A Life Worth Following

I would like to remind all of the Ambassador community to continue to pray for the Gibson family.  The funeral for Dale take place on Friday at 1:30 at Bethany First Church of the Nazarene.  

In lieu of flowers, the family has asked donations be made to the Ambassadors.  We have received several emails requesting the address.  If you would like to make a donation, you can send it to:

Justin Sullivan ALWF

P.O. Box 720782

OKC, OK 73172

I know the family deeply appreciates your prayers, cards and support during this incredibly difficult time.

Today is a difficult day in the Ambassador Community.  This morning around 10:00 am - Dale Gibson - Ryan Gibson’s father, went to be with the Lord.  

During our first tournament in Elk City, Dale suffered a massive heart attack and has spent the entire summer in the hospital.  During his stay in the hospital, one of the fathers of another Ambassador player had the opportunity to pray with Dale as he received Christ into his heart.  

Today is a day of deep sadness because Dale will be greatly missed by all of us.  However, in the midst of our sadness, there is a real promise from the Lord that Dale is in heaven this very moment.  I thank the Lord for His promises in all circumstances.  I thank the Lord for His presence in our daily journey.  And I thank the Lord for the people that God intentionally places in our lives.  

Please pray for the Gibson family.  Your prayers for them will mean so much.

As of 8:30 a.m. on Monday morning - All of the Ambassadors returned home from Phoenix, Arizona.  Though there were some unexpected adjustments that had to be made on the baseball field, Phoenix was a great experience.  It was a week where we were able to build some great relationships at Discovery Point church and experience unforgettable opportunities of ministry to people.  

It is incredible to see how God is continuing to impact people through His word and Justin’s life.  It is so much fun to be traveling down this road of ministry.  Just yesterday, the Ambassadors were able to share our story in both services at Discovery Point.  The entire team also had the opportunity to spend time with the youth group and it was an incredible experience.  I am so proud of the way our guys step up and boldly share their faith with people.  It really is an amazing thing to watch them make these spiritual connections with people.  

In addition to the great relationships, I am continually amazed at the doors the Lord continues to open for us.  While in Phoenix, we received incredible news.  We have been given permission by Scott Pruitt and the staff at Bricktown Ballpark to play two games at the Brick on July 21st.  Here is where we could use some help from you:  spreading the word out about the games at Bricktown.  

On Monday, July 21st, the Redhawks play at 12:30 p.m.  Thirty minutes after the Redhawks game is over, the Justin Sullivan Memorial tournament will begin at the Brick.  The Redhawks should finish around 3:00 p.m. and we should be able to take the field by 3:30 p.m.  The first game will be played by a select team from Midwest City and the Edmond Stars.  The Ambassadors will play the Edmond Travelers in the final game of the evening.  

This really is a great opportunity for us and we are so thankful that the Lord has opened this door.  We could use some help from you simply spreading the word about the games.  It is such a rare honor for high school age teams to be given permission to play baseball on the best field in the state of Oklahoma.  

We are most thankful for this opportunity because playing at Bricktown has the potential of being a real draw for people to come see us play.  If people come to see us play, they will hear our story.  

We are praying that this opportunity enables us to share God’s word and Justin’s life with a lot of people on July 21st.  If you could help us spread the word, it could really make a difference.    

I am praying for 1500 people to come out and watch us play on July 21st.  This could happen if we could rally our churches and friends to invite them for a summer afternoon and evening of great baseball at a beautiful ballpark.  In between games, we are going to share the Ambassador story and we hope that the Lord uses this to touch the hearts of many people.  Will you help us by inviting people to the games?  

I continue to be amazed how God’s word and Justin’s life are impacting so many lives around the country.  This opportunity at Bricktown has been one more confirmation that the Lord has His hand on our baseball team and our message.  In the book, “A Life Worth Following”, each reader is challenged to memorize Ephesians 3:14-21.  This passage ends with this statement:

“…to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than we could ever ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us…”  

 Truly, this has been our experience. God has chosen to do more than we could ever ask or imagine.  For this, we are so thankful.  Please pray for our day at Bricktown and please help us by inviting people to come and watch the games.  The entrance into the games will be $5 at the gate and Bricktown staff is allowing the Ambassadors to use this as a fundraiser for the team.  We will also have books and t-shirts available for folks to purchase.  

