This One's for all the Coaches Out There

As we are entering this first month of baseball starting back up, we are getting used to some different things happening on the fields. Coaches wearing masks, home plate umpires calling balls and strikes from behind the pitchers mound, social distancing in the stands and only pre-packaged food in our concessions stands (not those great ballpark hotdogs and hamburgers). We are learning and adapting to a lot of new situations. Many of us, as coaches, are just now starting to build our team. In a normal year, our players would have already played a season of school ball and would be conditioned and ready to go for the summer. Looking forward to the traveling and new experiences each weekend. That isn’t happening this year. We are having to condition as we go and teach many new things to our group that they may have normally learned in school ball.

To create our new team, we begin excited and ready to jump right in. Only to find out there are some gaps in their game. So, we must tear down our individual players in order to build them back up as a team. Ever had any players that thought they knew it all? Never made mistakes? Parents know they are the best player on the team? Get mad when they don’t get to play the position they think they should be playing? Yep, we all have. In order to get to that “ONE TEAM” mentality, each player must be STRIPPED of those individualist thinkings and REBUILT with a team disposition. Even Jesus recognizes this in Matthew 16:24-25, “Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.” As players, we must deny ourselves and join our team. As coaches, we must be ready to lead this team.

How do we TEAR them DOWN? We have them run laps or sub them out for errors or not giving any effort. We make sure they know-they are replaceable. Someone once told me, if you think you are practicing hard, there is someone out there practicing more and you will meet them one day- so be ready! Let’s take a look at an example of this tear down process.

In the book of 1 Samuel, David was stripped of just about everything. Normally, when I think about David I think about the powerful King that loved God. But David was TORN DOWN before he was BUILT UP. David lost his position as one of Israel’s most popular positions. He lost his wife because his father-in-law married her off to another man. He lost his spiritual mentor, Samuel. He lost his best friend Jonathan because he was bound by loyalty to stay with his father over staying with his best friend David. He lost his country by having to flee and seek refuge. Finally, he lost his dignity when he realized that King Achish recognized him while he was in hiding. Talk about being stripped down. David was completely stripped bare. But in this place of testing and TEARING DOWN, David realized he was also REBUILDING. He realized that through that difficult season in his life, he was pressed into knowing no helper but God. God was instructing David that He was his ONE true source. That was the ONE thing David would need to be a great king.

Now coaches, after having TORN DOWN all those selfish attitudes and individualist thinkings, are you REBUILDING with the team being a source of unity? How can you accomplish this feat? I Thessalonians 5:11, “Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.” Have that one-on-one meeting with each player. Discuss what it is he needs to work on, but also encourage him to continue doing something you have noticed he does well. Find a positive and re-enforce that. Does he cheer your team on no matter how bad you are losing? Does he fist bump players coming into the dugout after a bad play? Is he a great bunter? Is he a “never meet a stranger” kind of kid and you want him to get to know a new player who may be more timid? Whatever it is, and you may really have to look hard to find something, find that ONE positive. A team divided cannot be successful. Success is not only the wins and losses, but the atmosphere created by a coach and his team is a powerful force that creates life-long friendships.

Coaches-place your focus in the right place- show your team that Christ Jesus is your focus and work to implement His presence into the process of BUILDING UP your team. Start your practice and games with a prayer or devotion. It can be player driven. Ask a player to choose something a day or two before practice that he wants to talk to the team about as encouragement. A scripture, a song, a poem, a quote, a devotion or something of their own. Have a prayer before each game. Have them write a goal in the lid of their helmet or hat. You are instilling leadership, ownership and comaraderie through something that is not based on their talent and skills. It may prove to have a bigger influence on those players than you realize- on and off the field.

TEAR THEM DOWN WITH PURPOSE, BUILD THEM UP WITH CHRIST

Our Father's

Most of us fall somewhere on this list of how we feel about our dads. I saw this on social media and had to share it.

