Jack’s Winning Words 8/31/18
“Oh, give us the man who sings at his work.” (Thomas Carlyle) Who still believes that Labor Day is a day to honor our country’s workers? It’s the year’s last 3-day weekend. Times have changed. Studs Terkel captured the spirit of the laborer in his book, Working. Studs has put together a collection of his interviews with working-class people. It’s worth a read or re-read. Laborers in the 1930s were called, working stiffs, because they’d be so tired and stiff from their work. I like TV’s Dirty Jobs which gives a glimpse of some of today’s working stiffs. ;-) Jack
FROM EDUCATOR PAUL: There is so much content in what you wrote today, Jack! Next door to me, people are building s new deck. It’s constructed of stone and bricks. The skilled workers laying down the bricks snd preparing the ground are Mexican. I watched them work for the past three days. I have never seen people working harder and with such skill! The neighbor across the yard is s construction manager. He, like other people I know in the field, tells me that there is so much work that he has stopped accepting new jobs. Why? He said he can’t find skilled workers. He looked across the yard at people working and said to me that he could use every Mexican or any other worker with those skills and work ethic. “What is our country doing putting road blocks preventing these skilled hard working people coming and staying g here?” In this Labor Day holiday, we should try to understand that skilled hardworking people are what this country needs irregardless of where they were born and how they got here! Perhaps on another occasion we could address people trying to come into our country who are “unskilled” but just want to escape horrendously dangerous situations to themselves and their children.===JACK: Not all immigrants are terrorists, but an agenda built on xenophobia is keeping America from being great again. Our country was built, in large part, by working stiff immigrants like your forefathers and mine.
FROM HAWKEYE GEORGE: Going to watch my g'son play soccer for Drake today in Des Moines. Hope it doesn't rain.===JACK: Oh, what fun to relive our past as it is played out by our progeny. This week I watched my son play hardball in an Over-50 League. At his age I was winding up my geezer slo-pitch softball career.
FROM BLAZING OAKS: Which would probably mean he enjoys his job ? The unskilled jobs are where the market is in this era. Or skilled jobs such as plumbers, electricians food and grocery positions, bakers, etc.Computers, There is work for those who are willing to get their hands and overalls dirty! These working stiffs used to be the heart of America: I don't know how many sang as they worked, however!!===JACK: In the factory office where I worked while also going to college ans seminary there was a guy who would always whistle while he worked. He knew the latest songs and whistled quietly and beautifully. He whistled "Nola" just like Elmo Tanner.
.1938 Ted Weems - Nola (Elmo Tanner whistling) - YouTube
Just my thoughts on this upcoming Labor Day.
Friday, August 31, 2018
Thursday, August 30, 2018
Jack’s Winning Words 8/30/18
“The least I can do is speak for those who cannot speak for themselves.” (Jane Goodall) It’s not only the chimpanzees who need an advocate. There’s a “silent minority” in our country who don’t have access to the “perks” of the privileged. MLK spoke up for the garbage collectors. I knew a man who cut toenails for the indigent in a Chicago hospital. Who’s the “Jane” who will say that we need better education for all children and better health care for all people? ;-) Jack
FROM BLAZING OAKS: As Marshall Field once said, "Goodwill is the only asset that competition cannot undersell or destroy." There will always be' someone who speaks for those who have no voice, and do for those who cannot do for themselves, and they are heroes to those who know them! (Like your friend, who cut toenails!) My husband was often involved in some dirty or distasteful jobs, for those who could not afford work done. Our church had a registry of skilled workers in many fields, who could be called upon to help when needed, and many mentored young men who had been in trouble with the law, to learn a trade such as plumber,or electrician, or construction worker to earn a decent living. Bill's years growing up working in Oaks & Sons construction (his dad's business) gave him lots of know-how! In the ministry, no talent goes unused! :-)
FROM THE SHARK: I always do Jack, always.===JACK: The world needs more people with opinions/actions like that.
FROM OUTHOUSE JUDY: Everyone! We all have access to our lawmakers and policy makers.... our politicians! All of their names are easy to find and easy to access! Speak up! Write letters! Call and be heard! Most of all VOTE! ===JACK: Have you ever known or talked to one of your candidates personally?
“The least I can do is speak for those who cannot speak for themselves.” (Jane Goodall) It’s not only the chimpanzees who need an advocate. There’s a “silent minority” in our country who don’t have access to the “perks” of the privileged. MLK spoke up for the garbage collectors. I knew a man who cut toenails for the indigent in a Chicago hospital. Who’s the “Jane” who will say that we need better education for all children and better health care for all people? ;-) Jack
FROM BLAZING OAKS: As Marshall Field once said, "Goodwill is the only asset that competition cannot undersell or destroy." There will always be' someone who speaks for those who have no voice, and do for those who cannot do for themselves, and they are heroes to those who know them! (Like your friend, who cut toenails!) My husband was often involved in some dirty or distasteful jobs, for those who could not afford work done. Our church had a registry of skilled workers in many fields, who could be called upon to help when needed, and many mentored young men who had been in trouble with the law, to learn a trade such as plumber,or electrician, or construction worker to earn a decent living. Bill's years growing up working in Oaks & Sons construction (his dad's business) gave him lots of know-how! In the ministry, no talent goes unused! :-)
FROM THE SHARK: I always do Jack, always.===JACK: The world needs more people with opinions/actions like that.
FROM OUTHOUSE JUDY: Everyone! We all have access to our lawmakers and policy makers.... our politicians! All of their names are easy to find and easy to access! Speak up! Write letters! Call and be heard! Most of all VOTE! ===JACK: Have you ever known or talked to one of your candidates personally?
Wednesday, August 29, 2018
Jack’s Winning Words 8/29/18
"The beginning of compunction is the beginning of a new life.” (George Eliot) I’ll never forget the teacher who said, “You can do better, Jack.” I felt compunction. I could do better. Most of us know that there are things that we can do better in this life—a better parent, a better boss/employee, better language, and like me, a better student. The old song put it this way: “You can be better than you are.” Make the attempt…and it can be the start of a new life. ;-) Jack
FROM HONEST JOHN: "Or would you rather swing on a star and carry moonbeams home in a jar?" Wasn't that Bing Crosby and the Andrews Sisters?===JACK: The song was in the movie, Going My Way, in which Bing was a priest at Boys Town. I like this verse..."And all the monkeys aren't in a zoo Every day you meet quite a few So you see it's all up to you You can be better than you are You could be swinging on a star."
FROM TAMPA SHIRL: Always do your best, God will do the rest!===JACK: Is that what you told your children?
