Winning Words 11/9/09
“Persevere and never fear.” (Swedish Proverb) We face a daily bombardment of fear messages…war, terrorism, crime, illness, bad economy. How are we to respond? The proverb says to stand firm. A long time ago I was taught “to trust in the Lord.” Later I learned that God does not abandon his people when they press on in faith. Perhaps you can share a word of encouragement with someone today.. ;-) Jack

FROM JONATHAN IN MICHIGAN: "The remarkable thing about fearing God is that when you fear God you fear nothing else, whereas if you do not fear God you fear everything else." (Oswald Chambers) I discovered this quote while doing sermon prep as part of our 40 days spiritual growth journey based on Max Lucado's excellent new book called Fearless. The topic for the week was the one healthy fear - the "fear of God". FROM JACK: I was taught that to "fear" God was to "respect" God. I like you comments on fear.

FROM ML IN ILLINOIS: my sister ruthie coined a phrase for the family when she was overheard telling our dog, manfred, who was very afraid of storms to, "never fear...god is near". she was probably five years old at the time!
FROM JACK: If Ruthie's advice it works for dogs, it works even better for humans. I remember Manfred. Was he named after Tom Terrific"s Wonder Dog, Manfred?

FROM OUTHOUSE JUDY: It has been a very tough year for the family....but with a strong faith and a strong family, we are getting through. I can't say we have never feared, but we persevere. FROM JACK: I like that word, persevere..."to maintain a purpose, in spite of difficult obstacles."

FROM CJL IN OHIO: That's your Swedish background coming out! FROM JACK: Half Swedish and half German. Mary sometimes says, "That's the German in you." I wonder what she means by that?

FROM MOLINER CF: FDR said it pretty well, "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself." FROM JACK: These words were spoken in his first inaugural address, during the depths of The Great Depression. They ring true today.