Atlanta FCA Baseball Blog

That was uncomfortable..............

2012-01-20T19:47:00.000-08:00

Ok, here is a post that just opens my heart for all of you to see. I realized today that I have become too comfortable with my surroundings because I am around people like me.

I spent today attending a baseball coach’s conference in Alpharetta that most of all the high school and middle school coaches from around Georgia were attending. My “job” today was to man a booth that would have information about our mission trips to the Dominican this coming summer. I had a poster board display with photos from last year and nearly 200 flyers to pass out with all the trip details.

As I spent some time meeting coaches and checking out all the other really cool vendors (thankfully I didn’t carry any money with me) I realized that not a lot of folks were coming by to talk about the mission trip. I also began to listen to conversations that coaches around me were having and I couldn’t believe some of the topics of conversation. At this point I realized that I wasn’t surrounded by my usual group of folks. It finally struck me……this is uncomfortable. Two thoughts came to mind immediately. One, this was me about 10 years ago and two, I have been surrounded by some strong believers for quite some time. Either way……I was uncomfortable.

As I got in the car heading home this evening I made the hour drive back to McDonough in all quiet. No radio, no phone, nothing. I began to ponder, have I separated myself from the fallen world? You see, for the last 6 months I have been surrounded by a family of faith that has built me up during this transition into the ministry. I believe STRONGLY in Proverbs 27:17, “ As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.” We are called to spend time together and minster to each other but is that the only folks we are “called” to be around? Absolutely not! Jesus is our perfect example. He spent time with prostitutes, beggars, pagans, etc.

So, my challenge. How are the lost or fallen expected to see something different if we’re not available for them to see it.

True "friends"

2012-01-05T06:05:00.000-08:00

Psalm 1:1-"Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers.'

-As many of us re-evaluate ourselves at the first of the year I would challenge you to look around. Look at your "friends" and people you cling to. Do your friends build up for faith, or do they tear it down? True friends should help you draw closer to God, not hinder, your relationship with Him.

-Many of us might answer, "sure, the people around me build up my faith". But let's not rule out those "friends" that we have on social media outlets. Our facebook, twitter, etc. friends can fill our computer screens, phones, and ipads with junk that slow down our growth. Lastly, evaluate....are you one of those "friends" that is hindering someone else from growing in the Lord?

2011- The difference one year makes..........

2011-12-31T19:54:00.000-08:00

As I sit here on New Year’s Eve with Lora and Lucas watching college football I couldn’t help but reflect on what 2011 has meant to me and my family. Most of you reading this know the journey we’ve been on but I felt the need to summarize.

This time last year (and most previous years) I take the end of the year to reflect on personal goals that were achieved. Things such as my training miles, workout schedules, races completed, business success, and ways to improve for the next year.

This New Year’s Eve I can’t say that any of those things have really crossed my mind. I will always be trying to improve health and athletic wise but I really don’t have much of a clue on how my “total” accomplishments were achieved. The reason? 2011 was a life changing year for me and my family.

In February I was contacted by an FCA (Fellowship of Christian Athletes) ministry leader in Atlanta and was asked to go to lunch. As we met it was expressed to me that God had opened the door for me to enter full time sports ministry as the Director of Baseball/Softball ministries in Georgia. As most of you know baseball has always been a passion of mine and the opportunity to minister to coaches, kids, and parents through this platform was exciting. I knew the consequences would be walking away from our insurance business where I had felt comfortable for the past 12 years. As I went home after the meeting I knew that Lora and I needed to do some SERIOUS talking and praying. As I have stated on several occasions I believe that God seems to speak to our wives quicker than most of us men ( or at least they listen better than we do..ha). This conversation was no different. Lora and I sat down, I explained my meeting with FCA and her response was, “you should have been doing this years ago”. I knew at this point it was time to start praying. It took us 4-6 weeks but it became very apparent that God was working in our lives and it was time to take the leap. So in May the journey began and steps were taken to follow God’s lead.

I could type for hours about how God placed so many people in my path that have been such a blessing but I will simply say this. I can’t thank all of you enough for your support, prayers, encouragement, and the same excitement that I had for what God was doing through the game of baseball to reach the world (you all know who you are). I couldn’t have done this without you. A special shout out to my family, friends, my baseball board members, and of course Lora and Lucas. I love you all!!

Since entering the sports ministry world this past summer I have been blessed to meet some awesome people, was part of 150 person baseball mission trip to the Dominican, seen young men lead to the Lord, coaches rededicate their lives, and hearts opened to become strong in their faith. The idea that God has chosen me and my family has been humbling to say the least. As I travel around Georgia and Atlanta area I have found that God has given me a voice to speak the Gospel/Truth and give coaches a different perspective on how to approach the game. You see…..a coach has more influence on a group of people in one year than most people have in a lifetime. The goal…..help them see that and make an impact on young people’s lives.

As 2012 is about 2 hours away I would be honest if I told you that I’m really not ready for 2011 to end. God used this year to change our life forever and I couldn’t be more blessed. However, knowing what He did in 2011 I can only be excited about what’s in store for 2012. My prayer is that all of you have a blessed 2012 and that you too find what it is that God is calling you to.

14 yr old FCA baseball player making a difference....

2011-12-28T11:34:00.000-08:00

I want to wish everyone a safe and happy new year. I pray that all of you had a wonderful Christmas and are now preparing for 2012 and what God has in store for us.

I wanted to share this article that was written about a young man that is part of our FCA Baseball ministry. I meet Logan this past June at a pre mission's trip meeting/practice. I ministered along side Logan while we spent 7 days in the Dominican Republic on one of our FCA Baseball mission trips. As I read this article I couldn't help but think of this passage.
1Timothy4:12-
12 Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity.
http://www.macon.com/2011/12/18/1824831/bonaire-middle-recaptures-fca.html

For those looking to give to a ministry prior to year end we would love to have your support.

http://www.georgiafcabaseball.org/
https://northeastatlantabaseball.publishpath.com/Default.aspx?shortcut=donate&OriginalDomain=georgiafcabaseball.org

By His Power,
Mike Roby
FCA Director of Baseball/Softball
770-713-9903
MRoby@fca.org
ROMANS 12:1-2

Merry Christmas from FCA Baseball/Softball

2011-12-22T06:51:00.001-08:00

On behalf of everyone associated with our FCA Baseball/Softball ministry we want to wish you and your families a VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

As we approach December 25th our prayer is that all of you will have safe travels and be able to enjoy time with your families. May we also take time to really celebrate what Christ & His birth means to all of us. We look forward to seeing what the Lord has in store for 2012!

Luke 2:8-12

⁸ And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. ⁹ An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. ¹⁰ But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. ¹¹ Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. ¹² This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."

By His Power,

Mike Roby

FCA Director of Baseball/Softball

770-713-9903

MRoby@fca.org

ROMANS 12:1-2

Spoiled vs. Expected......

2011-12-18T19:58:00.000-08:00

The other day I was flipping radio stations because I am just not able to listen to Christmas music 24 hrs a day (don’t judge me..ha). As I stopped on a station that I normally don’t listen to I was intrigued by the question they were asking listeners, “are our children (or your children) overly spoiled?”. I began thinking which ended up lasting all day with several conversations with others. I pondered whether or not my child is spoiled and even bigger, are we spoiled as a society. After talking to some close friends and wife here is what God showed me.

Are we and our children spoiled? Absolutely! As I have been blessed with the opportunity to travel to difference countries and some third world countries I have concluded that God has clearly shown me that we are all spoiled. The simple fact that we have running water, air condition, heat, and electricity is more than most in our world even THINKS about having. When you compound that with this time of year and the money that we spend on our children, family, and friends it becomes so clear that as a whole….we are spoiled. But I believe that we need to take it one step further which might open your mind to a whole new idea.

As I spoke to several friends throughout that day and we discussed this topic there was one common theme that I heard over and over. That theme?? EXPECT. We talked about how our children walk into certain store’s and EXPECT to walk out with something. How many of you (I) go into Wal-Mart to grab a household item or grocery item and because our children are with us and ask for a $1-$5 item we grab it because it’s cheap and it keeps them happy? How about when we come home from work or school and EXPECT that our electricity will be on? Our TV to turn on? Our toilet to flush? Our shower/bath to produce water? I think you see my point. We EXPECT these things to happen because that has always been our expectation. If we walked into our homes and none of those things happened we would be upset (and don’t say you wouldn’t). We would call our utility company, service provider, repair person and “demand” that our service be restored……because it would inconvenience us.

As a follower of Jesus Christ my prayer is that fellow brothers and sisters in Christ will see our everyday treasures as a Blessing but my fear is that we view many of our treasures as expectations. When we EXPECT than we lose focus on whom and why we have everything that we have.

Psalm 33:12-13, “Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people he chose for his inheritance. From heaven the Lord looks down and sees all mankind.”

Ezekiel 34:26, “I will make them and the places surrounding my hill a blessing. I will send down showers in season; there will be showers of blessing.

