Thursday, February 25, 2021

Is It a Mission Impossible?

 

The dictionary says a mission is an important assignment carried out for political, religious, or commercial purposes. Like the old TV program asked, "Is it impossible?" It depends on your point of view.

As a kid growing up in a local church we thought missions pertained to missionaries in some faraway dark place like Africa, Asia, or South America. At missionary conferences we saw pictures of grass huts, primitive dress attire, and natives carrying a bucket of water on their head and walking long distances to the closest village. 

What is your mission in life? Everybody has a mission. The main point is how you go about accomplishing it and how long it takes. No wonder some people get discouraged. 

Not too long ago we started a FREE newsletter about baseball and/or life and are happy to see the interest that it gets. Nothing is impossible. Our mission is to help good hard working people learn how to cope with life in a messed up world. 

While making money is foremost in people's minds our first priority is to help people. Could there be anything more important than having a job and maintaining good health?  

Our lists is endless and we hope you share it with your friends. Life is tough and doesn't appear to be getting any easier. But there is hope if only we look for it.

If you enjoyed reading this article and found it to be helpful, we invite you to sign up for our free newsletter about practical helps at https://bit.ly/38jnZnG.

Saturday, February 20, 2021

Honesty Is The Best Policy


 The world is falling apart. The moral fabric of this country just went out the window and people are confused. What is right and what is wrong? What happened to honesty?

Recently I watched the impeachment hearings about former president Donald Trump. The Republicans presented a good scenario that lacked evidence to prove that Trump incited a riot. While the Democrats disagreed they shared one scenario after another insisting without evidence that he was guilty. 

There was a small group of agitators among the crowd in Washington D.C. on January 6th that insisted, thanks to the help of the media, that all supporters of Trump are guilty and this is false.

In a recent radio program I heard a Bible scholar say that the norm in our society has been turned upside down. Now-a-days it's whatever pleases you. The Truth is accepted as False and whatever is False is accepted as Truth. What else could go wrong?

Today's society is getting progressively worse. We compromise so we don't offend anybody. If we agree with a lie it's as good as if we were the provider of the lie. When does it end?

In my book titled "On the Road Again," Pop, a retired janitor, helped a group of teenage boys start a baseball team. Over time they got a lot of attention. At a time when youth baseball wasn't popular they were invited to play the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field. 

Following the big day the boys just won the popularity contest. Every town's baseball team wanted to play the boys from the Gold Coast, a Chicago neighborhood. Large crowd gatherings made the town fathers and police go crazy. Eventually a teenage girl was hurt while crossing the street in a hit-and-run accident. Ultimately Pop was falsely accused in a vicious court battle. 

But there is hope. The solution is to be honest and establish a new norm. Are you an honest person? Sign up for our newsletter and learn how to cope  with life in a messed up world at https://bit.ly/38jnZnG

Friday, February 12, 2021

Light at the End of the Tunnel

 

Often most people are afraid of the dark. Unless it serves to some advantage, they'd prefer to live in the light. A child wakes up in the middle of the night scared and crying.  On Halloween the preference is to wear a scary costume at night.

While groping through life in the dark like walking through a tunnel, suddenly there is light. The end of a difficult situation is finally over. 

Remember the old western movies you saw on TV? The cowboy walks into a dark room, strikes a match, and lights a candle? Suddenly the whole room lights up. Wow! Hollywood performs miracles. 

As many of you know I am a Chicago Cub baseball fan. For many years we sacrificed not being able to see night games. The late Jack Brickhouse insisted that baseball was intended to be played during the day. That was a farce. Through commercial pressure we got lights and it changed the whole perspective about night baseball at Wrigley Field.  Baseball fans like to be entertained. 

In my previous newsletter I shared something about character building.  From a Biblical perspective, because I was born in sin like a lot of other people, I needed some help. I felt like I was living in a dark tunnel. Fortunately, for me and others, the Bible shared the solution to our problem. Today there is hope and I hope you feel the same way that I do. 

So there is light at the end of the tunnel. If you are experiencing some misery in your life don't give up. It doesn't matter what it is. Career, family, church, or whatever, keep moving forward because you may be surprised at what life has to offer.

If you enjoyed reading this article and found it to be helpful, we invite you to sign up for our free newsletter about practical helps. https://aw1283c2.aweb.page/cornerlotsbaseball    

 

Thursday, February 4, 2021

Building Blocks Toward a Better Future

 


The child sat on the living room floor staring at all the blocks. His or her imagination went wild with a lot of creativity. They could build anything they wanted and yes, tear it down and start over again. It was fun. Starting with small things they could build bigger and better things.  Nothing stayed the same.

The job market is a good example of building blocks for a better future. First we start out with an entry level position. Then, over time, we move into middle management before, if we're lucky, into top management and a CEO position. Through experience, education, and hard work, we may have a brighter future. Perhaps knowing people in high places might help.

Another good example is about the teenager who saw a pretty dress she liked. It was a navy blue dress that hugged her legs just above the knees, with a black belt, and went nice with her red hair and tan complexion. 

The problem was that it cost money that she didn't have. Raised in a poor family often made life difficult, but she was bound and determined to let nothing stand in her way. Odd jobs like baby sitting, shoveling snow, delivering newspapers, and more, was the answer. It was a proud day in her life when she got to share it with her mom and friends. 

Does money grow on trees? I wish it did, but that's another story. Over the years in my younger days I learned to fill an Apple cider jar with my loose change at the end of each day. Now, today many years later my wife Judy and I have an investment portfolio well over a quarter of a million dollars. The Lord is good. As life changes through the years we didn't have the opportunity early on in life to start an investment through our employer, but again thanks to the good Lord we were able to build some financial security.

Baseball is another good example about building blocks. Professional baseball players didn't just join a team over night. They had to work at developing their skills. Practice! Practice! Practice! Hitting a speeding fastball traveling over home plate required muscles and maintaining a mentally keen attitude. As a result baseball fans all over the world love to be entertained. 

Perhaps we don't think about building blocks as a major term in our life. But unless we're Superman and born on a strange planet with abilities far beyond most normal men and women, we have to start somewhere.

The thing I like best about life is building my faith and character. Reading my Bible and applying it's teaching to everything I do and say is my biggest goal in life. In the long run I am a better person and I hope you are too.

If you enjoyed reading this article and found it to be helpful in your own life, we invite you to sign up for our free newsletter and who knows, it might make your life so much brighter. https://aw1283c2.aweb.page/cornerlotsbaseball