The fall season is one of my favorite times of the year for many reasons. Let me share with you some things that I am looking forward to in the next month or two as we move into the fall season.

Football season is back. Let’s face it, there is no better time of the year with Friday night ball games, Saturday mornings on the couch watching football, and Sunday NFL games. I love it all. Sportscenter during the late summer is filled with baseball and soccer highlights…oh my. Late summer is like the time leading up to your wedding day. It stinks, it is hard to be patient, and you are longing for the day to come. That is my life from about May – July as I wait for football season.

I love the cool fall weather. The fall in Northwest Arkansas is beautiful as we see the trees change color. I love bundling up for Friday night games and then spending my Saturdays indoors watching cold weather games. (I am wondering if I have an addiction to football…) Hayrides, Thanksgiving, fireplaces…oh I love the fall.

Thanksgiving is only a few months away. Growing up with family out of state, we really didn’t build a lot of traditions around Christmas. Instead, Thanksgiving was the holiday that we built tradition around. Surprise…surprise…this holiday for the Floyd family also revolves around football. For many years we woke up on Thanksgiving morning, headed out to our local high school stadium for morning practice before the playoff game, came home and ate Thanksgiving lunch, fell asleep watching football, then attended a bonfire/pep rally for the Friday night game. This is one of my favorite days of the year. Food, fun, football, and the Floyds…great combination.

Fall marks a new beginning. Kids start new school years. Teams start new seasons. I like new beginnings. I like the opportunity God gives us to start fresh. I encourage you to take advantage of this new beginning. So often we may think, “Well, next year I’ll focus on this or that. I’ll do a New Years resolution to cover that.” Take advantage of the new beginning of fall. Is there some discipline you need to start again? Is there a priority that you have let fall by the wayside? Do you need to start fresh in your walk with God? Maybe you need to reconnect with your church. Use the fall as an excuse to start fresh. Biblically, we don’t even have to wait for the fall. The Bible tells us that God’s mercies are new every morning. (Lamentations 3:22-23) Why don’t you start fresh today?