Ep 102: Chasing Trophies, but Missing Crowns

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What can a childhood trophy 
teach us about what really 

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matters? 
Well, we'll talk about that in 

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just a SEC. 
Welcome to the show. 

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I'm Daniel Dalp and this is for 
your Sunday morning drive where 

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the short podcast with the goal 
of providing some motivation, 

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Dr. and encouragement on your 
way to worship and helping you 

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recenter your mind on those 
spiritual things on a hectic 

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Sunday morning. 
Before we get started this 

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morning, I wanted to give a big 
thank you to my friend David 

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Rogers for coming in clutch last
week when my voice was even 

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worse than it is now. 
Don't worry, we'll get through 

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this episode together. 
I appreciate you listening. 

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Let's go ahead and get the show 
on the road this morning. 

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This is episode one O 2. 
Chasing trophies but missing 

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crowns. 
Let's go to church. 

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Are we there yet? 
Have you been enjoying the big 

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dance, the college basketball 
tradition of March Madness? 

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If so, then more power to you. 
I have not. 

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Unsurprisingly to many of you, I
am just not a sports guy. 

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Now, that's not for lack of 
trying. 

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OK, well, definitely lack of 
trying on my part, but there was

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a major effort on the part of my
parents when I was a kid. 

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I was in everything from karate 
to basketball to hockey, and 

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each one I was a more dismal 
failure than the last. 

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I guess it just didn't take. 
But it's all good. 

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I've made peace with it and I 
have lived my life as a happy 

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nerd ever since. 
I was, however, reminded of this

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phase in my life over the last 
few years. 

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I found myself in my childhood 
bedroom and tucked back in a 

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closet I found an old basketball
trophy. 

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A trophy, mind you, from 1997. 
I would have been seven years 

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old. 
I'll be sure to put a picture on

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the website. 
It was from one of those 

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Christian kids leagues that 
gives everyone a trophy. 

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And since it was the 90s, like 
most trophies handed out to kids

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during and since, it wasn't 
deserved. 

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But the humorous aspect of this 
trophy is that since they had to

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find something to give me a 
trophy for, and since I don't 

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think I made a shot the entire 
season, they ended up giving me 

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a trophy with best Christian 
attitude inscribed upon it for 

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memorizing the most Bible 
verses. 

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Certainly a trophy not earned. 
But what a conversation piece. 

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And you better believe my family
loves bringing it up whenever 

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they get the chance and it's all
in good fun. 

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But you know, as I was 
reflecting on that trophy and 

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all the jokes it's prompted over
the years, I couldn't help but 

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ask a question of myself. 
I wonder if it would still be 

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awarded to me today, all these 
years later. 

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Certainly no, not for 
basketball, but for, quote, best

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Christian attitude, and after a 
brief self-assessment, I'd have 

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to say probably not. 
I wish it would though. 

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And that got me to thinking 
about other trophies that we 

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cling on to or that we seek 
after that are ultimately, at 

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the end of the day, of little 
value compared to our genuine 

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Christ likeness. 
What do we value that God 

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doesn't? 
Do we strive after the prize of 

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wealth and fame? 
Do we labor for the trophy of 

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image and reputation? 
Do we covet the trappings of 

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applause and recognition? 
Do we cling to the crown of 

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busyness and productivity? 
Or do we long to wear the medal 

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of material success? 
You know the Bible tells us 

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these things are all temporal, 
not eternal. 

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First Corinthians chapter 924 
and 25 says do you not know that

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those who run in a race all run,
but only one receives the prize?

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Run in such a way that you may 
win. 

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Everyone who competes in the 
games exercises self-control in 

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all things, so they do it to 
obtain a perishable wreath. 

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But we and imperishable Paul, 
who pinned those words, also 

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asks us to continue to shift our
perspective to what matters as 

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he shifts his focus to do the 
same in some of the last words 

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he ever gives to Timothy in 
Second Timothy chapter 4 six 

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through 8, he says, For I am 
already being poured out as a 

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drink offering, and the time of 
my departure has come. 

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I have fought the good fight, I 
have finished the course, I have

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kept the fake. 
And in the future, there is 

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reserved for me the crown of 
righteousness, which the Lord, 

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the righteous judge, will award 
to me on that day, and not only 

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to me, but also to all who have 
loved his appearing. 

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That's a pretty impactful 
message, Timothy. 

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The trophies we seek after and 
what we hold to be important 

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matter. 
So I won't get my hopes up for 

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another basketball trophy. 
That would be an exercise in 

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futility. 
But I pray that I can, day by 

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day, live in a way that might 
reveal the heart that desires a 

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Christian attitude more than the
passing pleasures of a dying 

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world. 
And it's my hope that we can all

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do a little better to value the 
crown of life more than the 

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trappings of life itself. 
Because in the big dance of 

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life, eternity matters. 
And if we continue to March to 

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the beat of a worldly standard 
instead of the upward call of 

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God, well, that's just madness. 
Those are my thoughts for your 

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Sunday morning drive. 
Now it's time to hear yours. 

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Our discussion questions this 
week are what is 1 trophy you 

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are currently chasing and what 
is a step you can take to 

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refocus on the eternal? 
What daily habit can you 

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intentionally practice this week
to develop a more Christ like 

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character and where in your life
are you most tempted to 

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compromise your character? 
What specific boundary or change

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can you put in place to guard 
against that? 

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Hey, this week especially, thank
you so much for listening. 

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I know it's been a rough listen 
but I appreciate you sticking 

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with me. 
Don't take your eye off the 

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crown now. 
Keep moving forward and I'll see

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you Sunday.