Sermon Illustrations

In all of sports, there is perhaps no basketball rivalry quite as intense as that between the Universities of Duke and North Carolina. The campuses are only eight miles apart. Both teams have different shades of blue for their primary color, so North Carolinians are told, "Choose Your Blue!"

Duke fans take their allegiances seriously. Every fan is a cheerleader. When the two teams recently played each other in Duke’s Cameron Arena, home fans (or "Crazies") were given instructions.

This is the game you’ve been waiting for. No excuses. Give everything you’ve got, and we will walk away the victors. Cameron [Arena] should never be less than painfully loud tonight.

At Coach K’s request, please focus on our team tonight. Better to bring our team up than put theirs down. Especially coming out of timeouts, we need to be incredibly loud. During their free throws in the second half, forget the novelty stuff, just be unbelievably loud. This is a huge game. Stay in the bleachers and go nuts.

Perhaps we Christian worshipers have something to learn here.

SOURCE:“Duke-Carolina Cheer Sheet,”ESPN.com; submitted by Eugene Maddox, Palatka, Florida