Shepherd's Staffs and Wiffleball Bats
Thursday, August 15, 2024
“God longs to see all His sons and daughters lay down their working life for Him so that He might perform miracles through their life calling.” – Os Hillman
As a young boy, I was consumed by baseball. If I wasn’t playing it, I was watching it on TV, listening to it on the radio, or reading about it in books, magazines, and newspapers. Every afternoon during the regular season, I would pour over the box scores to see how my favorite team (the Yankees) and my favorite players (Mel Stottlemyre, Bobby Murcer, Thurman Munson, and Roy White) did the day before.
If my friends weren’t able to join me at the local sandlot, I would simply play wiffleball in the backyard by myself, changing batting stances as I went through the Yankees lineup in my mind. I also spent countless hours playing stepball, which increased both my throwing accuracy and my fielding reflexes. At night, I would lay in bed and toss a ball in the air dozens of times – seeing how close I could get to the ceiling without hitting it – before drifting off to sleep.
I only played organized baseball from ages 10 to 15, after which I started playing in various softball leagues. However, by the time I met and married Deanna, baseball and softball had both taken a back seat to faith and family.
And then it happened… just like when God told Moses to lay down his shepherd’s staff, a symbol of his vocation, and then take it up again as a demonstration of His power, God instructed me to pick my bat up again and use it in His service. Thirty-five years and thousands of games later, more than 500,000 inmates have heard the gospel and approximately 30,000 of them have trusted Jesus as their Savior.
It all started with a 29-inch baseball bat that I swung in Little League, playing for Coach Hamill and the Merchantville Cardinals. What bat, rod, or staff is God asking you to lay down – and then pick up again – for His glory?
“And you shall take this rod in your hand, with which you shall do the signs. And Moses took the rod of God in his hand.” Exodus 4:17 & 20b (NJKV)
- Rev. Dale M. Glading, President
