By Eric Sohn

The playoffs. "It's a brand new season." If you'll notice, the teams with zero or one win believe this athletic credo with the most conviction. Anyway, so it was, a new season with each team awakened by a fresh hope of taking home the 2002 "trophy." (what trophy?) Yet, only one team was left standing in the end: my te... or sorry, Min Kim's team.

I don't like to brag, but in all honesty, I believe the best team won. I believe that our team was a microcosm of God's intention in creation: to have unity among the vast diversity. The Bible says in Psalm 139:14 "I praise you because I am wonderfully and fearfully created." Each of us was created by God with painstaking precision. This means that not a single hair on our head is there by accident. Our personalities, our dispositions, our abilities to think, to run, to jump, to shoot, to defend, are all under the cosmic blanket of a God who made sure we turned out unique.

So back to our team. The greatest strength for us was that we were a team. Each person knew their abilities, their roles, and accepted it without any hesitation. We had our point man, Captain Min, who handled the rock, penetrated the paint and either finished or dished with razor-sharp agility. He's supposed to have an outside shot, too, but... he did drive the lane well all summer! We had big men. Jeff Ma and John Lee, our braveheart warriors. Jeff, our best player was a great scorer, a rebounder, and force in the middle. John's fierce determination was contagious. Dennis was our most versatile player, going inside or out, depending on match-ups and team needs. David Kim picked up when Min was tired, and he hit some big shots for us. Then there was the bench. Our sixth man, Jason Cheng, a southpaw, could run and finish the break with the best of them. And then there was the three gracious benchpersons (the Dickey Simpkinses). Angelo DeGuzman was a tenacious defender and hit his open shots. Steve Choi perhaps illustrated what team play is all about. While on the bench, an opposing player dove to save the ball, and slammed into Steve, hurting his neck. Suppose, one of our star players was on the bench at the time? Thanks, bro, for taking one for the team. And then there was little old me. I actually scored a career high three field goals this summer, and had a career low in turnovers: around 10. In the end, our unique games and abilities meshed into a fine-tuned unit of athletic prowess. It really was a lot of fun! We enjoyed each other, and it was a pleasure to route each other on. And to top it off, we won the whole thing!

All of this is to say that once again, summer league has proven to be a great experience. For me, what makes it so fascinating is that it always gives me a small illustration of something much bigger that God is trying to teach me. This year, our team's unity among the diversity stood out most clearly. I am more convinced now that this is God's amazing intention for every human being. Just like no one can drive the paint exactly like our captain Min or sustain an off-court injury like our brother Steve, there is no other human ever created in all history that can love and worship God exactly the way you or I can. He made each of us "wonderfully and fearfully." No one thinks exactly the same, has had the same exact experiences, or filters all of the sensations of life through the exact scope of our distinctive beings. And that is why God wants each of us for Him. And if each of us, so wonderfully created in His image would give God all that we are, the unity of all of our inimitable personalities and talents would further reflect the glories and beauties of a God who loves us and forgives us. This is what we want summer league to be about, and this is what we want our church to be about. Thanks to every single person that took part in this year's league. Each contributed uniquely to the overall success of the season. And as a church that sponsored the league, our prayer is that every participant will find their roles in the big picture of God's eternal plan for their lives.

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