Summary: For this episode I had a great conversation with Trygve and Kristen Deede Johnson. Kristen is the professor of Theology and Formation at Western Theological Seminary. Trgyve is the Hinga-Boersma Dean of the Chapel at Hope College. They are parents of two children. Questions to Consider: Trygve talks of having to unlearn some of the lessons he learned in sports. One of those lessons is: “Your identity is defined by your performance.” In what area of your life are you tempted to equate your identity with your performance? Is it work? Parenting? You own athletic endeavors? Your spiritual journey? When he was playing baseball in college, Trygve started asking “What if I played, not to win, but for beautiful moments?” Have you seen your athlete create beautiful moments, even if the game or match ended in a loss? Kristen asks, “What is the cost of youth sports for our family?” and “What is the cost for our community?” Is there a risk that a focus on “my” kids hinders my ability to think about “our” kids? One question that emerged in this episode is: “Is it OK not to play?” Another is: “Do we have permission to imagine alternative lives for our families?” How did this strike you? How would you answer this? How would you kids answer it? Kristen offers three practices for parents of young athletes to focus on for their own spiritual formation. Which of these might be one you can focus on in the next week? Prayer – She mentions the prayer of examen. You can learn more about this here: upperroom.org/resources/the-examen Sabbath – Schedule breaks for rest Sleep – “It’s a tremendous act of trust.” More from Kristen at kristenjohnson.org Follow BSD on Facebook today! Message me there with your questions, episode ideas, or prayer requests.