Thanks for helping us spread the word and continue to pray that God’s word and Justin’s life and the Ambassadors will continue to impact lives.

A few days ago, most of the Ambassadors loaded up in five vehicles and set out on a 16 hour road trip to Phoenix Arizona for a little ministry, baseball and a lot of fun.  This week, the team is working with several churches in the Phoenix area.  Wednesday night, two opportunities opened up and the guys split up between two youth groups to share their story.  Both groups had a great experience and we continue to be amazed and grateful for all of the opportunities the Lord has been giving us to talk about Him and our journey of ministry.  

It is inspiring to see our boys minister to other people.  They have been teaching me what it means to look for opportunities to share with other people.  Their boldness with the gospel has motivated me to pay more attention to the Holy Spirit in my personal life.  For example, as the guys were traveling on the road, they stopped at one of those big truck stops to fill up with gas.  Most people, when they walk into a “Flying J” are more interested in going to the bathroom and taking in the sights, sounds and smells that all those truck stops offer.  Though I am sure the team experienced all the “Flying J” had to offer, they were also looking for opportunities to minister.  

As the boys pulled up, they noticed a couple of sweet, decked out tour buses gassing up.  From the look of these buses, they knew it was some band on a cross country tour.  (They wanted to know if the Ambassadors could use those tour busses to travel but our vans from Alamo have much more character.)  

Anyway, Nathan Brewer’s curiosity got the best of him and he could not resist this opportunity to find out what band was visiting the “Flying J”.  He courageously went over to talk to the bus driver.  During the course of the conversation, Nathan discovered that this was actually a band who is on tour with Toby Keith and they were traveling to their next show. 

Even though Nathan was hoping for a tour of the bus and an photo with the band, God began to open the door for Nathan to share our story with the driver.  During the course of the conversation, this bus driver started asking questions about all these athletic guys pouring out of all these vehicles.  Nathan took the opportunity to grab several gospel bracelet packets and began to use it to share the gospel with the driver.  The driver was so impacted by Justin’s story and Ambassadors journey, he ended up taking bracelet packets for the entire band.

I continue to be amazed and inspired at how our boys have become so much bolder in their faith as the summer has progressed.  Even though this is something our staff has prayed for from the beginning, it is still so amazing to see the Lord answer this prayer so clearly.  Though the baseball this summer has been incredible for the Ambassadors, the experiences with the Lord continue to be more than we could have ever asked for or imagined.     

Now to shift gears a minute, even though ministry happens along our journey, we are also playing some pretty good baseball.  Yesterday morning, the guys had to get up early to make to a 9:00am baseball game with the Arizona Clash.  The Clash is a good team from the Phoenix area with a reputation of producing a lot of great baseball players.  In spite of the fact that this is a very worthy opponent, The Ambassadors came away with a 10-2 victory.  It is so great to minister to people and share the love of Jesus with them.  At the same time, it is also really fun to beat the snot out of an opponent on the baseball field.  I know that winning is not everything but it is much more fun than losing.   

I better stop here because when my competitive juices start flowing, very quickly I start battling my sinful nature so moving on… After the thrashing of the Clash, the Ambassadors had a couple of special treats waiting for them.  Russ Ortiz, former Oklahoma Sooner and player for the San Francisco Giants and Brian Hommel, chaplain for the Arizona Diamondbacks came to spend some time with the team.  These two “Major Leaguers” heard about the Ambassadors and came to share their testimony with the team.  It is so good to see guys in the Major Leagues who live out their faith on a daily basis.  We are thankful that men like this will take the time to speak to our team.  It is a great example for us and we were grateful for the time we were able to spend with them.  

