Moved to dougtooke.com!

I moved my blog to dougtooke.com.  Check it out:)

The Iron Man and the communion of Saints.

"On the night that Cal Ripken Jr. broke Lou Gehrig's record for most consecutive games played there were no arrests in Baltimore."  My good friend Ted told me this over beers the other night.

There are a few important things to understand regarding this statement.  Baltimore is a wonderfully historical city.  It is deeply rooted in both import/export business and the corruption that comes with big money.  It is a city close to everything but far away from many peoples most desirable places to live.

Like many blue collar cities in the world there is a great deal of crime and frustration regarding the economy and the general decomposer of "the way it was" or "the way it ought to be." Baltimore has a couple great sports teams (Orioles and Ravens).  You might have heard of them.

On September 6, 1995 most of the country and pretty much all of Baltimore tuned in to watch Cal play his 2,131 consecutive game.  Ripken hit a homerun in the fourth inning and by the middle of the fifth inning the game was official.  The crowd stood and gave Cal a twenty-minute standing ovation.  They cheered loudly and with the ferver of amazed bystanders for twenty straight minutes not really knowing what else to do.  Ripken had given his entire career to one team.  He encountered suffering, disrespect, media pressure, death threats and the remarkable anger that comes to many when we try to change history.  But he endured.

Both outside and inside the stadium in Baltimore, people were spellbound.  Silence ensued within the city's busy streets.  Celebrations occurred and violence seemed to stop.  In a city known for its raw culture and honest working man's efforts, hatred seemed to take absence because of one man and the game he loved. No arrests happened on September 6, 1995.

I write these things on the Shrove Tuesday (Mardis Gras) on the eve of Ash Wednesday and the brink of the Lenten season because I love that pitchers and catchers report to spring training today. And I love peace.  I love that well after Ripken's career in baseball had come to an end he founded a corporation that builds baseball parks in urban Baltimore with the express purpose of getting youth off the streets and teaching them a more enriching way of life.

Peace comes to us when we are silent.  It comes when we remember the things that are really important.  Peace happens when we invite celebration into our homes and when we listen to the stories of heroes and the broken.  Peace is a gift in the midst of thievery and a statement among silent voices.  It is a twenty minute raucous and a quiet street.

When we focus on our true heroes we encounter peace.

Lets focus on Christ this Lent.  Lets dig into the lives of the saints and surrender the violence of our daily schedules for the holiness of their sacrifice.  Lets bring peace.  Peace be with you this Lenten season and all seasons.  May peace enter your home and reign in the midst of all your days.  Play ball.