Reflections from the Home Team - July 19, 2020

“Just as many of us have been waiting patiently for the baseball season to start, we can take hope in the fact that we have “been there” before… As we continue to struggle with the COVID-19 epidemic and the impact it has had on our daily lives, we need to employ both patience and faith which will allow us to be strengthened and to endure. Simply put, patience and faith can be our hope in these challenging times.”

Greetings from Cedar Falls!

A good friend who also scouts baseball recently sent me an email with the above photo attached to remind me “we have been there before” as we finally get ready to open the 2020 baseball season this coming Thursday.  Gleaned from the archives of the National Baseball Hall of Fame, the image showed an exhibition game played in Pasadena, California, in January 1919. The scene shows the batter, catcher and umpire all wearing surgical masks, as are those watching from the grandstand. The image was captured just a few months before the third and final wave of the devastating influenza pandemic that emerged in 1918. One hundred years later, we are all wearing masks again as we prepare to finally open the Major League baseball season this week.

When Major League Baseball begins its 2020 season Thursday in Washington D.C., players will not need wool hats and coats in the dugout.  It should be about 80 degrees. A season opener on July 23 will certainly be unusual. In early April, the Nationals would have seen the thermometer dip into the 40s. This year, fans won’t have to be worried about the weather … they won’t be there. And, no matter the outcome, the losing team can’t just shrug it off as one loss in 162 games. The 2020 schedule is a 60-game sprint.

It is a cruel twist of biology that the social distancing required in response to the COVID-19 epidemic has robbed us of baseball’s normal spring start, something that might help to heal our souls. But wait we must — for a sport that has previously proved nearly impervious to both war and pestilence.

I remember as a kid imitating my favorite players batting stance, (which changed often depending on how well I was hitting) somehow believing this would miraculously transfer my heroes’ skill into my performance. That is the special relationship we have with baseball and indeed all sports. As the world now takes on the challenge of COVID-19, those on the medical front lines too have to be hailed as heroes. Baseball may be considered by many as a medicine for the masses, but for each individual fan, it can also provide a personal prescription that may be “used as needed.” The topic of baseball is nearly always welcome, especially in the most difficult moments.

If you’re like me, your life has been most likely been turned upside down by the Covid 19 outbreak. Work is different. Any social life has ground to a halt. “Social Distancing” is suddenly a word that we know and hear daily. Fear and uncertainty are rampant. Anxiety thrives on the unknown. By and large, despite all the ups and downs, we’ve all become accustomed to relative stability and predictability. Now, however, our changing world all but ensures waking up to a new set of rules, limitations, and changes. Despite our anxious brain’s effort to often highlight the terrible, and despite what we often hear being reported around us sucking any sense of optimism from the day, there is HOPE!

A couple of things come to mind as I try my best to frame what is going on around me into a positive mindset, which brings me to this reflection, setting the table for some hope and optimism in these challenging times.

For those of you who know me, you know that I have been a longtime advocate for Afterschool programming for kids. I recall hearing a story at a conference I was presenting at in Dallas back in 2016 about a program called Hope Center located in the Houston area.  Hope Center was simply a trailer in the middle of a trailer park started as a non-profit by its founder, Ray Hughes. Ray and several members of his church asked themselves how they could make a difference in their neighborhood and help the children who lived there. They determined that an Afterschool program for the neighborhood kids was the answer, so they bought a trailer, built the Hope Center and now the neighborhood kids go there to learn, play and engage in healthy activities after school. The kid’s grades have improved dramatically all because a few of the locals asked what their community needed and then proceeded to “build” the answer together.

Interestingly, there is another church about 100 feet from this neighborhood, basically right next door, with a big iron fence around it to keep the kids in the neighborhood out. Yet, the founders of Hope Center chose to move into the neighborhood and welcome the children with an open heart. The kids are thriving because someone gave them HOPE and took action to show them what it looks like.

I believe this is symbolic of the choices we all now have in this time of challenge. We can choose hope and faith or imprison ourselves with fear. We can choose to give hope to others or build an iron fence around our lives and heart. When we live with hope and take action to give hope to others, we become all we are meant to be. Even though we might not have to buy a trailer and build a Hope Center, we can each turn our life, our work and our homes into a center of HOPE!

