Jack’s Winning Words 6/30/08
“Talk low, talk slow, and don’t talk too much.” (John Wayne) Here’s more of what Duke had to say. “Life’s tough; it’s tougher if you’re stupid.” And I like: “Courage is being scared to death, but saddling up anyway.” To show that sometimes he talked too much: “Women have the right to work anywhere they want, as long as they have dinner ready when you get home.” ;-) Jack

FROM J.L. IN MI: Ah, could John Wayne say anything bad? ;-) I'm sure he was doing the old tongue and cheek with the last statement. He has a lot of good things to say, and I always like him. He's cowboy movies are some of my favorites. And how many times have I said just a few too many words and wished I would have eaten them!

FROM MOLINER C.F.: John Wayne was a legend in his own mind.

FROM B.S. NEAR ORLANDO: I am not showing this one to Irene, she doesn't like J.W.to begin with.

FOM BETTE DAVIS: There are new words now that excuse everybody. Give me the good old days of heroes and villains. the people you can bravo or hiss. There was a truth to them that all the slick credulity of today cannot touch.

Jack’s Winning Words 6/27/08
“The world ages us too fast. We grow up too quickly; we stop dreaming too early, and we develop the ability to worry at far too young an age.” (Doug Wecker) I don’t know who Doug is, but I think he’s hit the nail on the head. If we would just dream more and worry less, we’d be in better shape. Sigmund Romberg wrote the song, When I Grow Too Old To Dream. Too old to dream? How sad. Dream on and stay young. ;-) Jack

FROM PR J.S. IN MI: "And your old men shall dream dreams..."

FROM E.D. IN AZ: Along that line, i like the quote from my favorite movie "Shawshank Redemption" It is when Red gets out of prison and is re-entering the world after being locked up for 50 years. After crossing the street and almost getting hit by a car (of which he had never personally seen) he said, "The world went and got itself in a big damn hurry"So my 2 cents for the day?: slow down .

FROM K.B. IN MI: I think of you everyday both when I read the book of daily writings you gave me and when I open my email to read your WW's. I loved today's best--somehow you manage to read my brain and know my anxieties and write about them on an uncanny basis. Thank You

FROM J.L. IN MI: Sadly, I think the kids do grow up way too soon. I see some of Josh's friends (9 years old) who are so worried about everything. There is so much pressure on the kids now-a-days. Thankfully, my family had a wonderful childhood and we make sure our grandkids and kids do too. We do miss my parent's place on the AuSable River in Grayling. We spent many weeks up there playing in the river while growing up. We will miss it and remember the memories. Thankfully, my little grandson does remember "Up North".

FROM J.T. IN MI: Unfortunately I agree with you (and Doug Wecker.) It sounds as thought he's known me for years.

FROM N.C. IN IL: I remember when "When I grow too old to dream..." was a popular song, and Bernie's mom(can't think of their last name, but they lived in that brick house on 7th Street) used to go around singing it. I didn't understand the words, and thought she was singing, "When I go to 'Ovaltine'."

FROM CJL IN OH: One of the singers always sang : Dream along with me.... That keeps us going. I agree.

PERRY COMO SANG THE SONG: Dream along with me, I'm on my way to a starCome along, come along, leave your worries where they areUp and beyond the sky, watchin' the world roll bySharin' a kiss, a sigh, just use your imagination!On a cloud of love, we'll hear the music of nightWe can wink at the moon as we hold each other tightAnd if we go in the right direction, heaven can't be very farDream along with me, I'm on my way to a star!(We can wink at the moon as we hold each other tight . . . )And if we go in the right direction, heaven can't be very farDream along with me, I'm on my way to a star!

THIS IS WORTH YOUR TIME TO READ: Too many people put off something that brings them joy just because they haven't thought about it, don't have it on their schedule, didn't know it was coming or are too rigid to depart from their routine. I got to thinking one day about all those women on the Titanic who passed up dessert at dinner that fateful night in an effort to cut back. From then on, I've tried to be a little more flexible. How many women out there will eat at home because their husband didn't suggest going out to dinner until after something had been thawed? Does the word 'refrigeration' mean nothing to you? How often have your kids dropped in to talk and sat in silence while you watched 'Jeopardy' on television? I cannot count the times I called my sister and said, 'How about going to lunch in a half hour?' She would gas up and stammer, 'I can't. I ha ve clothes on the line. My hair is dirty. I wish I had known yesterday, I had a late breakfast, It looks like rain.' And my personal favorite: 'It's Monday.' She died a few years ago. We never did have lunch together. Because we cram so much into our lives, we tend to schedule our headaches. We live on a sparse diet of promises we make to ourselves when all the conditions are perfect! We'll go back and visit the grandparents when we get the baby toilet-trained. We'll entertain when we replace the living-room carpet. We'll go on a second honeymoon when we get two more kids out of college... Life has a way of accelerating as we get older. The days get shorter, and the list of promises to ourselves gets longer. One morning, we awaken, and all we have to show for our lives is a litany of 'I'm going to,' 'I plan on,' and 'Someday, when things are settled down a bit.' When anyone calls my 'seize the moment' friend, she is open to adventure and available fo r trips. She keeps an open mind on new ideas. Her enthusiasm for life is contagious. You talk with her for five minutes, and you're ready to trade your bad feet for a pair of rollerblades and skip an elevator for a bungee cord. My lips have not touched ice cream in 10 years. I love ice cream. It's just that I might as well apply it directly to my stomach with a spatula and eliminate the digestive process. The other day , I stopped the car and bought a triple-decker. If my car had hit an iceberg on the way home, I would have died happy. Now ...go on and have a nice day. Do something you WANT to......not something on your SHOULD DO list . If you were going to die soon and had only one phone call you could make, who would you call and what would you say? And why are you waiting? Have you ever watched kids playing on a merry go round or listened to the rain lapping on the ground? Ever followed a butterfly's erratic flight or gazed at the sun into the fading night? Do you run through each day on the fly? When you ask 'How are you?' Do you hear the reply? When the day is done, do you lie in your bed with the next hundred chores running through your head? Ever told your child, 'We'll do it tomorrow.' And in your haste, not see his sorrow? Ever lost touch? Let a good friendship die? Just call to say 'Hi?'When you worry and hurry through your day, it is like an unopened gift...Thrown away. . Life is not a race.. Take it slower. Hear the music before the song is over.

HERE'S AN INTERESTING FOLLOW UP: I live not in dreams but in contemplation of a reality that is perhaps the future. Rainer Maria Rilke

FROM B.S. NEAR ORLANDO: You don't want my dreams.I don't know where they come from or where they go to. FROM THE PIED PIPERS: Dream when you're feelin' blue,Dream that's the thing to do.Just watch the smoke rinks rise in the air;You'll find your share of memories there.So dream when the day is through;Dream and they might come true.Things never are as bad as they seem,So dream, dream, dream.