Also, yesterday one of the members of our host church, Discovery point, opened up his house for the team.  They got a home cooked meal and a little R&R.  Here are a few pics of the Ambassadors at play:  

As you can see, we are not all business on our trips.  

To wrap up this latest post, you can get more information on the baseball schedule in Phoenix on the schedule link at the top of the page.  This coming Sunday morning we will be at Discovery Point Church in Peoria Arizona.  Chris Wall will be preaching in both of their services on Sunday morning and several guys will share their testimony.  In addition to this, the team will get to spend time with the youth group Sunday morning before we head back to Oklahoma City.  

What an amazing summer it has been so far.  We continue to be amazed and thankful that the Lord has given us so many opportunities to share our story with churches around the country.  Every place we go for baseball, we try to connect with churches in the area.  We do this because we believe that God wants to use His church to change the world.  We have discovered that God is using a baseball and our abilities to help the Church connect with people who need to know Him.  Experiencing the Lord move in and through our lives is such an incredible adventure.  

You do realize that this adventure of serving the Lord is available to every one of us.  It is not limited to baseball players.  The reality is that God has equipped every one of His children and He desires to work through you.  For the rest of our lives, we pray that God will use all of our abilities to help people come to know Him.  

We pray that God might use our story to speak to your heart and challenge you to get on this road again.  It will be the greatest adventure of your life.

A parable is defined as an earthly story with a heavenly meeting.  When Jesus was walking around with skin, He used a lot of “parables” to help people understand the character of God, the plan of God and the heart of God.  

This past January, as the vision for the Ambassadors really started to unfold, God used a parable found in Matthew 25:14-30 to speak to my heart as we prayed whether or not we should launch the baseball team in 2008.  

Essentially, Jesus is using this earthly story to communicate a heavenly meaning that applies just as well in 2008 as it did in the first century when it was written. If the reference is not familiar, many of you will remember the story.  This parable is about talents (a measure of money) but it speaks to so much more than monetary situations.  It is a story about three guys who were given a certain amount of money by their master.  The first two guys were given a lot and they took what the master gave to them, invested it and it produced double.  This pleased the master and both of the guys were blessed.  The blessing was so significant that the scripture say’s “they entered into the joy of the Lord”.  The third, did not have such a great experience, because he was afraid of losing what the master had given to him.  Basically,  he did nothing with his gift, only buried it.  The scripture reveals that the master was extremely displeased.  He was so displeased that there was punishment for his irresponsibility.  Not only did punishment occur but the talent was taken away and given to the guy who had the most.  

Though there are many applications that could be made from this parable, the heavenly meaning is a very clear and obvious challenge to all of us.  God intentionally gives gifts to His children.  When we receive a gift, we must be responsible with it.  Doing nothing with what God gives you is just not acceptable.  When God gives something to you, it is important to trust that He knows what He is doing and trust yourself that this blessing from God is no accident.  

In January, God used the heavenly meaning in this parable to give us the confidence to launch this ministry. I sit here today amazed at how the Lord has moved in our lives and used our story.  We were absolutely right to trust Him along the way.  

In the beginning of January, several things started happening.  First of all, God was blessing the book “A Life Worth Following”.  Many people began to rub shoulders with God’s word and Justin’s life.  We actually sold out of books by the first week of 2008 and had ordered the second shipment.  Actually, people kept buying books even though they were on back order.  This is when the Holy Spirit began to unveil a big vision for a baseball ministry.  

Could it really be possible that we could form an elite baseball team that could be trained to help other people connect with God through the platform of baseball while at the same time helping these boys gaining exposure to College coaches and Major League scouts around the country?  Then, would it be possible to end this incredible summer of clinics, ministry, tournaments and games with an international mission trip where we take our team and our story to another country?  Could all of this become a reality?  

This dream and vision hit our our hearts with incredible clarity.  We started praying for God to send us 20 guys who would be willing to play for us.  We also prayed for the right connections as we put together our ministry schedule and our baseball schedule.  Immediately, this dream began to come into focus, and just as quickly so did the financial realities.  

