I’m a little rusty, but this is an update

It seems as though I’m a little rusty at blogging. The preceding sentence is the product of fifteen minutes of trying to figure out how to begin this blog. Apparently clever introductory sentences are harder to come by these days. But hang in there, this thing is bound to get better.

 

 Last weekend I was in the Richmond area for a few days, a last minute decision that was the result of both a suddenly empty calender and the willingness of Priceline.com to accept my pittance of an airfare offer. I arrived at the gate only to find that we had a plane but no crew. The website didn’t mention that the discount ticket was “Bring your own crew” only. Lesson learned. While in town I received several requests for an update blog. My apologies for leaving you in the dark. I prefer to think of it as building anticipation. Nevertheless, here we go.

 

I returned home from the G42 Leadership Academy in June with clarity and purpose.  The World Race was fantastic in that it opened my eyes and affected my heart, but I was at a loss as to what to do with that. Full of desires, interests, beliefs, and skills, I had no idea how to put them all together into something that made sense. However, while I was at G42 working on who I want to be in life, God began to show me what He wants me to do in life as well.

 

Since I was a kid I’ve dreamed of working in professional baseball. By working I don’t mean being a baseball player, I mean working in the front office. I don’t know why and I can’t explain it, but it’s always been there. I have a very vivid memory as a kid (maybe 9 or 10 years old) of my brother and our friend Matt going out to play while I stayed behind to do research on baseball players in the Sporting News magazine that came in the mail. That’s normal, right?

 

While at G42, God gave me a vision for how I can use my education, love of baseball, and desire to help those in need (specifically young men who grow up without a father). I’m going to become a baseball agent who serves both the business manager role, but also a discipleship role that ensures the growth and development of the man as a whole, not just as an athlete. For those unfamiliar with what an agent is/does, think Jerry Maguire. That’s become my standard answer since a female friend of mine, after having heard a 10-minute, detailed explanation of what I wanted to do asked, “So, do you like want to be like Jerry Maguire?” Why yes, I suppose I do in some ways.

 

Nearly 25% of baseball players are from the Dominican Republic or Puerto Rico, both of which are considered developing countries. Many come from large, impoverished families, some without a father present. While I’m certainly not limiting myself to only athletes from these two countries, I recognize a greater need in those places and would thus like to devote a greater amount of my attention there. The remainder of my vision would include developing a post-baseball career plan with each athlete from day one. If he doesn’t come from extreme poverty, then let’s take a trip overseas and experience that. I want to find out what grabs his heart and focus on what God’s doing there. Focus on how that athlete can use his God-given platform to further Jesus’ kingdom. Maybe that would be in the form of sponsoring Christ-based sports camps, or feeding all the children at an orphanage for the next 10 years, or funding micro-enterprise businesses as a means of providing sustained income to a community, or sending impoverished children to school to break generations of hopelessness, etc. etc. You get the point, there’s a lot of need in this world.

 

I feel very strongly that God wants me to open some eyes in the baseball world to that daunting list of needs. To not only love people, but spur them on to action. However, you don’t just fill out an application for this type of position. It’s more like entrepreneurial sales with yourself as the product. Good thing I brushed my teeth this morning. To learn some of the basics and get my feet wet, I’m currently interning with 2:8 Sports in Atlanta, a company that shares a similar vision to mine, only for NFL players. The sport isn’t the same, but the principles are transferable. I’ve been learning a lot and feel very fortunate to have this opportunity. My internship ends in about a month, and at this point I’m not totally sure what comes next, but I couldn’t be more sure of the direction that I’m heading.

 

There are several things that I would ask you to be in prayer about. First and foremost, please pray that I will be sensitive to the Spirit and patient to wait on God’s timing when considering my next step. I tend to get overly excited and want to jump in right away, but that might not be what God has in mind. This is also a job that is commission based, which means I need to sign a client before I make any money. I fully understand that this will take time (maybe years), but I do need to cover my living expenses in the meantime. Please pray that God will provide me with some income opportunities that both pay the bills and provide me adequate time to continue working and preparing for this dream. And finally, please be in prayer for my first client. He is out there somewhere and God is not only going to radically impact his heart, but he’s going to use him get this thing started and affect thousands of people. I pray for him nearly every day.

 

So, there it is in a nutshell. I’ve left out a great deal of detail, but I hope you get a glimpse of where I’m headed and why. I can’t fully express in a blog how excited I am about this and I hope you are too. Thank you to those of you who have been praying for me and supporting me since the World Race, you are very much appreciated!

 

My apologies for the lengthy blog, but it’s been 6-months since I last wrote. Kudos if you made it to the end. The end.