SortingBeans

I used to be a pool hustler

That’s right, a natural pool shark. I remember days where I would play from noon all the way through the night until 7:00 AM the next morning. There were days I did this in a row. Often times I would find myself a “game.” In other words, I gambled. This was not without frequency. I would play for any amount from $2.00 a game, to $100.00 a game. Usually they were about $50.00 for a set of 7 games; a “race” to seven.

All the Big Dogs came out at night

So, if I was going to be good at playing pool, I had to be there when the players were there. You can only improve so much playing by yourself. And the “players” would not give you a challenging game unless there was money on the table—that is, if they played you at all.

Well, needless to say I am no longer a pool hustler, thankfully. It has been years since this has happened. The last time I played pool was with my good friend Bryan at his college pad. But I still got the skill (somewhat)!

One thing every player really looked forward too, though, was the Derby City Classics, hosted in Louisville, KY.

This was an awesome tournament. Top players from around the world would show up to this thing. I got my chance to go and seen some amazingly talented pool players. I even got to watch a game that was gambling $500.00 per game! Wowzers!

One thing I have learned that has remained pretty consistent since leaving the “hustling” world of pool, is that if you want to learn some good stuff, you have to be around people who know the good stuff. Yes, sometimes you are the one who has the good stuff, but learning from people better than you is essential for healthy, progressive growth.

This time, Louisville serves me for ministry purposes

I will be heading down to Louisville, with Pastor Dave Dorr from Passage Church in West Chester, for a church conference: “The Gospel: Counseling & The Church.”

No hustling here.

I am looking forward to attending this event. I hope to get some good insight on some relevant issues in the church. Some of the break out sessions I will be attending will be Marriage and Addictions. This should be educational.

Since I was unable to attend an Acts29 Bootcamp, this conference is sort of sufficing my crave. And thanks to a wonderful friend, I get to hitch a ride down after my class at the University!

I hope to post a couple articles about my experience there. We’ll just have to see how it goes.

Instead of a pool stick, this time I’m going to Louisville with a note pad and my trusty MacBook.



-Jonathan J.