Weekly Content for P.A.C.K. Meetings
P – PRAYER
Pray for your time together. Ask God to give you open hearts and ears, and a willingness to be open and honest with each other.
Wrap up your time together by having guys share additional personal prayer requests and pray specifically for one another.
You can also pray this prayer as a follow-up to the topic: Heavenly Father, please help me not to be consumed with worry, stress, and fear but cling to Christ and the freedom, joy, and peace I have in Him. I pray that You’ll help me enjoy life and have fun as I love and serve people and rely on You to get me through the challenges I face. In Jesus’ name, I pray, Amen.
A – ACCOUNTABILITY
Ask guys how their week was. Follow up on last week’s topic about relying on teammates and living in community.
Also, it can be an opportunity for guys to share any struggles or challenges from the week that need to be confessed or held accountable for.
If married, ask how everyone is intentionally serving their spouse…and if a parent, what the biggest challenge is right now.
C – CONVERSATION
Talk about weekly content that connects sports to life and faith.
UNPACKIN’ IT DEVOTIONAL CONTENT
Bryson DeChambeau Had Fun
What a wild U.S. Open as we witnessed Bryson DeChambeau hit unbelievable shots and knock down the putts needed to win his second U.S. Open title!
While his game has been remarkable in recent majors, the way he’s evolved into a fan favorite has also been a huge storyline. The crowds were cheering for him throughout the tournament, and on Sunday, he stuck around afterward to sign autographs and be with the people.
Bryson tweeted on Saturday, “The energy was electric today, having fun out there with the fans is what it’s all about.”
It was refreshing to see Bryson interact with the crowd in a fun way. He included them in the excitement, and they experienced pleasure and gratification being around him.
Not only did DeChambeau have fun with the fans, but also with the very challenging Pinehurst No. 2 course. He had plenty of errant shots, but he embraced the difficulties by hitting fun shots out of the bunker, the rough, and the trees.
I find it fascinating that DeChambeau’s plan and approach when heading into the tournament was to have fun, and that’s exactly what he did.
On the Monday before the U.S. Open, ESPN.com published an article by Paolo Uggetti in which Bryson was quoted as saying, “I’ll try to do my best to show the crowd some fun drives and some hopefully long-made putts.”
Uggetti went on to write, “On Monday, after watching a bunker shot land on the sixth green and then roll off all the way back into the bunker where he stood, DeChambeau sighed, shrugged and laughed. ‘It’s going to be fun,’ he said sarcastically, before adding, ‘Seriously, the person who has the most fun with it is going to do well this week.’ Perhaps no one is better suited to do that than him.”
Amazingly, he had the most fun and, in the end, was the one holding up the trophy.
Let’s face it: when athletes become professionals, they can easily forget that playing a sport is supposed to be fun. Unfortunately, it becomes so seriously intense that tremendous pressure and stress result in fear and worry instead of fun, freedom, and enjoyment.
When it comes to our own lives, are we having as much fun as we can, or are we so bogged down by challenges, pressures, and stresses that we have a tough time enjoying anything?
Of course, life isn’t all about having fun and goofing around, but is it possible to have fun even when we land in the “bunkers” or “the rough”?
By surrendering our lives to Jesus, we experience true freedom, peace, and joy. As a byproduct of the victory found in Him, we should have some genuine fun, without sinning.
Jesus says in John 10:10 (AMP), “The thief comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance [to the full, till it overflows].”
Part of enjoying life is having fun with people and actually having fun with Jesus. Yes, there are many elements of life to take seriously, and our journey is challenging, but we can’t forget that it’s a fun and exciting adventure following Jesus.
Let’s live with joy, peace, and freedom instead of bondage, worry, and fear because it’s hard to have real fun when we’re consumed with worry and trapped in sin.
Proverbs 17:22 (AMP) tells us, “A happy heart is good medicine and a joyful mind causes healing, But a broken spirit dries up the bones.”
2 Corinthians 3:17 (AMP) says, “Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty [emancipation from bondage, true freedom].”
1 Corinthians 10:31 (ESV) “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”
Today, as we reflect on how Bryson DeChambeau had fun on the course and with the people while winning the U.S. Open, let’s be encouraged that life can be fun with the right approach.
Life is hard, but with Jesus, we learn to enjoy it as we enjoy Him and His people. Remember, we can even have fun as we trust Him to get us out of the “bunkers.”
I’m Bryce Johnson, and you can UNPACK that!
ADDITIONAL THOUGHTS TO CONSIDER OR EMPHASIZE OR OTHER DIRECTIONS TO GO:
- Being careful of two extremes:
– Having way too much fun and never taking anything seriously.
– Being legalistic and too serious about everything. - Following Jesus isn’t a drag, boring, or burdensome.
- Sometimes there is pain in life and it’s not a time for fun.
- God has given us boundaries that allow us to experience freedom and fun in the right way.
- Understanding that we can have fun without sinning…and how obedience is fun.
- Understanding why following Jesus can be such a fun adventure.
- Another sport talking about having fun. Here is what Jason Tatum said before Game 5 of the NBA Finals:“Joe (Mazzulla, head coach) did a great job today of reminding us that it’s OK to smile during wars,” Tatum said. “It’s OK to have fun during high-pressure moments. We would love to win tomorrow, more than anything. But if it doesn’t happen, it’s not the end of the world. We have more opportunities. So just setting that (mindset) of ‘Don’t surrender to that idea that we have to win tomorrow.’ We would love to, absolutely. But Game 5 is the biggest game of the season because it’s the next game on the schedule. So (it’s) going with that mindset and just have fun. That’s really what we talked about today. Get back to having fun and being a team and how special we are and the team that got us here.”
PODCAST-LISTEN/WATCH:
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
1. What was your big takeaway from the U.S. Open over the weekend?
2. How, if at all, has your opinion of Bryson DeChambeau changed over the past few years?
3. Do you find it difficult to have fun when playing golf? If so, why?
4. What is one activity you like to do when you’re looking to have fun?
5. What sorts of challenges or circumstances have prevented you from finding enjoyment in life?
6. How does worry or anxiety during difficult situations remove the fun out of your life?
7. How do you find the right balance between enjoying the good gifts God has given you, and not allowing those things to become idols?
8. How would you describe the difference between having fun, and having fun in Christ?
9. How does finding enjoyment in life bring glory to God?
10. What practical steps can you take this week to begin experiencing more fun and enjoyment in your life?
11. What things in life did you used to think were fun, but aren’t any longer because of your spiritual maturity?
K – KICKING Around Interesting and Relevant Sports Stories and Topics (You Can Start with This)
Go around the room as each guy shares a thought, a hot take, an observation about their favorite team, or a big story happening. Save the conversation about the sports topic from the devotional for later.
THIS WEEK’S SPORTS HEADLINES/TOPICS:
- NFL minicamps wrapped up with some big takeaways.
- The Celtics win the NBA Finals.
- The College World Series.
- Moving forward, will you root for Bryson, Scottie, or Rory in golf?
- Lakers and JJ Redick.
- Charles Barkley retiring from TV.
