Welcome to the Hall of Fame!
Monday, October 20, 2025
“Know by full assurance your glorious standing. Even glorified souls are not more accepted than you are. They are only blessed in heaven “in the Beloved,” and you are even now blessed in Christ after the same manner.” – C.H. Spurgeon
Every December, the Baseball Writers Association of America votes on who should be inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame. In order to be eligible, a player must have played for at least 10 years and must have been retired for at least five years (with a few exceptions such as the tragic deaths of Lou Gehrig and Roberto Clemente).
To be elected, a player must be named on at least 75% of the ballots cast. Eligible players remain on the ballot for 10 years as long as they receive a minimum of 5% of the vote, after which they are removed from the ballot but remain eligible for consideration by the Veterans Committee, which meets annually to focus on players overlooked from different eras.
The results of the balloting are announced in January, and the induction ceremonies are held in July in historic Cooperstown, New York. Last year’s inductees included Ichiro Suzuki, C.C. Sabathia, and Billy Wagner. Sluggers Dick Allen and Dave Parker were added by the Veterans Committee.
Although there was a six-month gap between their election and their actual induction, those five men were officially recognized as Hall of Famers the minute their names were announced in January. The induction ceremony, their acceptance speech, and the revealing of their bronze plaque in July were just the “icing on the cake”.
My friend, if you have repented of your sins and trusted Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord, you are already a citizen of heaven. You may have to wait a few more years until you are officially “inducted into the Celestial City” and take up residence in your mansion in Glory, but you are just as much a “heavenly homeowner” as those who are living there today.
What a glorious concept and what an incredible truth!
“But our citizenship is in heaven, and we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables Him to subject all things to Himself, will transform our lowly bodies to be like His glorious body.” Philippians 3:20-21 (BSB)
- Rev. Dale M. Glading, President
