Talking Trash and other Discipleship Tools

Pictures can be good on a blog, but sometimes the website won't cooperate and let you put one in. So please close your eyes and imagine a picture of a football player here then continue reading the rest of the post. PB


Sometimes we think of evangelism (telling others the Good News of forgiveness and salvation) and discipleship (helping them grow in their relationship and commitment to God) as overwhelming tasks that should be left up to "professionals". I learned something a long time ago and that is that though knowledge of God's word is vital, our relationships with people are also as important. If you want to be effective for the Kingdom, take time to make connections.

It can be as simple as sticking around after church to talk for a while or finding an area of common interest and spending time with someone.

One of the most enjoyable connectors for me, with several of our teens and leaders, has been our Fantasy Sports Leagues. We are in our second year of football and have also had leagues in baseball, basketball and hockey.

Every week there are a dozen of us who email, post comments, talk in person, text and spend time together. A group of guys brought together by football, but involved in each others lives and building relationships.

I know some of you are asking, "How can this make a difference?" It's just a computer game. That's the beauty of it, God can use anything to help us change our world and build up each other. See, it's not about the "what", it's about the "who" and every week I get the chance to interact with 11 of our guys and I love it.

I guess I should add that I am tied for first with a 5-1 record so that makes it more fun and a lot easier to talk trash. But even if I was in last I wouldn't trade the opportunities to connect with those guys for anything in the world.
PB