The following article is written by (me) an EX hockey dad and ice hockey coach who spent a decade of his unregenerated life either in hockey rinks, coaching on the ice, driving to games or watching his son play hockey, of which... I sadly regret today! Thankfully God rescued me from it all via the gospel of Christ and new life in Him!
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In April 2018 a tragedy occurred up in Canada were 15 people ( among them 10 hockey players age 16-21 ) died in a terrible bus crash as they drove to play...... a hockey game.
My heart breaks for all involved and as an ex hockey dad and coach, the pain they all felt must be beyond understanding to those witnessing it. You get very close to players and parents in this game and then to see so many young lives ended so soon. I have read articles and news reports and heard all the different takes on it from parents, coaches and local towns people. Everyone is saying how the hockey world has come together to support them all and that is honorable. They held a vigil and many words were sent UP to God in this time of their greatest pain and religious services were also included.
It is what the world and religious folk do it seems, they live any way they desire then cry out to God in your time of need.
Note: NO biblical gospel on how to find eternal life was given at their vigil .... just many religious words. How sad!
Note: NO biblical gospel on how to find eternal life was given at their vigil .... just many religious words. How sad!
For this article, I want to focus on it from my perspective as a ex hockey dad and now born again Christian/child of God/preacher of the gospel good news. I want to be bold and honest here in the hopes you have found this article and it will wake you up to truth!
While it is very heart warming to hear those affected reaching out to God in a hour of need and pain; the truth is this tragedy NEVER would of happened (in this magnitude) IF those families involved were born of and simply obeying God's Word.
Having been in the sport of hockey myself, excelling at it demands you dedicate your entire being to it in a almost idolatrous obsession. It is like few other sports I know of really. Families will drive for many hours and send their young teen boys far away to live with strangers in the hopes they will someday play junior, college or pro hockey. That was the dreams of these young men who were killed as they were striving in Junior hockey sadly.
So why did this NOT have to happen you ask?
God's Word commands those who are born of Him ( heaven bound ) that they do NOT live for or cling to the sinful fallen worlds ways like violent, pride filled, rowdy idolatrous hockey. If these boys had been raised in homes were God's Word and ways were fully followed, they would not have been in or loved ice hockey at all. They would have been protected from the worlds ways, they would have known/loved the Word of God, obeyed it and that would have protected them from the world and this terrible sports bus crash. You do not die on a hockey bus crash if your not into hockey. I find their deaths so tragic as they were striving for a temporal thing and not living for eternity is the main point! To show you how deceived or void of real godly truth this organization was, they even have a team chaplain.
( hockey and all it entails is NOT of God yet, they try to make it so with so called men of God approving of it... )
( hockey and all it entails is NOT of God yet, they try to make it so with so called men of God approving of it... )
So why are the worlds ways and its games NOT of the Lord?
God's Word says:
God's Word says:
Titus 2:11-15
For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men,
Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world;
Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;
Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.
These things speak, and exhort, and rebuke with all authority. Let no man despise thee.
And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. Romans 12:2
People say well, they died doing what they love!
That is the point as they loved the world's ways, NOT God's ways and that fruit is not the sign of a heaven bound saint is it?
You see the bible teaches godly people to leave the worlds ways, NOT embrace them if they are God's true people! Sadly most people are merely into Sunday religion but they are not born again at all. That was me..... I loved the world ( hockey ) more then God's ways.
Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
1 John 2:15
Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
1 John 2:15
In truth, judgement and hell awaits the non redeemded people who crave and love the worlds offerings (like sports fans as I once was) NOT heaven, so I write this article as a wake up call to others in love!
When I repented and was born again, I had a GREAT sorrow for all the time I wasted in this sport ( any sport ) and how I allowed myself to teach its worldliness and idolatry to my son. Today I would encourage any man/parent/teen to test themselves, repent, be born a new, get into God's Word and stay out of any ice hockey rink, baseball field or football stadium as the end of it all and the purpose of it all is NOT good per God and His Word.
The death of these young men shows how fragile and short this life can be. I have no idea how many of these young men went to heaven or hell? But this I do know.... there will be NO hockey in heaven and if that was or is your pursuit/passion here on earth, I fear for your eternal outcome!
My plea is this; why would anyone who claims or is born of God and desires heaven, ever want to waste their life, skills, time and effort on a futile short lived pursuit as hockey or any other sport for that matter?
See this article on sports and the Christ follower:
http://spiritandtruthdiscernment.blogspot.com/2017/05/sports-and-follower-of-christ.html
Please do not be like these men who died striving for and doing something carnal of the fallen world that God does NOT approve of as it lacks anything of eternal value, goodness, holiness or purity.
God hates what the world esteems highly you know?
see Luke 16.15
God hates what the world esteems highly you know?
see Luke 16.15
I hope you hockey fans wake up and repent and do not waste your life/eternity focused on the game or ice, as I almost did!!!!!
There is GOOD NEWS.....
There is GOOD NEWS.....
Repent, be born again and come out of the world and its ways. Then you will have the hope of eternal life to come thanks to what Christ has done!
See the gospel below and all of our resources to help you in the saving faith and let me know how I can help you?
God changed this one time hockey freak and He CAN do the same for you.....
God changed this one time hockey freak and He CAN do the same for you.....
God be praised
www.dontperish.com
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