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April 29, 2009
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=========================== TODAY'S ARTICLE ==========================
Just Watch the Ball, by Steve Ridgell
I love sports. I enjoy playing them and watching them. I especially
enjoy watching three and four year olds play ball. I remember teaching
my children to play ball when they were young, and now I am watching my
grandchildren start to play ball. After watching preschool teams for
thirty years, I am convinced nothing is as cute, or as frustrating, as
teaching them how to play soccer or baseball.
An airplane passing overhead can bring the whole game to a stop.
Flowers are somehow much more interesting than what is going on in the
game. Friends must be waved at, parents must be located, and outfits
adjusted. Sometimes I wonder if they even realize there is such a thing
as a ball ... much less what its function might be. I have watched
soccer players run up and down the field for an entire game without
once knowing where the ball was. If the other kids ran, so did they. I
cannot count the times a slowly hit ball has rolled past three fielders
and not a one of them even noticed. I have witnessed powerful swings of
the bat that did not come within two feet of the ball -- and the ball
was sitting on a tee. Of course, the batter had his eyes tightly shut.
So here is my coaching advice for preschool soccer and baseball: just
focus on one thing. Do not try to explain strategy, or even all the
rules. Just teach them to watch the ball. They will learn the rest
later. If they do not get this basic principle down, they will never
learn to play well. It works in soccer. If they learn to watch the
ball, they will kick it more often. It works in baseball also. Watch
the ball and you will hit it. Watch the ball and you will catch it. It
is the basic principle in sports. Just watch the ball. Interestingly
enough, that basic principle never changes in sports no matter how old
you get.
The same principle works for learning about Jesus. If you do not know
much about Jesus and his followers, it sure looks confusing. What is
all the activity about, what are all the rules, and is there a strategy
I need to know? Let me encourage you to focus on the one thing that
really matters: Jesus. He died for the things we have done that were
wrong, he was buried, and God raised him from the dead. Focus on that
and the rest will begin to make sense. And if you miss that, nothing
else will ever make sense.
It is hard to follow Jesus when I forget to keep my eye on him.
That is still good advice for those of us who have been following Jesus
for a long time. Focus on the one important thing. Jesus.
If you would like to explore this idea more, write me at
steve@hopeforlife.org. Or check out our blog at www.hopeforlife.org.
(Expressed written consent must be obtained prior to republishing,
retransmitting or otherwise reusing the content of this article.
Are you presently experiencing a new life? God's word says, "if anyone
is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has
come!"
This new life is a free gift of God through faith in Jesus Christ. If
you want to know more about this life that only Jesus can give you,
sign up for one of our Bible courses. Wherever you are in life,
whatever you've done, you can begin again.
You may also contact us at info@hopeforlife.org if you have questions
about becoming a new creation.
---------
(c) 2009 Herald of Truth Ministries
RELATED LINKS:
* Let Me Tell You about Jesus and His Church
http://hopeforlife.org/resources/jesuschurch.asp
* The Story of Jesus
http://www.hopeforlife.org/resources/storyjesus.asp
* Keeping the Christ in Christmas
http://www.hopeforlife.org/blog/entry.asp?ENTRY_ID=14
* Hope for Life!
http://www.hopeforlife.org
This article can be found on the web at:
http://www.heartlight.org/articles/200904/20090429_ball.html
=========================== FEATURED PRODUCT =========================
STAYING CLOSE, by Dennis and Barbara Rainey
This book provides a positive, workable strategy for keeping your
marriage vital and intimate.
http://shopping.heartlight.org/cgi-shl/link?222
Find more great books, CDs and videos at the Heartlight store! With
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