Why Be Thrown Out at the Plate?

I was a pastor for 34 years (that seems short to me now), and I retired in my late 50s in 2006. I resisted the term ‘retired’ because I was so soon involved, thanks to God’s hand, in the Indiana Prison Education program of Grace College. This opportunity allowed me to teach, lead, and administer, though the learning curve was steep (and impossible for a truly ‘retired’ guy). I did that for 12 good years.

I have the luxury of admiring both of my former churches (and we are welcomed there) even though I am completely confident that I could not have led them to the excellence they are enjoying now.

I’m glad I was able to fulfill my role for my time at each church.

Did I hit a home run for Jesus? Well, no. Did I want to? Sure.

Hitting a Triple for Jesus

We all know people who have hit homers (always inside the park) for Jesus in ministry. They are impressive; they are well-known within our circles and, more broadly, occasionally nationally. These are the home run hitters, and we need them. Sometimes they set the standard for excellence in ministry, touch hearts or minds with their books, or inspire us with their impact through speaking, the media, and even scholarship in our schools. I can think of plenty of names… you can, too.

Most of us are happy to get on base, and then, once we have succeeded somewhere in some ministry, we set our sights on a homer. Of course, we are glad for any doubles or triples we may get.

Here are reasons I think most of us should be happy to set our sights on a triple.

1. You can avoid being endlessly hungry or, worse, envious in pursuit of the rare and nearly impossible ministry home run. Isn’t a homer something God will arrange and accomplish anyway?
2. A triple really is a big deal, so you can allow yourself to be content.
3. Too many men could have been safe at third but were thrown out on the way to the plate. This is the one that causes me heartburn: thinking of the near heroes who were thrown out at the plate.
   1. Ambition and empires: “God wants me to leverage my influence.”
   2. Moral destruction: “The rules do not fully apply to me.”
   3. Arrogance: “Other people just can’t take the pressure.”
   4. The God seminar: “Here’s how I did it…I mean how God did it.”
   5. The Peter Principle: “I was promoted to this, and I believe I’m perfect for the job.”
   6. Insanity: This includes all the double-life people and the charmers who have charm only.

You know the line from Moneyball: “Baseball is a boys’ game. You can play it till you’re told to quit when you are 10 or 16 or 21 or 30 or 35, but the day will come when you can no longer play this boys’ game.” There are many home run hitters, but there is only one Babe Ruth. Even the Babe should have quit. Remember the Babe’s last appearance at Yankee Stadium? Not pretty.

So there’s time pressure when we try to hit our homers. Not only a limited time, but there is a tenor to the times (think decades) that passes away quickly. We may be perfect for the wrong decade.

I saw that each decade I served brought a major shift. If you entered ministry as a KJV explainer in 1965, and became a sought-after expert counselor in 1985, and did well in the worship wars, you were still a dinosaur by 2005. How could we go from middle of the road, to cool, to extinct so very fast?

Rather than fret, or manufacture miracles, or implode, or even settle for a fake homer, I’d say that being content with a triple is worthy. Those last 90 feet seem to be filled with many serious dangers.

Now watch this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xn7C6jgl0RI Seriously, watch it. 2:00. Do it.