On July 15, 1986, Roger Clemens, the sizzling right-hander for the Boston Red Sox, started his first All-Star Game. In the second inning, he came to bat, something he hadn't done in years because of the American League's designated-hitter rule. He took a few uncertain practice swings and then looked out at his forbidding opponent, Dwight Gooden, who the previous year had won the Cy Young award. Gooden wound up and threw a white-hot fastball past Clemens.

With an embarrassed smile on his face, Clemens stepped out of the box and asked Gary Carter, "Is that what my pitches look like?" "You bet it is!" replied Carter. Although Clemens quickly struck out, he went on to pitch three perfect innings and be named the game's most valuable player.

From that day on, he later said, with a fresh reminder of how overpowering a good fastball is, he pitched with far greater boldness. Sometimes we forget the Holy Spirit within us and how powerful our witness can be. The gospel has supernatural power--when we speak it in confidence.