Jack’s Winning Words 5/2/16
“Every day, I feel, is a blessing from God.  I consider it a new beginning.  Yeah, everything is beautiful.”  (Prince)  When someone like Prince dies, there’s often interest in that person’s religious beliefs.  He was raised 7th Day Adventist and later became a Jehovah’s Witness (the door-to-door people).  His religion lately was a mixed-bag.  Today’s quote is intriguing, in that it seems to foretell a new life when the old one dies.  Could this be his view of Heaven?    ;-)  Jack
 
FROM MS IN MICHIGAN:  Pastor started her sermon yesterday with Prince's words: Dearly beloved: we are gathered here today to get through this thing called life...====JACK:  Our pastor's sermon dealt with a similar issue..."How to deal with life's demons."====MS:  I like the idea of a new beginning every day...====JACK:  I once knew a pastor who had a daily radio program.  He would begin each broadcast by enthusiastically saying, "Up, up and away.  This is God's day!  Are you going God's way?"

FROM FACEBOOK LIZ:  it is interesting that no one has said a negative word about prince's religious beliefs. encouraging, as so many make fun of the "guy in the sky" these days. i hope this is indicative of a growing acceptance of belief in a higher power.====JACK:  "Saying nothing" can be taken in a couple of ways...1) There's nothing negative to say.  2) It's irrelevant.  But, I do sense a general movement toward "spirituality," which does not necessarily equate to movement toward a particular religious group.====LIZ:  spirituality is a good thing, whether or not a person identifies w/a particular religion. i think we are all "programmed" to be spiritual. some just don't recognize it or acknowledge it.====JACK:  Inspired is a word that means, "spirit-in" us

FROM HONEST JOHN:  I think for many of us as we get old our religion becomes a "mixed bag"====JACK:  I guess that evolution doesn't just happen physically.  My religion became a mixed bag when I began to study philosophy.  Ome of the first things I learned was that "You can't put God into a box."====HJ:  I grew up as a Presbyterian/Methodist....went later to a Lutheran Church and then to a Lutheran College...learned there from debate that there are no unassailable positions and in my career was always more active in ecumenical organizations than in my own denomination.....  ====JACK:  Most of are what we were (in the home) religiously.  Time and circumstances, along with free-will, mold us into who (and what) we are.====HJ:  BTW...today we remember Athanasius....his Niceness Creed was written to drive folks out if the church.    I prefer the Apostle's Creed which developed as a baptismal creed to bring people into the church.====JACK:  Once in a while it would be good to follow the "saying" of the Apostles' Creed with Luther's Small Catechism's, "What does this mean?"

FROM ST PAUL IN ST PAUL:  also it was a sad life in some ways.  (i spent 2 hours inside Paisley Park some years ago when good friend Marty Haugen was renting out a room there to make a recording.  later Prince stopped renting it out to anyone because he would sometimes call for a recording session at 3 in the morning with all other musicians. expected to be present on a moment's notice!)   i will tell you more about the building sometime.  i.e.  if the fire alarmed sounded,  you had 90 seconds to exit the building and then all the oxygen was sucked out of the building in seconds.  this was his fire suppression system instead of water sprinklers which would have ruined all this recording equipment, costumes, instruments.  etc.   btw,  there is a woman at our church, Martha Preus,  who used to sew some of his costumes.  she was well paid and said to me one day, "he has a funny little body".  here is one more sad fact.  since 1971, some 96 rock stars in America have died of drug overdoses.    we think of Elvis, Michael Jackson,  Amy Winehouse,  Jimi Hendrix, Prince, etc.  but there are dozens of lesser known "stars" who also bit the dust.   google it for more info.  have a good day.====JACK:  Lots of fame and lots of money ain't all it's cracked up to be.====SP:  that is a for sure!

FROM TARMART REV:  A seemingly mixed bag of emotions and beliefs . . .it was a well documented adventure coming to an end here on earth in deed.====JACK:  Each life is an adventure, documented, or not.  Many cemeteries have a Potter's Field, where "undocumented" people are often buried.  However their names, along with yours and mine are written in the Book of Life.

FROM GUSTIE MARLYS:  I’m sorry, but all this attention to a pop star bothers me.  We have heroes dying every day and they don’t even get a blurb in the paper.  By heroes I mean service men and women, firemen and women, ordinary people who do more for the common folk than these pop stars ever did.  I think one night in the news would have been just fine—but this is going on for weeks.  We may even make the “State Color” Purple!  Puleeeze!====JACK:  You Minnesotans seem to have lots of pop stars...Prince, Gov Jesse "The Body" Ventura, Michele Bachmann. Al Franken.  But, you're right, a lot of decent people are overlooked in this world....however, not by God...and that's what's important, after all.====MARLYS:  That is right for sure.  And we are very fortunate for that.
Keith’s youngest was confirmed yesterday.  A very nice service.  There were 60 in the class so of course we had 2 services.  They sure don’t do it the way we did back in the day!  Ha!  I put a copy of Clifford’s column from the 1955 Lutheran Companion written after Rolf’s confirmation into her book.  The church gives them a loose leaf book that we can all add to.  I had a copy of my confirmation picture, Clem’s, and my Dad’s as well as a letter to add to Kaja’s.  Also a Max Lucado book—God thinks you are Wonderful.  I give a copy of that to all confirmands that I mentor.  I love it.

FROM OUTHOUSE JUDY:  These stars have so much talent but a lot of times it's not enough.  These stars seem to be falling at a starting fast pace.  I'm sure God knows what they believe and where they end up.====JACK:  Mary and I are Godparents for our niece, Jennifer Knight.  She sings with a group at Saddleback Church in California.  She's a pop singer.  You can watch her on YouTube at she sings her "hit," Twinkle and Shine.