Perspective

One of the things that we've talked about this season is that having faith, taking the next step, often requires both passion and perspective.

We tend to be really good at the passion. We tend to care.

We tend to lack perspective. We tend to get too involved in the moment rather than keep a growth perspective.

Here's something to help us keep perspective on how we're doing this season.

These are the current district rankings. Notice, we've only lost 4 matches this season - and 3 of those teams are ranked currently. Also, three of our losses were 3-2. We had chances to win those matches. The other match, even though we lost 5-0, we had four matches lost in close third sets, 3 of which we were within a game of victory.

This is simply to provide some encouragement. We've been competing with some excellent programs, and we've been keeping it close. Let's keep growing throughout the year.

Thoughts

“Forget the former things;
do not dwell on the past.

See, I am doing a new thing!
Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?

I am making a way in the wilderness
and streams in the wasteland.

The wild animals honor me,
the jackals and the owls,

because I provide water in the wilderness
and streams in the wasteland,

to give drink to my people, my chosen,
the people I formed for myself
that they may proclaim my praise."

Isaiah 43:18-21

Tonight I was telling my tennis team about the beauty of tennis being that there are so many places to simply start again. Each point, each game, each set... it’s an opportunity to start fresh. Sure, there’s a little something lost. But if you can win more points than the opponent going forward, you will win the match.

That’s so much like life. There are so many places to start new. To start fresh. Every year, people make resolutions. Every day, people start new habits. Every minute, we make new choices. Every breath, we speak or think something new.

The hope comes with what we do with the next breath. And so, I have to face my failures, the way that tennis season often makes me become selfish and gluttonous. I get stressed, eat way too much food by myself, ignore my household chores and school duties. I get wrapped up in praying for what I want (for tennis, in a home, in my next meal) and figure out how I can manipulate situations to get that.

But...

I will start tonight by not eating ice cream and being gluttonous. Seems small, but I can do that with my next breath. I will pray for others, including each one of my team. I can do that in my next breaths as well.

And tomorrow the sun will rise, and I will too. Not only in hope but also in praise.

All praises to the One who made it all and finds it beautiful...

Thoughts

I really don't have much to say today, except that I wish everyone could come and play lots of tennis all at the same time. I haven't seen Ike play since he got back from Paraguay; Andrew, Himal, and Ryan just went to Paraguay; and I'm tired of seeing Abe play every day. Actually, no that's not true. I love playing with Abe. Let's just say we've been working on hitting the ball hard.

I do want to let everyone know that our courts got the cracks filled today, so we have to stay off of them for one week. That means if we want to hit at our normal times, we'll go to the college to do that.

I continually get more excited for next year. Tuesday Tennis last week was probably the funnest thing of my summer so far...

Looking forward to seeing people again soon, enjoy summer, enjoy tennis!

Friday's Thoughts: What's Important?

My mind often wanders throughout the week. Stresses of my job, devotion to Christ, concern for my family, times of relaxation, moments of joy. What I'm trying to say is that I don't know what to write about today. I've got too much stuff on my mind.

And yet...

We still make time for what is important. No matter how badly today goes, no matter how mad the Cardinal bus lady gets when I try to cancel our contract, no matter what my 7th and 8th graders say about their assignments, some things will routinely happen within my day. I will put my son to bed tonight with a Bible story, prayer, and kiss. I will read a poem, a chapter of the Bible and get in bed when my wife does. I will try to get anybody and everybody to play tennis after school (although the rain might prevent that from happening today). Don't these things that are routine, despite the craziness, don't they define who we really are and what is really important?

Friday's Thoughts: Alumni Update

A point of pride for me, in assessing the Bethany Christian tennis program's legacy, is the number of players that we have had go on to play collegiate tennis at some level. In the 2009-2010 school year, here are the numbers of players that have played:

NCAA Division III:
Luke Hostetter - Messiah College - #2S & #1D
Johnny Kauffman - Earlham College - #3S-#4S & #3D
Jonny Shenk - Eastern University - #6S & #3D

NAIA:
Joel King - Goshen College - #2S & #1D
Daniel Buschert - Goshen College - #6S & #3D
Jordan Kauffman - Goshen College - JV and some varsity
Michael Steury - Goshen College - JV and some varsity
Matthew Amstutz - Goshen College - JV and some varsity

That's an impressive list, and I expect it to grow. From this year's team, Mikey, Seth and Ben have all received some level of recruiting interest from colleges, with Seth and Ben still having their senior seasons to compete here at Bethany.

