World Cup

This is the year of the "Cup", the "World Cup". There will be no school on the days that is playing. Businesses will close for the games; everything will be different for a little over a month.

The first time I came to , the world cup was being played in the . I had no idea what the world cup was. I had never seen a soccer game. I watched the final between and to crown the first ever four-time champion, won. Now, 20 years later, is looking for its sixth title and for the first time in 64 years the games will be played in .

There is a lot of excitement building up around the games, and the entire country will be turned upside down. There will probably be protests, strikes, and a lot of other unpleasantries happening while the games are being played. Most of the reason for these will be because the government set a budget to spend a little over $1 billion and have already spent over $4 billion on the stadiums, while health care and other areas that would benefit the Brazilian population have been put on the back burner.

Let's remember that one day, there will be a bigger party, where everyone will stop what they are doing and bow at the feet of the returning and reigning King. Until that day comes, let us turn this world upside down, like the first Christians did.

Please pray:

that God may protect His church from violence;

that God may help His church be as bold and excited for His Kingdom as the world is for these games.