This Is What A Man Does

He failed. Spectacularly. At the thing he'd built a career on getting right. From calling High School, to working College games, to years spent in the minors, and for over a decade in the pros, Jim Joyce was known as an ump who made the right calls.

Not tonight. At least not at first.

With two outs in the final inning of what had been a perfect performance by Detroit pitcher Armando  Galarraga, a ground ball was hit to the right side of the infield. The first baseman ranged to his right and Galarraga moved to cover the bag. He got to the bag and caught the throw in plenty of time. Umpire Jim Joyce was in perfect position to make the call.  He made it.





And he was wrong. It cost Galarraga a spot in history.


Listen friends, all men fail. Even highly skilled and fiercely dedicated ones. That's a given. What isn't a given is what they do when it happens. Many pretend they didn't. Others place blame somewhere else. But real men of integrity and character OWN THEIR FAILURES.


Like Jim Joyce did.

“I just cost that kid a perfect game,” Joyce said. “I thought he beat the throw. I was convinced he beat the throw, until I saw the replay. It was the biggest call of my career,” said Joyce. After he viewed the replay, Joyce went into the Detroit dugout and apologized for missing the call to Galarraga personally.


That's what a real man does.


Bravo to Jim Joyce.  Bravo to Galarraga who when the call was made did not blow up but went back to the mound and took care of business and got the final out.


Well done.

No One Seems To Want To Teach It, But...

... learning how to deal with failure is one of the most crucial skills any pastor needs to acquire.

How do you acquire it?

By failing.

Now what?

If failing brings you to the realization that your capabilities, intelligence, likeability and everything else you count as yours - isn't enough, then you learn to depend on Jesus. That my friends, is what Peter had to learn. Not to depend on his leadership abilities, and it appears from what we read that Peter was a natural leader, even though he had never been to seminary - (sarcasm noted) But to depend on Jesus.

Just a couple of examples -

Everyone who comes to your church is not going to grow as a follower of Jesus. Some may even be pretending to be what they are not. If your expectations are that everyone who faithfully attends and participates will prove to be mature when the going gets tough, then you are fooling yourself. People will fail to follow when pressure is applied. They will act in ways that reveal the shallowness, or even complete lack, of faith.

So if they have circled your discipleship bases and you are counting them as home free, the sudden realization that your youth group super star has impregnated the homecoming queen, or your deacon has been caught messing around may shatter you.

However, if you see your part of the work of the church as working with God - not in place of Him - then you'll be equipped to handle whatever comes.

I am not advocating a lowering of our desire to see everyone saved, nor am I saying we should stop working with all we have to see God glorified. What I am saying is to remember that we are all sinners.

We will fail.

It is then Who we call on, and Whose strength and wisdom we turn to when that happens that will determine whether failure makes us a more complete follower of Christ, or a disappointed and discouraged disciple.