Always Ready

     "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour." (1 Peter 5:8) As we walk through the paths of life, Satan and his followers are looming all around us, waiting to catch us in a moment of weakness, or even a moment of stagnancy. It is important that we are anxiously engaged in a good cause 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Evil is patient with its victims, and it will wait for the perfect time to strike.

     On the baseball field, it's easy to get caught off guard. It seems as though the game itself knows when you lose focus, and a ball will be hit in your direction. An outfielder may be distracted during a pitch and doesn't see the ball get hit off the bat. Instead of recording the third out of an inning, he gives up an RBI double. Or a pitcher who's caught up in his mind about the last bad call the umpire made and tries to pitch even harder, only resulting in hitting the batter with the pitch and giving up a free base. While nobody can eliminate every single physical error of baseball, I believe that it's possible to have a player/team eliminate all mental errors of the game. Baseball can be a complex sport, but it's not too much to ask your team to always know the count, how many outs there are, what inning is, what the score is, and what to do if the ball is hit to you. Players should know all of this information before every single pitch of the game. 

     Each Sunday, Latter-Day Saints partake of the sacrament. This is a sacred emblem of the body and blood of Christ. By doing so, we promise to take upon ourselves the name of the Son, and always remember him, and keep his commandments which he has given us. (Moroni 4:3 and Moroni 5:2) Baptized and confirmed members of the church have the Gift of the Holy Ghost, or the constant companionship of one of the members of the Godhead. As we remember Christ throughout our lives, we are promised the blessings that come from the Holy Ghost. The Bible Dictionary says, "...the Holy Ghost acts as a cleansing agent to purify them and sanctify them from all sin." In doing so, keeping the Holy Ghost with us is the key to retaining a remission from our sins. 

     Like in a game of baseball, anything can happen at any given time during our day. We must always be ready to act on promptings of the Holy Ghost. Satan and his followers are always present, but they literally cannot be part of our lives if we always are relying on the rock of our Redeemer, "which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall." (Helaman 5:12) When the Holy Ghost is present in our hearts and minds, we have the opportunity to be the answer to someone's prayers. We can be used as an instrument in the Lord's hands to carry out his work. We are all part of the Restoration of the Gospel, and we must feel the same urgency that the Lord feels to hasten his work. "For behold the field is white already to harvest; and lo, he that thrusteth in his sickle with his might, the same layeth up in store that he perisheth not, but bringeth salvation to his soul;" (D&C 4:4) If we serve him with all our heart, might, mind, and strength, we are promised to "stand blameless before God at the last day." (D&C 4:2) If we fully engage in the Lord's work, we are protected from the devil, and it's easier to say no to temptations. We also have the blessing from protecting others from Satan's grasps. 

     We cannot control the situations around us, but we can control how we react. To gauge if our reactions are appropriate, we can ask ourselves if the Holy Ghost can remain with us during that time, or if he would be offended by our thoughts or actions. If we stand righteous and keep the Holy Ghost with us, God will empower us with power from on high. We will bring to pass miracles in our days and be a powerful servant of God. Stay ready brothers and sisters, for the Lord needs us today.

David Wright, New York Mets

Physical and Spiritual Injuries

     When I was 14 years old, going into 9th grade, I was playing summer baseball with some other high school players. One afternoon, we were playing a game at Skyline High School and I was batting leadoff. In the top of the first inning, I led off the game by hitting a double. After a few pitches, I realized that I had the pitcher timed and I could steal 3rd base. Without a signal from our 3rd base coach, I attempted a steal. I slid headfirst into 3rd base, beating the throw, but when I stood up something was wrong with my hand. My coach pointed it out to me, and I saw a big gash in my right hand with a lot of blood coming out. I rushed to the dugout and began pouring water over it in an attempt to slow down the bleeding and see how bad the cut was. I walked out to my parents in the stands and they immediately packed up their things and drove us out of there. We drove straight to our doctor's office, where he stitched up my hand. My dad saw my tendon before it was sown up. Growing up, I was lucky to avoid serious injuries. On that day I had my hand stitched up, and the only other thing that happened to me was when I broke my right ring finger, when I was 9, while ironically sliding into 3rd base.

     The moral of the story is this. When my injury occurred, I didn't wait until the end of the game to take care of it. We rushed to the doctor's office and fixed it right away to avoid any further injury.