Since it was already late January, everything from a human perspective said, “Start in 2009, give yourself a year and a half to raise the money.”  However, the message of Matthew 25 kept ringing clearly, “Invest what God has given to you, don’t bury it.”  We were in a situation where God had to supernaturally come through or it just was not going to happen.  But is was an adventure we just had to take.  

Needless to say, the Lord kept opening doors for us at just the right time.  Very quickly, Coach Savedra and Coach Vallerand signed up to help us coach and put together the team.  Shortly after that; very good baseball players started crossing our path and getting excited about playing for us.  In fact, we prayed for 20 players and had 45 guys come to us.  The journey of seeing the Lord open all the doors was truly a supernatural experience for all of us.  Around March of this year, things had progressed.  We had coaches, we had tournament invitations and we had great baseball players wanting to play for us. There was just one thing missing, the funding for the summer.     

Again, those human voices started coming to the surface, “The money is not there.”  ”It is too early to start.”  ”This is not going to work.”  ”Baseball is just a game, it is not good for ministry.”  But again, the message of Matthew 25, kept coming to the surface.  ”Invest what I have given to you, don’t be afraid.”  So, we kept moving forward.

Again, God began to open doors.  At one coach’s meeting, I called former Council Roader and current Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder, Jeff Salazar and he committed an initial $5000 to us along with another $5000 when The Ambassadors win 20 games.  Several other major league players heard about what we were doing and agreed to partner with us.  Major League Baseball Alumni Association agreed to partner with us for a fundraiser golf tournament.  Even though this would not help us this summer, it was very encouraging to have their support.  A lawyer from Dallas sent us a check, along with people from Georgia, Texas, California and Oklahoma.  God began to draw the hearts of His people and they started sending checks to us.  Finally, one week before our deadline, the funding for our first seven weeks was secured. The only thing we were unable to pay for was our mission trip.  The trigger for the baseball team was pulled and the ministry began.    

The summer has been amazing.  The gospel has been shared with countless numbers of people and 58 so far have come to know Christ.  Divine appointments have been the norm for our team and our guys have not only benefited as ball players, they have more importantly grown in their walk with the Lord.  However, all summer long, we have prayed for our mission trip.  At first we thought we were supposed to go to the Dominican Republic.  When the deadline came for that trip, we did not have the money so we had to keep praying.  Those human voices returned:  ”You missed it.”  ”You made a mistake.”  ”It is crazy to try to raise the money for a baseball mission trip.”  Days after the door shut for the Dominican Republic, a door opened to Nicaragua.  John Wasdin from the Memphis Redbirds came and spoke to our team in Memphis.  He shared about the opportunities in Nicaragua and even helped set some incredible things up for us.  However, there was still the reality that the funds had not come in.  But in the midst of that very real reality was another voice. One that pointed me to Hebrews 11:1 and Hebrews 11:6

“Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we cannot see.”

“Without faith, it is impossible to please God.”  

There was this voice saying, “I will provide”, “I have a plan for you.”  ”I own cattle on a thousand hills”.  I needed him to sell a couple of those cattle and some how have it sent to ALWF so we could go to Nicaragua.  The problem for me was this; I just could not see how the Lord was going to provide.    

This past Wednesday morning, I had a meeting with Juliann Sullivan and we determined that as of 10:00 am, we were $25,000 short of going to Nicaragua.  The trigger for the trip, had to be pulled by Monday July 6th.  Those human voices returned, “It’s been a great summer but it is just not going to work out this year.” “God has provided so much, a mission trip with an entire baseball team was just too big.” But then the Holy Spirit pushed us to keep trying.

Remember, at 10:00 am, we were short $25,000.  By 11:00, we remembered Jeff Salazar’s second $5000 he is sending to us, the BGCO committed $2500, an individual gave us $1000 and Knipplemeir Cheverolet committed $500.  By lunch time, our $25,000 deficit was down to $16,000.  