FROM PROUD MARY: In my eyes you are “swinging from a star”. Thanks for the song of the day! ===JACK: Did you ever teach that song to pre-schoolers?===MARY: Yes, I did. They love the classic oldies ❤️===JACK: How do you like your Tina Turner moniker?===MARY: well...it’s a lot to live up to but i'll do my best. don't want to end up with that feeling of compunction...although that feeling has helped me many times to turn-about and do the right thing!
FROM ANNE McC: "You could be swinging from a star". Rarely here or read compunction anymore.===JACK: I purposely used the word, compunction, to stir up the brains of my readers.
FROM OUTHOUSE JUDY: That’s the 100 million dollar question!! It has been the same question since mankind was dropped on this planet! When will we understand each other?===JACK: There used to be a radio quiz show where the top prize was 64 silver dollars. To win the prize you had to answer a tough question. "That's the 64 dollar question" became a phrase to describe what you called "the 100 million dollar question." Times change.
FROM BLAZING OAKS: COMPUNCTION- now that's a word you don't hear every day! But it's a good one. Jan's 4 girls used to sing "Swinging on a Star" in their Mother's Day program...each girl would sing a verse, and all would harmonize on the chorus. Precious Memories, and a great song! Good movie, as well! I once had a student who came into my classroom with a history of D's and F's on his report card, but I discovered he had a very good mind...in fact his hobby was creating intricate ships inside a bottle! Real works of art! I told him that he was going to shine in H.S. when his studies caught up with his mind. The next year as a Freshman, he came back over to my room, and threw his report card on my desk: All A's, except a B in P.E.!:-) He went on to become a well known
Engineer in our Area. Maybe he found compunction?? We all need to, at some point.===JACK: You exemplified the "good" teacher...like Mr Eckblad, my chemistry instructor. Did you ever have him in high school?
.
"The beginning of compunction is the beginning of a new life.” (George Eliot) I’ll never forget the teacher who said, “You can do better, Jack.” I felt compunction. I could do better. Most of us know that there are things that we can do better in this life—a better parent, a better boss/employee, better language, and like me, a better student. The old song put it this way: “You can be better than you are.” Make the attempt…and it can be the start of a new life. ;-) Jack
FROM HONEST JOHN: "Or would you rather swing on a star and carry moonbeams home in a jar?" Wasn't that Bing Crosby and the Andrews Sisters?===JACK: The song was in the movie, Going My Way, in which Bing was a priest at Boys Town. I like this verse..."And all the monkeys aren't in a zoo Every day you meet quite a few So you see it's all up to you You can be better than you are You could be swinging on a star."
FROM TAMPA SHIRL: Always do your best, God will do the rest!===JACK: Is that what you told your children?
FROM PROUD MARY: In my eyes you are “swinging from a star”. Thanks for the song of the day! ===JACK: Did you ever teach that song to pre-schoolers?===MARY: Yes, I did. They love the classic oldies ❤️===JACK: How do you like your Tina Turner moniker?===MARY: well...it’s a lot to live up to but i'll do my best. don't want to end up with that feeling of compunction...although that feeling has helped me many times to turn-about and do the right thing!
FROM ANNE McC: "You could be swinging from a star". Rarely here or read compunction anymore.===JACK: I purposely used the word, compunction, to stir up the brains of my readers.
FROM OUTHOUSE JUDY: That’s the 100 million dollar question!! It has been the same question since mankind was dropped on this planet! When will we understand each other?===JACK: There used to be a radio quiz show where the top prize was 64 silver dollars. To win the prize you had to answer a tough question. "That's the 64 dollar question" became a phrase to describe what you called "the 100 million dollar question." Times change.
FROM BLAZING OAKS: COMPUNCTION- now that's a word you don't hear every day! But it's a good one. Jan's 4 girls used to sing "Swinging on a Star" in their Mother's Day program...each girl would sing a verse, and all would harmonize on the chorus. Precious Memories, and a great song! Good movie, as well! I once had a student who came into my classroom with a history of D's and F's on his report card, but I discovered he had a very good mind...in fact his hobby was creating intricate ships inside a bottle! Real works of art! I told him that he was going to shine in H.S. when his studies caught up with his mind. The next year as a Freshman, he came back over to my room, and threw his report card on my desk: All A's, except a B in P.E.!:-) He went on to become a well known
Engineer in our Area. Maybe he found compunction?? We all need to, at some point.===JACK: You exemplified the "good" teacher...like Mr Eckblad, my chemistry instructor. Did you ever have him in high school?
.
Tuesday, August 28, 2018
Jack’s Winning Words 8/28/18
“There would be no society if living together depended upon understanding each other.” (Eric Hoffer) A Wall Street Journal article described in detail how social philosopher Eric Hoffer predicted the current political situation 70 years ago. The rich don’t understand the poor, and vice versa. And, isn’t it true? Not only is there a non-understanding, there’s unwillingness to understand. Hoffer lived both sides, poor and rich. He understood. When will we? ;-) Jack
FROM WALMART REV: Hopefully tomorrow, for we sure are missing it today! Yesterday looked much better than today, but if my memory serves me correctly we were describing the same back then too. One might believe we are living in a broken and depraved world ===JACK: I was reading an article recently..."What if tomorrow never comes?" But, our faith tells us that our tomorrows are in God's hands. As long as that's the case, I am hopeful for tomorrow.
FROM ST PAUL IN ST PAUL: don't hold your breath, Jack. but pray for unity in the church, schools, offices, and neighborhoods of America. there is some, if you take time to look for it but i admit, it does seem less prevalent than years gone by.===JACK: I'm waiting and hoping for "understanding" and a willingness to seek to understand. There will be no unity without understanding. The past wasn't always that rosey, either. Each era has its challenges.
FROM JACK: (I read this today in an article by Greg Jaffe and Jenna Johnson) Over the past few decades, Americans have fled to the political poles, leaving fewer in the once vibrant and decisive middle. Increasingly, those partisan voters are being driven more by fear and loathing for the opposition party than admiration for their own party’s leaders — a phenomenon that political consultants call “negative partisanship.” Today partisanship has a “stronger influence” on voters’ behavior that at any time since the 1950s, Alan Abramowitz and Steven Webster, two Emory University political scientists, wrote recently. One result: Any act of compromise with the enemy — or opposition party — is greeted with anger and derision. “Dislike of the opposing party, its supporters and its governing elite is a powerful mechanism driving individuals to remain consistently loyal to their own party,” the two political scientists wrote. This anger is likely “to shape voting behavior well into the future,” they concluded.
