Shattered: Struck Down, But Not Destroyed

Cincinnati Reds pitcher Frank Pastore stepped onto the mound in Dodger Stadium to throw another fastball something he d done thousands of times since childhood. But this time was different. The batter connected and the ball came rocketing back to the mound, shattering not only Frank s pitching elbow but also his dream of getting rich and famous through Major League Baseball. As he walked to the training room, Frank found himself asking a God he didn t believe in, Why is this happening to me? There was no answer at least not then. It was this injury that sent Frank, a lifelong atheist, on a journey that would change not only his mind but also his whole life as a husband, father, friend, and troubled son. We all know the pain of shattered dreams. We ve all wondered how to pick up the broken pieces after a crisis. We ve all wondered, Where is God? when life hurts so bad. This is a story of how the fragments of broken dreams can be reassembled into even bigger and better things. A story of how, when life s disasters and difficulties knock us down, they don t have to destroy us. This is a story that shows how all of us can come to know we re in God s good hands. Even when we re shattered."