditional food at all the parties that take place for the big game. So one of the current worries is that there are enough wings available for that purpose. I saw an article about that also. I hope you won't think me inconsiderate if I say that's the least of my worries for our country.

And to say more about the Super Bowl, things are pretty quiet about it here in my area since the Eagles and Giants aren't in it. Last year I was so excited, as you may remember, because of the fact that the Giants were not only in it, but won it. Now I don't care as much, but I think I'll root for the Steelers, since they're not too far away from us and I'm more familiar with them. We always tape the big game and look at it on Monday. I REALLY enjoyed it last year.

The big news about tomorrow is we get to go to church and worship our SUPER great God. And about "wings?" Here's a good verse to leave with:

How excellent is thy lovingkindness, O God! therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of thy wings. Psalm 36:7

And the refrain from one of our favorite hymns:

Under His wings, under His wings, who from His love can sever?

Under His wings my soul shall abide, safely abide forever.

Have a blessed Lord's Day tomorrow!!