May 28, 2025: The Heated Game

As a teen, I visited a rough place each week.

I had to carry certain items to protect myself because of rampant stealing. Plus, people hurled objects at each other and heckled with language you’d never hear in Sunday school. Absolutely not a hangout for children.

Where was it?

The church softball league.

I played first base for Shiloh Presbyterian Church, never knowing what to expect when I stepped on the field.

Something about the match triggered extreme competitiveness. Players lost their minds. Umpires doubled as therapists.

I chuckled at the memory today when I read about another “innocent” pastime causing some trouble. This one doesn’t involve bats or bases, but it does bring out the beast mode in folks, stirring bar fights and living room tantrums across the nation.

The game? UNO.

Stackable Draw Twos? Depends who you ask. House rules? Debatable. And don’t even mention the Wild Draw Four. Uno often escalates from lighthearted fun to full-blown arguments.

The church league prepared me for more than I realized.

I guess the Lord works in mysterious ways.