The Big Leagues and Brokenness

A lot of our listeners don't know where you spent a lot of your chatter on baseball field size that my dad was a coach my brother played my other brother played lever in every single gained the fact a lot of people know he was my cochair and I can remember like Little League and then middle school, high school I'd hit a foul ball and I am not kidding I would see and Wilson beating all the boys to get the southpaw, faster, stronger and rather way even missing bag and then you know some also listeners don't know is that when I wanted to update you in high school your dad. He told me you are not last days if you want to tell people why they three years older, and he had a very poor reputation with partying and with girls. And so my dad said there's no way you're getting close to guess what I'm married or not one that would welcome to family life today where we want to help you pursue the relationship that matter most and Wilson and I'm Dave Wilson you can find us@familylifetoday.com or on our family life. Life today. A lot of you will know this name we have Darrell strawberry with us today and his wife Tracy and tell you you're in for a treat because they have a great story of what God is done.

Tracy is like this little fireball and love her as well and they're gonna tell their story as a welcome family today from a single or having us glad to have you here, you know a lot of people obviously will know Darrell your story over and I did know all the stats and I like to go through about four World Series titles 17 years in the Bigs. My right right eight All-Star appearances, the Mets, the Yankee, and we want to get into what I hear you love Boston. My little school lollipop player sees a volleyball player and all our kids the girls played volleyball three almond basketball boys were basketball.

No baseball boys Toby baseball was born.

How many kids you have. You guys have not always, for God's good graces with humor. Played baseball for 17 years and accomplish all these things give me Romo baseball team. 941 two coaches on the side sees on one side I'm one of the cycles kids hate sports I would say my oldest. He's more of them musician. I have a swimmer my son Austin was a swimmer so he loves swimming in my other sons in the military really wasn't his thing and you blended your family.

Splendid.

Yes, we are blended family. Here's a set for June 14 human together.

€21 right from in the gutter that will talk about the go too long. I want to praise. Now we want to help other people get what I want our listeners to hear the whole story and I want to start here because I found really interesting in your book. By the way, we didn't mention much fun together.

You have several books over the latest one is turn your season around how God transforms your life and you know we read it and it's great that it oh yeah, football guy, so I'm read a baseball player's book, but the great thing is really not about baseball. Even though these chapters in the number one and number two, but their chapter titles but at the beginning you dedicate your were authors and that dedications important think is your thinking. Who do I want to say thanks to about this and you dedicate this book to Tracy and several others but mom and your mom. You say God used you to lead me back to him. I would not be the man I am today without you so I thought to be inching the start there. What does that mean because I feel the same way about in this want to read that as a husband. You know, like you, Darrell, Mike, I would say the same thing we don't know all that story so will start at the end but I want to go back to the gutter but why would you say you would be the man you are today without this woman sit here Tracy what I think happens a lot to guises we think we could do everything all by herself and will create the life that we think is best for us and in reality God really gives us his helpmate to help us through the process of life that I think that's really what it was for me because I was at the bottom of life and Tracy came into my life and the Lord used her to leave me always block from where was the brokenness and loss of addiction and drug homes is manual doors: real dope smoking crack sees tell me God's plan for you also want from the gods we meet here let me.just not that lucky. While you sit back and think she's crazy, one must stop. On the one out here wife using it as you give me this woman to bring hope to me. You know, in the mist of darkness women would do that.

Not a whole lot and got knew exactly who you needed to see if she's like a fighter so strong you know exactly what I needed at the time because I was broken I was lost I was empty. We started this journey in Michigan look at me from the standpoint of plan mightily baseball like most women looked at me, you will be a success and hard almost often when I met her I had nothing else to remain dollars and that I didn't have a driver's license and wonder why she chase me down and I think also plan for you. Also dedicated the book to your mom tell us about her mom was a wonderful woman Christian woman raised five kids by herself my file was alcoholically rejected this really tolls were never amount to anything.

Came home for the last time was 14 point I'm sure God will kill the whole family member, brothers, women's action, not for my mother look on her face because my brother want to grab a butcher knife. I grabbed a frying pan and my mother looked at us like Jindal she met get out of the house because we were in this place were about to do some that she felt like we would regret for the rest your life were about the killing. Yeah that night because we had had it and we got on the house because we knew mom was because she racist. She was always there for us and she goes on to divorce her father and leave him she's taking care of five of us by herself.

