Winning Words 7/14/11
“There’s all the difference in the world between having something to say and having to say something.” (John Dewey) Our 30th president was known as a man of few words and was called, “Silent Cal.” Perhaps it was the way of a Vermont conservative. Some say it was because he had a very talkative wife. Regardless, he usually only spoke when he had something to say. Do you know people like that? ;-) Jack

FROM HAPPY TRAILS IN NOVA SCOTIA: You may have heard the story of Calvin Coolidge’s report on the Sunday church service. (The following is by memory—I think I heard the story as a teenager.) His wife was ill that day, and at the noon meal back at the White House she asked him how the church service went. “Fine.”
She probed: “What did the preacher talk about in the sermon?” Cal said, "sin". "And what did he say about sin?" “Was against it.”////FROM JACK: The sermon must have been short and to the point...as sermons should be.////MORE FROM NOVA SCOTIA: Or Cal gave a succinct summary of however long it was. You know the story of when the Emperor called the forty wise men of the empire together and gave them a year to distill the wisdom of the ages. They brought back forty volumes. He said he had something more compact in mind, and gave them a month. They came back with one volume. He said, “Let me be clearer: I’d like it written clearly on a 3x5.” He gave them a week, and they returned with a 3x5 that stated: THERE IS NO FREE LUNCH. I bet some sermons have been constructed taking pro and con positions as to whether (in Christianity) there is a free lunch.////FROM JACK: I had forgotten that 3x5 story. Yes, some pastors could take the emperor's advice...and, certainly, many of the politicians, Canadian, as well as American.//// FROM BLAZING OAKS: What an interesting piece from Happy Trails in Nova Scotia...(yesterday) he must be very well-read! I read a lot, much in the biographical or historical genre, but hadn't every heard of those 3 gents! Is he retired?//// FROM JACK: You've got it right. Happy Trails is well-read, indeed. As a youngster, he started to read the encyclopedia. In the "A" book he became interested in the Arabic language and went on to learn it. He is also a "ham" radio operator and has code-contact with people all over the world. He's a graduate of Princeton. He is a retired Ford engineer and was once a member of my congregation. He's also an accomplished musician. He and his German-born wife live on the Bay of Fundy.

FROM PL IN MICHIGAN: See??? and you want me to write! LOL////FROM JACK: I encourage you, because I think you have something constructive to say about educating children. As with sermons, keep it short and to the point.

FROM GOOD DEBT JON: I flew to Chicago to go to Northwestern University in 1994 to take the Education GRE exam. At that time you could get a number of college credits for taking it and also was used for entry into graduate programs. There were several questions regarding John Dewey on the exam, one I remember was: "John Dewey believes the teachers approach should be (answer C I believe) : "A partner in inquiry." //// FROM JACK: I thought John Dewey created the Dewey Decimal System. WRONG! It was Melvil Dewey. John was a professor at the Univ of Michigan and is known for developing the theory of pragmatism. He was once a high school teacher in Oil City, PA, where (not when) a friend of mine was a Lutheran pastor.

FROM PH IN MINNESOTA: one of my profs in homiletics always used this quote. and then he added: and the difference is like that between a lightning bug and a lightning bolt!!////FROM JACK: ...or a Roman candle and a sparkler.

FROM CL IN MICHIGAN: Maybe he also discovered that he rarely learned much while he was speaking but could learn a whole lot while listening.////FROM JACK: Knowing when to speak and when to listen are the keys to being a good salesperson...pastor, too.

FROM JT IN MICHIGAN: I wish it applied to me!////FROM JACK: It applies to all of us.

FROM BLAZING OAKS: Ha! I was dating four different young men, and my father said one day, "I like Bill a lot...he only talks when he has something to say!" :-) And maybe poor Bill ended up with a talkative wife, as well!! ME..Dewey has a point of course. I imagine that too often, I THINK I have something to say! ARRGH! I've seen the saying "Better to be silent, and thought a fool, than to open your mouth, and remove all doubt"...attributed to several sources, but it remains a good thought!////FROM JACK: Life has a way of helping two people connect in the right way...most of the time.

FROM SG IN MICHIGAN: My dad was a farmer and a man of few words, yet I learned a lot from him.////FROM JACK: When I first became a pastor, one of the churches in my parish was a farm congregation. I will always treasure the experience of "learning ministry" among those people. They showed me the truth of the saying that "actions speak louder than words." God planted you in the right family, SG.

FROM EMT SINGS IN MICHIGAN: Maybe my husband!!??////FROM JACK: The strong, silent type!