I felt in love with the game of basketball ever since I came to the States. It helped me get through the troublesome teenage years as a way of relieving stress. However, it wasn't just for that reason that i played basketball, I really enjoyed playing basketball. During the high school years, my cousins and I always played basketball whenever we got together. Since we all went to the same church, we often played after Friday night services. We sometimes went to a neighborhood park and played basketball with our car headlights on for hours before we were told by police to go home. There were times when we went out to a church basketball tournaments where we experienced both victories and terrible defeats.
Even when I went to college, my passion for basketball did not cool down. I went to the gym at least a couple days a week, not to lift weights, but to shoot around or to play pick up games. Since my new friends at college did not play basketball much, I had to play by myself for most of the time but I didnt mind at all because I loved every minute of it.
When I first came to NCFC as a 23 year old young adult, I was able to use my passion and love for basketball as a vital tool for the Timothy ministry. I connected right away with teachers and students who shared the same passion for basketball. People opened up their life through playing basketball together. However, God convicted me many times that basketball has become more than a hobby for me. I loved it so much that I could not live without it. When NBA season came around, I was glued to my TV watching basketball every night. If I missed any games on TV, I would look up highlights of the games on ESPN and on NBA homepage to make sure I catch up. Yes, you can say basketball was an idol that I loved more than God.
These past few weeks, I noticed many of our EC men (including Timothy) talk about the NFL draft. What amazed me was that people knew so much about each prospects and their potentials. Everyone sounded like the commentators on ESPN news. It was clear to me that football was more than a hobby for many guys at our church just like basketball was and still is more than a hobby for me. What about you? Do you have any activities or hobbies that you can identify as an idol in your life? Perhaps we can use this month of fasting and prayer to deal with the idols of our lives.
From Pastor Brian’s Heart
May 5, 2013