Jack’s Winning Words 6/26/08
“Every individual matters. Every individual has a role to play. Every individual makes a difference.” (Jane Goodall) I wonder if Jane was referring to chimpanzees or to human beings. In either case, it’s probably true. You and I are important to the forest in which we live and its denizens. Turning it around, who are the important creatures in your life? ;-) Jack

FROM MOLINER G.S.: You have become important to me. Even with that liberal bent. I want to improve life in America - we have - by far - the best large country government on earth. Others want to copy much of what we do/have. Why destroy what our forefathers wrote? The Constitution is cast in stone, not a living (which means "to be constantly changed"), breathing document

JACK'S RESPONSE TO G.S.: I like Bob Dylan's song: Come gather 'round people Wherever you roam And admit that the waters Around you have grown And accept it that soon You'll be drenched to the bone. If your time to you Is worth savin' Then you better start swimmin' Or you'll sink like a stone For the times they are a-changin'. Come writers and critics Who prophesize with your pen And keep your eyes wide The chance won't come again And don't speak too soon For the wheel's still in spin And there's no tellin' who That it's namin'. For the loser now Will be later to win For the times they are a-changin'. Come senators, congressmen Please heed the call Don't stand in the doorway Don't block up the hall For he that gets hurt Will be he who has stalledThere's a battle outsideAnd it is ragin'.It'll soon shake your windowsAnd rattle your walls For the times they are a-changin'. Come mothers and fathers Throughout the land And don't criticize What you can't understand Your sons and your daughters Are beyond your command Your old road is Rapidly agin'. Please get out of the new one If you can't lend your hand For the times they are a-changin'. The line it is drawn The curse it is cast The slow one now Will later be fast As the present now Will later be past The order is Rapidly fadin'. And the first one now Will later be last For the times they are a-changin'.

FROM MOLINER C.F.: Bear Bryant really pracriced this and produced winning teams and individuals.

FROM S.H. IN MI: I have been thinking about these Winning Words. I believe I am important because, coming from the background I do, I am very interested in advocating for others with a non-traditional Lutheran background to be included in the Lutheran Church. Looking at the Apostle Paul with feet both in Jewishness and Romanness and all kinds of people coming with a mix, I have a mix too and it makes me very missionary-minded. Also I am important because, for some reason which I cannot fully fathom, I am sensitive to homosexuals persons needing to have relationships within the church and with each other and live God-pleasing lives and this is--for me--now on the front burner for all people to discern exactly what God is/has been saying theologically to us on this. All these people are very, very important to me because their lives, their faith journeys hold keys for me to better understand God, the world and the help I need to be able to love God with all my heart, mind and soul and to love my neighbor as myself.

FROM J.L. IN MI: Having watched Jane and her specials, I would say she was talking about her chimpanzees. She has a growing program for youth which teaches about the importance of the animals. I'm not too sure how she feels about people though. But every individual does matter...we should treat every indivdual like we would want to be treated. That's the Golden Rule too.

FROM F.M. IN WI: Who was important, so many . . . parents, pastor, teachers, seminary professors, friends, fellow pastors, bishops, neighbors, lay persons, children, authors, artists, presidents (not all), and Jack Freed !

FROM J.H. IN OH: Love it! and YOU are an important CREATURE in my life

FROM B.S. NEAR ORLANDO: the butcher, the baker, the candlestick maker, and the children and grandchildren @ many friends. Thank God for friends. Oh Man alive, you tell em.

Jack’s Winning Words 6/25/08
“In the heart of each of us, there is a voice of knowing—a song or a story that can remind us of what we most value and long for, what we have known since we were a child.” (Jack Kornfield) Today, with some of the time saved by using computers, cell phones and the like—look back and recall a song or a story or an experience from your childhood—something that you treasure as an adult. I remember reading RLS’s, The Land of Counterpane. As a child, I remember sitting on the porch swing and saying to my dad, “Tell me some more stories about the experiences you’ve had.” ;-) Jack

FROM J.L. IN MI: When my parents were first put on Hospice...my mom for nine months, my dad a year later for 2 1/2 years, one of the things I did was to buy a good tape recorder. I sat and listened to story after story about my ancestors. Because my dad had lost his voice years prevously, and he had to whisper, it took me a long time to get his stories. And I didn't get them all. But what a gift! I pray everyone takes time to tell their children and grandchildren stories of their grandparents, parents, and childhood.
We lived by a county ditch. County ditches were filled with water when it rained hard but when we had a dry spell, what wonders we beheld! Snakes, raccoons, pheasants, foxes, smelly skunks (we could have done without the skunks), box turtles, painted turtles and cattails which reached far over our heads. When the cattails dried, we parted them and made "rooms" in the ditch. Ah, I could take days and weeks, probably months, to tell you my stories!

FROM D.S. IN MI: The question is “Will the children of today ask their fathers that same question?” Life and conversation has changed. Today’s children won’t know what they’ve missed but we do. Sometimes it makes me sad.

FROM SON DAVID IN MN: “Dad….tell me some stories about the experiences your dad had.”

FROM C.S. IN RICE LAKE: I can remember my mother reading us "Just So Stories" about "the great, gray, green, greasy Limpopo River and how the elephant got his trunk, etc. My sister and I were old enough to have been reading these stories for ourselves, but it was more fun to have her read to us at bedtime.
We have recently made contact with a very shirt tale cousin in Norway looking for information about my grandfather (my mom's father). My grandfather wrote to his aunt in Norway in 1949 telling her about his life in the US and his family. His aunt was this shirt tale cousin's great grandmother. The family kept his letter all these years. Now a lot of reminiscing is being shared. Yeah! for computers and the Internet!

FROM F.M. IN WI: One of my favorite memories from my youth was going out on the river in a canoe. Sometimes I went with my mother or my father and many times I canoed by myself. It was so peaceful, so quiet, that when I became an adult, it became one of my favorite things to do. I have owned two canoes - I sold my second one after physical problems made it impossible to get into the canoe - but I still covet the peace, the quietness and the sense of God's presence on the water.

FROM B.S. NEAR ORLANDO: No.1, Sundays, just chores, no field work,no.2 ,rainy days, just chores, no field work,, No 3. Going to the fair, just chores, no field work, unless we were filling silo, or threshing, or making hay. On Sunday when we were going to Grandma's after church, I didn't change out of my church clothes, and Grandma said to me "phuu Bobby, you smell of the cow barn." so I said, "honest Grandma, I didn't touch and manure, cow, horse, or chicken", but I always changed clothes after that.

MORE FROM B.S.: my Pa used to sing songs to us, and recite poetry, and encourage us to do math problems in our heads. He said his father used to quiz the entire family every Sat. afternoon, right after lunch. It was called dinner in those days, and grandma made everything from scratch, and everybody pitched in.

