August 31, 2016–Devotions — Rio Olympics
Diving

“Immediately he made his disciples get into the boat and go on ahead to the other side, to Bethsaida, while he dismissed the crowd. After saying farewell to them, he went up on the mountain to pray. When evening came, the boat was out on the sea, and he was alone on the land. When he saw that they were straining at the oars against an adverse wind, he came towards them early in the morning, walking on the sea. He intended to pass them by. But when they saw him walking on the sea, they thought it was a ghost and cried out; for they all saw him and were terrified. But immediately he spoke to them and said, “Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid.” Then he got into the boat with them and the wind ceased. And they were utterly astounded…” Mark 6:45-51
I like to watch the men’s and women’s diving events, but I am always nervous watching them – sort of like I am nervous when I watch women do the balance beam event in gymnastics. They get so close to the diving platform with their heads and feet that I am always afraid they are going to hit the platform and hurt themselves. This Olympics was the first time that I can remember where I saw two divers receive a score of 0.00 for a dive. I have never seen that before. Imagine all of the work the divers put into their sport practicing day after day, year after year, and either because they were so nervous or (as was the case at least one day) the conditions were that bad (like gusting winds), they do so poorly they score a 0.00. Wouldn’t you think an Olympic event like diving would not be held in a stadium open to the outside weather conditions? I realize other events are held outside – and often in bad weather (remember the cyclist who crashed coming down a mountain in the rain?) But, if I am diving from a platform that is three or four stories above the water, I hope that I would not have to worry about an “adverse wind”, like gusts up to 45 miles an hour.

Of course, the disciples were really worried about the weather on this particular night. And who can blame them. The sea was considered to be a resource of monsters and demons. To be tossed into the sea, especially at night, would have been one of their biggest fears – let alone seeing something that looked like a ghost walking on the water toward them. But as soon as Jesus spoke, and entered the boat, everything was different. Everything was different.

If you are looking for something or someone to help you change your life, and give you a different perspective on the world, you need look no further than the bible and the person of Jesus Christ. When Jesus walks into your life, you have to expect everything to change. But, you first have to let him come into the boat. If Jesus has to stand outside on the waves, you restrict the spirit working in your life. But, once he enters your heart, and your home, you will find you have finally reached your destination. Yes, you will still need to “go and do”, whether that is diving off a platform from three stories up, or sitting next to someone in church you have never met. Both can be frightening. Thank goodness no is one keeping score – in Jesus sight, we are all 10.00’s.

Pastor Dave

August 30, 2016–Devotions — Rio Olympics
Basketball

“There was a man of Benjamin whose name was Kish son of Abiel son of Zeror son of Becorath son of Aphiah, a Benjaminite, a man of wealth.2 He had a son whose name was Saul, a handsome young man. There was not a man among the people of Israel more handsome than he; he stood head and shoulders above everyone else.” 1 Samuel 9:1-2

Is it any wonder that the United States has usually dominated the sport of basketball on the Olympic stage? For the same reason that we have struggled with soccer on the world stage, other countries struggle with playing basketball on a professional and Olympic level because they do not have the long history of playing the game in their countries. Of course, the men and the women who play professional basketball in this country are usually the ones who stand one if not two heads taller than the rest of us. No, this is not the case with everyone who plays basketball. There are those players who are of a more average height. But, most of them stand taller than the rest of us. This is another reason our country would dominate in the sport – we seem to be a country that has more tall people. Or at least, that is what I thought, until I did some research. Here is what I discovered:
“Over the past 30 to 40 years, the average height of the populations in high-income nations, such as the United States, the United Kingdom, Finland and Japan, has stopped growing, despite increasing at the start of the study. For example, the U.S. — once the having the third tallest men and the fourth tallest women in the world — has fallen to 37th for men and 42nd place for women. The study found the average height of men and women in Italy and Spain, as well as much of East Asia and Latin America, is increasing. However, over the past three to four decades, certain countries in North Africa, the Middle East and sub-Saharan Africa, have had their population’s average height decline.”

Well, so much for the “we have taller people” argument for excelling in basketball. I guess we are better because we have more people who play the sport from a young age – and this country supports our basketball culture.  It appears that Saul, the son of Kish, was a triple threat: he was tall, he was handsome, and he was rich. Saul had it all. He would go on to be a king of Israel, but a flawed one at that. Saul would go on to make the mistake of sacrificing to the Lord (when the Philistines were on the threshold), in essence assuming the responsibilities of the Priest (here it was Samuel). Samuel would go on to warn that Saul’s kingship would not last. When Saul was pressed to stand tall and be patient for the Lord, instead of a slam dunk, he was rejected for his lack of trust. And yet G-d will continue to give Saul opportunities to a messenger and a servant for the Lord.

We may not be the tallest, the most educated, or the best, but that does not mean G-d will look to others to be messengers of the Gospel. G-d will use us, no matter how we look, no matter what height we stand, or no matter how flawed we feel. G-d is looking for those who are willing to get into the game of sharing the good news of Jesus Christ.

Pastor Dave