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Congratulations to Josh Hamilton on winning the AL MVP. In recognition of his accomplishment, here’s a look back at an interview I conducted with Josh for Horizon and Direction Magazines (Fall 2009).

Outside the Box Score

In 1999, Josh Hamilton was selected by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays as the first overall pick in the Major League Baseball draft. As an elite prospect, Hamilton was christened “the next Mickey Mantle” even before taking his first major league at-bat. However, as chronicled in his book Beyond Belief, after suffering through a car accident, an injury, and the realization of being on his own for the first time in his life, Hamilton began to turn to tattoo parlors, alcohol, and drugs to escape the realities of life. After multiple battles with alcohol and drug abuse, God got a hold of Hamilton’s heart in his grandmother’s North Carolina home. After years of running, he decided to put his past behind him and surrender everything to God.

We spent a few minutes talking to Josh Hamilton to discuss his story, his advice for teenagers, and the upcoming season.

David: You spent several years battling drugs and alcohol, which led to problems within your family and multiple suspensions from baseball. What was the turning point when you decided things had to change in your life?

Josh: There were many times I felt like I needed to change. When I got into the drugs and alcohol I wanted to change, but I obviously didn’t want it bad enough. The circumstances weren’t there for me to feel like I needed to change. The night in October 2005 when I showed up to my grandmother’s house was definitely the night it all came together. The Lord allowed my heart to open up and see the pain on her face. She said a lot of things I had been told so many times, but it stuck at that moment.

David: Since you surrendered your life to Christ, you haven’t shied away from talking about it. Why have you been so outspoken about your faith?

Josh: I don’t want to be a hypocrite. The reason I’m here is because of the relationship I have with Christ. It’s because of Him being beside me through all of the dark times, even when I didn’t realize He was there. He never turned from me; it was me that turned from Him. I want people to know whatever they go through in life and no matter how much trouble they have, there is a way to get through it, and that comes with a relationship with Christ.

David: With all of the attention you’ve received, do you ever get tired of sharing your story?

Josh: I feel like it’s a privilege to talk about it, rather than an obligation, so I don’t get tired of talking about it. As my career goes on, I expect the attention I receive to move from my past and more to baseball and our team moving forward and trying to win some games, but I still want to be able to have the opportunity to tell my story to youth groups, churches, halfway houses, and different things like that.

David: When you speak to youth groups and churches, what’s the one thing you want them to come away with?

Josh: The choices teenagers make in high school are in some way going to determine what they do with the rest of their lives, whether it’s going to college, getting a job, playing sports in college, or whatever. They need to realize the choices they make in high school are very important. Don’t take them for granted.

David: What advice would you give to a teen that may be struggling with an addiction, whether it is drugs, pornography, etc?

Josh: It’s okay to ask for help. I was always good at everything I did. I really never needed help doing anything. However, when it came down to alcohol and drugs, I couldn’t overcome it on my own. For the first time in my life, I couldn’t figure it out. It’s okay to ask for help. Trust your parents. It’s a little different when you’re hanging around with other people who don’t know how to help or are doing the same things you’re doing. They’re not true friends, they’re just acquaintances. But you have those true friends you have a good relationship with that can help. Don’t be afraid to ask for it.

David: Do you have a specific Bible verse you lean on for support?

Josh: It started off with James 4:7, which says to humble yourself before God, resist the devil, and he will flee from you. That was the first verse I read when I rededicated my life to Christ. Since then, one of my favorites is 2 Peter 3:18, which says, “But grow in the grace and the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity.” That really sums up what I need to do in my walk. Every time I sign hats, baseballs, jerseys, and other things, people ask if I’ll put my favorite Bible verse on there. Even if they don’t ask I put it on there anyway.

David: Do you get mixed responses from people when they see that on there?

Josh: I’ve had a few people say “Please don’t put any Bible Scripture on there. You can believe what you want to believe, but I don’t believe that.” [Laughs] When they say that, usually I put two or three different verses on there.

David: What advice would you give to a teenager who wants to be a professional athlete?

