Winning Words 12/28/10
“Your world is made of your memories, and your memories are given to you by your world. The whispering voice of happenstance is always in our ears." (Real Life Preacher) “Happenstance” is an interesting word. “Serendipity” is one that it related. I wouldn’t go so far as to put “Dumb Luck” in the same category, but it is interesting to think about how our world is molded by happenstance. ;-) Jack

FROM JC IN HONG KONG: You mean like when George Bailey got mixed up with a happenstance named Clarence in "It's A Wonderful Life" ? FROM JACK: That was in the movies. It happens in real life, too. I should have added to the the list: Happenstance, Serendipity. Dumb Luck....amd the Intervention of God!

FROM YOOPER PO: What fun --- I love words. I'm going to see if I can use this one now and again. FROM JACK: Even more interesting than using the word (happenstance) is to think back and recall the various forks that appeared in the road of your life and the choices you made when you came to them.

FROM ILLINOIS LIZ: How nice a coincidence that I met you thru my Dad! FROM JACK: Someone has said that there are no coincidences...only the hand of God. Personally I think that God has allowed us to make our own choices (and to deal with them) through the gift of Free Will. Without that freedom, we would be robots.
You seem to be "a chip off of the old block," as the saying goes.

FROM MOLINER CF: Does "happy accident" fit your interpretation? FROM JACK: I don't know if there are accidents that are happy. Accident, by definition is "an unfortunate mishap." But, I guess that some of those mishaps can have a happy ending.

FROM OUTHOUSE JUDY: Dumb Luck??? Personally, I believe in God's intervention and the gift to us of Free Will. Happenstance? I wonder... FROM JACK: I think that God sometimes acts like a caring parent...by not always directing the child, but, rather, by letting the child learn from his/her mistakes. If things turn out OK, that can be because of Dumb Luck, and because God allows Free Will.

FROM MO IN ILLINOIS: "Happenstance", like by chance or accident? How often do we mull over a happening, thinking, "can this just be coincidence?" I read, a while back, a book titled "When God Winks" which seemed to imply there are no mere coincidences. I did not agree with a lot in the book, but it was an interesting premise. I think it is often true that we can't realize the far-reaching effects of seemingly insignificant choices we make, which turn our lives in one direction or another, in retrospect! I guess that's what makes life so interesting! FROM JACK: I read the same book and later preached a sermon with that title. Right now, I can't recall the text, but the theme seemed to strike a chord with the people...at least, the ones who commented. MORE FROM MO: I THINK THE THEME WAS THAT GOD HAS HIS HANDS IN EVERYTHING THAT HAPPENS:
THERE ARE NO COINCIDENCES... FROM JACK: I'd like to think that God has a sense of humor and allows coincidences. I Googled the book and saw this comment by the author: What do godwinks mean? Think about when you were a kid and someone you loved gave you a little wink across the dining room table...Mom or Dad or Grandma. You didn't say "What do you mean by that?" You knew. It meant: "Hey kid, I'm thinking about you right now." That's what a godwink is too: a message of reassurance from above, directly to you, out of six billion people on the planet, saying "Hey kid...I'm thinking of you! Keep the faith! You're never alone."
There is a powerful correlation between wishes and winks, because when your wish comes true or your prayer is answered, it sometimes comes in the form of a coincidence - a wink from God.