Your Voice

Remembering Hank Aaron

As a 16-year-old boy growing up in Atlanta, Georgia, I had a dream job; I was a [visiting team] bat boy for the Atlanta Braves.

One day, I arrived at the stadium and realized I had left my baseball cleats at home. I took the tunnel over to the Braves clubhouse. I found the Braves bat boy, who was a friend. I asked if he had an extra pair of cleats I could borrow. He offered me his spare pair. But they were size 8, too small for me. “I need a pair of 10s,” I said.

Someone was standing behind us, overheard our conversation and said, “I have a pair of 10s you can borrow.”

It was Hank Aaron! He took me over to his locker and loaned me a pair of his shoes to wear for the game that night.

I like to tell people, “I can fill Hank Aaron’s shoes!” I did … one night … for about four hours. After the game, I shined them and took them back.

To this day, it remains one of my best memories. He did not have to do that, but he did. He probably knew what it would mean to me.

The night I wore Hank Aaron’s shoes was a rare glimpse of an extraordinary man. It was a very private moment, not witnessed by fans or reporters. It was a genuine act of kindness.

We live in a world filled with acts that are often anything but kind. Although Hank Aaron is admired and honored today, he suffered countless acts of unkindness and bigotry.

But I saw with my own eyes the man behind the legend. I saw a celebrated, legendary black athlete demonstrate an unheralded act of kindness to a young, white teenager.

Today I pay tribute to Hank Aaron, the man as well as the legend. Be like Hank; be kind!

—Mark Tolbert

 (Read Tolbert’s full tribute at tabonline.org/hank.)

God Provides

“But my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus” (Phil. 4:19).

For many years I have preached this verse, and many times over, God has proven Himself faithful.

[Recently], as I wrote my tithe check, I prayed this verse. We knew we had a [sewer] plumbing problem but not to this magnitude.

I thanked God for His provisions and the opportunity to financially support His work each week. I closed my prayer with “whatever happens this week, I will praise You and trust You to provide.”

God answered that prayer in a way I did not see coming.

The final bill for sewer repair was $1,100. My youngest son walks in, hands me a wad of cash and said, “Dad, I was asked to bring this to you and tell you it’s from friends who love you.”

As I counted the cash, my eyes began to flow with tears. In my hand was $1,100.

God doesn’t always foot the bill in this manner, but He certainly knocked me off my feet today!

Pastor Tommy Strickland
Ridgeview Baptist Church, Talladega

(Read the story of the Strickland’s “chouse” at tabonline.org/chouse.)

Letters to the Editor

In response to the findings from Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey’s Gambling Study Group (reported in the Jan. 14 issue of The Alabama Baptist), the group’s report ignores reality.

Copious research demonstrates that the poorest elements of society are those most damaged by playing the lottery.

Many, perhaps most, of Alabama’s legislators would claim to be Christians. The word of God speaks clearly to this issue: Whoever works his land will have plenty of bread, but he who chases fantasies has a needy heart. (Prov. 12:11 from the Masoretic text of the Old Testament).

The lottery is the ultimate fantasy and those promoting it are also chasing a fantasy!

Tom Fillinger
Cullman, Ala.
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“Irresponsibility with information unravels the impact of a Christian’s witness.”

Mary Jo Sharp
Christian apologist and author

Christian churches resolve to be places focused on the truth. Yet half of pastors hear the spread of assumptions about [conspiracy theories] often. This is a startling disconnect.

Scott McConnell
Executive director, LifeWay Research

When difficult times come now, I try to remember the lesson I learned as a child — focus on the simple things because they are truly the best things. It doesn’t make the difficulties disappear, but it does change my perspective so I can deal with them in better ways.

… “If anything is excellent or praiseworthy — think about such things” (Phil. 4:8b).

Amy Hacker
theropetab.com

I believe the key word for churches in 2021 is: Rebuild. Pastors, church leaders and leaders of our Baptist bodies around the world will have to start rebuilding, day by day and inch by inch.

We have seen flexibility and agility become imperative for effectiveness over these past months. While maintaining this attitude and practice, each of us will need to rethink progress and growth. Rebuilding requires us to begin where we are and start again.

Ronnie Floyd
President and CEO, SBC Executive Committee

Faithful financial stewardship is one channel through which all of us can serve God at some level. That being so, we do well to recall that Psalm 100:2 admonishes, “Serve the Lord with gladness.”

Jerry Batson
Theology 101, Jan. 28, 2020
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From the Twitterverse

@kyleworley
The gospel makes dead people alive. And then after that… It makes bad people better. These two things aren’t mutually exclusive: The gospel that justifies is the gospel that sanctifies.

@BarnabasPiper
If you get behind in your Bible reading plan this year, don’t quit. Just make it a read through the Bible in 14 or 18 or 20 months. There’s nothing magical about finishing in a year. There is something *incredible* about reading the whole Bible.

@dailyspurgeon
He does not save us because we are righteous but because He is gracious. He will not deliver us because there is something good in us but because there is everything good in Himself.

@scottdawson
It is time for the Church to rise. Jesus saves. Bodies healed. Marriages restored. Addictions removed. The past filled with forgiveness. The present filled with peace. The future filled with Hope. Jesus changes EVERYTHING.

@RevKevDeYoung
The difference between heaven and earth is not that God is sovereign over one and not the other. The difference is that every command is fulfilled with cheerful obedience in heaven and that is not the case on earth. (Matthew 6:10)

@newsomblake
I’m growing more and more concerned about what I’m observing in the habits and practices of Christian leaders on social media: that we as leaders are losing our pursuit of God in the pursuit of social media friends, follows and fandom. Lord help us!

@newheightsky
It is not enough to know facts about Jesus. You must willingly repent of your sins and trust in Jesus. @PSChadBurdette

@EdLitton
To do the work of mercy today, you must see how much you need mercy today.

@challies
“It is not enough for the preacher to declare to all men that God loves them — the preacher must love them too if he would make them believe in the divine love for them.” (J.R. Miller)

@vancepitman
No man is greater than his prayer life. — Leonard Ravenhill #deeplyconvicting #prayer #ouch