play without a mask

Once upon a time, hockey goalies did not wear masks.



There were no advertisements plastered on the boards.


Once upon a time, the salary for a single player today funded the salary of an entire team.



They played for the sport of it. Spectators watched solely for the love of the game.



It's scary to me: the vocation of ministry has many parallels.

Do we wear masks or do we go all-out, plunging headlong into the battle with courage?

Has ministry become an advertiser’s bait and switch? Just another way to lure people in?

Do we worry more about making a living? We should be living for the making.

Do we engage in ministry because it is what we long to do, what we cannot keep ourselves from because a Lord to whom we owe allegiance bids us follow His call? Do we follow this calling because our heart compels us? And how about those whose lives we hope to touch with Christ’s love? Do we extort them or do we offer delight, freedom, exultation, the heart of play free of charge?

Let us not lose heart. Play for pennies. Play because you love it. Play without a mask.