Good Monday morning...

… and my encouragement for the day comes from the good, the bad, and the ugly… of pickleball.  Looking back on the weekend, I participated in a wedding, a birthday party, and some great time on the court with wonderful people, all of whom I know through the sport of pickleball.  Yes, I officiated a wedding Saturday on Canyon Lake in a pontoon boat for a couple that we know from playing pickleball.  The “good” of pickleball is the relationship building that has taken place over the past seven years of play.

The “bad” of pickleball is the humble admission that comes from the intensity of play, especially when partnered with my wife.  I’ve admitted in public that, yes, I am a pastor, and that I know that I was a jerk toward Lisa when we have played together.  Seriously, I can’t believe that I get so intense when playing.  My temper is unleashed as the ball whizzes between us and we lose a game.  I know, how stupid is that!?  There is even a saying in pickleball that a shot down the middle is called a divorce maker!

The “ugly” of pickleball is the realization that my body is not the 25-year-old body that my mind tells me I have when on the court.  Getting out of bed the next morning, or out of the chair that night, can be an ugly reminder that my body’s aging contrasts with the enthusiasm with which I play the game!  Slowly leaning forward, feeling the pain of standing up, taking the time to straighten my posture… it is not a pretty picture!  I have often commented, tongue in cheek, that the only ones who love pickleball more than the players are the orthopedic doctors!

Hmmm, what does one do with this awareness?  If you have never played pickleball, you might give it a try… so much fun!  Learn from ol’ Pastor Mike, it’s fine to play hard… but it’s good to remember your age and the shape you’re in.  More importantly, have fun by enjoying the people you play with… off the court!  This has been the greatest gift to Lisa and me over the past seven years.  We’ve met some amazing friends!

My final word of encouragement today will serve as a memorial to a man who I played pickleball with in the beginning of our time in Canyon Lake.  Paul was a really good player, quiet and unassuming, but had great court awareness and could find your weaknesses if you played against him… I called him a fierce competitor.  But his quiet and unassuming personality on the court became one of the friendliest guys you could ever meet between games, or away from the courts.  Paul died last week from complications of cancer.  That combination of fierce competitor with gentleman nature has set the bar high and will continue to motivate me to enjoy the good, overcome the bad, and be more aware of the ugly… in pickleball, and in life!

For His glory,

Pastor Mike