Baseball season is in full swing but my son’s batting average has dropped to .294. 
He’s pretty bummed, but it’s teaching him the importance of attitude and gratitude (and hopefully not bratitutde). I’m hoping that sports would teach him how to win graciously and lose graciously…
Someone recently forwarded me the April 1, 2008 David Brooks’ NY Times Op-Ed piece entitled, “Pitching With Purpose,” where he writes about H. A. Dorfman’s book, The Mental ABC’s of Pitching. Here are a few interesting quotes from the article and my comments:
“…you can’t just urge someone to be disciplined; you have to build a structure of behavior and attitude. Behavior shapes thought. If a player disciplines his behavior, then he will also discipline his mind.”
“If a pitcher doesn’t actually feel this way when he enters a game, Dorfman asks him to pretend. If your body impersonates an attitude long enough, then the mind begins to adopt it.”
We’ve heard the adage “Mind over body” before, but Dorfman seems to suggest that it can be “Body over mind” as well. I found this to be increasingly important in this feelings-driven culture — there are times when in the very act of doing something loving, I begin to increase in feeling love. So instead of waiting for the warm, fuzzy feeling to lead you to serve others, maybe just getting up and serving would warm your soul…
The article also noted an aspect of pitching that I can apply to preaching:
“A pitcher shouldn’t judge himself by how the batters hit his pitches, but instead by whether he threw the pitch he wanted to throw.”
In other words, the pitcher should be evaluated by how many pitches were actually executed (e.g., 50 pitches out of 73, instead of 3 runs in 9 innings). Here’s the connection to preachers (with a changeup): The preacher shouldn’t judge himself by how many people hit home with the message, but rather, by whether or not he communicated the Word of God as he should have. This is comforting, especially for those Sundays when no one makes a life-transforming decision after your sermon. But it is also discomforting since even if there were 100’s of decisions made, if you didn’t preach as you should have (in truth & love before God), then you’ve struck out…
Hi Pastor Jonathan,
I was looking forward to your posting on mind/body, and I like the connection you made to Christian life. yeah, many psychology studies also show that depressed people who force themselves to smile also begin to feel more happy inside as well. in ed psychology, we also see how often times, children learn by doing things.. it’s just interesting how being and doing are much interrelated. I am reminded of James’ statement of how faith needs to be accompanied by action.
Hi Robolai,
This reminds me of our recent Daily Devotional in Deut. 6:5 “Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.” Even in this greatest commandment, there is a connection between heart (feeling), soul, and strength (doing). It’s my prayer that Waypoint Community Church would experience the joys of giving all our heart, soul, and strength to loving God!
P.Jonathan