Are You A Happy Person?

 

Are you happy? Do you like to be around other people? Is life good to you? Since I experience peace with God I can't complain.

Baseball is back. Spring training is gone and now thousands of baseball fans can go to the ball park and enjoy a game. I'm happy because baseball is my passion. Are you a baseball fan? 

Anniversaries, birthday parties, picnics, and more, it's always fun to gather with friends and family. Today we are happy and excited for our grandson. This Thursday he graduates after completing bootcamp with the United States Marines in southern California. His parents will be there while Judy and I dog sit. It's another celebration for a job well done. 

Today we live in troubled times. Our country is politically divided and filled with hate. But there is peace with God. There is nothing to fear. We can learn to endure and be happy, i.e. with God's help we can learn how to ride the storm.

Are you a happy person? Is life a constant up and down battle for you? Do you feel so low sometimes that you have to look up to tie your shoes? It shouldn't be that way. Identify your problems and seek positive   ways to deal with them. Life is better than you think. 

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Why is Hope Important?

 

There is hope for a better future. Where have you heard that one before? It's part of a solidifying force that keeps us glued together. Where would we be in life without hope?

There is hope for my soul. Born into a depraved spiritual condition, God and help from the Bible puts me back together.

There is hope for a good career. Get educated, develop skills, and the world opens up many new opportunities. Yes there is a level playing field out there. 

There is hope to have a nice family. Yes you can choose the perfect man or women in the whole world, create a christ-centered atmosphere, and live happily ever after.

There is hope in wanting to develop a baseball team. In my book Boys on the Gold Coast, Pop, a retired janitor, takes a group of boys whom got kicked off a school lot and helps them form a baseball team somewhere else. Eventually they play the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field. Yes all things are possible with a love motive. 

Isn't it great to live with hope in everything we do? Hope leaves us with a feeling of accomplishment that I like. I hope you feel the same way.

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Love Is More Than Skin Deep

 

Just like in Walt Disney's movie Lady and the Tramp the boy was born on the wrong side of the tracks.  It wasn't his fault that he was victimized.

Born into a minority family in the south wasn't easy. He faced more challenges than you or I could ever imagine. Life was unfair.

Why should skin color make any difference? He breathes the same air, eats the same food, walk's the same walk, reads the same books, goes to the same schools, and works the same jobs, however...?

The boy was discriminated against for no apparent reason. For every two steps he took forward he fell back one. Life didn't justify for some hard working people.

When he moved to Chicago with his parents who were looking for better opportunities, he loved to play baseball. With a keen mine and good pair of hands he was a great team player. The boys liked him even though he often disappeared in the middle of a game. 

But there was a slight problem. His parents didn't trust other people. Often what sounded good eventually turned sour. Thus they forbid him from playing baseball on the Gold Coast team. 

Pop, the coach, had a big heart filled with love. He made several attempts to talk to Clay and Marge, but to no avail. Mike was out of luck. Only in a cat and mouse game was he able to play ball. 

But things don't always stay the same. Things were about to change. A devastating fire in the Foster home and the love from the local church changed the heart's of some lovely people. Yes, actions did speak louder than words. Now Mike is part of the team and enjoys every bit of it.

Please don't allow a race issue or anything else to block your opportunity to a better life. Love is more than skin deep and you deserve the best that life has to offer.

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Why Do Women Struggle?

 

Since the beginning of time women experienced being at a disadvantage, but it shouldn't be that way. It's not their fault. Perhaps it's in their DNA, but that's a poor excuse. We can do something about it and we will.

The Baptist Church is a good example. On any given Sunday a Baptist Church may be loaded with male preachers on its platform. But where are all the women? Probably no where to be found.

Moody Bible Institute is another good example. They pride themselves in training people for Christian service. However they follow the same Southern Baptist model and discourage women from the role of senior pastor in the local church.

I have a lot of nice Catholic friends. They are great people, but I only see men in the role as priests. Ladies do an excellent job as nuns to a worthy calling, but I don't see them as a priests. Perhaps I'm missing something in the biblical interpretation. 

