Baseball, Heaven and The Big Man

Two favorite leisure activities of mine are watching Baseball games and listening to music. It shouldn’t be done in unison because both require a certain level of attentiveness. This past week I was subjected to a spiritual encounter with both diversions as they related to my faith and our time remaining in life. Provocative stuff!

The first involves Baseball.

In the midst of living in LA, a bright spot emerges in not only the viewing, but the listening of Baseball games on TV, because we have maybe the greatest announcer and commentator the sports world has known in Vin Scully. He has spent the last 60 years of his life as the voice of the Dodgers, speaking over the airwaves in his familiar melodic way as the "voice of summer" for legions of baseball fans over the years. Vin has a knack for spinning folksy yarns about men who play and manage in the arena of America's national pastime.

So of course I was listening more attentively than watching because I love how Vin fills the dead time between pitches with stories of people's lives. He was relating a story about the Detroit Tigers Manager, Jim Leyland, a very accomplished baseball man in his own right. As only Vin can tell it, Jim has a brother who is a Catholic priest. Some reporter, surprised to learn that fact about the colorful manager, asked Leyland what one question he would ask God if given the opportunity.

Supposedly Mr. Leyland responded with "Can I get in?” Vin Scully, who on occasion will subtlety reveal his love of God and country, thought that was a most pertinent and thoughtful question… Leyland really hit it out of the park, so to speak. It seemed obvious to Vin that Mr. Leyland was more concerned with eternity than winning baseball games... a noble concern indeed -- considering the "life and death" aspect of our win at all cost culture. While it pains me to say it, in the context of Heaven, it really is "only" a game.

As a Christian, my first thought was that yes, you can humbly ask God to let you in to Heaven but what if He also asks you Why He should let you in. What will you say? Would you know the right answer? You can know. You can be fully assured of entry (eternal salvation in Christian parlance) while you are still living and serving Him on Planet Earth.

God has provided a clear path through the death and resurrection of His Son, Jesus Christ almost 2000 years ago. That is no secret! Skipper Jim needs to speak with his brother, the priest, who should be able to explain this. Of course I didn’t get it either after attending twelve years of Catholic school and serving as an altar boy during Mass. It only took me 42 years to finally get it.

The New Testament book of Romans states:
"If you confess with your mouth--Jesus is Lord--and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved". (Romans 10-9)

That is the wonderful message of the Gospel. We don't need to guess and worry while standing or kneeling at Heaven’s Gate.

Sure, there is always some doubt involved because of our mortal minds and fear of the unknown. That is where faith comes in. Be assured that our only hope in this world is accepting Christ as our Savior... the Bible is very clear in that there is only one way.

John 14:6 makes it plain -- "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father but through me."

This is not a suggestion but a fundamental tenet of the Christian Faith, a clear command to followers of Christ. Rejection of this fact will not just bear the burden of a wrong choice -- but the dire consequences of, dare I say, eternal condemnation.

In another pointed example of life, death and Heaven, I turn to the world of Entertainment and the passing of a rock & roll icon, Clarence Clemons, "The Big Man" and saxophone player for Bruce Springsteen's E-Street band.

I was not quite twenty years old when they arrived on the rock scene straight out of New Jersey, my neighbor state and a suspension bridge away from my hometown of Philadelphia.

The Springsteen- led band tapped in to the east coast urban experience like no other, with their brand of high energy roots- oriented rock coupled with rhythmical lyrics that captured our working class existence, young-adult angst and quest for life’s purpose… themes that were covered in the Bible – if I had bothered to look (I didn’t own one). But Rock Music and its lifestyle seemed to be my generation’s religion.

This time, it wasn't Vin Scully's soothing voice that resonated in my ear but the outpouring of devotion and comments on Facebook, our social networking tool of communication lacking the eloquence of a world class human voice, like Scully’s.

Most of the posts were claims that the Big Man was now in a better place -- assuming Heaven. He just had to be, right? Why, he brought such joy to the legions of E-Street fans everywhere around the world with his masterful saxophone-playing talent, booming voice and larger-than-life demeanor (after all he was 6'6'' and weighed maybe 275).

