More than Conquerors

After the no more sidelines practice,  and hearing a song, “More than Conquerors,”  I felt good that our basketball team was more than Warriors.  I felt there was a connection between Romans 8:37 (the more than Conquerors verse) and our team because of what we stand for and how we make an effort to make a difference off the court.   However, in reading the context of the verse, it is not what we have done that makes us more than conquerors, but it is “through him who loved us.”

We can be confident in our savior who, in our weakness, has made us more than conquerors, and that nothing in all of creation can separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus.

No More Sidelines

As a basketball team, we have been blessed to be victorious in many games.   On Tuesday, we had a different type of blessing.  Tuesday, the “No More Sidelines” team, a group of young people with special needs, joined us at practice.  We were blessed to be able to help the group, but as we talked about after, the group also helped us.

We recognized and appreciated how we have been blessed --- Often when we pray before a practice or game, we thank God for the abilities that he has given to us, but we can still take those things for granted.  Working with people who struggle with what we take for granted, helps us to appreciate those things.

We saw and shared in a love and joy of basketball. --- It was great to just see so many smiles.  There was a great joy for every made shot, but also for every high-five even after missed shots.   I hope that half-way through a season, we could gain a renewed energy and appreciation for being able to be together as a team and play.

We experienced a greater joy that can come from serving. ---  At the end, that was one of our best practices, and our goal in the beginning was to make the practice all about the “No More Sidelines” group.