October 6, 2015

“Then the Lord said to Moses, “See, I have chosen Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with wisdom, with understanding, with knowledge and with all kinds of skills— to make artistic designs for work in gold, silver and bronze,  to cut and set stones, to work in wood, and to engage in all kinds of crafts. Moreover, I have appointed Oholiab son of Ahisamak, of the tribe of Dan, to help him. Also I have given ability to all the skilled workers to make everything I have commanded you:” Exodus 31:1-6

This portion of Scripture sounds obscure at first glance. What does this have to do with Raising Home Run Kids?

Actually, quite a bit! God had used Moses to lead God’s people out of bondage and slavery in Egypt. Now they were preparing to build the Tabernacle and it would be a huge project. To accomplish this sacred assignment would require many skilled craftsmen. Where would they find all these artisans in the middle of a remote desert?

What God is heard telling Moses that He had already given them every skilled worker they would need to build this elaborate sanctuary for the worship and glorification of God! He even goes so far as to tell Moses that He has given them ALL the craftsmen and skilled and contractors they would need to fulfill the vision He had shared with them.

That’s significant on several levels!

First, we can take encouragement from this Scripture that God has given FredWes everything we need to reach the next season of growth and ministry He is calling us to!

Second, He has placed everything in you and around you to become what He desires you to be!

And third, God has put all the right stuff in your kid to develop into him/her for the destiny He plans for them. You could say God has a large gold deposit inside every kid and the job of parents is to discover it and mine it out!

Above is the crew God gave me. I am very blessed!

God put a lot of good stuff in them and I have been able to dig some of it out. They are still works in progress! God isn’t finished with them nor am I. But, as a proud and thankful Dad I can say, “So far, so good!”

Sunday I will do some teaching on Third Base in the Home Run Life. I look forward to sharing with you three practical ideas for raising competent kids.

As the old prospector used to say, “There’s gold in them there hills!” God says, “There’s gold in them there kids!”

Each kid is a treasure! Make sure you treasure them today!

October 5, 2015

"Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions. Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me. Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight; so you are right in your verdict and justified when you judge. Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me. Yet you desired faithfulness even in the womb; you taught me wisdom in that secret place. Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones you have crushed rejoice. Hide your face from my sins and blot out all my iniquity. Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me."   Psalm 51:1-10

How many times can I disappoint God by my sins, especially the besetting sins or those who just keep committing the same sin over and over? Will there be point and time when God will say, "That's it! You're done! No more mercy or grace for you!"?

Face it, with every other relationship there is a point where one more disappointment is the deal-breaker and that person will bail out on you. They either end the relationship or withdraw emotionally from you. That hurts so much that it can cause you to be guarded and cautious in all relationships. The fear of losing a relationship and being rejected should we disappoint them one more time can be almost paralyzing. It can put tremendous pressure on all of your relationships and create insecurity.

Perhaps David feared he had disappointed God so much that there would be no redemption for him. He obviously was plagued by guilt and remorse. In out to God, David asks for 3 things to happen?

Transgressions blotted out – "Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions." THIS IS THE ACT ITSELF – “Please Lord, forget I ever did what I did, blot it out so it can never be seen again!”

Iniquity washed – "Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me. Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight; so you are right in your verdict and justified when you judge. Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me. Yet you desired faithfulness even in the womb; you taught me wisdom in that secret place."  THIS IS THE GUILT IT BRINGS – Guilt is the leftover stuff, the anger we have at our self, what we cannot forgive about what we did, the punishment that I am putting on myself, I cannot forgive me.

Sin cleansed – "Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones you have crushed rejoice. Hide your face from my sins and blot out all my iniquity. Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me." THE ONE WHO DID IT – The stuff in me that causes me to do these things, I want this cleansed, I don’t want to be that person.

David sinned terribly and disappointed His God and himself. This prayer of three-fold contrition restored him to fellowship with God and helped him work through his guilt and disappointment with himself.

