I’m about to begin a new teaching series at our church called “Home Run: Rounding the Bases of Your Most Important Relationships” (Psalm 128), and I feel somewhat like the town sheriff — people will either love me or hate me.

Okay, I’m being a little hyperbolic, but let me explain. The lowdown on family-type series is that they “leave me out” ‘cause someone is either single, an empty nester, divorced, etc. It’s like a default response to the notion that all series on relationships have to be cemented within the marriage parameter. But why not a series where home and family, and the relationships that stem from that home and family, are the focus. After all, we’re all part of a family; we’re still in a home even if we’re not still at home.

Think about it like this…Everyone is either a father, mother, son or daughter. No exceptions! You are part of a family. Your physical location to that family may have changed, but your genetic connection is still intact. In other words, your role may have changed, but your relation hasn’t!

For instance, I’ll always be a son to two people – Roger and Betty Stiles! Has my role changed? Sure! But has my relation changed? No – I am still a son and always will be! Sure, I am other things as well, and while adding a role may change a previous one, it doesn’t cancel it! That’s my goal — to help us hit a home run in our core relationships, no matter what role they have taken.

So I’m looking forward to this new series. And I want listeners to give it an honest hearing. Because it’s not all about your present role, but also your timeless relation. And what I’ll be asking from all of us over the next several weeks is this: Be the father/mother/son/daughter you are – hit a “home run” when it comes to that core identity! As you swing away for that fence, you’ll discover new joy in the relationships that matter most on this earth – those that constitute your physical family.