So, for me the radio station’s question is bigger than just are our children spoiled. The question is have we as a society and body of believers become so spoiled that it has become expected? I hope you agree that God’s blessing is more than we deserve…..and therefore our expectations should simply be to give Him praise for the things we have daily and minute by minute.

11 yr old team minsters to homeless

2011-12-13T11:34:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone,

I mentioned yesterday that one of our ministered teams had done a ministry project in downtown Atlanta. Below you will find a note from our coach and a few photos. I'm convinced that God is using these baseball teams/players to reach our communities. Thanks again for your commitment!

Mike Roby

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Mike,

This past Saturday our team headed down to Atlanta to join several churches in passing out food and clothing to the homeless. Even more important, we had the opportunity to pray and minister to them. The event touched our hearts and made so many of us in attendance feel lucky to have the “basics” that God has provided us. Many do not know that we have 25,000 homeless people in the city of Atlanta alone – so the opportunity to earn a jewel in our crown is very close to home.

My hope is that our players and parents alike will give thanks to the many blessings God provides us with and do everything we can to spread his word and share our good will.

God Bless you this Christmas!

Mike Nardella

11U FCA Redhawks

10u FCA Softball

2011-12-12T07:52:00.001-08:00

I am excited to announce that the south side of Atlanta will have their first FCA softball team. Coach Darby Steele from McDonough has felt the call to start a 10u FCA travel softball team. These young ladies will be ministered to through their coach on a weekly basis. Not only will they learn the game of softball and compete in Atlanta area tournaments they will also be involved in weekly devotions/bible studies.

Darby will be holding team tryouts on Saturday, Jan. 7, 2012 from 2-4pm @ the Salem Baptist Sports Complex in McDonough. Registration begins at 1:30pm and tryouts are of course FREE.

This will be a 10u (2001 B) team.

For further info please email Coach Darby Steele. Her email address is:

darbysteele@sprint.blackberry.net

By His Power,

Mike Roby

FCA Director of Baseball/Softball

770-713-9903

MRoby@fca.org

ROMANS 12:1-2

Coaches Clinic

2011-12-02T07:22:00.001-08:00

On behalf of our baseball board of directors and myself we want to wish everyone a wonderful Thanksgiving Holiday. As you spend time with your family and friends our prayer is that you will also take time to thank our Lord for the blessing He has given us. Without Him nothing is possible.

We are excited to launch our first coaches clinic for 2012. Attached is the brochure/flyer for the Jan 14^th clinic which will be held in Lilburn, Ga. Last year this clinic had 160 coaches attend from every level of baseball. If you know someone that would benefit from this please feel free to forward. Not only will these coaches learn about the game of baseball but more importantly they will learn about the game of LIFE and God’s game plan.

For those of you on the south end of Atlanta don’t worry. We have a clinic coming in February for you as well. That info will follow in the next few weeks.

By His Power,

Mike Roby

FCA Director of Baseball/Softball

Happy Holidays!

2011-12-02T07:12:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone,
First I want to say Happy Thanksgiving and Merry Christmas to all of you. As we take time to spend time with our family and friends over the next few days, may we also stop and spend time giving thanks to God. Without Him there would be no blessings.

As most of you know this has been a crazy year for me and my family. God has completely changed our path and we couldn't be more grateful. I am thankful to all of you for your patience as this new journey has caused me to take a step back in our endurance team/ministry. I look forward to seeing what God does in 2012!

Lastly, after speaking with several of you it appears that our schedules during December is jam packed. We have decided to move our season ending fellowship to January. We hope to have a date within the next week or two. Hopefully this will allow all of us to have a little more "free" time after Christmas to really enjoy getting together and not be rushed. Talk soon!

By His Power,

Mike Roby
FCA Director of Baseball/Softball

A mission trip or a life on mission?

2011-07-24T08:12:00.000-07:00

To all who have just returned home from what they perceive as a life changing mission trip to the Dominican Republic and are ready to make a difference by beginning to live life differently, here's your challenge.

"But be doers of the word and not hearers only, deceiving yourself. Because if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man looking at his own face in the mirror; for he goes away and right away forgets what kind of man he was. But the one who looks intently into the perfect law of freedom and perseveres in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer who acts-this person will be blessed in what he does" - James 1:22-25

Many of you over the past week or two, as you have changed your place and changed your pace, have heard the voice of God and have had your perspective changed. You're back home and now your challenge begins. Will you have the faith and the courage to live out what you heard God telling you? Will you be a "doer" of His word and be blessed or will you come home, allow yourself to get caught right back up into your old way of life and be a "forgetful hearer"? Hearing Gods truth is only part of the equation...it's the easy part. Applying it in your life is more difficult because it very often requires sacrifice. However THAT is where the blessings lie. Unapplied truth is just like unapplied paint. It doesn't do anyone any good. The value is in the application.

Pray for strength. Pray for the wisdom to know what to do with what you heard while you were in the DR. Be a doer, not just a hearer and be blessed.

Simply amazed how God chooses to use us in His plan

2011-07-21T08:01:00.000-07:00

So...we are now on the backend of week number two. My family and I have been here now for 12 days and we have had 124 coaches, players and parents form all across the eastern part of the U.S join us here thus far. As I sit here trying to think of where to begin and what to share with you, my mind is overwhelmed. There is SO much God has done and is doing that I want to share, but it's just too much right now. Therefore, in effort to be as concise as possible, let me just share with you what yesterday looked like....just ONE DAY.

* We purchased and delivered food to feed 120 people for a period of 4-5 days in a village we have visited 3 times over the past 10 days. The head baseball coach of this village, Coach July Bozo, gave his life to Christ when we visited him and shared the gospel with him last week. FCA has officially "adopted" this village and these people and we will continue with weekly ongoing ministry and discipleship through our on the ground staff, Mike Shaheen. We shared the gospel with the entire village yesterday (over 400 people) and had well over 20 people give their life to Christ.

* Two baseball teams and one softball team spread out and traveled to separate villages to compete against Dominican teams and evangelize. One of our teams was invited to play on the Dominican Air Force base against their national team. We were greeted by a marching band along with the general and chief of command of the entire Dominican military. Although we lost the game 5-0 and were "no hit", I was blessed to have the opportunity to share the gospel with the general, members of his staff, and all the members of the coaching staff and the players. Praise God that 35 people made a decision to give their life to Christ. Results from the other 2 teams were similar and God has opened doors for ongoing ministry through all three of the coaching staffs and players of these teams as well as with high ranking government officials.

* After dinner, we took our entire crew of 65 on a five block walk to the ocean where we baptized 15 young men, young women and coaches from our group who wanted to take the next step in their faith journey by professing publicly that Jesus Christ was their personal Lord & Savior and celebrate their new birth. Also among that group was one very special Dominican 15 year old boy who has befriended and become very close with my 15 year old son Nick over the past year. An incredible ending to another amazing day here in the DR...probably the most powerful day that I have spent here in the last 3 years.

Perfect Timing

2011-07-17T13:42:00.000-07:00

Week number one here has just come to a close and 57 people comprised of middle school baseball coaches, middle school baseball players and some parents are returning back to Atlanta forever changed. At 12:30am this morning, a brand New group of 65 high school baseball players, softball players, coaches and parents arrived safe and sound. We all visited a church in San Pedro this morning and now everyone is at our FCA Baseball facility in Boca Chica on the practice field. Everyone is tired and ruining on fumes from the late arrival last night, however at the same time they are all marveled at what they have already seen and experienced thus far.

I have over 1300 pictures from this past week alone and testimonies of God's work in the hearts of each and every person who joined us here for the last 7 days. I will post those picture on a photo sharing site as soon as I can, however I want to share a personal story of mine here to illustrate how God's perfect timing and His perfect plan.

Many of you know my story of how God used Julio Franco to radically change my life and lead me back to Him four years ago. I have reached out to Julio SEVERAL times over the past 4 years via text message, phone call, email and have actually had a hand written letter delivered to him. I wanted him to know how God used his simple act of obedience on January 22nd of 2008 as he shared the gospel at an FCA event that I attended to forever change my life, the lives of my wife and children and through my story, thousands of others for His Kingdom. Julio has never responded back to any of my attempts. However it never bothered me because I knew in my heart that he and I would connect one day when God wanted it to happen.

Yesterday morning I accompanied one of our baseball teams to the village of Consuella, just outside of San Pedro, to compete against their village team. It's the village that Julio Franco was born in and grew up in. When I stepped onto the field I saw one young man taking ground balls at 3rd base. My interpreter told me It was Josh Franco a rising junior in high school and Julio Franco's son. I had the opportunity to speak with Josh for a while and he told me that he and his family had moved back to the DR for a year so that he could train here, avoid the Major League Baseball draft system and sign here in the Dominican. Josh told me that his dad would be out on the field in about 30 minutes. Imagine how I felt at that point.

God's ordained timing, just as it always is, was perfect. Julio and I got to spend close to 3 hours together talking about life and our love for Jesus. The morning climaxed with me sitting on a bucket and sharing the gospel with the team he is training here and on the very same field that Julio played baseball on as a boy. All the while, Julio stood behind me and translated. Eight high school aged young men responded by giving their life to Christ. Julio had a smile on his face that was priceless. Personally...I was (and still am) in awe of how the God of the universe chooses to orchestrate His plan.

