Posts Tagged ‘sports’

13
Nov

THE SUPERBOWL

   Posted by: pastordiehl    in Uncategorized

A guy named Bob received a free ticket to the Superbowl from his company. About halfway through the first quarter, Bob noticed a better seat 10 rows off the field right on the 50 yard line. He decided to take a chance and made his way through the stadium and around the security guards to the empty seat.

As he sat down, he asked the gentleman sitting next to him, “Excuse me, is anyone sitting here?” The man replied, “No.”

Now, very excited to be in such a great seat for the game, Bob again inquired of the man next to him, “This is incredible! Who in their right mind would have a seat like this at the Superbowl and not use it?” The man replied, “Well, actually, the seat belongs to me. I was supposed to come with my wife, but she passed away. This is the first Superbowl we haven’t been to together since we got married in 1967.”

“Well, that’s really sad,” said Bob, “but still, couldn’t you find someone to take the seat? A relative or a close friend?”

“No,” the man replied, “they’re all at the funeral.”

I talked with a young man this week who told me the reason he didn’t go to church was because someone sent him an unsigned note from his old church saying that he should better control his children. So he quit going, blaming the church for being judgmental. I asked him how he was going to help change that situation from outside. We sometimes get our priorities backwards.

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18
Jul

PLEASANT WORDS

   Posted by: pastordiehl    in Gift of Encouragement

I’ve never been very athletic. I did play Little League baseball as a kid and played a little friendly baseball after my service experience, but I was never in demand on anybody’s team. And I wasn’t much of a coach for my boys’ athletic pursuits.

Our daughter, Jenny, was a cheerleader and we tried to be at all her games. It was amazing how critical parents and observers were toward their sons trying their best in basketball and football. “Come on, Michael, wake up! What’s the matter with you?”

What an encouragement it was when our son, Nathan, decided to go out for cross country. We attended most of his track meets, but he arose to the occasion with those long distance runs. He, wired like his Dad, learned how to take it easy and pace himself. I would maneuver to key places along the run to cheer him on. He never knew where I’d be, but always knew I was there.

In those years of attending cross country races, I never heard a discouraging word. Even last-place runners get cheers, not jeers. “Go, Nathan, You can do it!” Cross Country just might be the most positive sport out there.

“Pleasant words are…sweetness to the soul and health to the bones” (Proverbs 16:24).

The Christian life is a long-distance run. Its not who starts the race, but who finishes. As fellow believers discipline themselves to run the race, they need encouragement. They need “pleasant words” that bring “sweetness to the soul”.

What are some pleasant words you have received lately?

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