Start with the basics

I am preparing to watch a little football today. It's New Year's Day and that means it's a great day for college football. I'll be watching the Volunteers play Wisconsin in the Outback bowl. This will be the last game of the season for those teams who have worked hard all year to earn entry into the bowls. As complicated as the offensive and defensive schemes will be, every athlete on the field started with the same basics that will be the keys to victory. They all learned how to block, kick, run, throw and catch in much the same manner. They will play according to the same rules and the same boundaries. Beginning the new year is an opportunity for us to reaffirm the importance of the basics. The wisdom of the Proverbs begins with an admonition to grasp the basics for a successful year: The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.