AH!!!! The love we share with each other is such a delight! So many more people read these posts than the few who "really know" us. We are such an excellent example of Christian fellowship and an even better example of how we should love our brothers. No wonder the world is embracing Christianity through the fine example of Christian athletics at a rate faster than the religion of Islam is spreading worldwide... (taking tongue from cheek now ...)
I sit on what is, obviously, my large hypocritical butt and wonder ... What the heck is wrong with you people???
Every young man who plays (or not ...) each week should be encouraged to do ONE thing and ONE thing only: provide a testimony through his actions that causes the world to take notice and KNOW that God is glorified. If the level of his play is such that he is better each week and the improvement allows that player to reach and play to his full potential, God is blessed back!!
There are more than 200 teams each August (public and private) that gather and pray for a blessed season wherein God will receive the glory. We all know that God does NOT care who wins, He cares about how we play the game. He cares about how we are winning souls for the Kingdom. He is blessed when a state champion also happens to be the best example of Christianity, but that perfect outcome will not always happen. That is why it should NOT be our primary focus.
It took me a VERY long time to understand how to work for that outcome without losing sight of the significance of winning. Please read over these posts. Especially you adults that KNOW BETTER! How can we teach our kids to keep their eyes on the Kingdom when we cannot take our eyes off the trophy and the ring?!
A very wise man once told me: "David, it's all just wood, hay, and stubble. In the end it's all gone. Only the lives we have lived, the souls we have touched, and the examples we have given will remain." Pastor Paw Paw (Pastor Emeritus, Jesus Chapel School, Restoration Fellowship, El Paso, Texas.)
Coach Sobey