LSU to celebrate Alabama Crimson Tide BCS Championship

LSU to celebrate Alabama Crimson Tide BCS Championship Saban to ride in Dalrymple Parade Saturday, February 13, 2010 - LSU System

BATON ROUGE - In a bold and unexpected move today, Louisiana State University System President, John V. Lombardi, announced that the University will plan a series of events to celebrate University of Alabama's BCS championship earned in January against the University of Texas. Nationally known both for his candor and expertise in higher education management, Lombardi held a press conference to explain the Board-approved decision. "We have gotten used to winning championships here at LSU so when the football team came up short this year, we decided to have a celebration anyway. It gives us a chance to celebrate a national championship even though we weren't a part of it," says Lombardi Beginning in August, LSU will hold a series of parades that will feature Alabama Football coach, Nick Saban, and several of his All-American players. A "Bear" Ball will be held in the Assembly Center in honor of Paul "Bear" Bryant and his successful coaching career. LSU cheerleaders will wear the Crimson and White and cheer "Roll-Tide" and "Rammer-Jammer" in the Quadrangle Pep Rally. LSU fans are encouraged to arrive early for the parades. Then, on September 3, 2010, which is the day before LSU's first football game against North Carolina in the Georgia Dome, a ceremony will be held to officially take off the Crimson and White decorations and set up LSU decorations. "After all the celebrating, we need to recognize that our loyalty belongs to LSU and we need to support our team. If any fan is having doubts about being loyal to LSU after the celebration, I'll forgive them. But August sure will be fun with one party and parade after another,' LSU Head Football Coach Les Miles. "We're excited about the celebration and know all LSU fans will join us as we recognize the Crimson Tide for their accomplishments," said Charles Weems III, board member and member of the "Roll-Tide" celebration committee. While many LSU fans consider this harmless family fun, some LSU fans are outraged at the prospects of LSU celebrating another school's championship. "This flies in the face of who you are supposed to be," says a group of students in front of the Student Union. "are we true to LSU or not?" cries one young co-ed. "This is absurd. How can we spend all this time celebrating Alabama when we know it's wrong to do this?" Lombardi says that more information about the celebration will on the LSU website in the weeks to come.

LSU fans, can you imagine if this were true? Of course it's not but what was your first reaction? Unbelief? Outrage?
Can you actually believe we would be crazy enough to do this?
Yet, don't we do the same thing when we celebrate Mardi Gras? Do you see the irony?
I live near the epicenter of Mardi Gras. It's everywhere. What's wrong with it? It's not the binge of alcohol, nudity and wild living. That happens everyday.  And, it's not harmless family fun either. I just can't see the purpose. It flies right in the face of what I believe and yet I see other well-meaning people, Christian people, participating in Mardi Gras as a normal part of their lives.
Listen friends, Satan is blinding us. We have bought into a set of lies to keep us from finding the life that God wants us to enjoy. What are those lies?

Forgiveness is cheap.

 Anytime we fall into temptation, we have made the decision to disobey God and sin. In the back of our minds, most of us believe that God will forgive us. After Mardi Gras, people attend church on Ash Wednesday assuming God will forgive them because he's supposed to. They assume that moment of indescretion is a simple matter for God. Sure forgiveness is free to us but it came at the highest price. 

Holiness is about sacrifice 

- Satan used this in the Garden of Eden. He convinced Adam and Eve that God was holding back on them and keeping the forbidden fruit from them because it was so desirable. Holiness is not about saying "no" but about saying "yes" to eternal life with God. Some things are forbidden but it's because there is more satisfaction and fullfillment  when we become the person God created us to be.

We have to give in to temptation so that we can resist temptation. 

- Wait...What? Satan says, “You can't resist temptation for too long. So it’s best to give in from time to time to take off the pressure.” Giving in doesn’t make it easier to resist temptation. It makes it harder. The longer a person resists any particular temptation the less strength that particular temptation has for him or her.

Stop and think...Do you believe the Bible is God's word to us? Then please read what it says. These scriptures are His words, not mine.

The idea of partying before repenting seems to be to get as much revelry and additional sin out of the way before you decide to do anything about it. But that attitude doesn't show a belief that God's way is really right and that sin is really wrong, harmful and something to be avoided because it wars against us (1 Peter 2:11) and is contrary to God's instruction (Romans 13:13-14). It doesn't show the 100 percent commitment that God wants (Romans 12:1-2).

God says we should always live holy lives and obey His laws because they are good for us (Deuteronomy 10:12-13). Satan is the one who wants us to think that doing wrong things is fun, and his deception has been quite successful (Revelation 12:9; 1 John 2:16).

"Roll Tide!" Yeh, sounds crazy doesn't it?