BASEBALL BLUES
After talking to Art Cluff, who serves as umpire for Little League baseball, I wonder just how much children really enjoy their parents_ presence at their games. Art was telling me about the problems he was having with the parents at his game and it reminded me of a time a few summers back when I was sitting among a group of moms and dads who had turned out to cheer on their kids at a baseball tournament.
During one of the games, one parent pointed out every good and bad move his son made in a voice everyone could hear. Another lady groaned and complained about the substitute players that the coach had sent in. She hollered that this move would probably cost us the game. Of course, there was no end to the crude and disparaging remarks made about the umpire_s motives and every error committed by the players on the field.
I used to think that sports was a great character builder and teacher, but, after watching the conduct of the adults in the stands, I was less surprised at the attitude that many of our kids are developing these days.
I would hope that as Christian parents involved in sports we can always remember to bring our religion to the ballpark along with our desire to win. After all, if sports at their level means anything or does anything, shouldn_t it be to model some of the virtues that we learn about in church?
Parents who pollute the make-believe world of youth sports with their bad attitudes have ruined the very purpose of the game. They_ve not only forgotten that it_s "just a game," they_ve also forgotten how it should be played and why. Shape up, Mom and Dad, your kids are watching you. Submitted by Mike Mazzalongo
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A Day of Infamy Etched on our Souls by Shelby M. Forrest
Eleven September, two thousand and one-
This date throughout time will impart
The pain that was felt on this infamous day And forever be etched on our hearts.
On this clear, sunlit day in the early Fall In this land of the brave and the free Destruction and terror have left evil marks In the annals of all history
From the dungeons of Hades, through wide open gates The forces of evil have swirled.
To create a thunderous, lasting impact
That was heard throughout all of the world.
The intent was creation of chaos and fear, Where massive anarchy would reign.
Our freedom no longer would be our great strength, And our deep faith in God would be drained.
Like the much shattered buildings that crumbled and fell, Our people they expected to see Lose faith and resolve and instantly bring Them crashing down hard on their knees.
Heinous, barbaric, these terrorist acts
Are intended to create confusion.
Instead, they inspire our people to meld into a more closely knit union
The extent of the pain and emotional strain Are too deep for a measure to gauge But we shall recover, and good will prevail And our lives can then turn a new page.
They will never break down our determined resolve They cannot destroy our will Despite the chaos and destruction they wreak And the great human masses they kill
So with a determined resolve we will face Evil forces and then toll the knell To send these Satanical agents post haste Back through those wide portals of Hell.
In our Pledge, "One nation under God",
Often mouthed as a casual quote,
May a much greater sense of reality make And a much stronger meaning denote.
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Some thoughts... The truth doesn't hurt, unless it ought to... When you're tempted to fight fire with fire, remember the fire department usually uses water_ Promise only what you can deliver, then deliver more than you promise_ On an atheist's tombstone: here lies an atheist -- all dressed up and no place to go_ A small town is a place where everyone knows everything, but they get the paper anyway to see if the editor got it right_ One good thing about snow -- it makes your lawn look as good as your neighbor's.
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Here is today's CleanPun.
Two Eskimos sitting in a kayak were chilly, but when they lit a fire in the craft it sank-proving once and for all that you can't have your kayak and heat it too.
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There was a small town nestled in a valley that was powered by a dam. One day, the dam broke and flooded the valley. Naturally, everyone headed for higher ground. Once they all arrived, they began scanning the area for people or animals who needed help.
After a few hours of looking, it seemed that they were all safe, but then they could see a little straw hat bobbing downstream about 50 yards and then bobbing back upstream 50 yards. It then moved to the side and bobbed downstream and then back upstream, and it kept repeating this.
Nobody could figure out why the hat was behaving so strangely. After they pondered this for a while, a young boy recalled his granddad saying that come hell or high water, he was going to get the lawn mowed!
Received from Classic Laff-a-Day.
******************************** A woman from New York was getting her affairs in order. She prepared her will and made her final arraignments. As part of these arraignments she met with her pastor to talk about what type of funeral service she wanted, etc.
She told her pastor she had two final requests. First, she wanted to be cremated, and second, she wanted her ashes scattered over Bloomindales.
"Bloomindales!" the pastor said. "Why Bloomindales?"
"That way, I know my daughters will visit me twice a week."
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Mission Statement
A mission statement is defined as "a long, awkward sentence that
demonstrates management's inability to think clearly."
All good companies have one.
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Give Praise
There was a little old lady, who every morning.
stepped onto her front porch, raised her arms to the sky, and shouted: "PRAISE THE LORD!"
One day an atheist moved into the house next door. He became irritated at the little old lady.
Every morning he'd step onto his front porch after her and yell: "THERE IS NO LORD!"
Time passed with the two of them carrying on this way every day.
One morning, in the middle of winter, the little old lady stepped onto her front porch and shouted:
"PRAISE THE LORD! Please Lord, I have no food and I am starving, provide for me, oh Lord!
The next morning she stepped onto her porch and there were two huge bags of groceries sitting there.
"PRAISE THE LORD!" she cried out. "HE HAS PROVIDED GROCERIES FOR ME!"
The atheist neighbor jumped out of the hedges and
shouted: "THERE IS NO LORD. I BOUGHT THOSE GROCERIES!!"
The little old lady threw her arms into the air and
shouted: "PRAISE THE LORD! HE HAS PROVIDED ME WITH GROCERIES AND MADE THE DEVIL PAY FOR THEM!