Come Look (Friday Devotional)

“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

- Acts 1:8

“Come look!”

You might exclaim those words after reaching the summit of a long hike and gazing out at the view before you. You might say it once you’ve reached the conclusion of a long project and you’re ready to show off your work. You might just say it to a friend after you watch a funny cat video on YouTube.

Whatever the reason, the reaction is the same. When we’re amazed or proud or excited—when something has managed to truly capture our imagination—we want to show other people. Enthusiasm isn’t something you keep to yourself.

So it’s natural that Jesus tells us that we are his witnesses in the world—that it’s our responsibility to tell others what we’ve seen and heard. It’s not meant to be a dry obligation or a nerve-racking assignment, but the ordinary response to being saved by the grace of God in Christ. We don’t tell people about Jesus because we have to, but because we want to!

Somewhere you may have gotten it into your mind that sharing the gospel is a job strictly for professionals. But the truth is that the most effective evangelists are often brand-new believers—not because they know the most, but because their excitement about Jesus is so fresh. What can become old hat to old believers is still novel to them—and so they want to tell everybody!

Who’s the last person you talked with about Jesus outside the walls of a church building? When’s the last time you invited a neighbor to church? Are you being obedient in your evangelism?

Don’t be scared or ashamed of your answers. And don’t think you need a master plan to evangelize. Just try two words, and pair them with the excitement you had the first time you met the Lord: “come look!”

Treasured Time (Friday Devotional)

 

And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.

- Galatians 6:9

Every sport has “garbage time,” the period at the end of a game when the result is a foregone conclusion and both teams are merely running out the clock. In basketball, it’s the time when you see second-stringers jack up wild three-pointers which the defense only halfheartedly acknowledges. In football, it’s when the winning team suddenly stops passing the ball, instead calling runs up the middle on every down. Even in baseball, if an opponent’s lead is big enough, you’ll see position players sent in to “pitch,” throwing 45 mph lobs that would look silly even in batting practice.

But what you’ll never see is something readily available to the losing team to stop the bleeding: a forfeit. At any time, they could simply wave the white flag and retire to the locker room, ending their humiliation and turning the page to the next game. But for some reason, it is deeply embedded in our understanding of sports that, no matter how lopsided your defeat, you never willingly forfeit. You can make nods to the inevitability of the outcome, but you can never just surrender. Defeat is disappointing, but giving up entirely is unacceptable.

That attitude is a useful one to keep in mind off the field, where life can sometimes feel as one-sided as a scoreboard reading 58-0. We all go through seasons when merely getting out of bed feels like a victory, when it seems like your every attempt to do the right thing blows up in your face. It can feel like giving up is the only thing that makes sense.

But the Bible encourages you to persevere in such periods, to never “grow weary of doing good.” These seasons, it tells us, lead to an eventual harvest, one reaped from what was sown in hard times. The key is to not give up before that harvest comes.

Life is full of “garbage time.” But if you persist through it, following Jesus even when the way is narrow, you will see him turn that trash into treasure.

August Reading Log

 

The reading log is back to a normal length this month after an unprecedentedly short entry in July, but it was still a pretty meh month for reading. I've started trying—with mixed results—to work out in the mornings, which zaps an hour of time I once spent with my nose buried in a book; additionally, I had a 2-week reading slump after we got back from a weeklong family trip.

In other words, I'm in no danger of beating last year's page total. But I did knock out 5 books this month, so take a look below to see what I thought of them!

21: THE STORY OF ROBERTO CLEMENTE by Wilfred Santiago

Read in conjunction with our family trip to Pittsburgh, 21 is a graphic novel biography of my all-time favorite baseball player, the legendary Roberto Clemente, whose flash on the field and humanitarian heart off it made him a beloved figured both in Pittsburgh and through Latin America. Bouncing between scenes in Clemente's native Puerto Rico and his career highlights for the Pirates, the book beautifully renders both the ballplayer and the man.

I'll start with the art, because it's what shines the brightest. Wilfred Santiago, whose style is expressive and impressionistic, has a knack for portraying movement. Especially when he's portraying moments from baseball games, the images never feel static. This is especially appropriate for Clemente, who was so renowned for his athleticism and physical grace. There are numerous times throughout the book where the words feel superfluous; the art is doing the heavy lifting.

The writing is not quite as strong, occasionally reading like someone communicating in a second language. While the story of Clemente's life gets across, it sometimes comes across as disjointed, both because of the structure Santiago employs and because he refuses to spoon-feed the reader. I was able to follow without a problem, but I question whether that would have been true if I'd been less knowledgeable about the beats of Clemente's life going into reading this book.

