← The BEMA Podcast
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- [00:00]
Ethan Bryan
Foreign.
- [00:06]
Brent Billings
This is the bamaw podcast with Marty Solomon. I'm his co host, Brent Billings. Today we are joined by special guest Ethan Bryan, author of A Year of Playing Catch. Along with many other books. He's found himself in the National Baseball hall of Fame and the White House. And he is self proclaimed one of the best benchwarmers from his high school junior varsity baseball team. Ethan, welcome to the show.
- [00:27]
Ethan Bryan
What a joy and honor to be here.
- [00:28]
Brent Billings
I'm going to have such a great time with this. I've got my little intro, but I don't really need to tell your life story. Why don't you tell us some of the details about your life in your own words. Whatever you want to talk about, family, hobbies, anything that you'd like to share, you're welcome to do so.
- [00:43]
Ethan Bryan
That's a really broad question for an introduction, you know. Wow. So, okay, family. Well, I'm a son and a brother and a nephew, husband and father. I'm an uncle, I'm a godfather. For a year now, I've been a father, father in law. It's really interesting actually. There's been words about it in the sports circles just in the last 24 hours about top tier athletes who find their identity in their relationships, not in their accomplishments. And it's very fun to, it's very grounding to define yourself by your relationships and it's very healthy especially for, for the, the audience of this podcast. But additionally, I love playing guitar. I was a worship leader for a decade and had a band and wrote songs. I love playing board games with my family. There was a season, especially when the girls were young, that I think I went something like two years between winning games of Candyland. It was awful. I am an avid fan of donuts and Dr. Pepper and so I try to exercise and move my body a lot so I can continue being a fan of donuts and Dr. Pepper.
- [01:53]
Marty Solomon
Yeah, just so many fun little goodies in there. We always kind of start these episodes talking about, like how our relationships formed and where we got connected. I remember Ethan was one of the first people I ever started following when I got on Twitter. I wasn't an early adopter. I wasn't super late to the ball game. But I went over on Twitter years ago. I started following some people here and there. Ethan just would share. I don't know if there were retweets or different things he would share. I'm like, okay, this guy, he's in the same circle, he's following some of the same people. He's Retweeting some of the same thoughts that I enjoy. And then you were doing this thing at the time where you were playing catch, like you were trying to play catch every day or whatever it was you were doing. This whole year of playing catch, and you were looking for people to meet you and do this. And I was just captivated by this thing you were doing. And I want to talk to you about that here at the beginning of the interview. But the backstory of that is I was like, man, I want to interview this guy in the podcast one day, and he's going to have no idea who I am. And then out of nowhere, I get this DM from Ethan, and he's like, I just sat next to this guy on a plane. Do you happen to know him? And I did, and we were able to swap contact information. But then it was like this beautiful. Like, we got to connect, and I was able to kind of set up a future conversation. But how did you get introduced to who we were? Ethan and. And. Because we were, like, in different worlds that were revolving. We were orbiting, but we weren't. And all of a sudden we had this overlap. What was that like for you?
- [03:22]
Ethan Bryan
So I was on this plane ride, and I was trying to trace back where I was going where. I don't know where the plane ride was from. It was. It was late. I do remember it was late. And I was heading. I think I was heading towards home. You know, it's just kind of a personal prayer when I get on a plane, just to have someone that I can have nice conversation with. That's all. All I wanted. And this guy starts talking to me, and he plays guitar. And it was one of those conversations that you have most often with people who share a faith background. It was just one of those serendipitous moments. We literally talked the whole. The whole flight. And he says, so I've been learning from this podcast. Let me ask you a question. I was like, wait, hold on. What's the podcast? He drops it, and he mentions a couple things. And so that was the introduction. I was like, well, that's really cool. Just a few weeks pass by. I am in a delightful, wonderful Sunday school class at my church, and I. I do not teach it. I am most often a silent participant. I sit and will whisper snarky things to my wife. And so one of the teachers said, I was listening to this podcast and in dealing with this passage, what he brought out, And I was like, that's that same podcast. I know this. This podcast is Referenced and brought up to me regularly. And it is just. It's a delight to be able to have this conversation.
- [04:47]
Marty Solomon
Well, I want to get to this playing catch thing, but we need context before we even get started there. There are people that like baseball. I would say I'm kind of like one of those people. I like baseball. Then there are people that, like, love baseball, and then there are people that love baseball. And I feel like you probably fit in that last category. You are a devoted fan of the Kansas City Royals. You've got some Bama team members that are gonna join you with that love. But tell me about your love for baseball. I mean, usually when. Especially baseball, people usually have great stories of their fandom and childhood memories. Where does your love for baseball and the Royals come from? Tell me some of that backstory.