Jack’s Winning Words 6/24/08
There’s nothing wrong with microwaves or mobile phones—they save time. But God will ask you what you have done with the time that was saved.” (An Egyptian
Coptic monk Ruwals el-Anthony) I admit to being one who is always trying to save time. This quote causes me to re-examine my use of time. We don’t know how much of this priceless commodity is left in the tank. I’m afraid God will be asking some pretty embarrassing questions one of these days. I’m counting on grace. ;-) Jack

FROM MOLINER EFP: I think that's why we're all trying to save time.

FROM MKH AT THE WBFD: Clever!! But will he need to ask?

FROM PR J.S. IN MI: If you count on Grace (as I do), know that it will change you right now (no such thing as Cheap Grace even tho that is what the ELCA is peddling) and you will begin to use time right now more wisely. God uses discipline for his disciples

FROM J.L. IN MI: When I think of all the time I've wasted it's shameful. I am truly relying on God's merciful grace too!

FROM GOOD DEBT JON: I have a friend that has a microwave fireplace, he claims he can spend the whole evening with the family in front of the fireplace in 8 minutes.

FROM F.M. IN WI: My best 'time savers' are the automobile, the airplane, the lap top computer, and the phone, in all of its applications. And I thank God for those who have invented and worked in developing these modern time savers as they have given me so much time to love, serve, and assist others.

FROM D.S. IN DIEGO: This is a good one to think about, Jack. I am guilty of wasting time, thinking that I am doing something worthwhile to save time in the future, but it never ceases to end and give me the time I’m looking for.

Jack’s Winning Words 6/23/08
“Indeed he knows not how to know who knows not also how to un-know.” (Sir Richard Francis Bacon) It sounds somewhat like “She sells sea shells by the seashore,” doesn’t it? But I chose this quote, because it has to do with changing one’s mind. The politicians on both sides are talking about CHANGE. Are there significant things that you’ve learned to un-know? There have been for me. ;-) Jack

FROM A.M. IN MI: AA has a saying - "It's not what you don't know that will kill you. It's what you know for sure that just ain't so!" It also kind of goes with the notion of spirituality by subtraction, that is -
God made us just as he meant to make us. There is nothing we can add to our ingredients that will make us moreso. On the contrary, there are many things we can take away that will bring us closer to our intended state of being. I love waking up to your "Winning Words." They've been a blessing.

FROM PR J.S. IN MI: Are we equating "to know" with "to think something is true?"

FROM J.L. IN MI: Nothing really significant but small things which at one time I thought were absolutely necessary for me to know or act on or change. As I age gracefully, I realize basic knowledge such as we learned in Sunday school or from our parents is the most important knowledge. Basic human kindness is the essence...all other learning is topping on the cake so to speak. JACK'S RESPONSE: In Kindergarten our SS teacher challenged us to memorize the 23rd Psalm. I'll always be grateful for that. In SS I learned Bible stories In adult studies I learned what they meant. Sometimes I had to un-know things.

FROM G.G. IN INDY: "Knowing" might be a little like "being right"....not all that it's cracked up to be. One thing we can know and be right about is that the times they are a changin'!

FROM LBP IN MI: Ack! It took me 20 reads just to KNOW what he's talking about. As for un-knowing, I was talking with another mom the other day about all the things we thought we "knew" before having kids. Oh how many times I had said to myself (hopefully rarely out loud) "MY child will never..." or "When I have kids...". Ha! I'm working on un-knowing those ideas as my daughter helps me know how it really goes.

FROM EMTSINGS IN MI: It almost sounded like you reading it and I got all excited thinking you had a second career!

FROM MOLINER C.F.: Some of the people can un-know some of the time al all the people can know some of the time but all of the people can't know and un-know all of trhe time. Author Unknown

Jack’s Winning Words 6/20/08
“No one can be right all of the time, but it helps to be right most of the time.” (Robert Half) I found this in a site called: Brainy Quote. Some may wonder how I found my way to a place like that. The older I get, the more I realize that I don’t have all of the answers. Perhaps you can share a scrap of wisdom from your mind today. ;-) Jack

FROM GOOD DEBT JON: Be right 51 percent of the time on big things and you will prosper(if you do enough and persist).

FROM CWR IN B'MORE: "Roses are Red. Noses are Blue. I don't KNOW anything. But neither do you." From the unpublished "Wit and Wisdom of Chuck"

FROM PR J.S. IN MI: When this guy is on the money, can we call it "Half" right?

FROM MOLINER G.S.: Drucker said that in business if you can be right 33% of the time you're doing very well.

FROM LBP IN MI: After making a presentation while on internship a few years back, my advisor's critique was simply: "In the future you should try not to say things that are wrong". (yikes!) English not being his native language he never minced words. I came to understand that the unspoken next line was "It is better to admit you don't know than to speculate". Good advice, but perhaps I am just speculating

FROM EMTSINGS IN MI: In regards to this particular quote, I don't think having to be right (or being right ) all the time, or even most of the time, is necessarily a good thing. I think people seem more human that are able to say that they do not have all the answers. I like you just the way you are!

FROM G.G. IN INDY: i think i've spent enough time thinking about whether i am right or not....i KNOW there is alot i don't know. now i'm thinking it's time for my focus to be on "doing right and speaking right". (might be hard for someone as left as me!...ha ha)

FROM JACK: I happened to find this today. What you don't know would make a great book.(Meant as an insult, but if you think about it makes a great motivator for study) (Sydney Smith)

FROM CJL IN OH: It's good to realize there are other answers than the ones we would provide, if
asked. And other Q & A,s we've never thought of...

FROM J.L. IN MI: "Einstein says, 'Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results'"! I guess is was right quite a bit of the time although he did have his moments.

FROM MOLINER C.F.: Some of the people can be right all of the time and all of the people can be right some of the time but all of the people can't be right all of the time. Abe Levitch (C.F. IS TRYING TO BE CUTE.)

Jack’s Winning Words 6/19/08
“Keep your prioritizing simple. Do not put more than three must-do’s on your to-do list each day.” (Efficiency Tips from Marlowe and Associates, Inc) I heard Anita Marlowe speak once, and she does have some good tips. My son follows the three must-do suggestion, and says that it works for him. How do you keep your priorities in order? A friend of mine begins each day by singing, “This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.” ;-) Jack

FROM S.M. IN MI: Does putting things on the “to do” list count as one of the 3 “to-do” things to do?

FROM MOLINER, G.S.: 3 is about right. When I was almost bankrupt in '92 I asked the Lord for me to just do 1 thing each day - that was all I could handle.
FROM JACK: I like the song: One day at a time, Sweet Jesus.
It could be: One thing at a time, Sweet Jesus.

FROM MOLINER C.F.: In that case; getting up (1), ablution (2) and breakfast (3) complete the list. What do I do after that?

FROM D.S. IN MI: This I will try. Need to do something. Thanks. I do too many things – not finishing most of them.

FROM L.P. IN MI: I am going to try this bit of advice. My to-do lists always get so unwieldy. BTW: One question though, ... how many 'to-do' lists do I get? The work list, school list, home list, ... Ha ha! I suppose if I get one 'must-do' done on each of the three per day I'll be doing well.

