My dad had a bad habit of breaking his promises. So when I was 11, and our trip to a Dodgers baseball game almost fell through, I thought for sure it would be just one more disappointment in a long line of them.
We were running late that day, and we just barely missed the bus to the stadium. Honestly, I figured my dad would do what he had always done in circumstances like that: offer a weak apology and take us home. But he did something completely out of character. He got us a cab and spent more than he could probably afford to take us thirty miles to the game.
That afternoon, I got a baseball with autographs from Pete Rose, Steve Garvey, Johnny Bench, and six other eventual hall of fame players. Today, that ball would have been worth about $7,000. I say “would have” because when I got home, I played with the ball outside until all the names had been rubbed off.
That $7,000 baseball is long gone. But when I think back to that day, it’s not a valuable ball that comes to mind, it’s the promise my dad kept to me. I could never put a price on that.
Baseball created some wonderful memories for David and Jason Benham, too. Their father became a lifelong fan when he was a kid and his own dad surprised him with tickets to Yankee Stadium.
Later, when David and Jason came along, he played catch and coached them in Little League. Their childhood was filled with wonderful memories of baseball with their dad.
Here’s one example:
Each time they passed through Shreveport, Louisiana, David and Jason’s dad would direct their attention to Fair Grounds Field, the stadium home for the San Francisco Giants’ Double-A affiliate, the Shreveport Captains.
He’d say, “One day you boys are going to play in that stadium, together, on the same team, at the same time. Let’s pray about it.” They’d put their hands in his, and he’d pray, “Jesus, I pray that one day my boys would play in that stadium together.”
Fast forward almost two decades, and divine intervention placed David and Jason together on the same team, playing in Major League Baseball’s farm system. After one game, their manager came into the clubhouse and said, “The next game is a road trip. Everybody show up early tomorrow for the bus to Shreveport, just down the road.”
Their next game was at Fair Grounds Field in Shreveport, Louisiana … together, on the same team, at the same time.
David and Jason’s father always taught them that God wanted to do something through them. Their talents, their gifts, and their abilities weren’t just for them. “You’re conduits, not cul-de-sacs,” he’d say. Whatever God blessed them with was meant to help others to see a clear picture of Him.
What a testimony, and what a story about their faithful dad, who guided them to faith in Christ, prayed for their dreams to come true, and then nurtured those dreams until they became a reality.
Hear David and Jason Benham’s story on our broadcast “Seeing the Fruits of a Dad’s Faithful Prayers.” They tell fun and heartwarming stories about their father’s prayers, support, and spiritual guidance in their formative years. Our broadcast is available on your local radio station, online, on iTunes, via Podcast, or on our free phone app.
Family is at the core of what we do here. Our mission is to strengthen families through Christ. Would you consider being a part of changing lives and making an eternal difference by joining “Friends of Focus on the Family”? This program helps us touch lives through your support on an ongoing basis.
Your monthly pledge will help us keep families strong and heal those that are broken through the broadcasts and resources we offer every day. With your monthly pledge today, we’ll show our appreciation by sending you David and Jason’s book, Miracle in Shreveport, which tells more of their incredible true story.
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Happy Father’s Day!
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