Tennis Ball Lesson

Pastor Tim Davis of Westside Bible Church, Victoria, British Columbia, offers this thought  starter as an item "well suited for introducing or illuminating a point in a sermon, speech, or devotional":

Tennis Ball Lesson

“A college professor had the mysterious habit of removing a tennis ball from his jacket pocket as he walked into the lecture hall each morning. He would set it on the corner of the podium. After giving the lecture for the day, he would once again pick up the tennis ball, place it into his jacket pocket, and leave the room.

“No one ever understood why he did this, until one day . . .

“A student fell asleep during the lecture. The professor didn't miss a word of his lecture while he walked over to the podium, picked up the tennis ball, and threw it, hitting the sleeping student squarely on the top of the head.

“The next day, the professor walked into the room, reached into his jacket, removed a baseball . . .

“No one ever fell asleep in his class the rest of the semester!”