- [05:29]
Ethan Bryan
So it's kind of a mythological story, if you will. I have no active memories of it, but my dad went to University of Missouri, got a degree in veterinary medicine and graduated. My family moves to Kansas City to Lee Summit, where he starts his first. Where he begins his first work as a veterinarian. My mom was a preschool teacher, and at the end of the preschool year, her preschool had a teacher's night out at Royal Stadium. So it's spring, and I'm four. This is what I know. So you look at those together, it puts you in May of 79. And they tell me that the game went so long. It was, at the time, the longest game, Royal State. And we stayed until it was over. And so, again, I have no memories, but they say, no, I was invested. I was just engaged by everything that was going on. And what I do know is that for as long as I can remember, I have loved the Royals. Good, bad. And it's. It's. It is that that childhood first love, you know, there's. There's no rhyme or reason for it. It's just, I love the Royals. So eventually I started trying, you know, once Baseball Reference comes around, I start trying to figure out when was this game, what happened to it and everything. And they kept saying, we took you to the game when you were four. We took you to the game when you were four. Well, I was born in 1974, so it take me to the game when I'm four is 1978. I keep looking in these. In the spring of 78. Well, I did my math wrong. In the spring of 78, I would have been three. And for so long, I'd been looking in there. And so I finally started looking in the right time, May of 1979. The longest game was 16 innings. In that game, George Brett not only hit for this cycle, but won the game on a walk off home run in the bottom of the 16th. And according to legend, that was my first game. And I have been a Royals fan ever, ever, ever since.
- [07:31]
Marty Solomon
That is fantastic. That's a historic Royals game for you to start your fandom, even if it's not implanted in your memory. That is, that is a great. You said myth, and I'm like, oh, how's that going to go? You nailed it. That is fantastic. I love it.
- [07:44]
Brent Billings
So do they serve donuts at Royals Stadium or where did the donut fandom come from?
- [07:49]
Ethan Bryan
Okay, so there's two parts to that question. They used to. I lived in Kansas City. My first church. I served after graduating from True Seminary. It was Cornerstone Church in lee Summit. From 2001 to 2012, I was youth minister and worship leader. And somewhere around, oh, maybe 2004, 2005, the royals partnered with Krispy Kreme. And if the Royals a dozen hits, you could take your ticket stub to Krispy Kreme and get a free dozen donuts. Wow. Well, something happened and the Royals were getting a dozen hits. All that. They blew out the promotion. They had to, had to cancel it early. But the truth of this story is when mom was pregnant and they were going to Lamaze classes, pregnancy classes in Colombia. After classes, they would pass a bakery at night that would serve hot, fresh doughnuts. So I have loved donuts literally the entirety of my existence.
- [08:48]
Marty Solomon
I love that.
- [08:49]
Brent Billings
That's beautiful.
- [08:50]
Marty Solomon
Ethan, tell us about this thing that captivated me back when I started following you, this effort in, I think it was 2018, you were going to play catch every day. Like, what inspired that? What drove that? What was the impetus for that pursuit?
- [09:02]
Ethan Bryan
It actually goes back to the introductory question. My daughters were the inspiration behind all of it. There was no thinking about it going into it. So 2016, 2017, I'm writing. I have a couple projects I'm working on, a couple contracts I'm under. And it is very much a struggle. And I, looking back, I can see how I really was wrestling with depression. I just did. I never was, never really treated or anything. And so now Fast forward to December 2017. Christmas. My youngest daughter, artist, she gives me a ball for Christmas. And it just has written in Sharpie on the ball says, dad want to play catch? So thank her for the gift. I put the ball on my writing desk. Fast forward to January 1, 2018. I've got these two projects I'm working on. And when I say it's like the cartoons, I mean, I really mean it. And you see that. That dark cloud that comes over and settles on a character. It just felt like that I was trying to write and nothing was happening. And I just had that kind of. That weight, that kind of heaviness. And so I leaned back in my chair, and I look up, and the first thing that catches my eye is that ball, because it's the newest thing on the shelf. And so I just yelled out to her, hey, Sophie, you want to play catch? And she's like, well, outside clicked on the weather station is one degree. On January 1, she asked at a baseball stadium. I was like, you know what? I. Yes, I can think of a field we can go use. Well, she's in her bedroom, and for Sophie to be awake is to be crafting something. And she just got lost in whatever she's doing. And I figured that was the end of the conversation. So I'm trying to think of anything else to do other than write, and all of a sudden, I just hear this really quiet, okay. And so, without thinking, threw on clothes, and I grabbed gloves. We drive to this field and try to stretch as best as you can while wearing a million layers. And the good news is, the sun was shining. There's no snow on the ground. It was just cold. And so we throw the ball really fast, take a selfie, and by this time, you know, I can't feel my fingers, and my eyes and nose are drooping. And so I go home. I post a picture of the selfie on a blog. When I say that my mom and my aunt were my only readers, I literally mean that my mom and my aunt were my only readers. So that afternoon, same day, I'm still not writing. I am folding laundry. My oldest daughter said, dad, I'd love to play catch with you. Well, I looked. It had warmed up to 5 degrees. Now we step out in the backyard, and the dog comes out with us. And literally, with every throw, the dog's going crazy and barking and jumping, and we're laughing about it. And, you know, as we start laughing, glasses start fogging over, which is just a horribly bad way to play cats. We take a selfie, and I post it on the blog for a second time. And that's it. That is it. And so it's January 1st, and our family's habit was we would eat dinner together at the table. And on January 1st, it's all the things you talk. What Are your dreams for this year? What are your fears? How are you feeling going into second semester? Just all those normal conversations you have on a day. And my daughter's chef. It was an inspired question. It is a life changing, transformational question. Dad, what would happen if you play catch every day for a year? And they asked it, and typical dad, I just started laughing. I was like, what would happen? I can tell you exactly. I would need surgery. This is what would happen. Well, I mean. And I held on to that question for six seconds, and. And then they come back, oh, maybe you should just try it. And so they are the inspiration. They are the ones who almost every night that year, as we would sit for family dinners, dad, tell us the story of who you played catch with today. What was it like? Tell us who you met. And. And then we'd go on trips. We went on two different lengthy car trips, literally, to meet people to play catch. And I thought they would be bored stiff. And they were wonderful experiences. Whole family adventures centered on play.
