A lot of games mushed into one post. 

Marie plays on varsity again this year and Tab is enjoying her second modified year.  Their teams play well and win some and lose some.  They are a joy to watch.

Marie and I were discussing some of the finer points of what it means to play team sports.

Some people focus mostly on the number of goals and wins.  That’s fine.  It’s one way to evaluate it.

I probably wouldn’t enjoy playing for or rooting for a team that didn’t care anything about winning.

But that’s not the most important piece to me.  Not by a long shot.

For John and I what matters to us is the following:

1.)  Opportunity to use the gifts God gave you.  Enjoying the functions of a healthy body and being willing to work on improving your performance to the glory of God is one of the easiest examples to offer.

2.)  The opportunity to learn how to function as a part of a larger team is also very valuable.  Just as we are all parts of the whole body of the church and need to practice how to compliment and support one another, team members need to learn to function as a part of the whole.

3.)  And the opportunity to work with mentor-coaches.  Marie and Tabitha have been exceedingly blessed to be coached by Mr. Ray Marshall and Ms. Meaghan Finn.  As a parents we have been very thoughtful about whom we allow in positions of role models in our kids’ lives.  The statistics on the effects of coaches on a young person are reported time and time again as being significant to their overall development.  (Google it.)  I can say without hesitation that my girls’ coaches have contributed meaningfully to their spiritual development.  They are not only sturdy role models, but they have offered Marie and Tab more than soccer training. 

Both girls play defense.

The next five shots were taken by D. L. Walter.

Yes – she did head this.

I’m not sure if they will go to the championship games.
But they have won handedly already.