This was from last October, the beginning of something I love doing, shared with others:
Have you ever had one of those moments when you were
staring at the sky, pretty much minding your own business, and it struck you
that you were going to run out of stain pre-treater by the time you got done
sharing God with others? No? Then allow me to tell you what it’s
like.
I’ve always known that God was ever-present in the
outdoors, but I wasn’t the outdoorsy type myself. Then I got invited to an Ultimate Frisbee
tournament last November. It was a cold,
slightly damp day, and my friend’s team didn’t win, but came in second place,
and we had an incredible time. I asked
if I could come on a regular basis to watch, and was plainly told that no, if I
came, I’d have to play. Rule one: there
are no spectators.
Glutton for punishment that I am, I couldn’t stay
away. The group consisted of anywhere
between ten and forty folks who regularly dropped in and played on the
weekend. Played HARD. Rule two: there aren’t really do-overs,
because the disc never floats the same twice, so give each play all you have. There are no coaches or referees. You have to encourage each other, and be
fair. By the time I got done playing
with people ranging in age from 16 to 52, I was a tired mess. And we won’t even get into how hard it was
for me to move the next day after going at it for four hours…
Where does God come in?
There were several ‘aha’ moments, but the biggest one was
when someone showed up on a sunny Sunday afternoon to play and said he couldn’t
stay long because he had a memorial service to go to. Someone commented that it was a bad day for
that, and without thinking, I argued that it was actually a perfect day for
that. All movement stopped. As one, without saying a word, my group
gathered around one of our own and prayed for him and his family. We prayed that Sabbath would be a day for
healing. Then we played our hearts
out. We coached each other, and argued
who was OBVIOUSLY out, and heard a few stories about his grandfather and how he
used to love to watch him play sports.
By the time we left, we could feel God in the spring sunshine, telling
us He took joy in watching us play as well.
Is Frisbee
actually Biblical on the surface? It depends who you ask. By working in conjunction with the new
material the youth leaders are using, I use what I have learned to teach them
how God can speak through a round piece of plastic on a Saturday
afternoon. Because you see, Frisbee is
like life. It’s messy and frustrating,
tiring and exhilarating, and then the wind picks up, or it starts raining. But you play.
You dive for whatever is thrown at you, and it doesn’t matter your age,
size, or skill level. I’m not the
greatest player ever, but it’s SO not about that. It’s about bringing the youth (and the
would-be-spectator adults) together to have fellowship and go home happier than
they arrived, full of endorphins and a sense that they contributed to something
even if they aren’t the fastest or strongest.
Have heart, will score. And where
two or three are gathered, God will be there.
I’m working with
the other youth leaders to launch a ministry based on the game of Ultimate
Frisbee for the youth of my church and any friends they bring with them. We have a Facebook page with quotes, tips,
pictures and updates. And we assembled
for our first Ultimate Frisbee day on Saturday, October 12th at
noon. We come together, grow, learn to
encourage each other, and probably argue whether the end zones are wide
enough. And the grass stains? I’m working on that. Right now, it just adds to our charm.
By the way? We now meet Sundays at 5:00 p.m. and the next event is on the 23rd of February!
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