Season 4, Episode 33 - Jeff Nelson

We're joined in this episode by Jeff Nelson, a Wisconsin native who first arrived in the Detroit area nearly 30 years ago on a mission (literally, a mission) and has never left.

Currently the pastor at Royal Oak First a United Methodist Church, Jeff is also a huge sports fan.

During our Conversation we learn about his early days as a Milwaukee Brewers fan and how it spread to other Wisconsin sports including, of course, the Green Bay Packers. And no discussion of the Brewers would be complete without noting the passing earlier this year of longtime broadcaster, Bob Uecker.

We also learn about how important sports are to his life as a father, a son, and as a minister.

• First, he discusses a recent Spring Break trip he took with his son that found them watching four NBA games in four different cities (Milwaukee, Chicago, Indianapolis, and Cleveland) over six nights. Not only does Jeff reflect on the special moments spent with his teenage son, but also delivers a terrific breakdown of how the experiences were in each venue were both unique and perfectly aligned with those respective communities;

• Next, he shares how the old Tiger Stadium provided him an escape and a safe haven in 1997 the night before a trip back to Wisconsin for what wound up being goodbye to his mother who was battling leukemia;
• And, finally, he touches on how he consistently sees connections between sports, sports fandom, faith, and passages from the Bible and, as such, how it's natural for him to include such connections in his sermons.

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