Sports...

Sports...3-23-2025

My husband and I love sports, all sports. However, our favorite is softball. We enjoy going to the games, rooting for our team, and the whole atmosphere. We watch on TV when we have time and I always find it interesting the variety of walk-up songs the ladies choose. I love to listen the first time through the line-up at the beginning of the season. Then after that, I know who is coming up when I hear their songs the next time we go to a game or we watch on TV. While watching the game tonight, I heard one of the lady's walk-up songs for the opposing team and I stopped what I was doing because the lyrics and melody were familiar. It was "Praise the Lord". We had a young lady who has graduated now, but over the past few years always had Christian songs that reflected her faith. Sadly, I don't hear many faith-based songs in sports.

A friend of mine at church and I were talking not too long about about the changes we are seeing in education. She is a high school teacher and I am currently a junior high teacher. We are seeing more students unafraid of showing their faith at school. We see more students who are attending youth groups, working in food pantries and community service through church, and attending "Fields of Faith" events and youth camps. It has increased over the past couple of years to the point it is now noticeable to those who are paying attention.

I play music in my classroom when the students are working independently. I play it very quietly now as we are not supposed to play music with words. Some students said the other day, I can hear your music. The students who had me in 6th grade were often the recipients of music and loved it. These students told me earlier in the year that they missed my music. This day, the students remarked they heard the music and liked it. Then they said they wished I could play it more.

Psalms 71:23 states, "My lips shall greatly rejoice when I sing unto thee; and my soul, which thou hast redeemed." I love that the girls in our sports are not afraid to express their faith in song. I love that the students in my class are not afraid to say to me they love the music. I especially love that the teachers and I can see a noticeable change in student's displaying their faith. "And I will live my faith out loud. Take a stand and stand my ground. For the One who took my shame. I'm unashamed." Matthew West.