A Tennis Missionary remembers

Walk in my shoes.

The others that we meet do not have the same background as ourselves.  Many pro tour tennis players are from the countries such as Russia, Ukraine, Poland, Hungary, Serbia, Croatia, Latvia, Belarus, Slovakia, China, Czech Republic, Thailand, Indonesia, Korea, Japan, India, Morocco, South Africa, Colombia, Brazil, Chile and on and on..).  They are not just people who have a different story but a unique culture, language and family situation. 

There is an old American Indian saying, "Before I judge a man, let me first walk a mile in his moccasins (shoes)."

Many players have come through some very difficult circumstances to get to where they are (the top of the tennis world).  Can you imagine getting to the top any profession with little or no support from others except your parents.  This includes but is not limited to:  Finances - to travel (and yes, they were often hungry), visas (to this day, they have difficulty with traveling and perhaps even have to pay gratuitous money to local officials).  War - national occurrences now or the recent past.  Family -members lost their lives in the wars or because of a lack of health care.  Tennis  - Few tennis courts and equipment that are often not affordable.

What we see today of someone is often not even close to the 'full' story.  Sympathize, be understanding and realize that each person has a story behind that face.  You do not reach the top of anything without great sacrifice.  Be understanding, make suggestions and don't be a critic until you have walked in that persons path.

Jesus said "Follow me“ (Mark 1:17) and He did not say "Be me".  You will then have compassion, be a friend and understand what He did.

This is the last of the series on how to reach others with the Good News. Read each at these links:  1.  Compassion  2.  Friendship  3.  Walk in my shoes.

Daily Verse - March 3, 2008

MONDAY:  A very present help. - Psalm 46:1
There's only one way to overcome your past: learn from it. Let the very thing that others thought would destroy you, develop you into the person God has called you to be.

TUESDAY:  There is an appointed time for everything. - Ecclesiastes 3:1
Time management is not hyperventilating with calendars and stopwatches. It's learning how precious one hour is.

WEDNESDAY:  My (Christ) yoke is easy. - Matthew 11:30
You always have enough time to do all that God wants you to do. If you don't, you're involved in things He never gave you to do. Get rid of them!

THURSDAY:  Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I (God) am doing a new thing! - Isaiah 43:18-19
It's dangerous to assume that you'll keep getting from life only what you've got before. God has wonderful ways of giving back purpose and meaning to our lives when we've lost it.

FRIDAY:  Allow me not to leave you or to return from following after you: for were you go, I will go; and where you live, I will live: your people shall be my people, and your God my God. - Ruth 1:16
If you're very family-oriented, it's easy to build all your relationships within the family. Then, when circumstances change, you feel lost and alone.  There are bonds that are stronger than blood: we can call them 'God-bonds.

SATURDAY:  Blessed is the man who listens to me (God). - Proverbs 8:34
A perfect day begins by hearing the voice of God.

SUNDAY:  Great peace have they which love Your (God) law: and nothing shall offend them. - Psalm 119:165
Hear the voice of God and you will not require the praise of others, nor will you be seduced by their flattery. His words will set you free to love others and lean only on Him.

Websites:
http://dailyverse.multiply.com
http://www.tennisministry.org
http://bobkraft.multiply.com

Daily Verse, February 25, 2008

Daily verse archive here.
MONDAY:  He who wins souls is wise. - Proverbs 11:30
You're a vital part of every soul that's won and every life that's touched, when you stand by a man of God or a ministry He has raised up.

TUESDAY:  Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever. - Daniel 12:3
You'll shine like the stars! Now there's a different definition of stardom - a true one!

WEDNESDAY:  But the godly shall flourish like palm trees. - Psalm 92:12
Did you know that a palm tree produces its biggest harvest of fruit in its last years? Rejoice, that's you God's talking about!

THURSDAY:  Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don't get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. - Matthew 6:34
The only real question that matters, I ask, is what have you done today?

FRIDAY:  Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring forth. - Proverbs 27:1
We spend so much of our lives worrying about yesterday and tomorrow. Yet one's buried and the other ones unborn!