FROM F.M. IN WI: When one is over 80 - to accomplish two 'must do' items in a day is being very 'successful'!

Jack’s Winning Words 6/18/08
“Tell self-pity to call back tomorrow; self-confidence stopped by earlier, and I cannot accommodate both.” (Leussa Adrienne – Cameroon) Do you know where the Republic of Cameroon is? That country has over 200 different ethnic and linguistic societies. And isn’t it interesting that someone there struggles with something that many of us encounter. Self-pity or self-confidence? Who will you entertain today? ;-) Jack

FROM R.I. IN BOSTON: If the truth be told, I'll probably be spending time with self-indulgence.

FROM J.L. IN MI: All this week is Vacation Bible School, our favorite week at church....I'm not sure about self-confidence, but I can tell you it's a wonderful week of new friendships, clapping your hands and dancing around music, children's laughter, Bible Stories (yesterday we actually walked on water like Jesus and Peter), Spirit-filled joy, experiments, fellowship, Holiness and happiness....Joy in the Lord!

FROM D.S.IN DIEGO: Another one to add to my favorites list.

FROM N.L. IN MI: Pretty good Jack. I agree, however the truth always lies in the middle. I guess this means Obama can count on you.

FROM G.G. IN INDY: sometimes i take a call from from self-pity (exhausting).. self-confidence is much more energizing and fun to be with....today i'm going to let self-confidence entertain me!

Jack’s Winning Words 6/17/08
“The substance of my being has been informed by the books I have learned to care for.” (Allan Bloom in Closing of the American Mind) My father-in-law once bought a collection of the most famous books ever written, and he read them, too. I should have asked him which one he admired the most. So, I’ll ask you. “Which books have influenced you the most?” Aside from the Bible and the Dictionary, I would choose The Will of God by Leslie Weatherhead. ;-) Jack. .

FROM PR J.S. IN MI: The Brothers Karamasov

FROM R&N G. IN MI: I love that book. Have read it at least twicel. Once you preached a sermon on it.

FROM R.I. IN BOSTON: "Your God Is Too Small" by J. B. Phillips gave me a much deeper perception of the relationship of God and man.
MORE FROM R.I.: I read Bloom's "Closing Of The American Mind" quite a few years ago...it was a shaker-upper. Now that you made note of it I'll look into Weatherhead's "Will Of God".

FROM MOLINER G.S.: The Story of the Irish Race comes to mind. One reason why we're going back to Ireland this Fall. Management - Tasks, Responsibilities, Practices by Peter Drucker. Anything by Peter Drucker, the only guru I've ever had.

FROM T.S. IN MI: I would have to say that the textbook for "Institute in Basic Youth Conflicts" from the seminar by Bill Gothard has been an extremely strong influence in my life. Have you heard of that one? Bill Gothard would travel the country and put on seminars for different cities. Here in Detroit it was held at Cobo, and the auditorium was usually filled. Lasted for a full week. The seminar was encouraged by our Pastor. We probably had 30 to 50 families attending. Started at 6:00 pm each evening and lasted to 9 or 10 pm. Then it was all day Friday and all day Saturday. I think there was a Baptist background, but he really took us through the Bible and God's expectations. P.S. I'm finally into reading the book you left for me - "We live only to die" or something to that affect. I'm enjoying his experiences.

FROM JACK: Charles “Tremendous” Jones has a famous quote that reads, “You are the same today as you'll be in five years except for two things, the people you meet and the books you read.”

FROM SDG IN TAMPA: Besides the classics, in the last fifty years I remember Men to Match My Mountains and Once Upon a Town. In the ninth grade I still remember Ramona. In high school Ernie Pyle was one of my favorites and in college Seven Story Mountain.

FROM MOLINER C.F.: If it hasn't been converted to a comic book, I haven't read it.

FROM J.L. IN MI: Phoenix Island....a book on survival....maybe it didn't influence me, but it has stayed with me for over 45 years. Also, Diary of Anne Frank, Diary of Twin's on the Oregon Trail. I do lot of reading and am now on The Pillars of the Earth. I'll inform you of my opinion when I finish it....although right now we are in the midst of VBS!

FROM M.N. IN MN: That is a very tough question. I read so many books—some are eye opening like The Kite Runner—Three Cups of Tea—A Thousand Splendid Suns, and some are just fun books by authors that live around here, and Nora Roberts mysteries, etc. I just finished Ken Follett’s Pillars of the Earth and it was very interesting—about life in very early England and the building of a cathedral.

FROM J.T. IN MI: I'll have to think about this one. I'm not sure I'm up to the challenge.

FROM MOLINER J.T.: I am a big John Grissom fan. Other than him I like---Let's Roll, Lisa Beamer and Your Best Life Now, Joel Osteen. These are current authors.

FROM B.S. NEAR ORLANDO: when we had our business I read 5 or 6 Journals every month, in addition to working a 12 hr day, I didn't read a book, except Time mag. but I'll hazzard a guess: Macbeth. or the History of Pharmacy by Dr. George Urdang,, does my accounting book count?

Jack’s Winning Words 6/16/08
“Thou Shalt Not Whine!” (Sign on Tim Russert’s desk) I can only imagine why the sign was there. “Whine” is a word meaning: to complain in a high-pitched voice. A minister started The Thou Shalt Not Whine Society in his church in order to make the world a better place. Society members were challenged to go 3 weeks without griping, sniping, complaining or gossiping. Would you like to join up? ;-) Jack

FROM R.I. IN BOSTON: It seems that central to whining is an individual, a self-centered individual. The person's attitude emanates from a belief that his/her own point of view is paramount. Usually the underlying fact is that something didn't work out their way. Such an attitude prevents the individual from confronting the true circumstances of any situation, and also gaining any support from those around them.

FROM PR J.S. IN MI: That particular little paragraph sounded something like a whine!!!

FROM J.L. IN MI: Sign me up.....there's nothing worse than listening to someone complain and complain and complain...unless it's me of course, and then they should listen. My whining is necessary!

FROM G.G. IN INDY: why do i have to if everyone else isn't? (couldn't resist)

FROM GOOD DEBT JON: I’ll join if we can set aside Wednesday morning (mourning) for quick grips, short snipes, captivating complaining, grapevine gossip, and mild-but-well-meaning-character assassination. Our club motto: nonnullus vinum per ut? Or Sententia Vadum Non Queritor
Translations: a) Would you like a little wine with that? b) Stop whining.

ANOTHER FROM JON: The Russert quote was a good idea. I was sorry to hear of his earthly demise. He was kind of like you Jack, a hard core Democrat but overall a good guy. He seemed fairer than most of the interviewers on the left. I could imagine a pleasant discourse with him, it is hard to imagine the same exchange with, say, a Keith Olbermann.

FROM P.O. IN MI: OH YES!! We're off to Ireland today --- my daughter, her 'bio-Mom', my grand-daughter and me. It's our 20th annual 'mothers and daughter' trip --- now where has that time gone?!