It was incredible. She is workable woman, very strong, very smart, very beautiful, very loving Christian love her face as she loved the church and decedent Brazile's wrongness raises right. I made a decision to remove the human lifestyle because I knew my mother raised me write what you think of God. At that point in your life as a young man I was so broken and hurting because of the rejection from her father and I went on to just die myself into playing sports, and always say that my pain let me some greatness, greatness would eventually lead me to my destructive behavior because you're not well on the outside doesn't matter what you look like from outside, a thinker by looks at the house. I will strong, but only a Sgt. oh toxic Jesus. Let me know. I completely lost a separator so I went to a lifestyle of being famous in. I want a lifestyle that no one's going to ever tell me what to do because my father how you treated us.

I wouldn't never let anyone else tell me what to do. So I want to do things I'm always not even listen to my mom and her ways, and we knew they were right. I could even walk into the house with a baseball hat, a good boy but to take that offer the soft pornography really is perspective learn to disrespect and heal.

She gave me that look you know was just like okay mom should like. Then we understood that as her kids and as she raises like a said the right way treating other people the right way estimate we understand your because the play mightily baseball you know better than anybody else. Wow.

You know she wasn't all wrapped up from a baseball career. She was wrapped up into Jesus.

She wasn't one of these mothers SS Masan.

She was like okay you play ball okay you accomplished what accomplish something alive but are you saved in other words, your career and your kids were never her identity know it was always Jesus there was always use my kids were grandkids and everything should love them as you love me but at the same time.

She wanted me to help find salvation more than anything is all she really cared about it on her deathbed, she passed with age 55 ship terminal breast cancer, and my sister from the Journal onto her bed on her bed in the journal she was praying to God about saving all of us that those were her prayers and her secret place while saving us in her journal said like when it came to me she was like God, knocking him off his throne. Whatever you have to do bring salvation to them and I remember one night she asked me to pray for dinner when she was sick and she was letting Benjamin girl you support as she said, the Lord spoke to me.

She said you, go through but she said the Lord. Cities will get it out.

She said, but you will go through it before everything even hit the fan yet where were you in your career at that point I was at a straw at a place where I was struggling but at the same time I was still trying to make home box of stuff like that. She said you cannot going through it right now.

You really go through this can be hard. She said, but divorce don't get Ali. She said younger preacher, awesome mom will talk to me like I need a drink, really. You are your the major leagues at this time Johnson and you've had good success in your struggle and talk about your your journey a little bit in the major leagues must struggle wasn't about pointing my struggles Bob Libby. I think a lot of times you know when you look at Owsley seal we were great at playing but hiding who we are is one of the hardest things you can really do because the broken part of you. This is going to show up and show out, and that's what it was for me.

I was at the height of my career plan being successful in achieving always great things going on inside of my life since so empty it had accumulated wealth frame and stuff and privilege little Baha'i communiqués, but I was us like so broken, so hurting on the inside and I really need some different. I didn't know what it was at the time because it kept trying to feel more so with 12 new car new house knew this and that will make me feel better that's ended today.

It never did make me through wellness plan.

Did you feel like I was addicted with that part of your life growing up in high school.

In college, when did the addiction start. Do you think I was addicted at the age of 14 and I was addicted to marijuana smoking marijuana got kicked out of for junior high schools.

I was sitting about frugal fire. I was in trouble. I was getting high on school in the morning.

Didn't want to go to first pierce our go to the bathroom like the Balfour parcel got fire drills and finally kicking out one of the junior high school. Then a kid not a novel on the kicked out another one and I remember my mother dropping me off every day to go the salvaging house going so she dropped me off at the bus station.

I would like to turn back and head back home and I was like 40 days straight and she didn't know what to go sit in the what to do with me or my brother Veronica shouldn't really have a problem out of the girls is a problem here. I should have problems with Michael but see a problem you run it will struggle. I was struggling right was struggling like just all, activities, breaking in homes and doing well, things because were so broken will follow you dust that made us feel like this big, you know, that's it.