DAD OVER THE YEARS

4 YEARS: My Daddy can do anything.

8 YEARS: Dad doesn't know

12 YEARS: Oh, well, naturally Father doesn't understand.

14 YEARS: Father? Hopelessly old-fashioned

21 YEARS: Oh, that man is out of date; what would you expect.

25 YEARS: He comes up with a good idea now and then.

30 YEARS: Must find out what Dad thinks about it.

35 YEARS: A little patience--let's get Dad's input first

50 YEARS: What would Dad have thought about that?

60 YEARS:I wish I could talk it over with Dad once more.

We all know that sometimes our dad’s can make us crazy. Where do you fall on the spectrum? Most of us grow up with our dad as our hero, then we know more than he does (or we think we do), and then we realize that maybe he knew what he was talking about after all.

There are many examples of fathers in the scripture. For instance, Adam was the first human father. Adam realized that we need to live with integrity because nothing is hidden from God’s sight. He also took responsibility for his own failures and shortcomings. God is looking for fathers who love Him freely and obey HIm.

Noah was another great example of father. He demonstrates that even the most faithful fathers have weaknesses and can fall into sin. Noah is a great example that obedience to God is not a sprint, but a marathon which means a lifetime of faithful devotion. And, Noah gives us the example that God promises to bless and protect those who are faithful.

Isaac is another great example of a faithful father. Isaac trusted God and proved that it was wiser to trust than to lie. He also demonstrates that parents should not show favoritism to one child over the other. And lastly, Isaac is a great example that God loves to answer a father’s prayers.

So, what should we, as young men and those who one day aspire to be a father or male role model for others, try to become? Fathers should become a teacher. In Proverbs 22:6, we are responsible for “training up a child in the way he should go”. Fathers should become a provider. I Timothy 5:8, “Anyone who does not provide for their relatives, and especially for their own household, has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.” A father should also be a disciplinarian. “Whoever spares the rod hates their children, but the one who loves their children is careful to discipline them”. Proverbs 13:24. Spend time with your children, teaching them about Christ as described in Deuteronomy 6:5-7, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.  These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts.  Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. “Lastly, fathers should never give up on their kids. The best example of this is the Parable of the Lost Son in Luke 15: 20-24. “ So he got up and went to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.  The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son. “But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet.  Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate.”

On this Father’s day, I am thankful for all the men in my life who have shown me the examples of how to be a father that teaches, provides, disciplines, spends time with, and never gives up on his children. These are also some of the same characteristics that many of my favorite coaches had and now I can see that they were training me for my role as a young man and future father.

Finally, thank you to our heavenly Father for providing the most important example of a father. He provided us earthly examples such as Adam, Noah and Isaac to help us understand how to be Christian men. He provided us with biological fathers and others who serve in male role model positions that demonstrate how we should be raising our children and players. To all of you important men out there, whether a father, coach, or friend to many children, Happy Father’s Day!

In Remembrance Of

This year has been a little different to say he least. Normally Memorial Day weekend means baseball and cookouts to most of us. However, many of us have not yet returned to the diamond and some of us are still isolated to just a few select people. As we are granted this precious time to reflect back on the ones who fought and gave their lives for our freedom, remember to take a moment to thank God for our freedom from sin. I Corinthians 11:24, “And when he had given thanks, he brake [it], and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me.”

God bless all the brave men and women who have fought for us and given us so many opportunities here in the USA!

Baseball Moms (written by my mother)

As I was debating on what to write about Mother’s Day, I decided I would get my mother to write something that I could post. So hear it goes…

Mother’s Day. It has so many different meanings to different people and their situations. It could be birth or adopted mothers, grandmothers, mother figures we have grown up with, or someone who stepped in when our mother was no longer with us. No matter what the situation, we get the blessing of recognizing that special mother on Mother’s Day every year. Hopefully, you love on that special lady more frequently than just one day a year, but this day serves as a reminder that she loves you and you love her no matter what.

