By Bill Sorrell
Correspondent, The Alabama Baptist
While Tim Lopes wants to play in the big leagues, his ultimate goal is bigger than the majors.
“Ultimately it is to get to the Lord and see His face and hear those words, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant,’” said Lopes, an all-star second baseman for the Jackson Generals.
Drafted by Seattle in the sixth round of the 2012 Major League Draft out of Edison High School in Huntington Beach, California, Lopes was 16 when he became a Christian.
“I was living like every other 16 year-old,” said Lopes, now 22. He was a junior in high school.
“I wanted to do what I wanted to do. I didn’t know or care what God had to say about my life. I wanted the grip on my life.”
When he went to church one Easter, he heard a question that changed his life.
Pastor Dudley Rutherford of Shepherd Church, Porter Ranch, California, asked, “If you die tomorrow, do you know where you are going to go?”
“That question really scared me and I didn’t know (the answer). I always lived my life as if, ‘Of course I am going to heaven. I feel like I am a good person,’ but I started to realize that I never made the decision to have a relationship with Jesus Christ. It changed my life. God changed my life,” said Lopes, who was raised in a Christian home by “the best (parents) you could ever ask for” — Jack and Angelica Lopes.
Not ‘just a lifestyle’
Tim Lopes said, “My biggest role model is my dad. He has been the biggest part of my life, the way he has lived his life. He has influenced me in how I want to live my life and what type of father I want to be. Obviously my mom, two grandmothers, my brother, my whole family have such a big impact and influence on my life.”
His high school baseball coach Gary Young began to lead him through Bible studies and baptized him.
The day Tim Lopes was baptized, he said, was “the day when I said, ‘This is not a joke anymore. This isn’t just a lifestyle, it is a decision that is going to affect my eternity.’ I have never felt so free. I made that decision and ever since then it’s been a journey. There are a lot of ups and downs but my life has absolutely changed for the better.”
His brother, Christian Lopes, a second baseman with the New Hampshire Fisher Cats, a Double-A
affiliate of Toronto in the Eastern League, was baptized with him. “My brother is my best friend. We talk every day,” said Tim Lopes. Jack Lopes played baseball at Grossmont College in El Cajon, California.
Daily thanks
Tim Lopes said he thanks God daily for the talent to play baseball.
He was 1 of 3 Generals selected to the Southern League’s Postseason All-Star team.
“It means a lot and is a great honor to be named an all-star. God has been so good. Knowing that He has a plan every day for my life is comforting,” said Tim Lopes, who called it an honor to play for the USA national team when he was 16.
This season he had a .284 batting average —
seventh in the league — with 74 runs, 145 hits and
49 RBIs.
Darren Brown, Generals manager and Southern League Postseason Awards Manager of the Year, said, “[Tim Lopes] has put together a solid offensive year. He is a threat on the bases. It’s been nice to see. He has his head in the right place. He is headed in the right direction.”
Tim Lopes said he gets his direction by reading his Bible daily to learn more about Christ.
“Jesus is my Savior. We all know what He did on the cross. Jesus is my friend,” he said. “Jesus is my Father and He died for me to forgive my sins because I couldn’t pay that debt. I see God’s grace as a free gift that I didn’t deserve, that I did nothing for. I am so thankful for it. I believe God’s purpose for me is to worship Him and trust Him in my everyday life.
“Once you put your faith in Jesus, everything else takes care of itself. You naturally grow with Him and your life starts to change.”
Share with others: