Reflections from the Home Team… Go the Distance will certainly be an encouragement for readers who may find themselves in a catastrophic health situation such as the author faced with his cancer diagnosis in 2009.  Often times people cling to any bit of hope they may see in others in their similar situation, and this book is an example of that hope.

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The baseball/sports analogies that exist within the text speak to its readers in a creative, metaphorical way. Baseball terminology, in the author’s opinion, offers a universal language, which helps explain how he has dealt with the ups and downs of treatments as well as the adjustments he needed to make physically, emotionally and spiritually on his cancer journey. The book also interjects a competitive spirit into the cancer journey, which helps motivate and encourage a winning attitude.

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The author shares that all of us experience interruptions at some point in our lives. He depicts in his reflections how some of the most important relationships that he has made came from what he first considered an interruption. He also shares through his reflections he has learned that the mission God gives each of us in life is almost always about people and those special connections we can make with others in our lives. If there is one thing the author’s cancer journey has taught him, it’s that difficult times can connect us to others in ways we may never have realized otherwise.  Those precious connections can provide us strength during our journeys; while at the same time providing us an opportunity to serve others and their needs.

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Reflection entries in the book focus on three parts of the author’s s cancer journey including how his diagnosis impacted his life plans, doing his best to keep a positive focus throughout the grind of treatments and recovery and finally, maintaining and growing the connections established during treatment and recovery to allow his journey to continue. Each journal entry is shared chronologically with a short transition prior to each reflection - each reflection closes with an encouraging attitude, a spiritual insight and steps to consider.

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The author offers his experiences and reflections so that other's journeys through difficult times may be filled with positive thoughts, while thanking God for each and every day of life, recognizing that life is a precious gift, and trusting that our Lord and Savior is with us on every step of our journey.

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-Table of Contents-

 

A Life-Changing Event

Sharing the News

The Home Team vs. the Visiting Team

Be Joyful in Hope

The Grind

Annoying the Visiting Team

Stick to the Game Plan

Mental Toughness

One Pitch, One Inning at a Time

A Little Guy Named Taylor

Be Sure the Last Man is Out!

Nearing Home

Turning the Negative into the Positive

Ninth Inning Shutout

The Journey Continues…

Celebrating Life

The Right Mental Attitude

God Never Blinks

Building Positive People

Adjust and Move On

Spring Training

Don’t Waste Energy on What Cannot be Changed

Don’t Take the Easy Way Out

Working Hard to Achieve Goals

Minimizing Worry and Maximizing Positivity

Strength and Peace

Anger Doesn’t Change Circumstances

Ode to the Tentmaker

Crows Don’t Hang with Eagles

Minor League Thinking

Why Did This Happen God?

Where is the Finish Line?

Life’s Poker Game

Faith, Family and Friends

Just Never Stop Hoping

The Art of Living

Pick Up the Pace

Life’s Warnings

OnWard

Setbacks

Shut the Door on Yesterday

Accountability

All for Naught?

New Beginnings

No Scapegoating

Listening Moment

Closing Reflection

Preparing for the Post Season... Fundamentals Check List

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Reflections From the Home Team... STAYING POSITIVE When Life Throws You a Curve!

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Since writing Reflections from the Home Team… Go the Distance, David Welter, a cancer survivor, has continued to share encouragement and inspiration for others who may be facing not only serious health issues such as cancer, but other life challenges as well.

 

By processing his cancer journey through writing reflections based on his experiences and the experiences of those he has come into contact with, Welter has provided hope and comfort for others who may be experiencing similar challenges in their life’s journey.

 

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, Welter 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, 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!

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- Table of Contents -

 

Reflection 1: Fear Not!!                                                                                           

Reflection 2: Don’t Widen the Plate                                                                   

Reflection 3: Spreading the Message of Positivity                                     

Reflection 4: Illustrations of Love in the Interruptions in our Lives        

Reflection 5: Be Where Your Feet Are                                                                

Reflection 6: Stepping Outside Your Comfort Zone                                    

Reflection 7: Attitude, Anxiety, Trust and Controlling the Controllable    

Reflection 8: When Life Throws You Curveballs                                         

Reflection 9: The Principle of Encouragement                                           

Reflection 10: What Just Happened is Over…                                                 

Reflection 11: Everyone is Struggling with Something                                  

Reflection 12: Disappointment in the Fires of Life’s Challenges…      

Reflection 13: Let’s Put the “Giving” Back in Thanksgiving            

Reflection 14: Our Trust Must be Bigger than Our Fear                                 

Reflection 15: When Faced with a Barrel of Bricks                                        

Reflection 16: Put Your Positive Pants On                                                 

Reflection 17: The Sun Does Shine!                                                              

