October 31, 2022 - How is my play affecting the team?

Why should we avoid turnovers in a game? It gives the opponent the ball…eliminating our chance to score on that possession…

Why do we try to cut down on the penalty flags being thrown? It hurts our field position either offensively or defensively...

Why do we keep our heads up when dribbling a basketball? We need to be able to see openings… to see our teammates…

Why do we need to learn our part in the plays? If anyone fails to do his part the play falls apart…

I’m asking a lot of “duh” questions… but there is a point. I’ve recently been talking about the team concept we are supposed to have… and how we are supposed to read The Playbook… last week I brought up that even the “examine himself” command in 1 Corinthians 11 is, in context, a command to look at our team relationships…

So, this week, I am taking a different approach to the same topic… instead of how we look at the playbook, how should we look at the stat sheet (in examining ourselves.)

In many ways I wish they would do away with showing individual scoring, but since they do, what if we viewed that column as a look at how I helped or hurt the team… instead of look how good or how bad I was this game…

When looking at turnovers, instead of a look how I stunk it up, a look at where I cost the team a possession…

When I look at a teammate’s stat line that maybe is not good, asking what did I do or not do to affect his game… instead of getting down on him…

When I look at a teammate’s stat line that is good, celebrating and asking how I can help him do even better, knowing that means the team is doing better… instead of being jealous of him…

If it is truly about team, it should change the way we view things. As I was studying in Ephesians this weekend I was trying to look at things from the we-perspective instead of the me-perspective. As I got into the list of some of the individual things I need to be aware of, I was excited to see a pattern…

In Ephesians 4 it is describing what our team should look like… and it gives some basics… don’t lie… handle your anger properly… don’t steal… watch your speech… get rid of bitterness / anger / clamor / evil speaking / malice… a pretty good list to avoid turnovers and penalties… yet I go back to why we should avoid turnovers and penalties… FOR THE GOOD OF THE TEAM!

So let’s take a very quick look at the list:

Vs. 25 Don’t lie… do speak the truth… for we are members of one another (TEAM)

Vs. 26 Don’t sin in your anger… it gives the devil a place in the huddle

Vs. 28 Don’t steal… instead work, so you can give to others

Vs. 29 Don’t speak ugly… only what is good and necessary to the TEAM and imparts GRACE

Vs 31-32 Don’t be bitter, wrathful, angry, etc… be kind to one another (TEAM), tenderhearted, forgiving one another

We tend to say things like don’t lie with the reasoning being it makes you a bad person… when in reality the motivation is ultimately because it hurts the TEAM!

So whether it be learning The Playbook or examining the stat sheet, let’s do it with the primary question being “how does/has my play affect(ed) the TEAM?”