Jack’s Winning Words 8/28/13
“A dream you dream alone is only a dream.  A dream you dream together is reality.”  (John Lennon)  Today marks the 50th anniversary of  MLK Jr’s “I have a dream” speech.  Scholars have called it the top speech of the 20th Century.  We all have our personal dreams, our wishes…but what really moves people is when they can share a common vision.  It’s been 50 years.  What new dream might inspire us?    ;-)  Jack

 FROM TARMART REV:  I'm still living out my old one in sincere gratitude and pleasure . . . the "new" and expectant one is out of this world!!====JACK:  If you are living a dream, does that mean it's no longer a dream, but reality?

 FROM HONEST JOHN:  How about a dream of Christians listening to the scriptures instead of hearing what they choose to hear?====JACK:  Is there a "Joseph" who can interpret your dream?  Our understanding, so often, is based on the interpreter that we choose to hear.====JOHN:  I don't buy that answer.   The left today is deliberately ignoring the scriptures.   The right is distorting them so badly that one has to really stretch to call it an interpretation.   Time to abandon your relativism or become a total Sophist.
====JACK:  I'm simply stating that our views (yours and mine) are shaped by the interpreters we've chosen to follow.  Left or right?  It's a matter of interpretation.====JOHN:  You are honoring MLK today.   Do you really think he thought in relativistic terms?====JACK:  My opinion?  MLK Jr, me, you, we all are relativists at one time or another, depending on circumstances. ====JOHN:  I see nothing in MLK's speeches or actions that would indicate that how he was a relativist...and I clearly am not...it would be a denial of all tat I think and believe.   That I struggle to find the truth is for certain but to deny that there is Truth is not a position that I could  live with.====JACK:  Neither do I deny the ultimate Truth.  I just say that it seems to be part of human nature to not always be consistent.  And, then, Peter heard the cock crow.. 

 FROM TRIHARDER:  50th Anniversary in Washington. It was given in Detroit earlier that summer. ====JACK:  When preachers repeat a sermon, it's called, "pulling one out of the barrel."  When that's done, usually some refinements are made.====TH: I guess politicians do the same.  Lawyers generally have one shot at it -- although I'm sure that many arguments covering similar situations are repeated, refined over the course of a career.====JACK:  Was MLK Jr, foremost, a preacher or a politician?  How one answers that question probably reveals one's opinion of him.

 FROM ANONYMOUS:  We ascribe to Chaucer's thoughts as long as the venture is not life threatening. Venturing is a learning experience...success or failure...both are learning experiences. Venturing triggered by today's WW led to a pursuit of whether or not sisyphean is used as a noun or verb or both. Came upon "disambiguation"not solely related to my query but new to me.....Part of today's mental ventures.

 FROM SHARIN' SHARON:  Reading this book "The Law-Gospel Debate", by Gerhard O. Forde, page 232 at the end, "Because the church is aware of the eschatological limit, it knows that it has the responsibility of bearing witness to the proper use of the law." Forced to this because of new people not from a Lutheran faith background being integrated into our congregation and how this dream of Forde's and also now mine can be more realized in our community here. We can't just not understand who we are and figure we'll all, without some theological work, be able to share a common vision. That's my opinion right now anyway. Thanks every day for the WW you convey, with your sometimes pithy commentary.====JACK:  I wonder how many people "out there" can pronounce, eschatological, let alone know what it means.  At least, you do.  It's one we'll all encounter, sooner or later.

 FROM PL IN MICHIGAN:  One of my dreams is to never have to discuss why "We need to take back our Country" is such a vile racist attitude.====JACK:  One of the things that teachers say to children, in the learning process, is:  "If at first you don't succeed, try, try again."  Not all dreams are realized the first time. ====PL:  Some dreams make take more then a few generations.====JACK:  I talked with someone in their 50s this week who could barely remember the March on Washington.  Does that count as a generation?
====PL:  It's very interesting talking to people in their 30's and hearing them say that nothing has changed. I was listening to NPR's the Barber Shop. Then you hear someone like John Lewis say.."you need to be in my shoes."====JACK:  People younger don't know what it's like to be older, but people older can remember younger years and concepts.

 FROM WATERFORD JAN:  Compared to the other responses I just read, my response seems trite, but I stand by it as a good suggestion.  Find a copy of the "I Have a Dream" speech and read it uninterrupted in its entirety.  It deserves to be called the top speech of the 20th Century.  I'd like to suggest the dream of world peace, but that sounds like an answer from an unprepared beauty pageant contestant.====JACK:  If it's our dream, it belongs to us.  I have a journal in which I've recorded some of my craziest dreams.  Crazy or not.  They are mine.  Frank Sinatra (with Harry James) sang, "I had the craziest dream last night."

 FROM TAMPA SHIRL:  Honest people and honest government.====JACK:  Sometimes we overlook the fact that government is people.  One of today's problems is de-humanization.

 FROM CL IN MICHIGAN:  What if we were inspired to make the MLK dream come true.  How many years will it take?????====JACK:  I don't know about the "whole" dream, but I rejoice in parts of it that have come true in my lifetime.  Each generation can rejoice in dreams that have come true, and anticipate the future with hope.

 FROM DP IN MINNESOTA:  What dream might inspire us?  When the whole world hears the Commandment,  " thou shall not kill" .====JACK:  What does this mean?  As you may recall, Martin Luther wrote: "We are to fear and love God so that we do not hurt our neighbor in any way, but help him in all of his physical needs."  I think that you and I and Luther are on the same page.

 FROM BLAZING OAKS:  THAT WAS INDEED A POWERFUL SPEECH...UNFORGETABLE. A  PART OF OUR CONGREGATION IS BLACK, AND THOSE CHILDREN ALL KNOW THIS SPEECH. EVEN THO IT OCCURRED SO LONG AGO.  BILL AND I MARCHED WITH DR. KING IN CHICAGO CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT, AND ENCOUNTERED SOME UGLY REMARKS AND ACTIONS.  I FEEL WE HAVE COME A LONG WAY FROM THAT TIME, BUT STILL HAVE FAR TO GO. DISCRIMINATION MORE SUBTLE, BUT DEFINITELY EVERYWHERE, STILL.  VERY HARD TO SUCCESSFULLY MERGE DIFFERENT  CULTURES. HOPEFULLY THE YEARS WILL BRING UNDERSTANDING!====JACK:  I'll never forget philosopher John Mackay's story about how the  world is seen....from the balcony and from the street.  You saw "the dream" from the street.  My view was from the balcony.  I admire folks like you.  We both saw the same scene, only from different vantage points.

 FROM OUTHOUSE JUDY:  It's easy to dream but to act on dreams is a whole different story. ====JACK:  In school I was enamored with daydreaming.  I could have (and should have) awakened to reality, and my grades would have been better.  But, grades aren't everything!  :