Winning Words 9/23/09
“History never looks like history when you’re living through it.” (John Gardner) I don’t know whether you realize it or not, but we’re living through some pretty significant times. Space exploration, electronic gadgetry, Vietnam, Civil Rights movement, atomic bomb, WW 2, social security, Great Depression…past history. But the last couple of years are current history. And we were (are) there. Exciting! ;-) Jack

FROM SH IN MICHIGAN: I think the breaking down of barriers between the denominations is really something astonishing during this last 50 years. And it is one place where history doesn't look like history because I think we're getting so used to thinking about church differently that we almost can't remember a time when there was such rancor and dissension between the different parts of the Church over theology. This is from my simple laywoman's perspective, maybe to Pastors it looks different. FROM JACK: From a simple pastor's perspective, I think you're right.

FROM PRJS IN MICHIGAN: A complete remake of American Industry is going on under our noses. I see that FISKER AUTOMOTIVE just got a $582 million loan. It will be a "new" auto company in the Detroit area. When was the last time we saw a new auto company here? Alternative energy is spawning a lot of new industry. It is like the 70s which were another down time in American history. It is spawning a new
birth.....exciting, at least to me. Perhaps the church will go thru a significant change....it is certainly a downtime there. FROM JACK: I happen to think that the Church is spawning a new birth, too...knowing that you probably won't agree with me on this.

FROM MV IN MICHIGAN: Our minister’s sermon last Sunday was about the prophet Jeremiah and the hard times he was facing. I’m paraphrasing but he was facing a war against his cousin that was tearing their country apart and yet he made a leap of faith and bought a field. This was used in the context of the times we face now. Other examples were used such as college graduates in 1932 selling apples on street corners and during World War II having to go right into the service. I came out of college in 1980 and worked for my father in his jewelry business in Flint when Flint led the nation in unemployment. Talk about tough! Trying to sell jewelry in that environment! Another example he used was a group of people who predicted the end of the world on a certain day in the 20th century and the minister of that church scheduled his wedding on that day! Another leap of faith! I’ll forward the sermon to you when I get a chance. FROM JACK: Sounds like a good sermon, but I like your illustration even better....Trying to sell jewelry during economic hard times seems harder than trying to sell apples on a street corner.

FROM L IN ILLINOIS: And we shall survive this, too! FROM JACK: Reminds me of the Gloria Gaynor song, I Will Survive.

FROM CJL IN OHIO: It's a great time to be alive! Maybe we'll have some impact on a small corner of it!