- [13:21]
Brent Billings
That's amazing. So one year, was that difficult to pull off? Was there, like a date where you're like, oh, today's the day. I don't want to do this. Or was it just, you know, you had enough momentum behind it that it was just easy?
- [13:36]
Ethan Bryan
It was not easy. It was never easy. The furthest out I was ever planned was about a week. And so my wife is a teacher, and she'd come home and work on paperwork, and I'd spend the night, you know, tweeting and Facebook and emails and texting. People say, hey, will you play catch tomorrow? This is who I am. Had my deal. This is a crazy question, but this is what I'm doing. And what's funny is there's now other people who have done it. And. And they're like, people just say yes to me all the time. I've never been rejected. And I'm like, I got thousands of rejections. No one wanted to do well, turned down, ridiculously so. It was never easy. But I experienced what was good about it and then reflecting on it to write the book, but then even continuing to reflect on it and research it more after the book came out. I am still just beginning to understand why it is so powerful. There's an organization I recently. I became friends with this year. I think they're out of Boston and Chicago. It's called the center for Healing and Justice Through Sport. And their. Their motto is nothing heals like sport. And they say what we do, how we work, what we promote, it Focuses on three things. Relationship, movement and stress management. And then they detailed it and they said playing catch actually focuses on all three of these at the same time. When you play catch, you're connected with someone. It is a face to face activity. You know, if you get screens or devices involved, they're a distraction. So you, you have to focus on your, on this person and it just naturally opens itself up to conversation. So playing catch is relational stress management. You and your partner decide how you're going to play catch. Are you 10ft across and just lightly tossing the ball or do you challenge yourself and see how far and how hard can you determine that? How much stress do you want to, to put on your body? So having those two things, but then the last part is movement. And they said playing catch is a type of movement known as patterned, repetitive, rhythmic activity. And this type of movement, more than any other type of movement, helps to regulate the brain. And as soon as, I mean, I read this for the first time just a few months ago. Yes, that's what happened that first catch playing year when I was struggling with things being hard. And every day I would get to go out with someone else. And my whole focus for that 30 minutes to an hour was just to share stories with this person. And by the time I was done with it, you know, I felt more creative, I felt more at home in me and I was ready for whatever challenges were ahead. And so I really don't even remember where the question started. I just, I. It wasn't easy, but it was so good. And I'm still learning. The reasons why I experienced it is so good.
- [16:47]
Marty Solomon
So let me ask you this, Ethan. I don't want you to give away anything that people ought to find in the book, but you've got to have like some of just your favorite, whether it's who you got to play catch with or some conversation or some. Just give me one or two of like your favorite moments or memories or opportunities. The thing that captivated me when you were doing it was I'm like, oh my gosh, that is going to generate some phenomenal conversations. And maybe it, maybe it didn't the way that I thought it would have. But what are some of your favorite moments from that year of playing catch?
- [17:19]
Ethan Bryan
One that always rises to the top was I got to go to the Field of dreams movie site with my dad. Oh man, that's always one of my top favorite movies. And we went there. 2018. It's before they have built on the new major league stadium. It's before Baseballism is there. The souvenirs were in just a shack. You know, it was funny. I was. I had trouble sleeping the night before. Is that. That. That Christmas Eve kind of feeling? You know, that. That excitement. But also, you know, one of my gifts is overthinking. I can't remember where that gift is listed biblically, but it is one of my gifts. But I. I worried. Is it. Am I gonna. Am I making too much of this experience? And we get to the field late July. It is a gorgeous day. Absolutely gorgeous. And we were there three or four hours, met all these people. Dad's. How did he say it? He said. He said it was. It was like experiencing church out there. That. That it was. It was quiet and the. The only sound effects were laughter and literally families and strangers meeting around baseball sounds and activities. There was so much joy. It was stepping into the mood and getting just a taste of the air quotes magic. So that's. That's always at the top of the list is going to the field of that. But then these trips I took with my daughters got to introduce them to Mary Moore, who played in the All American Girls Professional Baseball League. She was also in the movie A League of Their Own. And so we got to hear her stories. And then that same day, Perry Barber, who is a professional umpire, a woman's umpire. Woman as an umpire, and she's a Jeopardy. Champion. And so it was really neat to all of their life experiences between athlete and in a movie. And Perry is a musician and an umpire. And so these two phenomenal role models are just having a conversation with me and my daughters while we all play catch. It was amazing.
