By Sharon Mager, BCM/D Correspondent
BALTIMORE, Md.—Baltimore loves Orioles’ designated hitter, Luke Scott. When he steps onto the field, the stadium rumbles with the resounding cheers of fans screaming “Luuuuuuuuke,” reminiscent of the old Boog Powell World Series winning Oriole hey-day when everyone yelled “Booooog.” It is not surprising that loyal Baltimoreans feel this way, considering Scott’s .270 batting average and 18 home runs this season.
Orioles designated hitter Luke Scott focuses on final score
More important to Scott than the cheers, the fame or even the love of the game, however, is the opportunity to glorify God through his talents. He’s an outspoken and unapologetic Christian and he’s a patriot. One of his favorite quotes, by Edmund Burke, is “All that is required for evil to prevail is for good men to do nothing.”
Scott believes much of America’s problems today are a result of Christians keeping silent and he doesn’t mince words as he explains.
“My mission is to please God not men. I have to give an account to Him. I speak out. I exercise my freedom of speech,” Scott says. “You’re either hot or cold. If you’re lukewarm, He’s going to spit you out.”
“Our forefathers built this country on biblical principals. Being an American is a way of life, a code of honor. My job is not to please everyone, not to tickle people’s ears, but to stand up for principles and honor the things this country was built on.”
Scott laughs, “I get worked up about this stuff.”
“When I was a little boy, I had a dream to be a major league baseball player,” said Scott. “I worked hard. I didn’t cheat anyone. I left it in God’s hand and God saw fit to fulfill that dream.”
“I will not dishonor the beliefs that allowed me to follow my dream. I will stand up and fight for those freedoms and beliefs.
Scott not only believes that he has been blessed with a job he loves, but he sees his job as a source of daily and unlimited ministry.
“Every day is marketplace ministry in my work,” explained an enthusiastic Scott. “[God] presents opportunities in passing. He’s using me here, in His time. Sometimes he gives me opportunities to speak with kids. Sometimes I visit with veterans. I talk with people one-on-one—divine encounters. I never know. There’s no one set deal. He presents opportunities and says, ‘This is what I’ve called you to do.’ He drops it in my lap, smacks me in the face. I say, ‘Help me, guide me in what you’re going to do.’”
Scott made a commitment to follow Christ while he was in college.
His parents were born into Jehovah’s Witness families and it was all they ever knew. Scott’s dad began reading the Bible in earnest and found that God was calling him into a true walk with Him. When Scott left for college, his mom gave him a Bible and urged her son to faithfully read it for at least five minutes each day.
“I kept telling her I have baseball practice. I don’t have time to read, but she nagged me to death, so I did it so she’d leave me alone,” he laughs. “I have the best mom in the world.”
Scott said he lived the “normal guy” life at college. He drank some, not too much, and chased girls and felt like he was “okay.” But in November 2000, Scott, then a senior at Oklahoma State University-Stillwater, began doing some serious self-evaluation.
“I was looking in the mirror and not liking what I was seeing. I asked myself, What am I doing? I know He exists, I’ve been reading His word for the past three years. But I knew the demons also believe and it made me shudder.”
The young man decided to be the man God was calling him to be.
Scott was baptized the following June in his home church, First Assembly of God in Deland, Fla., in 2001. He had just finished his senior year and had been drafted by the Cleveland Indians.
Scott says he doesn’t have a specific group he’s called to minister to. For him it’s very simple—read your Bible and pray faithfully and God will direct your path.
“It’s just me and the Lord, in the Word, every day. I get up and pray and hang out with him everyday.”
This, Scott states, is the only way to resist temptation and live in a way that pleases the One Who matters most.
“God is the power source. If you stay plugged in, your light will not go out if you’re put in a dark situation. If you get away from the power source, you start getting in trouble. The time I’m going to be in baseball is for God to decide, not me. Meanwhile I am going to be who I am, a servant of the King of Kings, not of the president of the United States, and not of the Constitution, though that was built on His principles. God is my supreme authority. I’m going out and voicing my opinion.”
Scott loves Baltimore, the fans and the treatment he receives. He enjoys archery, fishing and shooting sports in his spare time. Above all, he keeps his focus on God by passionately pursuing Him.
This Oriole is swinging for the fence in an effort to further the Kingdom, and in the process has become a beloved asset to Charm City’s favorite baseball team.