In a New York Times column last week, David Brooks, addressed the dilemma of reconciling the world of professional sports with the world of faith. Brooks specifically talked about this dilemma in terms of Jeremy Lin, a Christian, and New York Knicks point guard who has taken the NBA by storm — causing “linsanity” to grip basketball fans and non-basketball fans alike. Brooks writes: “[The sports] ethos violates the religious ethos on many levels. The religious ethos is about redemption, self-abnegation and surrender to God. Ascent in the sports universe is a straight shot. You set your goal, and you climb toward greatness. But ascent in the religious universe often proceeds by a series of inversions: You have to be willing to lose yourself in order to find yourself; to gain everything you have to be willing to give up everything; the last shall be first; it’s not about you.”

Share this article with your young adults and have a conversation about the competing viewpoints we encounter each day:

• God teaches us to be humble and put others first, our jobs/careers/schools/families/(you name it) encourage us to excel and do better than everyone else. What takes precedence? How do you try to reconcile these two competing views?
• Talk about a time when you have put the world first or lost yourself or given up everything in order to be closer to God and find spiritual fulfillment.
• How do you live our your faith when you are not at church or doing a church activity? How do your non-church friends know that you are Christian?