Prayer: Dear God, we praise you for your greatness and the grace you show us every day. Help us to keep every moment in perspective, knowing that you hold our futures. May we follow you and fight the good fight for the true faith. Amen! Reading: 1 Timothy 6:6-19 (Click to read text) Stop and GROW: After reading the text, discuss/ponder the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America's Book of Faith questions, which are part of Camp Mount Luther's GROW Time with campers. QUESTION 1: What scares, confuses, challenges, or doesn’t make sense to me in this text? QUESTION 2: What delights me in this text or is my favorite part of the story? QUESTION 3: What stories or memories does this text stir in me? QUESTION 4: What is God up to in this text? Reflection: In this passage Paul encourages his readers to flee from tangible riches (like money and possessions) and to instead, pursue righteousness and to fight the good fight of the faith. I chose to write on this passage because I had a special connection to it and I thought it could speak to you as well! During my four years at Grove City College I was a member of the club field hockey team and it became a very pivotal experience in leadership for me and in my faith journey. During my sophomore year our team verse was a portion of 1 Timothy 6:11-12, and our chaplain found really creative ways to tie this verse into what our mission was as a team. Yes, we still worked hard to be strong players on the hockey field and to play with purpose, strength and aggression! But this verse for us was all about perspective and sportsmanship. We put a portion of the verse on the back of our shirts (“Pursue righteousness and a godly life, along with faith, love, and perseverance, and gentleness. Fight the good fight for the true faith.”), and we printed small cards with the verse written on it to tape to our field hockey sticks where we could see it as we played. Our chaplain would talk with us about how we could live out our faith on the field in our attitudes and interactions with other players. We would lift each other up through the game in field hockey in a way that I had not experienced on any other team I have been a part of. I even had teammates literally pick me up when I was down. Playing sports isn’t the only outlet in which you can make “your good confession known in the presence of many witnesses.” In all that you do, fight the good fight for the true faith. Remember who holds the future and do all that you do to serve and glorify God, whether that is shooting a goal, teaching your students, or [insert your career or hobby here]! --Anne Harshbarger
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