Are You Ready for Some Baseball?

Jess: It’s about time that I write about something fun. So let’s talk about baseball.

I love baseball. If I were only allowed to watch one sport for the rest of my life, it would absolutely be America’s pastime. Here’s why: baseball is awesome. There are clear cut, easy to follow rules, unlike some other sports (*cough* football). It’s not violent, it’s not people running back and forth across a small space, and the season is half of the freaking year!

I would love to buy season tickets and go to baseball three days of every week from March till October, but Wes said we have to be able to pay our car bill. Yeah, now we know the wet blanket in the family. There’s really nothing as fun as having some junk food, a giant soda, and some cotton candy while watching baseball.

So here we are in postseason and the Rangers have made it to the ALCS for the second year in a row. Last year, they did this thing where they sort of won, then really lost, then had to catch up to make it through the division and league series. This year, we basically blew through the Rays, even though they were on a huge high after beating out Boston for the Wild Card slot. Now, we’re up against Detroit, not (thank goodness) the Yankees for the second year in a row.

Nothing makes me happier than finally watching a team that wins. The Rangers were disappointing for almost as long as I can remember, and literally never went to the World Series until last year. There is something wonderful about watching your loser of a team make it to the biggest game in baseball, even if they did lose. Now that we’ve been there, though, there is a sense that we HAVE to make it back this year and win. I’m not sure if I agree, but I’m pretty excited about the direction we’re going.

“What the heck does baseball have to do with the Metheran life, Jessica?” Well, it depends on how you ask. Right now, Wes and I spend a ton of time talking about and watching baseball, so it’s kind of taking over our lives—mine more than his, but I appreciate his support.

But more than that, baseball is a nice reminder that life is not under my control. No matter how much I scream at the TV screen, cheer on FB, or talk up my team, ultimately, winning is up to their ability to work together as a team and beat their opponents. As a fan, I try to remember this, so that I don’t get depressed if my team loses, and I don’t rub it in anyone else’s face when they win. Life is the same. I can make my plans, I can scream and cheer and laugh and cry, but there are some things that are just out of my control. I have to remember that God is in control. God holds me and my life in God’s hands, and God will always be with me, even when the Rangers lose. Amen.

Wes: So, here's the deal. I'm a Houston Astros fan. That's been a hard thing to be since... Well, since I graduated from high school. And even then, being a 'stros supporter usually meant more heartache than joy. But I was always taught that you stuck with it. There's no reason to be a fan if you're just going to jump on another team's wagon during a dry spell. So, that's what I've done. I've watched the games, traveled down to see them live a few times, and dealt with the disappointment of the recent years. And I will continue to always be an Astros fan. Even after they retired or traded off the Killer Bees, I stayed strong. Even after my favorite player was traded to the Yankees (a cardinal sin, by the way... WHICH IS FUNNY BECAUSE NOW HE'S A CARDINAL!), I was loyal through and through. 

But I was also taught from a young age that you always support the Texas team. You can have your personal preference and loyalty, but your second loyalty is always to the state. That is why even though I'm a Dallas Cowboys fan, I still want the Texans to do well, and even though I'm a UT fan, I still cheer on the Aggies. So when I'm not rooting for the 'stros, I'm rooting for the Rangers. So I'm happy that the Rangers are doing so well, because they are Texans and should be supported. 

And no, this isn't at all jumping on the bandwagon. It's just the Texas mentality.

So I've really enjoyed watching the post-season these last two years. And the thing with which I've been extremely impressed isn't just Nelson Cruz's olympian-like prowess with the bat; it's the camaraderie shown between all of the players. 

And I mean all of the players. 

Last night, while one of the Rangers was at bat, a somewhat wild third strike ended with him able to beat the throw to first. This was the last inning, and things were stressful as we all wondered whether or not Cruz was going to be able to get up and seal another game by knocking the laces off the ball. But as the camera zoomed in on first base, you didn't see tension or anger or even determination on the face of the runner or the first baseman. Instead, you saw them joking around with each other; laughing and patting each other on the back. 

It reminded me of the Giants-Eagles game a couple weeks' ago where a fight broke out because a player on one side bro-hugged a player on the other side. 

I am astounded by the sportsmanship of so many of the professional players right now. I've seen the opposite happen so much in different sports that it is actually surprising when I see people being not only polite but friendly with each other. It gives me hope for the game and the world. 

