Today I'm covering the fifth Beatitude which reads, “Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy." Matthew 5:7 (NRSVUE)

Mercy is intertwined with sin, judgment, and forgiveness. Without sin, there would be no need for mercy. Being merciful is showing forgiveness and compassion towards someone who has wronged us.

We're all recipients of God's mercy and that means we should show mercy to those who rightfully deserve punishment.

Mercy doesn't mean we deny that a wrong or sin has been committed but it's extended to someone instead of judgment.

How Can We Apply This to Pickleball?

Every time I see the word mercy in the Bible I think of Cobra Kai and their motto: “Strike Hard, Strike First, No Mercy!” 

This is often the attitude a lot of athletes take when playing a sport. They want to dominate their opponent by being the first to score, score often, and have total victory.

When I started playing pickleball there were a lot of people who were much better than I was. They could have crushed me but instead, they showed mercy and continued the point so that I could get a little more experience.

Instead of ending the game and moving on to a better match, they took the time to show me how to improve my game. 

Now, when I play with less experienced people I do the same. I smile, enjoy each point, offer advice (if they'll accept it), and even offer to play with them again.

It's this welcoming and merciful attitude that keeps people coming back to the courts to play just like God's unending mercy keeps us going back to Him when we sin.

Pickleball News

High schools in Maryland now have competitive pickleball. In a report from WBAL, Bryan Lloyd of the Dill Dinkers sees high school pickleball as a conduit for student-athletes to play in college where pickleball is also becoming more popular.

Pickleball Tip

This week's pickleball tip comes from PrimeTime Pickleball and is about speed-ups. Specifically, how and when to speed up the ball.

The biggest takeaway for me in this video is to the ball low so your opponent has fewer options when dealing with the pressure you're applying by speeding up the ball.

Closing Remarks

Next week we’ll cover the sixth Beatitude that deals with purity so make sure you’re following the podcast on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

If you liked this podcast share it with a friend and don’t forget to stay out of the kitchen!

Music: "Electrodoodle" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Send some Satoshis: https://getalby.com/p/jorowi

Looking for a new paddle? Check out Glory Pickleball. Using the code GENX10 will get you a 10% discount on their paddles and it helps support the podcast.

Today I'm covering the fourth Beatitude which reads, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled." Matthew 5:6 (NRSVUE)

As Christians, we've been made righteous in the eyes of God because of Jesus' death and resurrection. If we're already righteous, why should we hunger and thirst for it?

We all get hungry and thirsty. God designed our bodies so that we need to seek food and water to live. This biological process is a reminder that we cannot sustain our spiritual lives off of one spiritual experience.

Being right with God also means that we love our neighbors and enemies which can sometimes be hard to do.

How Can We Apply This to Pickleball?

One aspect of righteousness towards God is treating our neighbors and enemies the same way we want to be treated. Doing what's right on the court means that when you're in doubt about a line call you call it in favor of your opponent. You might lose a point but it is the right thing to do.

Pickleball News

Thirty-5 Capital, LLC, a private equity firm focused on sports technology has acquired Paddletek, ProXR, and Boundless Pickleball to form United Pickleball Properties. 

Pickleball Tip

This week's tip comes from Kyle Koszuta, That Pickleball Guy, and has to do with deciding whether to drop or drive your third shot.

For me, the biggest takeaway is to attack your opponents where they're weak. If one person can handle drives while transitioning you may want to drive the ball instead of dropping it.

Closing Remarks

Next week we’ll cover the fifth Beatitude that deals with mercy so make sure you’re following the podcast on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

If you liked this podcast share it with a friend and don’t forget to stay out of the kitchen!

Music: "Electrodoodle" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Send some Satoshis: https://getalby.com/p/jorowi

Looking for a new paddle? Check out Glory Pickleball. Using the code GENX10 will get you a 10% discount on their paddles and it helps support the podcast.

Today I'm covering the third Beatitude which reads, “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth." -Matthew 5:5 (NRSVUE)

Meekness is often misunderstood. Modern definitions don't convey what the Biblical authors were trying to convey. I once heard someone describe it as "power under control" but that's not quite right.

Mark E. Caner describes meekness as "an attitude or quality of heart whereby a person is willing to accept and submit without resistance to the will and desire of someone else."

So meekness is more about your attitude than your actions. 

How Can We Apply This to Pickleball?

If you've played in any tournaments you've had to exercise meekness. This is especially true if there's no referee.

In nearly every tournament, your opponent calls balls out on their side of the court. There are times when you need to exercise meekness (even if it appears a bad call) because they have the authority to make the call. 

When there isn't a referee to appeal to, this can be especially difficult. One way to avoid conflict is through the acronym PEACE mentioned in Caner's article:

Place your faith in Jesus Christ
Employ prayer in your decisions
Adjust your focus from yourself
Control your anger and tongue
Exude your humility and mercy

I hope this helps you the next time a line call doesn't go your way!

Pickleball News

At the Masters last week, the PPA introduced new serve rules:

• There is no tossing the ball up on the serve

• The ball must leave the hand in a downward motion

• The ball must leave the hand at or below the top of the hip

Some players were hitting serves into the net because they had to change their serving style. The new ball and new serve rules shook things up at the tournament.

Pickleball Tip

This week's pickleball tip comes from Ed Ju (Davis Pickleball) and it deals with eye dominance.

The biggest takeaway from this video is to make sure your dominant eye isn't turned away from where you're trying to hit the ball.

Closing Remarks

Next week we’ll cover the fourth Beatitude that deals with righteousness so make sure you’re following the podcast on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

If you liked this podcast share it with a friend and don’t forget to stay out of the kitchen!

Music: "Electrodoodle" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Send some Satoshis: https://getalby.com/p/jorowi

Looking for a new paddle? Check out Glory Pickleball. Using the code GENX10 will get you a 10% discount on their paddles and it helps support the podcast.