There’s two things that pastor and author Mark Batterson is known for around these parts:

1 – losing to Andy Osenga (like we all did) in the 2008 NFL Predictions Game.

and

2 – claiming to be a fan of the Vikings, Packers, and Redskins all at the same time.

We love Mark here at PFB, and figured we’d pass along his thoughts on Favre going to the Vikes, since that kinda involves 2 of his 3 favorite teams.

I can’t keep silent any longer. As a life-long Vikings and Packers fan I have to go on record. And, no, that wasn’t a misprint. I was born in Minneapolis and lived in Wisconsin as a kid. I’ve got purple and green in my veins. How can I love two rivals? I have no idea, but I do. I just hate it when they play each other.

Here’s the bottom line: I hope Brett Favre comes back for another season. If he does, I predict the Vikings will win the NFC North with a record of 11-5. The Packers will improve to 10-6 and earn a wild card. And the Vikings will be playing in the Superbowl. There you have it.

If Favre doesn’t return? This blog post will self-destruct.

By the way, I’m actually waiting until Favre makes a decision to make my decision on whether or not to get the NFL Sunday Ticket.

Gotta admit, the thought of a conflicted Mark trying to watch a Packers-Vikings game is kinda funny.

Remember, a house divided against itself can not stand.

If you’re in the D.C. Area this weekend, former NFL running back Shaun Alexander will  be speaking at National Community Church on Sunday (Evotional.com).

a few straws for the aching back of your camel…

+ Pastor Mark Batterson performed a chapel service for the Jacksonville Jaguars last night. The Jags play the Redskins tonight in D.C.

+ Over at StuffChristiansLike.net, Jon offers up what he calls “The Greatest Exercise-Focused Bible Verse Ever”. It involves walking, running, and hang-gliding.

+ Here’s a quick note about a successful Fellowship of Christian Athletes outreach event in Italy.

+ We’ve got 8 people in our NFL Eliminator League as of this morning. Still looking for some more brave souls to test their football savvy against the country’s finest football minds. Click here to join our group (name: Prayers For Blowouts, password: “pfb”).

+ My son Parker has his first soccer practice yesterday. That’s him chugging down water during a break.

this will just take a second…

+ The link I gave for the NFL Eliminator Challenge was busted. Shame on me. Let’s try that again. The name of the Group is “Prayers For Blowouts”, the password is “pfb”. And this is the link to the game on ESPN. only 3 signed up as of right now, so your chances of winning a tacky prize are pretty high.

+ I know we’re in danger of violating our Mark Batterson quota for the week, but here’s some great pictures of him at St. Andrews in Scotland. Color me jealous.

+ In case you were wondering, after getting beat in Game 1 of our softball finals 9-8, we lost again in Game 2, 12-9. With the score tied in the last inning, I gave up a grand slam. It wasn’t fun to watch him glide around the bases. Then in the bottom of the inning I made the last out of the game (although, I must say, left-center field dude caught it with his back against the fence). Later on, I saw the guy who hit the granny at the ice cream shop we took our kids to. I walked up behind him and pretended to choke him and called him a punk. He was all smiles of course. I said, “How did that feel?”, he said “It felt great”. What can I say? At least I’m helping other people have a good time. Until next season…

Over at his blog, Mark Batterson (pastor of the National Community Church in Washington, D.C.) confessed to being a schizophrenic football fan. You can read his explanations why in the post, but basically he’s got emotional ties to the Redskins, Vikings, and Packers.

The Redskins are my adopted team. But I was born in Minneapolis so I loved the Vikings as a little kid. Then we moved to Wisconsin and I became a die hard cheesehead. I cried when the Packers lost which was frequently! I know you aren’t supposed to like three teams. Especially three teams in the same conference. But what can I say? I’m a schizophrenic football fan.

As someone with ties to 2 different teams (the Patriots because I was born and raised in New England, and the Cowboys because my dad has been a die-hard fan for over 30 years), I can relate to the feeling of having conflicting loyalties. Though interestingly enough, when the Cowboys and Patriots squared off a few weeks ago I was definitely rooting for the ‘Boys. I guess I’m more loyal to family than country…or something.

I thought I’d link to Mark’s post because I enjoy hearing leaders (spiritual or otherwise) talk about the teams they follow and the sports they love. Plus, I felt like fooling around in photoshop for a few minutes.

Feel free to put that picture on your new business cards, Mark.