This story is just one of many that have been experienced here over the past week. We have 76 high school coaches and athletes arriving here tonight who at this point have NO idea as to how God is prepared to move in their lives if they will "be still and know that He is God". Please pray for them....as well as for my family and I as we head into week # 2 here.

Incredible Bleesings in the Dominican Republic.

2011-07-12T12:49:00.000-07:00

I have found wireless access!! What a whirlwind these past few days have been. Where to begin. We all spent Sunday morning worshipping our God with our Dominican brothers and sisters in a Church in Santo Domingo, pastored by my good friend Pastor Abi. All 57 of us were greated with open arms by the people with the church who live in the surrounding sugarcane villages of San Pedro. We worshipped God in both Spanish and English and heard a wonderful message from Pastor Abi about bcearing Kingdom. I believe that I can say that without exception, all in our group were impacted as they realized that regardless of where we find ourselves in this world, there is but one body, one Spirit, one hope, one Lord, one faith, one baptism and one God the Father-Ephesians 4:4-6.

After church, we returned to our humble abode at the SCORE missionary training center and had lunch, suited up in our uniforms and then headed out to the Highlands complex (our FCA home in the Dominican) and practiced on the fields where the Sanfrancisco Giants train. Then, dinner, devotions and small group sessions with the coaches and players after dinner and everyone crashed.

Yesterday was an amazing day. It was the first time that everyone got out of their "comfort zone" as we traveled to a couple different villages to compete on field against some very good Dominican teams. The look of shock on everyone's faces as we pulled into the villages and first layer eyes on the fields was something else. For the next 3 hours, each team competed against young men of their age who were from an entirely different culture and spoke a language they could not understand. But they were united by the game that thcey were all passionate about. There were at least 100-125 spectators at each game from the surrounding villages watching us play. The parents and siblings of our ball players spent some amazing time with the children of those villages while the games were taking place. WAY too many details to share in the blog, however God was glorified!

More of the same this morning and we will visit orphanages this afternoon. Please keep praying forv us and for the message of Jesus Christ to take hold through revival here in the villages and communities where we are ministering. I will communicate again as soon as possible. We have over 700 amazing pictures thus far, however the connection here is still to slow to upload them to the blog. Guess you'll have to way til we return tonsee them...sorry.

In the DR safe, sound and blessed!

2011-07-10T13:13:00.000-07:00

Hey everybody...all is well. This is the first opportunity that the Internet has been working and it is very spotty right now at best. I just wanted to let everyone back home know that we are here and all is well. Pictures speak for themselves...God bless all of you and I will try to post again very soon.

Ready to go!

2011-07-08T13:45:00.000-07:00

Ok...the bags are packed and we are prayed up. God is in control and I wait in anticipation for how He will move in the hearts of all those who have been called to this mission. I will post to this blog with pictures and updates as often as I can. We covet and appreciate your prayers.

Our Perspective of a "Win"

2011-03-03T04:23:00.000-08:00

Well coaches, it's the first week in March, the un-official kick-off for the 2011 season. I guess this is where “the rubber meets the road” in respect to all the work you put into your fall and winter workouts. So as we head into the season, I would like to share just a few things from my heart in effort to encourage you, to help keep you focused on the vision of using your influence to impact your teams for Jesus Christ, and to strengthen you as you seek to be a coach who looks to define your wins through a set of lenses that is counter cultural.

Our culture…the world we live in….tells us that our worth is determined by our accomplishments and encourages us to pursue significance and meaning through the things we do. The world of competitive sports (in our case baseball) magnifies this “performance based” system and drives home the lie that “acceptance” is conditional….that it’s based on performance. In turn, this thought process instills a false sense of self worth into young men and leads them into a belief system that tells them their self worth and their identity is based upon what they do and how they perform. As they begin to fail at things in life (and we all do), this false sense of self worth causes them to start making decisions which are rooted in an attempt to meet a desperate need for approval and appreciation. This is an EXHUASTING existence. I know, because I lived that lie for 47 years of my life.

Here’s the truth. Our worth is determined by what Christ was willing to do for us, and in Him, we have an unlimited and unchanging source of meaning and purpose. Who we are in Christ is not shaped by what we do, but by what He did for us on the cross and what He continues to do in us and through us each and every day of our life. As Christian coaches, we have been called to embrace that perspective and share that message with our players, their parents and “all whom you influence” by living it out in our words, our actions and our RE-actions. The reflection of Christ in us may be the first, the last or the ONLY image of Christ that will be seen by those who come across our paths. Romans 12:2 is a wonderful example of how we as followers of Christ are called to live and to coach. I love Eugene Peterson’s translation in The Message:

“Don't become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You'll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you and develops well-formed maturity in you”.
In order to live that out, we must first be secure in our OWN identity and our OWN self worth. You’ve all heard of “identity theft”. There’s a thief who wants to steal our identity by trying to convince us that the worlds performance based system is what life is all about. I believe that as coaches, we are most vulnerable to the enemies attack while we are on the baseball field and in the midst of competition. It is during competition that we are tempted to play the “comparison game” as we look at our opposing coaches and their players. Comparison is the death of contentment. It causes us to take on attitudes of pride and it causes us to fall back into the worlds view of performance based self worth as we begin to feel threatened. Then, in the blink of an eye, our definition of a “win” is changed. It quickly becomes about the numbers on the score board, our character is compromised and the enemy has won.

Where am I going with this? I remember reading the book “Season of Life” about four years ago. In the book, the main character, Joe Ehrman, a High School football coach would ask his team before each practice “What’s my job?”, and the team would yell back at him “To love us”. Coach would then ask them “And what’s YOUR job?”, to which they would answer “To love each other”. Reading those words in that book was a defining point in my life. That was the “AH-HA” moment for me that not only caused me to realize the impact of a coach, but it also kicked off the spiritual journey that I have been on ever since. I have come to know now that the words of Joe Ehrman were in actuality the words of Jesus as He gave His disciples a new commandment. A commandment that was RADICALLY different than anything they had heard from any Rabbi or religious teacher before. He said:

“I give you a new commandment; love one another. Just as I have loved you, you must also have love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” – John 13:34
That’s how we determine our wins in this life….and that’s how we determine our wins on the baseball field. It begins by loving God and totally embracing His love for us as we recognize the true security and significance that we have in our relationship with Him. The only way to love those “hard to love” people that He brings into our path is through an overflow of the love that we have for the one who makes us who we are. And that comes by putting Him first….by spending time….quality time….with Him. By trusting in the fact that He will honor the time we take away from other areas of our busy days to spend with Him in prayer and thanksgiving.

The simple discipline of readjusting your daily priorities to spend more time getting to know God on a much deeper level through prayer will be the one thing that will radically change your life and the lives of all those He has entrusted you with. And it will cause you to NEVER sway from the foundation of how you define a “win”. Thank you so much for answering Gods call on your life to “Shepherd a flock” for Him. I hope to be able to share time with each of you on a baseball field soon.

God tells the Shaheen family "Follow Me"

2010-10-17T14:05:00.000-07:00

Hey all! With all the "busy-ness" in life I have REALLY been a slacker in BLOG posts. Sorry about that. However, I know that you will be blessed as you read about how God continues to expand our baseball ministry by raising up obedient leaders who are committed to follow Christ WHEREVER HE LEADS THEM! Below is the story of the Shaheen family in the words of Mike Shaheen, the current head baseball coach at the Wesleyan School in Norcross, GA.

In 2004, I took my first short-term mission trip to the Dominican Republic. It was an incredible trip that strengthened my relationship with Christ. The people in the DR were extremely hospitable and of course showed me a love for baseball that I never had seen before. The students and teachers from The Wesleyan School and I worked really hard in construction and also loved on the children every moment we could. What I did not know at the time, but now realize, is that God was planting a seed in my heart for something really big in the Dominican Republic.

Four years later in 2008, I felt led to serve again in the DR. This time around God planned something really special for me. During this trip, I befriended a man in a village that happened to be a coach of a high school aged Dominican baseball team. He allowed me and a few other missionaries to participate with his team and give our testimonies. We ended up spending a lot of time with the team and by the end of the week had grown close to the coach. Before we left, the coach, Cesar, told us that he had stopped developing his relationship with Jesus, but now, because of our stories and our intentional love for the Lord, he recommitted his life to Christ. He also decided that he would train his players not only in baseball, but in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I was in awe of God’s goodness and was just starting to realize what we can do as believers if we allow God to guide our actions.

