February 2010
Dear Friends,
I like to remind my wife that February 14 is a special day. That’s when pitchers and catchers usually report for spring training. That is a tired, old joke around our house, but when I look out the window and see the two foot high snow drifts, I am encouraged by that date on the calendar. Young men are beginning the long season in Florida and Arizona. Spring is on the way. Baseball season will be here soon. Despite the fact that the Minnesota Twins will begin the new season on April 2 in their new open air stadium, there is the promise of spending warm summer nights watching baseball.
I am anxious to make my annual trek to spring training. I will be in Arizona and Florida doing interviews with major leaguers and minor league ball players trying to make their way to the top. These are quality times because I get to meet young men who are trying to maintain their testimony in a pretty hedonistic culture. Some of these relationships last for years. In 1994, I met a young pitcher in the Los Angeles Dodgers organization named Matt Herges. He was playing for the San Antonio Missions, and had little hope of getting to the majors. In Arizona, I will see Matt, now playing for the Kansas City Royals, his tenth major league organization. The Royals are an organization with a number of Christians in the front office and on the field.
Also in Arizona, I hope to see Colorado outfielder Seth Smith. Seth will be a mainstay of the Rockies team, and enjoys sharing his Christian testimony every chance he gets. The Rockies are another team that is built on Christian principles. They have a number of spiritually minded players with solid testimonies.
In Florida, I will sit down with Tampa Bay’s Ben Zobrist. Ben is a shortstop with the Rays who can play almost any position. The Rays were formerly the Devil Rays, and consistent losers in the American League. Two years ago, they dropped the “devil” from their name and landed in the World Series. Just a concidence, I am sure. No doubt about Ben Zobrist’s faith. The son of a pastor, he played baseball at Olivet Nazarene and Dallas Baptist. The Rays are counting on him to be one of their leaders in 2010.
Relationships are at the heart of our work, and they don’t have to be at the highest level. This past year, I was asked to be the chaplain for football and boy’s and girl’s basketball at South Decatur High School, near the church I pastor on weekends. I told the coaches, I did not want to be a “good luck charm.” Unfortunately, that is all too true. The girls won three games, and the boys are winless. But it has been a blessed time. Once a week at the end of practice, all of the players would gather in the bleachers and I would give them some inspiration from the Bible and testimonies of other athletes. I was shocked that when I walked into the gym, practice would actually stop for chapel. Many of the kids see me on the street, and want to talk further. It has been a tremendous opportunity to share Christ, and also be an influence in the lives of these young people. One the coaches is a regular at our church. Another coach, with no Christian background, asked if he could begin to attend our services. He wasn’t sure if you had to sign up or what you were supposed to do.
God has truly blessed our ministry. Our year end gifts put us in the black with no outstanding bills. We ask that you continue to pray for us, and send a gift as you can. We know that God will bless us as he has throughout the life of this ministry. Thanks you so much for your dedication to the ministry. I look forward to sharing with you how God is working among athletes.
By the way, my wife and I had a wonderful dinner on Valentine’s Day, February 14.
May God richly bless you,
Tom Rust
