Shepherds After My Own Heart

Posted on October 14, 2014 by Jason

A few years ago, a read a great book by Timothy Laniak entitled, “Shepherds After My Own Heart.” It’s an overview of the pastoral tradition found in the Bible. I re-read the introduction tonight and I was struck by the following passage. I wanted to post it here so I could easily access it for use in a later sermon:

The apostle Paul assumed shepherds were among the Lord’s gifts to the church: “It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors (shepherds) and teachers” (Eph. 4:11). The pastoral role was central to the ongoing life of local churches in the Christian movement, just as it is today. Still, the biblical background of this pastoral language, especially in the OT, has been largely unexplored.

The title of this book comes from Jeremiah, one of several prophets who frequently applied the shepherd designation to Israel’s leaders. Through Jeremiah God promises, “I will give you shepherds after my own heart who will lead you with knowledge and understanding,” (Jer. 3:15). On the eve of the destruction of ancient Israel, the prophet was painfully aware that God’s chosen people had been misled by self-serving shepherd leaders. They were abused and abandoned not just by their kings, but also by their prophets and priests. The promise in this verse summarizes much of what will surface throughout our investigation. It illustrates what we will call a “divine preference for human agency.” The God of Scripture chooses regularly to engage humans in the tasks of leadership. Appointment by God implies calling, stewardship, and accountability.

This short promise also speaks of a capacity to care for God’s flock with self-sacrificing diligence and compassion. It is not just “heart”, however, but “after my own heart” that matters. A good shepherd is one who sees what the Owner sees and does what the Owner does. He is a follower before he is a leader. He is a leader because he is a follower. The shepherds whom God judges in the Bible are those who forget that the people in their care are not their own.

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Set My Rhythm

Posted on October 13, 2014 by Jason

I ran across this old post tonight while reading through my blog. I originally wrote this over five years ago, in September of 2009. Remembering Miss Kay tonight and “the pulsating meter of True love” to which she marched.

Jason's avataralready & not yet

A couple of months ago, God brought someone very special into my life. Out of respect for her privacy, I’ll just call her “Miss Kay”. Miss Kay is a sweet Christian lady who because of health issues is unable to be a part of her church community in the ways she would like. Specifically, she’s unable to get out and be a part of her church’s times of worship and fellowship. Since she’s at home most Sundays, she watches our church’s televised devotional program. She’s seen me on there several times when I’m filling in for our Senior Minister. A few months back, Miss Kay wrote me a sweet email to let me know how much the program meant to her. Over the past several months, we’ve become cyber pen pals. This summer, Miss Kay found me on Facebook and that’s helped us stay in contact even more frequently.

Miss…

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MLB Thoughts: October 9

Posted on October 10, 2014 by Jason

As of this writing, the Royals are leading the O’s 5-1 in the fifth of Game 1 of the ALCS. I’ve said it already, but it’s really refreshing to see these young, hungry clubs vying for the AL pennant. Tonight we’ve seen why these teams are the final clubs standing in the Junior Circuit. Nick Markakis has hit the ball hard every time he’s come to the plate. Alex Gordon’s defense and clutch hitting make him one of the most valuable players in the league. James Shields’ velocity isn’t what it once was, but he’s shown a veteran ability to pitch out of jams throughout this postseason. And — while I was writing the last sentence — Nelson Cruz’s torrid bat has carried over into October once again. I love it.

So here’s my prediction: Baltimore in 6. Now, I’ll be rooting like crazy for Kansas City to win, but my gut tells me Baltimore — the better club by 7 games over 162 — will prevail in this series. With power hitting at a premium in this new era of pitching and defense, I have to give a slight edge to the power bats that are sprinkled throughout the Baltimore lineup. Sure, the loss of Chris Davis and Matt Wieters makes this lineup look a lot less scary, but you can’t forget about Adam Jones, Cruz, Steve Pearce, and JJ Hardy, each of whom offers more pop than anyone in the Royals lineup. That’s a fearsome foursome that can put a charge in a ball at anytime — which is an increasingly rare skill in Major League Baseball these days. (Incidentally, that’s also why I’m slightly worried all the young power hitters the Cubs are stockpiling right now. But that’s a post for another time.)