FROM FACEBOOK LIZ: oversimplified to say it’s rich v poor. our god-given survival instinct makes it me v you, pretty much in any situation, unless we rise above our baser emotions... which is god’s goal for us, right?===JACK: What is it that separates you from me? What is it that separates the masses, if not "the haves" and "the have-nots?"===LIZ: people w/in the various class designations do not see eye to eye for a variety of reasons.===JACK: ...but that does not preclude them from trying to understand one another...as in a marriage, religion, politics. workplace, ethnic neighborhoods, etc.===LIZ: i guess i don’t see people as labels. “what” you are has never mattered to me. perhaps that is just how i am built, and also raised.===JACK: Whatever we call people or individuals, my point is that an ordered society needs a willingness to try and understand each other. Your response says to me..."If you want help in understanding me, here's who I am (in part)." ===LIZ: my response is: if you marginalize groups therein lies the problem. treat everyone equally, no problem. has always worked for me.
FROM SHALOM JAN: I used an old quote in my sermon a few weeks ago: "Living together is an art." (William Pickens, 1932, speech to Congregationalist gathering in Oak Park, IL) With divisions being more accessible to our knowledge (if not our understanding!) it appears Pickens was correct 86 years ago and today, as well.===JACK: I Googled, How to live together successfully and came up with these sites: 3 Secrets...5 Secrets...!0 Secrets. I guess that it's more complicated than I thought.
===JAN: I think our history -- both national and church-wide -- would teach us the same lessons! I have actually heard church members say that they wanted their church to grow (membership wise) and added, "But, I don't want any ... here!" Fill in the blank with any ethnic, racial, sexual identity group, etc. and we know how much of a struggle we're up against. We still have small congregations in the same small town here in this synod who will not join together because of age-old ethnic background differences (Swedish vs. German, for example) that led to disagreements/arguments/fights about all sorts of other (non-) issues. Your Winning Words for today also reminded a friend of mine, with whom I share WW often, to recall learning recently about the Exclusion Laws in the founding of the State of Oregon, where they not only did not want slavery, they did not want black people at all. As a history major in the early 1960s at a Lutheran college, of course, I never learned about that. It pays to keep learning about one another.===JACK: A declining church that I know of has an increasing Sunday School (of color) and is making an increasing effort to reach out to the community. However, in a sense, there is a reverse racism (a reaction to sins of the past) where "the neighborhood" feels more comfortable in their traditional places than in the reaching out mostly-white congregations. That's why I write for the need for "understanding."
FROM BLAZING OAKS: I do think we will survive these divisive and base times we're
experiencing, but it will leave its mark; Things will never be the same, sadly. We've certainly taken steps back in race relations, which will be a long recovery, and probably true of economic situation as well. Prayers abound! :-(===JACK: I think that racism was muted in our time, but seeds were kept and allowed to grow anew in the present time. Do you know of some pesticide that we might use? Classism is another weed that continues to grow.
FROM TAMPA SHIRL: When I was a social worker in Peoria for a year after college graduation, I saw many children and adults with many many problems. At the guardian angel orphanage there were 120 children but only 2 were real orphans with neither a mother or father. At the home of good shepherd for delinquent and non delinquent girls, I learned so much! We have so much to learn to make a better world and to appreciate what we have!===JACK: That experience, no doubt, helped shape you into the caring person you are, today. It's too bad that more people can't have such an experience. That's how "understanding" grows.
FROM GDJ IN WISC: I remember Hoffer. Liked him. Sorry he was so prescient. 😣===JACK: Thanks for teaching me a new word...and it's a good one, worth adding to my vocabulary. From the time he was in his teens, Eric always carried a library card with him...even on skid row.
FROM JB IN OLV: Eric Hoffer was a wise, observant man. I grew up on the east side of Detroit. It was the little Italy. When the I-94 was going to be constructed all our neighbors left and moved to East Detroit, Warren and Roseville. Our house wasn't needed for the expressway so we stayed. A large city playground on one side and the service drive on the other. By the time I graduated from High School our neighborhood was 90% black. We had no problems with our neighbors. They were for the most part families like our own. When the riots hit in '67 the business district near us was ransacked but without burning the buildings or injuries...our neighbors protected their homes just like my folks and Bill & I did my folks'. Bill was just back from Vietnam....I am grateful that I grew up in such a richly diverse area...it was an education in manhood that has held me in good stead.
===JACK: The experiences that we've had have shaped us into the persons we are today. It was also true of Eric Hoffer.
FROM OUTHOUSE JUDY: That’s the 100 million dollar question!! It has been the same question since mankind was dropped on this planet! When will we understand each other?===JACK: There used to be a radio quiz show where the top prize was 64 silver dollars. To win the prize you had to answer a tough question. "That's the 64 dollar question" became a phrase to describe what you called "the 100 million dollar question." Times change.
“There would be no society if living together depended upon understanding each other.” (Eric Hoffer) A Wall Street Journal article described in detail how social philosopher Eric Hoffer predicted the current political situation 70 years ago. The rich don’t understand the poor, and vice versa. And, isn’t it true? Not only is there a non-understanding, there’s unwillingness to understand. Hoffer lived both sides, poor and rich. He understood. When will we? ;-) Jack
FROM WALMART REV: Hopefully tomorrow, for we sure are missing it today! Yesterday looked much better than today, but if my memory serves me correctly we were describing the same back then too. One might believe we are living in a broken and depraved world ===JACK: I was reading an article recently..."What if tomorrow never comes?" But, our faith tells us that our tomorrows are in God's hands. As long as that's the case, I am hopeful for tomorrow.
FROM ST PAUL IN ST PAUL: don't hold your breath, Jack. but pray for unity in the church, schools, offices, and neighborhoods of America. there is some, if you take time to look for it but i admit, it does seem less prevalent than years gone by.===JACK: I'm waiting and hoping for "understanding" and a willingness to seek to understand. There will be no unity without understanding. The past wasn't always that rosey, either. Each era has its challenges.
FROM JACK: (I read this today in an article by Greg Jaffe and Jenna Johnson) Over the past few decades, Americans have fled to the political poles, leaving fewer in the once vibrant and decisive middle. Increasingly, those partisan voters are being driven more by fear and loathing for the opposition party than admiration for their own party’s leaders — a phenomenon that political consultants call “negative partisanship.” Today partisanship has a “stronger influence” on voters’ behavior that at any time since the 1950s, Alan Abramowitz and Steven Webster, two Emory University political scientists, wrote recently. One result: Any act of compromise with the enemy — or opposition party — is greeted with anger and derision. “Dislike of the opposing party, its supporters and its governing elite is a powerful mechanism driving individuals to remain consistently loyal to their own party,” the two political scientists wrote. This anger is likely “to shape voting behavior well into the future,” they concluded.
