Baseball, love and dating

In baseball, if you go up to the dish and you strike out, there’s a pretty good chance that you may have ran up against a tough pitcher. But if you strike out 20 times in a row, then it’s time to take a long hard look at your swing and your batting stance and see what you’re doing wrong – instead of accusing all the hurlers of scuffing the baseball.

What applies in baseball also applies in this case with life and love.

I see so many bad relationships that it’s almost turned the whole concept of dating and love into one bad reality show. And it doesn’t have to be that way.

While bad taste in dating and romance is an equal-opportunity problem (anyone who knows me well enough knows I’ve crushed on some quarky women, to say the least), it seems that it’s the girls who have almost made chasing jerks an art form. Not all of you ladies are guilty, but it’s still way too common.

So here a few random thoughts:

• Quit blaming the opposite sex for your bad taste. We males are not all jerks. Women are not all jerks. As a male, I know that it’s NOT cool to treat women as objects and engage in other forms of disrespect towards them. Cheating on a woman and treating her as a sex toy is not kosher. And I know other guys who feel the same way. So ladies, quit branding all of us as bad. All males are not jerks – just the ones you chase. And that goes for us guys who have chased bad women.
• Don’t underestimate yourself. It’s good to be humble. In fact, if you’re a follower of Jesus Christ you’re supposed to be. But don’t underestimate yourself, if nothing else because other people don’t underestimate you. Too many times, women are very critical of their looks – their boobs aren’t big enough, their butt is too big, their abs aren’t flat enough, etc. – and they’re blind to the fact that they’re quite attractive. But let me tell you, us guys aren’t blind to it. And the bad guys for sure aren’t. So remember that.

Anyway, that’s my $0.02…

Italian Sausage Soup recipe

I made this for Lighthouse at the Clubhouse (our midweek church service we hold at Three Rivers College). Hope you enjoy it! :)

1 pound of Italian sausage, browned and drained

2 bell peppers, chopped and seeded

2 medium-sized potatoes, chopped or diced or sliced

1 can (10-3/4 ounces) of cream of mushroom soup with roasted garlic

2/3 cup water

2 cups parmesan cheese, shredded

Cook time: approximately 2-1/2 hours. Serves: 8. Calories per serving: approximately 240

Combine Italian sausage, bell peppers, potatoes, cream of mushroom and water in a crock pot and stir occasionally. About two hours in, stir in cheese and cook for 30 more minutes. Serve with corn chips or bread.