In a series devoid of dominant starters, you have to look at the O’s power as the difference maker in the series. I’d love to be wrong, but that’s my pick.

As far as the National League goes, it’s hard to be objective. But here goes. I can objectively say that this Cardinal team is NOT the best one in recent memory. The sticks haven’t really gotten on a roll all year long. As epically good as they were with runners in scoring position last season, they’ve been merely average this year. The rotation has dealt with injuries to Michael Wacha, Jamie Garcia, and Joe Kelly. On top of that, Adam Wainwright is currently dealing with “dead arm.” The lefty relievers have been a mess. And yet, here we are again, LCS bound for the fourth straight year. I’ve watched or listened to the Cards most every night this summer and I can honestly say this team is playing its best ball when it matters most.

San Francisco, on the other hand, had the best record in baseball at the end of May. At 37-20, the Giants played .649 ball for the first two months of the season. Over the next four months, the Giants were three games under, making the playoffs with the fifth-best record in the league. But baseball’s current postseason format rewards October hot streaks and the Giants — who have been to three of the last five NLCS’s in their own right — have taken full advantage. With Madison Bumgarner, Jake Peavy, and Tim Hudson, the Giants boast a deeper rotation than the Cards, and that might be the difference maker in this series. But in Waino bounces back from his recent dead arm issues, St. Louis has more than a fighting chance. I’m going with my heart with this one. I’m picking St. Louis in 7 in what will go down as a classic, back-and-forth NLCS.

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Children and the Expectation of Leadership

Posted on October 9, 2014 by Jason

“What’s next?”

“What are we doing tonight, Dad?”

“What’s the game plan for tomorrow?”

Not only do our children expect leadership. They need it.

Not only do our children expect leadership. They need it.

So we’re on vacation this week. All week long, the kids have been full of questions. To a certain degree, this is par for the course. Given their ages, they’re always asking all kinds of questions. But I’ve noticed that they have repeatedly been asking us about our plans: where are we going next, what are we doing tomorrow, what time will get there…you get the idea.

Again, part of this is par for the course. But I can’t help but think that there’s something deeper at work here. I hear in these questions an expectation: an expectation of leadership. I think this is a point that’s easily lost on us as parents today. It’s easy nowadays to equate good parenting with worrying: Should we get immunization shots? Is he being a picky eater? Is my child being bullied? How much pressure do we put on her to get good grades? What about sports? Should we check their Halloween candy before they eat it? Parenting discourse too often digresses to a cul-de-sac of anxiety and fear — and we assume that good parenting means worrying ourselves into a frenzy over these things (and a host of others that I didn’t even mention).

But what about leadership? How often is good parenting equated with leadership? Not often enough in my book. But it’s embedded right there in the questions my kids have been pestering me with all week. Our children live with an expectation of leadership, an expectation that the grown ups will set the vision and direction for the family. Look, if you’re a parent that worries endlessly over your children, I doubt there’s anything I could say that would change that. In fact, you may have plenty of good reasons for doing so. But if that’s the case, don’t forget to also set the pace of leadership for your family. I’ve found that intentional direction is one of the great counters to worry in my own life, particularly when it comes to parenting.

Not only do our children expect leadership from us. Deep down, they know they need it. I’ve heard it said many times: our children have plenty of friends, but they only have one set of parents. The underlying truth of this statement seems aimed at encouraging us to readily accept our unique role as parents in the lives of our children. I love the relationship I have with my children. I love being around them; I love laughing with them and cutting up with them and talking with them. But in addition to all of this, I have to always keep in mind that I’m called to fill a unique role in their lives. For a brief period of time, I’m called to be the voice of leadership in their lives. No pressure, Dad, but according to God, yours is the voice that will most greatly impact their understanding of His voice. Is your leadership a model of Divine leadership?

I’ll be the first to admit that I’m not an All-Star Dad; far from it. But if we get anything right, it’s when we seek to be intentional in our parenting. Good leaders are intentional. Good leaders have given thought to the vision of the organization — or the organism, as in the case of the family. Good leaders chart a course to lead others to arrive at the goal, the destination. The same is true for parenting.

