What do Bob Uecker and Sandy Koufax have to do with your success as a Christian? What on earth do Dodger Stadium and Boston’s “Green Monster” left-field wall have to do with heaven? And is Kirk Gibson’s miracle homer in the ’88 World Series–“High fly ball, into right field, she is . . . GONE!”–a foretaste of the joy we will experience at Jesus’ second coming?

Bible writers often used the ordinary things of life to illuminate their lessons about eternal life. James spoke to us about ships’ rudders and olive trees. Paul wrote about soldiers’ armor and training hard for the OIympic Games. Jesus Himself sprinkled His “sermons on the mound” with lost sheep and lilies of the field and bad boys rebelling against Dad, only to stumble home later. With humor and keen insight, author David B. Smith (Rachel Marie Adventures) leads us from his favorite sport and a host of Dodger memories, both good and heartbreaking, into some of the lessons baseball can teach us about spiritual matters.

David is recently retired from a dream career teaching mathematics at San Bernardino Valley College. He also served for more than a decade as the lead scriptwriter for the Voice of Prophecy radio program. His childhood life in Thailand led him to craft a ten-book series of romantic adventures all unfolding on the campus of Bangkok Christian School.

He and his wife Lisa live in southern California and have two daughters, Kami and Karli. Their four grandkids are perfect in every conceivable way: Kira, Katrina, Miles, and Audrey.