Joel Stiff's Adventure

A baseball game consists of nine innings where each team is given a chance at bat.

The team is only guaranteed nine pitches an inning.

So they only have eighty-one guaranteed opportunities to score.

The most runs scored in a single game was 30 by the Texas Rangers in 2007.

So even of eighty-one guaranteed opportunities, they only scored in 37% of them.

It is interesting to consider at bats as opportunities to score.

We realize how few and precious each individual pitch is.

Sure, we can turn those pitches into more chances by telling a ball from a strike or hitting a foul on the third strike count. But none of that is guaranteed.

Getting on base allows us another entire set of three pitches. So we see how we can use one opportunity to create another or even several more.

It would be prudent to consider each opportunity in life diligently. As cautious as a batter is to notice the pitcher’s posturing, his hand on the ball, his tells, we should consider each opportunity precious.

Each pitch thrown our way is a potential scoring opportunity. That or one pitch closer to a loss.

By the way, if you are able to make good on even one-third of your opportunities, you are among the hall of famers.

Batter up.

You can’t rock them if you’re busy rowing.

Lee Roberson pastored the Highland Park Baptist Church in Chattanooga, Tennessee for over forty years. He founded Tennessee Temple University as well. Based on his great experience in pastoring, training Christian leaders and speaking in churches all over the country, he stated that the greatest need in our churches is compassion.

Our doctrine is straight, our separation is present and our programs are organized.

But our compassion is missing.

It has been said that the Christian army is the only one that kills its own wounded.

Jesus’ preaching and teaching was in direct contrast to the strict law keeping, eye for an eye, attitude. Yet, we continue to run around policing people’s behavior and informing them that they deserve all they are struggling with.

Jesus said, “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.”

I’d rather err on the side of mercy and compassion every time than falsely accuse and judge.

When asked what is wrong with the world, Dr. Roberson replied, “I’ll tell you what’s wrong. People don’t care.”

Here’s a link to Dr. Roberson speaking on compassion.

The way education is accomplished is changing.

Much of the world is self-starting, self-motivated and self-paced. These individuals and families are no longer subscribing to the older models of education. The days of herding children of varying backgrounds, aptitudes and interests into the same classroom to be taught to do what you’re told are over for many. Now families are teaching their children to question the questions rather than simply give the answer the teacher is looking for.

Our children learn at home. They study and work from a computer as they likely will for the rest of their lives. They study all of the core subjects as well as those things that interest them. They study to their strengths and the areas they are most likely to use in their lifetimes.

One of the tools we have been tremendously helped by is Khan Academy. In 2006, Khan Academy was established by Salman Khan as a result of posting youtube videos for his nephews. They were struggling with mathematics and he would post tutorials to help them better understand their studies. Of course, more than his nephews were helped and it began to grow from there.

Khan Academy now exists to provide “a free, world-class education for anyone, anywhere.”

If you haven’t checked it out, you should.

This is the future of education.

Thirteen years ago, I received a phone call telling me that my family had been in an accident.

Shannon and the kids were hit head on at fifty-five mph by a girl trying to retrieve a CD on her passenger side floor.

The kids were taken to Grady hospital while Shannon was taken to Atlanta Medical Center. I went to check on the kids first since they were alone while Shannon’s parents went to see her.

I found Nicole in a room with a broken ankle and a scratch on her liver, but otherwise ok. Winston was in a hallway, naked on a gurney, in a cervical collar. He was in good shape with no apparent injuries.

I left them in the care of the hospital staff and went to see Shannon. When I entered the lobby of the hospital, I was met by dozens of people. Friends of ours from the church who, upon hearing the news, drove the thirty miles to be with our family.

Of course, they all offered help and assistance, but at that point we wouldn’t know what we would need.

They had already met one need. They were there.

I didn’t realize it at the time, but simply showing up was of great comfort to us. Eleven years ago, we moved from Georgia back to Michigan to start the church here. The move distanced us from many of those good friends. Our feelings for them are as strong, if not stronger than they were when we were able to see them every day. I am grateful for social media that allows us to keep in touch with many of them to some degree.

Our lives today tend to move us around the country. Friendships that develop are hampered by distance. But just because we may find ourselves somewhere else geographically, doesn’t mean we should leave behind those who have cared for us in earlier times.

Never forget those who loved you in your old neighborhood.

The job of the pitcher is to throw the ball close enough to the plate to tempt the batter to go after it.

He really doesn’t want to throw a strike right down the middle.

If he can throw it close enough to make the batter think it’s a strike, he will swing.

If the batter swings at enough balls, he will either strike out or pop it up for an easy out.

Right and wrong are like this.

Sometimes it’s not a clear ball or strike. Sometimes it looks good, but it really isn’t.

Best to make sure before you swing.

Every morning when I wake up, I can do whatever I want to do with my life.

You can too.

If something isn’t working, do something different.

You’re not stuck.

I remember riding a bus to church on occasion, as a young boy.

I was quite shy and rode the bus by myself. Because I didn’t know anyone, I would sit alone by the window and just ride. Usually, there was someone at the front of the bus leading the kids in singing. I didn’t know the words to the songs, nor was I particularly inclined to sing because of my shyness. This led to the one leading the singing to encourage me and eventually scold me for my lack of participation.

It never occurred to him that I wasn’t being rebellious. There were other factors at work.

The very insistence that I participate actually resulted in my desire to never ride again.

The attempt to make me a part of the group ultimately excluded me entirely.

How often do we, in our zeal to encourage participation, run off good people?

Just because someone isn’t going with the program, doesn’t mean they don’t like it.

They may just need some time.

Can we give it to them or are we too impatient?

Do you ever ask yourself why you keep doing it?

I don’t know what your “it” is, but you do.

Why do you keep doing it?

No one else is. You are the only one. And it’s hard. It’s not easy. You feel like quitting many days. Sometimes many times in a day. But you don’t.

You don’t because you are getting something from your struggle that you need. Something that you want. And you want it so bad you are willing to stick it out. To suffer. To do what no one else is willing to do.

Because if it were easy, everyone would be doing it.

I don’t know of anyone who truly wants it.

We live our lives seeking security. We seek security from our family, friends, jobs, incomes, retirement accounts, communities and local police.

Faith is the absence of security in the tangible.

When our security is removed, we begin to pray and ask God to return it to us.

But it is only through the loss of security that faith can be strengthened.

No one I know, myself included, is quick to cut all our ties with what makes us feel secure.

So God will remove those ties without our permission and put us in a position for our faith to be strengthened.

It is simply His way of helping us make the transferance of getting our security from our tangible world to getting it from Him.