Thoughts on Ten ways to fix the NHL

A response to Ten ways to fix the NHL

I found this article through my daily RSS feeds from Fox Sports.com.

I really enjoy hockey, but I do believe that there are some things that can be done to make the game more appealing to non-hockey people.

Two areas from the story that I totally agree with are getting the game back on ESPN or ESPN2 as well as marketing the players.

Chime in with your comments.

Your highlight

What is the highlight of your day? This was a question posed to me by my wife yesterday.

It took me a second to think about it, but then I said, the early mornings when I am up with a cup of coffee and no one else is awake yet.

She went on to tell me about the many points of her day that are highlights; picking up our baby from the babysitter's, turning off work and turning on time for our children, and getting our children in bed to spend time with me.

At this point I felt very selfish. My favorite time of the day was by myself, how selfish is that?

This morning I was reminded of just how many more highlights to my day I really have.

Getting our baby out of her crib when she wakes up in the morning. Sharing my cereal with our baby. Hugging each one of our children to let them know I love them and care about them.

There are many days when I get into a rut and feel sorry for myself and all the adversity I have faced in my life. But while I have faced all that adversity I have made it through it and Thank God, because He has made me a better person for it.

Legends of the game

I ran into this interesting article that talks about Roger Clemens' recent contract signing and the antics of Brett Farve concerning his team not signing Randy Moss. The article is titled Clemens Farve -- Puppet Masters, written by Brad Locke.

clipped from www.onenewsnow.com To recap: Clemens, performing his annual rite of spring, took his sweet time in signing with a team that was willing to grossly overpay him. This year, the Yankees were the drooling idiots, giving the Racket -- I mean, Rocket -- a one-year deal for $28,000,022 (the last two digits match his uniform number; nice bit of vanity there). That's more than $1 million per start; oh yes, he'll be ready to go sometime next month, at his convenience. As for Favre, he is continuing to wear out his welcome in Green Bay. His magic is long gone, never to return, and all he can do is fuss about not getting Randy Moss on his team. He may never retire. He reluctantly agreed to bless the Packers with his presence at an upcoming mini-camp. They expect a free pass because of their seniority and Hall of Fame credentials. It's an easy notion to buy into, that of self-indulgence being justified by one's years of sacrifice or service.

Family Discussions

I know, as a father of 6, that starting discussions on important issues can be difficult.
Here are some key things that I found that may help when having discussions with your children.
As always, I am not "preaching", I am trying to help not only someone who reads this, but myself as well.

With the below "clipped" comments, here are some questions that may help you engage your family and crack open the door to discernment:

• What is it about this form of entertainment that attracts you? Why do you like this particular style/genre/show more than others?
• Why do you listen or watch? (If it’s simply because friends do, ask, “Why do your friends listen to or watch it?”)
• How does this form of entertainment make you feel?
• Do the themes reflect reality? Do they reflect truth? If they reflect reality do they also gloss over evil?
• How do the messages conveyed compare with the values you’ve been taught here at home, or in church?
• Do you think these messages have any effect on how close you feel to your family, friends or God? Why or why not?
• Would you feel comfortable if Jesus sat here listening to or watching this with you? (See Matt. 28:20) Do you think He’d care? What do you think He’d say about this particular entertainment title?
• Does this entertainment have an opinion of God? What is it?
• What would happen if you imitated the lifestyles and choices of the characters in these songs or this program?
• Is there inappropriate entertainment? Where would you draw the line? Where does scripture draw the line? Are they the same?
• How does it make you feel to know that, by purchasing a CD, going to a movie or watching a TV show, etc., you are supporting the morals and ideas that it’s promoting?
• What are the major, minor and subtle messages being conveyed through this entertainment? Do you agree or disagree with them?
• Do you think some people might take the messages literally? What could that lead to?

clipped from www.pluggedinonline.com Be a good listener. listening is not the same as agreeing. It is a demonstration of respect for another person’s feelings and ideas, not an endorsement of them. Carry on a conversation, not an argument. James 1:19 states, “quick to hear and slow to speak,” we need to set the example. Don’t resort to sarcasm. we tend to reap what we sow. When sarcasm comes back at us from our teens, we probably accuse them of being disrespectful. Don’t use silence as a weapon. the absence of a positive message can sometimes be as damaging as the presence of a negative one. Refuse to be patronizing. Deal constructively with anger. Anger can be verbally expressed with respect when it’s aimed at specific behavior or the issue in question. “We need to honor God in our home” will get you further than “Are you blind? Choose battles carefully. As your child moves through and out of the teen years, “rules” should be slowly giving way to “advice.”

What's Up with The Ford Motor Company?

I subscribe to American Family Association's Action Alert Email. They have been keeping me updated on Ford Motor Company's pro-homosexual sponsorship on network television. In a 12-week monitoring project by American Family Association, Ford Motor Company was the top pro-homosexual sponsor on network television. If you would like to see the criteria used during this project click here.

To me it is disturbing when this type of lifestyle is forced on the American Public by always having a homosexual character in every television show and movie.

Neither I nor my family agree with this lifestyle and we do not want this lifestyle shown to our children.