Jim Beckett’s trader lunches

As a kid I collected baseball cards.  I remember riding my bike to the card shop a few blocks away to but new packs of cards and to get the latest Beckett Baseball Card Monthly magazine. After all, how was I going to know if my 1987 Topps Mark McGwire card was worth $1.80 or $2.10.  I remember having this exact magazine that’s pictured here.

A few years ago I was invited to a meeting at Jim Beckett’s office.  I discovered that Jim made it a habit to use his conference room on a weekly basis to invite in ministry leaders and business leaders so that they could rub shoulders and learn from each other. This was invaluable to me as a young guy in ministry.  I was incredibly encouraged by Jim and his desire to reach out to me.  And I was also in awe of all the historic sports memorabilia that was in the office.  It’s like a mini-sports museum.

Today I had the honor of eating lunch with Jim again.  We’ve had several lunches over the years and they are always extremely encouraging and challenging.  Jim has since sold his publishing business, but continues to use his relationships and time to help ministry and business leaders connect.  I bet he’s hosted over 500 lunches at his office that serve no purpose other than putting a unique mix of people in the room.

Sitting in Jim’s conference room today it occurred to me that he is a trader.  He could have used his lunches to further his business endeavors, but he traded that self-serving pursuit to further the Kingdom.