Home Run
Our First Base is also our Home Base!
Definition of Home Run
A hit in baseball that enables the batter to make a complete circuit of the bases and score a run
Biblical Comparison
In the Bible, run/running is a metaphor that teaches about strength, discipline, endurance, suffering, patience, faith, encouragement, and hope, essentials that are needed to have a strong, continued run.
Synopsis
There’s no place like home! The family was God’s first earthly institution. Before the introduction of government, and long before God instituted the church, He ordained marriage and the family as the basic building blocks. Family is at the center of God's plan for the happiness and progress of His children. As the Bible teaches us that God established families from the very beginning, it also shows us many principles for having a strong, loving, happy family.
Parent and children, together make a happy and flourishing family. Today, people are staying together under one roof but the unity and connection between them are lost somewhere. This series focuses on family bonding and is built around a baseball theme in which parent are compared to coaches and the children are compared to players, giving us the basic picture of what is constantly needed to build a strong and winning team. – FAMILY
The concept behind the Home Run series is that, no matter how many hits you make, how many times you fail and knock out, and how slow or fast you run, at the end of the day, we will still go back to our first base, our home, our family. Your family is made up of the people who love and support you unconditionally.
Main Scriptures
Proverbs 17:6 NIV
"Children’s children are a crown to the aged,
and parents are the pride of their children."
Proverbs 1:8-9 NLT
“My child, listen when your father corrects you.
Don’t neglect your mother’s instruction.
9 What you learn from them will crown you with grace
and be a chain of honor around your neck.”
“Coming together is the beginning.
Keeping together is progress.
Working together is Success.”
Henry Ford
June 5 kick-off
1st Base – Teamwork
Talent wins games, but teamwork wins championships.
Proverbs 17:6
"Children’s children are a crown to the aged,
and parents are the pride of their children."
This Sunday’s emphasized that “Family is a TEAM” and must be able to work together and play together. Each member of a family- team has different strengths and interests. But the goal should be to build on the unique aspects of each player so that each member contributes to the whole family, while also improving on his/her weaknesses. Making sure that the needs of the family members are considered and met will build the cohesion of the teamwork. Family may not have it all together, but together we have it all.
Parents as couches must know and understand their children’s strengths and weaknesses so that we will not be tempted to compare one from another and design them a field where they can play their absolute best. Children are told to obey their parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord. (Col. 3:20). As your children, a crown of your old age, you will be their pride and delight.
Activities – Pastor/s can challenge the parents to do this.
As parents, can you sit and write down the following about your child/children?
1. Their individual strength and talents.
2. Their personalities and skills
3. If you know, their spiritual gifts and ministry.
Doug Bernier, founder of Pro Baseball Insider.com,
“Influencing individual strengths into a cohesive group where everyone works together toward accomplishing the same goal is much more beneficial and rewarding than having a group of individually minded players.."
Additional Scriptures
Hebrews 10:24-25
24 And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, 25 not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.
We often heard or use these verses when we talk about the church, our Life Group, or even a simple gathering though it does fit the description, but how about talking about the unity of a family, urging families to regularly come together and encourage one another.
June 12 Week 1
2nd Base- Respect
Good relationships are built on mutual trust and respect
Proverbs 11:29
“He who brings trouble on his family will inherit only wind,
and the fool will be a servant to the wide.”
The First Base, which is also called the Home Base, is where all the action starts, as you swing your bat to hit the ball, you may hit it well or you will receive a strike call (missing to hit the ball three times). The first base will dictate what will be the outcome of your run. So is respect, respect is never forced or assigned; it's earned and you should not miss it.
To "inherit the wind" implies that there will be nothing left of the family; rather than having something to pass along, it will be consumed. Along the same lines, those who act foolishly will lose the advantages they would have had. Those who are wise, in contrast, have a better chance of maintaining or growing their success.
This Sunday’s emphasis is on gaining and maintaining good attitudes toward each other. Family members, like teammates, should be each other’s biggest fans!
Both parents and children need to practice mutual respect toward each other, even though there are different roles and responsibilities each one has to handle. This requires a clear understanding of the expectations of each other's roles and responsibilities as well as the consequences of not following the rules.
Activities – Pastor/s can challenge the parents to do this.
As parents, can you do the following to your child/children for one week?
1. Every day this week give a sincere compliment.
2. Buy them something special / or something that they really love this week.
Additional Scriptures
Colossians 3:12-14 ESV
“Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.”
June 19 Week 2 – FATHER’S DAY
3rd Base – Communication
Communication – the human connection – is the key to team success.
Proverbs 1:8-9 NLT
“My child, listen when your father corrects you. Don’t neglect your mother’s instruction. 9 What you learn from them will crown you with grace and be a chain of honor around your neck.”
Effective communication requires listening, and listening is an important characteristic of strong, healthy families. Research identifies communication as an essential building block of strong marital, parent-child, and sibling relationships. Coaches hold a very important position in life. They can make or break an athlete or a team. They can be the difference between success and failure.
The Bible commands us to honor our mother and father; this goes beyond simple obedience, and includes the ideas of respect and consideration. In verse 9 likens our parents to a crown. The wise instructions of a parent, like fine jewelry, are often obtained at great cost, listening when corrected, like a coach corrected his/her players.
This Sunday emphasizes that your family team must effectively communicate both verbally and nonverbally. You must encourage each other, challenge each other, listen and speak to each other; and you must know how to read each other even when words are not spoken. As for couches, parents must communicate their winning strategies and allow the children to play and listen to their responses.
Activities – Pastor/s can
challenge children to do this.
For the children, you can you do the following for your dad or grandpa.
1. Buy him a trophy with your love note.
2. Buy him a t-shirt with his favorite
Bible verse with your signatures on it.
Additional Scriptures
Colossians 3:13
“Be tolerant with each other and, if someone has a complaint against anyone, forgive each other. As the Lord forgave you, so also forgive each other.”
Philippians 2:3-4
“Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.”
June 26 Week 3
4th Base – Resiliency
Many champions are made champions by setbacks.
Proverbs 1:9 NLT
9 What you learn from them will crown you with grace and be a chain of honor around your neck.”
Those who actively use the wisdom of their parents will see it reflected in their lives. Parents have history, value, and can even be passed along to future generations. Other people will notice the wise choices, wise behavior, and wise words, just as someone will notice the fine crown a person puts on.
Resiliency is the capacity to recover quickly from difficulties; toughness. Your family must have a commitment and loyalty to each other that supports and strengthens the resiliency of each member and the family as a whole.
This Sunday emphasizes that your family team needs to "step out of the game" and regroup in a family team meeting. It is important to make these family meetings a priority, even mandatory! This will ensure that your family makes plans to be together in many ways-- from one-on-one to entire family talks and activities.
Your family must express appreciation, love, and support to each other. The strength of your family bond is expressed by the ways you support and touch each other's lives. It is this spirit of acceptance and affirmation that creates the feelings of belonging and security within your family.
Activities – Pastor/s can challenge the parents to do this.
As parents, can you do the following to your child/children for one week?
1. Ask them to read and finish a book from the Bible.
Additional Scripture
Colossians 3:13
“Bear with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgive each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.”
Matthew 15:4
"For God said, “Honor your father and mother”, and “Anyone who curses his father or mother must be put to death.”
Possible Church Activities
1. Basic Baseball Game care of FCA (to be confirmed)
2. Father’s Day Special
3. Weekly Emphasis
4. Others
INVITE YOUR FRIENDS AND FAMILY TO OUR SUNDAY WORSHIP EXPERIENCE
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