Monday, March 14, 2022

Dean Powery on 'Sports and the Spiritual Life'


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With March Madness approaching, Chapel Dean Luke Powery writes in the (Duke) Chronicle about parallels between sports and the spiritual life. He describes four commonalities: being part of team or community, having a discipline of practice, navigating wins and losses/up and downs, and seeking faithfulness and persistence rather than perfection.

"Any of Duke’s coaches can tell you about how student-athletes are formed as people through participation in competitive sports," he writes. "But it’s not a quick fix; it’s a journey. The same is true of the spiritual life."

"We are running a marathon, not a sprint. Patience is a virtue," he says. "As the Bible’s Letter to the Hebrews puts it: we 'run with perseverance the race that is set before us.'”

Read the article.