FROM S.M. IN MI: From the animated movie "The Kungfu Panda" ...yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, today is a gift...that's why they call it the "present".

FROM J.B in WI.: I am saddened at the passing of Tim Russert. I really never saw his program, but I read his book, Big Russ, and believe that he was a really decent man with high priority for god and family.

FROM B.S. NEAR ORLANDO: Does that mean we can't discuss that rotten war and it's benefactor?

Jack’s Winning Words 6/13/08
“Wisdom oft times consists of knowing what to do next.” (Herbert Hoover) The motto of the Boys Scouts is: BE PREPARED. While we mourn the loss of life when the tornado hit the Iowa scout camp, we admire the survivors who knew what to do next. In scouting I never got more than the Tenderfoot ranking (and I’m sorry for that); but I’ve known several who became Eagle Scouts. ;-) Jack

FROM GOOD DEBT JON: I camped out with the Boy Scouts, in about February 1969 I was 12. They called it Project Deep Freeze, (we had about a foot of straw in the bottom of each tent) I had the jacket patch for years. It was then I decided I was an indoor dog. I knew what to do next: I quit. One night of sub zero camping disabused me of the notion that “Eagle Scout” would be in my future. If I recall correctly, we camped in a field, behind the Reynoldsburg United Methodist Church, a mile from my warm bed. It prompted a growth spurt of my sarcastic and cynical side. This day however, my prayers are with the Iowa Scout families.

FROM J.L. IN MI: Hearing and watching about the Boy Scout Camp brought back a lot of memories. I had two Girl Scout Troops at the same time. We were invited to a leadership camp with 4 girls from each troop of my troops. Because I was also a Troop Consultant, Leader Trainer and First Aider, I was given a tenting area with 30 girls and leaders from around the area. Which meant I had to make sure everyone got their tents up, camp set up and were doing what they needed to be doing during the weekend, including my own girls. We got our tents set up and were getting ready to make dinner when the sirens went off at the camp. All we had for shelter was a steel and brick wash area with a brick outhouse at each end. We sheltered as best as we could and believe me, we were in deep trouble. We were in a heavily treed area. When the storm hit, I had the girls kneel in front of the steel structure and the women on the outside. There was no place to go at all. And, I had my daughter there with me. We all prayed! The storm hit, knocked down and blew away our tents, etc but thankfully we did not suffer a direct hit. Elsewhere in the camp, trees were down, and the camp sustained damage, but not one was injured. There were nearly 200 girls at camp that weekend too. Thank the good Lord.

FROM C.L. IN MI: I reached the Life Scout rank could never find time to get enough merit badges to become a Eagle. In 1945 I was elected to "the order of the arrow' A LEADERSHIP GROUP IN SCOUTING. Our welcome to the order required a weekend stay at our camp, in those days not a lot of cars or phones we finished up about 9pm on Sunday nite no car my folks had no phone so I walked/ran the 23 miles from Mayville to Falconer arrived home about 6am. Most kids today have never had that experience. they don't know what they are missing.

FROM D.S. IN SO CAL: the tragedy in Iowa will most certainly lead to the perpetual question of “how can God allow such things to happen”. There are some in our church that tell me “Presbyterian’s” believe in pre-destination. I’m not so sure about that, as much as God created a world that depends on nature’s own physical happenings and that he would not interfere with those things, because what is changed in one instance may in turn make something worse happen somewhere else. It is a perplexing situation when bad things happen to good people and we want someone to blame. The people that have faced such terrible tragedies and still respond “God is great” certainly have that inner faith I wish to have. They understand that God’s total plan is beyond us to know and understand.

Jack’s Winning Words 6/12/08
“Living is having ups and downs and sharing them with friends.” (Trey Parker and Matt Stone) The creators of South Park seem to mock organized religion and secular things, too. They say that it would take too long to state their concept of God, and they still don’t understand it. Based on their quote, would you like to have them as friends? Who do you choose as your friends? ;-) Jack

FROM MOLINE, C.F.: I choose you. AND DON'T FORGET: Today is my birthday.

FROM M.L. IN IL: what would we do without friends, our congregation of life?

FROM MOLINER, G.S.: to me, the most important thing is their Christ outlook. How about you?

FROM L.P. IN MI: Wow, I find it interesting to have a quote from these 2 in WW. I think it's a nice statement though. I don't usually admit this but I enjoy South Park. It is crass and over the top in many respects, but every episode ends with a moral or ethical revelation by one of the characters. Ironically their mocking is often thought provoking. I don't know if we'd do well as 'friends' but I'm guessing Trey Parker and Matt Stone are interesting guys to know.

FROM MOLINER, EFP: I never have considered anyone's personal religious beliefs or lack of them when choosing friends. I don't like South Park's animation style, however...

FROM B.G. IN MI: This morning, our men’s group met, as we do the second and fourth Thursdays of each month. Today was an experience of living, as the guys talked about their ups and downs in a safe environment. I thank God for this group and the support it is providing these men, in the midst of some challenging, anxiety-filled, 4 bucks-a-gallon days.

FROM J.L. IN MI: How would we ever get by without the love and devotion of our friends? God's greatest blessings! My best friend is my husband...and I know not many feel that way anymore. But he is my greatest fan and I am his...through all of the smooth paths and the rocky ones!

FROM JACK: Keep smilin'Keep shinin'Knowin' you can always count on me for surethat's what friends are forIn good timesAnd bad timesI'll be on your side forever moreThat's what friends are for

FROM CJL IN OH: Have you read "Team of Rivals"? It is the story of Lincoln's Cabinet.
It summarizes my attitude towards those who disagree with me!

FROM JACK...I SAW THIS TODAY: Nothing is as dangerous as an ignorant friend; a wise enemy is to be prefered.Jean De La Fontaine

Jack’s Winning Words 6/11/08
“My name is nobody.” (The title of Henry Fond’s last Western movie) How would you like to have a name like that? There may be times when you feel unimportant and unappreciated. But everyone has a role to play in this world. You are somebody in the scheme of your Creator. Someday I’m going to see that movie, and nobody can stop me. ;-) Jack

FROM MOLINER, G.S.: clever

FROM MY SON, DAVID IN THE TWIN CITIES: Who is Henry Fond?

FROM MOLINER, C.F.: Nobody else has got it.

FROM GOOD DEBT JON: As sang by country philosopher Dr. Travis Tritt:I'm gonna be somebody, one of these days I'm gonna break these chainsI'm gonna be somebody, someday, you can bet your hard earned dollar I willYou can bet your hard earned dollar I will

FROM B.S. NEAR ORLANDO: Maybe you can find a DVD, or video. Our video doesn't work, but maybe someone who is smart enough can do the correct cable and get it to work. Bob. p/s/ do you remember H. F. in the "Last of the Mohawicans( wron g spelling ) He ran like the wind, with tomahawks bouncing off his back.

FROM CJL IN OH: I agree with you. That's why I've spent much of my ministry working with others-
Christians and non-Christians.

