Lessons from the Half Court

In Colossians 1, we can see a passage of Scripture about making Christ known, to make Him famous, if you will:
27 To them [us] God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. 28 Him we preach, warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus. 29 To this end I also labor, striving according to His working which works in me mightily.   Here, the apostle Paul acknowledges that the Spirit of God is working in him mightily, and I believe that there was tangible evidence of the risen Christ being expressed through him.   Within our hearts, the presence of Jesus lives, and as He fills us, I believe there will be an overflow that will touch others - as His life is our life, then from inside our hearts to the world around us, we bring honor to His name and we make Him known.   He brings hope to the world, and He does it as His people demonstrate obedience to Him and radiate His character.The Bible speaks to allowing the presence of the indwelling Christ to completely permeate our lives as we live in His Lordship.  Here's what Colossians 3 says:15 And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful.

16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.
17 And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.

In Colossians 1, the apostle Paul uses the phrase, "Christ in you, the hope of glory", and he instructs us how that is to work in our lives - His power and presence are to work in us mightily.   If Christ is in control, that will make a tangible difference in our lives and will determine the course of our decisions and the trajectory of our lives - and others will see His character through us, with the hope that people will be drawn to Him - Jesus said that if He is lifted up, He will draw people to Himself.   He is lifted up through our obedience, allowing His nature to be expressed through us.

John the Baptist gave a very powerful statement in a discussion found in the book of John chapter 3:30 He must increase, but I must decrease.
31 He who comes from above is above all; he who is of the earth is earthly and speaks of the earth. He who comes from heaven is above all.

This past few days have constituted a time period marked by some rather stunning half-court shots...

The University of Alabama men's basketball team, which was described by one ESPN columnist as being "totally nondescript".   Well, perhaps Trevor Releford lifted the Crimson Tide out of the doldrums on Saturday during the final seconds of its home game against Georgia.   USA Today described it like this:

With the score tied and the ball in Georgia's possession in the game's final seconds, Alabama's Rodney Cooper recovered a loose ball and hit Releford for an outlet pass. Releford then launched a prayer from beyond mid-court as the final horn sounded.

His shot found the bottom of the net, and Alabama won 61-58. Just like Alabama scripted it.

Is it interesting that the phrase "launched a prayer" was used?   I guess when you're dealing with something that could be described as unlikely or even miraculous, you can place that religious language on it. 

Well, a high school teacher in Oklahoma made a half-court shot recently, and he does attribute it to God.   His name is Heath Kuhafi, who was given a pair of tickets to "couple's night" at an Oklahoma City Thunder game.   He and his wife were selected to compete on the court in shooting free throws against another couple.   The Kuhafis won, giving Heath the chance to make a shot from half-court to win $20,000, and the event has enabled the family to share about their own unique story.  You see, Heath's wife, Jenni, has a rare form of abdominal cancer.

The Christian Post reports that:

Kufahl said this experience has increased his and his family's faith in God, because he achieved one of his dreams, but only with Jenni's help, and God, who is using this event to give them an opportunity to share their testimony with others.

"One of the best things that anyone has said to me is: 'It felt like there was an angel guiding that ball into the rim,'" said Kufahl, who coaches girls' volleyball and boys' basketball teams at Christian Heritage Academy in Del City, Okla.

"The story is about my wife, and the journey that God has us on," he said. "Because God had a bigger purpose and platform for us: either to share our adversity, the diagnosis with cancer or God's blessing."

Heath definitely has the right perspective - he has acknowledged the blessing of God, and he is turning this brief season of notoriety into a chance to make Christ famous.   And, that's a lesson for all of us - to turn those moments where we may be getting attention into moments to shift the spotlight to the giver of all good gifts, so that the glory will go to Jesus and not ourselves.

And, we miss opportunities to glorify God when we don't follow His ways.  That's a lesson we can gain from another half-court shot that was made recently.

According to Yahoo! Sports, before the Missouri Valley Conference title game, Alex Permann had a chance to sink a half-court shot and win $50,000.  Actually, he had to make a layup, free throw, 3-pointer and half-court heave - in order - in less than 24 seconds to win.  Permann hit the layup on his first try and the free throw on his second, then headed straight to the mid-court line even though both the PA announcer and fans in the crowd were shouting at him not to forget the 3-pointer. 

Reached by phone after the game, Permann said he was trying to focus on the shots and he wasn't paying attention to those who were screaming at him. He thought he won the $50,000 when his half-court shot fell, but he realized his mistake when he saw people on the court pointing at the 3-point line and the basketball.   So, by not following the rules, he lost the grand prize, but got a nifty consolation including tickets for life to the conference tournament.

I don't want to sound formulaic here, but there is a reliable principle that says if you do things right and play by the rules, then you will see good things happen.  Now, we know that sometimes bad things happen to people that do everything right, and for the Christian, what seems good to us may not be God's best.   But, there is a principle of sowing and reaping, as Jesus outlined in the parable of the sower...if we are sowing to the Spirit and seeking to walk according to God's Word, then can can be confident that He will produce fruit to His glory.   If we don't do things His way, there may be consequences for our errant actions.  We can be motivated by a desire to please Him, to seek His glory, so that through our lives, we might communicate our story of God's faithfulness.