Now, flash forward to the summer of 2010. God had been working on my heart for about a year. I felt the tug of the Holy Spirit towards something different than what I was currently doing. I was definitely a little scared. I was currently a teacher and a baseball coach at The Wesleyan School in Norcross, GA. We had just won our third baseball state championship in a row and life was pretty good. My wife Jodi and I had just adopted our two children two years earlier and that capped off our dreams of a house, two kids, dog, two cats and a picket fence (not white). We had planned to spend 10 days in July in the Dominican with FCA Baseball who was leading 100 other short-term missionaries on this trip. I knew deep down that the trip was going to be bigger than the other trips I had taken. My family’s presence with me marked a great opportunity for me to ask God questions each day on the trip. While reading His word and praying with other brothers in Christ, I became really open to the idea of spending my future in the Dominican Republic. It was amazing to see my wife also feel a strong pull to the DR. We were falling more and more in love with Christ and with His plan for us.

Although radical, it was very clear by the time we came back to Georgia, that God wanted our presence in the Dominican Republic. After much prayer and conversations, the Shaheen's made the decision to become missionaries in the Dominican Republic. On October 15th of 2010, I announced my decision to to the Wesleyan baseball community that I will be leaving Wesleyan to lead the FCA Baseball ministry in the DR in June of 2011. My friends and mentors at Wesleyan have been major influences in my faith journey and I am forever indebted to them. I am very excited about what God has in store for us this spring at Wesleyan and the next few years in the DR.

To see the Shaheen family's BLOG, click on http://dominicanfcabaseballministry.com/

On the way back to to U.S.

2010-07-24T06:44:00.000-07:00

On the way back home. Our first group left here very early this morning (4:15am) and is more than likely already back on the ground in Atlanta by now. The remainder of our group has just finished packing and will head to the airport in an hour or so.

Was this mission succesful? Absolutely! We were led here to serve both the physical and spiritual needs of the Dominican people. However, this trip was SO much about the work that God wanted to do in the hearts of all those who have been obedient to come. The game of baseball was the "hook" that God used to get all of us together over here for His true purpose. Change of pace + change of place = change of perspective. Over the course of these past ten days, we have had 15 members of our group accept Jesus Christ as their personal Lord & Savior. Five other people have publically professed their commitment to be fully devoted followers of Christ. Through out our travels as we shared the gospel on baseball fields, softball fields, sugarcane villages and orphanages, we have witnessed well over 200 people receive Christ as their Lord & Savior and given away close to 700 Spanish version Bibles.

On a personal note, God has impressed upon my heart the great need for Christian male leadership here on the island. In my opinion, drastic change here will only come through consistant evangelism and dicipleship of young males. As FCA Baseball & Softball continues to go forward with the mission here in the Dominican republic, this will be the area where we will focus the attention of our resources.

In regard to the "fire" and the perspective change that God has given all of us while we were here, I pray that each of us will be very intentional in keeping the fire stoked as we return to the lives that we have been away from for the past week-ten days. We must all remain intentional in anchoring ourselves in our identity...who we are "in Christ". We must walk in confidence, knowing that our time here on earth is temporary and fleeting. We must remain intentional and consistent in our prayer life, with our time in Gods word and recognize that the people we surround ourselves with will determine the direction and quality of our lives. We must realize that it is not us who is in control of our lives, but God and that He has an incredible plan for us. Remaining "in Him" and walking with Him daily...in all areas of our lives... will enable us to recognize His leading and direction for us and He will be glorified as we "bear fruit" for Him. Again, it's not what we do for God, but what He has already done FOR us that we need to anchor in. God will show us the activity that He wants for us.

To all of you who have followed this blog or have heard about our mission here over the past couple of years and may be thinking "wow..I would love to be a part of that mission", I encourage you to reach out to me. It just may be that God wants you to be a part of His work here. God Bless you!

Internet in the Dominican Republic is FINALLY back up!

2010-07-23T13:05:00.001-07:00

Hey everyone…sorry for the delay in updates. Because of the weather, our internet connection has been down since Tuesday afternoon. Although the weather has really changed our plans and has caused us to cancel most of our baseball games, we have all continued to be blessed as we see God move in our hearts.

Our past few days have been amazing as we continue to see God work in and through the lives of our group and the Dominican people. When we ARE able to play ball, in different villages, our coaches and athletes share the gospel after each game as well as visit villages and orphanages. Many within the villages have come to know Jesus over the past few days. Along with the salvations in the village, we have had over 15 of our own coaches and athletes come to know Jesus Christ as their personal Lord & Savior as they have heard the gospel presented.

Yes…faith comes through hearing the message, and the message comes through preaching Jesus Christ (Romans 10:17).

The pictures above speak loudly.

Sunday in the Domincian Republic

2010-07-18T18:44:00.001-07:00

This morning we went to a SCORE church plant in San Pedro. It was a pretty modern facility. The pastor spoke English and we got to sing in Spanish. After we sung a little with the Dominican people, there were a few baptisms. These were the first baptisms at this particular church. It was a waist deep concrete pool outside the church near the back left corner. A Dominican woman who was baptized was so overwhelmed as her sins were washed away. We then went to another building to hear a new American missionary lead us in English Sunday School. After that we all came back together in the main church to sing and complete the service.
The middle school and high school baseball teams left for the brand new Score Highlands Baseball Complex in Boca Chica to practice around 2 pm. This facility consists of two baseball fields and a softball field and is home to the San Francisco Giants Dominican League Affiliate. There are also soccer fields, volleyball court and two pools.
After dinner and before devotion time many of the boys, coaches and parents took the little walk down seven or so blocks to the beach. Devotion time completes the day and we have a visit to an orphanage and games for both high school teams and middle school teams are on the agenda for tomorrow.

Posted by Jodi Shaheen (so Bob can do what he does best!)

Hey...The boys have arrived safe & sound...and I'm not sure what the girls think of that!

2010-07-17T17:41:00.000-07:00

OK...Sorry I am a bit behind on this. Yesterday was a crazy day with 31 of our group already here and 70 more arriving. So here is the update for yesterday. The girls headed out in the morning for another sugarcane village and on the way stopped and picked up all sorts of toys, balls, Hula-Hoops and fingernail polish (which was really a big hit with the little girls). Our team stayed at the village for about 3 hours and just loved on all the kids, playing kickball, soccer,and giving pedicures. Watching how quickly the children learned how to do the Hulahoop was really cool as well. Two of our girls shared their testamonies as to how God has worked in their lives and we handed out two cases of Spanish Bibles.

The afternoon brought some pretty heavy rains that delayed both of the flights that all of our baseball playes, coaches and parents were on and the weather also flooded the softball fields where our girls were to play another softball game against a village team. So..we adjusted well by using the opportunity that God provided through the flooded fields to become MUCH more interactive and relational with the Dominican girls team as we all joined together in a friendly game of Kick Ball. The boys all arrived safely with the only damage being two equipment bags that were lost some where in Miami (hopefully delivered to us today) and a baseball bat that was damamged. We just arrived back at SCORE after our Sunday worship services in different village churches. I will post those pictures and provide the days updates either later today or tomorrow morning. God Bless all of you!

Competing against the Dominican Jr.National Softball Team and the experience of Casa De Luz

2010-07-17T02:19:00.000-07:00

Hey..we got to sleep in a bit today. Breakfast was at 7:30am and then the girls suited up for a double header against the Dominican Jr. National Team. The games were played at the Highlands Complex in Santo Domingo, which is the Dominican training site for the San Fransico Giants. Needless to say, the fields were considerably nicer than the field that we played on yesterday in the San Pedro village. The girls split the double header one game each and competed fiercly. Hayden Bartlett hit a TOWERING 265' home run.

After lunch at SCORE, the girls showered up and everyone jumped back on the bus for the 45 minute ride to Casa De Luz, which is an orphanage in Boca Chica that houses 19 severely physically & mentally handicapped children from the age of 2-18. As expected, this trip was very emotionally challenging. The girls seemed a bit tense as they entered the facility and then first saw the children. The conditions of this orphanage by Dominican standards is very good, however by comparrison to the blessings that we enjoy in the U.S., the conditions were pretty bad. There was no air conditionaling and all of the children were pretty much drenched in sweat. At least half of the children are so physically handicapped that they can't move and therefore spend 24 hours a day in bed, their only movement is being rolled over by the staff or having their diapers changed. Flys were very prevelant.

After 10-15 minutes had passed, our girls were overcome with compassion and began holding, caressing and loving on the children. Several of the girls and adults from our group were weeping. It was a powerful experience. When it was time to leave, our group circled up and prayed for facility, the children and the staff. We don't have the answers as to "Why" God has these children in these conditions and these circumstances, but our faith and knowlege of Him gives us comfort in knowing that their condition is temporary. That all of these chilren of God will receive perfect, heavenly bodies in due time and that there will be no more suffering. We were truly humbled and blessed by these children. Please pray for them.

After dinner back at the SCORE complex, everyone took the short walk to the beach and grabbed some ice cream from a local street vendor on the way back. I must say though, that the devotion time tonight was truly the most special part of the day. After we recapped all the events of the day, Jennifer Emerich shared her testamony of how she surrenderred her life to Christ just four months ago at the age of 42, letting everyone know the love, joy & peace that has come over her since that decision was made. I then shared the amazing story of the cross with the group and one of our softball players made a decision to give her life to Christ. It was an emotional moment for everyone and an incredible way to end the day.

