Blessed are the Persecuted
Good News Pickleball
Today I'm covering the eighth and final Beatitude which reads, “Blessed are the those who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." Matthew 5:10 (NRSVUE) I'm going to be honest here and say that I was not looking forward to doing this particular Beatitude. Persecution is a touchy subject. I honestly think that most western Christians have not suffered persecution. When we look at persecution in the Bible, we think of the Apostles who were stoned; people tried to kill them and they were even run out of town. We see people dying for their faith. I...
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Blessed are the Peacemakers
Good News Pickleball
Today I'm covering the seventh Beatitude which reads, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God." Matthew 5:9 (NRSVUE) Jesus is the Prince of Peace. His life, death, resurrection, and return will usher in a new age of peace between God and man. While there may not be peace now (because people like you and me are flawed and don't always choose the path of peace) we will inherit a kingdom of peace that will last forever. Our goal now is to be peacemakers and confront conflict with the intention of a peaceful outcome. How Can We Apply This to Pickleball? Pickleball...
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Blessed are the Pure in Heart
Good News Pickleball
Today I'm covering the sixth Beatitude which reads, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God." Matthew 5:8 (NRSVUE) I asked Grok (X's AI) what it means to be "pure in heart" and this is the response I received: "To be 'pure in heart' is a phrase that often comes up in religious, philosophical, or moral contexts, most famously in the Bible's Beatitudes: "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God" (Matthew 5:8). At its core, it refers to having a sincere, untainted, and honest inner character—free from malice, deceit, or selfish motives. Think of it as someone whose...
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Blessed Are the Merciful
Good News Pickleball
Today I'm covering the fifth Beatitude which reads, “Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy." Matthew 5:7 (NRSVUE) Mercy is intertwined with sin, judgment, and forgiveness. Without sin, there would be no need for mercy. Being merciful is showing forgiveness and compassion towards someone who has wronged us. We're all recipients of God's mercy and that means we should show mercy to those who rightfully deserve punishment. Mercy doesn't mean we deny that a wrong or sin has been committed but it's extended to someone instead of judgment. How Can We Apply This to Pickleball? Every...
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Blessed Are Those Who Hunger and Thirst for Righteousness
Good News Pickleball
Today I'm covering the fourth Beatitude which reads, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled." Matthew 5:6 (NRSVUE) As Christians, we've been made righteous in the eyes of God because of Jesus' death and resurrection. If we're already righteous, why should we hunger and thirst for it? We all get hungry and thirsty. God designed our bodies so that we need to seek food and water to live. This biological process is a reminder that we cannot sustain our spiritual lives off of one spiritual experience. Being right with God also means that we love our...
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Blessed Are the Meek
Good News Pickleball
Today I'm covering the third Beatitude which reads, “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth." -Matthew 5:5 (NRSVUE) Meekness is often misunderstood. Modern definitions don't convey what the Biblical authors were trying to convey. I once heard someone describe it as "power under control" but that's not quite right. as "an attitude or quality of heart whereby a person is willing to accept and submit without resistance to the will and desire of someone else." So meekness is more about your attitude than your actions. How Can We Apply This to Pickleball? If you've played in...
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Blessed Are Those Who Mourn
Good News Pickleball
Today I'm covering the second Beatitude in Matthew 5:4 which reads, "Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted." (NRSVUE) Mourning is something many of us don't do well. There's a misconception among Christians that we should always be happy. Think about this, though: If you don't mourn you'll miss out on the blessing of being comforted. You also rob others of being a blessing when they comfort you. How Can We Apply This to Pickleball? You're going to lose some games. If you're like me, you're going to lose a lot of games. If I'm not playing well, I can really start feeling down...
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Blessed Are the Poor In Spirit
Good News Pickleball
This week I’m talking about Matthew 5:3 which reads, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” (NRSV) Poor in spirit can refer to humility or knowing that you’re in need of God’s grace. It can also refer to physical poverty but most people see this phrase as more of an attitude rather than a state of poverty. The “kingdom of Heaven” isn’t a physical kingdom but a spiritual one. Yes, one day Jesus will physically establish His kingdom on earth but that’s not what He was referring to here. That spiritual kingdom is often referred to as an...
info_outlineToday I'm covering the third Beatitude which reads, “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth." -Matthew 5:5 (NRSVUE)
Meekness is often misunderstood. Modern definitions don't convey what the Biblical authors were trying to convey. I once heard someone describe it as "power under control" but that's not quite right.
Mark E. Caner describes meekness as "an attitude or quality of heart whereby a person is willing to accept and submit without resistance to the will and desire of someone else."
So meekness is more about your attitude than your actions.
How Can We Apply This to Pickleball?
If you've played in any tournaments you've had to exercise meekness. This is especially true if there's no referee.
In nearly every tournament, your opponent calls balls out on their side of the court. There are times when you need to exercise meekness (even if it appears a bad call) because they have the authority to make the call.
When there isn't a referee to appeal to, this can be especially difficult. One way to avoid conflict is through the acronym PEACE mentioned in Caner's article:
Place your faith in Jesus Christ
Employ prayer in your decisions
Adjust your focus from yourself
Control your anger and tongue
Exude your humility and mercy
I hope this helps you the next time a line call doesn't go your way!
Pickleball News
At the Masters last week, the PPA introduced new serve rules:
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There is no tossing the ball up on the serve
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The ball must leave the hand in a downward motion
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The ball must leave the hand at or below the top of the hip
Some players were hitting serves into the net because they had to change their serving style. The new ball and new serve rules shook things up at the tournament.
Pickleball Tip
This week's pickleball tip comes from Ed Ju (Davis Pickleball) and it deals with eye dominance.
The biggest takeaway from this video is to make sure your dominant eye isn't turned away from where you're trying to hit the ball.
Closing Remarks
Next week we’ll cover the fourth Beatitude that deals with righteousness so make sure you’re following the podcast on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.
If you liked this podcast share it with a friend and don’t forget to stay out of the kitchen!
Music: "Electrodoodle" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
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