April 25, 2022 - Closed Practices

I remember my days as a coach and AD when I had to make some choices about our teams’ practices… at certain times we had to share the floor since the schools I worked at only had 1 single-floor gymnasium and multiple teams… and all practices had to take place before or after school, and yes, I said it was sometimes before school.

The reason for having the occasional early morning workouts, and the occasional late practices, was to make sure we had some “closed practices.” By “closed” it meant that we eliminated outside influences and tried to make sure that the players were focused on the task at hand… I didn’t want my guys checking to see if the girls were watching… I didn’t want outside voices (i.e., parents) getting into their kids’ ears… I didn’t want it to be constant foot traffic of classmates cutting through the gym and wanting to say hello… etc.

This came to mind yesterday as one of our pastors was introducing the message in our current series of Airplane Mode. The idea of the series is to emphasize the importance of eliminating some distractions, in order to hear from God and get to know Him better!

Here are some quotes that popped up in a google search…

“Don’t let the noise of the world keep you from hearing the voice of the Lord.”

“If the enemy can’t destroy you, he will distract you!”

“When the enemy sends distractions, they never look like distractions until they are finished distracting you.”

We tend to spend so much time in Christian circles warning about blatant sin, yet allowing for subtle distractions…

1 Corinthians 7:35 And this I say for your own profit, not that I may put a leash on you, but for what is proper, and that you may serve the Lord without distractions.

Mark 4:19 and the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things entering in CHOKE the Word, and it becomes unfruitful.

Have you ever thought about the fact that Jesus found it important to go into “airplane mode” and get away alone to pray… it was a “closed practice” in life… yet we typically live our lives so distracted that we even go to bed with our phones…

It’s time for some “Closed Practices”!