Restoring My Faith in Youth Sports - New Life Camp

Last night Sarah played the first game in her end-of-season basketball tournament at New Life Camp.  You can probably draw a mental picture of how last night went.  Fierce competition, pushy obnoxious parents, yelling coaches - and at the end of the game - half the kids disappointed.  That's the way kids sports go today right?  That's what you have to put up with to have your child involved in team sports.

I've been okay with that scenario.  When Sarah was 4 (yes 4) I signed her up to play soccer in a competitive league.  Parents on the opposing team once asked for Sarah's birth certificate to see if we had planted an older kid on the team to win.  (She's a tall one!).  I screamed and yelled at my budding soccer player.  I assumed we would join a travel team by 8, elite team by 10, all in the hopes of trying to help her become ... well I didn't know what we were trying to help her become, but isn't that what everyone does?

In the last 18 months I've learned that's actually not what everyone does.  It's not what New Life does. You see New Life is different.  It's not a place where kids get to play on a team because of their parent's ability to pay an enormous registration fee  - many kids pay nothing.  Our team has three players whose families are refugees. New Life's not a place you get to play based on your skill level. Last year, when Sarah played for the first time, she might have been the worst player in the league at the skill assessment day.  She played anyway - the same amount of time as anyone else, and now she is one of the best kids in the league, and she still plays the same amount of time as anyone else.   New Life's not a place parents have to sacrifice their families on the alter of a child's athletic pursuits.  There's one practice and one game a week.  It's enough - they are children.

New Life's also not a place of cut throat coaches trying to win at all costs. Our coaches are three dads, and they love their team.  All the coaches do.  They are committed to coaching character as much as athletics.  Last Saturday I watched a coach call a time out when one of his players intentionally fouled another player.  The coach called over the young man and spoke with him.  The player went immediately to the one he had fouled, apologized, and shook his hand.  I was so proud of both of those young players!  They are being coached, on both sides, on how to be men.  How awesome!

But... I'm supposed to be telling you about last night.  Last night my faith was restored in youth sports.  My hope was increased that we have a great generation rising up.  Last night my momma heart nearly burst with pride.  Sarah's team has won every game this season - by a lot.  Last night they were playing the lowest ranked team.  By halftime they were up by about 25 points.  The two teams' coaches met quickly at half time and the other team's coaches shared that one of their players had not scored all season.  They hoped she could get a chance.  Sarah's coaches (one who is my awesome husband) shared this with our team.  The second half went by and this sweet little girl (she was the smallest on both teams by several inches) did not get a chance to score.  In the last 10 seconds of the game, the other team had the ball, they shot, and missed.  Sarah got the rebound and she passed the ball to the girl on the OTHER team. In the last 10 seconds of a tournament game, the tallest girl in the league got a rebound to pass to the shortest girl in the league, so that she could get her chance - and the parents on both sides held our breath because every one of us wanted her to make it.  That's New Life.

Our family is blessed to see this different way to do youth sports.  If you live in North Raleigh, I encourage you to check them out.  No matter where you live, I encourage you to ask yourself what are you hoping your child's sports team will do for them?  What are sports helping your child become?   I now know what I am trying to help my daughter become through her sports involvement - a healthy yet balanced woman, a competitive yet compassionate person,  and a whole hearted follower of Christ.  And as a bonus, I hope she has a great time, being a kid, playing a sport she loves.

66 Books - Where Should Our Family Start?

A coworker asked me this week how Pete and I decide what to read for our daily family devotions.  I think that is a great question, and a common stumbling block for parents who want to start doing devotions.
Pete and I start off with a few premises:
1.  All of God's Word is good.  You can't really pick the "wrong" thing.
2.  God is aware of our helpless, clueless status as parents and He has willingly sent us the Holy Spirit to guide us.  

So working within that - every few months Pete and I check in on how devotions are going, and what we think they girls are needing to hear.  Last school year we wanted to focus on the basics of our faith, so we spent a whole school year reading through the Gospels.  We felt we needed to break it up a little bit to keep it fresh, so every four weeks we spent a week reading Psalms.  You can print out a copy of the reading schedule that we used right over there -------->

This year we decided we wanted to focus on memorizing a chunk of scripture to give our exchange student the opportunity to hear the same words over and over, and to help our girls to focus on sealing the Word of God in their hearts.  We chose the book of James.  We worked on that for 5 months ... and then the girls got really bored.