Josh: There are so many things to focus on that should come before that, such as schoolwork. The thing that needs to be focused on the most is your relationship with Christ and the direction and the focus of your life. You need to realize what’s really important and what your priorities need to be. For so long I was prioritizing baseball as my life, and that shouldn’t be the case. A relationship with the Lord is first and foremost, family comes after that, and everything else comes after that. If you have your priorities straight, and you can learn it at a young age, it helps things go a lot smoother.

David: Can you tell us about Triple Play Ministries?

Josh: Sure! I was riding down the road with my wife and it hit me that I’d like to start a ministry one day to help people in different ways. Within the next 15 minutes, we had a name for it. That was kind of a sign from God saying, “Yes, you’re going to start a ministry and this is what it’s going to be.” The ultimate goal of it is to share Christ and the Word of God with people through sports, community outreach, and mission projects. We kicked it off in November with a baseball camp at NC State University and had Phillips Craig & Dean come in and do a concert, and Katie and I spoke for the services. One of the things we’re doing right now is supporting a ministry called “Arise Africa,” where we’re teaming up with our church back in North Carolina and building an orphanage in Uganda. We’re excited about where the ministry is and where it’s going.

David: What’s on your iPod?

Josh: I’m a big Casting Crowns fan. I love Phillips Craig & Dean, MercyMe, and Aaron Shust. I really like Hillsong. All kinds of stuff.

David: When you were in high school, you were also a pitcher and could throw 96 miles per hour. If there were a blowout in Texas, do you think you could come out of centerfield and throw a few innings?

Josh: [Laughs] I miss pitching; I do miss pitching. I’ve always wanted to come in and close the game out, but I don’t think that will happen.

David: Do you ever get the urge to come in during a blowout?

Josh: Absolutely! But I’m afraid that’s exactly what would happen—I might blow something out.

David: Do you have any goals for the season?

Josh: Of course! If you don’t have goals, you’re not trying. It would be nice to hit over .300 again. Last year I set my goal at 30 home runs. I’m hoping to have at least that many home runs this year and hoping to have 100 RBIs again. I always set my goals a little higher than everyone else does.

David: In 2008, you were elected to the Major League Baseball All-Star Game and became a household name when you hit a record-breaking 28 home runs during the first round of the Home Run Derby. Along with the incredible feat, you also fulfilled a promise you made in high school by asking Clay Council, one of your childhood mentors, to throw to you in the Home Run Derby. Can you tell us about that experience?

Josh: It’s really a funny story. For my first round I went up to Clay and said, “C’mon, Clay, we’re going to go pray about this thing.” We went underneath Yankee Stadium in the hall and prayed. In the second round I went out and swung a little bit and got loose. In the third round, before they announced me to go up, I was hanging out behind the plate and walking around, and I prayed, “Lord, if you want me to win this thing, allow me to. But if not, accomplish what You want to accomplish.” Obviously I didn’t win it, but shortly after it was over, it sort of hit my heart that God is not worried about accolades or trophies or awards. He’s worried about how we glorify Him in everything we do. I got to share Christ with 55,000 in Yankee Stadium that night and to people in their homes on TV.

On November 19, 2009, Derek Lewis put balloons in my office for my birthday.

Over 1 year later, one balloon still remains.

The yellow balloon you see above has survived an entire year. It still has plenty of air and looks to be ready to go another year.

Perseverance.

Awesome.

I’ve been rather intrigued and quite perplexed by all of the Christian emphasis that has been put on social justice lately. Books, concerts, CDs, and websites are filled with ways people can fight AIDS in Africa and feed the poor. As I read through the Bible, and especially the book of James, I see the importance of helping those who can’t help themselves. We’re to fight for justice. We’re to protect the widow. We’re to defend the fatherless.

Yet when I look at the renewed interest in fighting for these causes, the skeptic in me asks, “Is this only just a trend?”

You’re free to call me uncaring and judgmental, but at least hear me out before you make your final decision.

The Bible speaks very clearly on issues of social justice. We can see that in the parable of the Good Samaritan. James 1:27 tells us “Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.” When we read Micah 6:8, we hear “He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” Proverbs 31:9 says, “Open your mouth, judge righteously, defend the rights of the poor and needy.”

There is no doubt social justice is a biblical mandate. My question is: Do Christians view social justice from a biblical standpoint, or from a trendy standpoint?