Reflection 18: Comeback Power                                                             

Reflection 19: Don’t Overthink… Listen and be Present                           

Reflection 20: Start Each Day as a Brand-New Game                                   

Reflection 21: Why Me?                                                                                  

Reflection 22: Changing Our Lives for the Better                                            

Reflection 23: Having Command of the Fundamentals                               

Reflection 24: The Blessings of Family                                                           

Reflection 25: Keeping a Balance During Life’s Challenges                         

Reflection 26: Plant Yourself Where You Are and Make a Difference          

Reflection 27: Lay Down Your Burdens and Worries and Simply Rest…   

Reflection 28: The Antidote to Fear is Trust                                                 

Reflection 29: Keeping an Eternal Perspective                                           

Reflection 30: We are Creatures Who Live by Our Stories                          

Reflection 31: There’s No Crying in Baseball!                                               

Reflection 32: Overcoming Negative Thoughts and Fear                          

Reflection 33: May There Always be an Angel at Your Side                         

Reflection 34: Establishing Margin                                                              

Reflection 35: Creating a “New Normal” from Life’s Lessons                      

Reflection 36: Get Back in the Game!                                                                

Reflection # 37:  Breaking Out of That Slump!                                               

Reflection # 38: A Time for Transformation                                                      

Reflection # 39: Responding to Life’s Challenges…                                                                 

Reflection # 40: Preparing for the Post Season   

 

 

 

Reflections From the Home Team... Reframing The Curveballs Life Pitches Our Way!

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Reframing the Curveballs Life Pitches Our Way! includes reflections from the
author that share an encouraging attitude, a spiritual insight, and a step to consider
at the end of each reflection. The author’s thoughts are frequently blended with
baseball analogies and metaphors. Life’s challenges are not easy, just as baseball
is not always easy. Life truly is like a baseball game…when you think a fastball is
coming, you have to be ready to hit the curve!
As a cancer survivor, the author shares “I’ve done a LOT of adjusting with my
mindset over the years. I do know that when we encounter the often-monumental
challenges that change can bring in our lives, no one can walk that path for us, but
they can certainly walk it with us.” This book offers hope, by encouraging you to
stay at it, whatever that “it” may be in your life. By choosing to do some
‘reframing’ with your mindset, you will be abundantly fulfilled. The process is
worth it!
The game of baseball provides many lessons about success and failure, and those
lessons can so often be applied in our life journeys. This book focuses on those
lessons and can be used as a daily reflection to find a way forward, one step at a
time whenever you may feel discouraged or need a boost. A reminder that so often
in life, the difference between success and failure is belief, and so often someone
who encouraged us instills that belief in us… Be an ENCOURAGER!

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- Table of Contents -

 

Dedication v
About the Author xi

Foreword xiii
Introduction xv
Reflection 1 - Live Life Like a 3-1 Count 1
Reflection 2 - The Talk That Can Shape Our Lives 7
Reflection 3 - Pick One Thing and Make a Difference 13
Reflection 4 - Oxygen for Your Soul 19
Reflection 5 - Are A.N.T.S. Infesting Your Mind 7
Reflection 6 - Challenges Make Us Stronger 35
Reflection 7 - The Guest House 41
Reflection 8 - Through the Eyes of a Child 49
Reflection 9 - Why Me? 55
Reflection 10 - Pound the Rock 61
Reflection 11 - The Light That Shines Through Broken Places 67
Reflection 12 - Our True Source of Contentment 77
Reflection 13 - Acknowledging the Reality of Fear 83
Reflection 14 - Keep Fouling Those Curveballs Off! 89
Reflection 15 - All the Important Things Happen at Home 95
Reflection 16 - Think of What You Can Do with What There Is 101
Reflection 17 - Nothing Goes to Waste on the Journey of Life 107
Reflection 18 - Learning to Control You 113
Reflection 19 - Give Each Day a Chance 119
Reflection 20 - Breaking Through the Noise in Our Lives 125
Reflection 21 - When Tired and Hungry, Stay in the Field! 131
Reflection 22 - For God is not a God of Confusion but of Peace 139
Reflection 23 - Relief vs. Restoration 143
Reflection 24 - Shaping our Hearts and Souls with God’s Plan 149
Reflection 25 - Be Optimistic and Enthusiastic with no Bum Elbows 155
Reflection 26 - The Power of Strength, Grace and Resiliency 161
Reflection 27 - Licking Life’s Challenges One Day at a Time! 167
Reflection 28 - A Friend is Medicine for Life 173
Reflection 29 - The Awakening 177
Reflection 30 - Attitude is Everything 187
Reflection 31 - God’s Perfection 193
Reflection 32 - Just be There! 201
Reflection 33 - Benefits of a Short Memory 207
Reflection 34 - The Pearl 213
Reflection 35 - Love and Forgiveness 221
Reflection 36 - Slow Down and Enjoy the Ride 227
Reflection 37 – Responding to Life’s Hardships 233
Reflection 38 – Never Give Up! 239
Reflection 39 – Handling Adversity with Class 245
Reflection 40 – Finding Joy in our Lives 251
Reflection 41 – Keep Those You Love Involved 257
Reflection 42– Fear Not 263
Reflection 43– The Beauty of Connection 269
Reflection 44– The Importance of Reflection 275