- [19:26]
Marty Solomon
One of the things that's jumping out to me in our interview today, I wasn't even expecting. Ethan, you started the interview by saying one of the greatest ways to be defined is who you have relationships with and what I love about what you're sharing. And it's kind of catching me off guard in the best kind of way, is all your stories are about your family, your daughters, your dad. And that's just really good. Like a good. Here I was ready for, like. Well, I played catch with the senator, and this Kevin Costner came, and it's your. The people that matter the most to you. And somewhere in there is something really beautiful, and I really appreciate that a lot.
- [20:02]
Ethan Bryan
When we moved to Springfield, back to Springfield after being away for 15 years, it was so my daughters could be in the same town as their grandparents and they could know their grandparents as people and, you know, know them well. Enough not just as these are people who give us gifts on birthday and Christmas and know them well enough to know that if I do this it's going annoy them. And to be real people. And it has been, it's been good to be able to be with family.
- [20:31]
Brent Billings
So I imagine those car rides had some great conversations as well. Is baseball like your icebreaker kind of thing in all situations or is it just for the catch? And you have like, what are some other interests that like bring you into those deeper conversations, those deeper relationships with people? How do you kind of catch them off guard and get them to go to a place that they wouldn't go to on a surface level?
- [20:55]
Ethan Bryan
Now, what's your favorite movie?
- [20:58]
Brent Billings
That's a tough question.
- [21:00]
Ethan Bryan
What is something that if it's on tv, you're gonna go ahead and stop and just watch it till it's at the end?
- [21:08]
Brent Billings
Any of the original Star Wars. Gosh, the list is so long. It's so difficult to say that. A lot of Pixar movies, a lot of, a lot of stuff.
- [21:18]
Ethan Bryan
So now that I've asked the question. You started with Star Wars. I tell you Star wars was the first movie that I, I saw in the theater in May of 77. But then I'd also tell you that my son in law is a huge, huge Star wars fan. He, he knows more about the, the breadth of the Star wars universe than I do. Then you jumped into Pixar and then some of these new animated how to train your dragon. Oh my goodness. I. Of how to train your dragon. And then talking about the music of. So I'll take just a question just to be able to find some way to relate to you as a human. And I will always, almost always start with baseball. We have a new employee at work. She's one of our new administrative assistants. I think I've met her on three occasions now. I was walking through the office yesterday, I said, do you like baseball? And she's like, well, it's all right, we will continue this conversation. I just wanted to open the door. But yeah, there's just so much in my. It's just asking the question. It's the book that you referenced, the art of asking good questions. Just asking the questions and being genuinely interested and curious about people.
- [22:26]
Marty Solomon
Yeah, it feels like you have an intuition that's really helpful. There is a book we were talking about before we started recording that Ethan's referencing. It's a new book coming out from J.R. briggs. We'll throw in the show notes. We've We've had JR on the show before, and now I don't have the title in front of me. It's coming out. It's supposed to be released August. No, October 7, I think. But the art of asking better questions or something like that feels very similar to the Bama audience, this idea of asking questions. But JR gets to the heart of what you're. He talks about different levels of questions, when they're appropriate. Why? Like, if you want to get into the science of how to use questions to engage with other people, it's a really fun resource. Now, I know, Ethan, that you. From the messages we've exchanged from different things that I've seen you post, I know that faith is a part of your life. I know that faith is a part of who you are. Talk to me about how that shapes some of these things. The work that you do, the writing that you. Where does faith find its way into who you are and what you do and the difference that it makes for you.
- [23:23]
Ethan Bryan
This is going to feel like meandering through the shire to answer this question, but I'm going to do my best.
- [23:27]
Brent Billings
To answer this question.
- [23:28]
Marty Solomon
You couldn't have picked a better metaphor like that.
- [23:31]
Brent Billings
That's where we want to be. That's totally fine.
