As many of you know I have been umpiring Little League baseball two nights a week, 2 games per night. I hesitated to do so at first because nights at home are few and far between but to be honest, I have enjoyed it. I wouldn't want to do it for a living but I can handle it for a month or so.
It's been interesting to see the responses of the coaches, the parents, the kids to the "preacher behind the plate". Questions like "Can a preacher miss a call? Can I yell at the ump? If so, what can I call him? " to name a few. Hey, believe it or not, I've missed a call or two. And if you know me, you know that I'd yell at the ump so I expect to be yelled at. However, I seek to be consistent in my calls. More than that, I want the kids to learn and I've found myself having to be careful not to coach, but stick to calling balls and strikes. That's difficult for me. (However, I offer a little advice to the batters or runners under my breath). What can it hurt?
One of the main reason I try to imvolve myself in comunity sports or events is that it allows me to enter into the world and lives of others. It allows others to see me in a different context, to see how I act, how I respond to various situations. And it's nice when the kids around town know me as "the ump" or "Serengeti Eddie" (VBS), or Kyle's dad. It evens the playing field and gives me a better opportunity to live out the gospel without even saying anything "religious".
Jesus said we are to be in the world but not of the world. The baseball field is a part of that world and if being yelled at behind the plate gives me a chance to share Christ's love, than bring me a batter, for it's time to play ball.
2 comments:
Non-church goers rarely get up one Sunday morning and decide to go to church without having given it some thought before. There are varied reasons why they choose a church in particular. It may be how they were treated at their mothers funeral dinner, or how their child was treated at VBS, or if the church was willingly offered to be used for a community function or even how the Pastor treated their son/daughter on the baseball diamond. So keep up the good work. I've never been much of a baseball fan and rarely saw beyond the competitive nature, but now that my grandson is playing I watch good parents monitor the anger management of one child. I see other parents offering encouragement when a child strikes out. I see the patience of the ump behind the plate in coach-pitch giving a little hint of how to hold a bat. The field of ministry is wide open. Glad to see you are aware of that.
When I get old...and I can't see...I want to be a referee....TOO...HaHaHaHa....Please Pastor Rick...don't give up your weekend job....not yet anyway....lol... P.S....Thank you for everthing that you do for this community
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