FROM M.L. IN IL: my name is mary, but i think that if one's name was truely nobody, it could be nobel. just think of the wonderful nuns that have served thoughout history, (we know the literal translation of nun). mother theresa comes to mind!

FROM J.L. IN MI: There was a little poem name "I'm nobody are you nobody too?" It was written by Emily Dickinson....one of my favorites..
I ’M nobody! Who are you?
Are you nobody, too?
Then there ’s a pair of us—don’t tell!
They ’d banish us, you know.
How dreary to be somebody!
How public, like a frog
To tell your name the livelong day
To an admiring bog!
That says it all!

Jack’s Winning Words 6/10/08
“God enters by a private door into each individual.” (Emerson) Talk about a picturesque sentence….This is one! As time passes, I become more and more tolerant of the different opinions that people have. I realize that I don’t have all of the answers. God has a way of impacting each of us in secret ways. It really is possible that we can learn from one another, if we are willing to let it happen. ;-) Jack

FROM JACK: I just read this in the NY Times...Another Private Door...."Plants have a secret social life."SUSAN A. DUDLEY, an evolutionary plant ecologist at McMaster University, who found that a plant species can recognize its relatives.

FROM R.I. IN BOSTON: YES, and isn't it regrettable that we can't figure this out until we are approaching the end of our life?

FROM S.H. IN MI: I believe this quote is another really true quote. God knows the door and He has so many more resources than we do. My pastor, for a couple of years now, has been taking me along to visit Betty in the Nursing Home. This past month has been too busy to go and I think he is just really dying for a vacation now. But he often says in his sermons at the Fountains that God is above us and below us, to the right of us and to the left of us, before us and behind us. I'm knitting a prayer shawl for Betty and really contemplating that God is able to be all around her like that. Sometimes a person would think that another person who lives in a nursing home has such a circumscribed life and that we people on the outside who are so busy and going around so much, etc., etc., etc. are the ones that are bringing interesting stuff to her--we are such a lively couple of people and so forth--but in the end--because of all the wonderful caring things that God does all the time entering by the private door of Betty, He is really the lively one and I'm looking forward to hearing and learning from Betty, the next time we see her what God has been doing in her life. And by extension He is secretly impacting on my pastor and my lives and others all around Betty through Betty. I do believe there is not a single person in this world I cannot learn from though there are people who make me anxious and defensive and not likely to learn as much as otherwise.

FROM MOLINER, EFP: I like this one. It's what I've always believed-- that although religions appear to be very different, we all want the same things out of life. Family, home, friends, a good job. All religions (as far as I know) call for their members to be of good character and to do the right thing. We're all in this together and if we accept each other as equals, the world will be a better place.

FROM GOOD DEBT JON: Jack your follow up comments remind me of the hook line in a Montgomery Gentry Song, titled Back When I Knew it All. The hook is: Lord I'm learning so much more......than back when I knew it all. THE LYRICS: At the ripe old age of nineteeni bought a short bed pick up chicks machinelife ran on beer and gasoline a half a lap ahead of the law i had a fake i d that got me into "tuffies"love was a word i used to get lucky was a big time spender with that plastic money back when i knew it all.....back when the world was flat and mama and daddy didn't have a clue that was back......back when a pitcher of beer and a couple shots made me bulletproof back when god was a name i used in vain to get a point across when i got ticked off lord i'm learning so much more......than back when i knew it all i found out credit cards don't mean you're rich and beer and gasoline don't mix yeah step side trucks can't jump a ditch and those " big house" rooms sure are small i've learned that love is a woman that will settle you down a sunday sermon can turn life around man i can't believe all the answers i've found since ....back when i knew it all....i've done some growing up and i'm still growing up so i know i'll never be as smart as i once was that was back.......

MORE FROM JON: After many years of a closed door (mind) policy I now have a screen door.

FROM L.K. IN OH: Send this one to both McCain and Obama.

FROM M.L. IN IL: this is wonderful insight. i struggle with organized religion. how can we impose rules on such an individual and personal relationship? we are the temple.

FROM J.L. IN MI: What a nice thought. He is there, we don't have to invite Him or choose Him, He is already there. Each one of us are given a special gift, a secret way as you state. None of us have all the answers, although I do know people who think they do! :-) Listening is the key...not just waiting to give our opinion, but listening to what others have to say. Interesting insight!

FROM MOLINER, C.F.: It's refreshing to hear someone say that they don't have al of the answers. A lot of poeple do have all of the answers. Trouble is , there are a lot of wrong ones in the mix.

FROM J.T. IN MI: The difficulty of choices made is accepting responsibility for them. Agree or disagree? JACK'S RESPONSE: I just move on and try not to look back.

FROM CJL IN OH: That's why the ecumenical movement is so important. Especially on the personal
level!

FROM EMTSINGS IN MI: I have to tell you about a Bible Class that I conducted yesterday.In summer we all take turns with a class, otherwise we have a very good and dedicated teacher. I decided to do " A different and probably controversial look at Miracles". I think you would have gotten a kick out of it. As my main resource I used a book called "Those Disturbing Miracles" by Lloyd C. Douglas. I happen to be a real fan of his since my son, Daniel, introduced me to him several years ago. I started out by reviewing some of the Old Testament "miracles" and stated how some are trying to "explain" them away as possibly being naturally occuring events due to wind, etc. I happen to believe it does not matter how they occured and that does not make them any the less a miracle. (Just like I have no problem believing in both evolution and Creationism, but I digress.) But there was good discussion and it only pointed out to me that many things can bring new insights to people. In fact, I ended my lesson for your WW for the 10th. It seemed to me that it came just in time, as that was the day I was finishing up my preperation for yesterdays lesson. And it seemed to sum it all up well! Thanks! RESPONSE FROM JACK: Thanks for sharing this interesting story. I've often said that the laity can lead some of the best Bible studies. A friend of mine went to a gym to workout and wound up organizing a Bible Study Group for those at the gym, including some of the Extreme Fighters that are seen on TV, beating up each other. They meet every Wednesday.

FROM A.J. IN MI: I LOVE this one

FROM MOLINER C.F.: If anybody didn't know what to do next, it was HH FROM JACK: Hubert Humphrey was one of my favorites

FROM CJL IN OH: It's Never too late. Try working as an adult advisor & learn while you serve!

Jack’s Winning Words 6/9/08
“We know where we are, but know not what we might be.” (Shakespeare) I thought about these words as my granddaughter graduated from high school yesterday. So much of our future is dependent on the opportunities that come before us and the choices we make. As I look back (way back), I see how it worked in my life. I think of Robert Frost’s poem, The Road Not Taken. Opportunities and choices make all the difference. ;-) Jack

HERE IS THE FROST POEM: Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,And sorry I could not travel bothAnd be one traveler, long I stoodAnd looked down one as far as I couldTo where it bent in the undergrowth.Then took the other, as just as fair,And having perhaps the better claim,Because it was grassy and wanted wear;Though as for that the passing thereHad worn them really about the same.And both that morning equally layIn leaves no step had trodden black.Oh, I kept the first for another day!Yet knowing how way leads on to way,I doubted if I should ever come back.I shall be telling this with a sighSomewhere ages and ages hence:Two roads diverged in a wood, and I--I took the one less traveled by,And that has made all the difference.

