Jack’s Winning Words 7/26/17
“Everything has beauty, but not everyone sees it.”  (Confucious)   It’s said that, ”beauty is in the eye of the beholder.”  Mary showed our newborn son to someone and he said, “Aren’t babies homely?”  Some people think that pigs are homely, but one of my favorites on the TV show, Green Acres, was Arnold, the pig.  He was cute…and smart.  The song goes, “All thing bright and beautiful, the Lord God made them all.”  God is the ultimate beauty judge.    ;-)  Jack

FROM TARMART REV:  "With the acceptance of God's love for each of us . . . the weariest and most hardened heart can come alive and flourish with a beauty and grace found beyond any measure!!"====JACK:  Yesterday I gave some money to a woman standing at an intersection with a sign saying that she needed food for her children.  Was that Jesus in disguise?====REV:  . . . the one giving or receiving?!====JACK:  From Matthew 6...the words of Jesus: "So when you give to the needy, do not sound a trumpet before you...  When you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret."====REV:  ...some times though, we are the ones that leave that needy person pondering if we were "Jesus" with skin on. I still am reminded of the lady passing by me at Target some years ago saying, "You remind me of Jesus sitting there." (That was, of course, the last day I ever wore the robe, sandals and prayer shawl out in public.)  0;-))

FROM HONEST JOHN:  Maybe, I am cute.....who knows?====JACK:  If you are mage in the image of God, does that mean that God is cute?====JOHN:  Who would have thought it?====JACK:  Do you remember when Sallman's "Head of Christ" was really popular?  As I recall, it was called, "Beautiful Savior."  What do you think about when you sing the hymn, Beautiful Savior? ====JOHN:  I think of the St Olaf choir .====JACK:  Yes!  I think that they end every concert with it.

FROM DR J IN OHIO:  Poor David!  I liked the pig on green acres too..====JACK:  As I recall, there were some episodes depicting Arnold going to school.  Did you ever have any Arnolds in class when you were teaching?====J:  yes… I did have some Arnolds… no pig however!

FROM KG IN MICHIGAN:  I loved the books by James Herriot - All Creatures Great and Small, All Things Bright and Beautiful, All Things Wise and Wonderful, The Lord God Made Them All, and Every Living Thing. He wrote additional books after the series of five and I believe there was a PBS series about him too.====JACK:  Both Mary and I enjoyed reading those books.  In fact, they're worth reading again.====KG:  I have recently re-read the first one and probably enjoyed it more.  I should start reading the rest of them.  One of the ladies Ron works with named her son after James brother, Tristin.

FROM OUTHOUSE JUDY:  Isn't it something when people call babies names?  Physically, Kimberly wasn't the most pretty baby but she was beautiful to us.  And that little comment stayed with you all this time!  That's why we must think before we throw out a casual comment.  "God doesn't make junk" was a popular comment and I believe it!  The platypus and the anteater are questionable.====JACK:  At the time, Mary didn't like the comment, but through the years we've gotten lots of laughs, remembering it.  BTW, I think the platypus and the anteater think that their babies are cute.====JUDY:  Those moments are always funny afterward!  You have to laugh.  Someone told me to put Kimberly back in because she wasn't done yet!  I still smile at that one.  Someone else said she looked like a wet rat!  I tease her to this day.     I'm sure those animals love their little ones too.  They are very unique...in a good way!

FROM SHALOM JAN:  Interestingly, I've found that most of the homely babies I've seen turn out to be handsome adults.  I am so impressed with how beautiful our children are today.  They have all the advantages of good health care, good nutrition, opportunities for physical exercise in safe environments, etc.  Still, the loveliest of children and adults are those whose spirits are touched by the Spirit. ====JACK:  I thought that it was unusual phat the first baby I baptized was named, Rocky.  It was sort of like baptizing Peter, the Rock.

FROM BLAZING OAKS:   The books of Dr. Herriott (sp?) were great reading and sometimes so funny!! We sometimes read them aloud  to family or each other...Do you remember our Science teacher at MHS who tried to tell (and show) us how beautiful rattlesnakes were? In the eye of the beholder...!  Usually  in our society the Pretty and Handsome get preferential treatment, but eventually people learn to look "inside" to judge worth.  Good WW to ponder today!====JACK:  Yes, those were "read aloud" books.  I'd say to Mary: "Hey! listen to this."