Confession is good for the soul. I’m a pastor. I get that. But I’ll be honest, there are some aspects of my past that I’ve been rather hesitant to share around here.
Take for example, bowling. I’m not proud to be admitting this, but there was a time in high school when I was not in one but two bowling leagues at the same time. Not only did I own my bowling shoes, I would arrive at the alley with two bowling balls. Needless to say, I was prepared for all lane conditions.
I used to have shelves filled with bowling trophies. In addition to that, I won several patches that my mom would have to sew on my bowling shirt. One Thanksgiving I had a particularly good series, and I won the turkey that my family ate for the holiday meal.
Wait…it gets better. I landed at Bowling Green State University for my freshman year of college, and I tried out for the bowling team. I could have pledged a fraternity. I could have played any number of more manly intramural sports. I could have pursued dating college girls. Let’s face it — I could have done a number of other things that would have made more sense for a freshman guy away at school, but I tried out for the bowling team.
Unfortunately…and, again, I’m not proud of this…I actually made the bowling team at Bowling Green. Then, for reasons I can’t explain, sanity finally began to set in. I began to count the cost. Practicing and then traveling with the Bowling Green bowling team were going to consume a lot of time. I think I finally realized my future employer and my future wife were probably not going to be impressed by the fact that I lettered in bowling at Bowling Green. I quit the bowling team having never bowled a single frame in college competition.
Looking back some twenty-plus years later, I can honestly say I don’t regret the decision. Yes, I realize it begs the question: what could have been? Who knows — I might have eventually rolled that perfect 300. That experience on the bowling team may have landed me a spot in the Professional Bowlers Association. In some bowling alley in southwest Ohio, they may have eventually retired my bowling shirt and hung it on the same wall between the rack of house bowling balls and the vending machines where the local bowlers purchase their Funyuns. I may have walked away from bowling glory.
But, here’s the deal. When you choose the bowling team, you also choose…
- The financial investment in the equipment and the fancy clothing.
- The time commitment to practice and then participate in a bowling league.
- The sheltered community of people who really appreciate getting a strike after hitting the “Brooklyn pocket”.
- The lingering thoughts that result from the haunting image of your last 7-10 split.
Here’s the funny thing — when it’s the bowling team at Bowling Green, the decision is easy. Most of us would look at that situation and say, “For the betterment of Tony Morgan, it would be wise for you to walk away from the bowling team.” We’d come to that conclusion because we know what we do today impacts where we end up tomorrow.
I share this because I think we need to routinely look at our lives and our ministries and ask ourselves: Is it time to quit the bowling team? It might be something we really enjoy. It could be something that we’re really good at. It may be an activity or a relationship that we’ve held on to for years. On the surface, it may be something that produces wins without any visible harm. Ultimately, we need to remember, though, that what we do and who we do it with impacts where we end up.
I know what you’re thinking. You’re probably saying to yourself, “Tell me something I don’t know.” The funny thing is I see churches doing this all the time. They want to go someplace different, but they’re unwilling to do so if it means giving up their spot on the bowling team. By the way, this isn’t just a phenomenon of the “traditional” church. It doesn’t take very long for programs and practices to become sacred even in the newest of churches.
Let me share from experience. When you’ve invested years of your life into something that you really enjoy and that produces wins, it’s very difficult to see the potential consequences that may result. Sometimes you have to get an outsider’s perspective. You certainly need to take time to determine where you want to end up and then figure out what you need to do to get there. Of course, if you don’t have a clear vision for where you want to end up, bowling is just as good an option as any.
All that to say, as a friend interested in your future welfare,…
It might be time for you to quit the bowling team.
