Daily Devotion - Monday, October 24

Take Me Out to the Ballgame

“Teach me your way, O Lord. Lead me on a level path.”
--A song from an ancient seeker

Monday: Where are the Phillies?

All that money the Philadelphia Phillies spent in recent years to field the finest team in baseball didn’t work this year. The Phillies have an abundance of great players and coaches, but fans aren’t celebrating this year in the city of brotherly love. This year BIG money couldn’t purchase a championship.

As I pen this devotion the National League champ has not been crowned. Either Milwaukee or St. Louis will be playing the Texas Rangers. Hopefully, it will be a series of good ballgames!

This week is pastoral care week and the theme of the week is “Voices Shared.” The ballgame of pastoral care is about listening to the voices of those who have stories to share! The world is quite torn, fractured by earthquake, flooding, hurricane and tornado; the world is quite chaotic, divided by conflicting political, economic, and religious beliefs and values. Is it possible to listen to the voices of pained and grief-filled people? Where is the level path and how can shared voices lead us toward it, if not to it? It seems that the first half of today’s song has an answer. I can’t help but wonder if we are willing to let our spirits be humbled to the point that we can be taught.

So, as you sit back and let the commentators take you out to the ballgame, allow your spirit to do some work imagining how “shared voices” across the global village can bring a measure of healing for this fractured and divided world.

I trust that each of us is looking forward to a great week.

A Prayer: Holy God, fill me with quietness. Amen.