A Fall into Redemption

Tom Hibbs

Description

This book, from a Christian perspective, offers a compilation of stories that outline a son’s rise to baseball success, the harrowing impact of drugs and addiction, and the saving grace of Jesus through tragedy.

… I looked around his room at all of his things and I realized there was only one thing that was obviously and painfully missing… Tyler. I continued to sob as I sat up on his bed and hugged his little blue pillow. I felt so deeply the massive void that Tyler’s absence had left in my heart.

… “Trust me, I got this.” God? Is that you? A rush of relief came over me. Ever since, I’ve heard those words “Trust me” whispered to me often from the Lord. Those words that I will always hold onto, as it brings me great peace. Freedom… I don’t have to worry!

Tom Hibbs recounts his fond and heartbreaking memories that he had with his beloved late son, Tyler. It is a compilation of stories that outline his son’s rise to baseball success, the harrowing impact of drug addiction, and the saving grace of Jesus through tragedy. Tom’s hope is that anyone who reads this book will not only experience the compelling stories of Tyler’s life, but most importantly, will be open to the invitation of everlasting life through Jesus Christ. Throughout his memoir, he encourages us that God’s plans are impossible to imagine. Tragedy is unforeseen, hardship is difficult to explain, and peace is sometimes hard to be found. But, if we allow Him, God will gracefully rebuild us and invite Himself in. Ultimately, He will turn us into a masterpiece that we could’ve never foreseen or imagined.

Sujets

• Sport
• Autour du sport
• Histoire du sport
• Vie de famille
• Adolescence et Vie de Famille
• Christian Living
• Inspirational
• Sports
• Drugs
• Philosophie et théologie
• Béisbol
• Drug
• Addiction
• Religion
• Faith
• Family
• Baseball

Informations

• Publié par: WestBow Press
• Date de parution: 10 mars 2023
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781664291843
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 1 Mo

Extrait

A FALL INTO REDEMPTION
 
 
A FATHER’S ACCOUNT OF HIS SON’S REMARKABLE RISE TO BASEBALL SUCCESS, A LIFE CUT SHORT BY ADDICTION, AND HIS ULTIMATE DELIVERANCE TO FREEDOM.
 
 
 
 
TOM HIBBS
 
 
 
 

 
Copyright © 2023 Tom Hibbs.
 
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
 
WestBow Press
A Division of Thomas Nelson & Zondervan
1663 Liberty Drive
Bloomington, IN 47403
www.westbowpress.com
844-714-3454
 
Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.
 
Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.
Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.
 
Scripture quotations taken from The Holy Bible, New International Version® NIV® Copyright © 1973 1978 1984 2011 by Biblica, Inc. TM. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
 
ISBN: 978-1-6642-9185-0 (sc)
ISBN: 978-1-6642-9186-7 (hc)
ISBN: 978-1-6642-9184-3 (e)
 
Library of Congress Control Number: 2023902249
 
 
WestBow Press rev. date: 03/06/2023
 
“A great read! A father’s memoir of his beautiful young son with an aspiring life and baseball career ahead of him. His life taken, not only from him, but from his family as well. His memoir shows, in spite of tragedy, and because of God’s love and grace, how he and his family could endure through their unthinkable loss. And an endurance that was only possible through their faith in the Lord’s promise of his son’s redemption. It will take you through his son’s baseball successes, heartbreaking downfall, and tragic passing to his eventual eternal deliverance. The memoir will put you on an emotional roller coaster, which makes it difficult to put down! Ultimately, though, it will not only give us all the promise and possibility of redemption, but a real hope for heaven!”
—Gaines Duvall
“Families thrive on the dreams, joys, and achievements of their children, but no one wants to be that family—when a dream turns into a nightmare. For those who love baseball, Tyler Hibbs was a phenom—racking up records, recruited by the best colleges, and scouted by the pros. In a compelling narrative, Tom Hibbs tells Tyler’s story through the eyes of an admiring, heartbroken father. Psychologists call it post-traumatic growth—how some people, after being knocked down, find the resilience to bounce back, or even bounce forward. How does a dad become stronger, wiser, more in tune with God, when his talented son falls from the pinnacle of athletic success and dies of a drug overdose? This is the story of two men: Tom and Tyler Hibbs, father and son, walking together for 27 years—with a message for everyone. That message? By faith, the words of King David could resonate for Tyler: ‘Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever’ [Psalm 23:6]. Equally assuring, when David buried his own son, the warrior’s words would resonate for Tom: ‘Can I bring him back again? I will go to him’ [2 Samuel 12:23 NIV].”
—Jeff Watson, D. Min., PhD
SNAPSHOT
Tom’s son, Tyler, was unable to fight off his cruel drug dependency and make a comeback that so many had hoped for. Whether it was on the baseball field or sadly, above all, the battle for his very life. His powerful and relentless drug addiction appearing to win. But the Redeemer! Through His grace, the Lord had a far greater comeback in store for his son. In an emotional bottom-of-the-ninth encounter with the giver of life, assured him of rest and peace for his eternal soul. An amazing rebirth that his son could have never dreamed or imagined…The glorious comeback gives, Tom, hope through heartbreaking pain, the strength to carry on. Steadfastly, holding on to the Lord’s beautiful promise; that he will surely see his redeemed son again…
Tom’s memoir chronicles his son’s short life. A life that reveals many highlights and unfortunately numerous lowlights. He invites you to take a journey with him, through his eyes, in a movie like reel full of memories of his son. The journey will take you from his early years, when he was an innocent little boy, to his decade of tormenting drug addiction. It will give you glimpses of his son’s talent as a fearless and remarkable baseball player. It will take you down the rocky road and show the shattering and devastating effects of his addiction. Finally, the journey brings you to the sad and fateful day, when his son’s earthly life comes to a tragic “end”. HIs life over? His movie reel over? His journey over? Yes, but only for a blink of an eye! Because of Christ’s forgiveness, Tom is more than confident that not only is his life not over, but his movie reel continues to play on, and Tyler’s eternal journey is now taking place on a tranquil road in paradise…
Psalms 49:15 “But God will redeem my soul from the power of the grave; He will receive me.” (KJV)
CONTENTS
Dedications
Acknowledgments
Foreword
Introduction
 
