Basketball’s creator James Naismith
In preparing for our Salt & Light series which starts this Sunday, I’ve been reviewing the different places in my life where I can season and illuminate my world. It’s pretty simple:
- In order to season like salt, we have to get out of the saltshaker.
- In order to shine like light, we have to uncover our brightness.
- And we have to be around people who need seasoning and illumination.
One of my favorite workout activities is playing basketball, so I absolutely loved reading a story about why James Naismith created this fun sport.
You can read the full article from the Wall Street Journal here, but this passage especially jumped out at me:
Convinced that he could better exemplify the Christian life through sports than in the pulpit, he moved to Springfield, Mass., to serve as a physical-education instructor at the Young Men’s Christian Association’s International Training School for Christian Workers (now Springfield College). Naismith’s vision? “To win men for the Master through the gym.”
To win men for the Master through the gym.
What if we looked at every activity in our lives like that?
- To win people for the Master through playing on the football team.
- To win people for the Master through being a valuable employee.
- To win people for the Master through getting involved with the PTA.
- To win people for the Master through developing a friendly relationship with my neighbors.
- To win people for the Master through becoming a model student.
Finish the sentence for your life…
I can win people for the Master through _________________________.
Let us all work on finding innovative ways to win people for the Master!
Craig T. Owens 