Major sporting events always offer an opportunity for the stars of the game to share their faith.  We've all seen many great names give a shout out to the Man upstairs.  But when an athlete is prepared to give a statement of faith and then explain what it means is rare.  During a press conference for the Super Bowl this year, Matthew Slater, the All-Pro Special Teams player for the New England Patriots, gives us a fantastic example of how to be intentional when talking about salvation.  The thing that sets this apart from so many others is Slater's follow through.  He talks about how repentance is also important.  Watch the video and take notes.  This is a really good model of how to do it.  Be intentional the next time someone puts a microphone and camera in front of you.
 

​It all starts with the warmup. To get the blood flowing. The muscles loose. Then on to a little catch. 15 feet away at first, then one of you moves away from the foul line. One step backwards after each throw. Those standing close can hear the whip of the wind tearing across the seams. The arm is hot. It's time to start.
 
Every game it's the same routine. No matter the age of the player. It starts with the warmup.
 
As parents of baseball players, we all have a thought in mind about our kid. Maybe yours is that he will play ball at the next level. Maybe yours is that he gets to play at all. But one thing is for certain... you have made an effort so that he can have the chance to play. 
 
For so many of us across the USA, the amateur season is about to begin. Here in our home state of Louisiana the high schools are now allowed to practice in earnest and even play scrimmages. Little League and Dixie Ball are now registering to begin play in a month or so. The winter is wearing out and the sound of metal hitting leather is starting to echo across fields that are green only because of winter rye.
 
What are you doing to prepare for the season? Is your way of warming up making sure you stocked up on the propane to fuel the heaters you'll carry with you to the night games? Have you purchased your team logo apparel? Have you prayed for your player, his teammates and coaches? How about for the other team?
 
Prayed? Yep. Have you prayed? Have you asked God to protect your kid? Have you asked the Almighty to give you wisdom about how to handle a son who is in the "slump of a lifetime?"
 
There are so many things to pray for in baseball. It's another reason why baseball is so much like life itself. There is so much to pray for.  But what the best way to pray? Should it be the model prayer we hear so many teams recite in the huddle before and after each game?  "Our Father, which art in Heaven..."  Well that is a good start. 
 
He's the thing about prayer... it's a conversation.  And like all conversations it shouldn’t be one sided. There should be times for you to stop talking and listen. Prayers should also come from a heart of humbleness. Jesus shared the Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector with the disciples as an example of how to pray in a way so that God hears. In the time of Jesus, the Pharisee was seen as a leader in the church.  He was someone who held to the strict observance of the law.  Some would have said he was better than the rest. He certainly would say that about himself!  The Tax Collector on the other hand, held a position that we'd equate to a low life in our day.  
 
 These are the words of Jesus:
 “Two men went up to the temple complex to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee took his stand     and was praying like this: ‘God, I thank You that I’m not like other people   — greedy, unrighteous, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give a tenth of everything I get.’
 
“But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even raise his eyes to heaven but kept striking his chest and saying, ‘God, turn Your wrath from me — a sinner!’ I tell you, this one went down to his house justified rather than the other; because everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.” Luke 18:10-14 (HCSB)
 
So, when we pray we should come humbly. Our prayers should be bold however. John tells us "Now this is the confidence we have before Him: Whenever we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.  And if we know that He hears whatever we ask, we know that we have what we have asked Him for. 1 John 5:14-15 (HCSB)
 
And this is how Paul closed his prayer to God about the believers in Ephesus: "Now to Him who is able to do above and beyond all that we ask or think according to the power that works in us — to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.
 
So, when we pray we should ask with a humble heart, but be bold in our request!
 
You want God to be over all areas of your life, right? Tell Him you do! Spend time with God sharing your hopes and dreams! For so many of us Baseball is included in those hopes and dreams.
 
At IBB we know what it's like to live in a world full of baseball. Our goal is to help players, parents, coaches and fans have an intentional walk with Christ. We do that by beginning with prayer. 
   
We are calling on the grown-ups, Moms and Dads, grandparents and friends, to be the greatest example here. This weekend (February 3 - 5) is the beginning of the Spring season for many teams across the country. So, this weekend go to the field where your kid plays.  If you can't get to that field, find one close to you.  Get out on the field and walk the base paths, and pray. Stop at each position, and pray. Sit in the dugout, and pray. Sit in the stands... even the stands of the visiting team, and pray. Put your hands on the fence rails and nets. Stand on the mound, and pray. Go put your feet in the batter’s box on each side of home plate.  And pray. Take the spot of the umpires. And pray hard! Walk from foul pole to foul pole along the warning track. Pray.
 
My wife and I will be at Gator Field at Captain Shreve High School in Shreveport, LA on Friday, Feb. 3 around 6:00 PM.  That's where we'll be praying.  We'd love to know where you'll be.  Let us know in the comments below or send us a message.
 
Don’t forget to warm up! 

Last year was an amazing year for baseball.  I can't really remember the last time baseball played such a huge part in our everyday culture.  With every year though comes a clean slate.  A new scorebook is opened.  New names appear on the roster and new lineups will soon be posted in dugouts all across the country.

As the Winter turns to Spring, there is no better time to get serious about the things that matter most.  Is your walk with Christ ready to handle the pitches that life throws you? It's time to get intentional about it!