Redneck Dodgeball’s rules are the same as Dodgeball, except teams of five shoot arrows at each other with foam at the end, so that contestants and bystanders are not hurt. There were some veteran teams and players there who had done this before, including Wyatt Frese, who was one of the most elusive players to hit; Josh and Keegan Warner; and Paul Tracy, who was still willing to mix it up with the youngsters.
But it was Cody Green’s team which got the win, although it had to go the long way to get there. They were ousted by Paul Tracy’s team, fell behind 1-0 to Josh Warner’s team, but then recovered to beat them and win a rematch with Tracy’s team before winning the whole tournament. They got to keep the traveling trophy.
Zach Westin, who is with the regional FCA and is an area umpire, spoke to the youth about FCA. Worth County will be starting a Fellowship of Christian Athletes chapter this year. They are student-led groups which are designed to bring youth to Christ; you do not have to be an athlete to join.
For the second night, Ryan Christopher spoke to the youth, and this time, read out of Second Corinthians 10, asking, “Who are you?” He said that not a lot of people could answer that question for themselves, and that the currency of the world, which is the likes and follows of Social Media, was not helpful.
He said that since students have more access to information than anyone, they have an artificial maturity, which is exposed when they think they know everything, but are totally immature online.
Christopher said that the problem is that Christians have an identity crisis. “We need to make sure we know that we have an enemy in the Devil,” he said. The Devil, he said, sets out to make people feel like they are not good enough. For instance, he questioned if Jesus was really the Son of God while tempting him. Satan also questioned whether God really told Adam and Eve what He did in the Garden of Eden. He implied that God did not have their best interests at heart. The whole purpose was to steal away our joy, said Christopher. “People without joy cannot dream,” he said.
Turning to Second Corinthians 10, he pointed out that we war not against flesh and blood, but against principalities and powers. Speaking of himself, Christopher said he struggled with insecurity all the time. “Some of us believe lies we have been told for decades, including from family members,” he said. He said he was called to be a preacher at 16 despite having a speaking problem. But he got the hang of it. “Learn what God says about you,” said Christopher. He pointed to First Peter 2:9, where God told the church they were His chosen people. Another passage, in Ephesians 1:3-8, declares we are blessed with every spiritual blessing. “You’re a champion, because you’re forgiven,” he said.
He said that we can’t see the Bible as a recommendation, but as a final authority, and that we had to embrace all of it or none of it. “You’ll walk differently if you actually believe,” said Christopher. “Live it out.” Turning to Philippians, he talked about running the race and pressing ahead, not living in the past. “Stop being lazy and live it out,” he said. “Volunteer. Start giving back. Get in the Bible more.
Christopher challenged the youth to set up guardrails in their heart, so they won’t cross lines and wind up knee-deep in sin. For instance, don’t show up at a party where alcohol is present. He said the goal to avoid trouble was to avoid situations that trigger bad choices in the first place.
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