Saturday, March 17, 2007

Practice or Preach

One man practicing sportsmanship is far better than 50 preaching it.Knute Rockne


After reading this quote, my mind began to whirl as I thought of other actions with which I could replace the word "sportsmanship." Such as - - respect, equality, kindness, charity, faith, restraint... This list could get quite extensive. What would you rather see people practice versus hearing it preached?

The snapshots you see were taken last year during the Western All-State Youth Choir summer tour. I thought these pictures gave a good description of the above quote. Not only did the choir perform, but they also connected to their audience by offering prayers and friendship after the performance. They practiced loving people. I love the picture of the choir member with the young child, but I am also very drawn to the picture of my husband praying for a lady who is holding her children. I wonder what thoughts were going through the minds of her children. I also felt like she was facing a difficulty but wanted her children to be reassured that everything would be alright. Isn't the power of love and prayer amazing?

3 comments:

  1. Yes, Helen, I had actually thought of that but decided to see who else might suggest Christianity. It seems the so-called Christian world fails often at practicing what they preach. Just think how incredible the world would be if everyone "practiced" instead of "preaching," "harping," or "nagging."

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  2. Before I came to leave my comment, I acutally thought of the word Christianity too. There is a sign on a church not too far from us that says, "Preach Jesus Christ. Use words when necessary." If people can see us acting out our Christianity first, they are more likely to listen when it is time for us to speak.

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  3. Carol - your comment reminded me of a song that says, "You're the only Jesus some will ever see." I love the church sign you quoted. Unfortunately, words are sometimes used too much. Thanks for dropping by.

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