I'm never going to touch my kids. I'm never going to do them like that when I am AND I never put my hands them all kids because I was Damas and I was left with these wounds and scars require putting informal and yet you never acknowledged him work through them in probably an angry guy going out and have time to work through because everything was like form about how talented I will yeah see sports was outlet for me in high school and I remember going to play basketball and I just remember getting in trouble high school and Buswell coaches you know they will sit you will.

You wouldn't play you can get in trouble.

You had to have discipline. I just want to talk and I remember one game.

We then played in Minnesota guy walked off at third quarter and the closest I got so I assume the practice and we got the practice. The next day he made us run suicide all day long, he just killed us. He was he was like, I'll bet you never walk off the court again only, and he was right unit. I bought discipline to me, or maybe*understanding I got to be more discipline. I wanted to baseball became more disciplined at that because I my first year in high school baseball.

I was angry like you said, and coached like I ran across the field and I walked halfway because, like dump me in the head. So don't you walk off the field again took the uniform all one is facing quick was like Don that was my first year in high school and by playing baseball and I didn't know if I was going to go by convincing them with the basketball on the bought discipline. I want to baseball on many close at a sitdown meeting that's almost sorry and I came back and then I went for discipline baseball. My junior year, my senior year and obviously end up in the Biggs may right out of high school.

I write my lot was of the mind was came out of his house number one pick an address that's become a draft for 1980 and I went to the mightily suspense one half years in my leasing I got to the big leagues at the age of 21 so you are talented, you've got a future and you said earlier, Tracy meets you and your $3 million in debt. Your addicted you had ups and downs in the league. How do you end up there. What limited say this you know when it came to the big leagues at the age of 21 I was my rookie year, 1983 and I was just remember being a spring training that your plan well and all the guys like me and then I thought to myself man these guys like my father didn't like me.

These guys like me. I want to fit in, so I got to the big leagues.

My first road trip.

There was a better player to go back to the bountifulness I got introduced to cocaine.

So it was laid out there and I got introduced to that drug.

Right there and he said walking to the Bigley's kids.

I was talking I needed to fit in these guys like me except me. So I headed and I liked it, and then he took me out. That night was when I got to the hotel.

This is will drop your bag off me was down in the barn they took me out. I took notes of the club and there was a discounted like just go to Malaga said walking to the lead kid… Man I have arrived.

My father said I would never be anything, and I felt that way and I feel like these guys like me and accepted me for just who I was and everything in there. I was coming to the Bigley's. I learned all the things the wrong way coming to the Bigley's. I was multitalented actor playing like most guys, you know, you see place was I got all the talent.

Do you have the character right now. It's a big difference.

In general, displaying, and not having character you don't have the character that part is going to catch up with you somewhere along the line and that's where, when we have a long way in my career. The character of what was really caught up to me because I didn't have a foundation I didn't have a solid father is the foundation of planning get up everyday and playing go out drinking party women and come to the ballpark and I just turn and don't know because I was a player but there are just remember Tracy coming into my life and as you remember, Hertz Sansome when as you will ever take that uniform that really stuck to me you are after all the struggles that me and her head went through back and forth in everything that she was talking about taking the uniform off.

I had never heard it before because she's like you identifying yourself as to wrong person when you go identify yourself in Christ. When are you going to do what God calls you doing I was never pushed in that area to figure that part out because the baseball uniform.

