Yet another Leadership Lessons from Baseball

 Sometimes you've got to get in front of the ball, you always come home dirty, and you never give up early.....

Run Through the Bag

If you played on my Dad’s team, no matter what, after you made contact with the ball, you had to run full speed to first base. When running to first (and only to first), you don’t have to stop, but you can continue running “through the bag.” This enables you to give 100% and never have to slow down.

To him, it didn’t matter if you hit a pop fly that would surely result in an out, or if the shortstop threw you out five steps before you were to reach first.

Dad always said, “No matter what, run through the bag!”

I try to regularly apply this principle to my life and ministry. If something is worth doing, it’s worth doing with your whole heart.

Paul said in Colossians 3:23, “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men…”

Whatever you’re doing, do it for the glory of God! Run through the bag!

Source: Leadership Lessons from My Baseball Dad 2 (of 5) at LifeChurch.tv : swerve

Another Leadership Lessons from Baseball

Below is another post from a blogging pastor with a Dad who coaches baseball.

By "get dirty" I don't want to ever imply worldliness, but those who take a risk often have evidence of the effort. I once heard a phrase, "Chicks dig scars." I don't want to demean women by calling them "chicks" but if you can get past that you will see the point that effort and risk are admirable!! 

Get Dirty

Dad always told us never to come home from a baseball game with clean pants. If your pants were clean, that meant…

• You never dove trying to stop a hot grounder.
• You never slid headfirst to beat a tag.
• You never collided with the catcher trying to knock the ball out as you hit home.

Dad always said, “Get dirty.”

Sometimes in the Christian world, people come to Christ hoping to ease the pain, or to escape hard times. In the church world, some try to avoid the pain.

If Dad was leading a church, I think he’d say…

• Go mix with people who are different.
• Go let your heart break with the poor.
• Go take a stand for something that you know is right but will get you criticized.
• Go hug someone who lives on the street. Listen to them.
• Take a risk on someone who has hurt you before.
• Reach out to someone who hates you.

I don’t think a sanitized Christianity is a real Christianity.

How is God leading you to get dirty?

Source: Leadership Lessons from My Baseball Dad 4 (of 5) at LifeChurch.tv : swerve

Leadership Lessons from Baseball

A Pastor blogger that I follow makes some connections between baseball and church leadership. Below are a few quotes from his blog and a link to the full article. 

My dad always taught us to “get in front of the ball” on defense. If we could get our bodies in front of a grounder, even if it popped up, we could use our body to knock it down and still have a chance at the runner.

Even if you take it in the chin, knock the ball down. Take it for the team.

Occasionally a pitcher would throw a wild pitch. As a batter, you could guarantee a place “on base” by letting the pitch hit you.

With a runner on first, the object was always to move the runner to second, into scoring position. That means dropping a bunt to sacrifice yourself to move the runner forward.

Occasionally in ministry, you have the honor of “taking it for the team.” How will that play out for you? I’m not sure. Here are some examples I’ve seen:

• You might be the volunteer no one recognizes or appreciates, but you do it all for the glory of God.
• You might endure public ridicule for your stance for the Gospel.
• You might pray, and pray, and pray, and pray. Even though no one knows, God knows.

Whatever your silent sacrifice, take joy when you get to “take it for God’s team.”

Source: Leadership Lessons from My Baseball Dad 3 (of 5) at LifeChurch.tv : swerve

The Childcare Checklist

 One of the first questions I am frequently asked when I invite a person to a small group is "How do you handle childcare?" The link below provides an excellent guide that your group can use to draw conclusions about the best option for your group.

Every church's small-group ministry is different. So is every small group. That's why we all need to think through the choices that will work best in our individual situations. If you plan ahead, the right childcare option can open up great opportunities for your small group instead of becoming a burden.

Source: The Childcare Checklist | Building Small Groups