Jack’s Winning Words 5/19/17
“They can destroy our houses, our things, but not our souls,”  (Huda Khudhur)  Huda is an Iraqi woman, writing of the war in her homeland.  A friend of mine from Iraq tell a similar story.  Relatives have died, his church has been bombed.  “I can’t take my children back to show them where I grew up.”  His refugee cousins tell of terrible suffering and hardship and how glad they are to be in America.  We Americans need to count our blessings…one by one.     ;-)  Jack  

FROM SHALOM JAN:  Reminds me of "A Mighty Fortress" verse 4 . . ."Were they to take our house, goods, honor, child, or spouse, though life be wrenched away, they cannot win the day.  The kingdom's ours forever."====JACK:  "Wrenched" is a demonstrative word.  It's also seems to be an example of onomatopoeia.

FROM GUSTIE MARLYS:  That is for sure!====JACK:  We take so many things for granted in our country and in our personal lives.====MARLYS:  Ain’t that the truth!  I was complaining about my TV because a Comcast tech has been at my house at least once a week for 2 months.  My friend laughed and said “boy—what a 1st World problem!”  And it sure is.  By the way—we just packed over 1 million meals for Feed My Starving Children at our church.  It is such a fun thing to do and it helps so many people out.====JACK:  Sometimes we focus so much on things beyond our control that we overlook the day to day good things that are happening in our own backyard...like the things your church is doing.

FROM QUILTING CAROL:  This speaks volumes for people in our local community of Chetek, WI who suffered a lot of destruction from the tornado that ripped through a trailer park and other homes/businesses in the same area.  One person lost his life and a few others have varying injuries.  Those that survived it are thankful they are alive.  I drove home in the storm on a major highway; had I taken the other route home I would have been right in the path of the tornado.  Yes, I’m thankful too!  My kids asked me why I just didn’t stay in Chetek.  Good question, but like all away from their home in a pending storm is to get home to safety. I ended up hiding under a bridge overpass (yes, I know you aren’t supposed to do that) with about 40 others – pick-ups, cars and a couple semis until the worse of the rain and hail passed. I was glad to have company under that bridge!  I feel for foreign countries constantly being besieged by war; can’t even begin to imagine the pain of that!  Wish we could all learn to live in peace with one another!!!====JACK:  Chetek really is in your backyard.  As I recall, your area of Wisconsin seems to have an inordinate number of tornadoes.  Do you have a "safe place" in your home?

FROM ST PAUL IN ST PAUL:  in some parts of the world today,  Christians are definitely under attack.   i also think of Luther's great hymn,  Were they to take our house,  goods, honor, child or spouse,  tho life be wrenched away.  they cannot win the day.   the Kingdom is our forever... ====JACK:  We have no idea....  Read again those words that Luther wrote.

FROM TARMART REV:  Slow in responding lately as my wife and I hit a deer last Monday night at 10p, traveling 65 mph . . . airbags exploded, smashing my nose and pushing my glasses into my forehead and around my right eye socket . . . bruising and soreness, but no broken bones . . . looks like car will be totaled, not so much as for the outside damage, but the airbag damages.====JACK:  Life is tenuous.  We think that we're in control, but accidents (and war) show that we are not.  There's a hymn:  "Our times are in Thy hand;    O God, we wish them there;
Our lives, our souls, our all, we leave    Entirely to Thy care."

FROM FACEBOOK LIZ:  so why would we give these folks nuclear capabilities?====JACK:  In Proverbs 30, there are these words:    18 “There are three things that are too amazing for me,
four that I do not understand:  19 the way of an eagle in the sky,  the way of a snake on a rock,
the way of a ship on the high seas,  and the way of a man with a young woman.   I might add one more...How some leaders can be so reckless in how they handle our fragile earth.

FROM A CHALDEAN:  Amen my friend.====JACK:  The key part of Huda's quote:  ...but not our souls!

FROM OUTHOUSE JUDY:  Andy played on a Chaldean soccer team in high school.  His coach was one of the top coaches in Iran but he and his two sons fled a few years before.  He made sure all three of them spoke American English before leaving Iran.  They would not speak if their family members left behind except to say many had been killed.  They were killed because they were Christian.
  It reminds of one of the most striking verses from a hymn:  in "A Mighty Fortress"..."If they take our house, Goods, fame, child, or spouse, Wrench our life away, They cannot win the day, The Kingdom's ours forever!"====JACK:  The value of diversity works both ways.  And...you are the 3rd person today who's referred to that verse from Luther's hymn.  Oppression is nothing new.