I was listening to a youth ministry podcast that was supposed to talk about the clash between youth groups and youth sports. The two typically compete for students’ time and youth groups usually lose. I was hoping for some insight, to hear something I hadn’t thought of that would help me navigate a very real problem in youth ministry. It was the most disappointing podcast I’ve ever heard. The podcasters told me to remember the pressure coaches are under and to be more sympathetic to their situation and
Simone Biles showed us what “later” looks like. At a time and place she didn’t choose, her mental and emotional health demanded she stop what she was doing and focus on it. What drove her to it was the effect her interior life had on her athletic performance. Most of my social media world supports Simone’s decision – and I do, too. I think there are a lot of people out there who know exactly what Simone is going through, because they’ve been there. We’re giving another look to Kerri Strug’s famous vaul
The NPR headline read, “Simone Biles Now Realizes She’s More Than Her Gymnastics Accomplishments.” Four weeks earlier, I preached that exact message to a group of 9-12th graders at a church summer camp. I told them God loves you regardless of how well you do in a sport or a performance. Any competent youth leader could have – and would have – told Simone Biles that years ago, if her training schedule allowed some church time. I spend a lot of time telling teenagers there are more important things than m