Reflecting Christ in a Sugarcane Village and on the Softball Field

2010-07-15T18:05:00.000-07:00

Today was an amazing day. However before I get into the days events, I want to reach out to the rest of our Team FCA missionaries who will be coming over to the island on Saturday. Apparently, all the SCORE missionaries are Dr. Pepper, Mountain Dew and Peanut M&M Junkies. The problem? They can't get those things here. If any of you coming over to the island on Saturday could help feed their addiction by bringing those items over I know they would love it. In addition to that, Please see if you could find some face paints and brushes. The children in the villages love to have their faces painted, however we can't seem to find those items here either.

So...today at 8:30 this morning we headed out to a small, impoverished sugarcane village just outside of San Pedro. On our way to the village, we stopped at the "Jumbo Store", (think WalMart) and purchased $400.00 worth of food that we would distribute to the families of the village we were going to visit. That amount of money allowed us to buy enough rice, beans, sardines, bulion, salt & canned chicken to feed about 75 families. After buzzing through the store, we hopped back on the bus and headed over to the village. We pulled into a large open field (cow pasture) as we arrived and within 5 minutes, we had pretty much all of the village residents surrounding us. My estimation was that there were about 100-120 people in all. What was very interesting to me was that the people were comprised mostly of women and then children from just a few months old to about 16-17 years old. I only saw 2-3 males that were over the age of 23-25. Apparently, once the boys get into their late teens-early 20's, they leave the village (and their children) to head out and find work outside the village.

We played wiffle ball with the boys, gave airplane rides to the little girls and just generally loved on the kids for about an hour. Then everyone (our group and all the people of the village) walked over to the village church where one of our softball players, Lindsay Emerich, led everyone in a few Bible nursery rymes and songs. Coach Mike Shaheen, working through a translator then got up and shared his testimony about how God has worked in and through his life and the lives of his family. He spoke about discovering a God who has shown him how to love. When coach Shaheen finished, our team of coaches, players and parents handed out the bags of food to the 75 selected families. Each individual bag of food would be enough to feed an entire family for about 5 days. They were extremely grateful. As it came time to leave, a few of members of our team became a bit emotional and overwhelmed. My thoughts? I believe that God is starting to impress upon the hearts of our team just how truly blessed that they are.

We headed back to SCORE for a quick lunch and then the girls suited up for an afternoon double header against a high school & college age team in a village just outside of Santo Domingo. Upon our arrival to the field, we observed the opposing team warming up in the outfield. We got off the bus and were immediately surrounded by close to 50 children yelling "Americano's, Americano's". I think that many of our girls were a bit shocked by the greating. Within 5 minutes, there were close to 150 people in the stands and surrounding the field ready to watch the game. We palyed two, 5 inning ballgames. game number one ended in an 8-8 tie. At the end of that game, we assembled everyon in attendance along the 3rd base side of the field where Jessica, one of our players shared with the group how at the age of 7 she placed her faith in Chris and God saved her. Then Greg, one of the missionaries that accopanied Jessica down to the presented the Gospel and gave everyone an opportunity to respond. Twelve young men from the village who were spectators at the game made decisions to give their life to Christ. All the glory to God!

Game two of the day ended with team FCA winning in the bottom half of the last inning by a score of 6-5. However the result of that game fell WAY short in comparisin to the life changes that I have begun to witness today. The resounding response from our group today was "these people have nothing...but they are so happy". In Philippians 4:11-13, the apostle Paul said "I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength".

FCA Softball Arrives arrives Safely in the Dominican Republic

2010-07-14T19:44:00.000-07:00

Well it's straight up 11:00pm and we are calling it a day...but what a great day it was. God has been faithful in delivering all of us to the SCORE Missionary Training Center (MTC) safe and sound. We arrived to cloudy skies and a light sprinkling rain that lasted for just a short while. On our 40 minute ride from the airport to the MTC, we drove through the outskirts of Santo Domingo, the capital city. Everyone immediately acknowledged that we were certainly not in Atlanta anymore. The girls immediately noticed and comented on the impoverished and run down atmosphere. They were surprised when they were told that the areas surrounding Santo Domingo that we were riding through were actually some of the wealthiest parts of the island.

When we arrived at the MTC, we received our room assignments for the week and then were served a lunch of pasta with red sauce. We had a brief orientation by Sara, one of the on site missionaries with SCORE. We all just fellowshiped the rest of the afternoon and continued to build relationships with each other until dinner time...white rice and some very tender beef. After dinner w walk the 7 blocks to the beach, took some pictures and then returned to the property where Brittani lead a devotion with the girls and Bob shared with the adults. Off to bed for everyone now. Thank you God for a great day!

Team FCA is sent out.

2010-07-11T16:54:00.000-07:00

Team FCA gathered one last time before leaving for the Dominican Republic. We had 72 participants of the 101 people called to this mission in attendance for todays festivities. The High school teams, Middle School teams and the Softball teams all had the opportunity to workout on the fields at First Redeemer Church and continue to build relationships with each other. We were able to distribute 700 Spanish version New Testaments to everyone to carry over to the island along with assorted baseball equipment that we will hand out to the athletes of the Dominican.

What a blessing it was to have Pastor Chris Holdorf from First Redeemer Church pray for our group and commission us. Coach Wiedemann spoke about Tim Tebow as he deliverred a message encouraging everyone to follow Gods leading, to be bold in our faith even if we are out of our comfort zone, and to FINISH STRONG.

Tweny six members of this team depart for the island early Wednesday morning and the remaining seventy five leave on Saturday. Your prayers are coveted.

Wow...Time is RACING by!

2010-07-07T05:16:00.000-07:00

Yep...the days just continue to fly by. It seems like we just returned from the island yesterday and we are headed right back (actually it was just a few days past one year). What a blessing this adventure is. The images of last years trip are still vivid in my mind and in the minds of my wife and children.

The work that God started through this mission last year has really expanded as He has increased the participants from 35 people last year to 101 this year. In the process, He has streched me...but more importantly He has strengthened me. However as the day of our departure draws closer, I am starting to experience the beginning of spiritual attacks by the enemy. This is nothing new though...we experienced these same attacks last year from about 2 weeks prior to leaving for the island until the time that our flights landed safely back in Atlanta. This may sound crazy, but I actually welcome the attacks...I embrace them for what they truly are...confirmation that we are centered smack dab in the center of where God wants us. Confirmation that He has plans to do a mighty work in us and through us as we continue down the path of this mission.

Satan attempts to divert us through deception, distraction, fear and doubt. For me, the recent attacks have come in the form of EXTREME busy-ness throughout my day. Meaningless little things….insane amounts of emails, texts, phone calls, meetings and just plain JUNK that have nothing to do with this mission and are meant to throw me of course. The opposition looks for our greatest areas of weakness and attacks there. The Apostle Paul spoke about the reality of these spiritual battles in Ephesians 6:10-19. I love the Message translation:

And that about wraps it up. God is strong, and he wants you strong. So take everything the Master has set out for you, well-made weapons of the best materials. And put them to use so you will be able to stand up to everything the Devil throws your way. This is no afternoon athletic contest that we’ll walk away from and forget about in a couple of hours. This is for keeps, a life-or-death fight to the finish against the Devil and all his angels. Be prepared. You’re up against far more than you can handle on your own. Take all the help you can get, every weapon God has issued, so that when it’s all over but the shouting you’ll still be on your feet. Truth, righteousness, peace, faith, and salvation are more than words. Learn how to apply them. You’ll need them throughout your life. God’s Word is an indispensable weapon. In the same way, prayer is essential in this ongoing warfare. Pray hard and long. Pray for your brothers and sisters. Keep your eyes open. Keep each other’s spirits up so that no one falls behind or drops out. And don’t forget to pray for me. Pray that I’ll know what to say and have the courage to say it at the right time, telling the mystery to one and all.

To all of you who are a part of this mission...whether you are a coach, an athlete, an attending parent or a parent or spouse of one of our missionaries, I encourage you to Stay Strong! Now more than ever, stay in Gods word and remain in prayer for your fellow missionaries. God is preparing ALL of us for a mighty work.

Faith, Hope & Rejoicing in our Afflictions

2009-12-09T11:59:00.000-08:00

So before we even get started, I want to start off by saying that although I truly hope that you are blessed by this story, I confess that I am writing this for me. It's about me praising God for all that He has done and continues to do in and through my life and the lives of those I love. About how incredibly blessed I am to be able to do what I do and by the people that He puts in my path.

I have loved the game of baseball from the time that I was a 7 year old boy. I dreamed, as many boys do, of someday playing professional baseball...maybe even for my home town team...The Chicago Cubs. Well, as I got older and realized that the "talent"?..that God gave me to play baseball didn't actually stand up so well against most of the other guys on my high school team, my dream of playing pro-ball died quicker than the vines on the outfield wall at Wrigly field in October. Never in my wildest imagination did I ever think that 40 years later I would be involved with the game as I am now. That God actually instilled the love of the game in me for a purpose much higher than for my own personal enjoyment. But...that's how God does things. He places things, situations, circumstances and people in our lives that we often overlook and take for granted...not really thinking about the purpose or what effect it may have on our lives months or years down the road.

