YA School Spirit is everywhere this fall. At Virginia Tech, school spirit borders on freaky. From the nosebleed section where I sit for band parents weekend, I’m floating in a maroon lagoon. The swell surges when a key play is made and the crowd rushes to its feet. The play is over and its calm seas. If I blur my eyes—I only need to remove my glasses—the stands across the stadium look like a maroon tidal wave.

This spirited young man painted a V on his torso.

I bet he’ll be naturally red after scrubbing it off.

I’ll also bet that  if a dollar was donated for every VA Tech brand logo broadcasted from banners, hats and tee shirts, jackets and sweatshirts, earrings and other jewelry, tattoos, flags, grills, tents, cars and trucks (I wish I got a pic of the pick-up that was, in and of itself, a VA Tech advertisement) and more, we’d be able to pay down our national debt to that of Latvia after one or two home games.

And it’s not just at the stadium—it’s all over campus, the city of Blacksburg, and Montgomery County. It’s even spread to the far corners of the state. We live a four hour drive  east of the college, through the mountain and valley region, the piedmont, and well into the coastal plain, and yet, if I walk around my neighborhood right now (which I won’t do as Hurricane Sandy vomits on us as I write this) and collected a dollar for every Hokie Bird or VA Tech logo on display by alum or fans, I could take my entire family to eat at Outback—Ruth Chris’s if it’s game day.

The School Spirit Phenomenon (SSP) isn’t limited to college campuses. Jamestown High School’s Spirit Week brought a lot of school spirit to this girl’s face, to the Williamsburg

area and into our home. Our Junior daughters spent a lot of energy on their themed costumes—If Katya spent half the time she spent making her costumes on her homework, she’d probably earn a full scholarship to Virginia Tech. Tuesday was Cartoon Character day and my fav pic of the week: Katya as The Mad Hatter and Sophie as The Cat in the Hat.

I’m seeing a theme here that I don’t think was intentional. Be the first to guess the theme in the comment section for an authentic VA Tech water bottle or a copy of The Cat in the Hat (your choice).

The spirit YA have for holidays is another thing I love. The Young Adults around me keep talking about The Walking Dead show, but I’m not sure I’m going to ever watch after seeing my oldest son and his wife’s halloween costume. Too gruesome.

I’m all for school spirit, but what really impressed me this past week was the spirit some YAs display for their faith. This scripture verse and translation appeared on a white board in the kitchen of a house full of college guys at James Madison University (JMU).

In case you can’t read the small print or don’t have a bible on your lap, it says-However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me–the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace. In read is Mark 2:17-Jesus said to them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

These guys don’t just talk the talk. They walk it. Or rather, they drive it. On Friday and Saturday nights. They show their spirit-filled faith by driving students who drink too much at bars or parties back to their dorms or off-campus apartments. They don’t judge them. They don’t proselytize them. They don’t try to get them to come to church. They serve them by driving them from one place to another. They get funny looks. They get asked, “Why are you doing this?”

That’s spirit. And that spirit is love. And whether it’s love of school or holidays or others, it’s one more reason I love YA.