Jack’s Winning Words 5/13/14
“What value should be put on the hands of artists, of doctors and nurses, of athletes, of writers…on hands that beg for alms?”  (Dom Helder Camara – edited)  Archbishop Camara was an advocate for the poor of Brazil, like Pope Francis was when he lived in Argentina.  Read today’s quote…again!  At first glance it seems as though some hands are more valuable than others.  When it comes to people, who’s the judge?  ;-)  Jack

FROM HONEST JOHN:  The whole bankruptcy process in Detroit has been dealing with this question.   So far, it appears that the hands of attorneys collect the "Lion's Share."====JACK:  Lawyers usually get a bad rap...unless you're depending upon one to help you beat a rap.  Some of my best friends are attorneys.

FROM TARMART REV:  Good thought to ponder today, even to the encouragement of reaching out and shaking a few more today . . . I can recall seeing some hands over my present lifetime with only one finger attached doing wonders beyond my previous comprehension.====JACK:  Yesterday I saw a video of someone, without arms, playing ping pong.  He held the paddle in his mouth and tossed the ball up for serving with his foot...and he was good, too.

FROM RI IN BOSTON:  Artists, doctors, nurses, athletes, and writers don't often need anything from us.  They're rewarded for their work.  It's different for those who aren't fortunate enough to have a job to work at.  Regarding those who beg, who knows what set of circumstances caused them to be so down-and-out?  There's a lot of begging at the busy street intersections in Boston...vets, disabled, jobless, and probably some alcoholics...and my attitude is if they are willing to stand there in the public eye begging all day, to survive another day, I can afford to extend a buck when they pass my car window.====JACK:  Regarding beggars on the street...Some Christians wear a bracelet with the letters WWJD on it...and pass by.====RI:  That incident of the man being lowered from the roof is touching.  I remember the illustration in my Bible history book when I was in grade school, showing the man being lowered to Jesus by ropes on a pallet.  It was impressive and I'm sure the crowd was awestruck.  Crowds can be a positive force, like the enthusiasm and support that thrives at sports events, but Bostonians know from recent events that it only takes a couple of evil individuals to wreak great suffering.  Fortunately, in the case of the Marathon the terrorists didn't get away. ====JACK:  The poem, "Far From The Madding Crowd" by Nixon Waterman, seems to relate...
It seems to me I'd like to go
 Where bells don't ring, nor whistles blow,
 Nor clocks don't strike, nor gongs sound,
 And I'd have stillness all around.
 Not real stillness, but just the trees,
 Low whispering, or the hum of bees,
 Or brooks faint babbling over stones,
 In strangely, softly tangled tones.
 Or maybe a cricket or katydid,
 Or the songs of birds in the hedges hid,
 Or just some such sweet sound as these,
 To fill a tired heart with ease.
 It 'tweren't for sight and sound and smell,
 I'd like the city pretty well,
 But when it comes to getting rest,
 I like the country lots the best.
 Sometimes it seems to me I must
 Just quit the city's din and dust,
 And get out where the sky is blue,
 And say, now, how does it seem to you?

FROM CORNHUSKER DON:  Thanks for the word today -- from one of my favorites.  btw, you can add...And the penal system?====JACK:  You were the one who led me to get the book, "A Thousand Reasons for Living," by Dm Helder Camara.  I have a nephew who teaches the building trades to prisoners, so that that can have a skill when they are released.

 FROM FACEBOOK LIZ:  every job is important in the scheme of things. but those who invest time, education &/or money in their careers deserve to receive more for their labors.====JACK:  Jesus, in the Parable of the Talents, indicates that laborers are given different talents, but are responsible for showing a return to the master for what they have been given.  For those who have given much, much shall be required.

FROM BLAZING OAKS:  "We connect with God in our humanity...This is almost all I ever need to remember. Gravity and sadness yank us down, and hope gives us a nudge to help one another get back up, or to sit with the fallen on the ground." (Anne Lamott from her book STITCHES:A handbook on Meaning, Hope, and Repair.)    We hope we can be the someone who makes someone else look forward to tomorrow! We know God loves us all unconditionally!====JACK:  Just like with the sermons we preach/hear...The words are the easy part.  Putting them into action is something else.

FROM GENE BEE:  Thanks so much for your daily pithy sermonettes - Very inspiring.  Where in the world do you get all those choice tipbits, Jack?====JACK:  Jack's Winning Words is the result of lots of reading and clipping.  I probably discard five times more than I use.  I've always been fascinated with pithy statements.

FROM HUNGRY HOWIE:  Depends. If you can hit  a big league curve ball your hands seem to be worth millions. And teachers not so much. So you are right. Our system has some fundamental work/ reward problems.  Can you say overpaid executives who are paid millions even when their companies lose money ====JACK:  Some hands may be more valuable than others in this world's system of values, but with G-d, it's another story.

FROM SBP IN FLORIDA:  I think that the "hands" that God distributed are gifts to us as well as obligations. I, for one, am thankful for the "hands" that produce music, art works, medicine, athletics.....as well as the "hands" seeking alms. Those "hands" allow me/us to follow the Lord's admonition to help those in need.====JACK:  I like this poem by Annie Johnson Flint...
God has no hands but our hands to do his work today;
 God has no feet but our feet to lead others in his way;
 God has no voice but our voice to tell others how he died;
 And, God has no help but our help to lead them to his side.