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This weekend I wrap up my baseball directing journey and I have to say it feels right to finish on the last day of Globe Life Park. How old do you have to be to have directed both the opening and closing game of a major league ballpark?

Old enough to have done games in 49 different stadiums.

Old enough to have brought over one million pitches into your living room over the course of nearly 4,000 games.

Old enough to have worked with fifteen different play by play announcers.

Old enough to have covered twelve different full time and interim managers beginning with Doug Rader in 1983. By the way, he still scares me.

When you have been around that long there are bound to be some highlights. Outside of Globe Life Park that would include Nolan Ryan’s Sixth No Hitter in Oakland and his 300^th win in Milwaukee. Perhaps the most famous shot of my career was the ball off the noggin of a dazed Jose Canseco for a home run.

But this weekend is about the magnificent place my friend Mike Rhyner dubbed The Temple. So many memories will flood through my mind as I wrap it up.

Opening Day in 1994 with Van Cliburn performing the best National Anthem I have had the privilege to broadcast.

Clinching the first playoff appearance in 1996.

Rafael Palmeiro’s 500^th Home Run.

Michael Young’s 2000^th hit.

One of my biggest regrets is that my schedule did not work out to cover the 3000^th hit of my all-time favorite Ranger player Adrian Beltre.

So many great moments beautifully captured by the best production crew in television.

But my favorite memory from The Temple is intensely personal. In March of 2006 my wife Joni was diagnosed with an aggressive form of breast cancer. To survive would require a difficult and wearying year of surgery, chemotherapy, radiation, and infusion of a drug targeted to her cancer. My wife is a warrior. She never felt sorry for herself or questioned why.  Joni just asked what she needed to do to win the battle.

Fourteen months later Angie Swint of the Texas Rangers asked if Joni would throw out the first pitch for Breast Cancer Awareness Day. The Ranger’s clubhouse staff created a beautiful Ranger jersey for her with the number “1 N 8” to denote that one in eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer during their lifetime. Joni’s message to any woman reading this is to get regular testing and be persistent if you believe something is wrong. With early detection the five-year survival rate is 96%. On that day my wife threw out the first pitch in front of dozens of friends and family in the Ballpark. I will never forget her statement that on that day she transformed from patient to survivor.

Joni threw out the first pitch to our friend Jim Sundberg.

Jim is the one with the smaller nose.

Over thirteen years later I am blessed to enter retirement with Joni at my side. Remembering that day at the Ballpark makes this grand baseball cathedral even more special. So many memories at this ballpark. Goodbye old friend. We had a good run.

 

 

Because many of you have somehow forgotten to buy my books (Shameless plug) I have made my primary living by directing sporting events. I am the faceless guy (actually I have a face, it just isn’t on camera) that selects the camera shots that you see during a televised game. For thirty-seven years I have directed Texas Rangers baseball. And all of those seasons have taught me a valuable spiritual lesson from the National Pastime. I have learned how important it is to be a good closer.

In baseball parlance the closer is the pitcher who comes into the game in the last inning to protect the lead and finish off the win. It all comes down to the closer. If he does well the collective efforts of eight position players and the pitchers that proceeded will end in triumph and celebration. If the closer fails all of that effort is wasted. There is nothing more demoralizing than playing a great game for eight innings and seeing it all blow-up in the last one. So what is the spiritual lesson learned from a baseball closer?

Closing out well is critical as a follower of Christ. I am praying and seeking to be a good closer in my faith walk with Jesus. Sadly that is not a given. Many great men of the Bible did not finish well. They allowed the efforts of many around them to end in frustration and anguish because they did not close well. The honest portrayal of human success and failing is something I love about God’s Word. It is one important aspect that makes the Bible unique and real. The Bible does not spin the failures of godly men and women. Would you write a book attempting to persuade others to adopt your beliefs and deliberately choose to detail adherents who failed miserably? The successes and failures are equally displayed. Men with great stories still managed to not close well. Examples? How about the story of Saul? How sad to hear words like this at the end of your journey.

“How foolish!” Samuel exclaimed. “You have disobeyed the command of the LORD your God. Had you obeyed, the LORD would have established your kingdom over Israel forever. But now your dynasty must end, for the LORD has sought out a man after his own heart. The LORD has already chosen him to be king over his people, for you have not obeyed the LORD’s command.” (1 Sam 13, NLT)

Or imagine when the prophet came to Eli and proclaimed this dire message. What a kick in the spiritual gut this must have been.