FROM S.S. IN MI: Life holds so many possibilities. You mention your granddaughter and Shakespeare and it made me think of my daughter Emilie. I just dropped her off yesterday at Jackson Community College where she will be working with the Michigan Shakespeare Festival this summer. She is really looking forward to it.
Emilie and I spent the last two and a half weeks in Norway visiting her grandfather. She presented him a recording of a song that was written for my brother after he was killed in a car accident thirty years ago. It was a song written by a friend of my brother, David Hollen, who graduated from seminary at Hillcrest Academy at the same time that my brother graduated high school there. Emilie and her friend Justin heard the tape that I had of the song and they wanted to record it for my father and I. When she played it for my Dad in Norway, it brought tears to his eyes and memories to the surface. They were not tears of sorrow, but tears of joy and appreciation for the time that we had with my brother and the hope of seeing him with the Lord when our time comes.

FROM YOOPER N.K.: THIS IS SO TRUE.........THESE DAYS KAL AND I DO A LOT OF THIS....THE MIRACLE OF KAL GOING TO THE SEMINARY....THE WAY WE MET....WE WOULD HAVE LOVED TO HAVE BEEN ABLE TO GO TO BETHANY FOR THE AHA. GRACE AND PEACE

FROM EMTSINGS: Congratulations! This topic is on my mind a lot these days as my own grandchildren have the audicitiy to get older each year! The oldest Mariah, age 14, lives locally as you know so I have many opportunities (and I take them!) to tell her that truly every chocie she makes really does impact the rest of her life. I think it is exciting to see how they are all developing in different ways and interests. I look at all kids and think "possibilities". Of anything, really!

FROM GOOD DEBT JON: John Croyle, proprietor of the Big Oak Ranch in Alabama says, “Our children our messengers we send into a time we will not see.”

FROM MOLINER, C.F.: Each branch of the fork in the road leads into the unknown. Oh, that I could see around the corners.

FROM J.L. IN MI: I know where I am but I don't know where I am going or what I might become. Hopefully, I am a good example and have left footsteps. Not necessarily footsteps to be followed, but to be walked beside and forward. It's the smallest of choices and the smallest of opportunities which can change or add to our lives and other lives. Today, I will try to make a special choice...

FROM SDG IN TAMPA: Have you read the issue of US News and World Report which lists the Best Careers today? It lists clergy as third and curriculum specialist, which is what Les did after the classroom, as fourth,. Audiologist is first, which I never heard of or thought of fifty years ago It is exciting to think of all the many possibilities open to our grandchildren. What a wonderful life.

Jack’s Winning Words 6/6/08
“All of us might wish at times that we lived in a more tranquil world, but we don’t. And if our times are difficult and perplexing, so are they challenging and filled with opportunity.” (RFK) Bobby died 40 years ago today. I had a hard time choosing from many good words of his. Isn’t it interesting how words spoken years ago can be so relevant today? Yes, life at times can be difficult and perplexing, but look for the silver lining that is behind each cloud. Kennedy had a way of doing that. ;-) Jack

FROM J.L. IN MI: Even though I love to get up each morning to face whatever comes, I am deeply grateful it doesn't all end here. There will be a new beginning down the road for me....a heavenly place for eternity!

FROM S.H. IN MI: Many of us are making a sort of heroic decision to stay in our churches and fight against racism, fight for a more just and clear theology as regards God's Will for His children's sexuality, fight for the breakdown of denominationalism when it is hurting and destroying people's relationship to God and to their neighbors, there is plenty of opportunity to fight for a good cause, both within and outside of our churches and the silver lining is that, when we keep praying and leaning on God, the ark bends towards God's Kingdom spreading out everywhere. Robert Kennedy did good work fighting for justice like he did.

FROM PR J.S. IN MI: The times that followed....the 70s....were a very difficult time. Lots of hurts and anger and fear and loss. The liberalism that sustained us from the depression on died a slow and tortorous death until Jimmy Carter finally killed it alltogether. Now the Conservatism that replaced it has died thanks to a shove from Geo W. What is next? it certainly will be different but in what form remains unknown. I hope that the old liberals and old neo-conservatives have enough sense to abandon their old ideologies and move forward to a new vista and a new way.

FROM MOLINER C.F.: Yes, and in another 40 years his words will still be relevant ... and in an another 40 after that.

Jack’s Winning Words 6/5/08
“The world is full of people who never quite get into the first team and who just miss the prizes at the flower show,” (Jacob Boronowski) The only trophy I ever won was a 2nd Place Cup in a Ping Pong Tournament. I’m proud of the common, ordinary folk who are the real successes in this world. Do you know any of them? ;-) Jack

FROM B.S. NEAR ORLANDO: your'e right, every time the Wisconsin magazine arrives it contains articles about the big shots, they rarely write about the little guy in the trenches who is saving lives 12hrs a day. He/She dosen't have time to develop another vaccine ( for overweight ), or AIDS. My Pa used to say,"Ain't it the truth Mable".

Jack’s Winning Words 6/5/08
“The world is full of people who never quite get into the first team and who just miss the prizes at the flower show,” (Jacob Boronowski) The only trophy I ever won was a 2nd Place Cup in a Ping Pong Tournament. I’m proud of the common, ordinary folk who are the real successes in this world. Do you know any of them? ;-) Jack

FROM GOOD DEBT JON: “Winning is all in how you frame it in your thinking. I have a white ribbon dangling from the mirror of my car (perhaps a little Solzhenitsyn lard) that says “finisher” it was from a 5K “race” in 2006 a few months after a slight heart attack. It was part of my cardio rehab. My time was 41:34. That was a winning time for me. The “winner” was probably in the 14 minutes or less range (they were already showered and gone when I came in), interestingly there were a whole bunch of folks behind me. To me, sometimes finishing is winning. Maybe we don’t need more winners, just less quitters.”

FROM MOLINER, C.F.: That doesn't make them losers.

FROM PR J.S. IN MI: I don't know that "common, ordinary folk" are the only real successes in life. Some very uncommon people have been great successes, too. Wy limit success to one type of person? JACK'S REPLY: All I'm saying is that we shouldn't overlook the ordinary people.

