Jack’s Winning Words 7/17/13
“For every minute the future is becoming the past.”  (Thor Hyerdahl)  T.H., the Norwegian explorer, is famous for having sailed across the Pacific on his homemade raft, the Kon Tiki.  A PBS video of the voyage is called “Across the Sea of Time.”  Hyderdahl said that while he was on his raft there was no sense of time.  Perhaps you’ve had those experiences in life when time seemed to vanish.  What is time, after all?    ;-)  Jack

 FROM MICHIZONA RAY:  A "refreshing pause" of the eternal?====JACK:  No alarm clocks in heaven.  In fact, no clocks or calendars at all.

 FROM GOOD DEBT JON:  "Tomorrow's just your future yesterday" --Craig Ferguson from his self written Late Late Show theme song.====JACK:  Many songs have been written with "time" as the theme.  How man can you think of?  "Time In a Bottle" is one of my favorites.====JON:  "Time" in a Bottle is good too. Tome in a Bottle must be the long version or the audio book...LOL.====JACK:  Ooops.  I had to go back and correct the typo.  Thanks for being the poof-reader.====JON:  "Both Ends" by Jon Hanson is my favorite time perspective song.

 FROM SHARIN' SHARON:  I remember the initial time when time seemed friendly to me, it was when there was a particular event that reflected back on another particular event and suddenly my own time-line and the time-lines of my parents and daughter seemed to coalesce into very meaningful and spiritual relationships that God calls us towards. It seemed like the heavens had been opened to me and I was just dumbstruck at the wisdom and beauty of His Timing in all of our lives.====JACK:  I wonder where the phrase, "Timing is everything," came from?  A comedian?  A real estate agent?  A baseball hitter? ====SHARON:  Found this in Wikipedia..under Time. "The created world is but a small parenthesis in eternity."Sir Thomas Brown Can it be that our "time" is a system that evolved out of necessity and learning during this "blip" in eternity?====JACK:  "What is man that You take thought of him?"  (Psalm 8:4)

 FROM RI IN BOSTON:  Hyerdahl's voyage was a challenging experiment and I admire his determination.  What loneliness to endure out in the ocean!  In late 1960 I returned home from Europe on a military troop ship, a trip that took six days, and it was dreadful.  Just the sight of another diminutive ship way off in the distance was exciting.  Each morning coming up on deck there was no evidence that we'd gone any distance...just more water.  I can empathize with Noah who had to suffer it for 40 days, and all the while it was raining.  We should be grateful for day and night, intervals by which we can realize time's passage and specifically document our personal activities.====JACK:  My mother-in-law was a very active person, giving many piano lessons, directing several choirs each week, besides being a wife and the mother if six children.  Later in life, in a nursing home, she ruminated, "I feel like I'm wasting my time."

 FROM WALMART REV:  Sitting in our Target store now again in the afternoon, enjoying the many folk again I have not seen for a time, I've noticed there is no clock in sight...wanting the shoppers to get caught up in shopping and not watching the time...they tell me it is the same at the casinos. At church it is seen by the preaching pastor or guest minister very readily on the back wall above the parishioners.====JACK:  I knew of a minister who kept an alarm clock in the pulpit.  Each Sunday he would set it for 15 minutes when he stepped up to preach.  When the alarm sounded, he would stop preaching, even if it were in mid-sentence.  I was there once when it happened.====REV:  There was this man in one if our churches in Wichita, KS noted for setting his watch alarm to go off at a selected time once the sermon started...I was invited to speak one Sunday evening when I heard it go before I was finished.====JACK:  A minister friend came to me with a problem.  The biggest contributor in the church was also the head usher.  When he thought that my friend had preached too long, he would begin flicking the lights.  "What would you do about this?" ====REV:  I've had to make a few calls like this over my lifetime, fortunately not too many...most generally they were not well received at that time, but took care of the problem...some at the expense of losing a family (one was the "high contributor" as well). Looking back, I would do the same today. Tough calls in the ministry.