“Therefore, the LORD, the God of Israel, says: The terrible things you are doing cannot continue! I had promised that your branch of the tribe of Levi would always be my priests. But I will honor only those who honor me.”

I would be willing to wager (note to Spiritual Hall Monitors – a figure of speech – no actual wagering occurred) that Saul and Eli were planning on closing well. They had moments of great leadership and fellowship with God. But they couldn’t close. You know that Saul’s story ended in madness. The results for Levi’s sons were horrific. His family needed a man who could start well, stay strong, and close it out with integrity and faith.

I am nearing the end of my sports directing season. I am excited about the journey ahead with family, friends, and especially grandkids. I don’t know the length of my last inning but I am praying for one thing to be true. I want to close triumphantly. I want to finish this journey with an effort that honors the One who was willing to finish for me. Paul understood athletics. Sports can be a good metaphor for life and he knew that well. At the end of my life race there are a couple of things that could be true about how I close.

a) You were running the race so well. Who has held you back from following the truth? (Galatians 5:7, NLT)

b) I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, and I have remained faithful. And now the prize awaits me—the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me on the day of his return. And the prize is not just for me but for all who eagerly look forward to his appearing. (2 Timothy 4, NLT)

I hope that (b) reflects my finish. I am committed to this journey with Jesus. I will fall at times. But I intend to get right back up and follow Jesus. If I can remember daily the grace that has been given to me and remember who I am in Christ then I have a real hope to close out well.

Coach W.T. Johnston finished well. You can read his inspirational and uplifting story in Between the White Lines.

By late December of 2018 over five million people had watched an emotional sideline television interview with Newton, Texas High School football coach W.T. Johnston.  Now the story of this remarkable man and his heroic example of faith and courage is told in my brand-new book “Between the White Lines”.

 

I am especially pleased to announce that twenty percent of profits from every sale will go to the W.T. Johnston Scholarship Fund in Newton, Texas.

You can order the book now at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and other online vendors.

Getting to know W.T. Johnston changed my life. I think there is a good chance his story will change yours as well.

An anthem from my youth came on the radio today. The Youngbloods recorded “Get Together” in 1967 and it became one of the quintessential peace songs of the era.

(more…)

(Excerpted from Between the White Lines)

It is almost impossible to comprehend what it is like for a sixteen-year-old boy to run onto the Dallas Cowboys home field to play for a state championship. Kids who have played in front of a few dozen or a few hundred look at a vast sea of faces. They struggle to balance fear and exhilaration. Some teams thrive on this big stage and others wilt. The Newton Eagles always looked to one source of strength in these moments: their coach W.T. Johnston.

“There is nothing like being in the battle with these young men,” W.T. says. “One of the things I love the most about coaching is the team huddle. It is a sacred place that only I get to share with my players. No one else gets to invade that sacred space between the white lines. I always ask them to take a knee and I get down to their level. I look in their eyes and I see what is going on in their hearts and minds. Sometimes I see fear. Sometimes I see anger. Sometimes I see confidence. Sometimes I see overconfidence. When I look in their eyes I know what I need to say in that moment. I will miss that more than anything when I am done coaching.”
On this Thursday, December 21, 2017, Coach saw a team that was ready. A team that wanted to win for their coach and their community. His job today would be to keep them from getting too emotionally charged up and to focus only on the task at hand. Coach knew they had a good plan. But when you deal with high school boys you never know exactly what will happen.

The Newton community had shown up in all their purple splendor. There was no school on Thursday and Friday. Newton looked like a ghost town on Friday afternoon as everyone who could take time off hit Highway 190 to Arlington. Those who had to remain behind were glued to the broadcast of the game. Many gathered to watch on a big screen at a somewhat unlikely location—the Son Asian Bistro in Jasper. Championship day in Newton rivaled Christmas Day in anticipation and excitement.

The Newton cheerleaders were wide-eyed as they walked onto the field. The Eagle mascot ran along the sideline where Dallas Cowboy mascot Rowdy would be pumping up a hundred thousand hometown fans in just two days.
It was a surreal and magical atmosphere. The tension in the stands was palpable for the Newton fans and particularly Debbie Johnston. “You always want to win but the stakes for this game were so much higher. I knew that short of a miracle this would be W.T.’s last chance. I was a nervous wreck.” Like every other time in their relationship she knew her husband was calm. “His strength in these moments is my rock and he is the rock for the team as well.”

