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 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 don't know anyone who has died for their faith, but Jesus promises a reward for them. So if you're in a part of the world where Christians are persecuted and you're listening to this, I just want to say to you while I cannot relate to what you're going through, there is hope in Jesus.
How Can We Apply This to Pickleball?
So how do we relate this to pickleball? There's not really a direct analogy, but what came to mind was targeting in a doubles match. If you're the person being targeted, it's usually because you're the weaker player in a doubles team. So what do you do? How do you overcome that feeling of pressure and how do you deal with that situation of having nearly every single ball come to you until you make a mistake? Well, I think once you're aware it's happening you need to accept it. Take a time out, talk with your partner and see if there are ways that you two can be creative to get more balls to your partner. Ask your partner for advice. Ask what you can do to switch things up for your opponent so they hit the ball to your partner. And hopefully you and your partner can workshop a solution to get more points, and maybe even win the game.
Pickleball News
This week's news is about this podcast. This is the last episode in this series on the Beatitudes. The next series will be on 1 Corinthians 13:4-8. We'll look at the attributes of love and see how they can be applied to pickleball.
Pickleball Tip
This week's tip comes from Kieren Ricci and he suggests using a progressive approach to practicing your serve.
Closing Remarks
Next week we’ll cover the seventh Beatitude that deals with being a peacemaker 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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