The core of a life is what will always be seen throughout time. The outer layers of who we are peel away throughout time and our core is left exposed after people have gotten to know us and watched our every move while listening to our every word. The core of a man is what defines him and in our culture today, the core of many men has rotted due to the flirtatious lifestyle that we have lived with our sinful nature. Our core, our heart and our soul, can harden over time or it can become set on something more; something that helps us transcend and yearn for a higher calling in each day.

Morgan Ensberg has played baseball nearly his entire life. For most, sports becomes the core of their being as they live and die by the results that are played out on the field. For Morgan, life is about more than baseball because the core of his life is not about a game or about fame or wealth. We caught up with Morgan during Spring Training and he shared his story with us. He is our Men of God Spotlight for this issue.
His Life

Morgan grew up in California and would excel in baseball and in basketball. Following his graduation from high school, he attended the University of Southern California and was a member of the 1998 National Championship team for the Trojans. His life story, though, began well before that and his walk with Christ was something that seemed to start before he uttered his first word.

Q – Can you tell me your testimony?

“I grew up going to church; I grew up the grandson of a Lutheran minister. I went to school, from preschool to the eighth grade, at our church, so basically, from the womb, I was told by my parents, grandparents, teachers, and pastors that I could talk to God through prayer. I don’t remember the specific day when I was younger when I exactly understood that Jesus Christ died for our sins but I would definitely say that in October 2000 was when I think, as an adult, everything basically clicked. You know, it’s different when you grow up in church; at least, that’s my experience. In 2000, I sat down and said, “How can it be that I’ve been going to church my whole life, having gone to school at my church, and yet I’ve never sat down and read right through the Bible?” So, it was in October 2000 that I said, “OK. I’m going to just go ahead and read right through the Bible.” That’s what I did and I still do that every day to this day; I read a little bit of the Bible. That changed me dramatically. With respect to strictly salvation, when you grow up that close to the church and like I said, my grandfather’s a minister, these are things that are just taught. I knew that very, very young.”

Q – How influential was it for you to grow up in a Christian home?

think it was very influential. A lot of times, people have three different worlds. They have their life at home, they have their life at school or work, and then, hopefully, they have their life at church. A lot of times, these three places are not aligned with any common ground, whereas at my house, I went to church, I went to school at the church, and then I was at home, so all three places of influence were all focused on Jesus Christ. It was just an incredible experience growing up because everything was constantly backed up, either at home or at school or at church. Nothing was contradictory.”
His Career

Morgan was drafted in 1998, out of the University of Southern California, by the Houston Astros. He was drafted in the ninth round and would have a standout year in 2003 and again in 2005, when he was among the leaders in home runs. In 2007, Morgan was traded to the San Diego Padres and after the season, he signed with the New York Yankees, the most prestigious team in the history of baseball.

Q – What is the highlight of your career up to this point?

“From a statistical standpoint, you go through different times when you’re doing great and then you’re doing poorly, but what I am most honored, I would say because I don’t want to say proud, I’m honored simply that God has used me to get the word out about Jesus Christ and it wasn’t something that I had expected at all. I thought that I played baseball because I enjoyed it, because I love it, and because that was my job, but it turns out that I play baseball so I can tell people that Jesus Christ is my Lord and Savior.”

Q – Baseball is such a game of highs and lows where you fail more than you succeed. How is your faith influential in helping you deal with that because it has to be tough mentally?

“I understand a couple of things. One, that God’s not going to put you in anything that you can’t handle. He’s not going to do that. He’s not going to tempt you either so if you’re doing poorly, it’s not because God is trying to get you to sin or anything like that. More so, baseball provides times when you can feel extremely close to God and times where it’s your job to grow. When you’re doing poorly, sometimes, those are times when God is trying to bring you closer but other times when you’re doing poorly, it’s a time for you to grow. So, I rely on god more so with everything in my life, regardless of baseball. In my prayer life, in my relationship with my wife and my relationship with my children, He’s the center of everything and baseball just happens to be my job.”

Q – How could you see God’s hand at work in your opportunity to move to the Yankees?

“You know, it’s amazing. When we were presented with the opportunity from different teams who were making offers, my wife and I prayed and what we prayed for was not that we could go to a specific place, but that God would open doors and close doors. (We prayed) That He would close the doors of places we were not supposed to go and open the doors of the place that we were supposed to go. This door (New York) swung wide open. It was just great. The purpose of not praying for “God, please send me to the Yankees” was because although God understands and knows my heart, I wanted Him to know that I was submissive to His will. That’s why I didn’t specifically say, “Please send me here or there.” I just said, “Let Your will be done. Send me where You want me.”

Q – Are you excited about being with the Yankees?“I’m really excited.

You know, I love New York. I love New York City so much. This is a place where Christi, my wife, just loved to go. There’s just so much to do here and it’s such a vibrant city. It’s alive. I’m really looking forward to playing there and of course, getting a chance to play for the Yankees is definitely an honor.”

Q – How vital is it to have other Christians on the team with you, as you have with the Yankees?

“Accountability is big for men, period. Speaking on behalf of a baseball player and a man, you need accountability. You need to have people who can help you during times of weakness. You need to have someone there to keep you in check. You have guys here that we can do that with and it is vital because we can slip so easily into sin. It’s what we really do naturally.”
His Advice

In the few moments that I had with Morgan, I could tell that he was legitimate in what he believed. It wasn’t something that flashed on the exterior, but it was something that was in the core of who he strives to be. He loves the Lord, regardless of whether or not he is hitting a home run or mired in a slump. His life is about more than statistics.

Q – Do you have a favorite verse?

“Colossians 3:23 that says, “No matter what you do, work at it with all your heart as if you’re working for the Lord, not for man.” That one really summarizes everything that I try to do in that I’m not trying to impress somebody in the stands, I’m not trying to impress my teammates or my coaches, I’m trying to work my tail off for Jesus Christ. During times of conditioning or times that are difficult, I simply say, “God, I’m doing this for you and I’m doing this because You placed me here.””

Morgan told me that he also keeps Scripture in his back pocket. He finds some Scriptures, puts them on paper, and laminates it. He then sticks it in his back pocket so he has it available at all times. It is just one more way of keeping his focus on Christ throughout his day.

Q – New York looks like endless opportunities for God. What do you see when you look at the city of New York?

“I think the world is such that there are endless opportunities for God. What’s most important, at least for me, is to continue to try and strive to be like Jesus Christ. People are always going to find out that you’re a Christian and they’re going to see how you handle it. They’re going to see how you handle the good times and the bad times. New York City is such an incredible place and I’m really looking forward to seeing what God has planned.”

Though we only had a few moments, I could see what was at the core of Morgan Ensberg. It isn’t about the money or about individual or team accolades. He is filled with the love of Jesus and his truest passion in life is for his Savior, not for a game. As Morgan takes the field each day, it is not to land the next contract; it is to glorify the One who gave him life and to share that story and that hope with anyone willing to listen.

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