Tom's Message: "Throw Me a Ball, Please!"

Hey, everyone!

I found the coolest verse today!!

It’s in the Book of Acts, chapter 22, verse 8.

Paul the missionary was explaining to a huge bunch of upset people the story of how he changed from being someone who was SUPER against those who followed Jesus to becoming one of them. He told them that one day (you know the story!) he was on his way to catch some Jesus-followers to lock ‘em up in jail and…

he saw a bright light!

And after he flopped on the ground, scared out of his wits, he heard a voice.

“Saul (for this was his name originally) why do you persecute Me?”

“Who are you, Lord?”

Check this out:

“I am Jesus of Nazareth”

When Luke told the story of the day it happened, he just said that Jesus said, “I am Jesus”. (Acts 9:6)

But when Paul told the story of the day he’d never forget, he remembered that Jesus called Himself, “Jesus of Nazareth”

He is the One Who grew up in "O little town of Nazareth".

Growing up there, He was the favorite. God’s and everyone else’s! (Luke 2:52)

Once, when He was letting His fellow Nazarenes know Who He was, He told them that He had come to tell Good News to the poor, bring freedom to those who were captive and stuck, healing to the afflicted and that He cared for those of other countries as much as He cared for them. (Luke 4:18-30)

(They didn’t love hearing that, BTW)

And risen from the dead, ascended into Heaven, ruling and reigning over all…

He is still the same! The same healing, caring, sharing Lord!

Jesus…of Nazareth!!

I was looking for something to encourage me this morning!

In Acts 22:8, I found it!

Looking for encouragement in the Sacred Pages is how I start every day!

There’s a fella named Zack Hample who has collected over 12,000 baseballs at major league baseball stadiums! He only has about 54 from home runs hit into the stands (But he caught Mike Trout’s first home run ball!) but most of them are from batting practice before the games, foul balls, or just yelling at an outfielder to throw him a ball…

He went home with 17 baseballs from a game at the Reds’ Great American Ball Park on April 23!

He has secrets he shares for how to go home with a ball…

Know both rosters so you can yell at all the outfielders…

Take both caps of both teams and switch, depending on whose playing in the field…

Learn the phrase “Throw me a ball, please!” in Spanish and Japanese…

Don’t sit under the overhang in the rain “like fake-fans do”…

But, most importantly…

The number one secret is this…

Go to the game with this thought in your mind: “I’m going home with a baseball today!!”

Once you’ve made up your mind to get one, it’s amazing how often you do!

So…

When I get up in the morning and open up the Scriptures, I have one thought in my mind…

“I’m going to find some encouragement in these words I’m reading today!”

I’m looking for reasons to thank Jesus…

reasons to praise Him…

reasons to have joy even in the most difficult times.

All ya gotta do is open the Book and think…

“I’m getting a baseball…uh, I mean…some encouragement today!

Try it!

(Go, Braves!)