If you fear you have disappointed God and wonder if you can be forgiven and restored, read Psalm 51 several times humbly and prayerfully. Then pray that Psalm sincerely to God. See if God's grace will meet you as it did King David.

October 4, 2015

"So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets." Matthew 7:12

When you are on second base you are halfway home! 

Second base is the relationship base. When you learn to do relationships well you are well on your way to a successful and satisfying life.

If you want to life the Home Run Life and if you want to Raise Home Run Kids learning second base is essential.

In a recent post I pointed out that showing respect is a big part of winning at second base. That is consistent with the Golden Rule. You want to be respected so you should show respect to others.

Also, showing compassion is a relationship building block.

A third crucial component of winning at second base is learning to make good friends.

Charlies "Tremendous" Jones said, "In five years you will be the same person you are today except for the books you read and the people you meet."

Teach your kids about the circles of friendship. There must be a big circle and a small circle. The big circle can include many of the friends you enjoy spending time with. The little circle is far more selective. You want to be very careful who you allow to get close to you. Pastor Kevin Meyers suggests three qualities of a person you should allow into your small circle.

1) You want people who do what they say.

It's hard to get close to people who don't keep their word. You can't trust a person who doesn't follow through on his promises.

2) You want people who can give and take.

I had a room mate once who often gave me gifts or did favors but wouldn't let me do nice for him in return. While he meant well I found it frustrating that my attempts to return his kindness where refused.

It is blessed to give but refusing to receive the gift can rob the blessing from the giver.

3) You want people who can forgive and get better.

Have you ever asked someone to forgive you and they said they would but you sense that the relationship is different. You want to believe them but the silent strain in the relationship gives you the feeling they didn't get over it.

You need people in your life who accept your apology and the work to restore the relationship to where it was. That is a rare person and when you find him you want him in your life. You want people like that in your kid's life, too.

Make as many casual friends as you can. Those are big circle friendships. But be very careful who you let into the small circle.

Second base is the relationship base but the quality of your relationships at second will be determined by your connection at home and the character development that is happening at first base.

October 3,2015

“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. “Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.” Matthew 7:7-12

Showing respect is an essential component of living by the Golden Rule by virtue of the fact everyone wants to be respected so they must show respect toward others.

Raising Home Run Kids demands teaching them how to show respect to other people.

Showing respect is a second base issue.

A second component of the Golden Rule is showing compassion. Showing compassion involves doing intentional acts of kindness. That just happens to be a key component of our outreach efforts at FredWes.

Let me share a couple of real good reasons why compassion is essential in the Home Run Life.

The first good reason is Jesus showed compassion. What Jesus did better than anyone else was embrace people without embracing their values. We used to call it loving the sinner but hating the sin. It is very effective if you can do it. Jesus could do it!

One example is the woman taken in adultery. He rescued her from her accusers and he forgave her but made it clear to her she would have to change her ways. All the evidence indicates she did.

And then there was the woman at the well. She had a sordid past and a complicated life. She possessed a thirst nothing could satisfy. Jesus befriended her and made her a better offer. She could turn from her sin and He would give her water that would satisfy her thirst forever. She did and He did. She changed and changed her city.

Jesus knew how to show compassion. He calls you to do it, too.

The second good reason for showing compassion is because you need compassion. Again, the Golden Rule reminds us that we do for others as we want for ourselves.

In a world largely devoid of faith and confused about morals, kindness still translates into compassion. Loving people to life is an effective way to touch people with faith.

Showing compassion is a second base issue but it won’t happen unless you are connected at home and winning at first.

October 2, 2015

“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.  “Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.” Matthew 7:7-12

This kid obviously needs some help at second base. So do your kids!

Here are some practical fundamentals for winning at second and living out the Golden Rule.

1) Value Others

2) Show Compassion

3) Make Good Friends

Today I will deal with the first fundamental.

