Just this weekend, I experienced one of the craziest soccer games in my life. I traveled all the way out to Olympia, to Pioneer Park, for a game against Blackhills F.C.. We, HPFC, played this team last year and took a loss, thanks to the poor officiationg that gave away two unnecessary penalty kicks to the other team. We were determined to get our revenge this year. I started the game at my usual spot, center back, and ended up playing the whole game there. From the very start, you could tell the refs were going to be the same as last year and we would receive no help from them. We had to overcome the odds and win this game on our own. Within the first five minutes, the refs had not called an obvious foul inside their penalty box, which lead to an easy clearance by the keeper. They came back and almost had a shot on goal but their player slipped on the wet, damp grass and fell. The ref, being out of position and not focusing just saw the guy on the ground and called a foul. Luckily, their “star” player blasted the ball nowhere near the goal he was aiming for. This was just a preview of what was to come. The game continued like this, with the ref continuously making bad calls. Our team got more frustrated as the game went on, and the game got rougher and rougher because of it. We were down 3-1 when the madness began. The ball was deep in their territory and went out for a throw-in. From where I was, I couldn’t see much but I hear a loud smack, like the sound of a cleat hitting a shin guard. It turns out, that’s exactly what it was. One of their players had swung his leg as hard as he could at one of our players and hit him directly in the leg. Our player went down, screaming in agony. The ref rushed over there as soon as possible and sent the player off and separated the two teams before any punches were thrown. And believe me, they were about to be thrown. Our team had rushed the field, ready to take the kid out. The players settled down and the ref immediately blew the whistle to end the game once play had restarted. Soon after, the fire department and medics had arrived and were taking care of the injured player. When the medics asked him what had happened, he began with, “Well, it was a frustrating game,” and went on to explain the rest. He had a welt the size of a tennis ball on his shin. Cops had been called and were talking to the kid that kicked him. He got to his feet but couldn’t walk and was carried to his car, to drive an hour back home after a disappointing, stressful, and painful 3-1 loss.
Monthly Archives: October 2009
I Have Kept The Faith
“For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time has come for my departure. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day – and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.” (2 Timothy 4:6-8)
With death approaching, Paul demonstrates both a satisfaction with his performance in acting out the call of God on his life and a confidence in the promises of the one who called him. He serves, therefore, as a model for us of a life properly lived. Make no mistake, Paul’s life was far from perfect – he was at one point the single greatest [human] enemy of the church – but he accomplished, through the strength given him by God, the divine calling on his life.
For those of us who struggle with feelings of insignificance or meaninglessness, Paul’s testimony ought to be especially helpful. He was not merely effective in his Christian walk and confident in God’s promises. Rather, it was because of his faith in God’s promises that his life was so effective. So often, Christians are held back by the fear of making a wrong decision or committing to the wrong course of action. Certainly we have to search God’s word and seek counsel, both from those wiser than us and from the Holy Spirit, in order to evaluate our plans to be sure that they match up with God’s. Once we have done this, however, it is imperative that we act. This action is the expression of the faith that we have in the sovereignty of God. Seeking to understand his will for our lives and truly endeavoring to pursue it, it is critical that we move forward. Remaining still and waiting for a spectacular, undeniable call from God can often lead to lives that are stagnant and unproductive.
Seek God, seek his plan, but do not sit idly. In your searching never stop learning; never stop growing; never stop moving.
Matt Honstain
Youth Highlight: Destini Miller
Destini is one of the four student leaders in our youth group.She is 16 years old and has her license. She loves to sing and is involved in the youth worship team. She is doing running start part time and her high school is Bonney Lake High. Her weekday looks like this:
1.Babysit neighbor,Kainoa, every morning, from 6:30am-8
2.High school from 10:30-12:50
3.College from 2-4:30
4.HOMEWORK.
She also loves root beer. Her favorite is spaghetti, with bowtie noodles. (Which makes it not spaghetti anymore.) Country music isher favorite. Taylor Swift is her inspiration. She also has a Youtube account with one of her friends, Bronwen Yows, called deuceyentertainment. Soccer and snowboarding are her favorite sports. Her socks hardly ever match. Her all time favorite movie is the aristocats.
Her favorite bible verse is Psalms 34:18:
The Lord is close to the broken-hearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.
The Unheard Story of SpongeBob
One day Spongebob was stuck in his pineapple all alone. He told Gary his pet snail to find Miley Cyrus above the water. Spongebob got Patrick to come over with a giant rope and 14 doughnuts. Gary returned 3 days later with Miley and they tied her up. They shoved her in the closet and laughed. Squidward heard all the ruckus and came over. He found Spongebob and Patrick throwing doughnuts into the closet. Squidward looked into the closet to find Miley tied up and taking out her phone. Patrick knew Squidward was claustrophobic so he put on a santa suit and said “Ho ho ho.” What Patrick didn’t know is that it means he was scared of small places. Squidward took king Peter’s sword and went through the portal and he was above water so he died. Miley called the water hazard association and they sucked all the water in the sea. The only survivor was sandy. The end… or is it?
Home Groups: Diesel and High Octane
Homegroups have started again, and this time, middle school and high school students can participate. In the recently added, middle school homegroup, they have been studying the book of Genesis. In the first three weeks, they have gone over, Creation, The Fall, and The Flood as well as Adam and Eve and Cain and Abel. They meet every Wednesday at Matt’s house at 6:30. They begin with a time to hang out and talk while they wait for everyone to show up. Then, they play a game. After the game, they get into the Bible. In addition to the middle school homegroup, we have the high school homegroup. This meets at the Tucker’s house every Wednesday at 7. It is similar to the other group, but with a few changes. Instead of a game at the beginning, Jacob leads the group in worship, playing songs like Blessed Be Your Name. Then we start studying the Bible. We are studying the book of 1 Samuel, the story of David. We are learning about all of David’s struggles and accomplishments and how God helped him in each and every one. This includes the story of David and Goliath. After the lesson, we usually have a little bit of time left, which we spend talking, watching TV, or playing games. Both the homegroups are very interesting and are worth the time, no matter what age you are.
