My days as a fan of the Philadelphia Phillies began, sitting in front of the TV, beside Grandpa Sloat, when Art Mahaffey was the ace of the pitching staff...so what? 1961? 57 years ago?
For the most part, rooting for the Phils is an exercise in self-flagellation.
A few years back, the Phils became the first professional sports organization to pass the 10,000 loss mark and, they're still setting that standard, achieving nearly 100 losses in each of the last few years.
So, the Phillies' fan community was abuzz, in the off season, when the team hired 42 year-old Gabe Kapler as its new manager.
Kapler is young and has virtually no managerial experience and was unknown to most fans despite a fairly long, yet undistinguished, career as a major league player.
However, as soon as Kapler began giving interviews to the press, particularly on TV and radio, it became clear why he was hired. And, optimism about the team's future skyrocketed.
The man can talk. And, he can cast a vision! He can inspire hope.
As opening day approached, it was common, in the world of Phillie Phandom, to hear experts predict that the team, which went 66-96 in 2017, would have wins in the mid 80s and complete for a playoff spot.
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I, however, am a person of the Churches of God, General Conference.
I'm accustomed to hearing good, and even radical, talk. I've heard world-class vision cast many times...
...and, I've learned that talk doesn't, by any means, necessarily, equate to walk.
For two reasons:
1. People sometimes talk pretty without any intention of doing pretty.
2. People are sometimes incompetent to execute their pretty talk.
So, Gabe's talk left me unconvinced.
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Five games into the season, I'm seeing CGGC-type results from Gabe Kapler's leadership.
The team is in the cellar and is competing for the distinction of having the worst record in major league baseball AND the majority of the losses are being blamed directly on Gabe's managerial decisions...
...despite the fact that it is universally agreed that the Phillies have better players, by far, than they had, at this time, last season.
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As I've been walking in the Spirit, the most recent urgency I'm picking up, is that it is what a person of Christ does, is the only thing that ultimately matters.
After Paul says, in Ephesians 2:8-9, that it is by grace we are saved, through faith, he says, in verse 10,
"For we are God's handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do."
Jesus's Sheep and Goats teaching makes it clear that He will reject everyone who doesn't actually do exceptional acts of mercy.
In the CGGC, we are talkers...
...really good talkers...
...better talkers in the past decade or so than we have ever been.
Yet, the Lord of all authority and power and grace and mercy and blessing is not blessing us.
We need to worry more about what we do...
...and less, far less, about how well we talk our talk.
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Here's to wishing that both Gabe, and we, DO better.
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