For Clemente fans, I would say this is a must-read, a unique way of portraying the life of one of the most revered ballplayers to ever live. For those less familiar with the Great One's life, I'd start with a more conventional biography first.  

WHAT'S NEXT: A BACKSTAGE PASS TO THE WEST WING by Melissa Fitzgerald and Mary McCormack

The West Wing is one of my all-time favorite TV shows, and it probably is my mom's favorite, so when I learned that What's Next—a behind-the-scenes account of the show written by two of its stars—was coming out, I instantly preordered it for her. Then when she finished it, she promptly lent it to me, and I devoured the majority of it on two long flights.

What's Next, like the show it chronicles, is 75% entertainment, telling the story of how the show came to be, sharing backstage anecdotes from cast members and writers, and reveling in favorite episodes and scenes. But it's also 25% call to service, interspersing sidebars on the various charitable organizations that the show's family has supported over the years and explaining how and why readers should get involved. In a way that is unique to a show which idealized the work of the federal government, the alumni of the West Wing remain committed to making a difference in the world, not just with photo ops and donations, but with deep, involved work in these organizations, and What's Next goes to great lengths to highlight that work.

This is definitely a book for so-called "Wingnuts," the hardest of the hardcore fans, those who have listened to every episode of The West Wing Weekly podcast and watched favorite episodes multiple times. As such, don't expect much tell-all gossip or criticism of the show (even the disappointing-by-West Wing-standards 5th season); this book is a pure celebration of the show by people who are indebted to its success. And if you thought the show was just ok, you'll likely find all the fawning over writer Aaron Sorkin's genius to be a bit much, and may feel out of the loop on some inside jokes, like the actors' facetious disdain for castmate Josh Malina.

But if you love The West Wing like I do, you will fly through this book, and its stories will feel like a warm blanket. This was the ideal book to read on a plane, one that didn't require much concentration but kept me captivated throughout. Definitely worth a read for all my fellow Wingnuts.

PASTOR by William H. Willimon

I love books about pastoring that understand what pastoring really is. Not those that imagine we get to sit in a study praying and contemplating Scripture for 30 hours per week. Not those that think we are corporate CEOs devoted to customer satisfaction and increasing the bottom line. Books that understand pastors to be normal men and women with an extraordinary call, one we fail at all the time: to teach, lead, and serve the local church God has entrusted to us.

Pastor by Will Willimon is just such a book, one that understands how multifaceted pastoral work is, takes that work very seriously, and gives ample grace to those who try and fail to do it well every day. Each chapter walks through the theology of a pastor's various roles, from prophet to priest to teacher to role model, explaining how and why God calls us to these tasks. Along the way, there are stories from Willimon's own ministry, offering both credibility for the author and some on-the-ground case studies that bring the biblical imperatives to life.

The book is carried throughout by Willimon's excellent writing. He has a preacher's gift for prose, which turns what could have been a dry how-to manual or a sleepy doctoral dissertation into a readable, devotional guide. I confess I didn't have a highlighter handy while reading—it's a habit I've never really picked up despite repeated attempts—but this was the kind of book where I'd have worn mine out.

For fellow pastors, this is the kind of book that will make you feel seen. For laity, I'm not sure it's worth your time, but it would give you a fuller understanding of what your pastor is trying to do. For my part, I loved it.

DISCOVERY IN GREAT SAND DUNES NATIONAL PARK by Aaron Johnson

The adventure continues and the mystery deepens in the second installment of the proposed 10-part National Park Mystery Series, which has my two oldest kids spellbound. Having been left clues to a scavenger hunt his late grandfather, the protagonist Jake and his cousin Wes and friend Amber now journey with their families to Great Sand Dunes National Park, where they come upon an artifact that has ties not only to antiquity, but to Jake's family history.

I found this book to be a slight improvement over its predecessor (which I also liked!) for two reasons. First, this book alternated chapters between the present day and the story of a girl in 1880, a pattern the first book employed also. But in this book, the connection between the past and present was much more evident, which I appreciated. Second, this book introduced a set of villains, which added an air of menace and anxiety to the proceedings.

All in all, this was another good edutainment book, with plenty of safety lessons and fun facts about the Great Sand Dunes, but never so much that it get in the way of telling a good story. Next, we're off to the Grand Canyon!