The Mets dog is Yankees, Giants teams are playful and always have the name on the back is always good sandblasting strawberries and never changed and there was just left in that place thinking about that when she had made the comments from an outside message right when am I going ever take his uniform off become Amanda God wants me to be well let me ask you as you are in the league. Did you ever see players that professed to be Christ followers anywhere living on the question are Mookie Wilson and Gary Carty, 52 players out of the whole clubhouse you know and you watch their life in Jesus did such a great example of loving God and loving the family and then baseball but most of us had it baseball and everything else that came along with it. We didn't have that foundation and you watch these guys have this foundation of who the family was and how they weren't and they didn't condemn anybody they will go out to dinner with us on the road and and have dinner like players do, but after having dinner when the rest of the players get ready go this way they will say while see you guys tomorrow the ballpark they would jump in the And head back to the hotel and it was here that the ballpark the next day and they never condemned anybody they just know never asked his house at night. You know they said thanks for having us out to dinner. We had a great time, everything else and never talked about anything else never talk about what were doing most of us were lost in these two guys had such great foundation of being a man of the greatest things that ever happened to you second-tier walk with Jesus, which were going to hear about is sitting right there, Tracy. I mean, when you walk into his life. What did you find any good to know, to where were you at that time. You guys have been together for a while even before he got me yes we first met we were both at the lowest parts in her life. I had just had one year clean and sober. I was literally one week saved, so I was trying to figure out what the word saved men's Darrell was at his worst in a $3 million and that he was still struggling to stay clean and sober. I was losing custody of my three sons because of active addiction. That was the price I paid and how far down the scale I had gone and I was raised in a wonderful family. I did not have the same story that Darrell had which means afflictions and addictions can happen to anyone, so let me encourage you don't have to prove yourself worthy of getting out or having a story that's dysfunctional to understand that you can get lost. But there's hope and redemption restoration in Jesus Christ. So when he and I first met we were both at the bottom and we were attracted by our pain and that's a very dangerous thing. So we had this desire to live but we did not have the ability to love, which is such an an entirely different thing. We weren't capable of loving one another.

We did not talk about baseball at all. I saw Darrell sitting in a chair at a recovery conference where we met he was skeletal. They had just found him again like in the back of a trashcan on the street when you say gutter your never really got better. Literally you are done with baseball at that time I was over this right here to keep and now I think was couple years ago in prison for state prison 021-7169. Never forget that now is our number. I never get that number you I was like, think about that number and I remember having cancer twice and lose my left kidney in the psychosurgery's always look that guy was doing for me what I can do for myself. He was stopping me every stop so I wouldn't kill myself try to get you to look up just yet. Some of us.

Yes, your room would do it now, like with me. You know to be able to stop any and put me in places to slow me down. It was all part of his plan and Tracy was all part of his plan coming into my life where she was and everything and he would eventually take her and use her to leave me all the way back and I was a process for people always talk about while look at you guys live now, but you nice set for seven years when we heard nothing of God made me sick to get disciple. I was so mad I was like God why you always talking Tracy and you don't talk to me and he goes because she spends time with me and realized that she had a one-on-one encounter time with God and that was her time when she gets up every morning she still does that today she gets up at like 530 in the morning to go study as you go be with God in prayer and everything and I realizable God I'm not waking up at 530 in the morning and it was just like what you're never going to get what you need to get if you don't get to this place, spending time with me and that's what happen I was sitting from 07 years which is great, why had to submit seven years, but he set me for several years before he released me before I can go out speaking or anything you made me come to a place of humility to be able to humble myself to be able to understand what humility is you maybe understand who Moses was in almost a salvage impediments what he says Moses I use him mightily because of his meekness and he was humble enough to humble himself and say I'm not qualified to do what you want to do because some of us are jumping these places and we think were so qualified to do it and we don't really know that the devil will strangle you if you do not know the word of God is my God set me for €70. Tracy was empowered with wisdom and knowledge of the word of God. Current depth as you she is a teacher and everything.

I didn't have that from the beginning because I was spending time with God, and you can never fulfill the promises over your life into you actually spend the time with God and that's what happened to me I had to spend the time so what'd I started doing a good. I started Stan up at Michael. She goes to bed at 88 30 I start to stand up and not internal to television and put the cell phone away and I start to saturate myself and were gonna start studying word will go out and there was a started having a relationship with God. For myself, just like she was yesterday, I may have said the guys who have said to me you know my wife so much more spiritual mature. She knows the word better me. I know I'm supposed to be a leader in our family and with my wife, my kids, but you know I just will never match or you know I say I like to dear Ben, second string you in your second string. You are the first ring right so when I guys sleep in your weight room you're in the drag you do not concede we sing strengths when your wife goes to bed just like I want to become the man God called me to be and that's what it sounds like you did Darrell. It's awesome – so take us back to your in this recovery room and there's Darrell we have a conversation and I am in a place in my life where I don't know if I'm really sold out on Jesus or not.