I have been abundantly blessed over the past week as God has once again used the game of baseball to bring His people together and for His glory by placing a 13 year old boy (yes, a baseball player) and his family in my path. The boys name is LS Goe..LS is short for Lee Samuel, named after his dad. LS has only been playing baseball for a short period of time, but he loves the game. Baseball just recently became a part of his life because he lost the passion that he once had for Motorcross racing, somthing that he has done since he was a little boy. Maybe the many different injuries and broken bones had somthing to do with him dropping motorcross for baseball, however the point is that it is baseball that God used to have our paths cross.

I was introduced to LS and his parents Stacey & Lee by my friend and fellow FCA Baseball ministry associate Matt Pritchett. In addition to being on staff with FCA Baseball, Matt is a professional hitting instructor and has been giving hitting instruction to LS now for a few months. In an attempt to keep a potentially very long story as short as possible, I will get right to the facts. LS woke up on Monday morning Nov 30th complaining of a toothache and was taken to the dentist by his mother Stacey. Stacey and LS were first put on alarm when they were informed by the dentist that he "didn't like some of the things he saw" and that Stacey should take LS to Scottish Rite Hospital for some evaluations. Once at Scottish Rite, the tests were done and the results came back. LS had leukemia. BAM! In the blink of an eye, everything changed.

Life changed a little bit for LS on Monday November 30th, however his journey really started back on September 13th when he experienced a much more radical change in his life. On that day, LS met Jesus at the Forsyth Family Funfest in Cumming, GA. Yep, you read that correctly....while attending this event that featured different praise and worship bands and speakers, LS responded to the Gospel presentation by Will Graham that evening by accepting Christ into his heart as his Lord and Savior. I believe that God started preparing LS for what was to come on that very day. Shortly after giving his life to Christ, LS became involved with the FCA huddle at Liberty Middle School in Cumming and has been reading his Bible.

Over the past few days, I have been able to spend some time with LS and his parents, who are also followers of Christ. And it is by watching how Lee, Stacy & LS have dealt with the circumstances that they now find themselves in that I have been so blessed. A diagnosis of leukemia in a young boy causes our lives to start spinning out of control and we feel helpless. But the upside is that it also causes us to seek God with an intensity that cannot be manufactured in any other way. It has a way of driving us to our knees. And that is why the bad things that happen to us can turn into the BEST things that happen to us. We can't control what happens to us, but we can control our response. The response from the Goe family has been one of complete trust in Him who can do more than we can ever imagine. It has been a testimony of complete faith in Christ...the kind of faith that we all long for. The kind of faith that gives us peace that surpasses all understanding.

Since LS's diagnosis, there has been a tremendous outpouring of prayer. There have been countless testimonies by people who either know LS or know of him who have been drawn closer to the Lord through this trial. Close to 1600 people have responded on his facebook page. Read some of the posts here and see how God is using LS to impact the lives of many....and LS knows it! And that gives him peace! How will this story end? Only God knows, however in my heart, I believe that God plans to use LS in a mighty way and that this is only the beginning. Romans 5:3 says "There's more to come: We continue to shout our praise even when we are hemmed in with troubles, because we know how troubles can develop passionate patience in us, and how that patience in turn forges the tempered steel of virtue, keeping us alert for whatever God will do next" (msg).

LS was released from the hospital today after being there for 10 days. He has received chemotherapy daily for over a week now and his treatment will continue for the next couple years. His prognosis is encouraging...the doctors anticipate a complete 100% remission. All the Glory to God. I urge you to lift up LS and his family whenever you think of them.

In Reach, Then Out Reach

2009-10-30T07:32:00.001-07:00

FCA Baseball focuses on both mentoring their own players and ministering to others.
Oct. 26, 2009

Two years ago, Bob Wiedemann started coaching an FCA Baseball team of middle school boys in Atlanta. At the time, two of the 12 team members were Christians. The team played about 45 games in the spring, and then did the same in spring 2009.

Now, of those same 12 boys, all of them have accepted Christ on the baseball field. In Wiedemann's words, it has gone from "inreach" to "outreach," as the team now travels throughout metro Atlanta and the rest of Georgia in an effort to not only grow as a team, but also impact others.

FCA Baseball teams join other teams and umpires in prayer before or after games.

"We have prayer prior to, during or after every ballgame with the opposing teams, inviting them to join, inviting the umpires to join as well," Wiedemann said. "When we travel throughout metro Atlanta, we fly the FCA banner. We've got FCA on our jerseys, on our helmets, so everybody knows who we are and what we stand for. They're paying close attention to us."

Wiedemann said it's very rare to play a game and not have an opposing coach, player or parent question someone on his team about their beliefs. This team ministry started in 2007 with five teams, but it has expanded to 15 today. The age groups range from 10 to 14, and the only requirement is that the head coach is a dedicated Christian.

All of the teams take a seasonal approach, so they stay together for a minimum of a full season. The advantage, Wiedemann said, is it takes multiple seasons to establish a true sense of community within the team.

"We can really, really get some depth into the ministry in that type of situation, which is really the advantage of team ministry," he said. "It takes a full season for it to really sink in. In season two it starts to go into the home, you start seeing some questions and things from parents. Coming into season three, it's pretty unreal what's going on."

Each team is required to do community service at least three times during the season. This involves going to homeless shelters, local food banks –– it really depends on the age of the kids. Every athlete and every coach on every team is resourced with an Athlete's Bible, meaning more than 650 people have received Bibles in the past two years.

The main benefit of the team ministry, though, is that it's reaching an area of the community previously uninvolved with FCA.

"This is a community ministry as opposed to an on-campus ministry," Wiedemann said. "It's just an alternative to the campus ministry that's currently being done. There are literally thousands upon thousands of kids playing community sports who aren't being touched, and this is a tremendous way to reach them."

Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant...

2009-10-06T05:56:00.000-07:00

On Saturday October 3rd, a delegation of FCA Baseball & Softball Coaches, players, parents and siblings in partnership with a group from Diamond Starz Academy in Douglasville spent the day showing the love of Christ to the many who are suffering in the wake of the recent floods in metro Atlanta. In addition to many hours of physical labor clearing out the interiors of homes that were devastated, we were able to provide several truckloads of supplies (clothing, toiletries, food, water, etc.), much prayer and hope. We were all truly blessed as we had the opportunity to bless others.
For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life--a ransom for many. Mark 10:45

FCA Baseball in the inner city of Atlanta

2009-10-02T12:24:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I had the wonderful opportunity to share the ministry of FCA Baseball with and then pray for the athletes and coaches of L.E.A.D.(Launch, Expose, Advise, Direct). This organization was founded by Atlanta native and former Chicago Cubs outfielder, C.J. Stewart. Understanding the plight of the inner city player as it relates to playing baseball at the college level, Stewart started L.E.A.D. to make collegiate baseball opportunities accesible and affordable to inner city youth. "The reason why there is a less than 3% representation of blacks at the NCAA level is because inner city players (who are predominately black) can't afford to access the development, exposure and consulting resources necessary to showcase their skills to college programs. At this point in time, it has nothing to do with racism. Danny Hall (Georgia Tech) would sign a green martian if he could demonstrate that he could make meaningful contributions to the program. The barriers are access and affordability- no more, no less." - C.J. Stewart, Founder L.E.A.D., Inc.

The ministry of FCA Baseball has been given a vision to come alongside C.J., his staff and his volunteers to help expand the L.E.A.D. program as well as be an active participant in the growth and development of baseball throughout the inner city of Atlanta.

Dominican Republic Day 5

2009-06-25T18:16:00.001-07:00

Hello friends and family! It is the end of a great day five. Today we woke up early again and both teams played games in Santo Domingo. We shared the gospel again today and Coach Wiedemann estimates that over a hundred people have come to know Jesus Christ this week including four players from our group. After the games the teams met together for lunch and then went to the straw market to look around for a few souvenirs. From there we headed to Casa de Luz orphanage for an eye opening experience. It is hard to put into words what this was like for the players and adults alike, but hopefully the pictures will tell the story. We came back to SCORE for dinner and then devotions. After devotions, two of the boys on our team who decided to accept Christ as their Lord and Savior were baptized in the swimming pool. This was truly a unique and overwhelming experience for all who were there. It has been a great day and a great week. God has changed lives,opened eyes and opened hearts. Tomorrow we head out for a day of relaxation on Catalina Island. There we will be snorkeling and hanging out on the beach for our last day in the Dominican Republic. Hope you have enjoyed the blog and pictures and I encourage you to leave any comments!

Dominican Republic Day 4

2009-06-24T19:11:00.000-07:00

Hello friends and family! Today we headed out early for games and had a great time playing and meeting some new people. After the games we came back for lunch and then headed out to the grocery store to purchase food for a local village. The money was raised by our kids and the food we purchased is enough to feed 40 families for a week. The village was a great time and a blessing once again and we are back at SCORE about to go to bed. More soon.

