Jack’s Winning Words 3/27/17
“Of the five most important things in life, health is first, knowledge is second, and wealth is third.  I forget the other two.”  (Chuck Berry)  I checked out some lists of things that people consider most important in life.  As expected, it depends on the person.  Some, agreed with C.B., and had Health as #1.  Others named, Friends, Family, Faith in God, Love.  What’s your #1?  In a way, life is like a machine.  There’s no #1.   When things work together, life is good.    ;-)  Jack

FROM HONEST JOHN:  I like your final two sentences.====JACK:  I'm turned off by fans screaming, "We're number one, we're number one."====JOHN:  And usually, they are really only No. 536... They are simply better than the other woeful team they just beat!====JACK:  I take it that you don't have one of those "WE'RE #1" foam rubber hands with the index finger sticking up 

FROM HAWKEYE GEORGE:  Faith in Jesus Christ is most important to me.====JACK:  I like Joshua's words to the people: "Choose this day who you will serve....As for me and my household, we will serve the Lord."  You and Joshua are on the same page.

FROM SHALOM JAN:  I believe most people put health first or second, yet some of our best hymn-writers, who wrote to encourage faith inside of themselves as well as inside others, would have put faith first, even though they had all sorts of physical health problems.  They are a blessing to me in my darkest days!  Thanks for the thought-provoking words, Jack!====JACK:  I've often thought that it would be good to give a brief background of some of the hymns before we sing them in church.  We often take them for granted.====SJ:  I have actually used hymn backgrounds for "sermons" on Hymn Days, usually one Sunday a month in the summertime.  I collect people's favorites/suggestions, do the research, tell the story of the hymn and then we sing the hymn, or several verses.  Usually I do three songs as the message for the day.  It is a lot of fun.  The Swedish woman in my last congregation was thrilled to have the whole congregation know that "How Great Thou Art" is Swedish.  She even taught the first verse in her native language to the choir for Hymn Day.

FROM DAIRYLAND DONNA:  Love. Always love.====JACK:  I like the Burt Bacharach version of "What the world needs now is love.====DONNA:  Love that song!  How about the Beatles "All You Need is Love"====JACK:  That's one of my favorites, too.

FROM KANSAN DON:  Not the Jayhawks today.====JACK:  After March Madness is over, the losing teams will say..."Wait til next year."

FROM BB IN ILLINOIS:  Knowledge and wealth don’t hit the top 5 for me.  Integrity?  Contentment? Peace? Faith?====JACK:  As the old saying goes..."We are who we were."  I think that goes for Chuck Berry and explains, in part, his choices.  His was not an easy life.

FROM WATERFORD ANNE:  One is most peaceful when God is first.====JACK:  The greatest of the Commandments is the first...

FROM ST PAUL IN MESA:  the gods of this world are power, pleasure, profit, prestige, and popularity...====JACK:  Don't forget priggishness.