Being a mom of three athletic young men, I was truly blessed to be a baseball mom many times over. I loved getting to know all the players and their families on each and every team they played on. I was blessed to get to feed many, take many to practices, and enjoy the conversation with them as we traveled to games and tournaments. Many of which still call me momma because maybe their own mother had to work or for some reason couldn’t make it. Our baseball families gave my three boys many mommas as well. I knew that if I wasn’t there, anther mom would have water for my kid, make sure they were fed and taken care of just as I would do for their children. I wouldn’t have traded those long, hot summer days with these boys for anything and they will always hold a special place in my heart.

More so, I hope that they learned from me that I hold them to a higher standard than others because my expectations for them came from Jesus Christ. In Proverbs 22:6, He instructs us on living morally by stating, “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” As a mom, I needed to make sure I trained my children up in the church and surrounded him with Christians to be good influences on them. No, we didn’t get to make every service or every activity, but we tried to make as many as possible. Many of the teams they played on had good Christian men leading them and also offered devotionals when the were missing services because they were playing baseball. Hopefully, they will remember that and when they one day want to coach or raise an athlete of their own, they will not depart from their training.

Secondly, I hope that I have taught Jesus Christ and his words to them. Jesus commands us in Deuteronomy 6:6-7, “And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. 7 You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up.” I pray that by example, my children have learned how to be an example of Christ in any situation. Sometimes, we learn more by watching Christians and how they live than by reading. We also need to read the Bible so that after we display our Christ-like actions, we can communicate the words of Christ with other. Many of us moms are familiar with the virtuous woman passage in Proverbs 31. We strive to be like her and we know many women who we look up to for these reasons. I hope that my boys can one day say this about me, “She opens her mouth with wisdom, And on her tongue is the law of kindness. She watches over the ways of her household, And does not eat the bread of idleness. Her children rise up and call her blessed; Her husband also, and he praises her:”

Lastly, I hope that I have instilled in them a sense of respect toward all those loving mothers who help me raise my boys. My boys have been blessed to have great-grandmothers, grandmothers, aunts, cousins, baseball moms, school moms, and many other dear friend moms to help me raise them. When they say it takes a village, it absolutely does! They knew I had eyes on them just about everywhere they went. Christ couldn’t have spelled that out any more plainly than in Ephesians 6:2, “Honor your father and mother,” which is the first commandment with promise.” Honor can be defined as high respect or adherence to what is right. As a momma, I have tried to always do what was right according to Christ. Have I always been successful? Did I always react the best way when certain situations came up? No, but thankful for having the grace of Jesus to lead me in the right direction if I faltered. Hopefully, my boys will look to me for guidance as they venture through this amazing life Jesus has blessed them with and I can guide them in a way that is Christ-like. Most moms are humble and don’t need a lot of praise, but we love it when our children treat us with honor and respect. That gives us confirmation that we have raised you in a manner worthy to Christ.

My prayer for you as a baseball player, is that you will let your mother train you, teach you, and that you honor your mother for doing so. My prayer for you as a mom is to train those boys up in Christ and teach them the words of Christ so that they may one day honor you.

Thank you to all the boys who have allowed me to “mom” them over the years and to my three boys: Alex, Maddox, and Ty. You have blessed me with the most rewarding and sometimes the hardest job ever- being your mom. I love you all!

Mom

The Store is Open!

Great news! We are stocked and ready to start selling our gear. We have some awesome hats and shirts that you will love. Dri-fit available to wear under your jerseys and some sweet long sleeve hooded tees that will be perfect for those cool morning training workouts or those late night games! We also have t-shirts available and these tees are the softest!

Support us and check us out here!

Thank you all for your kindness.

20/20

As I was scrolling through Facebook the other day, I came across a post that made me step back and think. It said, “20/20 is considered perfect vision. Maybe God is using 2020 for us to see clearly that He is in charge and the only One who can help us!” This made me really take a minute to think about what this post was saying to me personally and to us as a community.

