Our Stories
A Blast From the Past
By Aaron Soderlund | posted 06/14/2007
"You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness." (Ephesians 4:22-24)
Did you hear who's coming back to Seattle next week? Ken Griffey Jr. will be back as a Cincinnati Red to play against the Mariners for the first time since he left the Mariners in 2000. I'm hoping that you all remember 'Junior'. I grew up a baseball fan (as you already know) in the Seattle area which means that I grew up watching Harold Reynolds, Jay Buhner, Edgar Martinez, Alvin Davis, Dave Henderson, and many more. But none of those players quite matched the hype that Ken Griffey Jr. brought with him to Seattle in 1989. For 10 years we were awed at his speed, leaps, and amazing catches in centerfield. We remember him scoring from first base on Edgar's 11th inning hit against the Yankees in the playoffs in 1995. And his beaming smile from under the pile at home plate after he scored the winning run in that unforgettable series (photo on left). We remember his graceful left-handed swing that caused so many homeruns. But mostly we remember that when he came to the big leagues, we finally had a GREAT player on the Mariners.
As a Mariner fan, and as a citizen of Seattle, I am excited to see Ken back as he is a part of our past. But what is the appropriate way to welcome your past? I've heard the Mariner organization will be putting together a video tribute, etc. But he's still the 'enemy' as far as next week is concerned. It would be one thing if he was retired, but he's coming back to Seattle, not to say hello, but to do his part to beat us, the Mariners. Just how welcoming should we really be?
Not that I want to attempt to compare Junior to Satan, (Ken if you're reading this, please don't read too much into this) but I think that Satan has a way of resurfacing in our lives in a way that doesn't seem to be intrusive on the surface level. Like a conversation with a friend about an ex-girl/boyfriend that maybe you crossed some lines with. Or maybe it's telling stories about when you used to party and get drunk. And it's not that recalling instances is necessarily a bad thing. But how much of a welcoming should we give these times in our lives when we've gone against God's will for us. Just a simple conversation can bring back feelings and ideas that Satan wants us to remember. Because it's through these memories that we regain the feeling of when we were there. And once we've got the feeling back, that is when we're most vulnerable.
When Ken Griffey Jr. walks into Safeco Field with 45,000 people standing in ovation for him, memories will resurface for all of us. I know they will for me. The scoreboard will show clips of his spectacular moments as a Mariner to remind you, no doubt. And just as it does when we're recalling our stories of the times that we turned away from God, the memories and feelings will resurface. No matter how we look at it, when Griffey comes here next weekend, he is the enemy. He is here to beat us. Just as Satan does when he resurfaces, not to say hello, but to beat us and slowly break us down until he wins.
Our past is our past and it has made us who we are. We must acknowledge the bad decisions in our lives and the times that we've struggled with God. We must learn from them and let them help us grow. But we do not need to glorify those times and welcome them back into our lives. That's just what Satan wants us to do.
So Ken, welcome back. I give you my standing ovation in thanks for what you have done for this city and for us as Mariner fans. Without you our team wouldn't be what it is today. However, I will not roll out the red carpet until the battle is won (or you retire and are no longer a threat!). Good luck next weekend but I think you're gonna get whooped.
Do you agree with me yet that God is a baseball fan?
To respond to this message, email Aaron at aaron@windermere.com.
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"You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness." (Ephesians 4:22-24)
Did you hear who's coming back to Seattle next week? Ken Griffey Jr. will be back as a Cincinnati Red to play against the Mariners for the first time since he left the Mariners in 2000. I'm hoping that you all remember 'Junior'. I grew up a baseball fan (as you already know) in the Seattle area which means that I grew up watching Harold Reynolds, Jay Buhner, Edgar Martinez, Alvin Davis, Dave Henderson, and many more. But none of those players quite matched the hype that Ken Griffey Jr. brought with him to Seattle in 1989. For 10 years we were awed at his speed, leaps, and amazing catches in centerfield. We remember him scoring from first base on Edgar's 11th inning hit against the Yankees in the playoffs in 1995. And his beaming smile from under the pile at home plate after he scored the winning run in that unforgettable series (photo on left). We remember his graceful left-handed swing that caused so many homeruns. But mostly we remember that when he came to the big leagues, we finally had a GREAT player on the Mariners. As a Mariner fan, and as a citizen of Seattle, I am excited to see Ken back as he is a part of our past. But what is the appropriate way to welcome your past? I've heard the Mariner organization will be putting together a video tribute, etc. But he's still the 'enemy' as far as next week is concerned. It would be one thing if he was retired, but he's coming back to Seattle, not to say hello, but to do his part to beat us, the Mariners. Just how welcoming should we really be? Not that I want to attempt to compare Junior to Satan, (Ken if you're reading this, please don't read too much into this) but I think that Satan has a way of resurfacing in our lives in a way that doesn't seem to be intrusive on the surface level. Like a conversation with a friend about an ex-girl/boyfriend that maybe you crossed some lines with. Or maybe it's telling stories about when you used to party and get drunk. And it's not that recalling instances is necessarily a bad thing. But how much of a welcoming should we give these times in our lives when we've gone against God's will for us. Just a simple conversation can bring back feelings and ideas that Satan wants us to remember. Because it's through these memories that we regain the feeling of when we were there. And once we've got the feeling back, that is when we're most vulnerable. When Ken Griffey Jr. walks into Safeco Field with 45,000 people standing in ovation for him, memories will resurface for all of us. I know they will for me. The scoreboard will show clips of his spectacular moments as a Mariner to remind you, no doubt. And just as it does when we're recalling our stories of the times that we turned away from God, the memories and feelings will resurface. No matter how we look at it, when Griffey comes here next weekend, he is the enemy. He is here to beat us. Just as Satan does when he resurfaces, not to say hello, but to beat us and slowly break us down until he wins. Our past is our past and it has made us who we are. We must acknowledge the bad decisions in our lives and the times that we've struggled with God. We must learn from them and let them help us grow. But we do not need to glorify those times and welcome them back into our lives. That's just what Satan wants us to do. So Ken, welcome back. I give you my standing ovation in thanks for what you have done for this city and for us as Mariner fans. Without you our team wouldn't be what it is today. However, I will not roll out the red carpet until the battle is won (or you retire and are no longer a threat!). Good luck next weekend but I think you're gonna get whooped. Do you agree with me yet that God is a baseball fan? To respond to this message, email Aaron at aaron@windermere.com. |
