Raising Grapes is a Lot Like Raising Children!

This week I’ve been learning about what it takes to grow grapes—and as it turns out, raising or mentoring kids is a lot like tending a vineyard. You prune, water, guard, encourage... and yet some days you still end up with a wild bunch growing sideways into the neighbor’s yard.

It’s a labor of love that demands patience, attention, and endurance—across every season.

• Spring requires pruning—cutting away even healthy-looking shoots so the vine can grow stronger and bear better fruit.
  
  

• Summer means constant watching—guarding against pests, mildew, and just the right amount of water and light.
  
  

• Fall brings the harvest—a sweet, brief reward after months of quiet, unseen work.
  
  

• Winter looks still, but it’s not over—the roots are strengthening underground for what’s next.

A good vinedresser needs vision to believe in fruit they can’t yet see, wisdom to know when to act and when to wait, and heart to keep going when the results aren’t immediate.

The women in our lives—mothers, grandmothers, aunts, teachers, mentors—often mirror that kind of love. They prepare the soil of a child’s heart, water it with grace, and wait with patience. They don’t force growth, but guide gently. Like a wise gardener, they prune with love, protect fiercely, and celebrate every small sign of life.

And in doing so, they reflect the heart of God—our Master Gardener—who Jesus describes in John 15:

“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit. Apart from me you can do nothing.”

As we prepare for communion, it’s easy to judge everything about ourselves. “Did I prune enough? Water too much? Miss a sign of mildew?” But Jesus reminds us—it’s not our striving that makes the fruit grow. It’s our connection- our remaining in Him that matters. Let’s pray:

Dear Lord, as we take this bread and cup, remind us that it’s Your body and blood that nourish us. Your love is the life flowing through the vine. Your grace—undeserved favor and spiritual power—is what helps us grow. Forgive us where we’ve fallen short, and help us stay close to You, trusting that, in time, You will produce fruit through us.

Sweet Spot Living: Team First

 12 U Stark County Terriers- Hudson

Last week we talked about sweet spot living. We talked about how, just like hitting a baseball on the sweet spot of the bat is seamless, powerful, and effective, living with the power three is powerful and effective. Does anyone remember what the power three are?

1. Faith

2. Hope

3. Love

So I have a question- think of the game yesterday. Can you think of anything someone did in the game that was a great example of one of those three?

Story Highlight (2–3 minutes):

In that last game, we were in a drop-dead situation. We were running out of time, and we needed to get the other team back up to bat so we could try to get three outs and win. Mase stepped up in a way that a lot of people maybe didn’t even notice—but it showed huge heart. He willingly struck out to end our half of the inning so we could get the other team back up. He didn’t swing for himself. He didn’t fight for his own at-bat. He played for us. He played for each of you.

He gave up something he wanted—to hit—for the good of the team. That’s unselfish. And that’s exactly the kind of attitude that wins championships, builds friendships, and honors God.

Connect with the boys:

You all have moments in a game where you get to decide: ‘Do I do what’s best for me, or what’s best for us?’ Maybe it’s bunting when you don’t want to. Maybe it’s taking a pitch to move a runner. Maybe it’s working through pain from being hit by a pitch or backing someone up even if you don’t think you’ll get credit. It could be willingness to play a position you don’t like or cheering on teammates from the bench when you don’t feel like it. 

In a book of the bible called  Philippians (2:3-4) Paul says:

'Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.'

That’s hard. But it’s God’s way and it is how to live in the Sweet Spot of life.- Again- that is one of the Power Three: Love

Challenge (3–4 minutes):

Now, you might be saying, but I don’t want to bunt,' or 'I don’t want to take a pitch. I get it. But real maturity is about choosing what’s right even when it costs you something. Stats fade. Character sticks.

We all want to be remembered as someone who came through in the big moment. But what if the big moment isn’t a home run—its willingness to strikeout for the team, it’s a bunt that moves a runner, Or taking a pitch so we can have a chance to win. 

Award: 

For the rest of the season, if the coaches witness an above-and-beyond example of Faith, Hope, or Love, a “Power Three” Award will be given.

I’m honored to give the first Power Three Award to Mase, for being an incredible example of what it means to live out the Power Three.

Did you know that one of the characteristics of love is that it always protects?
Mase’s sacrificial strikeout protected the team from loss.

That was love for his teammates.

Wrap-Up with Application (2–3 minutes):

I want to challenge each of you today to be that guy—the one who leads by being willing to do the hard, humble thing for the good of the team. And not just here. In school. At home. With your friends. Be the kind of guy who steps aside to lift the team up. And when you do, you’re not just a better baseball player—you’re a better young man.