Percentage Preacher
January 1, 1996
You aren't hitting the ball out of the park like you used to, Pastor! And I'm not the only one keeping score!" When I confessed I did not expect to hit a home run every Sunday morning, Ted's face flushed with anger. "Then what are we paying you to do?" he demanded. "I expect you to feed me during that half hour each Sunday so I have enough to go on the rest of the week!" Since that animated conversation, I've reflected on Ted's analogy. He has a point: Each time I take my stance in front of the congregation, I am faced with the challenge of making contact. But then again, does a congregation have a right to expect me to clear the 400-foot fence every week? Am I their only source of spiritual input? I've had to conclude I will never be a home run king; I'm a percentage hitter. WHEN IT MATTERS MOST
I followed the New York Yankees during the dynasty years of the Bronx Bombers—with Whitey Ford, Moose Skowron, Clete Boyer, Yogi Berra, Roger Maris, Bobby Richardson, and Mickey Mantle. Chances were pretty good that if runners were in scoring position and Yogi Berra was up, the runners would safely reach home. It was uncanny. Time and time again, Yogi came through when he had to. And it wasn't necessarily a home run. Much of the Yankees' success in the early sixties was the proven ability of Yogi to produce when it mattered most. That's what a percentage hitter does—produce when it matters most. The 1989 World Series between the San Francisco Giants and the Oakland Athletics was interrupted by an earthquake that measured 7.2 on the Richter scale. Lives were lost. Homes destroyed. A section of the Bay Bridge collapsed. Our church in Concord, a suburb of San Francisco, was dramatically affected by the trauma. I still remember the ...
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