HELEN OF WYNDHORN by Tom King and Bilquis Evely

One of the most acclaimed comics of the last several years is 2021's Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow, which sees Kara Zor-El get her True Grit on in a character-driven adventure. I won't say more about that book's plot, both because I already read and reviewed it last year and because it's going to be a movie next year. What I will say is that it introduced me and most of the world to artist Bilquis Evely, as she teamed up with Tom King, arguably the greatest working writer in comics, to put on a master class in storytelling. So when my brother loaned me his hardback trade of Helen of Wyndhorn, a Dark Horse miniseries authored by King and Evely, I couldn't crack it open fast enough.

The titular Helen is the daughter of a pulp author of great renown who died by suicide, leaving her confused and broken. Following his death, she is taken to live with her mysterious grandfather in his massive estate, Wyndhorn House. While she is initially rebellious, drinking the days away, she soon learns that there is more to the manor—and to her grandfather—than meets the eye. As it turns out, he is the inspiration for her father's greatest creation, Othan (a clear stand-in for Conan the Barbarian), and every day he ventures to a strange world to slay monsters, win wars, etc.  Before long, Helen is joining him on his adventures, though he always keeps her at a remove. The central conflict of the story is not about dragons or witches—it's about whether or not these two can become a family.

As was the case with Supergirl, King and Evely are a perfect pairing for this story. King, who tells the story from a variety of different POVs over the course of its six issues, keeps the story grounded in the characters, never distracted by the fantastical elements of the plot—as the title indicates, Helen is the point of the book, not Wyndhorn. But while the fantasy is incidental, Evely is clearly having a blast illustrating it. Her art is gorgeous here, possibly even better than what she gave us in Supergirl.

I do think this book ends a little suddenly; it could have used another two issues to keep the conclusion from feeling rushed. But on the whole, I loved this story. Definitely recommend!

Strange Timing (Friday Devotional)

 

I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I hope.

- Psalm 130:5

When 20-year-old Paul Schreiber took to the mound in 1923 for the Brooklyn Robins, he likely thought his whole career was ahead of him. The season hadn’t gone exactly as he’d hoped—he’d allowed 16 hits and 9 runs in 15 innings—but there was surely time to straighten things out. However, in his ninth game of the young season, he threw a curveball and felt sharp pain in his shoulder. Likely having suffered the sort of tear that would prompt surgery today, he was sent down to the minor leagues to recover his strength.

He spent all of the 1924 season in the minors. And the 1925 season. And 1926. Indeed, it wasn’t until 1931, having lost more games than he’d won in the minor leagues, that he decided to hang up his spikes and go into coaching. Like so many before and since, his big league dreams had gone up in smoke.

Until on September 4, 1945, the New York Yankees faced off against the Detroit Tigers as part of a crucial 7-game series, one that would play a big part in determining who would win the pennant race. Teams weren’t always fielding their best squads that year with so many athletes overseas fighting in the Second World War. But even so, everyone was surprised when Yankees manager Joe McCarthy announced that his 42-year-old batting practice pitcher was being activated to throw in relief. After 22 years spent toiling in obscurity, Paul Schreiber was a big league pitcher once again.

You never know when your time is going to come. Sometimes things happen exactly according to your plans and in your timing. Sometimes it takes more patience than you ever imagined you’d need. Sometimes your moment never comes at all.

A phrase that pops up repeatedly in the psalms is helpful for believers: “I wait upon the Lord.” Part of faith in God is trusting in his timing—even when it doesn’t match your plans. Sometimes bad news comes sooner than you’d expected. Sometimes good news takes far longer to come around than you’d hoped. But when your hope is in God’s timing instead of your plans, you can know peace.

Paul Schreiber’s life didn’t go according to his plans; he had to wait a long time—longer between appearances than any other player in history—to get back on a big league mound. You too may be waiting for something good to come, for a hope to be fulfilled, for a brighter day to dawn. Trust God’s timing and wait for the Lord—his plans may not match yours, but they are worth the wait.

Team Players (Friday Devotional)

 

So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.

- Ephesians 2:19-22

Yesterday, my brother and I began our second season coaching Little League baseball. For more than an hour, we rolled grounders, played catch, and taught proper hitting technique to a group of 6, 7, and 8-year olds. In just a few short weeks, the Trash Pandas will take the field for the first time in a real game.

But for that initial practice, I was struck by the disparity of talent, experience, and attention span among our players. For a few kids, this was their third or fourth baseball season, and practice was just about shaking off rust. For some others, this is the season they graduated from tee ball to coach pitch, and so last night was their first time facing pitching (even if it was from me, kneeling on the grass 5 feet in front of them). And for at least one of our players, this was the first time he’d played baseball outside his backyard.

