Read Time: 4 min 34 sec | Reading Level: 7th Grade

SPORTS

Play Ball

The days are getting longer, the weather’s having major mood swings, and spring break is within reach. That can only mean one thing: spring sports. 

Up first is March Madness, with the Men’s and Women’s NCAA Basketball tourneys tipping off this week. Men’s play officially starts today, and women’s starts tomorrow, so you may still have (a little) time to fill out your brackets! 

Auburn, Duke, Florida, and Houston are the top teams looking for their shining moment on the men’s side. The women’s #1 seeds are UCLA, Texas, USC, and South Carolina (AKA the defending champs). 

While college hoops head toward the final buzzer, things on the diamond are just getting warmed up. Japan-native Shohei Ohtani and the LA Dodgers swept the Chicago Cubs in the 2025 season-starting Tokyo Series. The rest of MLB will celebrate Opening Day on March 27th.

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CHRISTIAN PERSPECTIVE
Sports can teach us a lot about everyday life—the value of teamwork, perseverance, and even loyalty as a fan. The commitment of athletes to their sport encourages us to press on as we seek to win an “imperishable crown” at the end of our faith journey, and the joy of fans for their team can give us a foretaste of the greatest celebration in history. 

“Now everyone who competes exercises self-control in everything. They do it to receive a perishable crown, but we an imperishable crown.”
1 Corinthians 9:25 (CSB) (read full passage)

What gospel lesson can be taught through this story?
The anticipation we feel before our favorite events teaches us how to wait for Jesus’s return.

We wait for sports games or concerts or vacations with eagerness and joy, preparing what we’ll wear and what we’ll do and imagining what it’ll be like. How much more should we long for Jesus’s return when total joy and final victory are certain?!

Those who believe in Jesus have nothing to fear, for when he comes back, his sacrifice makes us totally right in our relationship with God (Romans 5:8–11). We can wait eagerly to be with him, preparing ourselves by living holy lives (2 Peter 3:10–13).

What response to this story do I want to model for my children?
Joyously celebrating these athletes while marveling at God’s ingenuity and greatness.

When you see a beautiful piece of art, you celebrate the artist. Similarly, as we watch incredible athletes accomplish amazing things, it should naturally lead us to glorify God. We are “his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works” that will show how great he is (Ephesians 2:10 CSB). He knows each one of these athletes, designed the bodies capable of such feats, made the creative minds that invented each sport, and existed long before these teams began. 

Every impressive thing points us back to our Creator God, calling for us to praise him.

• Talk as a family about ways you can use your life to reflect your Creator to others, whether that be through God-given talents, hard work, or responses to tough situations.

• Memorize Ephesians 2:10, celebrating the purpose we have in Christ: “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared ahead of time for us to do” (CSB).

• Pray that your family will be known for your joy and hope as you wait for Jesus’s return, and pray for opportunities to share that hope with others.

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Who We’re Teaching Our Kids About
Heroes of our faith, with The Voice of the Martyrs*

Your kids may know superheroes, but do they know the real-life heroes of our faith? The Voice of the Martyrs helped create The Torchlighters, an incredible animated series introducing kids to courageous Christians like William Tyndale, Jim Elliot, and Corrie ten Boom.

Right now, you can get free digital access to “The Corrie ten Boom Story.” During World War II, Corrie and her family risked everything to hide Jews from the Nazis. This gripping true story explores courage, sacrifice, and the power of faith in the face of evil.

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