Go to the Box...

Preacher: What’s your batting average? I was never much of a baseball player. I loved basketball and excelled at football (I love the t-shirt that sums up my football career: "The older I get - The better I was").  Not sure if it was my vision or my attention span but baseball didn't do much for me. Until my younger son Andrew expressed an interest in it. He loved baseball. He was centerfield. With great wheels and an accurate arm he was a natural.

His one weakness was in the area of confidence. Especially at bat.  It was all about confidence - it became my word for him! If he went to the plate with confidence high he was an automatic and if he got on base with his speed he most often scored.

It's been that way with my preaching life too.  So often I would hear someone, anyone else preach and think - that is better than me, they are better than me.

One reason I went to the “mound” defeated!  Convinced I couldn't "bring it" or that I had to use someone else's material to be effective. That my words, even from God's Word were not enough, not creative enough, not cleaver enough, not compassionate enough, and certainly not convicting enough.

Over time I've begun to learn to "go to the mound" with confidence. And you can to. Here is why:

BECAUSE His Word furnishes you!

BECAUSE His People are for you!

BECAUSE His love fills you!

BECAUSE His grace lives in you!

BECAUSE His gospel is powerful for you!

BECAUSE He is with you! Remember, you do not go to the pulpit alone.

So tomorrow - go to that mound with a heart full of assurance and knock a homer!!!