Sports and Scripture

In my home, I am the only female. Outnumberded 4 to 1. Now mind you, I am a girly girl, flowers, lace, candles, scents etc. are my passion. But my guys put up with that for me, so I learned years ago to enjoy what they enjoy - sports. For over 10 years our family has participated in sports. We started with baseball. T-ball, gloves, tees, batting helmets, cleats - the boys were outfitted. I learned the game - strikes, outs, home runs, slides. Actually enjoyed it also!! Then the boys grew out of that interest. Next came soccer. New equipment - new terms - soccer cleats (did you knwo that there was a differnce?), shin guards, they played forward, guards...We will be enjoying a season of soccer soon. Oldest son has an interest in golf. Now that is an area I knew nothing about...but am learning. Golf shoes, bags, clubs, towels ( and no my dish towel would not do), bogies, birdies, eagles. This year middle son will be playing football. Another new experience...we are only in the equipment stages so far...helmets, pads, cleats (same as baseball!), football pants (these are different than baseball pants because they have pockets for pads!!) Isn't it funny how much we as parents learn - because of our children.

This morning I was reading in II Thessalonians where Paul was encouraging the Christians at Thessalonica with some guidelines on how to treat others. He mentions respecting those in authority, be at peace with each other and then goes to some specifics: warn those who are unruly, comfort the fainthearted, uphold the weak and be patient with all. It takes paying attention to people to know their need and be able to share love with them. As it took time and effort to learn my boys sports and interests, the end result was great joy. If we invest into the lives of others, seek to learn and show love to them, great blessings will take place.

I will finish with Paul's blessing to the Thessalonians: May the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely and may your whole spirit, soul and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it.

Sometimes We Score, Sometimes We Block

Our family is in the midst of little league soccer season. My youngest son is playing and his enthusiasm is contagious. He is pretty good at the sport, but what makes it so great is that he loves it! He counts the days until the next game or practice. He loves his coach and teammates. He has moved up an age level this year and the players are working more like team, passing to each other and watching out for each other during play. During the last game, my son scored two goals, they were the only goals of the game. In today's game the team scored eight goals. My son came up afterwards to me and said, "I didn't score today, but I blocked". What a powerful truth those words can hold. In life, sometimes we score, sometimes we block. Sometimes we do great things, we excel, we achieve, we meet our goal - we score! There are also times we see the needs of others, sometimes they are sad or hurting, we block their hits. We look out for them so they can score. We

Relationships and Redemption

In every friendship or relationship, there is a common hope that they will grow and flourish. There is something inside of us that longs for a 'happy every after' story. We dream about it and work to make that happen. But in reality, relationships are a challenge. The bridging of values, lifestyles, interests and sacrificing for another are simply hard things to do! No matter how much we dream of the perfect fit, some relationships will not endure the stress. When differences appear and tensions arise, prayer can change situations, attitudes and ourselves. For the Christian, we know God can transform, change, heal. We cannot change others, but prayer opens us the door for God to step in and answer. God desires transformation, but does not demand it. The gift of free will allows us to choose to say Yes or No to Him. Romans 12:18 says, “If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.” Take notice of the first two words: “If possible …” This implies that some

Top 10 Workout DVDs

Prevention Magazine is a leader in health and fitness news and products. They recently came up with the top 10 list of workout DVDs. They have examined the many fitness DVDs out there and narrowed down a list of the best ones. There is a DVD for every fitness level. If you are looking to incorporate some exercise into your day in the convenience of your own home, take a look at this list. Here is an additional money saving tip: If you see a DVD that you are interested in, check out Amazon or Ebay before ordering. Many times they have pre-owned DVDs at a fraction of the cost of a new one.

AnonymousSeptember 17, 2007 at 8:57 AM
Sports was something I paid no attention to as a child and young adult. Then my son and daughter started playing soccer, which I absolutely love now. My son is on his third season of football, and I just didn't get it when it came to football. Saturday night, I went to my FIRST college football game with my husband and my son's football team. It was a blast!! Seeing the game helped me understand more of the game. Maybe, I can enjoy and understand more of my son's games now.

Joyfull Living

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