The teams finished their warmups and went to the locker room for the final moments before kickoff. W.T. called his team around him. The team knelt together as W.T. Johnston prayed before the Eagles took the field. They were ready to leave it all on the field for their God, town, school, coach, and one another.

With an earsplitting roar the team ran into that magnificent venue with their coach trailing behind. W.T. tried to savor the moment. This was what coaching was all about—hard work, teamwork, grinding, and mental toughness. Months of early-morning workouts in a spartan facility that would be laughed at by the big school programs. Boys becoming men in the pressure of lofty expectations. Living life in a locker room with young men and teaching them about football and life. This was what God put W.T. Johnston on this planet to do, and he was more than grateful for this moment. And if the outcome was a championship, well, that was a bonus.
W.T. walked to the sideline, the place that gave him such joy. “Between the white lines is the purest and most real place you can be. There is no black or white. No rich or poor. No conservative or liberal. It is just competition.”

He had taught his players there was another dimension inside those white lines where it was only one another.

“I taught them to find Christ inside those white lines. Jesus epitomizes the equal playing field. Paul wrote there is no Jew or Gentile. No free man or slave. We are all the same inside those theological white lines. Don’t ever let anyone tell you that you don’t matter. You do.”

Johnston stopped to breathe a prayer. The moment was here. He looked up as Gunter placekicker Evan Gonzalez launched the opening kickoff. God had answered his prayer. He was here with his team. He had been given a great gift.

 

Click here to get your copy of Between the White Lines: Coach W.T. Johnston’s Determined Pursuit of Ultimate Victory.

(This is an excerpt from my new book Between the White Lines. I hope you read this remarkable story.)

W.T. Johnston sat alone in a service tunnel inside the cavernous home of the Dallas Cowboys. From his folding chair he could hear the cacophony of sounds as two high schools—Brock and Rockdale—battled for a state title. Soon he would lead his Newton Eagles football team against undefeated Gunter for the UIL 3A Division II Championship of Texas. Johnston’s mind raced as he considered the miracle of this moment. Most Texas high school coaches only dreamed of being on this stage.

He chuckled to himself. The entire population of Newton would fit forty times into AT&T Stadium with just a few seats left over. He knew that most of the town had made the 265-mile trek from Newton County to Texas football’s crown-jewel facility.

Three years earlier, Johnston had his first chance as a head coach to win a title on this very field. The dream ended in a disappointing loss to Waskom High School. On this Friday in December he would try again to win an elusive state title against the defending state champ that sported a daunting thirty-one-game winning streak. Most experts picked the Gunter Tigers to repeat as champs. That didn’t bother Johnston too much since most experts expected him to be dead. He had been praying for God to allow him to live long enough to see this moment and now it was here. It was almost certain this would be his last chance for a head coach championship ring in only his eighth season at the helm.

Not many people outside of Newton knew his story. Most of the crowd cheering their high school teams here in Arlington had no idea what Coach Johnston had endured to make it to this moment. Almost no one knew that he had collapsed earlier in the day, not even his son Drew. The coaches who had witnessed that scary incident worried that it could happen again and maybe the results would be worse.

Johnston pondered what this game meant. He knew he would be okay personally if the results weren’t good. Sure, it would be a disappointment because it is never fun to lose that final game. But the folks in Newton? This would mean so much to a town that had endured more than its share of adversity.

He thought about his family. Son Drew was his defensive coordinator who had previously won a 2005 state title as a Newton Eagle player when W.T. was Coach Curtis Barbay’s assistant. The family didn’t discuss the real chance that this could be W.T.’s final shot. He wanted this more for Debbie, Drew, daughter-in-law Kelsey, and Shaw more than he did for himself.

He thought about those sixty kids who would soon take the field—the same field that Ezekiel Elliott, Tony Romo, and Jason Witten had excelled on. Standing for the coin flip on that famous Cowboy star that measures ten yards from point to point. Trying to avoid staring at the ridiculously huge video screen that verified outsiders’ notions that everything is bigger in Texas.

W.T. knew how much they wanted to win it for him, but he wanted it even more for them. Johnston knew that long after he was gone this moment would be something special for these young men. Most of the kids were poor and this was an experience that they would treasure forever. W.T. wanted them to finish their high school football career with a state championship ring.

