The Dirt Under My Feet

I grew up playing baseball. I mean, with the last name of Ruth… In the ‘80s… There wasn’t really any other sport that I should have played. For the better part of my early years… from the time I could walk, all the way until I graduated high school… Baseball was a major part of my life. I remember sitting on my dad’s lap, watching the Cubs play on tv. I remember playing catch in the front yard of the apartment we lived in for a little while when I was super young. And as we were growing up on the South Side of South Bend, Indiana, my brothers and I made a baseball field in our backyard… Playing every day of the summer with the small wooden baseball bat we had as we pitched tennis balls to each other in our backyard.
Baseball. It was a way of life growing up. We knew all of the greats. Mantle. Maris. Clemente. Robinson. Banks. Sandberg. Grace. The Penguin. And Ruth… Babe Ruth. We dreamed of making it to the Big Leagues and playing in the same stadiums as our Hall of Fame favorites once did. The reality is that none of us did grow up to make it in the Big Leagues. But we did get to go somewhere special when we were younger…
Cooperstown, New York.
For those of you who aren’t baseball fans, this small town name doesn’t mean anything to you. If you’re a modest baseball fan, you might not even know this town either. But a true baseball fan, the person who absolutely loves this game, knows the significance of this little town. You see, each year the greats of baseball come to this town to be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.
Cooperstown, New York. It’s hallowed ground really. I remember when me, my mom and dad and brothers arrived there. It was part of a trip where we also got to see Niagara Falls. But between you and me… It was Cooperstown that I wanted to see… No, I needed to see. I remember waking up the morning we were supposed to head there. I couldn’t wait. We were going to Cooperstown. The anticipation. I mean, not only were we going to see the Baseball Hall of Fame, but we were going to be able to see Doubleday Field, grounds where baseball had been played since 1920.
As we pulled into Cooperstown, we parked on a side street and got out of the car and stepped onto an old brick road. And in my six-grade mind, I asked myself… “Did Babe Ruth and the other baseball greats walk on the dirt that’s under my feet?” To me, the dirt I was walking on… The brick road under my feet… The place I was standing on was holy ground.
There are many places that people might consider holy ground… a specific place designated by some person or some historical act that makes it special. And while the story of Cooperstown will always hold a special place in my heart, there’s one other story I want to look at regarding holy ground that’s found in Exodus Chapter three, verse five. Check this out:
“Do not come any closer,” God said. “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.” Exodus 3:5
For the remainder of the written blog, you can find it at www.toddruth.com
Welcome to The Ruths family vlog channel! Thank you for following along on our crazy life journey! This is also the place where I share my weekly devotional as well. We hope you find this channel to be both positive and uplifting. Hope you have a great day!
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Thank you for checking out our family channel. We're a family of four that lives in northern Indiana. For 23 years I’ve worked with students and families in some form or another… as a student pastor, juvenile probation officer, director of a Boys and Girls Club, and I currently have my own teenagers (did I just say that? I have teenager(s)… not just one, but two!?) During those 23 years it was always my goal to help students find Jesus, find what they’re gifted in and run with it. It’s what makes my heart beat fast. It’s one of the things I still love to do. Deep down, my heart beats to help people… to help people find and grow in their relationship with Jesus, and to help families connect to each other and Jesus together. Jami is the communications director at Granger Community Church. Todd also writes and produces content and videos for toddruth.com. We're looking forward to sharing our life with you guys on the Ruth Family vlog channel.
We have lots of laughs and love adventures, even if it's sometimes only in our backyard. We'll be open and honest as we share our life journey with you guys in our family vlog. Look for a new family vlog every Saturday morning! We hope you tag along. #familyvloggers #familyvlog #familychannel #bible