Wednesday, April 4, 2012

Don't Waste Your Sports

C.J. Mahaney has got a great little book called Don't Waste Your Sports. In the next several weeks I want to discuss some of the key points in the book. Even though the bible doesn't specifically discuss things like baseball, golf, football, etc., Mahaney believes that it is loaded with wisdom that applies directly to the athlete. The foundational verse that he uses is 1 Corinthians 10:31 "So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God." He says that "this simple sentence is loaded with divine wisdom for every part of our sports, from practices to playoffs. So few words, so much wisdom." We will look at this verse in more detail in future posts, but to whet your appetite for the upcoming posts I want to leave you with several questions that Mahaney offers to athletes:


  1. Does your passion for sports exceed your passion for the Savior, your church, or your family?

  2. In an average week, how much time do you invest in sports, and how much time do you invest in reading Scripture and participating in your local church? [Of course for the professional athlete this needs to be put in context. Nonetheless, it is a question that everyone should consider.]

  3. What is your plan for consistently reading and studying the scripture? [Athletes are creatures of habit. I would recommend establishing a set time and place for your daily devotions.]

  4. Is it possible to be both competitive and humble at the same time? How so?

  5. What are some ways you currently encourage your teammates and your coaches? If you don't, what are some ways to begin doing this?

- Durham


3 comments:

Andrew said...

Very excited to see the next few posts. This is a topic that always comes up in the clubhouse. I am eager to see what comes next.
The question regarding being competitive and humble is a subject that many 'Christians' get wrong I think.
Again very excited to see what comes next

TEvans said...

Also excited to go down this trail a little further. Great questions for self-examination. I'll add two along the exact same lines. This would be a great round table discussion.

Do you sing louder in church or cheer louder at the big game?

Do you try to be better than everyone else or the best you can possibly be?

- Terry

Jules said...

How about a show of hands who actually sings in church? I'll never forget going to church with Terry, Blake, and another ball player in PB Fla where this friend of ours was dominating worship. He was playing all out on the vocals and had his hands wide open. I was convicted about how I didn't feel what he felt and at the time it seemed strange (because of my ego) but I wanted what he was experiencing. That day helped change worship time for me in a big way. So to answer Terry's question yes I used to cheer louder at the game than I did in church, guilty, maybe still am sometimes! Ouch!!