Reflection 45– Humility as a Source of Joy 281
Reflection 46– Find Joy in the Journey 287
Reflection 47– Change the Plan, but Not the Goal 293
Reflection 48– God’s Word Stands Forever 299
Reflection 49– Seeking God’s Wisdom 303
Reflection 50– Preparing for the Post Season 309
Reflection Image Bibliography 345
Endnotes 349

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Reflections from the Home Team: Nearing Home! is a Scripture-based collection of reflections, blending spiritual insight with baseball metaphors that encourage readers to persevere through life’s challenges. The author draws from his own battle with cancer to ask questions about his life’s purpose and legacy. Each reflection is a spiritual perspective on success, failure, and the importance of investing in meaningful relationships. Welter’s baseball metaphors teach readers to navigate unexpected curveballs and live with faith and resilience on our life journeys as we each get closer to “Nearing Home”.

 

Baseball fans will understand many references the author makes, yet even a reader
who is not as familiar with the game will understand the variety of reflections the
author talks about regarding life and overcoming challenges. 

 

The author details each of his reflections and then at the end of the book includes a summary of the three main pieces of advice - “An Encouraging Attitude,” “A Spiritual Insight,” and “A Step to Consider” – for an easy-to-refer-to section. The book offers a
stress-free and well-rounded reading experience and readers will not be left with
questions or wanting to know more as the author provides a perfect amount of
information, detail, and advice that is not too much and not too little.

 

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 - Table of Contents –

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Dedication - vii

About the Author - xi

Foreword - xii

Introduction - xv

Reflection 1 - Seeking Wisdom in Our Lives  

Reflection 2 - Give Each Day a Chance

Reflection 3 - Beautifully Broken 

Reflection 4 - Help Ohers, Even When They Can’t Help Back! 

Reflection 5 - When Life Gets Blurry, Adjust Your Focus! 

Reflection 6 - Be an Encourager! 

Reflection 7 - Extinguish the ‘Thought Bubbles’ of the Past!

Reflection 8 - If You’re Happy and You Know It Tell Your Face!

Reflection 9 - The Tie That Will Unite Us as Christians 

Reflection 10 - Never Forget Who That One Person May be in Your Life! 

Reflection 11 - Looking UP to Where Our Help Comes From…”

Reflection 12 - Leadership is a Life of Service

Reflection 13 - Every Day Can Be Like Opening Day! 

Reflection 14 - Listen, and Honor Other’s Stories…        

Reflection 15 - If You Don’t Have Hope, You Don’t Have Anything

Reflection 16 - Life Is About Adjustments! 

Reflection 17 - How Can We Stay Optimistic in a Pessimistic World?”

Reflection 18 - Running A Relay For Life!

Reflection 19 - Who Is Your Favorite Superhero?

Reflection 20 - Don’t Argue with Reality! 

Reflection 21 – Fundamentals…Getting Back to Basics

Reflection 22 - Hard Things Put in Our Way Call for Courage! 

Reflection 23 - An Unspoken Bond   

Reflection 24 - Heaven has Gained Another Angel!

Reflection 25 - Finding Hope and Restoration

Reflection 26 - Showing Love Through Our Actions! 

Reflection 27 - Finding Hope in Hurt…  

Reflection 28 - Where God's Love is, there is no Fear…  

Reflection 29 - Conversation with a Complete Stranger 

Reflection 30 - WHOSE WE ARE and WHO WE ARE

Reflection 31 - Keep Me In Your Heart, I’ll Stay There Forever!

Reflection 32 - Don’t Let the Old Man In!

Reflection 33 - Be the Living Expression of God’s Kindness! 

Reflection 34 - Never Make Predictions, Especially About the Future

Reflection 35 - The Signs in Life that Bring us Hope 

Reflection 36 - Seeking the ‘Touch of the Master’

Reflection 37 - Picking Up the Pieces

Reflection 38 - Making a Difficult Challenge Productive

Reflection 39 - Real Friends Are a Treasure!

Reflection 40 - The More Love You Give the More Love You Will Have 

Reflection 41- Perseverance and Endurance

Reflection 42 - What Happens Next? 

Reflection 43 – Fighting One More Round!

Reflection 44 - Coincidence is God’s Way of Remining Anonymous

Reflection 45 - Preparing for the Post Season 

Encouraging Attitudes, Spiritual Insights and Steps to Consider 

Reflection Image Bibliography 

End Notes

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