But despite this gap in experience and skill, everybody belongs on our team. The beautiful thing about Little League is that, whether you’re new to the game or an old pro, all you have to do to join the team is, well, join the team. Everybody grows together and nobody gets left behind.

In that regard, I’m reminded of the church as described in the New Testament. The early church was made up of men and women, fishermen and Pharisees, a few prosperous community leaders and a lot of poor followers. Some had spent three years with Jesus, some had only heard his story, and one was confronted by him on a Damascus road.  But whatever their backgrounds, all professed the same faith, all held tight to the same gospel. In Jesus’ name, they were transformed from a motley crew into a family of faith.

Today, the church has the opportunity to be a countercultural witness to a fragmented, divided society. If obedient to Christ, the church is a body that doesn’t care what value you bring to the organization, because as someone created in the image of God, your worth is inherent. If obedient to Christ, your education, career, and family history are part of your story, but they are not your defining characteristics—your faith in Jesus is. If obedient to Christ, the church welcomes both the well-to-do businessman and the impoverished addict with open arms—because both need Jesus.

In Little League, both the stars and the scrubs get jerseys. Everybody rides the bench at some point, and everybody plays. Nobody gets left behind. In Jesus’ name, may the church dare to embrace an even greater spirit of hospitality than that—may we not only allow anyone on our team, but welcome them into our family.

Spiritual Training (Friday Devotional)

 

Have nothing to do with profane and foolish tales. Train yourself in godliness, for, while physical training is of some value, godliness is valuable in every way, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.

- 1 Timothy 4:7-8

On Monday, I awoke at 5:00AM feeling determined. After several weeks doing my homework on the best plan to follow, this was to be the day I started a new diet and workout routine. I knew every exercise I was going to do that morning—how many reps, how many sets, what proper form looked like, everything. I was ready.

I made it all of 10 minutes before realizing I wasn’t as ready as I thought I was, and wasn’t going to be able to finish that morning’s workout. I haven’t yet built up the strength to complete the full circuit I’d planned—indeed, it will probably take weeks of repetition before I’m able to do so. I’d forgotten one of the most basic rules of training: you can’t expect to have it all figured out on day one. That’s what the training is for!

What’s true for physical training is true for spiritual training as well. In 1 Timothy 4:7-8, the apostle Paul compares the two, reminding believers that, just as physical strength is built steadily over time, so is godliness. While salvation can come instantaneously, with the kind of “road to Damascus” moment that Paul himself experienced, sanctification happens more slowly—not in an instant, but day by day.

Believers in Jesus ought to strive to be like our Lord, to “put on the new self” (Ephesians 4:24) that comes with being made new in Christ. But we must also understand that, while inner transformation may be immediate, outward transformation is a process, one the Holy Spirit graciously empowers and enables. So when you stumble—not if, but when—be assured that there is grace and forgiveness for all who seek the Lord. Nobody is a spiritual giant on day one so don’t give up. Keep training!

Difficult Love (Friday Devotional)

For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers and sisters, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the gentiles do the same?

- Matthew 5:46-47

Every now and then, when the sports calendar is in a dry period, an evergreen controversy will consume talk radio: athletes today fraternize too much with their opponents. Following a friendly pregame hug or a lengthy postgame chat between players on opposing sides, sports pundits (often former athletes themselves) will talk about how “back in my day,” rivals hated each other, how icons from Ty Cobb to Michael Jordan refused to so much as speak to the opposition, much less treat them as friends. The implication is clear: you should hold tight to your team, but should be wary—if not outright hostile—towards others.

There’s something very relatable about that instinct. We are always most comfortable around those who are most like us: those who live where we live, go to school where we go, make the kind of money we make, vote like we vote, and believe what we believe. Those are easy friends to make, and you feel an immediate kinship to them because of all your similarities. If all your neighbors were like them, life would be easy.

But Jesus offers a gentle word caution: not all your neighbors are like you. In the kingdom of God, we are called to love not only our friends and family, but even our enemies. The “neighborhood” we are called to love is not a gated community, but an expansive world, made up of both like-minded allies and divergent strangers—and we are called to love each and every one of them in Jesus’s name.

It’s tempting to build a bubble of nice, middle class, Christian believers, and to disregard the rest of the world. But the Lord points us to a bigger project: not simply surrounding ourselves with easy, comfortable friends, but reaching out to lost souls. Sticking with your team may work on the ballfield, but it has a distinct weakness in the real world: your roster never grows.