The Winning I Like Most
I stayed up too late watching the Royals game last night. I was invested. I like baseball, but more than that I like being a part of something...and I like underdog stories.
You probably do too. There is just something about the underdog defeating the bad guy. There is something deeply moving when hope shines bright into seemingly hopeless places. It's the story that often resonates the loudest in our hearts. Probably because it's the Story. It's the story that makes our hearts come alive because it's rooted in the story of a broken people being rescued. Despite all odds, hope shined through. Love won. Darkness shuddered and was defeated. Jesus rescues. My heart starts to beat fast...
On the bus this morning Kistin announced proudly that the Royals won last night. The bus erupted in cheering. I mean erupted. They have no idea what the Royals winning means but they know it's exciting. After all the cheering died down London loudly proclaimed, "The winning I like most is when Jesus and God win!" I think the bus ride this morning was my favorite moment of our journey.
At Urban Christian academy we see clearly how this story of redemption is our story. We see how desperately hopeless the condition of the City is without Jesus. We have a strong conviction and a deep hope in the reality that Jesus can transform. We deeply desire for these truths to become woven into the fabric of our school and the way we foster the hearts of our kids. We have dreamt and prayed about our core values of Christ-Centeredness, Transformation and Community Narrative not just being core values on a sheet of paper but becoming the heart beat of our students lives. Today a few of them got it. It’s a beautiful thing when we can hear and see and feel God’s presence through 5 year olds. They knew our City was worth getting hyped about. They see that there is something besides crime and drugs happening and it's exciting. Our hope is that as this love for Kansas City grows, kids will realize the end goal isn't to "get out" but to stay and fight because there is something worth fighting for. And Jesus wins. His win is the best win. There is hope not because some sports teams are getting better but because Jesus is the best. We're the underdogs and He won for us. It’s not just disenfranchised urban kids who are the underdogs but us…the universal human race us…you’re the us Jesus died for. This is your story because it’s our story. Crazy.
There is something really awesome happening in Kansas City. We are humbled to be a part of the story God is writing here. We want to invite you to join in. It takes a lot of resources and prayers and people to operate Urban Christian Academy. God is faithfully providing. So many of you have made a stand for the Gospel and have chosen to invest your time and/or money to fight for 13 kids who have the potential to change a city. But there is space for more people to join in. Tickets to this underdog story are not sold out. This week I've rocked my Royals shirts, I've talked to lots of people about what's unfolding, I've said an embarrassing amount of prayers...all for a silly game. We need some UCA fans who will unashamedly rock their UCA swag (for those of you who missed out, more is on the way!), talk to people about the story that is unfolding, pray relentlessly, give financially, like us on Facebook and Instagram and share the story with your social media friends. These kids need one huge fan base...get loud friends. Join the story.
