I really love this last picture!
The girls and Joe's mom, Sue, who came and stayed with us for a few days, all hanging out in one of the girls bedrooms here at the ICTA House.
Painting toenails... reading... laughing... so completely different from the high performance, world class athletes most people view them as on the tennis court!
People often tend to see us as they want to see us... kind of putting us in a box that isn't really who we are. Unless you come here and hang, it's really hard to understand how our tennis academy is really a ministry that develops missionaries and sends them on mission trips.
Kind of mind boggling for some folks to get their racket on a serve that hard and well placed, I guess!
My mom taught school for over 20 years. When she and I would see one of her students in the grocery store, the kid couldn't believe my mom didn't live 24/7 in the school building. Yet, my mom actually had a whole life completely away from her job of teaching.
This last picture shows an entire other side to many tennis athletes. Not just my fulltime students here at my Christian missionary training center, but many tennis players in general.
Tennis is what we all do a few hours each day to develop our games to reach personal goals. Tennis training and tournaments should be what we do, not who we are. The rest of the day should be filled with activities which will help add value to our lives and to the lives of others.
Bold statement, huh?
Should be the norm.
I had this last weekend off. I love what I do, so I often don't take a day off, much less a weekend.
For my weekend time to myself I had a choice, watch football and sleep a lot and cook out on my grill and rent a few movies... or spend some time in Alabama speaking at a church to strengthen the saints and grow God's kingdom.
Well, the choice was easy! I wanted God to use me to add value to others.
Mel and I booked a flight and spent a fantastic weekend in 'Bama staying with great ministry friends in Birmingham while I spoke in a wonderful church. It was an amazing, blessed weekend. Incredibly refreshing. God used my weekend/down time to grow and strengthen me in a way I truly needed and wanted!
Same thing with our hard working ICTA Womens Pro Team.
When they are on court they work as hard as anyone in the world. They are improving rapidly, and daily. I would venture to say all 4 will be WTA ranked by the end of our Fall Semester. Yet, the WTA ranking is just a small part of the vision.
The larger part is the way God is growing and developing each of them. They have a bigger picture and a higher purpose in mind when it comes to their time off court, as well as their reasons to be on court.
Sure, they are "academy" students. Yet, that is the smallest part of their identity, not the largest, as is unfortunately the case in the secular mega-academies.
You see in the secular tennis world a tennis junior or pro player is often judged by their quality of play, ranking, or potential. The personhood aspect of the player is unimportant too often.
Thus, the player gets their emptiness inside filled by sex, drugs, pornography, gossip, internet.... These kids grow up into adults and the cycle continues as Satan wins
My prayer is for the International Christian Tennis Association to continue to be a positive force within the tennis world.
Sure, our vision, views, and beliefs can upset some people. I have gotten used to blatant slander and criticism from those who have been caught abusing young female tennis players, or using kids for income, or from those people who simply hate Jesus. I have no problem standing up to abusers and bullies, thus receiving their wrath!
Those types of people need help. I'd like for them to one day see the Grace of God.
I'd like for the International Christian Tennis Association to positively reach all people for Christ.
My students just came back to the ICTA House from witnessing to people on Flagler Beach. I'm so proud of them. They could have been doing so many other things, but wanted to practice their Mathew 28 skills before their mission trips!
We have two mission trips planned for this next week. One in Juarez, Mexico to an ITF pro tournament and one in Orlando, Florida to a junior tournament.
Then, directly after that they are all going on two more mission trips! I'll tell you about those later.
Take a look at your life. What do you dedicate most of your time to? Where is your focus?
Is it on Christ? If not, spend some extra time in prayer telling God your needs, letting Him reset your compass.
Open your Bible and begin reading the New Testament allowing God to speak to you through His word. Sure, go to work... be a boss or an employee... but be sure to allow God to work in and through your life.
You are not your job. You are a child of God, created in His image, redeemed through the blood of Christ, saved by His loving grace.
Go do all those things you have to do... work hard, of course! God has you where you are for a reason. Yet, realize you are not your job or career. Each day tell the world to stop, and spend time with Jesus. He loves you. He wants a relationship with you.
Work hard, then hang out with Him.
God Bless,
Scott Paschal
www.christiantennis.net
