Now a minor league junkie and a minor league pastor

On Friday night my family and other church people went to a Beloit Snappers minor league baseball game. The Snappers are an "A" affiliate of the Minnesota Twins. The game was a blast. The tickets were cheap, my girls got to hug the mascot, and we were able to see future big leaguers.

Yet, it was still a minor league game. Eight out of nine players on the field will not make the big club. Their only saving grace and the reason we come to watch? Baseball. Baseball is a game that unites many people of different ages and races. There is a wonderful feeling of being in the presence of an open air stadium and to hear the crack of a bat.

I often feel like those minor league players as a pastor. I will probably never make it to the "Rock-Star" limelight of a Joel Osteen, Bill Hybel, or Rick Warren (neither do I want too!!). No, I will only be a simple parish pastor in a small Lutheran church body. My only saving grace? God's Word and Christ. That message which I proclaim unites many different kinds of people and is to mask all of my lack of abilities. When I stand up on Sunday morning, there is nothing better than being in the presence of God and hearing that precious message of Christ.