Another thought that popped into my mind about positivity and hope came as a result of dealing with an infestation of ants out here on the farm.  Can you believe that?? I’m sure many of you can, because many of you have shared with me you have had a similar problem this year. How does that tie into positivity and hope you may ask?  Well, let me share an article I ran across back in 2016 by Dr. Daniel Amen titled “The Number One Habit to Develop in Order to Become More Positive.”  Given all the negativity going on around us in today’s world, it provided me some practical mental exercises I could use to fend off that negativity. It reads:

Would you like to reverse depression, anxiety, or negativity in your life? Would you like to experience peace of mind and joy? Then you need to become an expert about “ANTs.”

Dr. Daniel Amen coined this term in the early 1990’s after a hard day at the office, during which he had several very difficult sessions with suicidal patients, teenagers in turmoil, and a married couple who hated each other.

When he got home that evening, he found thousands of ants in his kitchen. As he started to clean them up, an acronym developed in his mind. He thought of his patients from that day – just like the infested kitchen, his patients’ brains were also infested by Automatic Negative Thoughts (ANTs) that were robbing them of their joy and stealing their happiness.

He started teaching patients how to eliminate all of the ANTs because they are what drive depression, what stoke anxiety, and what fuel negativity. Every single time you have a thought, your brain releases chemicals.

Every time you have a sad, hopeless, mad, cranky, unkind, judgmental, or helpless thought, your brain immediately releases chemicals that make your body feel awful. Your hands get cold and wet, your muscles get tense, your heart beats faster, and your breathing becomes shallower. Additionally, the activity in your frontal and temporal lobes decreases which negatively affects your judgment, learning, memory.

The opposite is also true – whenever you have a happy, hopeful, loving, kind or positive thought, your brain releases a completely different set of chemicals. Your hands get warmer and dryer, your breathing becomes deeper and more regular, your muscles relax, your blood pressure decreases, and your brain works better.

So, if you want to eradicate depression, anxiety, and negativity from your life, you need to work on disciplining your mind to get rid of the ANTs and developing an ANTeater to patrol the streets of your mind.

Just as there are a many species of ants in the world, there are different kinds of negative thought patterns (ANTs).

Here are a few you need to learn to identify:

FORTUNE TELLING

This is the ANT of almost anyone who has a panic disorder. They are masterful at predicting the worst, even though they don’t have any evidence.

MIND READING

Where you arbitrarily believe that you know what someone else is thinking, even though they didn’t tell you. Many people do this, and more often than not it gets them into trouble. It’s a major reason why people have trouble in relationships.

GUILT BEATINGS

Thinking with words like should, must, ought and have to. The words we use to talk to ourselves are very important. Guilt is not a very good motivator for change. Telling yourself “I should go see my grandmother” rather than “I want to spend time with my grandmother” only serves to make you feel negative.

BLAME

Whenever you blame someone else for the problems in your life, you are a victim and you can’t do anything to change it. Many of us play the blame game, but it rarely helps us. Stay away from blaming thoughts and take personal responsibility for changing the problems you have.

LABELING

Calling yourself or someone else a derogatory name. This diminishes your ability to see situations clearly and labels are very harmful.

So now that you have met some of the ANTs that rob you of your happiness and peace of mind, what do you do about them?

Whenever you find yourself feeling mad, sad, nervous, or out-of-control, write down what you are thinking. Then identify which ANT species is infesting your mind and talk back to it. Challenging negative thoughts (killing the ANTs) takes away their power and gives YOU control over your thoughts, moods, and behaviors.

Some good practical advice when confronted with those pesky ANTs!

This morning, I felt a sense of hope as I attended one of our first “in-person” services at Nazareth since shutting those down back in March due to Covid 19. Pastor Dennis Hanson shared this morning’s message focusing on the 8^th Chapter in the Book of Romans talking about “Gospel Induced Hope”.  A thought he shared has stuck with me throughout the day… “Hope is the promise of a future worth the trouble it takes to get out of bed in the morning.” That really resonated with me as I know the feeling of doing my best to literally “roll out of bed” in the morning these days… sometimes I even land on my feet!
As Romans 8:24-25 says: “For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.”

Just as many of us have been waiting patiently for the baseball season to start, we can take hope in the fact that we have “been there” before. As we continue to struggle with the COVID-19 epidemic and the impact it has had on our daily lives, we need to employ both patience and faith which will allow us to be strengthened and to endure. Simply put, patience and faith can be our hope in these challenging times.

Blessings your way and take time to enjoy OPENING DAY this Thursday!