A case needs to be made for greater intentionality for those of us who would take up the holy and awesome task of parenting. This is the kind of leadership our children need and deserve.

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MLB Thoughts: October 8

Posted on October 8, 2014 by Jason

After a thrilling LDS round of play, the League Championship Series are set to begin this weekend. I know baseball takes its lumps these days for several issues: pace of game, length of season, the residual disenchantment with the steroid era. But I think this early round of postseason action has been powerful to remind even the casual fan of the excitement of October baseball. Lots of close games being decided late so far; here’s hoping for a few more weeks of it.

I love the matchup over in the American League: the HR-prolific Orioles and the punch-and-judy Royals. These are proud franchises with rich history…and not much recent success. But it’s refreshing to see some fresh faces over in the Junior Circuit’s Championship Series. Buck Showalter deserves a ton of credit for the way he’s managed this club this season. Injuries are a threat to every club, but the O’s have lost more than their fair share of premium talent this season. Yet, Buck’s expectation for these players has never changed. He brought a level of professionalism to the Baltimore clubhouse that has now become part of the culture. The O’s are going to play the game the right way, they’re going to play hard, and for second time in three years, they’re playing in October.

Then there’s Kansas City. Two years ago, GM Dayton Moore went for it, dealing away super prospects Wil Myers and Jake Odorizzi for Tampa ace James Shields and young starter Wade Davis. Shields immediately gave the Royals a legitimate #1 starter and the thought was that Davis could emerge as another viable rotation option. Two years later, Shields is the starter Ned Yost turns to when the Royals need a win and Davis has become the American League’s premier 8th inning setup man. Elite speed, defense, and contact hitting carried the Royals through the regular season and they’ve replicated the recipe here in October.

I’m expecting a great ALCS from these two clubs. The best part is that one of these teams will represent the AL in the World Series after years of languishing in mediocrity. If you had a mind to argue that revenue sharing has led to a new era of parity in baseball — with more clubs locking up their young stars at an earlier age — this ALCS could be Exhibit A.

Of course, the counter to all of that would be the matchup in the National League, where the Cardinals are headed to their fourth straight LCS and the Giants find themselves here for the third time in the last five years. Either this parity stuff is a bunch of malarkey or these are two extremely well run franchises. I vote for the latter. Brian Sabean and Bruce Bochy give the Giants steady leadership in the front office and the dugout. Sabean consistently brings in veteran help (Tim Hudson, Jake Peavy, Hunter Pence, Marco Scutaro) to augment the young homegrown core of Posey, Sandoval, Bumgarner, Cain, and Lincecum. And Bochy is as sharp a tactician as you’re likely to find in the game today. It’s hard to pick against them in a short series, given their recent success.

But the St. Louis Cardinals are the only team in the major leagues that can match San Fransisco’s run the last few years. Manager Mike Matheny has seamlessly filled the void left by Hall of Fame manager Tony LaRussa’s retirement after the 2011 title run. Matheny once again has his club playing in the League Championship Series; in fact, he’s a perfect three for three in this regard. Although this iteration of the Cardinals may not be the best club in recent history, the Redbirds are playing their best baseball when it counts the most. After playing inconsistent baseball for the season’s first five months, St. Louis put it all together in September. Coincidentally, the Cards hot streak aligned with the healthy return of C Yadier Molina, the heart and soul of the club.

As with the AL, I’m expecting an exciting Championship Series over in the NL as well. Predictions to come tomorrow.

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MLB Thoughts: October 3

Posted on October 3, 2014 by Jason

The Dodgers and Giants have dominated the NL West this season. For a period of time, the Giants had the best record in the game. Since mid-summer, the Giants have only been a couple of games above .500. But they played well against the Pirates and have made their way to the NLDS to face off against the Nationals. We know they’re a veteran, battle-tested team. Without Matt Cain I don’t know if they’ll have the pitching to contend, but with two championships the last four seasons, you can’t count them out.

