Volleyball and Friends

Yesterday I was reminded again how much sand, sun and friends go so well together.  The Buck Snort in Neola held a sand volleyball tournament to benefit Jason and Kaylee.  Tracy organized two teams of our friends to play and after church we headed over for some good old fashioned embarrassment.  There ended up being 12 teams and to put it nicely I believe we raised the average age a little bit...yeah just a little bit.  Never mind the fact most of us haven't played competitive volleyball for a few years...if ever.  Oh well, none of that mattered because we weren't there to win; we were there to help raise some money for the Schneckloth's and to have some fun with friends.  I would say the afternoon was a success because I'm not judging success on wins and losses.  No one pulled a hammy or tore an Achilles's, and it was a fun afternoon with friends with some beautiful weather.
Sometimes I'm amazed at the way God works in my life.  I'm amazed that Tracy still agreed to go on that first date with me after the "coach" comment during one of our league volleyball games so many years ago.  I'm amazed at the church family, friends, school and community that God has lead us to and I could continue with the list but you'll get bored.  I was amazed by God yesterday, and reminded how blessed my family is by our friends, because of how my sermon about prayer and relationship tied into the afternoon of fun and frivolity with friends.  Relationships are important...obviously.  The relationship with your significant other, your family, your friends, your coworkers, your neighbors and maybe most importantly your God.  Relationships are what sustain you through the bad times and carry you through the wave of good times, and if we neglect those relationships then they won't be as strong when we truly need them.
My sermon on Sunday was on a familiar topic...prayer.  We looked at the 17th chapter of John and Jesus' prayer for his disciples and us.  I talked about the power of knowing that Jesus, or savior and creator of the universe, prays for us and intercedes for us on our behalf before God.  Just stop and think about that...Jesus prayed for and is praying for you, yes you.  How does that knowledge change how we view ourselves or how we pray ourselves?  Prayer is one of the primary ways we can strengthen our relationship with God.  Prayer isn't all about bringing our list to God and hoping God fulfills our wishes.  Prayer is mostly about tuning our minds, hearts, and souls to God's will and strengthening our relationship with God so our faith grows and we know the mind of God better.  Just like our earthly relationships need work and time with the other to grow our relationship with God needs the same tender loving care.  The big difference is that unlike earthly relationships God's love and care and forgiveness never wavers or falters.  Have you prayed today?  Have you given some effort towards a relationship that needs work in your life?