So how are our players doing at college?

Our 2005 team members finished out their college careers this fall. Joel King, playing a range of positions, from #4 singles to #2 singles, wrapped up his collegiate playing days with a record of 30-23. In doubles, he reversed that at 23-30. Several times he made dramatic runs in the Mid-Central Conference tournament, taking the higher seeds into long matches and pulling some upsets, but he never ended up with a Conference crown. Michael Steury played two years at Hesston and two at Goshen, and I don't have his Hesston records. At Goshen, he played a total of 4 "varsity" matches, going 1-3 in those matches. It's still pretty incredible for someone who picked up tennis as a sophomore in high school to have played at that level!

Jordan Kauffman is the in the only member of our seniors in 2006 to play at college. Currently, his record is 12-26 at all varsity positions, mostly #6 singles and #3 doubles. This spring, I got to watch Jordan and Daniel Buschert play #2 doubles against Bethel. I was proud of the progress that both players have made, and even though they lost, they had more spirit than any others out on the court. That's sounds hokey, but hearing Jordan give a "c'mon!" while others grumbling and complained their way around the court put a smile on my face.

The 2008 class is loaded with collegiate players.

- Daniel Buschert finished up his first season at Goshen 3-14 in singles, but 8-8 in doubles.
- Matthew Amstutz finished up the season 1-1 in singles, and 1-0 in doubles.
- Johnny Kauffman is currently 5-10 in singles, 6-10 in doubles (though he's won 3 straight!)
- Luke Hostetter is currently 6-7 in singles, 10-4 in doubles (undefeated in his conference!)
- Jonny Shenk is currently 6-6 in singles, 4-7 in doubles (he has also won 4 straight singles matches)

I'm looking forward to hearing stories from these returning alumni this summer. I'm hoping to get to play with some of you this summer, see you playing the current Bethany players, and catch up.

That's the update, have a good Fish Fryday!

Friday Thoughts

What I'm Looking Forward To

The 2008 tennis season held lots of good memories and moments. But I'm savoring the upcoming season as well. Here's a top ten of things I'm relishing in the coming season.

10. Michigan league domination?
9. The Warsaw Invitational, because we will play against ranked teams and not be intimidated.
8. Team Camp. Oh, the best days of the season are a coming.
7. Revisiting all of our traditions (Magic Wand, Pizza King, Night Out, Sarasponda, Praying the Lines, Midnight Practice, Team Cheer, etc, etc, etc...)
6. My new system for planning practices. I'm actually excited about this, but it's kind of a nerdy organizational thing.
5. Seeing our leaders mature and lead.
4. Watching Russell play varsity matches and smash all who doubt him.
3. Morning workouts throughout the summer.
2. The win total of whoever ends up at #3 singles.
1. Attempting to defend the Sectional title.

What are you excited about?
What are our departing seniors excited about as they head to college?

Friday Thoughts

Friday Thoughts : Remember

Every now and then I get down on the every day things in my life, students in my classroom, players slacking off on the tennis team, my own regrets, sins and worries, and eventually even faith and God. The whole cycle of life, repetitiveness of each day can get so wearing.

It always helps me, at these times, to remember who God is. To remember that God is defined by taking bad situations and turning them to the good. Or at least as much as our choices will allow God to. It helps me to remember that God is a renewer, bringing new life out of dying situations. That this brings God much joy.

Here is a quote that I absolutely love, that reminds my of the "freshness" of God, God's perpetual youth, and how God never tires from creating beauty and pushing things towards excellence.

"The thing I mean can be seen, for instance, in children. When they find some game or joke that they specially enjoy, a child kicks his legs through excess, not absence of life, because children have abounding vitality because they are in spirit fierce and free. Therefore they want things repeated and unchanged. They always say 'do it again!'...and the grownup person does it again until he is nearly dead. For grownup people are not strong enough to exalt in monotony.

But perhaps God is strong enough to exalt in monotony. It is possible that God says every morning 'do it again!' to the sun, and every evening, 'do it again!' to the moon. It may not be automatic necessity that makes all daisy's alike - it may be that God makes every daisy separately, but has never got tired of making them. It may be that he has the eternal appetite of infancy - for we have sinned and grown old, and our father is younger than we."

from G.K. Chesterton's "Orthodoxy"

May we remember this appetite of God's, and find ourselves renewed within our own monotany. Amen.