I hate that the Cardinals have to play the Dodgers, because I think they have the horses to win the whole thing. Clayton Kershaw has been absolutely lights out this season, winning 21 games while missing a month in the early going and pitching to the tune of a 1.77 ERA. Under normal circumstances, I tend to agree with the position-player-as-MVP argument. But if I had a vote this season, I’d cast it in favor of Kershaw. Andrew McCutchen had his typically all-around excellent season. Giancarlo Stanton established himself as the preeminent slugger in the National League, too. But Kershaw is in the midst of the best run any NL pitcher has enjoyed since…yes, Sandy Koufax. The comparisons are apt, folks. He’s that good and he deserves both the Cy Young and the MVP in the National League.

While I’m at it, I’d also cast a vote for Billy Hamilton as the NL Rookie of the Year. This year’s crop of rookies is a bit underwhelming, but Hamilton has played every day, he was second in the league in steals, and his defense in center improved.

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MLB Thoughts: Sept. 28

Posted on September 28, 2014 by Jason

As a Cardinal fan, I’ve followed the NL Central closely all season. Most Cards fans have been frustrated by this club’s lack of consistency all year. Last year’s team thrived by hitting an all-time best .330 with runners in scoring position. Though we all knew that rate was unsustainable, I don’t think anybody expected the offense to tail off to this level. The ’14 Birds never quite found a replacement for Carlos Beltran’s powerful bat. In addition, Allen Craig was either injured or ineffective (or both) and 3B / leadoff hitter Matt Carpenter came back to earth a bit after a monster campaign last year. All of which contributed to a lackluster attack that finished last in the National League in home runs.

In and of itself, that’s not a huge deal. The Cardinal clubs I grew up watching were similarly punchless, save for Jack Clark’s prodigious power. But unlike the Cardinal clubs of the 1980s, these Redbirds don’t burn up the basepaths. 57 regular season stolen bases put the Cards at 28th in the majors; Dodgers 2B Dee Gordon had 7 more steals by himself. Which means the Cardinals have to go back to their RISP ways of 2013. In the second half, only Matt Holliday (14 HR, 45 RBI) and John Jay (.323 average) have sustained lengthy hot streaks. The Cards have to hope that the other regulars follow suit.

The Cards pitching has been a bit up and down all year, too. Michael Wacha looked like an ace early on, but an odd injury cost him over three months on the disabled list. Who knows what he’ll be able to give St. Louis in the postseason? Kevin Siegrist, a key part of last year’s pen, carries an ERA north of 13.00 in the 2nd half. And former closer Jason Motte has struggled to find consistency all season. Thankfully, a few of the arms have helped stabilize things. Adam Wainwright matches up with any starter in the league, Clayton Kershaw included. And when will the rest of the league recognize Lance Lynn as a legit #2? In 89IP in the 2nd half, Lynn has posted a 2.22 ERA. In that same time span, Shelby Miller has notched a 2.92 ERA. If John Lackey works through his current hiccups, the Cards have four solid arms in their rotation. The key will be how well the bats hit Kershaw in the NLDS.

Over in Pittsburgh, the Pirates are headed to the October tournament for the second straight year, carried by a deep lineup and a solid pitching staff. No one means more to the Pirates than reigning NL MVP Adam McCutchen. Thanks to a .314 / 25 / 83 campaign, McCutchen might be well on his way to an MVP repeat. (If not for an August injury that cost him 2 weeks, it might not even be close.) Starling Marte, Russell Martin, and Neil Walker also contributed to an attack that ranks fourth in the league in runs scored. But the X Factor for Pittsburgh this season has been the play of All Star utility man Josh Harrison. After hitting .250 in 88 ABs last season, Harrison forced himself into manager Clint Hurdle’s everyday lineup, hitting .315 over 520 ABs, finishing 2nd in the league in batting, and fortifying the club by playing five different positions.

In Jared Hughes, Tony Watson, and closer Mark Melancon, the Pirates have over 200 IPs of sub-2.00 ERA at the back end of their bullpen. With such weapons available late, the Bucs can survive a pedestrian rotation that lacks a true #1 or even a 200 IP workhorse. Gerritt Cole, Edinson Volquez, and Francisco Liriano may not strike fear in the hearts of opposing lineups, but if they can keep it close through six innings, they’ve done their job.