We were all getting prepared to start a very hectic time of the year: baseball season, graduation, prom, and spring activities. And honestly, I had quit watching the news because there was so much bad being shown all over social media that it made me start to wonder, is this really what we have become? I heard a speaker say that these trials and tribulations that we all are going through should be considered joy. What? Are you serious? James 1:2-3 says, “ Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.” Yes, it is true, we should have joy in our difficult times, because this is when we can prove our faith to Christ. How powerful a message and what a challenge to accept!

How should we be proving our faith? What is a Christian supposed to be like in these trying times?

This is where we must have that 20/20 vision-the perfect vision. Christ had a perfect vision of what characteristics he wanted us to have. In Galatians 5:22-23, He mentions some of those characteristics. “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. “ We are to be demonstrating all of these characteristics toward others all the time, but especially in troublesome times. God will plant us in the middle of trials to test our faith, to see if we practice those precious godly characteristics, to give us joy.

During this quarantine, we have dealt with unemployment, not receiving stimulus checks, trying to learn online, and how to care for our loved ones from 6 feet away. It is hard and some days are frustrating (to say the least), but maybe 2020 is God’s year to give us that 20/20 perfect vision. How are we handling this trial? Are we reaching out to those who can’t get out and being kind to those who are complaining or fighting over the last pack of toilet paper? Are we practicing self-control when that family member is getting on our nerves because we have been cooped up too long? Are we being faithful by watching online church each week and studying our Bibles?

How do you see yourself during this 2020 year? Do you have 20/20 vision for your faith and how you are to prove it during trials? More than anything I pray that we will come through this with joy. Joy that we spent much needed time with our family, we cared for those who needed extra help, we prayed for the kindness to continue, and we gave thanks to our Lord for our daily blessings. Have a 20/20 vision in 2020!

#BeTheLight

Many towns have started a trend during this time of quarantine and staying at home for our senior players that will not have a senior season to celebrate. It is the #BeTheLight movement on Twitter and is showing up on Instagram and Facebook all over the country. Schools are turning on their stadium lights at 8:20pm (Military time 20:20) and leaving them on for 20 minutes and 20 seconds to show the love for those seniors who have missed out on their senior activities, such as prom, graduation and many baseball games. It is amazing the support that our local schools have shown for those seniors. This got me to thinking- during this not so fun stay at home and no baseball games to enjoy, maybe, just maybe, this is God trying to tell us a few things and he truly spelled it out with this hashtag.

Yes, we are getting that much needed family time, having house church and devotionals with my family, and checking in on loved ones that we sometimes get to busy to visit. However, are we doing everything God wants us to do? #BeTheLight made me start thinking about what kind of example am I being at school, at home, and at work. These are dark times for many, but John 1:5 says, “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” We may be struggling right now financially, emotionally, and mentally but Christ tells us that even in all this darkness, His light will shine. He will #BeTheLight. He assures us of this in John 8:12 as he spoke, he said, “I am the Light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” Christ guarantees us that as a Christian, we will never walk in darkness! How amazing is that and what an awesome promise! Christ is our light and salvation (Psalm 27:1) and he instructs us in Luke 11:34-35 to “See to it, then, that the light within in you is not darkness.” Christ instructs us to #BeTheLight.

As small children, many of us sang the song, '“This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine.” This song guides us to let our light shine for Christ and not hide it under a bushel (Luke 11:33). Can we today be that one person to reach out to someone in need or send a card to someone who is alone or even someone you may have lost touch with? Can you post a verse of scripture to your Instagram or Twitter account that can encourage one person today? Can you pray daily for those who are suffering and be mindful of the blessings you have? When we return to some form of normalcy in our communities, can we step up and #BeTheLight? I encourage each of us, myself included, to #BeTheLight!

#BeTheLight

Quarantine

Here in our town, we are beginning week 3 of being Safe at Home or quarantined (to an extent). We have worked puzzles, played games on Instagram, cleaned rooms, taken the dogs on multiple walks, worked in the yard, and even enjoyed trips to the grocery just to get out of the house for a bit. On those rainy, cooler days we have stayed in our PJ’s and binged watched Netflix and Amazon Prime. However, most baseball people are used to being on the go during this season so, we are all going a little bit stir crazy. We will begin some online learning for the school age kids next week in our district, but still no extra curricular activities, such as baseball. Here we are about 16 days into our quarantine or “social distancing” as they call it and we are starting to get a little bored. Let’s look at an earlier quarantine that makes our 16 days look like nothing in comparison.

