Have you ever thought of the serve as the beginning of a conversation with you, the tennis ball, and the racket? My wife tells me she regularly converses with racket and ball, encouraging both to help support her game.

If you were to start such a conversation, what would it sound like? Friendly, kind, and supportive or, perhaps, angry, bitter, and disappointed? Would the nature of the conversation strengthen or weaken your game? What would it do to the relationship you have with these tools of the sport? And how would it shape the rest of your day?

Conversations are important and their importance goes way beyond the game of tennis. Conversations are a vital part of life. Given this, do you have rules of conversation so that you communicate clearly, kindly, and with love ?

Fr. Joe at St. Mary’s Episcopal Church in Stuart, Fl suggests this process: ask yourself if what you say is kind, necessary, and true. These form the framework for positive relationships and constructive dialogue, the kind that will keep us attached to the true vine of life, Christ. It is this attachment that feeds us with Christ’s love which we, in turn, may share with others.

So let us think of acing the serve as engaging in conversation that builds up, in Christ’s name.