••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• years, that has included numerous appearances at St. Louis churches and community organizations. A an outfielder and second baseman with the Cardinals, Rex's name was the most familiar. But Jennifer's voice leads the way. After she sings, Rex gives his testimony: Although he became a Christian as a youngster, he allowed the god of major league baseball to replace his first love. He also descri bes how he and Jennifer rededicated their li ves to Christ the night of their wedding in 1988. Among their appearances in St. Louis was at an annual Christmas play at the Fox Theater. Last December she sang and emceed while he donned a different kind of red uniform-a Santa Claus suit. Rex and Jennifer also raised funds for the Boys Club, Christian Civic Foundation, and other organizations. Out of the public eye, Rex shared his baseball card with children on regular visits to three hospitals. His American teammate this year will be ex-major leaguer and fellow believer in Jesus, Jack Howell. The Swallows' third baseman won league MYP honors in 1992 in his first year in Japan. Hudler decided to jump becau e of limited playi ng time last season. While missing 6 weeks because of knee surgery, he saw little action after returning. Now ht< hopes that a new start will help him improve on his .256 Major League career average. On his new team, he won't help lead Baseball Chapel as he did in St. Louis. But Rex looks for Jennifer's recording to create a lot of opportun ities to tell others of their faith. Set It Free is a combination of songs she wrote or co-authored about her life, such as losing her father and brother at a young age. There's also a love song to her
husband, "He Knew It Was You." "Jennifer' s music ministry will be God's tool over there," Rex said. "Her album has been a healing project. It's neat to see the response from people who listened to it and said it ministered to their needs." "We continue to li ve for Him and allow Him to direct us," says Rex. "Here I am, a 32-year-old utility player and I have another 3 or 4 years in Japan. We feel God's given us a great future. If we live for Him, He' ll direct us and give us the de ires of our heart."' - Ken Walker
• Michael Jones Never on a
Sunday Not since Chariots of Fire hero Eric Liddell raised an international fuss in the 1924 Olympics by refusing to run on Sunday has an athlete taken such a strong stand on this i sue. Yet you probably haven' t heard of this athlete-and you probably know painfully little about his sport. His name is Michael Jones, and he is one of the best rugby
players in the world. But if the match is held on Sunday, Jones wears a suit and tie instead of the black jersey of the New Zealand All-Blacks. He refuses to play rugby on Sunday. Even at the World Cup. It was the 1991 World Cup of Rugby in England-and the New Zealand national team was scheduled to play on Sunday. Jones is a flanker for the AllBlacks, perhaps the most prestigious 15-man rugby team in the country, but he also plays for the national team in world competition. The fact that rugby is a sport that Jones himself describes as havi ng a "stereotype for thuggerage" has made his stand even more impressive. "The Lord has given me an opportunity to reach the rugby world," Jones says in describing his role as a top player in rugbyhungry country. That opportunity was almost lost in 1989 when in a game between Argentina and New Zealand an Argentinean landed on his knee anclmptured some ligaments. At first, Jones wondered, '"Why me?" as he thought about
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this injury that caused his doctors to say he would never play rugby again. Yet he says now that the injury gave him "a chance to put things in perspective." He calls it a time of spiritual renewal. And he considers it a miracle that he was able to rehabilitate the knee and get back onto the field. After he saw that he could play again, Jones felt he was responsible to use his ability ' "SPO"' to honor God with his game. And he felt he could do that best through the media. Therefore, when the sports reporters showed so much interest in his decision to sit out of all Sunday games during the World Cup, he felt it was a "marvelous means of telling everyone what the Lord means to me." Not all fans, of course, supporteel his decision, and some cared little for his reasons. A few even sent him telegrams in England reminding them that at gametime, it was Sunday in New Zealand when he was playing in England on Saturday. Perhaps they thought this bit of time zone logic would dissuade Jones from sticking to his convictions. It didn 't, and he sat out the World Cup semifi nal match. It was not something many athletes would do, but for Michael Jones there was no doubt that it was the right thing to do. He may be a fl anker in rugby, but Jones has a different position in the battle that reall y counts. "Christian athletes are on the front line," he says. Even when they don' t play.
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