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            On September 8, 1998, St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Mark McGwire made history by hitting his 62nd home run of the baseball season.

            It was an emotional moment for four people sitting in the VIP section of the stadium.  They were the grown children of Roger Maris, the man who hit 61 home runs in 1961 to establish the record.

            The children of Roger Maris were an important part of the celebration that night.  Yet none of them had played a Major League baseball game in their lives.  Maris’s children did not receive special attention because of what they had done, but rather because of who their father was.  He had made it possible for them to be present and honored because of his achievement years before.

            One day we will sit down at a feast with Jesus Christ and enjoy the benefits of the eternal kingdom, not because of who we are but because our heavenly Father redeemed us through Christ. - Timothy D. Keller, Carlisle, Pennsylvania

Leadership, Summer, 1999, page 69