BASEBALL NEWS/GOOD NEWS NO ONE IS TOLD ABOUT
If you tuned in the 2021 World Series between the Houston Astros and Atlanta Braves Sunday night you saw the guy who was at the plate was longtime MLB umpire Ted Barrett. I should clarify he was the one behind the plate working his fifth World Series with screaming fans evaluating his every call.
What you probably did not know was Barrett earned a doctorate in theology from Trinity Seminary and is the co-founder of Calling for Christ, a ministry specifically aimed at umpires. The organization hosts an annual retreat and cares for the spiritual needs of umpires during the season. Barrett has seen umpires come with no faith background and become believers. Others may have drifted away from God and CFC helps make their faith a priority again.
Barrett’s mission keeps God as priority No. 1. “I looked up to major league umpires so much,” he said. “I wanted to be them, I wanted to be accepted by them, I wanted to be loved by them, I wanted them to say, ‘You’re one of us,’ and so many times I wouldn’t take my stand for God when I needed to. And God showed me that you’ve got to go all in. ‘You’re either going to follow me or you’re not. You can’t have one foot in the umpire world and one foot in My world. It’s got to be all Me’ … And finally, I surrendered. Then God said, ‘I put you as an umpire for a reason. I want you in ministry, but as an umpire.’”
The man calling the shots behind home plate of America’s biggest baseball series of the year knows that his worth lies beyond the diamond. “Anything we accumulate, it doesn’t mean anything,” he said. “It’s all about Jesus. He’s got me looking toward eternity. Like the Israelites who wandered in the desert for 40 years before entering the promised land, I feel like we’re just wandering on this earth through the desert until we get to Heaven.” For Barrett, wandering the earth includes a baseball field.
Dr. Michael Sprague is the Louisiana State Chaplain with the Capitol Commission and President of Grace Adventures. Michael does life with his wonderful wife Donna and resides in Mandeville, LA. His motto is “Bet the Farm on God.” You can find more information about Michael here.
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