When major U.S. sports returned to competition during the 2020 coronavirus pandemic, it didn’t feel real to many fans. Amid widespread misinformation about COVID-19, the information gap transformed the fan experience for those who could attend. Some watched at home and paid to have cardboard cutout likenesses of themselves in the stands during home games!

It was bad enough for the fans, but can you imagine what it felt like for the players and coaches? While piping in fake crowd noise helps some, it’s still not the same. One former NBA player said it looked and felt more like a pick-up basketball game than the real thing. Even the tradition of shaking hands after competing had changed. One NHL player suggested, “Maybe we could shake hands if there was a hand sanitizer nearby, right as they came off the ice,” laughing, but not joking.

The search for something real has persisted throughout history. It didn’t begin with athletes or coaches seeking reality in wealth, power, and fame. Winning games or earning large NBA contracts isn’t wrong, but they are empty substitutes for the reality John teaches in his first epistle, written centuries ago.

1 John 1 – Authentic

John knew that satisfying reality is not found in the things you can buy or the thrills of winning a championship, but in the Person—Jesus Christ. He taught this in 1 John 1. This life is not hidden but was revealed openly by God (1 John 1:2). While God revealed Himself in creation (Romans 1:20), He also revealed Himself in the Bible through His Son, Jesus Christ (John 14:9). Jesus Christ is the full revelation of God to men.

The Kingdom Coach and Athlete believe Jesus was real—not a dream or vision. They place their trust and faith in God, who came to earth in human form so they could experience eternal life by trusting Him!

Bible Memory Verse – “They are from the world; therefore, they speak as from the world, and the world hears them.” 1 John 4:5 (LSB)

Click HERE for the Kingdom Sports Minute: Searching For Reality

Our featured book this week is Lessons From the Sidelines by Beth Walker. Through her personal stories and interviews with other women, Beth Walker shows that it’s possible for wives to pursue their own callings even as they support their husbands’ careers and ministries. Whether you’re a coach’s wife, the wife of a professional athlete, a pastor’s wife, the wife of a CEO, a military wife, or a college administrator’s wife, you have unique challenges to navigate that differ from the struggles of other women.

Click HERE to review. 

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