What is Sport??

               Have you ever really wondered why we have sports? It seems almost as a question whose answer does not require the question. But think about it for a minute, if I would ask you what is your favorite sport? Anything that is a sport… What is the first thing that comes to your mind. Maybe American Football, maybe football (Soccer), maybe Golf, or maybe swimming. We all have a sport that we would consider ‘our’ sport. You can try to deny that you could careless about sport but I bet you enjoy something like maybe you like to take walks or you run daily.

               But from that, have you ever really wondered why we have sports or what sport really is?  According to the British dictionary sport is “an activity involving physical exertion and skill in which an individual or team competes against another or others for entertainment.” I cannot argue this one bit because I would agree. We know what sport is but let that linger for a moment…. One more moment…. One more… why do we have sports?

I know every culture around the world and through history has had their sport. The Greeks created the Olympics, Native Americans created Across, America has American football, the rest of the world has proper football known by Americans as soccer. But why?

According to one article in the Wilson Quarterly, Sport “is supposed to provide pleasure and excitement for the participants and to take them for a time out of the regular rhythms of the world in which they live.” From this understanding, it appears sport has a psychological aspect to it. Almost a sense of relief from the troubles we deal with regularly. Our lives are filled with so much stress from work, relationships, to surviving that there needed to be something to give relief but because we were designed to be in community with others there had to be something. I would propose that God gave man Sport. He gave it to us to, in community, to bond and to have a sense of relief from the troubles our mind focuses on.

What is sport? 

How about a gift…..

"Is this the Real Life? Is this just Fantasy?"

“Is this the real life?

Is this just fantasy?

Caught in a landslide.

No escape from reality

Open your eyes, look up the skies and see,”

        Many of you know this song well. These words put it well on how I have been feeling today. I feel like I am in a dream. Any moment to wake up in my bed in Dallas Texas only to discover I have to run to a shift in the Mail room, Panera or AV. Or maybe even run to Church to teach some kids about Christ.

            As you know, I spent the last 2 days traveling from Dallas, Texas to Ireland. It doesn’t seem real, why has God given me this opportunity. A man from New Hampshire who now lives in Texas; Never did I ever imagine in the majority of the 26 years of my life that I would be sitting here in Ireland, let alone a second time. From everything that has occurred in the past 26 years of my life, I never felt honored to be in this position but God has been so amazing. Christ is my cornerstone and I will serve Him in anyway I can.

            So often during our lives we get excited about the adventure that comes along: School, vacations, jobs, moving or even marriage (not that I know what that adventure is like) but how often do we stop, even for a minute, and contemplate what God is doing in our lives…. My guess, if your anything like me, is rare. We usually just Go and never stop. This summer, I will be working through the psalms, which a great deal of them have been written by David. All of these were at one-point songs to be accompanied by Music. All of them were written from a reflective time in his life. Most of them about the faithfulness of God.

Just think about that, think of any Hymn that you enjoy. Maybe “Cornerstone, Great is Thy Faithfulness, Amazing Grace, It is Well with my Soul or In Christ Alone.” Of these hymns, I know that at least 2 of them were made during a time of great distress with focus on God. John Newton who wrote “Amazing Grace” wrote the hymn after turning to Christ after years of being a Captain on a slave trader ship.

           When you take a time to reflect to see what God is doing in your life, God will do some amazing things. You may not write the next Amazing Grace or Write a Psalm but even if it is to see more of how Faithful God is and you give Him the glory. It is worth it.

       Take a wee break, write or journal, or even just pray that God will help you reflect on where you are now in life. He will not disappoint to show you what he is doing.

Cheers