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Dear Shiloh Family,

There isn't much in life that I can say I really hate. However, driving in Atlanta definitely falls into the hater's club category. Fortunately, Bradley was behind the wheel, and we were taking Josie and Brady to Truist Park to watch the mighty Atlanta Braves. The weather forecast was tolerable, and the traffic was unusually mild. So, we were on our way to a memorable evening at the ballpark.

Now, one would think that the stars of the show would be the highly overpaid, heavily overrated Major League players. And the fact that the kids were allowed on the field during batting practice to get autographs would be the highlight of the night. But other factors played more significant roles in the saga.

On the trek down, we stopped at Chick-Fil-A (imagine that - kid's choice) for a full meal. We arrived three hours early in order to allow the children to interact with the pre-game festivities. Consequently, before the 5th inning we had shared a monster bag of peanuts, a party-sized bag of cotton candy, a bucket of popcorn that would rival a small foot tub, and several bottles of water. Josie polished off a batting helmet filled with dipping dots, and Brady devoured a 2' (that's 24 inches) slice of cheese pizza. Well, he did give me a bite of the leftover crust. And of course, we had to have some large souvenir cups of get this - diet coke.

While my Grandson and I were working on the salted peanuts, the other two characters in our entourage went exploring and found the mini field where the stadium Kid's Crew pitched whiffle balls to them and allowed other future stars to play on the field. My grandkids absolutely loved it and wanted to stay and showoff their skills. So, from the seventh inning on, we watched our real heroes perform.

Did anyone notice that I haven't mentioned the Braves, or the ballgame? The game got boring rather quickly, and the Bravos were getting killed. However, it wouldn’t have changed if they had been routing the Giants. It really wasn’t about the game.

You see, I did a lot of things I really wasn't fond of doing. The afore mentioned traffic, the aftershock of junk food, sweating in bleacher seats, rubbing elbows with total strangers (one of which had on a SF Giants hat and jersey - traitor), and paying exorbitant prices for parking are not my cup of tea. And besides, I can't stand for my team to lose. But I'd do it all over again because that night wasn't about me. It was about being with and loving my kids and family.

1 Corinthians 10:31-33
31 Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. 32 Give no offense, either to the Jews or to the Greeks or to the church of God, 33 just as I also please all men in all things, not seeking my own profit, but the profit of many, that they may be saved. NKJV

Shiloh, don't get caught up in the game. What you and I call our/my ministry is not ours at all. It's not just about doing the ministry thing and playing the church game. It is God's ministry, God's church, and we are all God's people. It's about loving our church family and setting examples for our community. We often are called to do things we don't necessarily enjoy or desire. We make adjustments and allowances because of our love for others and more importantly our love for Jesus. It's not just about the ministry; it's about the Master and His Message. We do them because He did it for us. We love because He first loved us.

Romans 15:5-6
5 Now may the God of patience and comfort grant you to be like-minded toward one another, according to Christ Jesus, 6 that you may with one mind and one mouth glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. NKJV

If people only notice how well we perform the ministry, they will fail to see the Savior in the message of the ministry.

God bless you all,
Pastor Derrell