Pujols by Scott Lamb

Author:Scott Lamb
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: ebook, book
Publisher: Thomas Nelson Inc.
Published: 2011-02-07T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 17

YOU WILL BE MY WITNESSES

Baseball is simply my platform to elevate Jesus Christ, my Lord and Savior.

—Albert Pujols

Jordan Henderson was a sixteen-year-old who brimmed with baseball ability and college aspirations. But in July of 2007, the teen from Tennessee died in a car wreck. His parents, Doris and Ken Frizzell, grieved and wept as any parent would do in the face of such loss.

In making funeral preparations for Jordan, a folded and worn piece of paper was pulled from his wallet. It was a “My Story” feature about Albert Pujols, clipped from Sharing the Victory, a magazine produced by the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. In just a few paragraphs, Pujols explains why his relationship with God is “more important than anything I could ever do in baseball.” He appeals to readers to “accept Him as your Lord and Savior, and you will have eternal life and peace here on Earth.”

The local paper, the Daily News Journal, reported that a thousand copies of the Pujols piece were distributed at Henderson’s funeral. Word about the story got around, and Todd Perry made a few phone calls. Doris and Ken were brought to a Cardinals game and showered with love by Albert and Dee Dee.

The following year, the entire team for which Jordan had played was brought to Busch Stadium for a special day on the field, touring the clubhouse, and watching the game from the owner’s suite. The Daily News Journal story said that the team “joined Pujols, the Frizzells and Riverdale parent Greg Hart outside the Cardinals locker room for a prayer.”

“Make sure that you stand up for Christ,” Pujols said that night. “If you look at the whole picture, hopefully some of these kids take [Jordan’s life] as an example. Our lives are so short.”

As followers of Christ, Albert and Dee Dee seek to obey him in the commissioning that he spoke to his disciples before ascending into heaven:

All authority in heaven and earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age. (Matthew 28:18–20)

And again:

You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth. (Acts 1:8)

Jesus’ command is straightforward and simple—share the good news of Christ with everyone. Or, as it was once well said, “Evangelism is just one beggar telling another beggar where to find bread.”

Every Christian is to be a witness for Christ. When Albert and Dee Dee share Christ, they are not doing something reserved only for the so-called celebrities of the faith. However, it is also true that Pujols’ baseball prowess supplies him with the incredible opportunity to “find bread” with huge numbers of people. Telling others about Jesus is a stewardship and responsibility embraced by the Pujolses.

Even mainstream journalists stop and take note of the centrality of Christianity in Pujols’ life.

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