FROM FACEBOOK LIZ: oversimplified to say it’s rich v poor. our god-given survival instinct makes it me v you, pretty much in any situation, unless we rise above our baser emotions... which is god’s goal for us, right?===JACK: What is it that separates you from me? What is it that separates the masses, if not "the haves" and "the have-nots?"===LIZ: people w/in the various class designations do not see eye to eye for a variety of reasons.===JACK: ...but that does not preclude them from trying to understand one another...as in a marriage, religion, politics. workplace, ethnic neighborhoods, etc.===LIZ: i guess i don’t see people as labels. “what” you are has never mattered to me. perhaps that is just how i am built, and also raised.===JACK: Whatever we call people or individuals, my point is that an ordered society needs a willingness to try and understand each other. Your response says to me..."If you want help in understanding me, here's who I am (in part)." ===LIZ: my response is: if you marginalize groups therein lies the problem. treat everyone equally, no problem. has always worked for me.
FROM SHALOM JAN: I used an old quote in my sermon a few weeks ago: "Living together is an art." (William Pickens, 1932, speech to Congregationalist gathering in Oak Park, IL) With divisions being more accessible to our knowledge (if not our understanding!) it appears Pickens was correct 86 years ago and today, as well.===JACK: I Googled, How to live together successfully and came up with these sites: 3 Secrets...5 Secrets...!0 Secrets. I guess that it's more complicated than I thought.
===JAN: I think our history -- both national and church-wide -- would teach us the same lessons! I have actually heard church members say that they wanted their church to grow (membership wise) and added, "But, I don't want any ... here!" Fill in the blank with any ethnic, racial, sexual identity group, etc. and we know how much of a struggle we're up against. We still have small congregations in the same small town here in this synod who will not join together because of age-old ethnic background differences (Swedish vs. German, for example) that led to disagreements/arguments/fights about all sorts of other (non-) issues. Your Winning Words for today also reminded a friend of mine, with whom I share WW often, to recall learning recently about the Exclusion Laws in the founding of the State of Oregon, where they not only did not want slavery, they did not want black people at all. As a history major in the early 1960s at a Lutheran college, of course, I never learned about that. It pays to keep learning about one another.===JACK: A declining church that I know of has an increasing Sunday School (of color) and is making an increasing effort to reach out to the community. However, in a sense, there is a reverse racism (a reaction to sins of the past) where "the neighborhood" feels more comfortable in their traditional places than in the reaching out mostly-white congregations. That's why I write for the need for "understanding."
FROM BLAZING OAKS: I do think we will survive these divisive and base times we're
experiencing, but it will leave its mark; Things will never be the same, sadly. We've certainly taken steps back in race relations, which will be a long recovery, and probably true of economic situation as well. Prayers abound! :-(===JACK: I think that racism was muted in our time, but seeds were kept and allowed to grow anew in the present time. Do you know of some pesticide that we might use? Classism is another weed that continues to grow.
FROM TAMPA SHIRL: When I was a social worker in Peoria for a year after college graduation, I saw many children and adults with many many problems. At the guardian angel orphanage there were 120 children but only 2 were real orphans with neither a mother or father. At the home of good shepherd for delinquent and non delinquent girls, I learned so much! We have so much to learn to make a better world and to appreciate what we have!===JACK: That experience, no doubt, helped shape you into the caring person you are, today. It's too bad that more people can't have such an experience. That's how "understanding" grows.
FROM GDJ IN WISC: I remember Hoffer. Liked him. Sorry he was so prescient. 😣===JACK: Thanks for teaching me a new word...and it's a good one, worth adding to my vocabulary. From the time he was in his teens, Eric always carried a library card with him...even on skid row.
FROM JB IN OLV: Eric Hoffer was a wise, observant man. I grew up on the east side of Detroit. It was the little Italy. When the I-94 was going to be constructed all our neighbors left and moved to East Detroit, Warren and Roseville. Our house wasn't needed for the expressway so we stayed. A large city playground on one side and the service drive on the other. By the time I graduated from High School our neighborhood was 90% black. We had no problems with our neighbors. They were for the most part families like our own. When the riots hit in '67 the business district near us was ransacked but without burning the buildings or injuries...our neighbors protected their homes just like my folks and Bill & I did my folks'. Bill was just back from Vietnam....I am grateful that I grew up in such a richly diverse area...it was an education in manhood that has held me in good stead.
===JACK: The experiences that we've had have shaped us into the persons we are today. It was also true of Eric Hoffer.
FROM OUTHOUSE JUDY: That’s the 100 million dollar question!! It has been the same question since mankind was dropped on this planet! When will we understand each other?===JACK: There used to be a radio quiz show where the top prize was 64 silver dollars. To win the prize you had to answer a tough question. "That's the 64 dollar question" became a phrase to describe what you called "the 100 million dollar question." Times change.
Monday, August 27, 2018
Jack’s Winning Words 8/27/18
“My faith has sustained me in very difficult times.” (John McCain) Put yourself in McCain’s shoes…brain cancer, skin cancer, bad things being said about you, a Navy pilot in an unpopular war, shot down, a POW for 5 ½ years, beaten & tortured. I’m always amazed at people who go through so much trouble and are able to say, “My faith has sustained me.” I think of the words of Prophet Job: “Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him.” Certain people inspire me! ;-) Jack
FROM ST PAUL IN ST PAUL: good words for today or for any day, Jack. thanks...===JACK: We all have difficulties at one time or another. It's good to be reminded of the help that can be found in a religious faith.===PAUL: very true but i sense fewer and fewer Americans now believe this. ===JACK: Not believing something does not make it untrue. Who has the responsibility for seeing to it that truths continue...the seeker or the teacher or the writer?===PAUL: or all three perhaps.
FROM BLAZING OAKS: I think every decent person is inspired by John McCain's integrity, deep thinking, and patriotism. I'll always remember how gracious he was in losing the presidency to Barack Obama. He advised him, publicly defended him when some Congressmen were critical, and
warmly welcomed him to the White House. That take's a generous spirit and largeness of soul. I'm sure his faith sustained him then, as well.===JACK: Part of that quote that I did not include was, "I am a Christian and go to church regularly." I did not include it, because I think that some people would equate faith with church going and a particular religion.===QAKS: Even better! I like the whole quote...I tend to equate faith with attending one's church, synagogue or Mosque! If you're a Christiian, it's church.===JACK: I didn't go to church last Sunday. Does that make my faith less than those who did? ..===OAKS: Not my Circus; Not my monkeys! Far be it from me to
judge what you or others do about attending church! I have my hands full managing MY choices!