- [23:33]
Ethan Bryan
I will start by saying, I have been afraid my entire life. And I don't know if that's just a personality thing in the way I process. When I was six years old, I developed alopecia. I lost all my hair. So I'm sure that played into some of it. But my natural operating system is being afraid to the point that even today, the first thoughts that go to my brain when somebody says, hey, I want to meet up for a game of catches, I get nervous, is just how I process. And so my faith is first expressed and finds roots. Remembering bedtime prayers with Ma, and she quotes Proverbs 3, 5 and 6. Trust in the Lord with all your hearts. Lean not on your. And so that is a mantra and a prayer that I come back to all the time. Trust in the Lord with all of your heart. So that's. That's where it starts. And there's so many other ways this. I could answer this, but one that is meeting me where I am and helping me to do what I do as vocationally and to be who I am. So at the beginning of the year, my pastor starts preaching from Luke 5. It's. It's a story, you know, Peter spends all night fishing, doesn't catch anything, comes back in. Jesus says, hey, push out This a little bit deeper. Cast nets on the other side. And now the nets start to overflow. And Peter in. In the wake of this, he's like. He feels unworthy and collapses and confesses his unworthiness to Jesus. And then you get to verse 10. Now, I don't know how many times I've heard the story, but you get. And Jesus says, from now on, you'll be fishing for people, fishing for men. Well, I don't remember what translation my pastor is reading from this year. And he gets to that part. And then Jesus said, don't be afraid. From now on, you'll be catching people. And he said. He read that. I was like, wait, what? Trans. What was that? And it was, again, one of those epiphany moments. I never expected a verse like that to be so literal. But I started this new position about a year ago, working for Community Partnership with the Ozarks. It's a local nonprofit, does amazing work. And my job is as a student mentor. I go to the schools and I work with students who are in need, who just need a little bit of extra encouragement to need a positive adult role model in. In their life. And I. For the first six months, I was so nervous to go, and I was not at home in a school. And then get this verse beginning of the year, and it starts to not only settle me, but provide, you know, you be you and take your passions to the kids. Don't be afraid. And so I am now learning ways to embrace my faith. I. Trying to be me and being courageous to invite kids I don't know to play catch and trusting that in this activity there is a joyful God with us. And it has been. I mean, the last seven months have really been amazing. Getting to encourage students, getting to meet new students, getting to do things with adults. So it's. I'm catching people, and I'm trying not to be afraid. Ethan, you're how old I am one month exactly from being 51.
- [27:09]
Marty Solomon
51 years old, still learning how to not be afraid. I find that inspiring, moving, true about our developing, evolving faith that we all experience. I love that.
- [27:19]
Brent Billings
I love that.
- [27:21]
Marty Solomon
May that be true for me and all of us as well. I love that explanation. That's really good. Probably will be 81. Still learning how to not be afraid, I would imagine.
- [27:31]
Brent Billings
Well, Ethan, I want to talk about another book that you have. I had a test call with you, and I was like, okay, if I could have one of your books to read, because Marty's got the catch thing covered, and I knew you had a bunch of baseball books, so I was like, I don't know, I feel like I'd like any of these. And you told me about a book that I didn't realize was there called the Life Saving Adventure of Gracelyn Gordon and Her Dog, which is fiction. And so being a good disciple of Marty, I was like, eh, fiction. But I got it anyway and I'm about a third of the way through it as we do this interview. And my goodness, I am just blown away. Like it is fiction, but it just feels so real. And it made me realize something that I. I appreciate so much and I think I want to try to seek out somehow is like stuff that is written from areas that I'm familiar with because I've never read a book that references the restaurant Brahms before, but I know what that is. And I was like, oh my gosh, I feel like I'm kind of at home in this book. And so there's a lot of realness to this book. So tell me a little bit about this book, how you got into it and. Yeah. Why it's making me cry, I guess.
- [28:51]
Ethan Bryan
Yes, it is a book that is close to my heart. The very first four sentences of the book. I woke up early one Sunday morning. My daughter and I were invited to be musicians, part of the worship band. And so we had to go to practice. So I set my alarm early and my alarm goes off and I wake up and I have these four sentences in my mind. My dad spent the last year of his life creating a scavenger hunt for me across the United States. He's. He's weird like that. And I was like, what in the world? And I have a little notebook by my bed stand, and I literally just write down those four sentences and shove it in my pocket. We go practice, we go church. We have family friends in town. Spend the rest of the day with them. The next day is Monday and I just happened to reach in back pocket and there's. There's that note. And I look at it and I was like, oh, these are really good sentences. What. What is this? The very first draft took like two months to write, and then it took four, five years to grow into a novel. And really what it is is the whole book is an inside joke to my family. And it is, it is all of our stories rewritten. The title character, Graceland. My daughter's names are Kaylee Grace and Sophie Litt. So I put their names together when I was born in Columbia and dad is in vet school. My parents Had a dog. His name was Fagan. Fagan was the first pet that I remember. And it is just illusions like that. And then stories are. Are just. They're just our stories twisted a little bit. And. And so the whole, the whole thing is, is written for my family. It's hard to say. I didn't know if it was good or not and finally started getting brave enough to let other people read it in various drafts or so. This is what is published is now probably version 20 or whatever. But the early drafts and people were like this is one of my favorite stories. And I, you know, the self doubt or own worst critic like are you really telling the truth? Are you just saying that? And so it was neat to hear resonating with. With other people. But it's. It's ultimately just a story about, about family and making new friends and that. That's it.
