me and ivonnah had a bet during the NBA Finals game. she was rootin’ for the celtics and i was rootin’ for the lakers. whoever won the bet would be able to write a guest blog post on the “loser’s” blog. we ALL know what happened last week.
so here i am.
hello. i am patricia. and i am a laker fan. i love food. coffee. people. prayer. i’m a single mother. i love Jesus. and i am determined to change the world. that about sums me up. if you wanna know more you can read about my wonderful life at my blog www.ricianne.com or follow me on twitter http://twitter.com/pa3cia
anywhoo, i decided that it would be apropos to write something about basketball since this was what the bet was all about. so here is my take on “life lessons from the NBA: what the church can learn from the lakers/celtics finals.”
1. HISTORY CAN BE CHANGED. [isaiah 66:8]
these 2 teams have met 12 times in the NBA finals and the celtics have won 9 times against the lakers. history and stats showed favor towards the Celtics winning this series. after the embarrassing loss in 08… the lakers were called “weak and soft”. it took this team being humiliated for them to work hard & grow in their “weakness”, as well as grow in their strength. and with determination, they were able to change stats and history.
the church has been called “useless” in this day and age. in fact, christians are mostly humiliated in media coverages, calling our stand for purity and life “weak and soft.” our teachings have been irrelevant and our lifestyles are a joke because, instead of being an example, we have become hypocritical, hypercritical, and judgmental. we need to study how and where and what we’ve been doing wrong and right as a body of Christ and see to it that we implement the changes that are needed to be made in order for us to win our family/friends/school/workplace/city/nation back for God.
3. BUILD A GREAT TEAM AROUND YOU. [ecclesiastes 4:12, mark 6:7; acts 2:1]
because you weren’t made to shine alone. you need a coach to help you become a better you. you need a gasol and a fast rondo. you need vets like garnet and fish who’s been there longer than you have and know how the game is played. you need a drooling big baby, a little nate and a flying shannon. and ofcourse do not discount the “weird” people in your life – ones like ron artest, the ones who we love to hate but grow to love.
to make it in this world, we need to build a team of christians around us who can help us live out this life victoriously. even Jesus invested His time and His life to His 12 big men and a few crazy women and with that team… they were able to change the world.
5. FOCUS AND BE DETERMINED. [hebrews 12:1b; james 1:4]
this video says it all http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x2B-NSNn3IY&feature=fvst. you can have haters hate and talkers talk. but if you keep your head in the game (or in the destiny that God has called you to do) and stay on your mission, nothing will be able to stop you.
6. SUPPORT OTHERS AND STAY LOYAL. [ephesians 4:16, hebrews 12:1a]
jack nicholson. an award winning actor. he doesn’t really need to be on the court side cheering young kids on. but he does, and he has been for the past 20 years. he is NO bandwagon fan. his presence is so felt during the games that he’s even quicker to defend the players than the coach does. his loyalty to this team has paid off as he has become a laker/forum/staples icon that his nickname is “coach nicholson”. (it’s been said that he donates his own money for parades to happen.)
are you that loyal to your church family, friends, and the team that God has given you? do you stick with them through good times and bad? and if you’re one to have “arrived”…. do you stay complacent or do you still get involved and cheer the next generation on? this is a challenge to become like jack. make a mark in history by staying loyal to God and your team. do what needs to be done by sowing your life [money, resources, time, encouragement] to help the next generation reach their fullest potential so that they can be winners as well.
that my friends, is the top 6 lessons i learned from watching the NBA finals.
my finals thoughts on this: they need to bring the NBA short shorts back to make basketball more entertaining 😉
have a great week!
Vonnah Blog? 
