It's game time...

On Sunday, Joanne Ramos likened our time and the current season of the earth to a game that is tied and has gone into overtime. She also said that in a tied game you do not put in the third string bench warmers.

I love this analogy!!! I love being in close football games and having to strain with every ounce of strength and will to get the job done! That excites me! A couple of things about this tied game here in the last days.

In a close game, every action and every play is dependent on everyone. Sure there is one person who looks like the hero, but they would never have been able to do this without the supporting cast around them busting their humps to get the work done. If I fail at my job, we lose the game.

What pressure! What excitement! What an opportunity!

There is always the one or two people who in close games wanted the ball and knew that they would make the shot to win the game. Michael Jordan was one of them and he did, he would always get teh ball in the last seconds and make the shot! I want to be the person who is entrusted to win the game at the last shot.

I remember during my internship last summer, we did a GoCamp (10 days of pure fun/exhaustion/Holy Spirit/greatness). One of the things we did was host a basketball tournament at the Taholah Indian reservation. My team made it to the championship round, it was tough, but we made it!!! It was kinda funny sometimes, I was the big 6' 2" guy and I was playing with 2 ladies. Both ladies are really good ballers, so I would pass them the ball and let them beat these guys. We ge to the championship game and we are tied at the end of the time period. We go to overtime and the way we were playing was the next point would win. We got the ball first, missed our shot so they got the ball. We made a defensive stop and got the ball back. I wanted the ball. I got position on my defender, they passed me the ball and I hit a NBA worthy turn around jump shot from the baseline that caught nothing but net. WE WON!!! I was so excited I jumped and screamed, it was honestly one of the most exciting moments in my athletic career.

We are in that tied game right now here on campus especially, but also in te entire city/world! We need to rise up and "play" like we are capable of. In the tied game analogy, we are the million dollar athletes that they have on the team for moments just as this.

John 12:27-28 "Now My soul has become troubled; and what shall I say, 'Father, save me from this hour'? But for this purpose I came to this hour. Father, glorify Your name."

We have been placed on this campus and in our city/world/work/wherever else for this exact time and this exact hour. He specifically went out of His way t recruit us for this cause, knowing that no one else could do the job.

I love this, I love the feeling after a hard fought battle on the football field of coming off and knowing I left everything out there. I love knowing that my opponent got the very best of my effort, I could not have played any harder. I think that is the attitude I need in my faith. I need to get to heaveen completely exhausted and so ready for an eternal rest because I gave my everything to Christ and all that He gave me, I left it all here on this field!