     Nobody in this life is perfect. In each and every day, we will have a battle with sin. No matter how great or small, I believe that each of us sin every day. Nobody in our church claims to be perfect because only one man has accomplished that feat in the history of the earth, and he died on the cross after suffering for all the sins of mankind. At the end of each day, when we kneel down and talk with God, we're instructed to give a recap of our day. We can talk about the things that happened, what we did well, what we'd like to do tomorrow, and repent of the wrongdoings that we did. However, we don't need to wait until the end of the day to repent of what we've done. As soon as we notice that we've lost our temper, gossiped, or left the straight and narrow in anyway, we can say a prayer in our minds and hearts asking for forgiveness and for the Holy Ghost's presence again. Sometimes it's necessary to go to your Bishop. Again, don't delay. He is called to help in those situations, and he will be nothing but loving. Don't let Satan lie to you and convince yourself that, "well I've already sinned pretty bad today, so I guess that's just how today's going to be." Remember, we must endure to the end of each day. Even if you're having a bad day, it doesn't mean that it has to finish poorly.

     One trap that Satan uses is defining us as our weaknesses. We each have commandments on this earth that we sometimes struggle to keep. We are instructed to not label ourselves as those things. It's dangerous to think of ourselves as drug addicts, hot heads, gay, porn addicts, etc. Instead, think of who you really are. You are a child of God. You have divine potential, because you were saved for the last dispensation. Don't label yourself according to your sins, because God doesn't.

     Some days, it'll seem impossible to press on and endure to the end. We can all take encouragement by remembering that our trials are consecrated for our benefit. In other words, you were divinely called to pass through these earthly weaknesses and trials. God gave them to you because He knew that you could handle them. Let us not forget what President Nelson said just under 2 months ago, "In the coming days, it will not be possible to survive spiritually without the guiding, directing, comforting, and constant influence of the Holy Ghost." We have God on our side, and this means that if we put our trust in Him, we cannot fall.

The Moments That Determine Our Real Character

     What do you do in your free time? According to President Gordon B. Hinckley, it defines who you really are. "You can't tell the character of an individual by the way he does his daily work. Watch him when his work is done. See where he goes. Note the companions he seeks, and the things he does when he may do as he pleases. Then you can tell his true character." In other words, what do you do when nobody else is watching? Do you feel more liberty to commit sin, because nobody else is around? Do you seek to be lazy and waste the time away? Or do you seek knowledge, service, and to do the will of the Lord? President Hinckley continues, "Let us take the eagle, for example. This bird works as hard and as efficiently as any other animal or bird in doing its daily work. It provides for itself and its young by the sweat of its brow, so to speak; but when its daily work is over and the eagle has time of its own to do just as it pleases, note how it spends its recreational moments. It flies in the highest realms of heaven, spreads its wings and bathes in the upper air, for it loves the pure, clean atmosphere and the lofty heights. On the other hand, let us consider the hog. This animal grunts and grubs and provides for its young just as well as the eagle; but when its working hours are over and it has some recreational moments, observe where it goes and what it does. The hog will seek out the muddiest hole in the pasture and will roll and soak itself in filth, for this is the thing it loves. People can be either eagles or hogs in their leisure time."

     As youth baseball players get older, the bigger players notice the little guys hitting just as hard and far as them. They realize that the extra effort that the other players put in end up making the difference. Any athlete needs to learn at a young age that starting positions are won in the weight rooms. Size can only get you so far, and eventually it won't be enough. It takes discipline to hit off of a tee every single day. It takes discipline to run a couple miles a day. It takes discipline to push yourself just a little harder. But it takes no discipline to get home from school/work and do nothing all afternoon. In a game of baseball, every position has an assignment every play. In the offseason, every athlete has an assignment every day to make himself/herself better.

     In the world we live in today, we have hog-like habits. I can't go a day at work or school without hearing the phrase, "I can't wait to go home and do nothing." I find myself falling in this trap some days as well. Recently, I have started an in-depth study of the Doctrine and Covenants. I study one section a week, and I dissect each verse. After work one afternoon, I studied D&C 2 from 6:00-9:00pm. This section only contains 3 verses, but there are so many hidden treasures in the scriptures while we are under the influence of the Holy Ghost. I testify that you will be carried away in the Spirit and the Lord will teach you in His way. I have never regretted dedicating an afternoon to personal study.

     There is a lot of free time wasted in the morning hours. D&C 88:124 reads, "...cease to sleep longer than is needful; retire to thy bed early, that ye may not be weary; arise early, that your bodies and your minds may be invigorated." Recently, I started running a couple times a week in the morning. Even though I'm in pretty bad shape, and my body wasn't built for running anyways, I always feel better during the rest of the day. Granted, my lungs and whole body hurt during the runs, but I find it easier to pay attention, be more productive, and have a better attitude during the rest of the day.

