My heart jumped into my mouth as my adult son, Doug, began to unwrap the baseball supplies he had purchased for his son, Harris, ahead of the beginning of his first T-ball season. Spilling from the plastic bags were tiny…
Where’s right field?
It remains one of the best illustrations I know of the Peter Principle (that one rises to the level of one’s highest incompetency); certainly, it is a great picture of that section at the bottom of the job description of…
When following the line leads us astray
“The Lord is the portion of my inheritance and my cup; you support my lot. The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places; Indeed, my heritage is beautiful to me.” — Psalm 16:5-6 Back nearly 30 years ago, I…
The Atlanta Braves and the window of hope
The voice of James Earl Jones — as Terrance Mann in The Field of Dreams — touches a nerve of spirit for millions of baseball fans. Since 1989 the words nearly have become sacred: “The one constant through all the…
My life as a bad baseball player and why you should get vaccinated
As a kid, I was a bad baseball player and always got stuck out in right field, where there’s less action happening and less chance I could mess up an important play. In these days of COVID vaccination drives, you…
Baptist freedom advocate Robert Loyd “Bob” Stephenson dies at 91
Stephenson was an outspoken advocate for a free Baptist press and served more than a decade on the board of directors of Associated Baptist Press, the predecessor of Baptist News Global, during its nascent years.
It’s Opening Day — for baseball and maybe for life
The sun rises to meet the blue sky above, casting its light upon a diamond of reddish dirt and fresh cut grass. A white ball pops against the worn, brown leather of the catcher’s mitt. The crack of the bat…
Garrison Keillor got it right about children
My wife has an acrylic paperweight which was given to her some years ago. Etched into it is the quote popularized by Garrison Keillor of Prairie Home Companion fame that says, “Nothing you do for children is ever wasted.” I…
Why Jesus and God follow baseball
Baseball is America’s favorite pastime . . . and God’s! Not really, but maybe. Who really knows? It’s a game of anticipation, strategy and skill. It’s a game that can’t be won by one player, but a lot can be…