I recently had a discussion with a congregational leader who was bemoaning the prevalence of sports in the lives of our church youth.  The leader believed our youth should spend more time in church than on the field.  It’s almost as if we must choose to be a Christian in the confines of an assembly building or not at all.  My response is a close look at the scriptures.  The truth is, Christ intended for his follower to be disciples and spread the gospel everywhere at all times.  A practical Christian will:

1.  Go into the world. To spread the gospel we must go.

2.  Serve as Christ’s ambassador.  Ambassadors serve in foreign lands

3.  Go where our gift influences the most.  Don’t compartmentalize your faith into church and world.

4.  Use every gift from God. What ’s your gift?  Use it to spread the gospel.

Practical Christian application:

1. Rejoice in your Christian birth
2. Fix your eyes on Jesus and strive to steadily grow in him day by day
3. Be zealous, but avoid the emotional highs (peaks) and corresponding lows (valleys)
4. Don’t be embarrassed, but don’t be satisfied about where you are as a Christian,
5. More mature Christians should be patient and gently lead newer Christians to maturity. 

Early in my life I remember a friend of mine who was a recent Christian convert and “on fire” for the Lord.  He was constantly chiding me for not being a more overt Christian.  He was a cheerleader for Christ wearing the right symbols, saying the right words, carrying the right books and confronting others to hold them accountable.  I was crushed a few years later when I saw video evidence of this same person in a one of the most un-Christian like situations.

This memory came back in full force recently while reading Chapter 7 “Emotion is Your Enemy” in the book Wooden on Leadership by the legendary basketball coach John Wooden.  In the opening sentences of this chapter he describes the beautiful peaks and valleys of the Swiss Alps but explained peaks and valley belong in the Alps not in temperament.