"I have done a report of some kind on the Fred Merkle story, whether in print, on radio, or on TV, on or about its anniversary, September 23, virtually every year since I was in college. The saga has always seemed to me to be a microcosm not just of baseball, nor of celebrity, but of life. The rules sometimes change while you're playing the game. Those you trust to tell you the changes often don't bother to. That for which history still mocks you, would have gone unnoticed if you had done it a year or a month or a day before. That's who Fred Merkle is. I have often proposed September 23 as a...

Based on a study sponsored by Lutheran Men in Mission, the writers interviewed a cross-section of young men on eleven factors to determine how these factors affected spiritual development and the interaction of faith and life. The book reveals what the interviews uncovered, and the authors analyze what this might mean for ministry to and with young men today. The factors studied were relationships, male mentors, crisis, time management, work, the power of defining moments, nature, sports, spiritual hunger, service, and avocation. Each factor is then explored in depth in order to help young...