A lot of us pay attention to sports for a lot of reasons. It’s not always about a particular game or team. This week for those of us who pay attention to the Minnesota sports scene is something very different and unexpected.
The death of Flip Saunders and watching Jerry Kill break down in front of a TV camera telling us that his medical condition has taken over his life for now, reminds all of us that we are not invincible. In a culture that so prizes overcoming obstacles, the thought of an obstacle overcoming us is disconcerting. Sports can and does provide many important life lessons, and the one it is providing this week is perhaps its most important.
This lesson is the need for perspective…priorities….understanding what matters to you and if you are lucky… why it matters. The conversation around Flip Saunders’ death has been around the kind of man he was…not how great a coach he was. What I’m hearing about Jerry Kill’s decision is recognizing that taking care of ourselves is also taking care of those who are around us.
There will always be things in life we do not choose or control. At its best, my experience in sports has taught me to recognize that the list of the things I do not control is much shorter than I usually think. That being said, what many of us connect with when people like Mr. Saunders and Mr. Kill experience these kinds of life events is the realization that even those who seem in control will one day, some day in some way, be out of control. How we manage that…how we manage the days when an obstacle overcomes us... is a very scary thing to consider.
For a lot of this, it is where we turn to our faith and being a part of a community, living out faith together. We do this because at its most basic, faith is recognizing that our greatest obstacles do not define us and will not overcome us in the end.
Keep the Faith,
Pastor Dan
On another note... this week you’ll be receiving a mailing about supporting both the ministry and building ministry of EPUMC. Please begin praying about your financial commitment to these ministries.
On another another note... worship Sunday, November 1 is All Saints Day. We will remember those who are connected with our congregation and have died in the past year. We will also remember all those who have died that each one of us holds in our hearts. It’s a Sunday for Holy Communion where we recognize the promised heavenly banquet we will one day share.
The death of Flip Saunders and watching Jerry Kill break down in front of a TV camera telling us that his medical condition has taken over his life for now, reminds all of us that we are not invincible. In a culture that so prizes overcoming obstacles, the thought of an obstacle overcoming us is disconcerting. Sports can and does provide many important life lessons, and the one it is providing this week is perhaps its most important.
This lesson is the need for perspective…priorities….understanding what matters to you and if you are lucky… why it matters. The conversation around Flip Saunders’ death has been around the kind of man he was…not how great a coach he was. What I’m hearing about Jerry Kill’s decision is recognizing that taking care of ourselves is also taking care of those who are around us.
There will always be things in life we do not choose or control. At its best, my experience in sports has taught me to recognize that the list of the things I do not control is much shorter than I usually think. That being said, what many of us connect with when people like Mr. Saunders and Mr. Kill experience these kinds of life events is the realization that even those who seem in control will one day, some day in some way, be out of control. How we manage that…how we manage the days when an obstacle overcomes us... is a very scary thing to consider.
For a lot of this, it is where we turn to our faith and being a part of a community, living out faith together. We do this because at its most basic, faith is recognizing that our greatest obstacles do not define us and will not overcome us in the end.
Keep the Faith,
Pastor Dan
On another note... this week you’ll be receiving a mailing about supporting both the ministry and building ministry of EPUMC. Please begin praying about your financial commitment to these ministries.
On another another note... worship Sunday, November 1 is All Saints Day. We will remember those who are connected with our congregation and have died in the past year. We will also remember all those who have died that each one of us holds in our hearts. It’s a Sunday for Holy Communion where we recognize the promised heavenly banquet we will one day share.
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