FROM BB IN CHGO: Great is Thy Faithfulness! He was a faithful man – by all accounts, to his country, his wife and his faith. I am gobsmacked that anyone has the audacity to disrespect a military veteran with his record of service.===JACK: Folks in my past used an expression: "I thought I'd never live to see the day when...." Now, I find myself saying it.
FROM FM: IN WIS: Jack, a great word today for a man for whom I had a lot of respect! May God grant comfort to his loved ones. ===JACK: He wasn't perfect, but he loved his country even to the point of "suffering" for it. He was a man of values.
FROM HAWKEYE GEORGE: Thank you for sending. A tough guy one wanted on his side in conflicts.===JACK: Sometimes it takes a military person with combat experience to understand a military person with combat experience.
FROM TAMPA SHIRL: It is hard to imagine a life without faith, isn’t it?===JACK: For me? Yes! But, I know that there're many people out there who are turned off by things religious, including, faith. As a pastor, I always found it challenging to get through to them. Example seemed to work better than argument.
FROM OUTHOUSE JUDY: He was an amazing man! God rest his soul!===JACK: "In You I rest, in You I found my hope In You I trust, You never let me go I place my life within Your hands alone Be still, my soul Be still, my soul Be still, my soul." These words are from the hymn, "Be Still My Soul," with the music composed by Jean Sibelius.
FROM ANNE McC: I read his books when I was working. I must read them again. They are probably in one of our bookcases.===JACK: Old books are like old friends. You need to reconnect once in a while.
“My faith has sustained me in very difficult times.” (John McCain) Put yourself in McCain’s shoes…brain cancer, skin cancer, bad things being said about you, a Navy pilot in an unpopular war, shot down, a POW for 5 ½ years, beaten & tortured. I’m always amazed at people who go through so much trouble and are able to say, “My faith has sustained me.” I think of the words of Prophet Job: “Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him.” Certain people inspire me! ;-) Jack
FROM ST PAUL IN ST PAUL: good words for today or for any day, Jack. thanks...===JACK: We all have difficulties at one time or another. It's good to be reminded of the help that can be found in a religious faith.===PAUL: very true but i sense fewer and fewer Americans now believe this. ===JACK: Not believing something does not make it untrue. Who has the responsibility for seeing to it that truths continue...the seeker or the teacher or the writer?===PAUL: or all three perhaps.
FROM BLAZING OAKS: I think every decent person is inspired by John McCain's integrity, deep thinking, and patriotism. I'll always remember how gracious he was in losing the presidency to Barack Obama. He advised him, publicly defended him when some Congressmen were critical, and
warmly welcomed him to the White House. That take's a generous spirit and largeness of soul. I'm sure his faith sustained him then, as well.===JACK: Part of that quote that I did not include was, "I am a Christian and go to church regularly." I did not include it, because I think that some people would equate faith with church going and a particular religion.===QAKS: Even better! I like the whole quote...I tend to equate faith with attending one's church, synagogue or Mosque! If you're a Christiian, it's church.===JACK: I didn't go to church last Sunday. Does that make my faith less than those who did? ..===OAKS: Not my Circus; Not my monkeys! Far be it from me to
judge what you or others do about attending church! I have my hands full managing MY choices!
FROM BB IN CHGO: Great is Thy Faithfulness! He was a faithful man – by all accounts, to his country, his wife and his faith. I am gobsmacked that anyone has the audacity to disrespect a military veteran with his record of service.===JACK: Folks in my past used an expression: "I thought I'd never live to see the day when...." Now, I find myself saying it.
FROM FM: IN WIS: Jack, a great word today for a man for whom I had a lot of respect! May God grant comfort to his loved ones. ===JACK: He wasn't perfect, but he loved his country even to the point of "suffering" for it. He was a man of values.
FROM HAWKEYE GEORGE: Thank you for sending. A tough guy one wanted on his side in conflicts.===JACK: Sometimes it takes a military person with combat experience to understand a military person with combat experience.
FROM TAMPA SHIRL: It is hard to imagine a life without faith, isn’t it?===JACK: For me? Yes! But, I know that there're many people out there who are turned off by things religious, including, faith. As a pastor, I always found it challenging to get through to them. Example seemed to work better than argument.
FROM OUTHOUSE JUDY: He was an amazing man! God rest his soul!===JACK: "In You I rest, in You I found my hope In You I trust, You never let me go I place my life within Your hands alone Be still, my soul Be still, my soul Be still, my soul." These words are from the hymn, "Be Still My Soul," with the music composed by Jean Sibelius.
FROM ANNE McC: I read his books when I was working. I must read them again. They are probably in one of our bookcases.===JACK: Old books are like old friends. You need to reconnect once in a while.
Friday, August 24, 2018
Jack’s Winning Words 8/24/18
“Nothing is enough for the man to whom enough is too little.” (Epicurus) Some of you might like to be a follower of Epicurus…”Minimize harm, and maximize happiness.” Life’s purpose for him was to be happy; he was perplexed by evil –Why? Being surrounded by friends made him happy. He abhorred selfishness and hypocrisy. It’s said that he started the custom of having birthday parties…way before the time of Christ. The birthday song came later. ;-) Jack
FROM ST PAUL IN ST PAUL: how happy would Epicurus be in America today?JACK: He lived in the 4th century BCE which had invasions and wars, mixed with an emphasis on culture and the introduction of new gods...sort of like ours, if you count the new political leaders as gods. Maybe he invented the birthday party to take his mind off of other things.
FROM BLAZING OAKS: Good quote! Woody Allen says "The people who successfully delude themselves seem happier than people who can't." If you can ignore the unhappiness and evil in the world, I would guess, like Epicurus, you'd focus on happiness! Most of us try to find a balance between dealing with the unpleasant truths in the world, and finding some blessings, or happy things as well...If successful, one has some peace of mind!===JACK: Epicurus is my kind of guy...crying on the inside and laughing on the outside. What sustains me is a song like..."This is my Father's world. O. let me ne'er forget that though the wrong seems oft' so strong, God is the ruler, yet."
FROM HAWKEYE GEORGE: Going to a church that proclaims Christ weekly and having friends there makes my life much more enjoyable than otherwise could be.===JACK: It is a successful life when a person finds his place in the world, I suppose you sit in the same pew every Sunday, too. I know that I do.
FROM OUTHOUSE JUDY: God invented birthdays with his first man Adam. Perhaps Epicurus did invent the party. I’m all for the party! Today is Ethan’s 4th Birthday! To watch the face light up to blow out the candles is so fun! Even those in the nursing home love the parties!!===JACK: Do you suppose that Jesus had birthday parties when he was growing up?
