In 1979, as a 10-year-old fifth grader, I had a life-changing conversation with a friend of mine, sitting in Mr. Smith’s elementary classroom. My buddy, Dennis, shared with me that his Little League team was going to start their season that night, but they were short a player. I had played elementary basketball and 4-H softball, but for some reason, I had never thought about playing baseball.

Without too much coercion, Dennis convinced me to come to the fields that night and see if I could still join on with his dad’s team. So, I did.

The Little League supervisor told me I could join once I filled out a medical form and paid the fee.

I rushed home, got a check, and had my mom fill out the paperwork. Twenty minutes later, I was putting on the maroon jersey, representing Harmon Oil and Gas – my very first team jersey….

Our team wasn’t very good, but wearing that jersey was a seed that was being planted for me. A year later, I had improved enough that I was asked to wear a different jersey — one that represented my hometown in the Little League all-star tournament.

In our “Bad News Bears” version of Little League, we were only given a jersey and hat to wear for our regular season games. You were on your own for your baseball pants, stirrups, and any other gear. This led to rag-tag, mismatched-looking teams.

But with the all-star team, I was given a gray full uniform, including matching stirrups, and a new hat. This was my first opportunity to represent my hometown as we ventured into playing other all-star teams in the area. That jersey with the red letters reading “North Branch” on the front made me pretty proud.

Over the course of my involvement in sports as a player and coach, I’ve had the privilege to wear a bunch of different jerseys, and I must confess that putting a jersey on at the beginning of a season has never gotten old. To this day, I could tell you what most of them looked like, what the front of the jersey said, and what my number was.

But it wasn’t so much the jersey that was important; it was the opportunity to live bigger than just for myself — to learn how to sacrifice — to learn how to win and lose graciously — to learn how to work — to learn how to appreciate others.

These are valuable skills, for sure, and it doesn’t take much to recognize that all people have a desire to be a part of a team of something — to live bigger, whether it’s a civic organization, a professional organization, or a volunteer group.

However, from a spiritual standpoint, people also have a need to join a team. That’s just how we are wired. Some people decide to join the “there’s no God” team. Some people join the “there’s no evidence for a God team.” Others join a spiritual team following some sort of spiritual advisor.

But in the quest to figure out which spiritual team a person wants to be a part of, every person needs to sincerely explore the life of Jesus.

You might ask, “Why?”

Because Jesus claimed to be the way to heaven. In John 14:6, Jesus says, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

Did you know that the first Christians weren’t even called “Christians”? They were called followers of “The Way.”

And where did that term come from?

Jesus, himself.

You might say, “Well, isn’t that just an absurd, outlandish claim?”

Well, yes … or, it’s simply the truth. The Way certainly understood what Jesus was all about, as they were so dedicated to his teachings that the world surrounding them labeled them, “Followers of The Way.”

That label that they wore on the front of their jersey was worth every sacrifice they had to make. And I would suggest that it’s the most important jersey anyone could ever wear — even today.

Why not take some time and dig in to see why so many have dedicated their lives to following Jesus?

And for those of us who already are wearing the Team Jesus jersey, live a life full of grace, mercy, love for the Father, and for your fellow man.