A couple years ago, there was a faction of young adult Christians who were all about going “green” and protecting the planet. Their efforts went from things as small as telling people to turn off their lights when they left their houses, to telling people to take 30 second showers and buy Hybrid cars. I don’t seem to hear much about that anymore.

Unfortunately, I feel like sudden appearance and disappearance has been typical of most social justice movements that have been championed by Christians, especially young adult Christians. At one point it was feeding the poor. At another time it was fighting AIDS in Africa. Then it transitioned into providing clean water to third-world countries. Now, it seems like the next movement to take prominence is fighting human trafficking.

All of those are great causes, and Christians should be involved in doing something for the betterment of all those things. I’m even involved in helping fight a few of those things myself. But sadly, many Christians seem to jump headfirst into the movements when they’re popular, and then jump right back out as soon as they’re tired or they see another cause that seems to be more trendy.

Not seeing it? Think TOMS shoes. I don’t have to explain what they are. You know what they are. Why? Because they’re popular. Now I have nothing against TOMS shoes. The cause is a great cause. I have no problem with people buying the shoes either. But how many people seriously buy the shoes only because another pair of shoes goes to someone else who needs them? Very few. People buy them because they’re trendy and popular. If a person’s main concern was getting shoes on the feet of someone else, they could donate $40 to Samaritan’s Feet and give shoes to 8 kids. Again, I’m not blasting TOMS or people who buy TOMS. But sometimes we’re attracted to a “cause” because it’s popular at the time.

This issue seems to be very indicative of the “Christian hipster” movement. (If you are unfamiliar with the movement, I highly suggest you read Brett McCracken’s article on Hipster Faith by clicking here.) In his article in Christianity Today, McCracken says the following:

One of hipsterdom’s positive values is its concern for justice–whether it be sweatshops or sex trafficking, water wells or fiance reform. Hipsters almost always champion the cause of the underdog (immigrants, the poor, minorities) over those with power and privilege.

However, McCracken goes on to say:

[A] concern about hipster Christianity is its fundamental disposable, moving-on-to-what’s-next transience. Granted, there is a tension here, because hipsters are rediscovering ancient liturgy and hymns. But one gets the impression that these are valued mostly because they are countercultural and therefore cool in their own way. But cool is all about the “now.” It relentlessly pursues the next big thing, abandoning today’s trend for tomorrow’s with mechanistic speed and efficiency (think trucker hats or messenger bags).

Following God’s commands should not be based on what is cool or “hip” at the moment. And yet that is exactly what I see in many when it comes to the issue of social justice. When something hipper comes along, people abandon their current work for something else. As a consequence, we leave people empty and ministries in need.

One of the problems that long-standing charities face today is that people want to start their own “unique charitable work” rather than join others in something that is already established. What they don’t realize is that they are stripping resources from others who are fighting for similar causes. By trying to be “unique” and start something “new” and “trendy,” they actually hinder the resources and potential of other organizations. Then what happens when the “unique charitable work” decides to move on to something else? The results shouldn’t be too hard to figure out.

Thankfully there are people who are doing things the right way. Shaun Groves has been working with Compassion International for many years. He lives and breathes Compassion. It has become a part of who he is as a musician and as a person. Zach Hunter has been fighting slavery around the world since he was in 7th grade. These guys, and many others “get it.” They understand that social justice isn’t some trendy fad that will come and go like the latest fashion. Serving others is a biblical mandate from God and something all believers should follow now and forever.

We have to quit looking at our faith as nothing more than an application for entrance into college. Many times we think if we can just add one more activity or charitable work to our resume then God will find us worthy. That’s not how it works. Salvation is through faith and not by works (Ephesians 2:8.9). We can’t earn our way into heaven. We can’t do enough “good stuff” for God to look at us as worthy. We are saved by faith.

That being said, the Bible is also clear that faith without works is dead (James 2:17). We don’t do good works because we want to feel better about ourselves. We do good works to give glory to God, not ourselves.

Trendy Christianity is leaving people empty. It’s leaving workers empty. It’s leaving ministries empty. It’s leaving those in need empty. We don’t serve others to be hip or cool. If being “in the moment” is all we’re worried about, we’ll be chasing the moment for the rest of our lives. Serving others is about serving God. We do it because we’re supposed to and because we want to.

“Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.” – James 1:27

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