Mid afternoon, I came into my office and shut the door to get on my knees.  The second I started praying to the Lord, telling him where we were financially, (I think He already knew but I thought I would mention it) the name of a family who has ministered to me in my life for many years, popped into my head.  I immediately got up from my knees and called them.  They were not at home so I left a message.  At 5:00 pm, they felt lead by the Holy Spirit to call me immediately.  When I answered and began to share what was happening with the Ambassadors and I began to share about the opportunities that were set up in Nicaragua.  (I will share those another day).  When I got to the fact that were were $16,000 short in our funding, God’s Spirit led them to give the entire remaining amount to send our team on the trip to Nicaragua.  I was speechless and I started bawling.  God answered our prayers.  He provided for us.  He made a way, where I could not see any way.  Man, He is so good at that.  

Today, we began the process of securing plane tickets. 

All I can say is that God has once again proven Himself faithful.  It is amazing that when He gives something to us, He enables us to use it for His glory.  I will never forget this lesson and the parable of the talents.  I will never forget July 2, 2008 because it was a day that God took a 1st Century parable and translated it to my world in 2008.  Wednesday July 2, 2008 was a day when I experienced God keeping another promise He made.  I am thankful that for all those earthly stories with heavenly meanings.

I would like to pass on a very big THANK YOU to Coach Tunnell, Coach V, and Coach Savedra for allowing Chase Roten and Justin “Murph” Murphy to attend Falls Creek with their home church, FBC Washington.  It was an amazing week and you would’ve been extremely proud of both of your boys. 

Chase had the opportunity to be a sponsor and “family” leader for the first time.  It was amazing to watch as all the high school and junior high boys hung on his every word.  It was also great to see him in one-on-one ministry situations when boys would pull him to the side for counsel or just a prayer.  I’ve know Chase now for a few years and I’ve told him more than once that God has got big plans for him.  I don’t always think he sees that in himself, but it is there.  I know that his experience in the past few months with the Ambassadors and ALWF has made him comfortable being bold.  Chase has been a pretty soft spoken, kind of “behind the scenes” person for most of the time I’ve known him.  He was a great leader in our youth group, just not a vocal one.  This year, I saw a boldness to be able to speak, pray, and answer some tough questions when they were brought to him. 

Murph is a prized jewel for our youth group.  God worked in and on him in some pretty great ways this week.  I think you will be getting back a Grad Asst that will be a little different after this week.  Murph stood and shared his faith and talked about his faith and experiences several times this week.  God seemed to solidify his calling to help others that have autism.  God also laid on his heart some really tough challenges about sharing his faith with some family and friends.  I think the Ambassadors and the experiences that you and God have allowed him to experience in the last couple of months have helped him out more than you could ever imagine.  I know the depth in which we were able to talk about the spiritual things that God was teaching him was not necessarily there a few months ago.  This goes to show you the growth that has happened in his life.  I definitely praise God for that!!

On Wednesday, June 25^th, I gave Chase and Murph the opportunity to share their experiences and their calling to be apart of the Ambassadors.  They did an excellent job telling about Justin’s story, the Ambassador’s story, and their own personal experiences this summer.  It really spoke to most of our students.  For Chase, this was his first real chance to step out and teach a lesson about God’s strength and power.  He led the talk for about 40 minutes using scriptures, personal experience, and the purpose of ALWF and the Ambassadors.  It was a perfect mix and he really let God speak through him.  For Murph, this was exciting and very tough.  It is always a little harder to speak to your peers, but Murph did an excellent job. 

I am so proud of these to young men, and you should be also.  Anytime you can put Chase in a leadership role, I would highly recommend it.  He will not let you down.  Please keep teaching and helping God grow Murph.  He’s an amazing guy that has overcome some stuff in his life and is in the process of learning a lot and having some life changing experiences.

We (myself and my youth group) will keep the Ambassadors in our prayers.  I think it is incredible what God has allowed you to do already and that the players have been willing to do for their faith.  I know this is just the start and that is so exciting.  I pray for God’s blessings on the whole team and all of those that have sponsored you with money and prayers.  I hope you can keep winning games and hearts for God.  It’s an amazing opportunity!

