Home Field

Where does one start in an attempt to explain why the Texas Rangers failed to win the World Series? Yes, where does one begin?..... Well, not that it would have mattered, but it may have matter a little bit, let’s start with having the Home Field Advantage. As you know by now the Home Field advantage for the World Series is determined by the winner of the All Star game played each July. For those who do not know, what this means is simply this, if the National League wins the All Star Game then the winner of the NLCS will have the Home Field Advantage for the World Series. The same would be true if the American League won the All Star Game.
To my limited knowledge this may be the only place in sports where the home field is determined by people who are not playing the actual playoff game. This year (and it may just be that my Rangers were playing) it was especially weird that a team with a worse record had the home field advantage over a team with a superior record. Home Field turned out to be very important in this year’s World Series because of the need for game 7. In short, the team with home field in a game seven wins the majority of the time.
Home Field. What does it mean to have home field? Well for starters, you’re home. You have home cooking, your own bed, your family and friends and most importantly you have your fans. When you come to the ball park the people in the stands want you to win. They cheer for you. They make signs for you. They are with you with every pitch, every swing of the bat and every catch. They chant your name. They give you all the encouragement. They do all this and more while at the same time the visiting team gets nothing.
Do you know that you have a spiritual home field advantage every day? That’s right! When you go out into the world to your job, office, supermarket, mall, café or coffee shop you have a Spiritual Home Field Advantage. God has given you the Holy Spirit to walk with you every step along the way in your daily journey. You see, God knew that you and I would need help facing the challenges of our day: the impatient boss, the back stabbing co-worker, the guy in traffic that cuts you off and then gives you that hateful wave. Or maybe it’s the pressures of being a mom or dad or the pressures of the economic situation you are in at this time of your life. The list goes on and one, but the fact is that God gives you the home field advantage regardless of what is going on in your life. God gives you the power to overcome fear, temptation, grief, anger, selfishness …. You name it and the power of God is within you to overcome all things that are evil.
You are not powerless. You are a child of the King of kings. You have been chosen by God to live a powerful life in the Kingdom of the almighty God. As Paul said, “I can do all things through him who strengthens me”. Now – Play Ball!
Love God. Go Love Others.