Recently a group of us went to a Marlins game together.  I had gotten a call from their marketing people saying that they had a “faith and family” night, and so a group of us braved the traffic to downtown Miami during rush hour (not the textbook time to drive to Miami), and ate Casola’s pizza (a sort of historical pizza place in Miami, and a favorite for working guys; it’s always packed at lunch time).  Anyway, we had a great time.  And the Marlins won!  If we were good luck charms, they should have invited us way earlier!

I read something yesterday that blew my mind.  Not about our church and not about the Marlins, but about professional baseball.  While watching the game last week, Janice and I had wondered about how they could get the close-up cameras onto the field like they do in football.  We couldn’t figure it out.  But it turns out others have been working on alternatives.

A couple of weeks ago now, a guy by the name of Kiké Hernández made an error at third base.  A ball came to him, it hit his bare hand, he flubbed it a little, eventually grabbing it and threw the ball to first base, but too late to get the runner out.

You know WHY he messed up?  He was being interviewed for a radio show!  On the field!  While he was playing.  And the league?  They are the ones promoting it!  To the tune of $10k for regular games, and $15 large for post-season games!  Have you counted the exclamation points here!?  What could go wrong with that?  For instance, it’s the fourth game of the World Series, there’s a full count, bottom of the ninth, the pitcher is aiming the ball in his head, mindful of the 15 second clock winding down on the side, when through his earphone he hears Gomer Pyle asking him “how ya feelin’?’  Oh wait, that’s what happened to ol’ Kiké.  He was on the phone when the ball came his way!  Who could possibly think you will get the best performance from an athlete while they are involved in a conversation with somebody elsewhere?  How about this example. Tiger Woods is about to tee off, the crowd is hushed, the announcers are whispering little nothings, and over Tiger’s headphones someone asks “how’s your love life?”  What could go wrong with that?!

We live with a lot of distractions.  It’s against the law to drive distracted, but distractions bombard us whether we are driving, working, studying, or anything.  Those distractions affect our work and even our conversations.  If Janice had a dime for every time I have asked her to repeat her last sentence, she’d be a rich woman.  I create my own distractions, never mind putting another conversation in my earpiece.

I think we often talk to God distracted.  We only say short prayers because, if we elaborate with Him, we end up thinking about something else, and “Squirrel!” we’re off thinking about something else, and have to apologize to the Lord when we eventually come back.  We need to work at having less distractions, and hence focusing on what is before us.  All conversations are important, and whether with God or with other people, they deserve our full attention.  Just like the game deserves Kiké’s, or anybody else’s carrying on a conversation on the field for an extra $10,000.00.

I’m sorry, what was I saying…?

The Reverend Craig Nelson

All hard work brings a profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty.  Proverbs 14:23