Dave

Are you or someone you know fighting cancer... struggling with the physical, emotional and spiritual issues that accompany a cancer journey or other serious health issue? Making ourselves available to others can open up the doors of opportunity for deeper relationships, healing, and transformation. For many, time is one of the most valuable commodities in today's fast-paced world. Sharing time with others is a wonderful gift. It says, "Here I am... for you. To listen, to care, to serve." The power of presence should never be underestimated!  

Be an encourager in someone else’s life!

To learn more about being an encourager, and to view the Reflections blog, visit the Reflections from the Home Team website at:

www.reflectionsfromthehometeam.com/

Reflections from the Home Team- July 7, 2020

The past few weeks have been difficult for me staring down some challenges that have been a part of my life for a while now and some that have just recently popped up. The pandemic has taught me to slow down and tackle them one at a time, but that has not always been a simple task as it’s so easy to succumb to the pessimism that surrounds us which has the potential to suffocate us if we allow it to do so…

Greetings from Cedar Falls,

More than ever over the past few months, I have come to realize we live in an instant culture. We’ve been conditioned to expect fast food, fast travel, and fast internet. We’ve also mastered multi-tasking, so we don’t waste a nanosecond. Impatience rises up when are forced to wait. Unfortunately, this fast-paced, calendar-packed attitude carries over into our daily walk as we deal with the pandemic situation and any number of other challenges that may come our way.

The past few weeks have been difficult for me staring down some challenges that have been a part of my life for a while now and some that have just recently popped up. The pandemic has taught me to slow down and tackle them one at a time, but that has not always been a simple task as it’s so easy to succumb to the pessimism that surrounds us which has the potential to suffocate us if we allow it to do so.  Another thing that I have learned is that it quickly exposes my weaknesses. 

Given all that, one thing that has remained a constant for me is the importance of encouragement in my life, encouragement by others when I face some of these challenges. I learned that lesson early on in my “baseball life”.  I always thought I was a pretty good player. Maybe I lacked the strength and specific skills of some others… my arm strength was a bit south of 90 mph, my 60 yard dash time would have been average for a catcher, but I was a consistent baseball player and I played my heart out every time I stepped on a field. My stats were generally up with the league leaders… but for the most part, no one seemed to take notice or even care. My dad would always try to encourage me. He would challenge me to keep outworking others.  At times I felt I was swimming up a river that was taking me nowhere…

One thing I did notice is that when players moved away from home and had to make decisions for themselves, the players with the above average work ethic and drive, started to close the gap on the talented players. The result was that many of the extremely talented players began to fade, while those with “grit” began to overtake them and stand out above the crowd. I recently read a study done by Angela Lee Duckworth, a psychologist who was obsessed with learning the science in player development as to who is successful and why?  Her conclusion was that one characteristic emerged as a significant predictor of success, and it wasn’t IQ, it wasn’t specific skills…It was grit. She defined grit as “having passion and perseverance for very long-term goals. Grit is having stamina. Grit is sticking with your future, day in and day out. Not just for the week or month, but for years. And working hard to make that future a reality.”

I have been praying for that “grit” in my life these past few weeks and am so very thankful for the encouragement I have so often received from many of those on my Home Team. As I so often share; “Making ourselves available to others can open up the doors of opportunity for deeper relationships, healing, and transformation. Sharing time with others is a wonderful gift. It says, Here I am... for you. To listen, to care, to serve”. Thanks to all for helping me keep that internal fire lit, to keep working on my “game” so that when the “going gets tough”, the grit within will keep me standing at the end.

Jon Gordon recently shared a message in his Weekly Newsletter that touched my heart at a time when I really needed it… It had to do with encouragement and prompted me to share my thanks for all of you who are encouraging others. It reads:

