Everyone a Ref

Have you ever had an obsession?  Ever put so much time and energy into something, absorbed in a world of discovery and forced importance, completely disregarding how pointless it is?  Well, if you've known me since I was little, you may know about my past obsession with basketball cards.  I loved buying, collecting, organizing, dealing, sorting, resorting, resorting again.  For some reason, it fascinated me.  Now 23, I'm starting to wish I had those dollars back, that time back.  I did learn alot about basketball, players, statistics, and organizing from it, but it consumed me.  The cards are gone (I should say, the importance of the cards is gone.  My parents would be quick to point out the space they are still taking up in their closet), but my love for basketball still remains.  Here in Jacksonville, I try to play when I can, when I'm not busy.  I enjoy every game, even when we lose.  Every game is different.  Different teams, different players, different game scenarios, people might be having a good or bad day, people may be tired or pumped up.  Each game like a snowflake.  Well, being in Florida, I'll say each game is like a seashell (I think they are all different?).

Street ball in Brentwood vs. Organized Basketball leagues that I'm used to:
Street ball:                                                                                   Organized:
    -on concrete                                                                               -hardwood
    -no refs                                                                                       -refs
    -call your own fouls                                                                 -refs call fouls
    -no coach, no organized plays                                               -coaches call plays
    -persuasion is sometimes a necessary skill                         -refs call is final
    -the ball that is used is usually old and rough                   -indoor ball smooth and fully pumped up
    -mental scoreboard                                                                 -physical scoreboard
    -hot!!                                                                                         -fans or AC
    -audience made up of players waiting to play next           -audience made up of spectators (family)
    -games to 16 baskets                                                              -highest score wins
    -we play for hours                                                                  -we played for 32-40 minutes
    -no water                                                                                 -water bottles or water boys

It's a little different here.  With no drawn up plays, a well-executed play consists of improvisation, the unknown, adrenaline, muscle, and trickery.  With no ref or scoreboard, responsibility is given (more like taken) by those with the skill of persuasion and loud voices (not me).  In every close game I've ever played in here, tensions begin to rise, arguing ensues, defense gets tighter, smack-talk elevates.  "it's tie game."  "No, we up one!"  "No!  We just tied it up with that layup!"  "No!!  You missed that shot bro!!"  After a couple minutes of this, we finally continue with playing.  For a guy who just wants to play and doesn't put too much importance in winning, I get easily frustrated with these frequent blow-ups.

I'm guessing that everyone on the court has an opinion, including me, about plays that could go either way.  Calls, missed calls, what's a foul, what's not a foul, what's traveling, what's a carry.  All these things that refs normally deal with, we have to deal with.  People argue loudest for an opinion that benefits his team, his side.  Even if in his mind he knows he's wrong, he might have the voice and persuasive ability to sway the outcome of the play.  The more skilled the player, the more say they seem to have.  How strange would it be for a player to say loudly to his teammates, "The ball touched you last," or "I traveled and it's the other team's ball."?  Who argues for someone else's benefit?  That's weird.  I think many people, even Christians are the same way, myself included.  I admit, sometimes I will hear a preacher speak some biblical truth and I might think of some other people who need it.  I think of other people's faults before my own.  I'm no better.  Matthew 7:3 comes to mind, "Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?"  Everyone has a human need to be accepted, to be loved.  When I focus on someone's faults, weaknesses, "bad parts", how can I love them, accept them, or even forgive them?  Recognizing that I deserve death and that I am imperfect (Romans 3:23, if you don't know it, check it out) is the first step in reconciling differences or even beginning a relationship with a stranger.  I hope next time I play, I don't hold it against somebody who wastes time arguing and think I'm somehow better.  They need Jesus too.

I'm reading a book by Miles J. Stanford called "The Green Letters."  I just finished a chapter about acceptance and how God accepts us because of Christ rather than us working to gain acceptance from God.  I have been blessed so far with being accepted on the basketball courts.  Being the only white guy there is hard sometimes, like I'm an animal in a zoo to stare at.  People I've never met have asked me, "You stay (live) around here?"  In other words, "It is very strange to see a person of your skin-color partaking in a basketball game in a very dangerous neighborhood like this one."  It was exciting for me this past week to see some guys I met last time I was here.  O'Shea, Cory, Boodai, and Bop remember me from a year ago.  I'm lucky to get picked up (chosen to play) by them and it's fun to play in a different basketball atmosphere than the one I grew up in.  I enjoy playing and I enjoy the chances I get to dive into some of their lives.  Please pray for my safety walking to and from the courts, especially at night which is when we normally play and for there to be no harmful altercations over pointless pride and agressive arguing.

Last week, I promised I would start introducing you to the kiddos at the after-school program.  First is second grader, Challah (shuh - LAH).  She is the little sister of O'Shea and if you happen to have heard or remember me mentioning Keyo from my first internship (girl with leadership skills, counted off an awesome drumline), Keyo is Challah's older sister.  Challah is adorable but sometimes doesn't know when to stop talking.  She loves to play jump rope but wants to be included with some of the boys games too (soccer, football).  I had the privelege of getting to read with her two days last week.  She doesn't read good, sorry, goodly, so we read 1st grade books.  Yesterday she started sounding out words and got excited when she could do it herself.  Typically in the Duval County school systems, kids excel at math, but do terrible in reading.  During academic time, she will pretend to be a teacher and pretend to ask us what the answers are (especially for questions she doesn't know, or words she can't read).  clever girl.  She is normally very well-behaved and has a smile and laugh that will get you every time (and she knows it).  She might have the best hand-writing out of all ten students, including the older ones, she just needs help with spelling.  I found a picture of us a year ago at the Summer Day Camp.

(Challah picking up her memory verse craft)

Please pray:
-that we could help Challah learn how to read the English language (which has many dumb rules, like the silent "b" on the end of dumb).
-that we as a ministry are disciplined to demonstrate the love of Christ through our actions
-that how well my first Bible lesson goes on Monday is not defined by my feelings or effort but by God opening the kids' minds and hearts to understand (hope that sentence made sense).

And finally, if you made it all the way down here, I think I should send you a candy prize because these blogs don't seem to be getting any more concise.  For Him,

Andrew