I’ll be rooting for Pittsburgh in the wild card game against San Fran. For a team that’s scrapped and clawed for every win the past two seasons, I’d like to see them make an October run.

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MLB Thoughts: Sept. 26

Posted on September 26, 2014 by Jason

Well, I promised to write about the National League after review the AL for most of the week. So I’ll do that. But I have to say: Jeter. This guy. What a perfect ending. Just perfect.

But seriously, you couldn’t script it any better, could you?

Over in the National League, the Washington Nationals stand as the #1 seed heading into next week’s postseason, largely due to the fact that they play in the worst division in baseball. (The rest of the clubs punching bags in this division will finish with a losing record.) Offensively, the Nats have received contributions up and down the lineup. Denard Span has been a spark at the top of the order. Injuries cut into the production of Ryan Zimmerman and Bryce Harper, but the rest of the Washington hitters picked up the slack. Anthony Rendon has blossomed into one of the best young hitters in the league this season, while Jayson Werth and Adam Laroche have provided steady veteran presence to a deep lineup. But the secret to the Nats’ success this year has been pitching. Washington leads the majors in ERA by a wide margin. It begins with a rotation of Stephen Strasburg, Jordan Zimmermann, Gio Gonzalez, Doug Fister, and Tanner Roark. Strasburg has been his usual dominant self this season, yet his 3.23 ERA ranks fourth among his fellow rotation mates. Doug Fister has been absolutely miserly on the mound, doling out a 1.08 WHIP and a 2.40 ERA. Roark has been a revelation, winning 15 games while throwing nearly 200 innings.

The bullpen has been nearly as good. Erstwhile closer Rafael Soriano has been temporary deposed (after saving 30 games over the season’s first five months), yet this deep group simply rolls with the punches. Drew Storen (a former closer himself) has filled in admirably for Soriano down the stretch and Tyler Clippard (another former closer) has held batters to a .190 batting average over 70 pressure packed innings. Lefty specialist Matt Thornton has been unhittable since coming over from the Yankees late. This abundance of riches has allowed manager Matt Williams to ease Rafael Soriano back into high leverage situations.

On paper, Washington looks like a team with few flaws. I think they might be poised to make a deep run in the NL playoffs.

Division foe Atlanta sits in an unfamiliar place of front office turnover. Earlier in the week, Braves GM Frank Wren was dismissed, this on the heels of a massively disappointing two month stretch for the team. Personally, I liked their deadline deals: adding Emilio Bonifacio and James Russell seemed like the right tweaks to keep Atlanta afloat in a tough divisional battle. Instead, the Braves imploded and Wren was held responsible. Granted, he made two of the more egregious front office blunders in recent memory when he committed major years and dollars to both Dan Uggla and B.J. Upton. But the Braves have also developed quite a few premium players during Wren’s tenure (Freeman, Heyward, Simmons, Medlen, Beachy, Minor, Teheran). This leaves the Braves with a lot of question marks heading into the offseason.

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MLB Thoughts: Sept. 25

Posted on September 25, 2014 by Jason

With only a few days left in the season, I’m going to take a crack at handicapping the AL Awards.

AL MVP

As I wrote earlier in the week, I think Trout finally wins his first MVP award this season. According to SI, Trout has slashed .352/.486/.741 in his last 17 games with 10 extra-base hits. You could make a case for what Victor Martinez has done this season in Detroit; and the same could be said for Michael Brantley in Cleveland and Nelson Cruz in Baltimore. In fact, Brantley might be the only player hotter than Trout lately (.436 batting average in September). But I think these guys are all vying for 2nd and 3rd place votes. This award is Trout’s, the first of many.

The incredible season of Jose Altuve deserves recognition as well. The diminutive Astros 2B leads the majors in batting average and base hits — a team record 222 hits (and counting) — while ranking 2nd in the big leagues with 56 stolen bases. At 24, Altuve looks poised to be the elder statesman of Houston’s youth movement. If you ask me, you’d be hard pressed to find a better building in the middle infield right now.