 FROM TAMPA SHIRL:  Well., I have just returned from a great trip  with my children and grandchildren to West Palm Beach, Key West, Orlando, and Washington, D.C.  Time seemed to fly by.  It doesn't seem possible that 60  years have passed since I worked for Senator Paul Douglas on Capitol Hill.  My granddaughter lives about four blocks from where I lived then.  Her apartment building has a roof where a party was held.  It was amazing to see the city and the many, many buildings that have been built since then. ====JACK:  When people complain about today's politicians, it makes me long for the days when solons like Paul Douglas were on both sides of the aisle in Congress.

 FROM BBC IN ILLINOIS:  Did you see the new/remake of Kon Tiki this year?  It was at the independent theater.  Oddly, I rented the old black & white from the library in January and watched while taking the Christmas tree down.  The original footage is marvelous but I thought they did a good job in the remake interspersing original footage with the scripted actors.====JACK:  It's interesting that you would watch Kon Tiki while un-decorating.  A lot of people would watch Miracle on 34th Street.  I think I might watch Christmas Vacation.====BBC:  It takes hours…and hours…thankless work and I never have anyone else do it so I find something to watch that I like…The local library has a slew of old films that are so fun to re-watch.====JACK:  No Christmas Vacation?

 FROM BLAZING OAKS:  KON TIKI IS ONE OF THE MOST MEMORABLE BOOKS I EVER READ!  I SHARED IT WITH MY 8TH GRADE LIT. CLASSES, AND SHOWED THE DOCUMENTARY OF IT.  WHAT AN EXPERIENCE THEY HAD!  THESE DAYS TIME SEEMS TO FLY BY, EVEN  ON ORDINARY DAYS. I'M AMAZED AT HOW FAST THE HOURS ZIP ALONG! BUT THE BLOG IS RIGHT...IN CHURCH THE CLOCK AT THE BACK OF THE SANCTUARY IS A REMINDER TO THE PREACHER TO "BRING  IT ON HOME" IN 20 OR 25 MINUTES!! ====JACK:  I time the sermon with a piece of Jolly Rancher hard candy.  When the candy is gone the sermon is usually over.

 FROM RJP IN NAPLES:  Today as I visit my brother time stands still as we simply review the past, because there is no future for him on earth. He has already received the blessing and now we pray for his peace.====JACK:  There's an old hymn, written by William F. Lloyd...
1 OUR times are in Thy hand,
Father, we wish them there;
Our life, our soul, our all, we leave
Entirely to Thy care.

2 Our times are in Thy hand,
Whatever they may be,
Pleasing or painful, dark or bright,
As best may seem to Thee.

3 Our times are in Thy hand;
Why should we doubt or fear?
A Father's hand will never cause
His child a needless tear.

4 Our times are in Thy hand;
Jesus once crucified,
Now leads His own with tender care,
Our Shepherd, Guard and Guide.

5 Our times are in Thy hand;
Christ is our Advocate;
No creature power from love divine
Our souls can separate.

6 Our times are in Thy hand,
We'd always trust in Thee,
Till we have left this weary land,
And all Thy glory see.

 FROM FACEBOOK LIZ:  time is reality. there is day. there is night. there are seasons. all part of god's intelligent design.====JACK:  What if it's all a dream?  Is there any "time" when we are dreaming?  Maybe we're in The Twilight Zone.  Thoughts like these come to me because of my philosophy studies.  BTW, Are those real people in the reality shows on TV?   ====LIZ:  yeah, i ponder that same stuff, but what makes the most sense? it is pretty egocentric to think that you and/or i are dreaming. so, the answer is...intelligent design. call that god, whatever. if a big bang occured, there was intelligent design behind it. unless one believes in santa & the easter bunny...as for the kardashians, it's only tv, but it sure has messed up their lives in an epic way.