Tag Archives: Corinthian Games

Offense

Posted on March 10, 2013 by expressyourself4him

As the seasons turn from winter to spring, an annual commotion draws near.  This month long hysteria known as March Madness serves as a drug for college basketball enthusiasts.  When you look beyond the brackets, politics and officiating, you’ll find amazing performances, buzzer beaters and even Cinderella.  Although offense is more entertaining, defense wins championships.  If a team can possess both, their squad becomes an impenetrable fortress on their way to the Final Four.

In life, roles are often reversed.  Arrogance, pride and over confidence lull people to sleep spiritually.  Instead of going on the offensive, many Christians resemble a goalie being bombarded with balls and pucks, trying to secure a daily shutout.  However, in the game of life, if you only play defense, you’ll never score.  This feeble strategy results in exhaustion, mental fatigue and emotional burnout, leading to a spirit of defeatism.

In the days of the apostle Paul, the residents of Corinth were avid sports fans, the host of the Corinthian Games, an Summer Olympic like competition.  This likely explains Paul’s use of athletic terminology in his 2 letters to the members of the Corinthian church.  Trying to connect with their culture, Paul addresses a lack of offensive minded individuals.  In 2 Corinthians 10:3-5, Paul reveals why people are failing miserably, they’re not using the proper weapons.  The key to game planning an offensive attack against the devil is through your mind, verse 5.  As soon as you learn how to take each thought captive by making them obedient to Christ, you can begin demolishing spiritual strongholds.  Paul’s further advice in Ephesians 6:10-11 is crucial if you want to begin seeing progress.  Stop being one dimensional, play offense today!

by Jay Mankus

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Mind Over Matter

Posted on December 27, 2012 by expressyourself4him

Over the last few decades, the Name It and Claim It movement has gained traction, permeating into mainstream Christianity.  This theological position combines the bible with metaphysics, using faith as a force to speak the truth within an individual’s mind into existence.  Unfortunately, this view fails to address obstacles such as generational sins and sins of the father, Exodus 20:4-5, ungodly beliefs like John 8:31-38, soul spirit hurts in Matthew 11:25-30 and demonic influences, Ephesians 6:12.  In addition, some of these churches now encourage members not to seek a doctor when sick, claiming if they had genuine faith, they would be healed.

I tend to lean toward what I call a Read it and Believe it view of Christianity.  In other words, as you read and study the Bible, you begin to learn God’s precious promises.  As you examine how the Israelites and first century church leaders claimed these promises, you can apply these same principles into your own prayer life.  During trying moments, you might want to use prayers of King David or Jesus himself as an outline for prayer.  Faith in this context is in the word of God, not your own mind.  Belief is exercised through the power of the Holy Spirit as described in 2 Peter 1:3-4.  According to this passage, God has given us everything we need for life in the form of the Holy Spirit.  In my mind, this is a more realistic and accurate view of a biblical life.

During my tenure as a high school Bible teacher, I slowly began to see how weak individual minds were.  Not in an intellectual sense, but in their belief, confidence and power of God to change their current situation.  Many of my students had given up hope that their circumstances could ever improve.  Divorce, heartbreak and trials poisoned their minds with doubt, leading many to dwell on matters beyond their control.  This mindset can develop into a defeatism mentality, creating Christians who never successfully take their minds captive, 2 Corinthians 10:3-5.  This is likely why the name it and claim movement has become attractive to so many Christians today.

To my knowledge, there are only 2 clear examples of mind over matter in scripture.  The first is used by the apostle Paul in the context of an athlete training for the Corinthian Games, similar to the modern day Olympics.  Runners must force their minds to overcome the pain they are experiencing so that one can push their body beyond a normal limit, 1 Corinthians 9:26-27.  Practice and training prepares a runner for the various competitions in life.  Meanwhile, the disciple Peter is referring to having a certain mindset, one like Jesus in 1 Peter 4:1.  This use of the mind relates to the thought process which helps you endure your current state, enabling you to reach the goal or end result you desire and seek to obtain.  This mindset is accessible when Christ is Lord over all areas of your life.  Therefore, as 2012 draws to a close, my prayer for 2013 is that people begin to scratch the surface of the love and power of God, Ephesians 3:14-21.

by Jay Mankus

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Cross Country

Posted on October 17, 2012 by expressyourself4him

2011 National Championship Meet

“Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize.  Run in such a way as to get the prize,” 1 Corinthians 9:24.  The apostle Paul is referring to the Corinthian Games when he writes this biblical truth, a first century pre-Olympics competition.  This passage applies to modern day cross country, a sport which consists of 7 runners, where the top 5 places count with runners 6 and 7 serving as blockers.  Like golf, the team with the lowest score wins.

When my 2 boys, James and Daniel, seen in the caption above, competed in the Yes Athletics National Championship Meet the past 3 years, they didn’t expect to win.  Rather, they were seeking to reach obtainable goals like running their PR, personal best or finish in the top 100 in the nation.  Unlike most sports where there are obvious winners and losers, cross country runners are racing against the clock.  The apostle Paul suggests that runners who compete in a race should make sure they run an honorable race with perseverance, fixing their eyes straight ahead, gazing at the cross, Hebrews 12:1-2.

Personally, I have experienced cross country on 3 levels.  The first as a runner in high school.  Beside the freshmen hazing, being thrown into the Brandywine River, it was best atmosphere I have ever been a part of as an athlete.  From the conversations during practice, to team dinners prior to Saturday invitationals and the overall camaraderie, there is nothing like cross country.  Where else can you rescue passed out runners, carry them to their coach and console a teammate who begins throwing up.

Second, as I have enjoyed watching races from a parents’ perspective.  What other sport allows you to talk to a total stranger, cheer for athletes you’ve never seen before and discover someone’s life story in 15-20 minutes while the race is ongoing.  The only draw back is depending on the course layout, sometimes parents have to run just as far as their children to reach the 1 and 2 mile marks before getting to the finish line.  Within the cross country community, there is a special bond which often draws unlikely people together to become close friends as they follow their children throughout their running career.

Finally, as a coach, I had the privilege to be around a middle school team for 3 years.  While their energy was sometimes too much for me to handle, I loved seeing each runner improve, often lowering their PR’s after a race.  Coach Heiddy, the woman I succeeded for a season, possessed an amazing mix of compassion and toughness to gently urge these young runners to improve.  One of the greatest accomplishments as a coach was watching every member of our team run their PR in a race last fall after Heiddy and I videoed their form.  This mental picture equipped each athlete to live out 1 Corinthians 9:24.

I played several sports at a competitive level, golf and ultimate frisbee as a professional.  Yet, nothing compares to the experiences I have had in cross country.  What Eric Liddle said  in Chariot’s of Fire is true for many cross country runners, “when you run, you feel God’s pleasure!”  Though many athletes hate running, there is a threshold you can cross which helps explain 1 Corinthians 9:27.  Once a runner’s mind learns to block out the mental anguish and pain, you can run like Forrest Gump, just not across America and back.   Anyway, “run Forrest run” and one day soon, who knows, I may see you at a cross country race!

by Jay Mankus

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