"The First 5 minutes"

"The first 5 minutes" is a phrase we like to use in the basketball world. It is used to help illustrate to the players that it is important to come out ready to play from the start of that game and not to wait until its too late. It's sort of a way to set the tone for what we want to do on the court. That phrase has taken on new meaning as of late. I have to be at work pretty early in the morning and I usually get to see my son wake up, but it is only for about 5 minutes. I get to see his "first 5 minutes" everyday. I usually get greeted with a big smile and it makes me feel great. It sets the tone for my day and gets me going on the right foot. I also think that "the first 5 minutes can be a way to greet Christ at the beginning of the day. This way we can see how we will be that day. Are we going to be slow and lethargic or are we going to be ready to face the day with the confidence that Christ gives us through his death and resurrection. With that thought I am going to make my first 5 minutes as a measuring stick for each new day, and with God's help I will not be slow and lethargic very often. I want to be "on top of things" so that I do not miss an opportunity to minister to someone who may need it.

So it begins...

We started practices this week at Rochester College. This may be my most favorite time of the year. Everything is new and exciting, players are fired up to get going and coaches are fired up because players are out of shape. Every pre-season I get the chance to build new relationships with new players, its just a fun time for me. Its sort of like a conversion experience for me each new season. I am excited and on fire at first and then there will come a time when I am not so on fire. There are times when I would just rather not be around the gym and the guys and I just want to hide away for a time. I experience those times in my walk with Christ. There are times that I would just rather hide away from the Lord for a time. It is then that I have to find renewal in His love, and I pray that I find that renewal daily and not experience those times of hiding from the Lord.

My prayer each new basketball season is that the Lord puts in my life a young man who needs to see Christ lived out in the world. That Christ would let the young man/men see that following Him is not a life of rules and things that you can't do, but rather a life of freedom and newness and excitement. And I pray that I can be a great light for Christ, and now with a child to care for that I will be a great example to him.

So it begins...