By Michael Koontz
Pastor, Pine Ridge Baptist Church, Harriman
Pastor Michael Koontz, left, and his wife, Janet, recently welcomed former University of Tennessee and NBA player Steve Hamer to the IGNITE basketball camp at Pine Ridge Baptist Church, Harriman.
Our church recently hosted an IGNITE basketball camp. The journey of this camp is truly a God thing. Back in the winter I approached our youth director Justin Fritts and spoke with him about taking the youth on an out-of-state missions trip to work a Bible-based sports camp. As a few weeks passed, it became clear that this was not going to work out for us. But then, Justin came up with an alternative plan.
“Since we can’t go this year, why don’t we do one here at home?” Literally, within days and even hours, big names started signing up to help us with this outreach. And thus, IGNITE was born.
Here we are now, months later, and the camp is over. I was amazed as a 7-foot former University of Tennessee and NBA player came to kick off our camp. One night we were blessed with a husband and wife team. He has been called the “LeBron” of overseas basketball while his wife had an amazing career at the University of Kentucky and has had roles in basketball movies since.
Throughout the week wonderful men and women talked about the love they have for sports — and for the Lord. Many seeds were planted with the gospel of Jesus Christ.
There is a key word I have learned in ministry: flexible. We need to be flexible. Months ago we could have been at odds about going out of state to do ministry versus doing it at home. My plans are not the most important thing. God’s plans are. May we each be willing to set aside our own agenda and allow God to work out His perfect will.
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts” (Isaiah 55:8-9).