     When we let our guard down, and "lay in the mud", Satan goes to work on our minds and hearts in order to lead us away from the straight and narrow. We can't afford to let him win. Each day is part of eternity, and one slip up has the potential to destroy lives. Paul taught, "Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world...Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;...Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked." (Ephesians 6:10-12, 14, 16)

     As a son/daughter of God in the Latter-Days, you are vitally important in the restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ. With each life you touch, you potentially effect generations and generations of that one person. Satan has upped his game in these last days and seeks to drag as many individuals as he can down to his eternal misery. We have all the resources we need to conquer, but it all depends on our efforts in our free time. The next time you feel tempted to relax and do nothing, feed yourself spiritually and read a chapter from the Book of Mormon. With such an urgency to do the work of salvation, we need every righteous warrior we can get in this fight against sin. Don't let your guard down, and endure to the end!

                                                            
                               

Always One Step Ahead

     

     Whether you're a pitcher, batter, or fielder it's important to keep your head in the game. This means that you think of nothing else while you're on the field. You always know the count, how many outs, who's on base, what to do if the ball is hit to you, and what to do if the ball is not hit to you. On every play, every fielder has a responsibility. In other words, nobody should be standing still when the ball is hit. If you know the situation and are aware of your surroundings, sometimes you can take an extra base or catch a runner off-guard. For example, a base-runner hustles out of the box on a single to left field. As he's rounding first base, he sees a slight bobble from the left fielder. The base-runner takes advantage of the slight mistake and stretches a single into a double. Or maybe an infielder fields a groundball and instead of getting the out at first, pump-fakes the throw and draws the lead runner off far enough to get him out. As youth get older, these types of plays are what make the difference in the game. In order to win each inning, a team must be ready to take advantage of the smallest mistakes. I remember one game in high school where we were tied 1-1 with a team from California. With runners on 2nd and 3rd with two outs, I delivered a pitch. The runner on second tripped and fell to the ground. Our catcher threw down to 2nd base only to watch the runner on 3rd score, and the runner who "tripped" ran safely to 3rd base. We lost the game 2-1.

     In life, every hour of every day is of internal importance. Satan is always searching for that weak place in our armor waiting to strike. If we let our guard down, he will always be there. I like to think of this as a moving sidewalk. At the airport, it always seems like there are people who find it fun to be walking on the moving sidewalk that's moving in the opposite direction. They walk slower than those on the normal walkway, and if the stop their progress, they move backwards. I believe that life is the same. We are figuratively on a moving sidewalk that is moving the opposite direction. As we strive to live the commandments and follow Christ, we are walking down the straight and narrow path. If we stop reading our scriptures, praying, and other daily activities, we come to a stop on our moving sidewalk. When we come to a stop, we instantly start moving backwards. We instantly start moving away from our eternal goals. Satan will multiply his efforts there, and make sure that we don't get moving again. Once we get moving, it doesn't mean he goes away but instead we have the Holy Ghost to guide us and the Atonement of Christ to give us strength. We are all guilty of stopping on the moving sidewalk and going backwards, but it's important to realize that at any given moment we can start walking again. Kneel down and pray, pick up your scriptures, and start walking.

     At some times in life, it will seem too hard to keep walking. We will feel tired, and maybe wonder if it's worth it to keep going. Elder Holland once said, "You may wonder if it is worth it to take a courageous moral stand in high school or to go on a mission only to have your most cherished beliefs reviled or to strive against much in society that sometimes ridicules a life of religious devotion. Yes, it is worth it." Also, President Eyring said, "if you're on the correct path, it will always be uphill." If you find the gospel path to be hard, it's because it was meant to be that way. Stay faithful, and we are promised "all that the Father hath".

If Today Was Your Last Day

     Due to personal reasons, I decided to step down as a coach for the 14U Corner Canyon Chargers. I will still be involved in baseball activities like umpiring and writing these posts, but it gave me an opportunity to reflect on a very solemn topic that every player will face in their career. As I was making the decision to step down, my pre-game speeches included phrases like, "Give it your all, boys. You never know if this will be your last game." Whether we want to admit it or not, our baseball career will eventually come to an end. The sad thing is, sometimes we can't control when it ends. Sometimes, a season ending injury takes a player out of the lineup. Sometimes, players will be cut from high school or college tryouts even though they've given it their all to be on the team. There is one constant during all these different situations. When it's all said and done, you'll want to be able to say, "I gave it my all". In my baseball career, I was looking to go play in college after high school. After being named to the all-state team twice in high school, I figured I had a good chance of pitching in college. After many thoughts and prayers, I made the decision in the Celestial Room of the Oquirrh Mountain Temple to hang up the cleats and prepare for my eternal family. I was heartbroken that I would never take the field again, but I trusted that God had plans for me. Now, two years (almost to the day) after I made that decision, I have no regrets for the choices that I have made. I have a beautiful wife who I love more than anything, I get to be around baseball through umpiring and coaching, and most importantly I have shown my trust in God and He has blessed our marriage with both temporal and spiritual blessings. I look back on my baseball career and I'm able to say that I gave it my all.

