It Really Happened!

For my birthday this year I told Mike I wanted to go to a Tampa Bay Rays Baseball game. He exceeded my request and we went to not one game, but two games for my birthday weekend. We had the best time, but was disappointed because I also really wanted a picture with Ben Zobrist. He play for the Rays and is real and open about his personal relationship with Christ. Getting a picture didn't happen, so I've been trying to figure out how and when it would be possible for me to get this picture. This was May. . .
and it's now August. . . .
Our friend and Pastor of Church Ministries from church, texted us and said that we we can be at church in the morning around 9am we could meet BEN ZOBRIST!! Really? Are you kidding? Let me see that text! Our friend knows that I LOVE the Rays, so he wanted to make sure it would be 75% sure that he would be there before telling me. Mike and I were there early, 8:30am. I didn't want to be late or miss anything. I brought my glove for him to sign, but I was told that it might not happen. I thought it's better to have it than to not have it.

Ben Zobrist was speaking at the Youth Conference and we were honored to be there. Then on August 28, our Pastor wrote
some notes about Ben Zobrist from the Youth Conference~thought they were worth sharing~Quotes from Ben Zobrist, "What we do out on the baseball field is based on how hard we work. We get out of it what we put into it. That is the law of works, but that is not the law of grace. Our salvation is based on grace, not law. We cannot get to heaven by working hard. Christ did the work on the cross for us and paid the price to get us to heaven." "From a young person's perspective what I do looks glamorous, But who we are is not based on what we do. Our hope is not in an ideal job, like baseball.. It is in Jesus Christ. Our identity should be in Christ, otherwise, when success is gone, we have nothing left. All the accolades and all the stuff you see on TV is really nothing. It will eventually wear off. Christ doesn't. Jesus Christ is who I am. I look to Him. He is my Lord and He is my Savior. My favorite verse is Galatians 2:20." (Remember Ben Zobrist is talking to today's youth!)

Question for Zobrist: How do you maintain your boundaries as a Christian? Response from Zobrist: The key is not where the boundary is necessarily, because I will naturally want to push the boundaries because of my sin nature. I must ask God to change my heart so I don't even get close to the boundary. We can be within our boundaries and our heart still not be right before God. It is really a heart issue. I want God to change my heart so that I want what He wants."

Question for Zobrist: What about the importance of godly role models? Response from Zobrist: True influence comes through Christ alone. The best way to influence others is to stay connected to The Vine (Christ). Rather than just try to influence others, if I do what God wants me to do I will have a godly influence on others. After all, the whole group may be moving in a wrong direction. But we do not need to fear what others think or do--we need to fear God alone.


It was great meeting Ben Zobrist and getting his autograph, but it was AMAZING to hear about his love for the Lord and how he tries to glorify God through baseball.