A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for a difficult time. – Proverbs 17:17 (Holman Christian Standard)

I became a baseball fan during the magical season of 1961. I lived for the trek to the mailbox for the daily paper. Turning to the sports section, I would devour the box scores, especially those of the New York Yankees. The sports world was focused on the home run race between Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris and I was fascinated with these athletes. Though Maris won the home run race that year, Mantle was my hero. He moved with grace, hit with power, and had what some might call the “WOW” factor. As I grew older, I learned of many poor choices made by Mantle. His lifestyle, including a forty year abuse of alcohol had shortened his career, prevented him from reaching his full potential, and clouded his mind. In 1994 he was able to overcome the bottle, but he realized something was still missing from his life.

In 1995 Mantle learned he had liver cancer. He called his former teammate and friend Bobby Richardson and asked him to pray for him over the telephone. Later Richardson visited a dying Mantle who told him that he had trusted Jesus Christ as his Savior. Mickey had asked for and received the forgiveness he desperately needed. He had won his greatest victory, more glorious than any of his home runs. Richardson told two thousand people attending Mantle’s funeral that there are only two groups of people, those who say yes to Christ and those who say no. In his biggest time “at bat”, Mickey hit a home run with his decision to trust Jesus. How blessed Mickey Mantle was to have a friend like Bobby Richardson.

Father God, make me bold in my witness for You. Help me to be the kind of friend that will go to any length to share the love of Your Son Jesus Christ with others. AMEN.