God Bless,

Miles Gordon

Youth Minister

FBC Washington, OK.

What a great baseball game.  The Ambassadors made it to the championship round at the tournament at Oklahoma State University.  They just walked off the baseball field with an 8-5 loss in the ninth inning.  

Our guys were down 5-2 in the bottom of the 7th and with two outs, managed to squeeze out three runs with a chance to win the game.  The Texas Stix, a great team from the Dallas area managed to get that third out which forced us to extra innings.  

In the bottom of the 8th, the Ambassadors had two guys on with no outs.  They managed to load up the bases but again the Stix came through with that dreaded third out.  

In the 9th, the Stix managed to pull off three runs and the momentum shifted and we came away with the loss.  

After experiencing that game, we are all exhausted.  Would someone please tell that guy who said, “Baseball is a slow and boring game”, that he is completely wrong.  It is obvious that guy has never seen a real baseball game.  I don’t have any fingernails left.  

Great job Ambassadors.  You modeled what it was like to win with integrity while exemplifying a Christ-like attitude.  In addition to this, you also modeled how to lose a hard fought game with class and respect.  I am proud to be associated with the Ambassadors.    

We now move into our break with a record of 18-6 on the baseball field.  Off the baseball field, we have experienced 58 people who have come to know Christ as their Savior either at a youth group or at one of our clinics.  We have discovered that the Ambassadors are not just baseball players, but they are also musicians, and we have had an unforgettable first month of ministry.  

I don’t know about you, but I would say that is a pretty good start both on and off the field.

In the last post, I mentioned that the Ambassadors had a special experience as they shared their story with last night’s opponents.  The team we played from Wichita had a few guys who liked to talk a little. Our guys were playing pretty good so their opponents tried to mouth off a little just to see if they could get under our skin.  

The Ambassadors did well under the pressure and managed to control their mouths while delivering a 15-2 victory over this team.  I was really proud of the way they kept their cool and stuck to playing baseball with integrity and extremely effective ability.  

After the game, when we handed out bracelets, several of our opponents were not very interested.  A few of the guys refused it and one player even threw it on the ground.  This was the first time this has happened to us and I am so proud of the way our entire team responded.  

You see, as we have grown closer to the Lord, we have learned that God is a gentleman.  He is not going to force His way into anyone’s life.  He is not pushy and He is not rude.  However, He is also not a pansy or a pushover.  As Ambassadors for Christ, there are times that we should simply walk away from situations and let them go.  On the other hand, there are times that you should take a strong stand and speak up.  The key is being in tune with the Holy Spirit, paying attention to what you should do.  

When Coach Savedra saw this, his godly passion kicked in and he immediately called the entire Wichita team together.  Adrian knew in his heart that this was a time where the Ambassadors had to speak up.  As the two teams gathered close to home plate, there was just something different about this post-game gathering.  Lee and Coach V began to share with this team who we were and how our team came to be.  As Justin’s story was told, this team from Wichita who were flippant about our gift to them immediately began to connect with our story.  One of our parents stood in the crowd close to the stands and was amazed at the way parents and bystanders were drawing in close to the fence just so they could hear what the Ambassadors were saying.  Even a grounds keeper stayed close by just so he would not miss any of the details.  It truly was one of those moments in life where God was moving in such a way, it was going to be impossible for anyone to miss.

As Lee finished telling Justin’s story, he moved right into the plan of salvation.  He reminded all the listeners that Justin was in heaven, not because of his accomplishments, not because of his religious activities, but because he knew that his life would be forever incomplete without an authentic relationship with Jesus Christ.  As this good news was presented, the crowd was doing more than hearing, they were listening.  It truly was another divine appointment on the baseball field.

After presenting the gospel, Lee, prompted by the Holy Spirit, told this team from Wichita, “If any of you would like a journal, we want to give you one as a gift.  Normally we sell these, but we want to offer one to you.”  After this offer, six boys asked if they could have one, including the young man who tossed the bracelet aside.  