Television announcer Ron Thulin approached W. T. and sat with the coach for a few minutes. Thulin would be doing the play-by-play on Fox Sports Southwest that day. Thulin remarked about how Coach Johnston’s response to adversity had inspired him.
W. T. looked at Thulin and smiled. “Ron, most people don’t have a chance to really see how their life has mattered. They don’t get the perspective to treasure each day. I have been given a great gift.”

As Ron Thulin headed to the broadcast booth Johnston took one more moment to remember the gift of life and the gift of this moment. No matter what happened in the next four hours, he believed this promise from the Bible.

But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength.
They will soar high on wings like eagles.
They will run and not grow weary.
They will walk and not faint.
Isaiah 40:31, NLT

Order Between the Lines now.

Thomas Jefferson is an enigma for many. Political enemies in his day accused him of being an atheist yet he started the statute of Virginia for Religious Freedom with the phrase, “Almighty God hath created the mind free.” He certainly would not have been invited to speak at an evangelical conference to share his view that most clergymen are “soothsayers and necromancers.” You likely have a bigger brain than I do but I will confess that I had to look up necromancers. It literally means one who interrogates the dead. Okay. Not sure what church Jefferson was frequenting.

Jefferson believed that authentic Christianity had been hijacked by church leaders. Jefferson decided to fix the problem. He took out his scissors and cut out the parts of the Bible that he didn’t believe. He excised the virgin birth, all of the miracles and the Resurrection. He cobbled together a book he titled “The Philosophy of Jesus of Nazareth”. Jefferson described his work as separating the “diamonds from the dunghill.” His clippers removed every miracle while leaving teachings about helping the needy and treating people as we would have them treat us. Jefferson’s called the moral code of Jesus, “the most sublime and benevolent code of morals which has ever been offered to man.”

I agree with that statement but Jesus stripped of His Divinity and resurrection becomes just a really challenging life coach.

It is so easy to criticize Jefferson. What audacity! The incredible chutzpah to modify sacred texts to fit your own views! But then I took a breath and stepped back. Do I do the same thing without the in your face honesty of Jefferson? When I choose to ignore the hard teachings of Jesus I have, in practice, done the same thing. When I say that some command in God’s Word is too hard I have essentially taken my scissors of doubt and cut that teaching out. When I point out that I cannot forgive or love or give because you don’t understand my circumstances I have clipped out the challenge of supernatural living. In my book When Bad Christians Happen to Good People I wrote a chapter called “This is a Hard Teaching” about the challenging and difficult things that Jesus taught that I tend to mentally and practically excise from my walk. For example, Jesus had this fun little proclamation.

“You have heard the law that says, ‘Love your neighbor’ and hate your enemy. But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven. For he gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and the unjust alike. If you love only those who love you, what reward is there for that? Even corrupt tax collectors do that much. If you are kind only to your friends, how are you different from anyone else? Even pagans do that. But you are to be perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect.  (Matthew 5:43-48, NLT)

Are you kidding me? Love your enemies? Pray for them? Scalpel please…that must be removed. I often feel like the disciples of Jesus who struggled with His teaching about the bread of life.

Many of his disciples said, “This is very hard to understand. How can anyone accept it?” Jesus was aware that his disciples were complaining, so he said to them, “Does this offend you? (John 6:60, NLT)

That is the bottom line isn’t it? Sometimes the hard teachings of Jesus offend me. Or at least annoy me. I don’t want to forgive the unforgivable or love the unlovable. I don’t want to serve the least of these because it is inconvenient, messy, and hard. But I have a choice to make. I have to accept the entire Word of God and be open to allowing the Holy Spirit to move in every area of my life. Or I have to take the scissors of my lack of faith to His Word. As for cutting out the miracles and just making Jesus a profound and amazing teacher? I don’t think He gave us that option. Jesus clearly let it be known that He was the Son of Man sent by His Father. If that is not the truth then Jesus was not a great man and teacher. The famous words of C.S.Lewis from Mere Christianity dismiss that philosophy.

“I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about him: I’m ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don’t accept his claim to be God. That is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic — on the level with the man who says he is a poached egg — or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God, or else a madman or something worse. You can shut him up for a fool, you can spit at him and kill him as a demon and you can fall at his feet and call him Lord and God, but let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about his being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to.”

So I am praying for the grace to embrace the hard teachings and leave the scissors in the drawer.