Team Camp Devotional - Joyful - 2021

 What were your highs and lows of yesterday?

What made the good moments "good?"

What specifically happened that made you feel good about your tennis, the team, or this experience? 

Who was involved in that experience?

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Before we dive into a new word study, let's review the past two. Remember, these are words that your groups came up with on Monday based on our team tennis verse from the letter to the Philippians:

"Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you."

These are also words that we want to inform our character, who we are trying to be as people. The first two words that we've looked at are:

SELF-CONTROLLED: Power that has intention, direction and control.

ENCOURAGE: Words and actions that build up each other and are performed together.

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What idea from the team time has stayed with you most so far?

How are you doing this week with being "directed" or "having an intention" and sticking to it?

How are you doing this week with "building" and "being with" others?

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Story: Almost every summer, for as long as I can remember, my aunt and uncle invite my Miller side of the family to their lake house. On this side of my family are 16 cousins, and when we were young we would splash around like crazy on the shore while the parents sat and talked, played frisbee games, or threw each other off the raft that floated in the deep water. As evening approached, we would all get into a couple of boats, drive to the other side of the lake, and get ready for a family tradition: swimming the lake. 

The swim was just over a half mile swim. We'd go along the shoreline, a couple of boats guarding us from the rest of the traffic on the lake. The point wasn't necessarily to race, but to finish the task - a long, slow swim. And it was gorgeous, with the cool water, slow forward strokes, jokes between cousins and other family. My grandpa even used to swim with us. And when you got done, you'd really accomplished something pretty cool - you'd swam more than a half mile!

As we cousins have gotten older, we've begun to include our own kids in the swim. I am the oldest cousin, so I was also the first to have kids. It's been fun to see Gideon, Judah and Hosea get their starts in swimming the lake. It's been fun to swim with them and help them complete the experience. But it's been even more fun to watch my aunts and uncles and cousins swim up alongside them and encourage them, cheer them as they come up to the shore, give them high fives as they finish the swim.

It is more awesome to watch my kids complete this task than it ever was for me to do it myself. It's like I've passed something on. But I guess I find that to be true of joy often. One of my biggest joys is sharing something new with someone. I love taking people to Cedar Point for the first time and watching them be blown away at the size of the roller coasters. I love watching a middle school student fall in love with tennis during MS season. I love telling people about my favorite TV shows, and then having them come back and tell me that they are watching and enjoying them (Community, right Jacob Leininger?)

There is a joy in partaking in a beautiful thing.  Just swimming slowly into the sunset as it falls across the lake, for example. Or just connecting with a beautiful backhand. But it is a momentary type of joy that leaves me wanting to do it again.

There is a joy in completing a task. Finishing the swim by digging your heals into the sand on the shore. Completing your binge watch of a thrilling Netflix mystery. Or winning a close match in the third set of tennis. But it is a joy that can leave you empty if there is no one to share it with, to talk about it with.

But the fulfillment of joy, the ultimate, is expressing your joy in a way that helps draw others in. Expressing your joy in a way that shares it with others. Expressing your joy in a way that builds memories. Expressing your joy in a way that builds others up. 

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What things have you done or places have you visited that you'd love to share with others?

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The early followers of Jesus were dropped into a debate about what joy really was. To the Greek philosophers of their time period, joy was expressed in self-understanding. Religious expressions of joy for these Greek philosophers were contemplations of what was beautiful and good. Thinking about good qualities of their gods. Maybe even going as far as having a festival to celebrate it.

But to the followers of Jesus, joy was truly experienced in serving a community. You see, they notice that the self-contemplation type of joy was fine - it was just fleeting. As humans, we are always changing, so understanding ourselves is a continual task. It is not sustaining. And festivals, well, they come and go.

Jesus had instructed differently. Jesus had taught that our joy becomes complete as we love one another (John 15). When we love one another, we create lasting relationships. We share our joy, we have intention to our action, we build memories. This type of joy sticks with us. 

If we are going to be a joyful team, it's because we will know that we are part of a group that is out express joy for others. Who is trying to express love for others. A group that wants to share joys and stories and create new ones. A group that wants to serve one another, not just constantly be served. 

And as I look at all of you, I'm super excited to have this group of guys to share and serve with. I'm looking forward to a super joyful year!

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What new understanding about tennis this week could you share right now, so that it might encourage and help others?

What ways have you shared and served that have created joy for you?

How can you continue to share and serve this year (inside the tennis team and in other places)?