I obviously didn't know Clarence Clemons personally or much about his spiritual life. Only God knows his heart and whether he accepted Jesus Christ... although he was the son of a minister so he was without excuse. But I do know that the same standard applies for The Big Man as it does for all of us in regards to eternal life with God in the masterpiece that is Heaven. That standard is not whether you brought joy to many lives using the talent God gave you; a noble cause indeed, but one that falls short of God’s glory. Christ didn’t shed his blood to make us happy, but holy. Our gift of salvation may be free but it didn’t come cheap.

There were countless well wishers who posted the phrase 'RIP Big Man'. My hope is that he and all of our loved ones are resting in peace because that is what God has promised to all who turn to Him.

Again one only needs to look not at rock lyrics but to God's word in the Bible;

1 Corinthians 2:9, it is written: “What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived” — the things God has prepared for those who love him".

Let’s all decide today to take the steps to assurance of knowing where we will spend eternity. We don't have to sheepishly ask God "Can I get in" as Manager Jim Leyland alluded to. He has already revealed that to us by offering His Son. There are no works or activities that we can perform that are worthy enough to bring us salvation and entry into Heaven.

Playing baseball and making the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown won’t do it; Playing the saxophone for an iconic Rock band and making the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland won’t do it either. Both are lofty achievements but comes with no cigar--no championship in the spiritual realm.

It is really up to each of us to accept or reject this free gift of grace and salvation and eternity in Heaven with God. Renowned missionary Jim Elliot may have explained our predicament best prior to his death on a mission trip to Central America "He is no fool who gives up what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose."

No day is promised! We can be sure of that... but let's also be sure of what God has promised. And yes, He continues to speak to us (at least to me) through many secular avenues in life, Baseball and popular music among them... and maybe more importantly through the life and death of those we admire.

Truth Runner Commencement

At long last I have realized an outlet for the expression of my "rantings"... a term I like but must give credit to Dennis Miller. Dennis is well known for his work on Saturday night Live, stand-up comedy, a short stint on Monday Night Football (a little too cerebral for Joe six-pack) and most recently a conservative radio talk show. That is a courageous stance in and of itself for someone in the "Entertainment" business. The Hollywood crowd does not care for those of us "on" the right and "in" the right, especially people of their ilk, like Dennis. he may not make too many "A" lists but I'm sure his rant would be "who cares". You go Dennis!

Enough about Mr. Miller... I will have my own rants which will cover topics such as politics and religion (two subjects that may get one silenced in polite company), sports and entertainment (especially baseball which has sadly ended until spring of '08... and movies), the state of family, marriage, faith, work/career and the future of America (a very ambitious undertaking, I know). What is your passion? I hope to trigger something in your psyche to want to participate in expressing you comments. Yes, I am a closet columnist or radio talk show host in my own mind but I will defer to this blog to lay out my rules and rants to live by.

My blog is named Truth Runner because the truth may be the most difficult concept to grasp - on many levels. At our most primitive level, we as humans can't agree on where we come from, why we are here (our purpose) or where we are going when we die ( death is a concept most, if not all, do agree on). These three questions could begin quite a bit of dialog. I challenge you to ask someone you love.

Were we created by a supreme being and intelligent designer or did we involve from a tub of goo? Oops I guess I gave away my belief in that. Well, lets keep going then, shall we? Can we understand that if the Earth were the size of a golf ball, 996,000 of Earth golf balls would fit into that bright star we know as the Sun. Can you imagine that picture... and the Sun would be a speck compared to a few other stars and planets that make up the Universe. How far should I take this? There are so many facts that I would love to recite here but it can wait for another post. Stay tuned.

To get an idea of why we are here, look to Pastor Rick Warren's "The Purpose Driven Life" which sold over 20 million copies. The opening line in the book is "It's not about you"... Does that statement capture a generation or two? I'm thinking "The Greatest Generation"got it for the most part; the Baby Boomers didn't. Generation X... No. And last but not least, there is that little matter of physical death, salvation, heaven and hell. If you get the idea that there may be a Christian worldview prevalent , you would be correct. John 3:16 states "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten son that whoever believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life". Christian author Max Lucado recently wrote and released an entire book around that verse simply titled 3:16. Who wants that promise?

We will explore this worldview in many subsequent writings and in many subjects and topics that our culture presents. Time to get on the bus... the truth-runner tour is beginning.