We still have a long way to go before the world is perfect, but the game of baseball shows me that forward motion is still happening. Praise God for baseball. 

Also please pray to God about the Astros.

Well, that's all for this week. You stay classy, World Wide Web!

-wes and jess

Tap'd out Theology

Jess: I’m pretty sure we’ve never written about the awesome Bible study we attend on Sunday nights. It’s a Bible study that our good friend Josh Scott started when he was an intern at Prince of Peace Lutheran in Princeton Junction. We go to a local restaurant, read some Scripture or a book or something, have a few drinks, eat some good food, and talk about Jesus. It’s called Theology on Tap, because Lutherans are awesome. We drink and talk about Jesus.

This group has seen a couple of reincarnations over the past year and a half. Wes and I first started attending during Lent in 2010. Josh had started the group as part of his field ed work, and they were going through a book study during Lent. Wes and I attended off and on, since I was at work sometimes on Sunday nights. We made a couple of friends and were  happy to see friendly faces in worship on Sunday mornings.

After Lent, the Bible study ended, and in June, Wes and I stopped going to Prince of Peace because he started work at Crosswicks and Ellisdale. We spent some time with our friends from Theology on Tap, having a couple of parties and hang out times together. Then in the fall, a couple of the people from the group decided to start it again. And they invited us, even though we weren’t at Prince of Peace anymore. What a blessing that has been!

Since last fall, we have gone through a couple of different changes. Without Josh to lead us, we were unsure of what to do at first. We eventually decided to appoint a different leader to read a passage from Hebrews, then read some resources and make up a little Bible study on the text. We eventually decided we were talking about the same thing every week, and we wanted to move on to something different. We ended up doing the Bible study that Prince of Peace did as a church. For the summer, we read Love Wins. We have gotten to a pretty organic Bible study. We read something, and then at some point during the dinner, we ask questions, bring up points, and generally discuss what we care about in relation to the text.

The people in this group have become some of our best friends in New Jersey. We have deep connections with them through our shared faith and Bible study experiences. I don’t know where we would be without this group, and I love each week spent in conversation and Christian fellowship. Thanks be to God for the many blessings he rains down upon us!

Wes: I love my TOT friends and the conversations that we have. It's been a special blessing to me because I was never really able to plug myself into the seminary community. I mean, don't get me wrong, there are some amazing people at the seminary and I am blessed by the relationships I have formed with the people there, but I have never really felt like I was really a part of the life on and off campus. 

Chapel services are wonderful, but I go in there, sit down, worship, and then leave. There is no community fellowship time for me afterward like there was at TLU and like there is for so many people that go to PTS. I look around the chapel, recognize many people by face or even by name, but can only find one, two, or at the most three people that I could really call my friend. It has been disconsolating for me at times, causing me to disconnect from worship. My classes are wonderful and I am blessed that I have yet to find myself in a position where I feel like I am fighting against the other people in my class for a grade, but I don't really have a group of friends to sit with during lecture, or a group to study with or commiserate over paper assignments. 

Really, with the exception of a handful of people I truly have connected with, the only time I feel integrated into any part of the PTS community is during The Well, the tuesday night praise and worship service. I look forward to it every week, and last semester when I was unable to attend because of scheduling conflicts, it really messed me up spiritually. It is my one corporate worship outlet where I get to really let loose and worship. No one there looks at me funny for bouncing while I sing REALLY loud (or at least they do it behind my back), and after I get to talk to people and fellowship with other students. It's been wonderful. 

But my true time of fellowship and community growth is TOT. I love the people that come to it, and I love the close friendships that have grown out of it. The youngest guy that comes is a great guy who tries to play it off like he just comes to drink and hang out, but he is one of the deepest-thinking people I know and always brings wonderful insight to the discussion. One of the couples has not been able to come recently because they just had a baby, but I loved having them because I felt like we fed off each others' energy and made the discussions even more fun. Another of the couples is made up of good ole southern folk like me, so we end up making fun of our roots a lot and can talk about the same struggles in the church growing up. And the last couple have become some of our best friends because they're Cowboys fans, so we spend a lot of time outside of TOT watching football together. 

I've absolutely loved our time together, and cannot wait to see how else we grow together in the future. 

Well, that's all for now! Good day! Good night! Good bye!

You stay classy, World Wide Web!

-wes and jess