Every Tuesdays and Fridays, portable basketball hoops are rolled out to a closed street at the corner of Truslow and Lawrence in the Maple District of Fullerton. About 15-25 kids, young adults, and volunteers come out to play ball. It may look like chaos on the streets, often playing eight-on-eight games with many uncalled fouls, turnovers galore, and much unintentional “crab walks.” However there is beauty in this chaos. This is what real community looks like when people come together to share in on the fun of life and sports.
Third Culture is a term often used at Newsong
Church for having the mindset and the will to love, learn, and serve people in any culture unlike our own. Like delicious food or good music, basket
ball is a universal activity, which can be enjoyed by people of all ages, cultures, races, and socioeconomic status. Finding the common interest in basketball, athletes, and the Lakers is just the bridge in build
ing a relationship outside the courts. Image what greater things can come out of this.
SOLFUL has been a great opportunity to serve and just love God’s people. It’s been a joy coming out here for the past four weeks and seeing the kids have so much fun. I can really see the improvement in their basketball skills. What’s more important, beyond the basketball, it’s all about the relationships that have been built. The respect we have for each other, and sharing the common passion for the sport of basketball. The late Coach John Wooden once said, “I always tried to make clear that basketball is not the ultimate. It is of small importance in comparison to the total life we live. There is only one kind of life that truly wins, and that is the one that places faith in the hands of the Savior. Until that is done, we are on an aimless course that runs in circles and goes nowhere.”
yay!
ReplyDeleteGreat piece!
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