... so we went back to the Gospels for Lent....


With Easter behind us we sat down again to figure what would be next.  The Lord in His great provision brought The Family Devotion Bible to my attention.  This Bible has built-in family reading plans and discussion questions.  Discussion is something that we feel has not been going very well lately.  We do devotions at 7:15 every morning - and some mornings we are a quiet, tired bunch.












We are one week in, and for this season it seems to be the right fit.  We are actually having some great discussions.  Humorous ones too - like whether seals were created on the same day as sea creatures or land animals ... hmmmm... things to ponder when you have an 8 year old.








If the question of what to read is holding up your family from reading God's Word together here are three questions to help you make a decision and move forward.   Take time to pray together that the Holy Spirit will be your guide.



1. What do my kids need to hear?

2.  Where can I find that in the bible?  (If you don't know, ask a pastor, or leave a comment here and I will help you as best I can.)

3.  What would be a reasonable about to read each day?  (We normally do one chapter a day).

If you are interested in doing a chronological study of the bible with your kids (or if you just want someone else to map out what to read), give The Family Devotion Bible a try.   It is currently on sale here .

I pray your family's devotion time will be a joy and will bear fruit in your lives and the lives of your children.

Two sharpies and one powerful lesson for Good Friday

"But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed." Isaiah 53:5

On Friday we will remember the day our Savior went to the cross for us.  For OUR sins.  It was not a generic salvation plan.  It was a very personal plan.  He died for you and He died for me.  Each year on Good Friday our family takes a few minutes to think about this amazing, incomprehensible fact:  Good Friday was for us.  I take each of my little girl's hands and tell them: 

Did you know, while our King was on the cross,

Your face was in his eyes,

Your life was in his mind,

Your sin was on his back,

Love of you, was in his heart,

for beloved, your name was written on his palm.

Then I make a red circle in the middle of their palm and write their name across it.  Over the years many of our friends have started this tradition as well, and it brings me such joy to see their children's little hands. 

Amidst all the Easter hoopla,  I hope Friday you will take a few minutes of quiet to remember that it was all for you.  For YOU are God's beloved.  The one he came to save.  If your family marks your hands for Good Friday will you send me a picture?  I would love to see it!

Blessings to you all! 

Singing, and Praying, and Crying out, "Hosanna!"

Although Palm Sunday is behind us and most people's eyes are turned to Easter (or at least Good Friday), my heart and mind are still full of Hosannas.  My house is too.  Hosanna drapes across our kitchen window.

Hosanna is quietly proclaimed in our living room - adjacent to where I sit to do my quiet time.

They took palm branches and went out to meet him, shouting,  "Hosanna!" 

 ~John 12:13

The people welcomed Jesus into Jerusalem with Hosannas.  Do you know what Hosanna means?  I always associated the word with Palm Sunday but I only learned what the people were saying a few years ago.  John Piper explains it like this on his blog:

"Our English word "hosanna" comes from a Greek word "hosanna" which comes from a Hebrew phrase hoshiya na.  

And that Hebrew phrase is found one solitary place in the whole Old Testament,Psalm 118:25, where it means, "Save, please!" It is a cry to God for help. Like when somebody pushes you off the diving board before you can swim and you come up hollering: "Help, save me . . . Hoshiya na!"

Isn't that incredible?  Save, please.  I have also read it to mean "Save, now" with an understanding of urgency.  Please Lord Jesus save us now.  

So as we travel into Holy Week my heart and mind continue to sing, and pray and cry out, "Hosanna!" Save me Lord.  While the work of the cross is finished and through it, I know I am saved for eternity, my heart cries out for the Lord to save me now, in this life - from myself, from my sin, from my self-centered way, from my lack of patience, from my lack of forgiveness, from my 1st world mindset, from it all - Please Lord Jesus save me.  

Hosanna,
                Hosanna,
                               Hosanna!

And praise God we know He has the power to do so.