Even though I've given him my life because I'm angry with him, and very angry, some having this inner turmoil in this inner struggle of surrendering my own life to Christ. But what I do know is I had enough and the enemy is taking too much from me because I gave him permission. I wasn't obedient. I wouldn't listen. I did not take ownership of my life and my mistakes and it was time to do that and when I saw Darrell and met Darrell there was this love in this man, this genuine truth inside of him that anyone could see. That's why everyone loved Darrell strawberry regardless of how far down the scale. The he went but he was honest with you. He even told me he's a girl you want to mess with me him and put you through it and when I first met Darrell my first words to him was, I don't care what you did for a living. How many homeruns you hit there's a reason why people like you and I are in this room right here were broken, some that trying to go down this road. I'm not trying to play with another player you know in life is I'm not a baseball fan or sports fan or anything like that and I was is very attentive in your face to him, guarded that he and I was ready to leave. He grabbed my hand he said why don't you stay were at a hotel recovery convention. It was full and I was just disgusted and wanted to leave because people could not see the solar Darrell strawberry they were still coming to this man who is probably hundred pounds soaking wet, almost dead still pulling for an autograph.

Still pulling for their picture on like I just can't deal I can't deal with this and discuss it at people and discussed it with my life and want to deal with that. And yet Tracy, you saw you saw the true identity and asked how they got in yes yes him God created him to be who God created all of it just takes that someone special to stand before you and say there is greatness in you. There's genuineness and you. There are gems on the inside of you. Now if you're willing, but you have to be willing if you're willing to walk the walk.

I'm in a jump in here with you and I'm to help pull you out but you got the component that is so true, and we gotta get into identity. Is Darrell trying to find his mate what and 30+ years working with pro athletes. I know this, there always treated as a pro athlete and when somebody recognizes them as a person and that's what you did. Maybe one of the first times in Darrell that I don't know at the tell us on the next episode but it's like there somebody sees me. Not my jersey not my number. Not my stats. They see that I'm a human being, not just a and that's and every player knows this isn't who I am.

This is what I do think God gifted me, but you saw the soul that I think in our marriages the same thing happens were hoping our spouse will see us as a man is a woman in love us as an image bearer of the image of God in treatise.

From there, with respect. The great thing about Darrell and Tracy strawberry story is the turnaround that we've heard about today is available to any person who is willing to own up to the mess that their life has become, and turn to Christ and surrender to him. This is the message of the gospel that Jesus came not just to save us from eternal punishment, but to save us from the mess we've made of our own lives to bring beauty from the ashes of our lives. Darrell has shared his story in his book turn your season around which we have in our family life today resource Center.

It's a great story of God's redemptive work in someone's life and we have copies available. You can order it from us online@familylifetoa.com or you can call one 800 FL today to get your copy again. The title of the book is turn your season around how God transforms your life ordered from us online@familylifetoa.com or call to order at 1-800-358-6329 that's one 800 F as in family L as in life, and then the word today.

You know the kind of transformation we've heard Darrell and Tracy talk about today is what is at the heart of all that we do here at family life will we are committed to the goal of effectively developing godly marriages and families turnarounds in marriages and families that, for whatever reason you got enough in the ditch, things of gotten messy. You need help you need. Hope that's what family life to the use here to provide an in this last week of August.

We are continuing to ask listers in every city were family life today is heard. Would you be one of two new families in your community who would step forward and say we believe in the ministry of family like today we want to support the ongoing work of family life to. We'd like to join you as a monthly supporter but we colored legacy partner, someone who invests each month in the ministry of family life today so it can continue to be heard in this community and in cities all across the country.

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Find out more or sign up today go online@familylifetodate.com or call one 800 FL today and we just ask that you pray, ask the Lord would you want me to be a family like today legacy partner and if God says yes then go online or pick up the phone and give us a call and we hope you can join us again tomorrow when working to hear more from Darrell and Tracy strawberry about the turnaround that God has done in their lives and in the relationship and how that turnarounds available to any of us comes up tomorrow. Hope you can be with us for that on behalf of our hosts statement and Wilson on Bob Lapine see you back next time for another edition of family life today. Family life crew ministry helping you pursue the relationships that matter most