Give Me The Ball

This Is Our Time!

Last Sunday, we ended the service saying, “Give Me The Ball.” The message began as I interviewed a local coach, Corey Pannell. We talked about several things but the last question set the course for the rest of the service. I asked Corey, “Have you ever known a player who had no fear of taking the last shot?” Many people would feel too much pressure. If you miss, your team loses and all the blame is on you. It is easy to let fear paralyze us. Corey’s answer was great. He said, “I am that guy. I want the ball when it counts and the kids I coach end up being the same way. You see, confidence is contagious.”

I preached on the reality of the danger we currently find ourselves in. As humans, we are extremely vulnerable. But then I showed how God does not need us to be invincible. God is able to step into our weakness and make us strong. This is not a denial of our vulnerability, but the understanding that God’s power is made perfect in our weakness. Maybe the current realization of our weakness, that has been brought to us by COVID-19, could open doors for God’s strength to be on display. I spoke of the fear and anxiety that we all currently feel, but I challenged everyone to see this fear in the same light as the fear of taking a game-winning shot. I challenged our church to not freeze up or pass the ball to someone else, but to stand in faith and boldly declare, “Give Me The Ball.”

This week I can’t help but feel like God heard our prayer. On Tuesday morning, Sammie came up with the idea of doing a…