Winning Words 7/2/12
“A man is a success if he gets up in the morning and goes to bed at night and in between does what he wants to do.”  (Bob Dylan)  I don’t know about you, but I don’t have a bucketlist.  If you do, you might check out a link…10,000 things to do before you die.  Here are a couple.  “Dye my hair in rainbow colors.”  No!  “Drive a Ferrari.”  Well, maybe I do have a bucketlist.  How do you like Dylan’s suggestion?    ;-)   Jack   

FROM HAWKEYE GEORGE:  My definition of success is "Happiness & Peace of Mind." And that only comes thru Christian love and Bible study. It has very, very little to do with finances.////FROM JACK:  I guess that you could be called "successful," because you're doing what you want to do.  You've got it made!

FROM HONEST JOHN:  How about doing what he OUGHT to do?////FROM JACK:  As a famous person once said, "It depends on your definition of "OUGHT."

FROM MEDD-O-LANE:  I don't agree IF by just doing what you want to do makes success then you are only successful in being self centered.////FROM JACK:  I guess you'll have to take it up with Bob Dylan.  But, the ball is returned to your court.  What do you think it means to be successful? 

FROM ILLINOIS LIZ:  Wouldn't it be a productive world if this were actually the case!   May I change the "in between" to " puts in an honest day's work & treats everyone with kindness." Bob was kind of a sexist, apparently... women?////FROM JACK:  I considered changing "A man" to "A person" in the quote, but decided against it in order to see if anyone would comment.  Back in the 50s and 60s when Dylan was in his prime, "politically correct" was not in the vocabulary.  In the 60s  Dylan produced an album, "Times are A-Changin'."  I would be surprised if he himself had not changed since that time.  I know I have, and I hope...for the better.  


MORE HONEST JOHN:  There is only one "ought.  Ess " ...it is often difficult to comprehend but always worth the effort ////FROM JACK:  I just read a news bulletin that some atom smashers think that they've discovered the "God particle."  Maybe they can now work on comprehending "Ess." 

FROM DEACON ROBERT:  I was able to use your WW this morning when I went to be with a congregation member having cancer surgery this morning scheduled at 7 am.  The discussion he was having with me in pre-op was about all he had wanted to do in his life already being accomplished through Christ.
Then he spoke about getting up today to decide whether he would have the surgery.  He is nephew to Rosa Young (mother of black Lutheranism)  I shared your words I read this morning and he said the decision between awakening and sleeping for him is those we affect with God's love.  He explained that this is where his confidence came from today to decide to have the surgery.  I wonder if he realized how much he affected my day, between waking and sleep.////FROM JACK:  Your day was a success.

FROM BLAZING OAKS:  I'd think it would be a rare person who could do just what he/she wanted to do between arising and going to bed!   You might occasionally have a day like that, but few and far between. Duty calls; and that's probably a good thing!////FROM JACK:  Most of us, including Dylan, speak in generalizations.  To parse every statement ruins "the moment."  I'd hate to have to stop and defend every word in one of my sermons.