“Nothing is enough for the man to whom enough is too little.” (Epicurus) Some of you might like to be a follower of Epicurus…”Minimize harm, and maximize happiness.” Life’s purpose for him was to be happy; he was perplexed by evil –Why? Being surrounded by friends made him happy. He abhorred selfishness and hypocrisy. It’s said that he started the custom of having birthday parties…way before the time of Christ. The birthday song came later. ;-) Jack
FROM ST PAUL IN ST PAUL: how happy would Epicurus be in America today?JACK: He lived in the 4th century BCE which had invasions and wars, mixed with an emphasis on culture and the introduction of new gods...sort of like ours, if you count the new political leaders as gods. Maybe he invented the birthday party to take his mind off of other things.
FROM BLAZING OAKS: Good quote! Woody Allen says "The people who successfully delude themselves seem happier than people who can't." If you can ignore the unhappiness and evil in the world, I would guess, like Epicurus, you'd focus on happiness! Most of us try to find a balance between dealing with the unpleasant truths in the world, and finding some blessings, or happy things as well...If successful, one has some peace of mind!===JACK: Epicurus is my kind of guy...crying on the inside and laughing on the outside. What sustains me is a song like..."This is my Father's world. O. let me ne'er forget that though the wrong seems oft' so strong, God is the ruler, yet."
FROM HAWKEYE GEORGE: Going to a church that proclaims Christ weekly and having friends there makes my life much more enjoyable than otherwise could be.===JACK: It is a successful life when a person finds his place in the world, I suppose you sit in the same pew every Sunday, too. I know that I do.
FROM OUTHOUSE JUDY: God invented birthdays with his first man Adam. Perhaps Epicurus did invent the party. I’m all for the party! Today is Ethan’s 4th Birthday! To watch the face light up to blow out the candles is so fun! Even those in the nursing home love the parties!!===JACK: Do you suppose that Jesus had birthday parties when he was growing up?
Thursday, August 23, 2018
Jack’s Winning Words 8/23/18
“Everything that irritates us about others can lead us to an understanding of ourselves.” (Carl Jung) I saw a list of 100 things that “bug” people. There’s not room for the list, but here are a few that irk me…mosquitos, tailgaters, politicians (insert name), computer crashing, fake people. As I re-examine my list of 5, I see that I’m a bugger, too. I sometimes tailgate, and I sometimes fake it. Make your list of 5. What does it show? As you a bugger, too?. ;-) Jack
FROM TRIHARDER: I often find in myself traits that I find irritable in others.===JACK: Jung's first step in psychoanalysis seems to be found in today's quote and is similar to Aristotle's, "Know thyself!"===TH: We can all benefit from a little introspection. At least I can.===JACK: Each day, I try to aim Winning Words, not only at the readers, but at myself, also.
FROM PM: Fake people is my number one! :) I love that you put that on the list. Me too- I can fake it with the best of them. Gut check. ;) You asked me a while ago and I never answered, (I’m sorry about that) but I definitely have students that have changed me as a person. I will never forget them. One is a 10 year old who was visually impaired. He learned to downhill ski with my class on a field trip, and went to fifth grade camp with us for a week without his parents. I was terrified to have him in my class, as I was sure to let home down in some way. I did fine, and learned so much from him. It was an extra special class of students, for sure!! A whole group I won’t ever forget.===JACK: I've had both "real" and "fake" teachers. Kids can tell the difference. especially when it comes to naming their "favorite" teacher. My favorite was Miss Erickson. Did you have a favorite?
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FROM WALMART REV: You are "bugging" me Jack to make this list . . . I get a lot of these types of requests on social media . . . "find others to pass along the following information", "don't take any requests from this person and tell all your friends", "I'm passing along this special blessing to you but you need to pass it along to five other friends in order to receive your blessing?!" I did have a person recently ask to be his friend on Facebook, but wrote back soon afterward, "Please don't send me any more of your sermons." I told him they were not being sent just to him, but publicly to "whomsoever will" receive them. Eventually I had to unfriend him because of his feeling I was targeting his spirituality. 0;-/===JACK: I purposely don't post Winning Words on Facebook or Twitter, knowing that I might get more readers. I feel that e-mail gives me a more personal contact with each reader. Having said that, I do use the DELETE key once in a while.
FROM THE PRINCIPAL: 1. Driving rudeness. 2. People who are late. 3. Talkers in movies.
4. Bigotry. 5. People who don't listen===JACK: How about...Kids who run in the halls?
FROM KLM: Good one. Hope you are doing well. I got to see my cousin Mike recently. Great visit. Thanks for your daily messages.===JACK: Mike would have made a good pastor...more than I would have made a good attorney. Life has a way of pointing us in the right direction and opening doors.
FROM OUTHOUSE JUDY: If liars are the same as fake people I’m in! Although I would also include myself in that group.... of course mine are little “white lies” but lies none the less. Otherwise Mosquitos, robot phone calls, physical pain, and red squirrels.===JACK: I also dislike the cute little chipmunks who eat the insulation off of the wires of my garage door sensors. I've heard that Irish Spring soap is a good deterrent.===JUDY: The first time we took Kimberly’s boyfriend up to meet my parents was a big surprise for him. My mom and dad and lived on the AuSable River. My mom was in her chair, with the sliding glass door open. As we walked through the front door, my mom grabbed her B.B. gun and shot a red squirrel. They didn’t die from the B.B. but it scares them off. Neil was terrified to say the least! It’s a family story now that gets told often! Ps. The red squirrels did over $500 worth of wire damage to their house that year!===JACK: Here in Minnesota, a man down the street from my son was using a BB gun to scare the geese away (as with the red squirrels). Someone called the police; he was arrested and had to go to anger management classes. Imagine that happening to your mom.
FROM TAMPA SHIRL: Sorry i cannot think of five things that irk me!===JACK: WOW Blessed are you!
FROM JIM IN NOVA SCOTIA: Eric (Motley) is a remarkable man--from poverty in the newly (supposedly) desegregatated South to a Ph.D. from St. Andrew's University in Scotland to being the youngest Special Assistant to George W. Bush, several other important responsibilities within the White House and State Department to his present position as EVP of the Aspen Institute in Washington, DC. This is one of the most positive, gentle, appreciative books I have ever read. Much of it is in praise of Madison Park, Alabama, founded by freed slaves from which he is descended. He attributes his ability to make contributions to others to the consistent loving, supportive community environment in Madison Park (now a neighborhood of Montgomery--about 10 miles from Rev. Martin Luther King's old congregation). Just one quote for you, on the subject of his non-focus on some of the early disadvantages and discrimination he experienced: "There's more power in moving forward than looking back, as important as the past is; at some point you have to embrace the future." H and I both look forward to and often discuss your Winning Words.===JACK: I like that quote. Before we can move positively into the future, we must first understand ourselves. At times it takes someone else to help do the job.
