Alabama was handling Notre Dame handily. There was not much to notice on the field, so Brent Musburger observed the Tide signal-caller's girlfriend in the stands, saying, "You quarterbacks, you get all the good-looking women. What a beautiful woman." Kirk Herbstreit agreed, and the cameramen could not show her enough. By now, many have heard that her Twitter followers jumped from 2,300 that morning to 96,000 by night's end. She's a celebrity favorite, and she will appear in a reality show, perhaps on "Dancing With The Stars," and the ever-lascivious Sports Illustrated Swimsuit edition this year (via http://www.ibtimes.com). I mention this certainly not to endorse a woman whose prior greatest claim to fame, besides her attachment to A.J. McCarron, being finishing sixth in the Miss Alabama contest. She epitomizes our culture's obsession with sexuality and the body (Paul urges the godly woman to accentuate the inward, spiritual self in 1 Timothy 2:9-10).
My point in bringing her up is to show the power of the "right" word spoken at the "right" time. Musburger had a national audience and he had something to talk about that was of interest to many of those listeners. Certainly, Ms. Webb, as she assesses from a carnal standpoint, would consider herself a winner.
You and I have the most vital message the world could ever hear, the heart of which is the eternal salvation of the soul. We may never have a forum like Mr. Musburger did on the night of the BCS National Championship, but we have daily opportunities to share this good news. The Bible says, "Like apples of gold in settings of silver is a word spoken in right circumstances" (Prov. 25:11). A timely word is "delightful" (Prov. 15:23). In the context of evangelism, Paul says, "Let your speech always be with grace, as though seasoned with salt, so that you will know how you should respond to each person" (Col. 4:6). Repeatedly, God conveys the power of the "right" word being spoken at the "right" time.
How can we do this? Pray. Be discerning. Open your eyes. Have courage. Genuinely care about souls. Keep Ephesians 4:15 dear.
Consider that what you are after is infinitely more noble than any earthly ambition. Do well in this and heaven's population will grow. What is more, you add fruit to your own account and are in position to have the acclaim of heaven on the greatest day of notoriety and infamy that will ever be (Prov. 11:30; 1 Cor. 3:11ff).
--Neal Pollard