- [31:15]
Brent Billings
Yeah. The humanity on display in this book is incredible. And I can imagine that those stories come from people that you've actually encountered. And just the beautiful grace and hospitality that people have shown is exactly the kind of stuff that we talk about on the podcast. Welcoming people in who don't necessarily belong there and whatever. So I've just been enjoying it so much.
- [31:41]
Marty Solomon
We are going to share, if you don't mind. Ethan, you shared with us a book review and I just love good book. Book reviews are book reviews and then there's like book reviews that are just so well written that it makes you like want to read. There's a great book that was done by one of your. Your friends at. I want to make sure I get this right. At Hearts and Minds Bookstore, we're going to plug that book review just so that people can read it for themselves and then get a copy there if they want to. Because I thought it was just a really. Well, I love a good book review that makes me smile a bunch of times over and that certainly did. So we're going to share that and give people even more connections to find and help support. But Ethan, what other kind of stuff he said you're working. Well, first of all, I want to know all we can go to ethanbryan.com is that the right website? Did I get that right?
- [32:34]
Ethan Bryan
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
- [32:35]
Marty Solomon
And there are books there. Tell us about other books, other resources you've created, but then also take time to share. Like you say you're working for an awesome nonprofit that does incredible things like share about that. What are the platforms that you're connected to that the world ought to know more about? Because we're talking today. Like share. Share it all. Tell us all the things I told.
- [32:56]
Ethan Bryan
You about center for Healing and justice through Sports. And they're amazing. Another platform, one of my favorite books I worked on is called America at the Seams, and that was with Nathan Rickert. And he has a business called Baseball Scenes Company. And he takes old baseballs that most people throw away and don't think are any good and he turns them into art. And he created a map of the United States out of baseballs and it is gorgeous. And his. His art has hung in the White House, sells in at Cooperstown. He's just grateful to be able to work with him. I am currently working on a children's picture book with my daughter. Two, three. Three years ago. Three years ago in July, she just had an idea. She wanted to paint our fence. Paint. We live on a fairly busy street in Springfield, so she wants to paint a mural on our fence. And it caught the attention of all the neighbors. And we started making friends in the neighborhood because of this, this painting of a whale, of a humpback whale on our fence. And it went. It went viral locally. And so she and I are working on a children's picture book. But with community partnership with the Ozarks, I have developed catch playing curriculum to work with students to teach character values. And we talk about courage. That's the foundational one. We talk about the importance of your attitude. We talk about tenacity and perseverance and failure that you have to fail. You have to. There is nothing. I wish I could have told this to myself when I was 10. Because failure is how you learn. So make go ahead and throw it to me the worst way you can and we'll fail together. And then we talk about community because you. You have to play catch together when we ball all these up together. And I say now what we've really been doing is practicing being human. So it takes courage to be healing. Your attitude is contagious to others. And how are you going to employ these in whatever venues you. You find yourself so working with students just through those. And. And this summer I'm piloting a leadership program with high school students to teach them more character values about being leaders. Leaders are learners. Leaders are relational. They're self awareness. They are not only people who dream, but they are people who embody and live out those dreams. And then there are ones who understand that leadership is about service to others, not strength for self. We are having so much fun. We play catch and talk. It is wonderful. And I Am grateful for an organization that encourages me and says and encourages me to take these risks. Go try it. Go see what happens. It's okay. We will support you as you do this. Let's see what we can learn together and find ways to engage and encourage others through play. I'm convinced that, well, I'm convinced that God played all things into being. Stealing a quote from Moltman. Nothing good comes about except through the passion of love and an abundance of joy. And so through the passion of love and an abundance of joy, God create, well, passion of love. And that's play. And that's all that it is. Passion of love and abundance of joy. So we go play and find ways to encourage one another.
- [36:27]
Marty Solomon
I feel like, tell me if you think this is going to be a great idea. We have a pretty good regional listenership there in the Kansas City area. I think we should do a Bay mom meet and greet. Ethan, Brian collab where everybody brings their mitt and we do the greatest catch off ever.
- [36:43]
Brent Billings
Oh my God.
- [36:44]
Marty Solomon
I can just see all of us coming and playing catch and it would be like we do meet and greets all the time. This would be like a special meet and greet and just see what happens. That's what I'm, that's what I'm here for. I think next time we're in, Casey, that's what we do. I love it. I love it. Yes.
- [37:01]
Brent Billings
All right, well, I guess I'm coming to that one. This interview is going to cost me a lot of time and money because it sounds like I'm buying a baseball map. Sounds like there's a lot of stuff going on. This is beautiful. Ethan, I'm curious about your writing process and how that feeds into all of these things that you just talked about that you're involved in. Do you process through stuff as you're writing and then you go out and you teach that, or is it stuff that you stumble upon as you're teaching that you incorporate into your books? How does that work for your process?