FROM MOLINER M.H.: I'm reminded of a little poem I learned eons ago:" If you can't be the pine at the top of the hill, be a bush in the valley, but be, the best little bush on the side of the hill. Be a bush if you can't be a tree."Lots more to the poem, but the essence was "be the best at whatever you do". (That makes most people winners.) JACK'S RESPONSE: And here's that poem....
"If you can't be the pine at the top of the hill,Be a shrub in the valley below.The best little scrub in the valley below,Be a bush if you can't be a tree.If you can't be a bush be a bit of the grass,And some highway happier makeIf you can't be a muskie, then just be a bass,But be the liveiest bass in the Lake!We can't all be captains, we've got to be crew,There's something for all of us here.There's big work to do and lesser to do,And the task we must do is the near.If you can't be a highway then just be a trail,If you can't be the sun, be a star.It isn't by size that you win or you fail,Be the best of whatever you are."- Douglas Malloch (Be the Best)

FROM EMT SINGS: This really gave me cause to think! I have not really ever excelled at anything. I am kind of a good singer, but never won any prizes. Some thing that I am really proud of though is that in their teen years my 3 kids collaborated on making a very nice "award" for me, proclaiming that I am the "World's Best Mother". Oh, and also at a job that I had at a nursing home the Nurse's Aides got together and planned a special party and had a plaque made for me commending my help and support of them. So really, it kind of says that most of us may fit the category of being very ordinary and have small "sucesses" throughout our lifetimes. On the other hand, I do personally (almost) know a basketball player from Traverse City that went on to play with the Phoneix Suns. And many others who have acheived greatness in the kind of people they are!

FROM R.I. IN BOSTON: Over the years I've been a winner several times, but for some reason never got really interested in competing with others. However, I have pretty consistently competed with myself, determined to improve. Do I know any ordinary folk who personify success...you bet. My father was one, and right now I'm writing to one.

FROM C.H. ON CAPE COD: Hey, congratulations on the 2nd place in the ping pong tournament! We just bought a ping pong table for the youth (OK, in part because one of the pastors really likes to play!)
My sister, while living in Alaska, won a huge, huge trophy for dogsled racing; only when you look carefully at the trophy it says, "Last Place. Awarded for great effort." !!!

FROM J.D. IN MN: IN TODAYS WORLD KIDS GET TROPHIES FOR JUST PUTTING ON A UNIFORM. THATS THE NEW AGE

Jack’s Winning Words 6/4/08
“All endings are also beginnings. We just don’t know it at the time.” (Mitch Albom) Sometimes we focus so much on what has ended that we lose sight of new opportunities that are before us. Flip will find that out. So will Hillary. And so will all of us who might be grieving an end that has taken place in our life. Why not send this quote to someone who’s going through a difficult time? ;-) Jack

FROM T.L. IN MI: Ever since my Little White Book daily readings ended with Pentecost Sunday, I have relied on your Winning Words for reflection. Your daily selections speak to me in my faith walk of late….a new beginning. Thanks for getting up so early to prepare my daily injection.

FROM T.S. IN MI: Forgive my lack of awareness - but who is Flip? REPLY: He's the recently fired coach of the Detroit Pistons, Flip Saunders.

FROM M.L. IN IL: new life and new normals for all involved. JACK'S RESPONSE: THERE COMES A TIME TO MOVE ON. MOST OF US HAVE EXPERIENCED IT...BUT SOME NEVER SEEM TO BE ABLE TO LET GO. M.L.'S RESPONSE TO THAT: we need to support them, hold them up when it is too difficult to take a step forward, pray for them, and sometimes use tough love to get them back on track. be the ying to their yang!

FROM GOOD DEBT JON: If we believe in eternity then it has to be true. Like I tell my wife, “Everything has a beginning, middle, and end, except my love for you—it never ends.”

FROM J.L. IN MI: Great quote today! Endings never end....they ARE new beginnings! Perhaps it depends on how you look at life generally...half full or half empty....I'm a half full. So all my endings are just beginnings. I will send it on to several I know. Thanks again!

FROM MOLINER C.F.: Put the endings to bed so your eyes are wide open to the future.

Jack’s Winning Words 6/3/08
“Pride grows in the human heart like lard on a pig.” (Solzhenitsyn) There are many moralisms that refer to pride, but this is one I’ve not read before. Do you have any that are favorites of yours, or are you too proud to share them? ;-) Jack

FROM L.H. IN MARCO: Russians are generally a pessimistic lot. I believe God wants us to feel good about ourself and that takes a certain amount of pride. You need pride to be mentally healthy and you are no good to anyone if you don't feel good about yourself (my thoughts). My grandfather often said that you can tell a lot about a person by how his shoes are shined; I have found that a person with scuffy shoes makes a bad first impression and is lacking something.

FROM P.O. IN MI: This one sure does paint a vivid picture, doesn't it?

FROM MOLINER, G.S.: Life is reciprosity.

FROM MOLINER, C.F.: Had a pride framed, calligraphy sign hanging in my art department, "Would you put it in your sample case?"

FROM CWR IN B'MORE: Interesting.....and very "telling"....even the "good" feelings can have a counter-productive side....as in "pride goeth before the fall"......

FROM J.T. IN MI: I think this is one of the most apt descriptions of Pride I've read! It certainly gives me a mental picture. I hope it keeps me aware.

FROM J.L. IN MI: This congered up a terrible image but then, so is pride. My mom always quoted..."Pride goeth before a fall." Not my favorite...but it came to mind when I read your Winning Words.

FROM B.S. NEAR ORLANDO: A person needs to have a certain amount of pride. Children couldn't mature without pride. An artesan needs to have pride in his/;her workmanship to set him/her apart from other shoemakers. Sachmo had to have a great deal of pride. It was part of his drive for success in a world that denied him equal rights. Incidently I heard that John Mc wouldn't sign the equal rights amendment. crappy guy, McCain.I hope his wife hands him a corn cob.

Jack’s Winning Words 6/2/08
“Sometimes when we are generous in small, barely detectable ways, it can change some else’s life forever.” (Margaret Cho) I thought that Margaret was just a joke teller. Now, I see that she has a serious side, too. I guess it’s the same for all of us. We are more than what shows on the outside. Having said that, don’t overlook the point that Margaret is making. Try to do something generous for someone today. It might change their life. ;-) Jack

FROM MOLINER EFP: Good morning. I was surprised not long ago when a "girl" who was a couple of years behind me in school told me that I was the only "big kid" who ever treated her as an equal, even though she was younger. It never occurred to me, not having siblings, that younger somehow meant "lesser." I did nothing out of the ordinary, yet for her it was a huge deal for her-- even now.

FROM K.B. IN MI: ...and the part to remember is you may never know that you were the change factor--we use stories often in our training programs about children who have succeeded despite terrible odds and it often goes back to one teacher, one mentor and even one incident. Thanks for being there for us,

FROM M.L. IN IL: in my life, i have been the recipient of so much generousity. it is life shaping as well as life changing. i try to practice small generousity each day to pay tribute to all who "formed" me.

FROM MOLINER C.F.: Generosity turns selfish into selfless. A happier state of being.

FROM S.G. IN MI: Practice random acts of kindness. Indeed a very good posture for us all. Kindness breeds kindness!

FROM M.T. IN PA: This reminds me of a half-joke, half serious line that I thought of a long time ago:
"Angels are people, too."