AL Cy Young

I’m going to say that if Chris Sale hadn’t spent a month on the disabled list this season, he’d be the runaway favorite for this award. The Pale Hose lefty limited batters to a .205 batting average and a 2.17 ERA, which is the best in the American League. Over 174 innings, Sale struck out a whopping 208 batters with a 0.97 WHIP. At 25, Sale could be the AL’s answer to Clayton Kershaw by this time next year. Check back in and we’ll see.

The only other AL pitcher to match Sale’s dominance this season is Mariners’ righty Felix Hernandez. In 230 innings, King Felix has a 2.34 ERA with 241 strikeouts and a 0.94 WHIP. In fact, if it weren’t for his last start (4 2/3 IP, 8 ER) which raised Hernandez’s ERA 27 points, this would be as easy as the MVP discussion. But Hernandez’s stinkbomb start in Toronto opens the door for another contender.

Indians’ ace Corey Kluber has been dominant this season: 17 wins, a 2.53 ERA with 258 strikeouts and a 1.10 WHIP in 227 innings pitched. If you didn’t see that coming, welcome to the club. Kluber was on quite a few sleeper lists developed by industry prognosticators this spring, but no one could have predicted he’d be this good this soon. His numbers look more comparable to Hernandez’s now, but in the end, I think the edge goes to King Felix and his sparkling 0.94 ratio.

AL Rookie of the Year

Jose Abreu basically put this award to bed in April. In my estimation, it’s always a little odd that MLB counts international imports as “rookies” on par with the 23 year old backup third baseman fresh off the bus from Pawtucket. But until the rules change, Abreu qualifies for the award and he should win in a landslide.

A pair of Yankee pitchers also deserve special mention. Masahiro Tanaka was pitching like an ace before his injury and he was the only realistic competition to Abreu for this award. It looks like Tanaka’s DL stint did the trick and that’s a good thing; I’d hate to see him become the latest casualty of Tommy John surgery this season. (Hasn’t it seemed like an epidemic this year?) Flame-throwing righty Dellin Betances became the most celebrated Yankee setup man since Joba Chamberlain (anybody remember the Joba Rules?).

I’ll turn my attention toward the National League tomorrow.

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MLB Thoughts: Sept. 24

Posted on September 24, 2014 by Jason

At the July 31 trade deadline, the Oakland A’s were 25 games above .500, scoring more than 5 runs per game, and cruising toward a date with October. Having already gone “all in” by dealing prized prospect Addison Russell to the Cubs in exchange for Jeff Samardzija and Jason Hammel, everyone expected the A’s to either make a minor bench pickup or stand pat.

Instead, GM Billy Beane sought to rectify a problem that didn’t exist. In so doing, he may have wrecked his club’s best chance at his long sought after championship.

LesterThe A’s “shocked the world” by dealing clean-up hitting and laser-throwing outfielder Yoenis Cespedes to Boston to net one of the prime arms on the trade market, lefty ace Jon Lester. The deal itself wasn’t shocking; anyone that follows the game knows Beane has a reputation for big name wheeling and dealing. No, it was the content of the trade that had most people scratching their heads. “The A’s dealt away Cespedes to acquire MORE pitching?” Suddenly the A’s lineup looked a lot less intimidating. But a foursome of Lester, Samardzija, Sonny Gray and Scott Kazmir looked to steamroll the competition all the way to a title.

Then the wheels came off the bus. The A’s stopped hitting altogether; since the trade, the A’s have averaged 3.5 runs per game. Oakland sits at 10 games below .500 for August and September. The bullpen took a hit with the injury of closer Sean Doolittle. And the industry is widely divided on whether or not the Lester deal was a good one or not. As for Lester himself, he’s doing his part. Since coming over, he and Samardzija have been every bit as good as advertised. But the A’s nosedive coincided with the Angels’ recent hot streak, putting Oakland in a tie with Kansas City for the Wild Card spots.

Which would render moot all that maneuvering to acquire a stable of starters for a deep October run.

It’ll all come down to one game.

At least we know who’ll probably be pitching for the A’s.

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