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A "Dream
Team" it wasn't. The
Athens Olympic games were an enjoyable athletic spectacle, and lots of young men
and women gave evidence of their years of hard work and practice and determination
to be the best in the world. On
the other hand, the USA men's basketball team was a disappointment to everyone
- including the players themselves. Standing there receiving their bronze medals
- when all their predecessors had walked away with gold — could not have
been a very happy experience. So
what happened? Why did all these highly-paid NBA "stars" get thumped
by teams from Puerto Rico, Lithuania and Argentina? Perhaps because those international
teams have spent their time working on the fundamentals of shooting and passing,
working together as a team, while the American pro games seems to celebrate individual
celebrity and achievement. No
one would make the case that all of these teams that beat the US men have more
individual talent. What they had was a team. It's
yet another reminder of what can be accomplished when a group of people is willing
to focus its collective energy on achieving something together. The
apostle Paul was making the same point when he said, "Just as our bodies
have many parts and each part has a special function, so it is with Christ's body
. . . each of us has different work to do . . . we belong to each other, and each
of us needs all the others" (Romans 12:4-5). I'm
glad that even in the Christian world there are people of rare talents. We watch
and admire the way they use the gifts God has given. But when it comes to accomplishing
Kingdom goals, God calls us to work together as a team. __________ Michael
Duduit is President/CEO of American Ministry Resources LLC, and editor of LeaderLinks.
You can contact him at michael@leaderlinks.com or visit his website at www.michaelduduit.com | 