One Love
Give Thanks and Praise to the Lord
Our church is in the works of bringing a full sized basketball court/gymnasium to an underserved area of Toronto. It’s funny how it works—a poor area of town has no recreation centre but up by Tyndale or down by the Beaches—both up-scale areas of Toronto—there are full service YMCAs! What’s up with that?
Where we are in the city—Weston Road and Lawrence—basketball is huge. There are outdoor half courts but nothing full size and NOTHING during the winter months. As a church we hope to do something about that so the youth can have a safe place to hang out and hone their hooping chops. Maybe if we do this there will be fewer brawls and stabbings on the streets after the school bell rings?
To this point I love this photo of a young Bob Marley in an East London shop considering a football purchase for the Trench Town Kids while travelling with the Wailers during their UK tour 1973 (photo by Dennis Morris art director at Island Records).
Marley reminds us in his famous song “One Love” that if we “Give thanks and praise to the Lord [we] will feel all right.” Perhaps we will all feel a bit better if we join forces to make some music and spend some time playing basketball or football together? What do you think?
Summer is upon us—it’s a time for both songs and sports.
Let’s kick, bat, throw, and hoop, with hearts full of grateful praise!
Doing so, just maybe, we will “Feel all right.”
Love this vision!
Bravo! For creating a healthy amusement venue. I’m convinced and agree with your hunch that, especially young people, are less likely to engage in destructive behaviour if they can be busy enjoying healthy sports or recreation. There is much demonstrable support for the old proverb, “Idle hands are the devil’s playground.” People who are unoccupied and bored are more likely to get into trouble.