- [37:34]
Ethan Bryan
I process life best through writing. I, I try and read widely and then, and then process that and then as I'm playing, as I'm walking, find ways to incorporate the two together. I, I, it's rare that I read just for knowledge sake. I want to incorporate it into who I am and what I'm doing and so know you read the, the great books like Grit and, and what is what is Grit or one of my favorites for a couple years ago, Quiet by Susan Cain. And what role do introverts Play in a noisy world. The writing helps me take the big thoughts and then pull them in. Now, how do I take what I'm learning and just plant the seed in a younger kid? Or how do I take it and share it in conversation with my daughters? I've got one daughter who's a musician. She's a middle school orchestra teacher, which sounds, you know, we live a daughter who's a musician, daughter who's an artist. We live in a world that is desperate for the truths that are revealed through music and art and the courage it takes to live in both of those worlds where schools are quick to turn down and shut down music. In our programs, man, we kids need a chance to be able to express themselves and discover themselves through these avenues. And so what I'm reading and what I'm writing, I then turn to them and say, hey, I thought you might like this. It might help you with your students. Or, I thought you might like this because I see this in. In the art that you create. And so I am. I am regularly writing to process what's good. It makes me slow down to process it so I can figure out how to pass it on to others, too.
- [39:28]
Brent Billings
Yeah. You struck me as a very good listener, a very good observer, and I know if I was on the worship team getting up to go to a practice, I would not stop and take the time to write down something that came to my mind as soon as I woke up. So the presence of mind to capture those sorts of things that turn into a beautiful book like that or whatever, that's something that I aspire to, I think. So. Thank you for sharing that.
- [39:55]
Marty Solomon
Yeah, I just. For somebody I would have never guessed, I guess. My closing thoughts, Ethan, about the conversation we've had. I love your vulnerability of the stuff that you shared. It's so funny how the things that we struggle with personally are always the opposite of what's sometimes perceived. Like Moses being the guy who thinks he can't go do this. You're like, Moses, who is more qualified to lead the Israelites out of Egypt than the dude who was raised in Pharaoh's house and also happens to be a Hebrew. Like, you're not going to find a human being more qualified than you. Like, I would have never guessed in a thousand years that you were somebody that would have said from the earliest days. I'm afraid, like, what I've loved about what I've always seen from a distance from you is your willingness to, like, put yourself out there, like, take risks. And yet I also know what's true about my own perceptions or struggles with my own self and identity. So I get that tension and that weirdness. But I hearing you share that on this call, I would just double down on a thank you. Like a sense of gratitude for. Thanks for putting yourself out there, for trying crazy ideas, ideas born out of depression and a crazy idea from your daughters or writing stories and not stopping, or you live out of that, like maybe putting this right. Jesus calls you out of that place of fear in a beautiful, beautiful way. And for the ways that you answer it, I'm just thankful. So thanks for. Thanks for sharing yourself with the world the way that you do. It's wonderful.
- [41:21]
Ethan Bryan
During my catch playing year, I had a flip phone, so when I would take selfies, I would literally use a camera. And so some of them are really wonky because I couldn't tell. Exactly. Whereas. So since the book came out, I have finally joined the smartphone world. And, you know, you, you. You open up your Internet browser and I have about half a dozen tabs that are automatic. Joshua 1:9 is the first one that always opens up. And I probably read that verse a dozen times a week. And then after reading it and just trying to breathe it in, the thought that I have really tried to discipline myself to think is, what would I do if I was brave? Here I am promised that the one who played all things into being is with me. Okay, I'm just going to trust in that and I'm going to go pretend to be brave for a little bit and see what happens.
- [42:21]
Marty Solomon
Well, that was convicting. I feel like I should just let that one hang and let Brent work us towards a closing because I'm not going to improve upon that. I probably need to take that one with me myself. That's. That's pretty good.
- [42:35]
Brent Billings
Absolutely. Well, Ethan, we've got your website. Is that the best place where people can find you? Or what's a way that people can get connected to you if they want to get in touch and swap stories or play catch or whatever it is?
- [42:48]
Ethan Bryan
I literally haven't written on the website in a year. I got the opportunity to officiate my daughter's wedding, and the last blog post is the transcript I wrote for her wedding. And it centers on playing cats. And it's one of my favorite things I've written. And I was like, I'm just going to leave this there for a while. So. I try to be active on social media. I try to be. I'm intentionally active on social media. I. I post encouraging stories. I Support my catch playing friends across the country. But I'm more active on Instagram and Facebook now and probably would, would just prefer an email as much as anything because that way I can write words and don't have to post pictures. I am now old enough that I have old emails that I will respond from but that, that their email handles are a little bit, you know, goofy. And so my, my quote, more mature email handle is. Wanna play catchmail.com okay. W a n n a one up play catch and they all file to the same. And so you'll probably get a, an email reply From a now 25 year old Hotmail account.
- [44:05]
Marty Solomon
Yes, I've got one of those.