     In the scriptures, Amulek is credited with one of the more famous lines of the Book of Mormon. In Alma 34:32 he says, "For behold, this life is the time for men to prepare to meet God; yea, behold the day of this life is the day for men to perform their labors." This is one of the most important teachings in the scriptures. We know that we had a pre-earth life, where we were created and taught in the ways of our Heavenly Father. During this pre-earth life, we know that we would come down to earth and face the trials of mortality. I imagine we were very excited to obtain a body, and I imagine we thought that earth would be easy. After all, we already had a testimony of God's love for each one of us, we were ministered unto daily, and we knew our divine potential as God's children. Now, we live in such an advanced age of earth's history that we are plagued by the distractions of technology. The challenge of all people is to always remember God and Jesus Christ, and a lot of people today turn their technology into idols of worship. Obviously, technology can be used to spread the gospel and study more information at once, but with that great responsibility comes a great temptation. Let us remember Amulek's teachings, this life is the time for men to prepare to meet God. It is essential that we dedicate a great amount of time and energy to our personal salvation. Daily prayer and scripture study are two big ways that we prepare to meet God. Don't let them go by without receiving personal revelation and learning new doctrines. Through technology, we have all the study materials right in front of us. Study manuals, conference talks, magazine articles, and many more all written for the intent of teaching the Latter-Day Saints.

     Just as the ending of one's baseball career is unpredictable, as is our earth life. A tragic accident that takes the life of an innocent parent, a sickness that invades the body, and a miscarriage of a baby are unfortunately common events that occur today. If today was your last today, what would you do? Would you more kind? Would you be more thankful? Would you work harder? If so, do it today. Because in reality, you never know. Amulek goes on to teach, "I beseech of you that ye do not procrastinate the day of your repentance until the end; for after this day of life, which is given us to prepare for eternity, behold, if we do not improve our time while in this life, then cometh the night of darkness wherein there can be no labor performed." (Alma 34:33) One part of our daily prayers needs to be repentance for that day. If we procrastinate our repentance, we are taking the risk of arriving to that day when we can no longer do it. God loves all of His children, and this means that He is waiting with open arms for us to reach out to Him.

   

"I Was Born This Way"

     As I've mentioned before, baseball is a game of failure. Throughout all my years of playing, coaching, and watching the sport I've seen players define themselves by their mistakes. I hear things like, "I just can't hit", "I can't throw a strike", "I just can't play baseball", or "I'm just not good". I even heard one time, "I'll never get better. I just wasn't born to play baseball." It made me think of all the times I struck out growing up in super league and how many times my pitching wasn't good enough. I fell short many times, but one of the biggest parts of baseball is overcoming the times when we're at our worst. Even the best players in the world struggle with slumps, but they're the best at overcoming them. That's why they get paid millions of dollars to play the game. Nolan Ryan once said, "One of the beautiful things about baseball is that every once in a while you come into a situation where you want to, and where to have to, reach down and prove something." The players that let themselves think that they aren't born to play baseball are also the ones who don't handle pressure situations very well. Instead of thinking, "I'm going to make the big play" they think instead, "I hope I don't get out". THIS ALSO GOES FOR COACHES. Coaches play a huge role in the development of their players. A successful coach will lead by example of showing how hard things can be done, but also infusing this confidence into the team. Ultimately, it's the players who have to reach down inside themselves if the team wants to get better.

     Last week, one of the players on our 14U Chargers team threw a no-hitter. He had been struggling to this point finding the strikezone and going deep into games, but this game he found something else inside of him. In the first inning, he realized that he is better than the team he was facing. His demeanor changed and he threw a lot more strikes, eventually throwing the team's first no-hitter. After the game I took the opportunity to teach the players about that. When you're on the mound, you have to believe that you're better than the batters you're facing. Your pitches are better, you throw more accurately, and you throw more innings. Of course there are days where the other team will hit you, but all you can do be mentally tough and bounce back for the next time you go back out on the mound.

