Being the team player, God wants you to be
Kathryn Nixon, wife of former Red Sox player Trot Nixon, helps children learn the fruit of the Spirit.
Sometimes, when we think about little league sports, the first thing that comes to mind are pushy coaches and over-competitive parents. However, there are many positive character qualities that children can develop while playing team sports. Kathryn Nixon and Ana Boudreau help to instill these virtues in their two books, The Spirit in Baseball and The Spirit in Football. Their books are based on the fruits of the Spirit as seen in Galatians 5:22-23, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.”
The Spirit in Baseball applies the fruits of the Spirit to each aspect of playing the game of baseball, such as:
- I LOVE my teammates. They are my friends. We spend a lot of time in the dugout together!
- I am PATIENT and happy to wait until it is my turn to bat.
- I do my best to be GOOD to others. I congratulate the other team if they win the game.
Each of the fruits is introduced by a Scripture verse, followed by the application. The colorful illustrations will draw in young readers, and a tiny fruit has been hidden on every page for the children to seek out. The book also includes words of encouragement from Kathryn’s husband, Trot Nixon, a 2004 Boston Red Sox World Series champion.
When asked what inspired her to write the Spirit in Sports series, Kathryn answered, “I was inspired on two different levels. One was watching my husband Trot’s character when he was playing professional baseball. I was inspired by how he interacted with his team. Most people don’t realize that in Boston, the year they won the World Series, the Red Sox were a strong team spiritually and physically. I wanted to show children that they can be a strong Christian and share those beliefs with their teammates while still being an exceptional player. And my other inspiration came from God. I just really felt Him laying it on my heart to write this book for parents and coaches.”
The Spirit in Football focuses on the same virtues and format, but applies the fruits of the Spirit to football. The Spirit in Football includes a forward by Matt Hasselbeck, NFL quarterback for the Seattle Seahawks, encouraging children that “drive and competitiveness should never come before obeying the rules and being a good sport.”