We simply must not quit!

I quote Chris Schneider of the Associated Press this morning.

“Jamie Moyer, the 49-year-old, threw seven masterful innings and Dexter Fowler hit a two-run homer to help the Colorado Rockies hold on for a 5-3 win over the San Diego Padres. Moyer (1-2) was sharp all evening as he picked up his 268th career win, tying him with Hall of Famer Jim Palmer for 34th on the career list. Moyer earned that elusive win for the ages in his third start of the season. He is 49 years, 150 days old.

“Away from the mound, Moyer hardly looks like a kid anymore. He has gray streaks in his hair and frequently dons reading glasses that sit perched on the tip of his nose. This betrays his age, too: He’s on the verge of receiving his AARP card. But once he steps on the mound that youthful exuberance returns.

“Moyer enticed the Padres to hit into three double plays . . . The aged wonder used his wealth of experience to his advantage against the young Padres, six of whom weren’t even born when Moyer made his major-league debut in 1986.”

Major League Baseball’s archives record the following fascinating facts.
• Moyer’s catcher last night wasn’t even born when Moyer entered the major leagues.
• Moyer’s wife and seven of their eight children were in the stadium to view his record setting feat. One adult son pitches for a college team and couldn’t make it!
• In an era of 100 mile per hour fastballs, none of Moyer’s pitches got up to 80 miles per hour.
• After three years with the Chicago Cubs, 1986-1989, Moyer was offered a coaching job because team management was convinced that he would never succeed as a major league pitcher. After at least five trips to the minor leagues, Jamie Moyer now has 269 wins and some who evaluated him are no longer in the game.

Sure, Jamie Moyer is a one-of-a-kind athlete. There may never be another like him. But, he determined that he would pitch at the highest level of competition, and succeeded. It is likely that Jamie Moyer will be inducted into Major League Baseball’s Hall of Fame!

The lesson? Don’t quit! Adjust! Succeed! Moses didn’t hit his stride until he was 80 years-old. Joshua and Caleb outlasted a whole generation. Quitting simply cannot be in the vocabulary of Jesus’ disciples.