When I was growing up in New Mexico basketball was a big part of my life.  I remember spending hours upon hours as a boy shooting baskets in our driveway.  It was so constant that our neighbor planted these huge evergreen trees between our driveway and his house just to block the sound of the bouncing ball.  It saddened me that something I enjoyed doing so much would cause someone else to be so perturbed about it.

            I guess that’s why a recent Wall Street Journal article caught my eye.  Did you know that basketball was actually invented as a tool for Christian outreach?  John Murray wrote the article for the WSJ and said that in 1891 James Naismith became convinced that he could use games as a tool for reaching people for Christ.

            It started with a testing period in which Naismith would try various games that imitated football, soccer, and lacrosse.  That time of testing various games eventually led him to invent a game, “with a ball that could be easily handled, play that involved running and passing with no tackling, and a goal at each end of the floor.”  That game today is known as basketball.

            The game of basketball was then used as an outreach tool at the YMCA in Springfield, Massachusetts for the next fifty years.  Undoubtedly, many heard about and came to receive Jesus Christ through a game of friendly competition.  Murray wrote that in 1941, Naismith wrote the following words; “Whenever I witness games in a church league, I feel that my vision, almost half a century ago, of the time when the Christian people would recognize the true value of athletics, has become a reality.”

            In my own experiences in high school basketball I feel like I had opportunities to witness and be a positive example to others, and just maybe in some way I was able to plant seeds for God’s kingdom.  Thanks Mr. Naismith for the game and inspiration to reach others for Christ, if only I could have found a way to leave a better impression on my neighbor.

            If you play basketball or any other sport, I would like to encourage you to not see it only as a fun game but as a way to build relationships and make a difference in peoples lives.  When Jesus tells us to “go and tell all nations” he expects us to be creative in our approach.