11 So, setting sail from Troas, we made a direct voyage to Samothrace, and the following day to Neapolis, 12 and from there to Philippi, which is a leading city of the district of Macedonia and a Roman colony. We remained in this city some days. 13 And on the Sabbath day we went outside the gate to the riverside, where we supposed there was a place of prayer, and we sat down and spoke to the women who had come together. 14 One who heard us was a woman named Lydia, from the city of Thyatira, a seller of purple goods, who was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to pay attention to what was said by Paul. 15 And after she was baptized, and her household as well, she urged us, saying, “If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come to my house and stay.” And she prevailed upon us.
Acts 16:11-15 (ESV)
SLOW DOWN
I went to college for journalism and had the idea that I was going to be a sports writer. I have been an avid sports fan my whole life and had some natural interest in writing, so it seemed like a perfect fit.
I went to Georgia State University and served as the sports editor of the school paper for two years. One thing that GSU offered was proximity to local professional sports. We developed a relationship with the Atlanta Hawks and now-defunct Atlanta Thrashers, who agreed to let us have media credentials to any games we wanted.
We wrote about the teams and ran full-page ads for tickets, and the experience was incredible. Through that, I was able to build relationships with the Thrashers PR team, which would come in handy a few years later when I became the media intern for the organization.
One of the benefits that came along with that was free tickets to most any Thrashers game. Since I was almost always working during the hockey games, I tried my best to give the tickets to friends and family when I had them. I once gave tickets to a coworker I previously had at Target named Chris.
He had two young boys at the time and was from Canada, so he was thrilled to have the chance to go, and I was thrilled to be able to give them to him. It cost me absolutely nothing to give him those tickets. His kids, around 6–8 years old at the time, wrote me handwritten thank-you cards and said how much fun they had. They ended up getting a stray hockey puck and took pictures with the ice girls. That was 16 years ago.
A little over two years ago, Chris prematurely passed away. It had been several years since I worked with him, but we had kept in touch, and I chatted with him anytime I went to Target, where he still worked.
At his funeral, I went to offer condolences to his wife and sons, both now grown and in their twenties. I had met his wife a few times in passing but did not know her that well, and I didn’t really know what to say, so I introduced myself to her. She paused and said, “Are you the guy that gave us the hockey tickets?”
I was astonished that she even remembered that, but told her I was. She commented to her sons, who remembered that experience, and they all talked about what a great time they had at that game.
I am fully aware I had nothing to do with that. I had free tickets that weren’t going to be used, and it just happened to work out that I was able to provide them to him and his family. They went out and made a core memory as a family, which is a really cool thing for me to think about when I think of my friend Chris.
It serves as a good reminder that God can take the mundane and weave wonderful things out of it. This past Sunday, Mike instructed us on the importance of slowing down to engage those in our path. When we do this, we have a chance to be a part of these beautiful moments that God creates.
So slow down and engage those around you, and by all means, when you get the chance, go to a hockey game.
Lee Wilson and his wife, Deanna, have been NorthStar Church members since 2010. They are parents to Everett, Henry and Roselyn. Lee is passionate about sports (Go Braves, Go Dawgs) and has the pleasure to serve on the worship team as a bassist.