     Now onto the spiritual side. I believe that we all have specific weaknesses in life that we are dealing with. Just like in baseball, we fine-tune our skills in life in order to be more productive. Sometimes, we fall into the trap of believing that we are defined by our weaknesses and that we are simply "born this way". I know that we have a divine heritage. We have been created by an Almighty God that loves us more than we can comprehend. When Jesus was on the earth, he went away fasting and praying. Satan goes to him and tempts him. Satan attacks his very divine heritage as the Son of God. With the phrase, "if thou be the Son of God" he wants to make Jesus doubt that he was foreordained to be the Savior of the world. It's interesting to me that Christ responded with scriptures. He showed His knowledge by saying, "it is written" and quoting the doctrine that corresponded with that temptation. (Matthew 4: 1-11)

     You and I were born to be great. We were born in the Latter-Days to bring to pass the Restoration of the Gospel. We were saved for this generation because we have a lot to offer. Just like Jesus Christ, we were sent to this earth for a divine purpose. Trust in the Atonement of Christ. Pray always. Read the scriptures daily. By doing this, I know that we will further understand how special we are to our loving Father in Heaven. He knows you by name, He knows your capabilities, and He wants the very best for you. He hears your prayers, and is ever willing to answer them. He doesn't define you by your sins, but instead sees your eternal worth. All we need to do is sincerely desire to be better and turn to Him. Immediately, we will see a difference in our lives. We will have more self-worth, self-confidence, and an internal desire to do God's will.

Don't Drop The Ball

     In October, 1994 President Gordon B. Hinckley, then First Councilor in the First Presidency, gave a conference talk titled "Don't Drop The Ball." He related a story from the 1912 World Series between the Boston Red Sox and the New York Giants. Here is the story, "The event of which I speak occurred in the World Series of 1912. It was an eight-game series because one of the games was called at midpoint because of darkness. Playing fields were not electrically lighted at that time. It was the last game and the score was tied 1-1. The Boston Red Sox were at bat, the New York Giants in the field. A Boston batter knocked a high-arching fly. Two New York players ran for it. Fred Snodgrass in center field signaled to his associate that he would take it. He came squarely under the ball, which fell into his glove. It went right through his hand and fell to the ground. A howl went up in the stands. The roaring fans couldn't believe it. Snodgrass had dropped the ball. He had caught hundreds of fly balls before. But now, at this crucial moment, he dropped the ball. The New York Giants lost. The Boston Red Sox won the series. Snodgrass came back the following season and played brilliant ball for nine more years. He lived to be eighty-six years of age, dying in 1974. But after that one slip, for sixty-two years when he was introduced to anybody, the expected response was, Oh, yes, you're the one who dropped the ball." 
   
     President Hinckley then explains that there are many situations in life where people "drop the ball". A successful student who thinks he is doing well enough, but stresses under the final exam and flunks out. The driver who has a flawless record until one moment of carelessness and is involved in a tragic accident. Or there is a trusted employee whose performance has been excellent, and then he steals a little from his employer. "A mark is placed upon him which never seems to entirely disappear."

     In the world we live in, people want to define others by their sins and not by their successes. At the same time, they want to sweep their own sins under the rug and put their best self forward. We are all guilty of this at some point in our lives. One common thing I've seen is the smell of smoke that lingers with a heavy smoker. It seems like wherever they go people are quick to give them dirty looks, talking about them behind their back after they pass by, etc. I'd like to offer this question, "what if your sins smelled as bad as theirs?" The point is, we are still commanded to love everybody. (this is the second great commandment)

     There is a great urgency to prepare for the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. Instead of looking for the blame in others, look inside yourself and ask God where He would have you get better. We are commanded to invite and teach the gospel of Jesus Christ to everyone who will listen, and this does not mean that we condemn others for their actions. We simply invite all to come unto Christ. We are all guilty of sin every single day, or in other words we "drop the ball". The great thing is that each time we drop the ball, we can be forgiven because of the Atonement of Jesus Christ. We depend on this promise for our very salvation, and we must invite others to partake of the same promise. My dad gave me this wise counsel last year, "treat others the same way that you depend of Jesus Christ to treat you."

     As a side-note: As I was listening to this talk again, I realized how much I loved President Hinckley. He was the first prophet that I remember listening to, and he was so full of love. I enjoy going to Gospel Library or lds.org and listening to past church leaders. It strengthens my testimony that God is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

https://www.lds.org/general-conference/1994/10/don-t-drop-the-ball?lang=eng