FROM BLAZING OAKS: Computer glitches would be high on my list,and the present White House incumbent, uncharitable people...maybe we can all identify with Memoirist Augustan Burroughs in saying, "I myself am made up entirely of flaws, stitched together with good intentions!" (?) Just don't get so "bugged" that you can't see the blessings! :-)===JACK: You're right! There's more good than bad in this world, but the bad seems to get the "most" press.
FROM BB IN CHGO: Always insightful – on the order of finger pointing. Couldn’t agree with you more.===JACK: There have been people who've asked to be removed from receiving WWs. Most (if not all) are people that I don't know personally.===BB: I guess that means your winning words have “touched a nerve”. I truly look forward to receiving them and appreciate your thoughtful comments always.===JACK: I read that a recent poll taken among people of the Religious Right showed that when the things represented under WWJD were listed beside the things represented under WWTD, the preference was for WWTD.
FOM TAMPA SHIRL: Sorry. but I cannot think of five things that irk me.===JACK: WOW Blessed art thou!
“Everything that irritates us about others can lead us to an understanding of ourselves.” (Carl Jung) I saw a list of 100 things that “bug” people. There’s not room for the list, but here are a few that irk me…mosquitos, tailgaters, politicians (insert name), computer crashing, fake people. As I re-examine my list of 5, I see that I’m a bugger, too. I sometimes tailgate, and I sometimes fake it. Make your list of 5. What does it show? As you a bugger, too?. ;-) Jack
FROM TRIHARDER: I often find in myself traits that I find irritable in others.===JACK: Jung's first step in psychoanalysis seems to be found in today's quote and is similar to Aristotle's, "Know thyself!"===TH: We can all benefit from a little introspection. At least I can.===JACK: Each day, I try to aim Winning Words, not only at the readers, but at myself, also.
FROM PM: Fake people is my number one! :) I love that you put that on the list. Me too- I can fake it with the best of them. Gut check. ;) You asked me a while ago and I never answered, (I’m sorry about that) but I definitely have students that have changed me as a person. I will never forget them. One is a 10 year old who was visually impaired. He learned to downhill ski with my class on a field trip, and went to fifth grade camp with us for a week without his parents. I was terrified to have him in my class, as I was sure to let home down in some way. I did fine, and learned so much from him. It was an extra special class of students, for sure!! A whole group I won’t ever forget.===JACK: I've had both "real" and "fake" teachers. Kids can tell the difference. especially when it comes to naming their "favorite" teacher. My favorite was Miss Erickson. Did you have a favorite?
\
FROM WALMART REV: You are "bugging" me Jack to make this list . . . I get a lot of these types of requests on social media . . . "find others to pass along the following information", "don't take any requests from this person and tell all your friends", "I'm passing along this special blessing to you but you need to pass it along to five other friends in order to receive your blessing?!" I did have a person recently ask to be his friend on Facebook, but wrote back soon afterward, "Please don't send me any more of your sermons." I told him they were not being sent just to him, but publicly to "whomsoever will" receive them. Eventually I had to unfriend him because of his feeling I was targeting his spirituality. 0;-/===JACK: I purposely don't post Winning Words on Facebook or Twitter, knowing that I might get more readers. I feel that e-mail gives me a more personal contact with each reader. Having said that, I do use the DELETE key once in a while.
FROM THE PRINCIPAL: 1. Driving rudeness. 2. People who are late. 3. Talkers in movies.
4. Bigotry. 5. People who don't listen===JACK: How about...Kids who run in the halls?
FROM KLM: Good one. Hope you are doing well. I got to see my cousin Mike recently. Great visit. Thanks for your daily messages.===JACK: Mike would have made a good pastor...more than I would have made a good attorney. Life has a way of pointing us in the right direction and opening doors.
FROM OUTHOUSE JUDY: If liars are the same as fake people I’m in! Although I would also include myself in that group.... of course mine are little “white lies” but lies none the less. Otherwise Mosquitos, robot phone calls, physical pain, and red squirrels.===JACK: I also dislike the cute little chipmunks who eat the insulation off of the wires of my garage door sensors. I've heard that Irish Spring soap is a good deterrent.===JUDY: The first time we took Kimberly’s boyfriend up to meet my parents was a big surprise for him. My mom and dad and lived on the AuSable River. My mom was in her chair, with the sliding glass door open. As we walked through the front door, my mom grabbed her B.B. gun and shot a red squirrel. They didn’t die from the B.B. but it scares them off. Neil was terrified to say the least! It’s a family story now that gets told often! Ps. The red squirrels did over $500 worth of wire damage to their house that year!===JACK: Here in Minnesota, a man down the street from my son was using a BB gun to scare the geese away (as with the red squirrels). Someone called the police; he was arrested and had to go to anger management classes. Imagine that happening to your mom.
FROM TAMPA SHIRL: Sorry i cannot think of five things that irk me!===JACK: WOW Blessed are you!
FROM BLAZING OAKS: Computer glitches would be high on my list,and the present White House incumbent, uncharitable people...maybe we can all identify with Memoirist Augustan Burroughs in saying, "I myself am made up entirely of flaws, stitched together with good intentions!" (?) Just don't get so "bugged" that you can't see the blessings! :-)===JACK: You're right! There's more good than bad in this world, but the bad seems to get the "most" press.
FROM BB IN CHGO: Always insightful – on the order of finger pointing. Couldn’t agree with you more.===JACK: There have been people who've asked to be removed from receiving WWs. Most (if not all) are people that I don't know personally.===BB: I guess that means your winning words have “touched a nerve”. I truly look forward to receiving them and appreciate your thoughtful comments always.===JACK: I read that a recent poll taken among people of the Religious Right showed that when the things represented under WWJD were listed beside the things represented under WWTD, the preference was for WWTD.
FOM TAMPA SHIRL: Sorry. but I cannot think of five things that irk me.===JACK: WOW Blessed art thou!
