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WORKING FROM THE STRETCH Imagine you have been granted access to an Atlanta Braves workout. You want to see how the top pitcher of the 1990's, Greg Maddux practices before his next game. Maddux's ERA for the 1990's was an incredible 2.54. That is not a typo. Maddux's ERA for this past decade trails only Hoyt Wilhelm (2.16 ERA in the 1960s) and Sandy Koufax (2.36 ERA in the 60s) as the best results baseball has seen since the 1910s. You take your seat and begin to observe the pitcher loosen up and begin to throw. After a few moments you realize that there is something different about the pitcher's routine. While most pitchers warm-up using their full wind-up, Maddux throws most of his pitches from the stretch. Other pitchers use their full wind-up for most of their throws until the pitching coach directs them to throw from the stretch. You call the perennial All-Star over and ask him why he practices mostly from the stretch. Maddux replies just as he once told pitching coach, Leo Mazzone, "The way I figure it, I'm going to have to make my best pitches out of the stretch." Maddux practices for the toughest times. He realizes that he has to be at his best when the pressure is on. With runners on base, Maddux is more prepared than other pitchers to deliver his best pitch. As followers of Jesus Christ, this principle is equally true. You must prepare for the pressure situations of life. Are you prepared for tough times? Do you practice in anticipation that in this life there is pressure you will face? There are trials of many kinds that you face. How do prepare for these challenging times? Jesus taught that the storms of life would come. He taught that the person who hears his words and puts them into practice is prepared for the harsh realities of life. The person who hears the words of Jesus and doesn't put them into practice finds his world crashing around him. Jesus said, "Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash." Matthew 7:24-27 Those words concluded Jesus' message known as the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew Chapters 5-7). If you want to stretch your faith, take time today to read that message of Jesus. Take his teaching to heart. Put his instruction into practice. You will find yourself ready when the pressure is on. Christ my Coach, Steve Teel Copyright c. 2000 Steven Lloyd Teel |