Softball and God's Expectations

Dear Pali Pres Community,

This coming Monday will be the final game in the inaugural season of the Pali Pres Prodigals. It has been great to have our church field and support a softball team in the West LA Interfaith League. While our record is not too impressive (though we do have more ties than any other team) there is no question this season has been a success. Our team has really grown over the course of the season, both in terms of our on-field performance and team unity. We began as something of a hodge-podge collection of players—church members, staff, preschool teachers, spouses, even two pastors—and we have gelled together through good games and bad.

The season has revealed so many important lessons for me, not the least of which being the value of fellowship and teamwork. The home runs, great defensive plays, and wins (well, technically “win,” singular) certainly felt great and brought smiles to all our faces. However, equally important were the times we struck out, made silly errors, and got crushed on the scoreboard. It was in those moments that we needed one another more than ever—for encouragement, solidarity, and reassurance. The season was filled with many reminders that we are not perfect, but that’s ok. God never expects us to be perfect, but to simply try our best and treat others well. I’m proud to say that your Pali Pres Prodigals are a great example of what that looks like.

On behalf of the entire team, I want to thank all our supporters and those who were able to attend games and cheer us on in person. We also thank you for all your prayers (we avoided having any major injuries, thanks be to God) and good wishes. Our final game will be Monday night at 7:30pm verses University Pres (against whom we recorded our lone victory this season). If you can’t make it don’t worry…the Prodigals will return to the softball diamond in Spring of 2023!

Grace and peace,

Pastor Matt