Do you recall a much longer quarantine during the Old Testament times? What about our favorite story of Noah’s Ark? We all learned that story as small children and sang about it raining 40 days and nights and the animals going in two by two. However, that is not all of the story. In Genesis 6:6, “The Lord was sorry that he had made man on the earth and He was grieved in His heart.” The Lord gave Noah a chance to survive the Lord’s destruction of the earth because “Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord” (Genesis 6:8). So Noah built an ark according to the Lord’s specifications ( about a third the size of the Titanic) and his family food, and animals of every kind were loaded onto the ark. Noah was permitted “seven each of every clean animal, a male and female; two each of animals that are unclean, a male and female” onto the ark.Leviticus 11 gives us a very detailed explanation of clean and unclean animals during Old Testament times. So, eight people (Noah and his wife, their three sons and their wives), hundreds of animals, and their food were on the ark for a very long time. This makes my three people, two dogs and my two refrigerators full of food seem a little small in comparison to Noah.

Secondly, it rained straight for forty days and nights. In Genesis 7:18, it says that the waters “prevailed and increased” during these first forty days. We have had four or five rainy days during our short quarantine- not forty straight! At the end of the forty days of rain, there was one hundred and fifty days (about 5 months) of just water covering the earth. Meanwhile, Noah and his family still quarantined on the ark. They weren’t running to the grocery store, walking the dogs outside- just staying INSIDE! Talk about quarantine to the MAXIMUM! On day 150, the waters started to decrease (Genesis 8:3). It is estimated by some scholars that the whole process-the forty days of rain, 150 days of water covering the earth, about 74 days for the water to decrease, 14 days of Noah sending out his doves, and days after that before Noah and his family disembarked-TOOK ABOUT 371 DAYS! Over a year of quarantine! This really makes my 16 days look irrelevant.

So during this time of quarantine, please be mindful that this situation could be much worse. Just look at how Noah and his family were patient and waited for God to decide when it was the right time for them to leave the safety of the ark. We too must also be patient and wait for God to decide when it is safe for us. In the meantime, use this time to strengthen your faith and knowledge of Jesus Christ. So when we no longer have to social distance from others, we are prepared to take on this new life and share Christ with others! Stay Safe!

Loss

WOW! The last couple of weeks in our area and in our family have been summed up by one word: LOSS. Our surrounding counties were hit hard two weeks ago by tornados. Families have lost every possession they have owned and some have lost multiple family members due to the tragic tornados. We have also been hit hard by the new coronavirus outbreak. Our schools have been shut down, our social events cancelled, and mass chaos has begun at the grocery stores. Seniors may not have prom or graduation, or a senior sport season. Elderly friends and family are being asked to stay at home and not expose themselves to the outside world. And in my personal life, our family had a hope of adding a new member this week through adoption and that did not work out, hence leaving another feeling of loss.

It seems as if loss is all around us and in every direction we turn. These are the times we need to hold strong in our faith of Christ Jesus and take a step back and latch onto Him to pull us through these trying times. In Psalm 34:18, David reminds us that “The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart, and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” Christ wants us to reach out to Him, to lean on Him, to have faith in Him. Many of us have had our hearts broken this past week due to many different LOSSES, but Christ is still near to you and he will save us even though our spirit has been crushed. God will “heal those broken hearts and bind up our wounds” as mentioned in Psalm 147:3.

