There has to be a winner and a loser. Really?

I don't remember the analogy he was making, but the other day I heard someone say something to the effect of, "Think about sports, if two teams play there has to be a winner and a loser." I'm sure you have heard people say things like that many times.

Has it ever dawned on you that there only has to be a winner and a loser if you keep score? I know it  is hard to believe, but it is possible to play just for fun, and not keep up with who wins and who loses.

"O, you pansy!" you will say. "Life is tough and we have to learn to be competitive." Well, there are venues in life where competition is unavoidable. But we have created far too many of them than there really need to be. What if we were more frequently cooperative than competitive? What if we made life more about helping others than defeating others?

I'm not presenting new ideas. They just don't get kicked around much in our sports crazed culture. Check out the new games foundations for some more thoughts.

Last week's Bounce trip

David and Rhonda have been faithful Christians and served their church for decades. Now David has stage 4 cancer and their spare money is going towards medical expenses. Bouncers repaired their fence so they could save some money. North Central Baptist Church is a multi-ethnic congregation that has been in its current location for almost 70 years. Harvey did some damage to their building, but they are getting it back in order a little at a time. They depend on volunteer labor and Bouncers painted five rooms for them saving them a good bit of time and making their building more enjoyable. Iglesia Bautista Tierra Prometida is a hispanic congregation whose food pantry was flooded by Harvey. They are working little by little to get it cleaned out. Bouncers helped carry out trash, tear out old flooring, and repaint the entire interior. Mr. Skipper, a Navy veteran also sustained home damage from Harvey. He too has to make repairs a little at a time and money allow. Bouncers painted his home and  put a new roof on.

That is not all the good things that happened at Bounce. Some students walked neighborhoods praying for residents that they met. Others made more repairs. People from different churches and Christian agencies of all colors worked together to help one another. Black, white, and brown worked side by side to accomplish more than any individual could do alone. And here's the beauty of it all. This whole thing was a response to what Jesus has done for us!

If you prayed for us, gave money, sent your child, or supported Bounce in any other way you had a part in what God was doing in Houston last week. Thank you!

Here's a bit more.