- [44:07]
Brent Billings
All right, well that sounds great. We'll have a ton of links in the show notes, I guess. One other question. Have you thrown out the first catch for the Royals yet?
- [44:15]
Ethan Bryan
I don't think I want to.
- [44:16]
Brent Billings
You don't want to?
- [44:17]
Ethan Bryan
No. So a year ago my oldest daughter and I got a chance to do a catch playing weekend for the Nashville Sounds and it was amazing. It was just a 48 hour trip. I got to tell some stories, I meet some people and we had some amazing encounters and she got to throw out the first pitch and I got to catch it. And they took this gorgeous picture of it. It's now one of my desktop pictures. And we met friends from England. This was their first baseball game ever. Invited them to play catch on the field. So my dreams for throwing out a first pitch are, are gone. I don't, they're just, they've been satisfied.
- [45:01]
Brent Billings
Okay, that's beautiful.
- [45:03]
Marty Solomon
That's pretty great. And to get a nice framed great photo of that too, man. That's pretty good.
- [45:08]
Brent Billings
Yeah.
- [45:09]
Ethan Bryan
I'll email you guys the picture when we get done it. The sounds printed a jersey for me that says catch 365. And when you look at it now, what's neat about the Nashville sounds, they have a guitar shaped scoreboard. And so you look on the scoreboard you see my365. I was like I'm okay with being fixed featured in the picture this way.
- [45:29]
Marty Solomon
Awesome.
- [45:29]
Brent Billings
Okay, well listeners can find all of those show notes at baymontes app. Com if you want to get in touch with us, of course you can use the contact page. We'll have Ethan's website in the show notes if you want to get in touch with him. Everything that we do here is made possible by listeners who support our work. So we thank you for that. Ethan, thank you for joining us on the show today.
- [45:47]
Ethan Bryan
Well, a Joy to get to visit with you guys. This was so much fun.
- [45:50]
Brent Billings
Absolutely. And thank you, listeners, for listening today and joining us on the podcast. We'll talk to you again soon.
- [46:02]
Marty Solomon
That's pretty good. I feel like the title of this episode is something about what would I do if I were brave? Or something like that. It was pretty good line. I mean, there was a handful of lines to choose from in this one. That's good. It was really good.
- [46:14]
Ethan Bryan
Yeah. My favorite one was this kid who, at 11 years old, had never seen a baseball glove in person before.
- [46:21]
Marty Solomon
Yeah.
- [46:22]
Ethan Bryan
And you could see it on his face. He was.
- [46:25]
Marty Solomon
Yeah.
- [46:26]
Ethan Bryan
And he was shaky. And I said, it takes courage to try something new, and I promise you'll be safe. We'll figure it out. By the end of 15 minutes, he. We were literally as far apart as a middle school gym would allow us to be. He is throwing it as hard as he can. He is dripping in sweat. He comes to me, he says, we get to do this again. Right. Right. And. And then he said, but. But I. I can't remember how he worded it, but. But, you know, I. I get so scared, so easy. And I was. It was just this gorgeous transition. I said. And that's when you ask yourself, oh, gosh, what would I do if I was brain?
- [47:10]
Marty Solomon
Yeah. This whole interview was, like, catching me out of, no pun intended, left field. Like, I was like, you're talking about your daughters and family. And I was like, just not expecting to talk about. And I was like, oh, my goodness. And it just kept drilling me. And I was like, don't.
- [47:25]
Brent Billings
Yeah.
- [47:26]
Marty Solomon
Do not get emotional, Marty. This is not about you. You do not hijack this interview. And because it was. Man, you just had some real great. I love the way you orient your. Your life, and I'll call it a ministry. It's just so beautiful the way you see people and. And. And I'm sure you've just become a great storyteller with the way that you write and everything else. So it's a great combo. So I'm grateful.
- [47:53]
Ethan Bryan
You know, sometimes it's easy to forget, but, man, people are the best part of life. Yeah.
- [47:59]
Marty Solomon
Yeah.
- [47:59]
Ethan Bryan
You know, this afternoon here in 90 minutes, I am going to. I. I help with. I'm an assistant coach at a basketball camp. I. I played one year of basketball. I was awful. I have a torn ACL because of the last time I played basketball, and it's 20 years old now, and it's. I still have, um. I do not have basketball skill. They do not exist. And so I. I go to support to the. To the other people who have my job. And I said, all right, here's my job. I'm gonna give out as many high fives today as possible. Yeah, that's it. I just. I get go and incur. And. And it's. It's not. No one cares about my basketball skills. And at the end of our hour, I want those kids to know, hey.
- [48:48]
Marty Solomon
Yeah.
- [48:49]
Ethan Bryan
This was hard work. You did it. Look how good you are. You are an amazing person.
- [48:54]
Marty Solomon
That's awesome.
- [48:55]
Ethan Bryan
That's it. All right.
- [48:57]
Marty Solomon
I'm hitting stop on this recording. I'm going to drop.