1       That Was Perfect
2       My Little Source
3       The Terminator
4       Empire State Building
5       Dad, It’s Only a Baseball Game
6       Prodigy
7       Fierce Competitor
8       That was my Tyler
9       It’s Like Christmas!
10     I Just See the Ball and Hit It
11     I’m Not That Important
12     Million-Dollar Arm but a Five-Cent Head
13     Just Remarkable
14     I Didn’t Think He Was Human
15     This Game Is Just Getting Started
16     The Addiction Was Speaking
17     Any Sliver of Hope
18     I’m a Drug Addict
19     Lord, Help Tyler Finish the Game
20     I Want to End It All
21     God Was Pulling at My Sleeve
22     The Intervention
23     I’m Not Sure if He’s Even Alive
24     I Have Enjoyed Every Catch
25     Hijacked
26     Dad, I Need Jesus
27     The Voice of Truth
28     Goodbye, Ty!
29     You Have Been a Great Son
30     Your Scars Are Gone
31     Trust Me, I Got This
32     I Will See You Later
33     Our Hope Is in You and You Alone
34     Meaningless Dust Collectors?
35     Home Free and Our Reunion
 
Thank You
Final Thoughts
Messages to Tyler
Afterword
DEDICATIONS
To my departed mom and dad,
Thank you for modeling how to be merciful to the broken and marginalized. Since I was a child, I admired the tenderness you always showed toward the outcast and the “lost” in our society. You took to heart what Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for Me” (Matthew 25:40 NIV). Even though you had passed on, I could always hear your compassionate and caring voices telling me, “Never give up on your lost son” and “Don’t ever stop loving him.” I am so thankful that you showed me how to unconditionally love not only Tyler but all “the least of these.” I will be forever grateful for the loving legacy that you left me to follow.
I miss you, Mom and Dad, and I love you both so much.
 
To my incomparable late brother-in-law,
Dave, thank you for being an inspirational and Christlike role model to me for nearly fifty years! I was incredibly blessed to have observed your kindness, humility and consistent faithfulness to the Lord. You were truly a loyal soldier for Christ. “Whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus.” (Colossians 3:17 NIV). It is scripture verse that you clearly took to heart, and a verse that perfectly exemplifies how you lived your life. Without ever having to say a word, you powerfully preached sermon after sermon, just by the way you lived each day. Even when you were diagnosed with a cruel and fatal disease you never complained. You simply said, “I’m going to use my terminal illness to glorify God.” Amazingly, you did just that, until you took your final breath. Not only did you show so many of us how to live, but courageously, you showed all of us how to gracefully die. Oh, how I would have loved to have seen your beautiful smile when Jesus, with His outstretched arms, welcomed home his loyal soldier and proudly said, “Well done, my good and faithful servant!” (Matthew 25:21 NIV).
David Rogan Newell, until I take my final breath, you will always be my hero. I love you my dear brother…
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Jesus, thank you for walking by my side through the journey and allowing me to feel your presence along the way. I am convinced that much of the inspiration for my writing came directly from you. Most importantly, I hope and pray that you were honored.”
Shelby, my daughter, thank you for helping me in so many ways to make this book a reality. In particular, thank you for writing the afterword and editing. Thank you for not being discouraged when it seemed like I was born in the 1800s since I am a complete computer illiterate. Thanks for not laughing too hard when I told you that the last time I had cut and pasted something was in kindergarten. Since you have contributed so much, I may give you a ride in my horse and buggy someday. I love you, Shel
Gary, thank you for being willing to wri