Growing up one of the things that I have always enjoyed was sports, even though I was never very good at any of them. (I'm still not very good, just ask my softball teammates) Whether it was soccer or t-ball, organized in a Saturday morning league or a pickup game at recess, I always competed and tried to do my best. I even tried out for my high school's baseball team my freshman year but couldn't quite make the cut. It was at this point that I decided that my talents would be best served sitting in the stands. As I have grown up and learned more about the strategy and history that go along with the sports that I enjoy and the teams that I cheer for my passion and desire to see my favorite players and coaches be successful has grown too. (If you follow me on Twitter or are my friend on Facebook then this nothing new to you) There have been many times where I've tried to push this part of who I am to the back burner. For example, when I first moved to Knoxville and started going to Calvary I tried to keep my allegiance to LSU hidden. (Whether or not I actually did a good job of this is up for debate) At that time I was also still in school so I found myself doing it on campus too. Basically, I didn't want to be that guy that didn't pull for UT.
One of my biggest fears in going this trip is that I'll come home and things will be back to normal. Sports will again appear to be, or may actually be, more important than Jesus. Many of my friends, especially the ones here in Knoxville, are, when it comes to sports and other areas of life, some of the most passionate people I've ever met but they are also some of the most God-fearing, people-loving and Jesus-serving folks that I've ever met as well. I know this because I've spent time outside of Facebook and Twitter with them. We've worked our way through God's word, answered the difficult questions together and sought advice and guidance from one another. And yet the questions remain. Which really is more important in my life? Am I just concerned about people's perception or is this genuine conviction? I'm afraid that these are questions that I may never get the answer to.
Growing up one of the things that I have always enjoyed was sports, even though I was never very good at any of them. (I'm still not very good, just ask my softball teammates) Whether it was soccer or t-ball, organized in a Saturday morning league or a pickup game at recess, I always competed and tried to do my best. I even tried out for my high school's baseball team my freshman year but couldn't quite make the cut. It was at this point that I decided that my talents would be best served sitting in the stands. As I have grown up and learned more about the strategy and history that go along with the sports that I enjoy and the teams that I cheer for my passion and desire to see my favorite players and coaches be successful has grown too. (If you follow me on Twitter or are my friend on Facebook then this nothing new to you) There have been many times where I've tried to push this part of who I am to the back burner. For example, when I first moved to Knoxville and started going to Calvary I tried to keep my allegiance to LSU hidden. (Whether or not I actually did a good job of this is up for debate) At that time I was also still in school so I found myself doing it on campus too. Basically, I didn't want to be that guy that didn't pull for UT.
One of my biggest fears in going this trip is that I'll come home and things will be back to normal. Sports will again appear to be, or may actually be, more important than Jesus. Many of my friends, especially the ones here in Knoxville, are, when it comes to sports and other areas of life, some of the most passionate people I've ever met but they are also some of the most God-fearing, people-loving and Jesus-serving folks that I've ever met as well. I know this because I've spent time outside of Facebook and Twitter with them. We've worked our way through God's word, answered the difficult questions together and sought advice and guidance from one another. And yet the questions remain. Which really is more important in my life? Am I just concerned about people's perception or is this genuine conviction? I'm afraid that these are questions that I may never get the answer to.
Growing up one of the things that I have always enjoyed was sports, even though I was never very good at any of them. (I'm still not very good, just ask the people that I play softball with) Whether it was soccer or t-ball, organized in a Saturday morning league or a pickup game at recess, I always competed and tried to do my best. I even tried out for my high school's baseball adn basketball teams my freshman year but couldn't quite make either cut. It was at this point that I decided that my talents would be best served sitting in the stands, something that, as much as my competitive nature wanted me to be out on the field, I was ok with. As I have grown up and learned more about the strategy and history that go along with the sports that I enjoy and the teams that I cheer for my passion and desire to see my favorite players and coaches be successful has grown too. Unfortuantely this sometimes leads to me being overly critical when the teams that I pull for fail to meet expectations when the reality is that those expectations were probably too high to begin with. (If you follow me on Twitter or are my friend on Facebook then this nothing new to you) I know that in the end it's just game but it's almost as if there is a part of me that wants it to be more, to mean more. In an effort to show people that I'm not one dimensional there have been many times, usually involving coming to a new place or meeting a new group of people or starting a new activity, where I've tried to push this part of who I am to the back burner. I want people to know that there's more to me than just Braves baseball and LSU football but I don't want them to see me as an overbearing intolerant fundementalist who is against all forms of fun. I just want be an ordinary guy flying under the radar doing what needs to be done and enjoys the pleasures that this brief breath of life has to offer (can you tell I'm a fan of John Piper?). Most importantly I want to be a guy that loves the Lord Jesus with all of his heart, soul, mind and strength.
One of my biggest fears in going this trip is that I'll come home and things will be back to normal. Sports will again appear to be, or may actually be, more important than Jesus. Many of my friends, especially the ones here in Knoxville, are, when it comes to sports and other areas of life, some of the most passionate people I've ever met but they are also some of the most God-fearing, people-loving and Jesus-serving folks that I've ever met as well. I know this because I've spent time with them outside of Facebook and Twitter. We've worked our way through God's word, answered difficult questions together and sought advice and guidance from one another. And yet the questions remain. Which really is more important in my life? Am I just concerned about people's perception or is this genuine conviction? I'm afraid that these are questions that I may never get the answer to and that I may never be able to balance a love for my earthly home with a love for my ultimate destination, my heavenly home.
