In just one more day all eyes will be on the 'little apple' of Minneapolis as people watch the Patriots vs the Eagles foot ball game

Super Sunday isn't February 4th when the Patriots meet the Eagles, but in April when we celebrate the risen Christ!

I heard a statistic recently that, I think, sums up the hazards of overindulgence- the Monday following the Super Bowl has the highest percentage of people calling in sick! What is a fan to do after consuming several pitchers of beer, downing vodka gimlets as their vision gets increasingly blurred through the final quarter of the big game?

I also learned the City of Minneapolis changed temporarily their open drinking policy to allow fans desiring the NFL experience to carry their glasses of beer from event to event along the Nicollet Mall. Now, don't get me wrong because I'm all for people having a good time, especially while celebrating this once in a lifetime event of which they may never see again!

 Yet as shocking, it seems, in a state that has the most inpatient chemical dependency treatment programs, per capita, would give them a license to imbibe while putting others in danger with their boorish behavior.  All one has to do is look at the national statistics of the numbers of deaths caused by other's drunken behavior to see the validity of this point!

This over-indulgence will cause fans to offer their lamebrain excuses for not coming to work this Monday. They may think their employer will see through those excuses,  without realizing that they see through them and deep down know 'you were too drunk to come to work'  If the pattern of missing work on Monday persists, most will investigate further those excuses.

While it may not seem quite as fun, I will be watching this Super bowl 'stone-cold sober.'

"Can I get you anything to drink?" the waitress asked as my eyes stare at the game on the screen overhead.

I looked over before responding, "Just a glass of water will do."

Life is best enjoyed sober because I want to experience all of the joys of this life without the excruciating headaches, the increasing feeling of wanting to throw up the more I consume or the guilt knowing I might have done wrong while in this 'out of control' state. I also hate the thought of spending the coming weeks, months trying to make amends with those I've hurt.

 I'm reminded of the Bible where Jesus is responding to the Samaritan woman standing at the well. “Everyone who drinks of this water will thirst again; but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never thirst, but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life.”

Super Sunday isn't February 4th, but Super Sunday is April 1st when we celebrate the risen Christ, God's gift of salvation to the world in search of redemption!

So who am I rooting for? 

Since I heard that we have a local kid playing for the Eagles, who is the nephew of a friend who just happened to be my discipleship leader when I was involved in a Christian based college ministry, I will be rooting for the Eagles.

But, I will be watching 'stone-cold sober.'