I love coming up with catch phrases that take off and spread like wildfire. I also enjoy theologically contemplating them to make sure they are sound. lol Here is one I came up with the other day.
There is no middle. If you aren't actively fighting for one team you are passively benching it on the other team.
Or something like that. I posted it on the web and immediately was uncomfortable with it. That phrase was up less than 24 hours when I erased it. It took me a whole week to figure out why I feel like it sounded so off.
In the internship program I was a part of last year there was a class called Physical Alignment in which EVERYONE played a chosen sport(mostly soccer) for two hours once a week. When entering this program this is the one class that terrified me because it would be the first time since emergency back surgery that I would be active again. Not to mention I hate running.
I got to the internship and my fear was brilliantly heightened as I learned that our sport would be soccer and I would be running and playing alongside 3 people who played the sport on a regular basis, with one being a paid soccer player!
But then something began to happen. Every game there was one guy who would run alongside me and help me out, challenge me on my level, and encourage me. I scored goals, ran the field, and actually began to "play" soccer.
I am by no means an amazing soccer player and will most likely never play on a team for a league, but the game no longer intimidates me and I love encouraging others who are intimidated by the sport to join our game.
This is the problem I found with the above catch phrase. Having been an active player I noticed it is easy to see who is benching it. But having been one who has benched it I felt like I was an observer, someone sitting in the crowd watching the game.
Until . . .
Someone invited me to play. And when he invited me he didn't run off and leave me alone to fend for myself. He ran alongside me, helped me out, and encouraged me on my level.
For far too long in my faith my mindset has been one of a active player who can see the passive players sitting on the bench. Rather than inviting them into a game they don't think they can play, I have judged them. Which I am sure has caused many to remain on the sidelines thinking they were a part of the crowd watching a game they never thought they could play.
I am making a decision to be like the guy in my internship who laid down his pride and skill to lovingly push me into a sport I didn't think I could play.
Being an active player in my faith I am determined to lovingly encourage the side-liners and benched players. My faith is exciting, adventurous, and far more fascinating than most make it out to be. I am determined to live it to it's fullest and lovingly promote it to others in such a way that is inviting, not intimidating; challenging, not impossible; and mystical, not boring.
This is why I can't use that catch phrase, because I was once the passive benched player who hadn't been invited to play the game.
There is no middle. If you aren't actively fighting for one team you are passively benching it on the other team.
Or something like that. I posted it on the web and immediately was uncomfortable with it. That phrase was up less than 24 hours when I erased it. It took me a whole week to figure out why I feel like it sounded so off.
In the internship program I was a part of last year there was a class called Physical Alignment in which EVERYONE played a chosen sport(mostly soccer) for two hours once a week. When entering this program this is the one class that terrified me because it would be the first time since emergency back surgery that I would be active again. Not to mention I hate running.
I got to the internship and my fear was brilliantly heightened as I learned that our sport would be soccer and I would be running and playing alongside 3 people who played the sport on a regular basis, with one being a paid soccer player!
But then something began to happen. Every game there was one guy who would run alongside me and help me out, challenge me on my level, and encourage me. I scored goals, ran the field, and actually began to "play" soccer.
I am by no means an amazing soccer player and will most likely never play on a team for a league, but the game no longer intimidates me and I love encouraging others who are intimidated by the sport to join our game.
This is the problem I found with the above catch phrase. Having been an active player I noticed it is easy to see who is benching it. But having been one who has benched it I felt like I was an observer, someone sitting in the crowd watching the game.
Until . . .
Someone invited me to play. And when he invited me he didn't run off and leave me alone to fend for myself. He ran alongside me, helped me out, and encouraged me on my level.
For far too long in my faith my mindset has been one of a active player who can see the passive players sitting on the bench. Rather than inviting them into a game they don't think they can play, I have judged them. Which I am sure has caused many to remain on the sidelines thinking they were a part of the crowd watching a game they never thought they could play.
I am making a decision to be like the guy in my internship who laid down his pride and skill to lovingly push me into a sport I didn't think I could play.
Being an active player in my faith I am determined to lovingly encourage the side-liners and benched players. My faith is exciting, adventurous, and far more fascinating than most make it out to be. I am determined to live it to it's fullest and lovingly promote it to others in such a way that is inviting, not intimidating; challenging, not impossible; and mystical, not boring.
This is why I can't use that catch phrase, because I was once the passive benched player who hadn't been invited to play the game.