For those who have suffered loss at the hands of a natural disaster, stay strong in your faith and draw near to the the Lord. For those who may have had a school year or a sports season come abruptly to an end, stay strong in your faith and draw near to the Lord. For those that have suffered personal loss in their lives, stay strong in your faith and draw near to the Lord. John 14:1 says “Do not let your hearts be troubled: you believe in God, believe also in me.” Christ knew we would suffer loss as he did. He knew we would experience troubled hearts as he did. But he commands us to believe in Him. Trust Him. Be faithful to HIm. Did he say it would be easy? No. Did he say it wouldn’t hurt? No. But he does promise us a final reward. The next few verses of John 14 say, “In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. And where I go you know, and the way you know.” What an amazing reward we have waiting for us! Sometimes we have to go through loss, to appreciate the happiness. I can remember my brother got rezoned to attend a new high school in our county. He was not sure about the move because all they guys he played with in middle school would be at another school. With the opening of a new high school, there are not many juniors or seniors the first couple of years because they are allowed to stay in the school they started at, so his team only had 1 senior that first year. So, to say the least, they were young. They took many losses that year. They even took several losses his sophomore year. It was a struggle, it was heart-breaking at times, some wanted to give up, but they stayed in there and worked hard to improve. As the junior season began, people started to notice how special that team was. Not just because they had developed as a baseball team, but the closeness of them. They depended on each other. They suffered personal losses together. They celebrated personal triumphs together. Their junior season ended with a trip to the state championship game and their senior year they made it back into the tournament. Even though they didn’t win the big game, and we cried a lot, they also got to celebrate by graduating on the baseball diamond. This is a big deal in our county because that means you are still playing in the tournament! It was something that these guys will never forget. Celebrating the end of their high school season together, where they spent the majority of their high school days, on the diamond. Did we realize all the celebrations that we would experience with this team during that freshman and sophomore year while we were taking our losses? No, but God knows the big plan. We may not be able to see it right now, but we will, eventually and on his time. Ecclesiastes 3:1 states,  “To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven.” Everything has a season and a time. We must embrace this time or season of LOSS and put our faith that God will get us through this because there is a time of reward coming.

The Oxford dictionary defines loss as “the fact or process of losing someone or something”. The KJV of the Bible defines loss as “being in a state of uncertainty.” Both of these describe our lives right now. We know we are hurting because we have lost someone or something but the uncertainty or not-knowing what is coming is sometimes even more concerning. Will we be able to rebuild our home that was destroyed? Will we have a baseball season at all? Will we ever be able to adopt? Uncertainty.

We all know someone going through a loss right now. We need to be there to encourage and strengthen them. Christ commands us in Galatians 6:2 to  “Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.” It is our job as Christians to be there for those who are suffering. Be a faithful friend to help pull them from this loss and to focus on Christ. There is hope! A great example is shown to us in 1 Peter 5:10 as Peter is speaking with his church overseers,  “But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you.” God will settle us. He will strengthen us.

Our hope in the time of loss, is Christ Jesus. “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose, “ Romans 8:28. We know Christ is working through us for good. We may not understand it, but it is for HIS purpose, not ours. As we begin to work through our loss this week, remember to “be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go” Joshua 1:9.

It's the Little Things...

This weekend, we went as a family to watch the new Ben Affleck movie “The Way Back.” Yes, it is rated R for the language but overall a good movie. One of the things Affleck tells his basketball team who has not had a winning season in several years, is that “it is the little things that make a team great.” I have heard my favorite coach say this to our team many times over the many seasons of baseball. Our team may not have the fastest pitcher, but we can play lights out defense behind him. We may not have a long ball hitter, but we can lay down a bunt to score a winning run. It’s the little things that create an atmosphere of a true team- a group working together to achieve a goal. A winning season, a state championship, a world series, a trip to the ship!

God uses many examples throughout the Bible of LITTLE THINGS and how with all of us working together can achieve our goal-spreading the Word to bring people to Christ. Just how important is this to God? In Matthew 13:31-32, Jesus uses the tiny mustard seed to demonstrate how we are to plant the seed of Christ, no matter how small, so it may grow to become “a tree that the birds will want to nest in.” If nurtured properly, that tiny seed will grow and become a great example of Jesus Christ at work. How can we plant that LITTLE seed on the baseball diamond?

