​I’m a man of many passions, but two stand above the rest: the Minnesota Vikings and my faith in Jesus. I’ve been a die-hard Vikings fan since I was a little boy, and a follower of Christ since I turned 28. Usually, these two loves coexist peacefully on a Sunday in the fall: I go to church, then come home in time for the noon kickoff.

But Sunday, they collided.

The Vikings were playing in Ireland, which meant kickoff was at 8:30 a.m. our time—exactly when I’m always at Calvary Baptist worshipping God with my family and friends.

I’ll be honest: I was torn. I have YouTube TV, so I could easily record the game. But that would mean missing my favorite ritual: turning down the TV volume and listening to the radio broadcast with Paul Allen. I love that experience. A recorded game just isn’t the same if you aren’t listening to Paul and Pete and Ben.

As I was getting out of bed Sunday morning, my wife Roxie looked at me and asked if I was going to church. I mumbled that I wasn’t sure, that I was leaning toward staying home to watch the game.

Then came the words that pierced my heart: My wife looked right at me and said.

​“WHAT WOULD JESUS DO?”

​When my wife and the Holy Spirit team up, I don’t stand a chance. I knew instantly she was right.

Before we left for church I kept the TV off, it was a struggle knowing the Vikings were on. I made some coffee, and settled in for my devotions. My devotional reading was about delighting in the Lord, drawing from Psalms and other scriptures, and the simple truth of putting God first. I felt a peace settle over me. After my devotions, I hit “record” on the TV and to avoid any temptation about finding out what the Vikings score was, I shut my phone down. Off to church we went.

​I felt good about my decision as I settled in for the service. But God had a greater lesson waiting.

As our pastor began to preach, his sermon was on the exact same topic as my morning devotion: delighting in the Lord from the book of Psalms! I sat in my chair shocked! He shared this scripture:

Psalms 37:4-5
Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him and he will do this:

verse 23: the Lord makes firm the steps of the one who delights in him, though he may stumble, he will not fall, for the Lord upholds him with his hand.

God was speaking directly to me. The devotion and the sermon were perfectly aligned. Wow! Only God can orchestrate something like that. If I had stayed home, I would have missed that profound blessing and confirmation.

We arrived home from church right around noon, and I sank into my recliner, turned on the TV, ate a quick lunch, and watched the Vikings lose without listening to Paul Allen. Going to church was way more meaningful than staying home watching the Vikings game.

So, a lesson learned this Sunday: Always listen to my wife, and always ask myself, “WHAT WOULD JESUS DO?” in every situation. And put God first in your life.