Dr. Jim Denison: What The Cleveland Indians and Cassini Have in Common

Greg Allen, a rookie playing for the Cleveland Indians, is undefeated in Major League baseball. His team defeated the Kansas City Royals yesterday, extending their record-breaking winning streak to twenty-two games. Since Allen joined his team from the minor leagues, they have not lost.

No matter how well the Indians do in this year’s playoffs, their winning streak will live on in sports history. And the players who achieved it, whether they attain personal fame or not, will have participated in baseball immortality.

Meanwhile, NASA’s Cassini spacecraft is ending its thirteen-year tour of the Saturn system today. It will plunge into the planet’s atmosphere at 7:55 a.m. EDT and disintegrate shortly thereafter.

While the NASA personnel who developed and operated the tiny spacecraft are unknown to most of us, their legacy will live as long as space exploration continues.

Michael Lindsay is president of Gordon College, a brilliant scholar, and a dear friend. His groundbreaking book, View from the Top: An Inside Look at How People in Power See and Shape the World, is a remarkable study of corporate and cultural transformation.

I was privileged to interview Dr. Lindsay when his book was published. During our conversation, he observed that institutions change the world. People, as remarkable as their individual achievements might be, have their greatest impact when they focus their efforts in community with others.

For instance, Steve Jobs was clearly a brilliant innovator, but he needed a company and the work of dedicated colleagues to bring his ideas to life. The new iPhones available for order today are an extension of his vision and legacy.

More landmarks are named for Ronald Reagan than ever before. His beliefs about America did not change across the decades that he spoke about our country, but his presidency promoted a vision for our nation that continues to resonate today.

What is your vision for your life? What purpose gives your days meaning and passion? Mark Batterson: “I’m not convinced that our true date of death is the date listed on our death certificate. Sadly, many people die long before their heart stops beating. We start dying the day we stop dreaming. And ironically, we start living the day we discover a dream worth dying for.”

Name your God-given dream. Then work with the people of God to fulfill your purpose together. Our dark and decadent culture desperately needs the “light of the world” (John 8:12) reflected in the mirrors of our churches and ministries.

And whether the world knows your name or not, your faithful obedience will be rewarded forever.