I love to play billiards. It is one of my greatest passions.
Last week, I played in my first competitive series in twenty years and in my first match in thirteen.
I have only played four games in eleven years. But prior to that…
In 1990 one of my mentors introduced me to the game of 8 ball. I absolutely loved it. I probably spent two afternoons a week playing. When I started music school in 1992, it took me four days to discover that the student union had coin-op, Valley tables that were only around 7 feet long. This was stepping on a rug after being able to jump on a roof from the floor.
Every waking hour that I was not in the practice room or class, I was at the arcade. “Loser pays” kept me going for hours without much expense. That same year I discovered a hidden gem in a neighboring town that hosted some tournaments. I started making my way there two nights a week where I would not only get some top-notch instruction but also begin to meet some of the top-ranked players in the nation, including the reigning 9 ball champion. My game went up a bit.
In 1994, I learned of competitive play and leagues. I started playing in competitions and tournaments and helped start a local tournament league and a high-end billiard parlor called “Tight Pockets.” The owner of these establishments taught me a lot about community involvement, business, and quality at a discount.
Needless to say, dating my wife was nearly always centered around either billiards or gourmet cuisine. And thankfully, she enjoyed both as much as I did. We traveled the region a few nights a week, even after we were married for several years. During that time we met a lot of interesting people from around the country and we enjoyed the game of billiards alongside many of them.
When we entered the ministry in 1999, that type of travel came to a screeching halt. So, I found a full-size slate table on St. Simon’s Island and kept that table operative in our home until moving back to Georgia at the end of 2011. I left the table at my office in California for continued use.
Interestingly enough, I have met many other champions over the years and even hosted the 1992 US Open champion at my home one week while living in Oakland. The time around a pool table for me was much more than the game. It was a field of investment in the lives of people.
We have two types of gatherings in my history; kitchen time and billiard time. Both of which have yielded countless years of discussion and growth for many. Just like many of my interests, they have all been used to orchestrate opportunities for learning and growth for myself and others. I believe that there exist at least eleven pastors out of those groups around the pool table.
Well, last year I found a used Murrey table in NC that so happened to be one of the dozens used in the Color of Money films. That really doesn’t matter, but the table has been in my storage building for over a year and hopefully, by next Spring I will be able to set it up somewhere and reopen that passion and reopen the invitation for others to join me.
We have to pay attention to what we love. And if we are able to partner our time with others for mutual benefit, then we should do it. I know many folks have their ideas about how to mentor other people and what constitutes real investment, but end the end you have to measure the outcome. And contrived intimacy around nonsense or ‘projected’ idealism has never produced anything but fake people.
What we do with others matters. What we say to others matters. What do you love to do right now that could be an instrument to meeting new people and giving an open door to having a real-life change?
We all have incredible stories and I could tell you of dozens of real situations where needs have been met, lives have been changed, and hearts have been healed, not because of a pool table, but because of the time spent with others, without ulterior motives, but just true enjoyment of togetherness.
Take a minute and inventory your passions. Make notes of things that you have stopped doing that you could now bring back into your life for your own enjoyment. See where these things overlap and who would love to join you in these journeys.
Some folks like to share cooking, photography, sewing, hunting, sports, and everything else… so can you.
I do a lot of things. I have learned a lot of things. I have my main focus, and I have my calling. The road traveled in these is ever-changing, unique, and simply amazing!