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ood New

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ith permission of

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“Everything I do is for God.”Beltran’s reliance on Christ brings him peace and

perspective when facing the challenges of a Major-

League, major-money, major-pressure baseball career.

“As soon as I come to the ballpark, I read my Bible.

During the game, I think about what I read.”

Every time he steps onto the field, he also thinks

about his favorite verse—“I can do all things through

him who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13). He says

it’s the truths found in that verse that give him the

ability to do whatever God’s will is, both on and off the

field. “The way I see it, everything that I do is for God.

I feel He put me here for a reason. Every time I take the

field, I tell Him, ‘I’m doing this in Your name.’”

Beltran continues to work hard to improve his

game and play to his full potential, grateful that so

many of his dreams have come true. Still, he remains

focused on the life to come. “It’s after this life that

matters,” says the centerfielder. “When I die, I know

that I’m going to heaven because I accepted Christ and

He lives in me. I believe, because I’m saved, that I’m

going to spend eternity with God.”

Even talented, successful athletes like Carlos

Beltran can find themselves feeling incomplete. That’s

because we’re all incomplete without a relationship

with Jesus Christ, who is “the way, and the truth, and

the life” (John 14:6). If you too feel something vital is

missing from your life, you can invite Jesus to be your

Savior in words like this:

Dear God, I realize that I am a sinner in need

of a Savior. I believe that Jesus Christ died

on the cross for my sins. Please forgive me

and grant me eternal life with You in heaven.

Amen.

Dreaming Big.indd 1 3/10/06 2:56:26 PM

>> 1999 American League Rookie of the Year

>> Named to the All-Star team in 2004

>> Stole 42 bases out of 45 attempts in 2004

>> Batted .435 with 14 RBIs and 8 home runs in

the 2004 postseason

Carlos BEltran’s CarEEr HIGHlIGHts

“I want to be a baseball player when I grow up.” Countless little boys share this big dream,

but only a select few possess the talent and

discipline to accomplish it. For Carlos Beltran, a

quiet boy growing up in Puerto Rico, becoming a star

in the Majors someday was more than just a dream.

At an early age he showed great potential. By high

school his talents as a five-tool player—fielding,

throwing, hitting for average, hitting for power, and

stealing bases—had attracted the attention of Major

League scouts. After graduating in 1995, Beltran was

drafted by the Kansas City Royals. His boyhood dream

had begun to come true.

After being called up from the Minors in

September 1998, Beltran was in the big leagues for

good. He has since become one of the biggest names

in baseball, fulfilling his childhood dream and bringing

him everything that comes with the job—fame, money,

and devoted fans.

“I want to have a better life.”To most, these things would seem like

enough. But Carlos discovered

in himself a longing, a deep

sense of wanting more.

“I’d been feeling like I

wanted to have a better

life, and I found it in

God,” he says.

It happened one

night in a Kansas City hotel

room after a home game in

2001, when he was playing for the Royals. Former

teammate Luis Alicea invited him to speak with a pastor

who had flown in from Puerto Rico. Carlos and his wife,

Jessica, had considered themselves good people—“I’ve

always had a fear of God,” Carlos says. But having it

all and being good people hadn’t given them peace

with God.

That night the pastor explained about God’s

holiness and love, and how our sinfulness separates

us from God: “For all have sinned and fall short of the

glory of God” (Romans 3:23). He told how we could be

forgiven for our sins because of Jesus Christ’s payment

for sins when he died on the cross. As the Bible says,

“But God shows His love for us in that while we were

still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).

The pastor invited the Beltrans to place their trust

entirely in Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of their sins

and to receive eternal life. They did, right then. “It was

the biggest decision that I ever made,” asserts Carlos.

“It’s not that everything is perfect now, or that my wife

and I don’t have struggles anymore. But it’s been easier

going through it with Christ in our lives.”

Dreaming Big.indd 2 3/10/06 2:56:28 PM

Good NewsPublishers

SPoRTS / EvANGELISM

Carlos Beltran: Dreaming Big!Reflects on the life of Carlos Beltran as a Major League baseball player and as a follower of Jesus Christ.

Bible references: ESV.

Package contains 25 tracts.

Even talented, successful athletes like Carlos

Beltran can find themselves feeling incomplete. That’s

because we’re all incomplete without a relationship

with Jesus Christ, who is “the way, and the truth, and

the life” (John 14:6). If you too feel something vital is

missing from your life, you can invite Jesus to be your

Savior in words like this:

Dear God, I realize that I am a sinner in need

of a Savior. I believe that Jesus Christ died

on the cross for my sins. Please forgive me

and grant me eternal life with You in heaven.

Amen.

Dreaming Big.indd 3 3/10/06 2:56:29 PM