SATURDAY:  This is the day which the Lord has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it. - Psalm 118:24
Get out of the grandstand; you can win only if you play the game.
 
SUNDAY:  From the days of John the Baptist until now, the Kingdom of Heaven has been forcefully advancing, and forceful men lay hold of it. - Matthew 11:12
Seize this day with all its blessings and its challenges and live every moment of it.

Websites:
http://dailyverse.multiply.com
http://www.tennisministry.org
http://bobkraft.multiply.com

Friendship - step 2

What is the most effective way of reaching anyone in the world, including the pro tennis tour players?  The old saying is true "no one cares how much you know until they know how much you care."

Defining:
1.  Compassion. ( I wrote on this in last weeks blog)
2.  Compassion + friendship = effectiveness in reaching others.
3.  Compassion + friendship + experience in what another person has gone through in life (next weeks blog) = super relational effectiveness in reaching others.

How this impacts you.
1.  I have people who come up to me and say "you are doing a great job" or pat me on the back and say "well done"  This is compassion for what I do but not necessary for who I am.
2.  Then I have people who stay in contact with me when they do not have to reply to a message that I send to them.  They are truly interested in me as a person and what is happening in my life.  They are friends at all times and in all circumstances.
3.  Then I have people who really want to join in what I am doing and walk in my life and come alongside to help out.  They can understand beyond friendship.  Listen to Joe South's 1970 hit song "Walk a mile in my shoes"

You can have compassion, be a friend and have experienced what I have gone through in life. - These are the friends that I choose.

The Bible is not silent when it comes to the subject of friendship. The word "friend" is found about seventy times in the Bible.
A man or women that has friends must show himself or herself friendly. - Proverbs 18: 24
Genuine friends must be cherished and not forgotten - Proverbs 27: 10

Read the past blog archives here.

Daily Verse - February 18, 2008

Read the entire Daily Verse archive here.

MONDAY:  Pray without ceasing. - 1 Thessalonians 5:17
You'll never get on your feet, till you first get on your knees in prayer.

TUESDAY:  Day and night I cry out before You. - Psalm 88:1
Prayer is like oxygen to your soul.

WEDNESDAY:  For with God nothing shall be impossible.- Luke 1:37
God's verdict settles the issues, and determines the future.

THURSDAY:  Be it to me according to Your (God's) Word. - Luke 1:38
Not according to your marital status, your age, your job, the color of your skin, even what you deserve, but "according to God's Word.

FRIDAY:  The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? - Psalm 27:1
Meditate upon God's Word. Memorize it!  Begin to pray it and watch your faith grow and your fears melt.

SATURDAY:  I will exalt You, O Lord, for You lifted me out of the depths and did not let my enemies gloat over me. O Lord my God, I called to You for help and You healed me. - Psalm 30:1- 2
You pray differently when you're not sure you'll see the light of another day.

SUNDAY:  Even in old age they will still produce fruit. - Psalm 92:14
It's not the loss of energy or health that makes you old, it's the loss of vision. Without it you can be old at 30; with it, you can still be young at 90.

Website: http://dailyverse.multiply.com/

Compassion; the harvest.

Years ago, I came across a _{^{a person from a player support team}} sitting in the corner of the grounds of a tennis tournament, far removed from the crowds, with tears rolling down the face.  I sat down and asked if I could help.  I am reminded - "He (Christ) was moved with compassion for the multitudes." - Matthew 9:36

I see when players look right past the masses of fans trying to get their attention.  I see when they sit at a table and cry either for a loss or something very personal.  I see when they are mistreated by someone they are close to.  I see the crazed people who try to access them.  I see dreams that are shattered or unfulfilled.

There will be on the faces of the people that says "I don't know where to turn, I have run out of answers."  And though well clothed there is that vague craving as they feel dejected, distressed and downcast.  Christ said, " Look at the harvest.  The harvest is ready, it is ripe, it is ready to fall into the baskets, look at the harvest."  - Matthew 9:37

And don't just pray for these people in need.  Pray you; men and women may multiply yourselves and there will come to pass, dozens, hundreds, thousands, tens of thousands of workers to pluck the fruit, because the harvest is plentiful.

Daily Verse - February 11, 2008

MONDAY:  If I speak with human eloquence and angelic ecstasy but don't love, I'm nothing but the creaking of a rusty gate. -  1 Corinthians 13:1
If you love your opinions more than you love your friends, you'll defend your opinions and destroy your friends.

TUESDAY:  Love...always looks for the best. - 1 Corinthians 13:7
Don't major on minors and stop fighting over things that will ultimately make no difference.

WEDNESDAY:  Love never gives up. Love cares more for others than for self. - 1 Corinthians 13:4
Mature love allows someone who has been defeated to ease out of the situation, with their dignity and self-worth intact.

THURSDAY:  With long life will I satisfy him, and show him My salvation. - Psalm 91:16
Build your life around your person, not your role, otherwise when things change you'll feel worthless.

FRIDAY:  Fruit in old age. - Psalm 92:14
You don't know what God will do with your life before it's over, but He does tend to save the best for last.

SATURDAY:  Joseph named his first born Manasseh and said, 'It is because God has made me forget all my trouble'...the second son he named Ephraim and said, 'It is because God has made me fruitful in the land of my suffering.' " - Genesis 41:51,52
You can't change the events of the past, but you can change your perception of them. If you can see God at work in it, you'll come out a better person.

SUNDAY:  Begin to praise God that He's working everything out for your good. - Romans 8:28
Before it's over, you'll be able to say, "If I hadn't experienced that, I wouldn't have received this."

Hong Kong - simply; this week.

Cold - Lowest is 6C (43F) for a record 14 days. No indoor heat in our house.

Mia - My wife; windows open 24 hours a day for fresh air.

Ashley and Joshua - My kids; loving them!

Chinese New Year - Everyone out for family gatherings! Watch a good video on CNY here.

Tennis Class organizing -  God's miraculous provision!

Coffee - One cup everyday.  The small pleasures of life!

 

This site archive here.

The Daily Verse archive for touring pro tennis players here.

Daily Verse - February 5, 2008

Previous Daily Verse archive.

MONDAY:  Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with an attitude of thanksgiving. -   Colossians 4:2

Until you've been in God's presence and drawn strength from His Word, you're not equal to the challenges you'll face today.

TUESDAY:  Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak. - Mark 14:38

O fill up all that is wanting and reform whatever is amiss in me. Perfect the things that concern me." Are you sensing an inner hollowness today? If so, make this your prayer.

WEDNESDAY:  And He (Jesus) was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath. And behold, there was a woman which had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bowed together, and could in no way lift up herself.  And when Jesus saw her, He said to her, 'Woman, you are released from your infirmity'... and immediately she was made straight and glorified God. - Luke 13:10-11

When Christ is through with you, your adversaries will be ashamed, your accusers will be silenced and those who contributed to your low self-esteem will be confounded at what God

has done for you.

THURSDAY:  I've got my eye on the goal...I'm not turning back. Let's keep focused on that goal, those of us who want everything God has for us - Philippians 3:13

Your last chapter has not been written yet.  Refuse to accept the verdict of those who say you'll never amount to anything. Get up!

FRIDAY:  Those who trust in the Lord are like mount Zion, which cannot be shaken, but endures forever.- Psalm 125:1

When you quit, there's nothing more God can do for you.

SATURDAY:  Call to Me (God), and I will answer you and I will tell you great and mighty things, which you do not know. - Jeremiah 33:3

Before anything great is ever achieved in reality, it's first believed in somebody's heart. The applause may come later, but whoever steps out first, will usually step out alone!

SUNDAY:  There is one who speaks like the piercings of a sword, but the tongue of the wise promotes health. - Proverbs 12:18

Critics talk much and do absolutely nothing to help.  They are more interested in trying to make themselves look good by making others look bad.