OXYGEN FOR YOUR SOUL

Truett Cathy asked, "How do you know if a man or woman needs encouragement?" He answered, "If they are breathing." With so many suffocating in pessimism today we need encouragement, optimism and faith to provide us with oxygen for our souls. The word encourage means "To put courage into." We all need to encourage and put courage into ourselves and others. Today let's: Attack This Day with Enthusiasm - The word enthusiasm comes from the root word "entheos" which means filled with the divine. Let's tap into a greater power and strength to keep going. Faith in God doesn't make life easier. It makes you stronger. Feed the Positive and Weed the Negative - Your mind is like a Garden.  You need to weed the negative and feed the positive each day to create a fertile environment that produces amazing fruit. The more you feed yourself with the positive the more you can feed others. If you don't have it, you can't share it. Weed, Feed, Share! Be Thankful - You can't be stressed and thankful at the same time. When you are feeling blessed you can't be stressed. Think about what you are thankful for right now. Write it down. Think about it throughout the day. Talk to Yourself instead of Listen to Yourself - Don't listen to the fear and negative thoughts that fill your mind with doubt and discouragement. They are lies that try to hold you back and keep you from living your destiny and purpose. Instead speak truth to the lies. The truth is you are here for a reason. You are here to do great things and you have greatness inside of you. The truth is you will prevail through this time. Live and Look Forward - Your vision is greater thank your circumstances and your purpose is greater than your challenges. Stop looking backwards. Your life isn't there anymore. You can't change the past, but you can find focus, optimism and peace in the present to create your future. Stop looking at the negativity on the screen and look up to the heavens. Then look out into your future and think about what you truly want to create. If you can see it you can create it. If you have a vision you also have the power to make it happen. Someone told Zig Ziglar that motivation doesn't last to which he replied, "Neither does bathing. It's why you have to do it each day." Encouragement works the same way. We are facing a difficult time. There's a lot of pain and suffering. The struggle is real but so is your power to overcome. Remember to encourage and put courage into yourself and others each day. Don't worry about the future. Just encourage yourself daily and give your soul the oxygen it needs to be fully alive and thrive.   Stay Positive, -Jon

As Paul shared in 2 Corinthians 12: 9-10 when he was struggling with so many issues:

"Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. Therefore, I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ's sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong".

That's it! He got it too. And he went with it for the rest of his days. The very things we dread and run from in our lives are precisely what brought contentment to Paul. What a way to live your life—content in everything—knowing that divine strength comes when human weakness is evident. That's what gave the man of grace true grit. It will do the same for each of us if we allow it to.

Sometimes our current circumstances are so difficult and heavy that we can think of nothing else. Been there a number of times… We wonder if and when God will come to our aid. In those times of difficulty, when groaning often pushes out sleep, when my spirit grows faint, I try to reflect on all the ways God has intervened, helped, strengthened or comforted me in the past. By remembering His faithfulness, it allows me to bolster my trust in God’s future provision for me as I then, watch and wait with anticipation.

There is no quick and easy path to wisdom when it comes to life’s challenges, but God will fill us with His wisdom when we take the time to internalize His Word. Like tough meat requires low, slow heat to tenderize it, we stubborn humans need to ruminate on the rich truths of God’s Word in order to get the most life-changing benefits.

Blessings to all!

Dave

P.S. I have recently submitted an edited manuscript for my second book titled Reflections from the Home Team… STAYING POSITIVE When Life Throws You a Curve! It goes into production tomorrow.  Here’s a quick overview…

Reflections from the Home Team... STAYING POSITIVE When Life Throws You a Curve! is intended to be a resource you can turn to each day for hope and encouragement as you take on the daily challenges that life may “pitch” your way. The book is a go-to resource for injecting a healthy dose of positivity into your daily life. Positivity has been proven to make a difference in overcoming negativity and adversity, and each reflection in the book examines positive perspectives and approaches to dealing with those life challenges.

Each reflection includes an encouraging attitude, a spiritual insight and a step to consider which are frequently blended with baseball analogies and metaphors. Life’s challenges are not easy, just as baseball isn’t always easy. The game provides many lessons about success and failure, and those lessons can often be applied in our life journeys. As life’s curveballs and challenges come our way, the author encourages reaching out to our “Home Teams” (both human and divine) for the strength, love, support and comfort needed to meet them.

The book can be used as a daily reflection to find a way forward, one step at a time, and to help create some positive momentum whenever you may feel discouraged and may need a boost.  Remember, life is like a baseball game; when you think a fastball is coming, you have to be ready to hit the curve!

I’ll keep you posted on progress as the process moves forward.

Thanks again! Dave

Are you or someone you know fighting cancer... struggling with the physical, emotional and spiritual issues that accompany a cancer journey or other serious health issue? Making ourselves available to others can open up the doors of opportunity for deeper relationships, healing, and transformation. For many, time is one of the most valuable commodities in today's fast-paced world. Sharing time with others is a wonderful gift. It says, "Here I am... for you. To listen, to care, to serve." The power of presence should never be underestimated!  

Be an encourager in someone else’s life!

To learn more about being an encourager, and to view the Reflections blog, visit the Reflections from the Home Team website at:

www.reflectionsfromthehometeam.com/