Blessings

I just wrote the letter that goes in the front of our Heritage magazine. It includes an event I thought was worth sharing:

York College has been greatly blessed this year with the construction of new facilities and success both financially and academically. However, those things are just reflections of our mission and not its core of transforming lives.

​Students come to us with varying degrees of spiritual development--and some with none at all. York College has accepted the challenge of transforming lives, but the spiritual portion of that transformation does not always start in a Bible class or study. Sometimes it comes through an emphasis on character development which leads to an understanding of the importance of God and Christ in your life.

I witnessed this in action at a women’s basketball game a couple weeks ago. We hosted a tournament on our campus and the first team we played came from a small, struggling college. The team had seven players suited up for the game. One of the players got injured during the first quarter and was unavailable for the rest of the game. Coach Madole platooned his squad (substituted five new players at a time) so everyone got to play, but no matter who was in, we appeared to dominate the game.

I went in the training room to check on the injured player, a delightful young lady who loved the game and was upset she couldn’t play. When I emerged from the training room, I noticed something was different. There was a group of 20 students behind the opposing bench cheering on the visitors. At first I thought they must have arrived after the game started. Upon a closer look, I realized they were all York College students. Then several students on our side of the court began cheering on the visitors as well. There was some confusion as some students couldn’t make up their mind who to support, and cheered for both teams.

I know Christ was in that crowd as well. He may not have been on the lips, or even in the minds of the students, but they will always remember the positive feelings their participation in a Christ honoring action generated. The women on the opposing team surely appreciated the support, but it probably did not have the life-shaping impact on them that it did on our students.

It is great to work at a place where athletics is more than winning or losing. A place where Christian values permeate our life and actions. A place where God is honored and His word makes a difference every day.

Go Panthers!