Friday night football

Tonight we went to see a high school football game, me and D and the girlies. At the same time, there was an 80s night CpR outreach at the Warehouse. I was going to go over to it after we came home from the game, but it's been a long week, and I've got a headache and a stomach ache.
I am ashamed to say that in around 15 years as a youthworker, I've only ever been to 2 high school football games. It's kind of sad isn't it? For my advocacy, I will say that 7 of those 15 years have seen some kind of summer missions trip. (The last statement is really only to appease myself.)
In any case, we had a great time tonight. There is something about a high school football game under the lights, the energy, the texture, the innocence. And now I really see what our high school pastor S says so much of the time - that if we are going to do outreaches on Friday nights, they had better be almost above excellent, since we compete with some pretty quality talent that night, movies, dances, games.
But that is the gist too isn't it? That what we create, the outreaches, the events, the relationships, the art - it all must compete in some way, and be better than what a culture without Jesus is providing.
I think we do it at CpR. I know tonight they were having an 80s dance at the beginning, and then two very intense dramas and two students sharing at the end. One of the dramas is a mock funeral, and S said, "They mock it very very well." Meaning it's going to bring out some significant questions from some students. That and the fact that this week, two students in a local high school were killed in a car accident.
All this to say, being involved in sports or the marching band or a cheerleader at high school is a huge draw. It's tough competition for what we need out of students that serve in our ministry. The Church had better see the task at hand and that need to be excellent in how we are engaging the culture.