Montgomery is the state capitol of Alabama and there is a AA professional baseball team there called the Biscuits. We had never been to one of their games before. Joel is 10 now and enjoying baseball more and more. This seemed like a good time to go to one of their games and let Joel see some professionals play.
We had a blast. Not only was it a good game, but it was dollar dog night at the ball park. That meant the hot dogs were only a dollar each. Joel and I love hot dogs. This made the night even better for us; Laura managed to not eat a hot dog even though they were only a dollar each. I think Laura would turn down free hot dogs. She is anti-hot dog.
We enjoyed cheering for the Biscuits, though one would have to admit that is not a mascot that exactly strikes fear into the opponent. I wondered what the mascot might be. Perhaps Martha White with a rolling pin in her hand? Well no, as it turns out the mascot is an anteater. I'm not real sure of the connection there between biscuits and anteaters. Joel said maybe it was because the anteater ate the ants so the ants could not eat the biscuits. That's better than anything I had. We did not holler "Go Biscuits" but more along the line of "Go" or "Yay."
I asked Joel and Laura what they enjoyed the most about the game. Joel said he really liked the hot dogs and seeing the game live. At one point he said to me, "This is better than watching baseball on TV." Laura enjoyed the atmosphere of the game. She was amazed at how high some of the pop fly balls went. We all enjoyed seeing some really outstanding defensive plays. In the end, the Biscuits went down in defeat 1-0. The other pitcher pitched a complete game shut-out. We had a fun family outing at the old ball park.
Enjoying dollar dog night
The thing about a trip to the ball park is that you are closer to the action. If you watch it on TV (which I usually do), you can see instant replays, eat out of your own fridge, soak up your A/C, and sit in your own recliner. It is more comfortable. Going to the ball park gets you closer to the action. You can see how fast the game really is. You can see how big the players are and how young or old they look (they looked pretty young tonight). It is more of a real experience to go to the ball park.
I think it is easy for followers of Jesus to adapt a TV mentality toward following Jesus. We can sit in worship centers that are nice and comfortable. We have air conditioning in the summer and heat in the winter. We can talk with our friends about the Bible and following Jesus. The problem is when we think that is following Jesus. That is just talking about it; kind of like watching ball on TV. It requires very little of you and you are not really where the action is. The action is in actually following Jesus in the real world. It is actually telling someone about Jesus, praying with someone, serving the poor, taking care of the widows and orphans, and helping the sick. It is very easy to go sit in church and then not have time to actually do something that requires some faith and a bit of sacrifice (probably more inconvenience for most of us rather than sacrifice). So, I've had to ask myself this evening, "Am I following Jesus where the action is or simply watching and talking about it." James 1:22 puts it this way, "But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves."
Getting in the action of abundant living
Barry
3 things I thank God for today
1. Christian bookstores
2. Mail
3. Sense of smell
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