Home Run Kids know how to value others! It is much easier for your kids to value others when he is connected with God at Home Plate. Learning to respect God helps a Home Run Kid find self-respect and self-respect leads to respecting others. If a Home Run Kid respects God he will value what God values and the Bible is clear that God values people.

To Raise A Home Run Kid a parent must model respect for God, for his spouse, for his child and for others. Like many values respect is caught more than it is taught.

A Home Run Kid must not be allowed to be disrespectful toward others in either his attitudes or his actions. He must be taught to respect his parents, his family, and those in authority especially. Disrespect must be confronted with stern correction.

The Golden Rule says, “Respect others as you want to be respected”.

A Home Run Kid should not be allowed to speak disrespectfully. Words matter! Words mean things. Words cannot be taken back once they are spoken. Name calling should be prohibited and punished. Profanity must be forbidden. There is an old saying that goes, “What you say is what you are.” True!

The Golden Rule says, “Speak only words you would want to hear.”

A Home Run Kid must be taught to show respect in his actions. And when he acts disrespectfully he must be taught to make it right.

The Golden Rule says, “Show respect as you want to be shown respect.”

Second base in baseball is called “scoring position”. Once you get there your chances of making it back to Home Plate for the score go up significantly. In the Home Run Life it is very important to for Home Run Kids to know how to get to second and what to do once they get there!

October 1, 2015

“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.  “Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.” Matthew 7:7-12

One of the things I have always enjoyed about baseball is that it’s a team sport. I may be able to get to first base on my own but I cannot get beyond first without help from my team mates! The same is true of the Home Run Life. It is meant to be shared and experienced and enjoyed in fellowship with other believers. That is essentially what the church is.

In the Home Run Life, second base is the community base where you learn to win with others. Winning at second is the result of winning with God at home plate and winning with character at first base.

In this passage from Matthew 7, Jesus shares the secret for winning at second base, “So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you”. We know this as “The Golden Rule”.

How can you possibly lose if you apply the Golden Rule in all of your relationships? You can never fail with others if you respond toward them as you would want them to do toward you.

Do you want appreciation? Appreciate others.

Do you want gratitude? Be grateful to others.

Do you want kindness? Be kind to others.

Do you want forgiveness? Be forgiving to others.

Do you want others to be patient toward you? Be patient with others.

Do you want encouragement? Be encouraging toward others.

See how it works?

Good, because it really works!

If you have won at home plate and at first base you will be able to live by the Golden Rule.

Once you get it working for you, teach it to your children!

September 30, 2015

“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.  “Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.” Matthew 7:7-12

Gold is a precious metal because it is relatively rare and therefore always has value. Gold becomes more valuable when cash and stocks lose their value and declines when the opposite occurs but it always has worth.

No wander they call this portion of Scripture the “Golden Rule”! Doing unto others as you would want them to do to you always has value in developing relationships. When culture grows more course, selfish and narcissistic the “Golden Rule” becomes more rare and, therefore, more valuable!

The “Golden Rule” is a Second Base concept. Second Base is the Community base where we learn to develop and enjoy healthy relationships. Is there a better way to love others than to do for them as you would want them to do for you? Or, doing for them what you would do for yourself.

Being kind, gracious, generous and compassionate toward others always adds value to their lives and to yours!

Raising Home Run Kids must incorporate the Golden Rule into your child-rearing! You will only be able to do that if you have learned to connect at home plate. Nothing good happens until you connect with God at home plate! How is your Home Plate connection?

Neither can you train Home Run Kids in the Golden Rule if you have not spent time at First Base. First Base is where your connection with God develops your character. Your love for God matures into a healthy self-love. First Base is where you gain the character to “love others as you love yourself”. Loving yourself equips you to do loving things for others at Second Base. The “Golden Rule” is the evidence of the “Great Commandment”!

What are you feeling that you need today? Find someone and do for them what you wish someone would do for you! That person will feel better and so will you!

Home Run Kids practice the Golden Rule!

Practicing the Golden Rule IS a home run!