At this point, I am not sure if any of those boys or parents in the stands surrendered their life to Jesus Christ but there is one thing that I do know.  Last night, a baseball team met some authentic Ambassadors for Christ.  It was one of those times when God chose to show up and make Himself known.  God chose to use a group of guys who are not perfect, they don’t always do the right thing, and they make a lot of mistakes.  In spite of all that, they have chosen to be available to Him and because of this, God has blessed them.  Here is a group of guys who have chosen to utilize this little gift of baseball that God has given to them and now supernatural experiences are a part of their everyday life.  

It is very important that we don’t miss the real lesson here.  I Peter 3:15 says:

“In your heart, set apart Christ as Lord.  Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give a reason for the hope that you have.  But do this with gentleness and respect.”  

The Ambassadors have spent this summer preparing to serve the Lord.  They are walking out on the baseball field and they are looking for the opportunity to be an example to someone.  Because they are looking for them, they are recognizing them.  

I believe that every one of us who are followers of Christ have people around us who are curious about the hope that we have.  There are people in our families, our offices, or our neighborhoods who are trying to ask us but they just don’t know how.  Today, let’s follow these Ambassadors because they are teaching us what it means to be prepared to give an answer for the hope that is in us.

Way to go, guys.  You are continuing to live “lives worth following”.   

Last night at 10 p.m. - The weatherman reported that Friday will be hot and sunny; amazingly, they missed it because the rain clouds have been rolling in.  The Ambassadors are washed out today so this will be a day of rest.  That will probably be a blessing to the guys.

Last night, the team played a squad from Wichita and won the game 15-2.  After the game, we had one of the most memorable ministry times to date.  As the Ambassadors gathered their opponents around the pitcher’s mound and shared our story, the entire group was deeply impacted.  It was an incredible experience.  You can get complete tournament updates at www.pastimetournaments.com You will need to look for the tournament at OSU for this weekend.  This will give you a more complete schedule of the tournament.  

Allow me to take this opportunity to explain how the guys interact with their opponents after every game, win or lose.  As soon as the game is over, each Ambassador grabs a small packet that includes a bracelet, a small booklet called “Connecting with God” and a small card that tells about the book, “A Life Worth Following”.  After they hand each opponent that packet and shake their hands, they invite their opponents and the umpires to the pitcher’s mound.  Either one of our coaches or one of our players shares the story of our team.  They take a few moments to share Justin’s story.  They share about him being named Baseball Player of the Year for the State of Oklahoma.  Then they explain the following day, he was tragically killed when the tires of a semi-tractor trailer broke off striking his vehicle, killing him instantly.  After this they share about his life and accomplishments.  Then the statement is made, “Justin is in heaven, not because he was a great ball player, great student or because he went to church.  He is in heaven right now, because he knew he was incomplete without Jesus Christ.  This leads right into communicating the message of Christ with our opponents.  All this only takes between five or ten minutes, but these moments have become the most significant in each game we have played.  

So far, the Ambassadors have played 23 games.  Their record is 18-5.  They have shared Christ with over 150 opponents in a little over three weeks.  They have modeled a Christ-like attitude and character on and off the field.  They have earned the respect of their opponents on the baseball field because of their ability as ball players.  But more importantly, they are becoming spiritual mentors to everyone they play because of the way they represent Jesus Christ.  

It is incredible to see our boys really live lives that are worth following both on and off the field.  They truly are fulfilling II Corinthians 5:20.

“We are therefore, Christ’s ambassadors.  As though God were making His appeal through us, we implore you on Christ’s behalf:  Be reconciled to God.”

Let’s all try to follow their example today by living lives that are worth following.  

Here is a quick update about the tournament this weekend.  The Ambassadors played a team from Texas this afternoon and won 12-2.  

This evening, they play their second game at 8:15 at Ripley High School which is just north of Stillwater.  Tomorrow, we will play at 11:30 a.m. at OSU.  We only have one game tomorrow but we know we will be playing two games on Saturday.  To quote a famous meteorologist - Stay tuned to the website and we will keep you advised.