Dominican Republic Day 3

2009-06-23T17:27:00.000-07:00

Hello friends and family! It is the end of a great day three! We all had a another great day of sharing the gospel and playing baseball. This morning we woke up and went to an all boys orphanage. There we played wiffle-ball, soccer, and basketball with the boys. Everyone had a great time! After we left the orphanage we came back to the SCORE headquarters and grabbed some lunch and then set out to play another round of games. The facilities were very nice. The guys got to play right next to the field where the Washington Nationals were holding tryouts! The boys played hard and one of the teams won and one lost, but the day was great! After the game we came back and got dinner and cleaned up for devotions. The boys are relaxing right now out on the patio watching baseball and we will be heading to bed soon!

Hope you are enjoying the blog and pictures so far! Please keep checking in and leave some comments!

Dominican Republic Day 2

2009-06-22T17:20:00.001-07:00

Hello friends and family! It is the end of day two and everyone is relaxing right now watching baseball after a long day of games and preaching the gospel. This morning we all got up early and headed off to the teams respective double headers. Both teams had great days playing baseball and both won some games! Between games we shared the gospel, with the help of a translator, to the Dominican teams and the response was amazing! Close to twenty individuals made a decision of faith and were given salvation bracelets and bibles. After the games both teams came back to the SCORE headquarters to grab some lunch and then we all head out to a small village near by to play with children and again share the gospel. The response again was amazing! All the kids had a great time playing with the kids and it was a memorable experience for all.

We will have more very soon! Enjoy!

Dominican Republic Day 1

2009-06-21T19:17:00.001-07:00

Hello friends and family! It is the end of day two, and everyone is in bed after a long day of church, practice, and fun on the beach. After the church service this morning we came back to the SCORE center for lunch and then headed out after to the practice field close by. The facilities were very nice and the team really enjoyed their time out there. After that we came back and got to spend time at the beach as well as get some dinner. Everyone is safe, having a good time, and in bed right now trying to get some rest before the double header tomorrow. This is all we have for now, but hope you are enjoying the pictures and thank you again for your patience. We will be posting more in the near future.

Arriving in the DR

2009-06-21T10:30:00.000-07:00

Hey friends and family! We have arrived safely in the Dominican Republic. Sorry for the delay in getting the postings up, we have had some set backs with the internet. We will have more pictures up today of everyone!

This morning we went to a Dominican church in Santo Domingo. This was truly a great experience and we were very welcome among their congregation. This is all we have for now, the boys are about to go to their first practice before they start their games tomorrow, but we will hopefully have a lot more for you guys to view very soon so keep posted and thank you for your patience!

Dominican Baseball Mission Trip

2009-06-15T10:15:00.000-07:00

We leave Atlanta this Saturday morning (6/20), for Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic and will remain there one week, returning to Atlanta the following Saturday (6/27). Coming with us on this trip are nineteen boys, ages 13 & 14 along with an additional twenty other adults (coaches or parents) and some siblings. During our stay, we will be traveling accross the island competing against several different Dominican baseball teams as we use the game of baseball as a platform to share the message of Jesus Christ to hundreds of people.

In addition to baseball, we will also be doing other ministry and humanitarian work as we visit orphanages and feed different villages. We feel that it will be a blessing for the people of the Dominican, but potentially a much bigger blessing for all of us who will be making this trip.

We have two photo journalism students that are coming with us who will document the entire trip for us and put it into a DVD format. We will have copies available for anyone interested. Additionally, they will update our activities and place photos and some brief description of each days events on this blog.

Please pray for God to open the eyes and hearts of the Dominican people who we come in contact with and that all of us who are taking this trip return safely, having a much deeper relationship with God.

Keep Teaching The Basics

2009-04-01T14:16:00.000-07:00

Coach, don’t take it for granted that your athletes are picking up on the basics you are teaching them. We only remember a small percentage of what we hear. Repetition in the right setting increases our learning many times. Repeat the basics in different creative ways and ask questions in a situation to see if your athletes know how to handle it. They’ll adopt your basics as their own if you can help them understand what they are experiencing.

Coach John Wooden, one of the winningest coaches in any sport ever said this. "When you improve a little each day, eventually big things occur. When you improve a skill a little each day, eventually you have a big improvement in that skill. Not tomorrow, not the next day, but eventually a big gain is made. Don’t look for the big, quick improvement. Seek the small improvement one day at a time. That’s the only way it happens – and when it happens, it lasts."

How do you creatively keep teaching the basics to your athletes, maintaining their interest, enthusiasm, hard work and passion? Here are a few tips From the Book, Positive Coaching (Building Character and Self-Esteem Through Sports), by Dr. Jim Thompson.

Work On The Basics (The Fundamentals) Over and Over, until Your players “Get It.” (You want them to be able to execute a skill or situation “in their sleep”). When you think your players have “Gotten It,” then “Do it Again! (and keep doing it throughout the season to keep your team sharp.)”
Repetition is the key to over-learning, which can lead to excellent or outstanding athletic performance. If you don’t practice a skill, or move, or situation over and over, it is unlikely that you will ever learn to do it well in the heat of competition. This is why it is important for you to have a well-thought-out-plan for your practices that incorporate specific skill drills as well as simulated, game-like drills.

Recognize that organizing an effective practice is an art and requires a commitment to make it happen. Make the commitment to yourself and then to your players that you are going to work hard at doing the best job you can as a coach to help them develop as players, as a team, and as people. Care enough to stay and get your players to stay until they “Get It.” Make a Commitment to Learn!
Numerous resources are available:
* books, videos, websites, etc.
* Attend Coaching Clinics offered by local high schools & colleges, professional coaches.
* Talk to other coaches during tournaments…or coaches in the area you know or want to know. Tap into their wisdom and experience.
* Learn from your players: Many of them are currently receiving skill instruction, so ask them what they are being taught and about any drills they may be using from the instructor.
* Find out from them what their coaches have done from previous teams they played on.
* Recruit assistant coaches that have either played or coached.

BE PREPARRED IN WRITING! Remember: “If you don’t know where you are going, you will probably end up going there…nowhere!” You need a destination and a map… a game plan with a purpose and end in mind. If you want to truly make the most of the limited time you have with your team, you need to think out ahead of time what you want to during each practice and write it down. Think it and Ink it!
A poor practice plan in writing is better than no plan at all!!

Vision

2008-12-27T12:51:00.000-08:00

Well, Christmas is over and once again the all of the opened gifts are spread out around the house. As it is every year, the jigsaw puzzle is spread out in pieces on the coffee table in the process of completion (with just the border done) and the box top that reveals what the completed puzzle will look like is lying on the floor next to it for constant reference. Looking at that box top, I thought "Wow, imagine trying to put that thing together without having that picture to look back upon as a guide". I then realized that many of us attempt to live our lives (or at least parts of it) just that way. We attempt to walk through different areas of our lives without the top of the box to look at, or without a VISION of what we, or more importantly what GOD really wants the outcome or completed picture to look like.

As baseball & softball coaches, I believe that many of us lack an overall vision or "big picture" as to what we truly want to acheive with our teams and the athletes that we coach and influence. Therefore, we often miss the mark and fail to reach the full potential of the platform that GOD has given to us as a coach.

A vision is a destination. It is the big picture of where you want to end up. The clearer your vision, the fewer options that you have and the easier that it is when it comes time to make a decisions. Vision is a mental image of what could be and maybe should be in regard to the different areas of your life.

We are all within a few weeks of starting back with our teams and preparing for the upcoming spring season. I want to encourage and challenge each of you to start thinking about and praying about the vision that GOD wants for you as a coach for this upcoming season. As you begin to ask those questions and also draw on the resources that you already have, I believe that you will begin to develop a mental picture of what could be and what you believe SHOULD be the direction in which your team is to go this season. I believe that as the vision for your team becomes clearer, the options that you have as a coach will get fewer and the decisions that you will need to make will get easier. Remember..If you have the top of the box to look at, it makes putting the pieces together so much easier.

So, what is the vision for your team? What does the big picture look like? How does GOD want to use you as a coach? Here are three things that I believe will help each of you as you go forward into the beginning of a new season.

1) Begin to pray for GOD to give you a clear vision as to what HE wants to achieve through you as a coach this season. Begin to develop the top of the puzzle box.

2) WRITE THE VISION DOWN! Just a simple sentence or a short paragraph is all that is needed to say "Here is what I want to achieve with and through my team this season".

3) Act accordingly. Begin making your decisions based on your vision and do not stray from it.

I believe that through this process, you can fully achieve great things using the platform given to you as Coach.

If You Get Along, They'll Go Along

2008-12-03T17:18:00.000-08:00

God has blessed us all with many things, both material and immaterial. As we grow older and hopefully wiser, many of us begin to realize that what truly matters most during our short stay here on earth are the relationships that we cultivate while we are here. The loving bonds that we have with our families and the special bonds that we have with our close friends.

