At the Thursday practice for Easter at Wells Fargo Arena, a guy walked in and sat along the boards... I could tell he was a hockey player because it looked like he had climbed over the boards a time or two in his life. The fact that there was a game there the next night also helped. He sat silently through most of the rehearsal and Pastor Mike's sermon run through. I thought to myself... hey, a chance to invite someone. His name was J.J. Hunter. He was from Manitoba eh... A true Canadian hockey player... He asked if there was a service that night and i said that it was just a run through for Easter. But I mentioned that we had a service back at Hope that night for young adults, gave him my card, offered to give him a ride if needed and left it at that.

The fact that he called was cool! I get to hang with a hockey player! Now you need to know that I don't skate, and the boards for me are the only thing keeping me from falling down even more, but I am a fan! So we talked a bit of hockey and I told him a bit about Immersion. Then he started to drop some BIG questions, with BIG words... My whole world shattered and he went from being a hockey player to a scholar in matter of mere seconds. Now I am no slouch, but I know when I am outgunned... This was a job for a real superhero... Pastor Richard!

I introduced the two and they sat for hours after Immersion going back and forth like I always imagined C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien might have in the good old days. it was on that level. Richard was in his element, J.J was soaking it up and I felt like a spectator at a tennis match! It was unreal!

When God looks at us, what do you suppose he sees? Hockey player? Pastor? Guitar player? Claims adjuster? College Student? Those are merely the feeble attempt at identity that we place on ourselves. God sees us as HIS! I saw a Hockey player... and I almost missed a child of God... Praise God for that late night in the Chapel. Look him up sometime. He is with the Manitoba Moose...

InHim,

Mark