What crown are you training for?

1 Corinthians 9:25
Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.


When we compete to win a trophy, we train as hard as we can to try and achieve that goal. This verse was our team verse my senior year of basketball. Whenever we had a pep rally we would tell everyone, what our team verse was. We wanted to make sure that people knew, yes we wanted to win, and have been training hard to win, but we also wanted them to know that our main focus was to go out there on the court and be a witness to whoever we played against. To the team, and to the crowd. Dave Stubbs would lead us in Spiritual training every wednesday, we would talk about attitude, perseverance, and team unity. If we came out and acted like a team, supported each other, and had good attitudes, we would be accomplishing many more things than just winning a game. We would be witnessing to other teams and fans, and we would be pleasing our Lord. We did just that throughout the entire season. We had our rough patches in practice and off the court, but when we were on that court we acted like a team should, and played together, and encouraged each other. We were doing our job as disciples of Christ, and helping witness to others. 


We decided as a team very early on that we wanted to be witnesses on the court, that was the path we chose. The place it took us to was the state tournament with an unbeaten record, where we could be witnesses to an even larger crowd.


Paths lead to places.

First 18

I grew up in a christian school, so in the first 18 years of my life i got asked what my favorite bible verse was probably a hundred times. i remember changing the verse each time, whether it be for 8th grade promotion, yearbook, or class verse. i definitely got a reality check my senior year when i got asked the same question again. thinking it wasn't a big deal like every other verse hadn't been i picked 1 Kings 4:29 "God gave Solomon wisdom and very great insight, and a breadth of understanding as measureless as the sand on the seashore." i never saw that verse pop up again my entire senior year until, the graduation ceremony. I was trying to be funny like i always try to do, but little did i know that that verse was going to go up as my life verse as i walked across that stage. Sure everyone laughed, but when i got home i just thought to myself, "when people look back at me i don't want them to think about how i made a joke out of my life verse.". So i decided then and there that i should pick a life verse and stick with it. I choose this particular verse because my senior year spring break was spent at home, in my room, grounded. My dad made me memorize this verse in my "free time".  Hebrews 12:11 -

"No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it."

 Being grounded over spring break as you can imagine wasn't pleasant, but the choice that i made had a consequence, the path that i took, lead to a place.

-Every decision that you make is a path, and PATHS LEAD TO PLACES.