As coaches, we develop very special relationships with the athletes that we coach. Relationships that could influence our athletes as much and sometimes more so than any other person in that athletes life. Relationships that are built around trust. So...what can a coach do to manage and cultivate good relationships? Here are a few things taken from the book "The 21 Indispensable Qualities Of A Leader (Becoming The Person Others Will Want To Follow)", By John Maxwell.

1. Have A Leader’s Head – Understand People (how they think and feel)
Below are some common things found in people (coaches and athletes):
a. They like to feel special, so sincerely compliment them
b. They want a better tomorrow, so show them hope
c. They desire direction, so navigate for them
d. They are selfish, so speak to their needs first
e. They get low emotionally, so encourage them
f. They want success, so help them win

2. Have A Leader’s Heart – Have empathy for others and a keen ability to find the best in people, not the worst, by truly caring for others.

3. Extend A Leader’s Hand – Keep other’s interests in mind; focus on what you can put into people rather than what you can get out of them…they’ll love and respect you for doing so.

Remember coaches....Put the person before the player!

The Heart of an Athlete

2008-10-16T21:17:00.001-07:00

The biggest intangible in sports is knowing an athletes heart. Their heart is what drives them, what provides their "makeup". This is the invisible quality that comprises the soul, strength and mind of a team. Although we cannot see it or measure it, we know it is difficult to win without it.

While every coach knows that the team must have heart, it is often very difficult to cultivate it. Heart is the most elusive factor to quantify when recruiting or evaluating an athlete.

Scouts call it the athletes "makeup"....who they are as a person inside and the type of competitor they are. It is difficult to look past the physical attributes to get at the mental, spiritual, emotional and relational aspects of an athlete. However most bad recruiting decisions are rooted in this part of the player.

This holds true even when selecting players for youth baseball and softball teams. How many times have you seen a promising athlete who possesses all of the desired physical skills end up giving the most problems to a coach because they didn't have what it took inside to be a competitor.

We can look to the bible to see a perfect example of this principle. In 1 Samuel 16:7 the Lord said to Samuel, "Do not look at his appearance or stature, because I have rejected him. Man does not see what the Lord sees, for man sees what is visible, but the Lord sees the heart."

God sent Samuel to the home of Jesse, who had eight sons, to anoint one of these sons as the next king. Jesse lined up his players (sons) to pass in front of Samuel. The first was Eliab who had impressive physical features and whom Samuel thought would be Gods choice. However as the verse above states God did not want Eliab. Six more of Jesse's sons passed in front of Samuel but none were Gods choice. Samuel asked Jesse's if he had any other sons. Jesse told him about David his youngest, who was a unimpressive shepherd boy. This was Gods choice.

David was so far from making the team that he wasn't even on the sideline. His own father didn't recommend him for the job. However God knew Davids heart and chose him.

Coaches need players who possess not only the right physical and mental abilities, but also the commitment and dedication of heart.

As we evaluate players for our team, whether as a professional scout, college recruiter, or youth team coach, let's pray for Gods wisdom to see the players heart and consider their makeup as well.

A lot of kids get passed up merely because they didn't have the physical attributes. One only needs to look at players like David Eckstein to understand that it isn't always about physical appearance that makes a leader and champion.

Come to think of it, I guess God has a liking for guys named David with big hearts and a desire to make an impact!

Become a Student of the Game

2008-10-16T21:10:00.000-07:00

What does it mean? It means if you're going to coach baseball become a student rather than a fan. Put aside any fan fanaticism and take into consideration the importance of coaching.

You are coaching and teaching young people and like it or not you are a role model for them. Give them your best. A fervent fan does not make a good coach. Learning the complexities of baseball presents a formidable task for any novice coach.

I believe a teacher (Coach) should become the most ardent student of all, much more than his players. Becoming a student. It takes time and patience. You will not be successful overnight. Read! Use the Internet! . You can never have too much knowledge.

Baseball is very deceiving because of the simplicity of the game. But behind that simplicity are numerous complexities. Don’t let your ego get in the way and allow a few youth baseball successes mesmerize you into thinking you know it all.

There’s an old saying, “When you’re green you grow; when you’re ripe you rot.”

Here are some suggestions for you to consider.

*Baseball is the most difficult game to teach and play. Give the teaching of skills your highest priority.

*Place development over winning. Strive to win every game, but take into account the importance of HOW you win. Don’t overuse a dominant pitcher, show favoritism to more talented players or lose your control over player miscues and flaws.

*Learn something about baseball everyday. (The kind of information that is not in the box scores.) Most effective coaches eagerly soak up every scrap of information they can get their hands on.

*Whether at practices or games develop the ability to see the entire field at once. This is a learned skill and must be acquired. It will bring your coaching ability to the next level.

*Remain in control at all times, including umpires’ questionable calls. This may not seem to you as if it belongs in the “student of the game” category but by controlling your temper (and realizing that the umpires are just part of the game) you will find that you are more open to learn from negative situations. Don’t take bad calls personally.

*The more you learn the better your team will be. Teams seem to play at a higher level of competence when they believe their coach is superior to the opposition’s. They will play with more confidence because they will feel their coach can handle any situation.

*Discuss the game with your players, immediately after the game. Take them away from everyone (Down the foul line in the outfield grass is good) and talk about the game; why you won, why you lost, stress great defensive plays and talk about the next practice. Listen to the feedback you get from your players. The students can often become the teachers.

*Become proficient in all areas of the game. Even though you need assistant coaches make it your business to learn all you can about pitching, hitting, base running, etc.

*Baseball skills all have various movements that are efficient and correct. Learn what they look like and correct them when you find flaws. With (just a few variations) there are correct ways to throw a baseball, pitch, hit, field and run. Don’t try to reinvent the game. Learn the correct way it is supposed to be played. Like the old scout said, “I don’t know how to describe it but I’ll know it when I see it”.

*Learn the basics of each skill and expand from there. For instance, an experienced coach looks at how quickly a hitter can get his bat from the back of his shoulder to the contact zone; a very short distance. Teach the correct path to the ball and other things fall into place.

Coaching young baseball players can be the most rewarding time of your life if you give it your best commitment of time and effort.

How is Your Attitude?

2008-10-09T10:12:00.000-07:00

Attitude is everything! We have all heard this phrase on more than one occasion in our lifetime. Early on in life I heard it from my parents and my teachers. When I entered the business world many years ago I heard the phrase or some form of it at virtually every sales or motivational seminar that I attended (and there were many). I heard it so often that I became numb to the phrase and ignored the message.

As I have matured, I have come to realize the power of that message that we have heard time and again. Not only is our attitude something that will have a tremendous impact on the life that we live, it is one of the few things in life that we have full and complete control over. We have the ability to wake up every morning and decide what kind of attitude we will carry with us on any particular day. Good, bad or indifferent, the choice is all our own. It has been said that life is 10% what happens to us and 90% how we react to it.

As coaches, I feel that it is our duty and responsibility to teach strong character traits. Having a positive attitude toward things in life is one of the things that when instilled in a young person will make a lasting difference in their lives. Not only in their athletic performance, but more importantly down the road as life gets a little more difficult for them. As always, we must teach and lead by example. There are endless opportunities on the fields of play for us to take situations that do not turn out as we would have liked and then “turn lemons into lemonade”. In other words, show your athletes that sometimes, situations are only as bad as they want to make them. Their attitude is their choice.

I have a few “favorite sayings” and one of them is “positive things happen to positive people”. Another is "Nothing great was ever accomplished without enthusiasm." I believe that if these simple messages can be instilled in all of those you coach, your success as a coach and mentor will be off the charts.

The influence of a coach

2008-10-09T09:58:00.000-07:00

Why do we coach? That answer will differ from coach to coach. Some coach to spend time with their children Some coach for recreation and their own enjoyment of it and some, sadly enough coach to regain the glory (or missed glory) of their past. What I have come to realize through my years of coaching is that many coaches fail to realize the importance and the enormity of the platform that they have been given as they carry the title of "coach". Think about this for a minute. A coach, in most cases is the only position of authority in a young persons life where that young person makes a CHOICE to be there. They can not choose who their parents are nor who their teachers are at school. However, THEY (in most cases) are the ones who make the choice to be there whenever they step on to the field under the leadership and authority of their coach. Those athletes are looking to their coach for instruction, direction and leadership. The influence that a coach has on their athletes is enormous. But....the coaches influence doesn't stop with those athletes. Lets take a look.

Depending on what level you coach (recreational, travel, high school or college) you will carry anywhere from 11 - 25 players. Let’s just take 11 players as a conservative number.

11 players = 11 people influenced...
Add to that the average family of four (including the player) brings us to...
44 people influenced so far...
plus all the different umpires that you would have during one season (10?)...
54 people influenced so far...
plus all of the other teams you play (11 players & 4 coaches on lets say 10 different teams)...
204 people influenced so far...
plus all of their families (150 players & coaches multiplied by 3 for average family size)
654 people so far.....

Now, add anyone randomly watching a game....
Now, add the whole world if you have a website.....

WOW! The influence of a coach is enormous! If you are a coach, remember how many sets of eyes are watching you next time that you step onto the field with your team and how many lives that you can affect by the example that you set.