We can be that seed for Christ. If you truly want God to put you to work, he will provide opportunities for you to plant that seed. Can you volunteer to lead a team prayer before or after a game? Can you be the player who volunteers to warm up a new player who doesn’t have a throwing partner? Can you get to the field early and help your coach get the field ready? Can you fist bump a player after he strikes out and say “get ‘em next time”? When the pitcher finally gets off the mound after struggling to throw strikes, can you support him and praise him for the other innings of work he did well? Can you be a friend to stay after practice and help a player going 0-4 last game get in a little extra tee work? There are so many opportunities, LITTLE SEEDS that present themselves everyday.

These LITTLE THINGS are opportunities for you to get to know others on a more personal level. Maybe that pitcher just lost a grandparent and needed to work through the grief. Maybe that hitter that went 0-4 last game, had a fight with his dad before the game. Maybe that player without a throwing partner just transferred in and doesn’t know anyone yet. You can be the LITTLE THING Christ uses to make a connection to your teammates. You can be the mustard seed on your team. And what if there are several players who can be seeds doing the LITTLE THINGS? Wow, what amazing opportunities will open up for your team! By taking advantage of these opportunities, we create the true spirit of a team - our baseball brothers, our brothers in Christ. We love each other, we have each others backs, we hurt and celebrate with each other. These are the guys that remain friends throughout the years as we all go different ways in college, minor and major leagues, starting careers and families. When we reconnect, we remember all those LITTLE THINGS that created the bond between brothers.

In Psalms 139:1-6, David describes God as being all-knowing. “O Lord, You have searched me and known me. You know my sitting down and my rising up; You understand my thought afar off. You comprehend my path and my lying down, And are acquainted with all my ways. For there is not a word on my tongue, But behold, O Lord, You know it altogether. You have hedged me behind and before, And laid Your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; It is high, I cannot attain it.” David knows that God knows every move he makes, every path he chooses, and every word he speaks. God’s knowledge is so wonderful we cannot even attain it. He knows when we choose to take advantage of these LITTLE THINGS or when we let the opportunity slip away. Are we taking advantage of the small opportunities God is presenting us with?

Remember, God does not need boastful displays of doing good things, he only needs us to do the LITTLE THINGS.

Colossians 3:17, “And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.”

Do a LITTLE THING this week in the name Christ -plant the seed!

Practice

The time is here for official practice or spring training to begin depending on your level of play. The endless repetition of plays, BP until we have blisters and scrimmages to give us “live” experience are all a part of this practice season.

This is the time when coaches can see who has been putting in the extra work during the off season and DOING what it takes to get better. Have you been listening to instruction and when the coach isn’t looking, slacking and not DOING the practice?

James 1:22-23 states, “But be DOERS of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a DOER, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in the mirror.”

Most coaches desire for you to be the best player you can be, but more so the best young man you can be. We learn through repetition, so that when certain plays develop, we know automatically how to respond. We don’t have time to think- we just react. If we have practiced that reaction, we can be confident in the result.

Are we practicing in our spiritual life? Are we helping the needy, listening to those who are suffering or hurting, praying for others or studying our Bibles? Are we practicing or DOING daily so these things become habit and help us to react to situations in a Godly way?

Philippians 4:9 says, “What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me -practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.”

This week, add one Godly practice to your routine and DO IT!

February 13, 2020

Wow! 2020! It has been a busy past couple of years which has had me focusing on family before my passion of this blog. We have lost several loved ones, my wife and I both started new businesses and we are now going through the process of adoption! This year is going to be a great one for sure! I have enlisted the help of some of my family members to help me continue this Diamond Disciple passion of mine because they believe in it as well as myself. I hope it brings you closer in your walk with Christ as well as gives you avenues to bring others to Christ through your love for the game you play. Our store will also be back up and running soon! Again, thank you for your patience as my family continues to grow and live daily in our walk with Christ Jesus! Looking forward to a great year-2020!!!