New Series – Home Run Life

“Love is the most important thing in the world, but baseball is pretty good, too.” – Yogi Berra

The baseball season is here. All around the country, people are gearing up for a long season of rooting for their home team. Will this be the year the Cubs do something special? Are the Yankees no longer a dynasty? Will the Dodgers 270 million dollar payroll buy them a world series ring? After all is there anything better than spending some time watching a ballgame and munching on a few hot dogs. The start of the baseball season coincides with the start of our new teaching series called Home Run Life. There is quite a connection between baseball and ministry. For example:

The Northstar baseball team belongs to the owner. The coach’s job is to manage and develop the team. The individual players responsibility is to become the best player they can be. Both the coaches and the players primary job is to please the owner. Our daily opponent is a very tough out. In our game, there are no roster limits—you can’t have too many players on your team.

The owner expects the coaches and the players to have a bad game occasionally, make an error now and then, even experience a slump and need to rest and sit out a game or two to refocus. The owner is not afraid to bring up the guy from the minor leagues and give him a shot at the big-time. He just might become the rookie-of-the-year.

Even though the positions on the field are different, every position matters. And we can’t lose touch with the players on the disabled list; they’re still part of the team.

As coaches and players we need to remember to thank the bat boys, the grounds crew, the people who sell hot dogs, and the folks who clean the locker room because they are an important part of the team.

So let the season begin. And no matter what happens with the team, remember this: the owner always has your back.

Come this Sunday and learn how to live a Home Run Life.

Discussion Questions:

1. Prepare to meet God this Sunday.
2. Prayerfully ask God to show you ways to apply the rules of the game in your life.
3. Identify a specific area of your life that needs to change.
4. Praise and worship God. Read Psalms 65: 5-8 in preparation for Sunday.