Jack’s Winning Words 12/10/08
“If thou thinkest twice before thou speakest once, thou wilt speakest twice the better for it.” (William Penn) I thoughest twice before I wrotest this one. It’s one of those quotes that hits home for a preacher. However, the thought is good for all of us. If I could find room by my computer, I’d post it there. I like Penn’s oats, too. ;-) Jack

FROM J.C. IN HONG KONG: Hahahaha .... good job.

FROM MOLINER C.F.: Kind of like measurest twice, sawesr once.

FROM JACK: I know that this is relatively lengthy, but if preachers stay with it, it fits today's quote.
"Pastor’s like to talk. On a Tuesday morning once a month study, 21 pastor’s, mostly Lutheran, meet in the Black Hills of South Dakota for a discussion dealing with the revised common lectionary texts for the coming month. I always learn a few new ideas or come to a better understanding of a text but the key learning for me over the years in these discussion’s is that pastor’s full time or retired like to talk and be heard but seldom will a pastor listen first and then speak. I believe that the Priest Zechariah was no different than the pastor’s that I spend so much time with dealing with the issues in theology, culture, and every day living as the texts of
God’s word proclaimed in Word and Sacrament define our calls as pastor to God’s people. I can understand how after meeting the angel of the Lord that Zechariah doesn’t bow down and worship though he is fearful Zechariah is but an anxious pastor who just asks more questions instead listening and believing. I can understand the Priest Zechariah and his questions of who, how, why, when, what and where for those questions are the same questions that the 2o pastor’s and myself ask to each other and of God every month. I believe that God is the action in our lives, God is the subject and the verb of our sentences. God gives the faith, the experiences, the reality in which we live and serve. God is involved and like that of Zechariah we as pastor’s get God envy most often when God is present and we aren't aware. We need intervention from God, awareness of God, reflection in God, and belief of holy moments of God coming to us where our mouths hang open and no words come out. Holy silence where in awe we say nothing but wave our hands around
about which we cannot describe or contain. Silence is what happened to Zechariah. The angel zips the lips of Zechariah and he utters nary a word and for several months neither the congregation, nor his wife, nor his community, ever hears him speak about his condition, his experience, or his vision but they know that God was present because only God can shut the mouth of a pastor who likes to talk. This Advent Wednesday December 10th, is any pastor’s great opportunity to share the mystery of God’s promises without saying too much. Less is more." (FROM AN ADVENT DEVOTION BY JOE OTTERMAN)

FROM PR D.C. IN KANSAS: "We read the gospel as if we had no money, and we spend money as it there were no gospel." -- Fr. John Haughey

FROM INDY G.G.: thankest youeth.......that is a good oneeth.

FROM B.S. NEAR ORLANDO: His oats make great cookies, but exacerbate the gout. so instead of eating two of Anabell's lovely cookies just eat onest and thank her twicest. Aren't girls great.