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, teach me to rest in You as I face the tension of this present life and eternity. I pray, Lord, that You would strengthen me to accomplish Your purposes in my life. Please help me wisely prepare for the future and keep an eternal perspective on everything. In Jesus’ name, I pray, Amen.

 

A – ACCOUNTABILITY

Ask guys how their week was. Follow up on last week’s topic about having fun!

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

Living for the Future and Present

The NBA Draft takes place this week on Wednesday and Thursday nights. I’m intrigued to find out where the top prospects end up, but I’m also fascinated to see how each team’s decisions reveal its focus.

Based on the players they select and the trades they make leading up to or during the draft will indicate the direction the franchise is heading.

With the Atlanta Hawks having the number one pick after missing the playoffs last year, these questions come to mind:

Will they draft a player who can help them right away and pairs well with current stars Trae Young and Dejounte Murray…or will they draft a player with the most potential for the future?

Will they trade Murray and or Young to build the team around their number-one pick?

Will they trade the number one pick?

Are the Hawks focused on rebuilding the roster with the future in mind or tweaking it to return to the playoffs this upcoming season?

The Brooklyn Nets are interesting because they don’t have any draft picks this year but have seven future first-round picks available to trade. I wonder if they’ll be patient and plan for the future…or trade their future picks to get into this year’s draft to help their team immediately.

The Nets, Hawks, and every other NBA team face the tension of making decisions that help them win now or prepare for the future.

Despite this tension, the teams that have the most consistent success are the ones that are able to manage their roster in a way that allows them to win now and in the future.

Teams run into problems when their focus is lopsided. If their moves are too much about the future, then they continually trade good players for future draft picks at the expense of winning now.

On the flip side, some teams focus so much on winning now that they trade all of their future draft picks for players who can help them right away.

Years later, they realize they had no plan for after those players were gone. This year’s NBA Draft is another test for GMs to determine how they can win now and prepare for the future.

Likewise, we face a similar tension in our own lives. Do we focus on the day-to-day in order to win during this season or make decisions and plans that prepare us for the future?

When we focus on the future, we might sacrifice winning now, but it leads us closer to our dreams and hopes for “winning” down the road. The positive side of thinking about the future is doing so with wisdom and strategy, but the negative side is being so focused on the future that we neglect the present or procrastinate and don’t take the proper action now.

Other times, our focus is on this season or the here and now, and we get so caught up in immediate responsibilities and trying to make the most of each day that we aren’t concerned about the future at all.

Instead, we try to survive and let life happen. Then, some time passes, and we realize we “traded all of our future picks” without a plan or preparation.

The questions become, do I have the proper focus, and what should my focus be? What do my decisions reveal about where my focus is?

As followers of Jesus, our focus, perspective, and approach to life are through the lens of scripture and in light of eternity. I believe we’re called to be diligent in the present relying on God’s strength, plan for the future with wisdom from God, and remain surrendered as we trust God and prepare for eternity with Him.

On one hand, God has us on earth to accomplish His purposes in and through us in the present. Yes, we also have to take care of our responsibilities, our bodies, our families, and our jobs. However, we can’t get so caught up in the day-to-day that we lose sight of how our decisions affect our future here on earth and for eternity. We have to determine what’s most important and prioritize accordingly.

I love what it says in 1 Timothy 4:8 (AMP): “For physical training is of some value, but godliness (spiritual training) is of value in everything and in every way, since it holds promise for the present life and for the life to come.”

We’re told in 1 Timothy 6:18-19 (NLT), “Tell them to use their money to do good. They should be rich in good works and generous to those in need, always being ready to share with others. By doing this they will be storing up their treasure as a good foundation for the future so that they may experience true life.”

Today, let’s be encouraged to keep our focus on Jesus so we can have an impact right now and “win” during this season while also preparing us for eternity and future blessings.

I’m Bryce Johnson, and you can UNPACK that!

ADDITIONAL THOUGHTS TO CONSIDER OR EMPHASIZE OR OTHER DIRECTIONS TO GO:

  • The right perspective on the present includes making the most of each day and enjoying the moment, while the wrong perspective is getting so focused on the day-to-day worries and things that don’t really matter.
  • We can get so focused on winning now which really means we’re focused on winning according to the world with no regard for eternity.
  • The right perspective on the future includes planning, preparing, and wise strategies while keeping eternity in mind and what matters most. We also hold the future with open hands in surrender.
  • The wrong perspective on the future may include procrastination, not caring about what’s in front of us, or worrying too much about what might happen in the future. We might be so focused on heaven that we lose sight of the reality that God has us here now to accomplish His purposes.
  • We must focus on the One and He empowers us in the now in light of the future.

ADDITIONAL SCRIPTURE:

Matthew 16:26 ESV: “For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul?”

Proverbs 19:21 (NLT): “You can make many plans, but the Lord’s purpose will prevail.”

Proverbs 27:1 (ESV): “Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring.”

 

PODCAST-LISTEN/WATCH:

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

1. How important do you think the NBA Draft is compared to other professional drafts, and why?
2. What strategy would you implement if you were making the No. 1 pick for the Atlanta Hawks this year?
3. Which college or foreign prospects did you watch this season that impressed you, and why?
4. Do you prefer teams taking the “best player available” or the “biggest need,” and why?
5. Do you tend to struggle more with getting too caught up in the moment or with focusing too much on the future? Why do you think you struggle in the area that you do?
6. How have you been negatively impacted by either failing to prepare for the future or thinking too much about future plans in your life?
7. What can you practically plan for the future that glorifies God?
8. According to the Bible, what are examples of appropriate things you could plan for?
9. How can you honor and glorify God when the things you plan or hope for don’t turn out the way you desire?
10. How would living with a focus on eternity change the way you’re living in the present?
11. In what ways do your present decisions affect your future and eternity?

 

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:

  • Stanley Cup
  • The College World Series
  • Klay Thompson and the Warriors – Players finishing off their careers with the same team
  • Olympic Trials