Jack’s Winning Words 2/5/15
“Never do a wrong thing to make a friend…or to keep one.”  (R.E. Lee)  The choices before us in this world are not always the easy black or white.  It’s the gray area that presents the most problems.  A college course in “ethics” was a help to me--exploring how best to live in a world of good and evil, right and wrong.  Luther’s explanation of the 10 Commandments gave me new insights.  “It depends on the situation” was another.  Who taught you how to choose?    ;-)  Jack

FROM EDUCATOR PAUL:  I believe in listening and being very sensitive to "your inner being." Some people describe the feeling as "listening to your gut." It's not a bad idea. If I'm making a decision or involved in an activity and that "gut" feeling arises...I slow down, curb impulsiveness, start really thinking carefully. If that feeling doesn't go way, that's usually the sign for me to not go forward.  BTW...this whole process can last for days..weeks or...less than a minute!  It takes practice and very deep understanding of yourself so that you can distinguish between fear, anxiety, apprehension, immediate gratification, etc.====JACK:  Take a look.  You'll see that people have different guts.  You'll notice that most guts change with age...physically and mentally.====PAUL  and..thank goodness our guts change with age and experience..how else would we gain in perspective and knowledge?  It doesn’t come free,  Just getting older is not the main variable as we all know. ====JACK:  What's in the gut is something like what's in the wine bottle...some of it mellows and improves with age.  Some of it just turns sour...depending on how it's bottled.

FROM HONEST JOHN:  Do you think Amos was a relativist in Ethics?====JACK:  We each relate to the situation we find ourselves in.  Amos said and did what he thought he needed to do.  He's one of my Bible favorites.  It took courage for him to look at those people and to say honestly and prophetically, "You fat cows of Bashan."====JOHN:  Good job of avoiding the question....little wonder that you ended up as a minister and not a debate coach!!!====JACK:  I will take that as a compliment.

FROM ANON:  Very interesting.  I am at the Chiefs' conference in Grand Rapids this week and one of the presenters yesterday spoke about how we really do not teach our children, some of whom eventually become our police officers, how to make decisions, to choose wisely and correctly among a variety of often competing issues and concerns.  Did I miss seeing you in the back of the conference room?====JACK:  In this world of good and evil, it's important to have good police officers to protect us from the evil.  It's also important to realize that officers don't just drop out of the sky; they come from home and life situations, just like we do.

FROM OUTHOUSE JUDY:  We had strong parents and grandparents along with Sunday school teachers.  They taught us right from wrong and helped us to learn to love our friends and neighbors.  We made some wrong choices but our morals were set.====JACK:  That's sort of like the 10 Commandments...We follow them...not always.  But they continue to be our guide to determine what is right and wrong.

FROM TARMART REV:  Family, Church, Friends (both for the good experiences and the unfortunate ones.====JACK:  Paul writes in Romans, "There is no one righteous, no not one."  That goes for friends and family and church, too!.  We are all sinners, in need of God's grace.

FROM BLAZING OAKS:  Eleanor Roosevelt said, "Do what you feel in your heart to be right---for you'll be criticized anyway".. ...We do the best we can, under the situation's circumstances. Hindsight is 100%!  Just  read a delightful book, "Don't Bicycle In the House Without a Helmut! by Melissa Greene Samuel, and her discovery of  cultural morals, having adopted children from Ethiopia (4) and Bulgaria, as well as raising their 4 biological Jewish children.  Very Interesting insights, and both humorous and profound. "Do Unto Others, as you would have others do unto you" is still a great yardstick! Judgment with compassion, always.====JACK:  21 of the world's religion have some version of the Golden Rule in their teachings.  I suppose you know that Penney's was originally called, the Golden Rule store, and J.C. Penney demanded that all employees follow the Golden Rule when waiting on customers.  Even the store sign had a yellow background, like a golden ruler, with J.C.Penney Company on it.