Outside the Catholic denomination there are many Bible churches that have a pro and con view that lead into heated arguments. So there is room for ladies in the church.

One of the regional churches under Willow Creek in Barrington, Illinois recently restructured its staff. Their senior pastor, a lady whom served for over a decade, was replaced with a man. My heart went out to her. Fortunately she started another church with some former church staff members and is doing well. Yes, God is in control and it takes all kinds of people to make a world.

But gender won't stop everybody from fulfilling a passion. Remember the movie Jentl where Barbara Streisand  impersonates a man because she wants to be a Rabbi, and there were no women Rabbi's in the Rabbi school? She was a strong willed person and eventually got her way. 

I never was a male chauvinist. Gender is not a barrier to opportunity. My wife is a professional artist. In the market place she ranks higher than I do.

After the boys played the Chicago Cubs in my book, Boys on the Gold Coast, everybody wanted to join their team so 'Pop' decided to have tryouts. The challenge came when girls likewise wanted to be included. 

In a big cap, not appropriate for a hot summer day, Nellie covered her long blonde hair. Rubber gloves covered beautiful well manicured hands. She avoided direct eye contact because her blue eyes would be a give away. Even her walk appeared suspicious. 

But Nellie was bound and determined. She made the team and gave the fans lots of excitement. Perhaps it was time to change the name of the team. 

Why do women struggle in life? I think it's more of a power play than anything else. Some people have a lot of pride that gets in their way, thus preventing equality for all. 

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A Baseball Hero Returns

 

Stories are powerful. They draw a lot of interest. I like reading  or listening to a good story. So sit back and enjoy a story about Larry from Boys On The Gold Coast. 

Larry was a Gold Coast hero. Ever since the boys played the Chicago Cubs the stardom of the boy with arms like Popeye the sailor man grew. He often reminded people of Pete Rose, great Cincinnati Reds player whom was loved by many baseball fans.

Like all the guys on the team, Larry loved to play baseball. He liked to bat and hit just about everything that crossed the plate. His eye to hand coordination was excellent. 

During batting practice he placed the ball perfectly where-ever he so desired around the infield. The white little ball with stitches traveled as if it were drawn to a magnet that represented the bases. Occasionally a  sharp hit liner nearly knocked the pitcher off the mound. There wasn't anything Larry couldn't do.

Then it was time to scrap the clouds so the speak. High pop-ups kept the infielders hustling to catch the ball in their glove. 

Watching baseballs sail into the outfield left no hidden secrets. The boys looked like pros hustling to catch short pop-ups. Pinning them against the fence looked easy. Bulging eyes kept neighborhood fans sitting on the edge of their seats. 

Putting baseballs into orbit was fun. Soon they started sailing over the fence and landed on the green canopy of the general store across the street. When Mr. Lucas, the store proprietor called the police, the boys were kicked off the school lot.

But not all was lost. A retired janitor, the boys nicknamed Pop, came to their rescue. He took them to a new location in a nearby park and helped them develop their baseball skills. Needless to say their popularity grew as lawn chairs in the neighborhood block traffic. 

The boys were the talk of the town. Organized youth baseball didn't exist in those days. It wasn't uncommon for kids to gather with friends on corner lots for some fun with splintered bats and tattered baseballs.

As their reputation continued to grow the Chicago Cubs got interested. Soon they invited the boys to play in an exhibition game at Wrigley Field in Chicago.

Coming from behind and struggling, the boys tied the game in the ninth-inning before Larry stepped into the batter's box swinging a bat. A standing ovation voiced the crowds approval.

It was a do or die situation. The bases were empty with two outs. Under an enormous amount of pressure and feeling like a bundle of nerves Larry was ready to meet the challenge. 

With shaky knees his arms began to tense up. Then, on a full count he closed his eyes and swung his bat viciously. After rounding first base and listening to a cheering crowd, he saw the ball leave center field. 

It was a big day. The home town boys just won a baseball game while a baseball hero returned to the lineup.

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