Wednesday, August 22, 2018
Jack’s Winning Words 8/22/18
“There’s nothing greater in the world than when somebody on the team does something good, and everybody gathers around to pat him on the back.” (Billy Martin) When I was in the process of changing from a Cubs fan to aTigers fan, Billy Martin was hired to be the Detroit manager. Billyball was exciting. It was 2 years until his scrappy personality got him fired. He was a player’s player, blue-collar, working class. He played the game that way, too. ;-) Jack
FROM BLAZING OAKS: I've seen Cubs (and others, too) give a comrade a fanny or shoulder pat
in empathy, when they have an error or K, too. The Tigers mauled the Cubs last night...hoping we do better tonight, but they are in a batting slump again.. My bridge game went well today, so some positives in play! :-)===JACK: I don't seem to care as much anymore if MY team wins or loses. I take that back. I DO care if the Univ of Michigan teams win or lose. A follow up to the hockey team razzing the opponent's goalie...When an opposing player scores a goal, the spotlight shines on the scorer's parents and the fans yell,,,"and your parents are ugly, too." Baaad!
FROM JB IN OLV: Love it!===JACK: Everybody loves a pat on the back...even pastors.
FROM ST PAUL IN ST PAUL: wonder if it helped to drink some Billy Beer (Carter's brother) while watching Billyball??===JACK: One of Billy's problems was alcoholism. It was a stumbling block for him, as it is for too many people.
FROM GF: I remember Billy Martin so well!===JACK: I think that Sparky was my favorite manager. I think that Gardy is doing a good job with the non-all-star players that he has.===GF: Same here, though I like Jim Leyland a great deal.===JACK: I had forgotten to put Leyland on my list of favorites. My granddaughter was the first female physical therapist intern for the Tigers when he was the manager. She has only good words to say about him.
FROM EDUCATOR PAUL: He was a tortured man who could have been so much happier if he confronted his disease of alcoholism.===JACK: Janis Joplin sang, “What Good Can Drinkin’ Do?”
“There’s nothing greater in the world than when somebody on the team does something good, and everybody gathers around to pat him on the back.” (Billy Martin) When I was in the process of changing from a Cubs fan to aTigers fan, Billy Martin was hired to be the Detroit manager. Billyball was exciting. It was 2 years until his scrappy personality got him fired. He was a player’s player, blue-collar, working class. He played the game that way, too. ;-) Jack
FROM BLAZING OAKS: I've seen Cubs (and others, too) give a comrade a fanny or shoulder pat
in empathy, when they have an error or K, too. The Tigers mauled the Cubs last night...hoping we do better tonight, but they are in a batting slump again.. My bridge game went well today, so some positives in play! :-)===JACK: I don't seem to care as much anymore if MY team wins or loses. I take that back. I DO care if the Univ of Michigan teams win or lose. A follow up to the hockey team razzing the opponent's goalie...When an opposing player scores a goal, the spotlight shines on the scorer's parents and the fans yell,,,"and your parents are ugly, too." Baaad!
FROM JB IN OLV: Love it!===JACK: Everybody loves a pat on the back...even pastors.
FROM ST PAUL IN ST PAUL: wonder if it helped to drink some Billy Beer (Carter's brother) while watching Billyball??===JACK: One of Billy's problems was alcoholism. It was a stumbling block for him, as it is for too many people.
FROM GF: I remember Billy Martin so well!===JACK: I think that Sparky was my favorite manager. I think that Gardy is doing a good job with the non-all-star players that he has.===GF: Same here, though I like Jim Leyland a great deal.===JACK: I had forgotten to put Leyland on my list of favorites. My granddaughter was the first female physical therapist intern for the Tigers when he was the manager. She has only good words to say about him.
FROM EDUCATOR PAUL: He was a tortured man who could have been so much happier if he confronted his disease of alcoholism.===JACK: Janis Joplin sang, “What Good Can Drinkin’ Do?”
Tuesday, August 21, 2018
Jack’s Winning Words 8/21/18
“Truth isn’t truth.” (Rudy Giuliani) A synonym for truth is fact. That’s why a courtroom witness is asked to swear to tell the truth and nothing but the truth. “Do you swear to tell the facts?” On a Monday the church custodian was dusting the pulpit and saw the sermon notes. In the margin was scribbled: “Argument weak here. Pound the pulpit!” Whether it be in a sermon, or in court, or in everyday dealings with people, an ordered society depends on truth. ;-) Jack
FROM THE SHARK: “Just the facts ma’am”, just the FACTS.===JACK: I was going to use Dragnet and Sgt Friday in my commentary, but I thought only old people would understand.
FROM SF: AMEN...JACK: I like that better than a BOO!
FROM WALMART REV: Certainly a political season of "wheat and tares" (Matthew 13:24-30) affecting the entirety of our nation!? 0:-/===JACK: I think that a refresher course in "basic morality" is needed by our country...even for "religious" people.
FROM EDUCATOR PAUL: Now, even “the Truth” is a relative term.===JACK: I've sometimes been accused of being a :relativist," and I accept that badge (for the most part). Shakespeare wrote: "There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so." - Hamlet: Act 2, Scene 2.
FACEBOOK LIZ: but my truth is not necessarily your truth... yet we are both truthful.===JACK: That's the point that Giuliani was making, and I don't happen to agree with that. There is a basic truth beyond what you or I believe. Truth is truth; fact is fact, no matter what I believe. In the real world, a person REALLY tells the truth, or he/she is a prevaricator.
FROM ST PAUL IN ST PAUL: Amen to that, Jack!===JACK: Two words came to mind when I first hear Rudy--the attorney's words...equivocation and obfuscation.===PAUL: i could add one more....B S !!
FROM HUNGRY HOWIE: Here is a research project for you. who said, "We are all allowed to have our own opinions but not our own facts." Or something like that===JACK: Google says that those words belong to Daniel Patrick Moynihan, and "they have a haunting quality in our own age of poisoned public discourse." Oh, how we miss legislators like Daniel who had a way with words and a way of getting to the point. I hear him rolling over in his grave...in Arlington Cemetery.
FROM BLAZING OAKS: Rudy Giuliani is a real piece of work!! :-( It is frightening to have a Pres.
who is eroding faith in our free press. That's how the Nazis took over Germany, firing any opposition voices in leadership capacities, and suppressing or ridiculing the press and critical books. It is insidious, baby steps at a time! It is a truly disheartening time in America. Our coarse, uneducated leader invokes Stalin's phrase "Enemies of the People" to describe our free press! He touts his "job growth", but according to AP Fact Check the number of jobs created during Trump's 1st 20 months in office is 3.9 million, compared to Obama's 4.3 million jobs in his last 20 month in office. Politifact constantly corrects Trumps "Facts", where truth isn't truth, for sure! AAAARGH!!===JACK: But, can't you see? The Emperor has no clothes!"
FROM SHALOM JAN: I've had enough "My truth is my truth" to gag on it -- and I don't even own a TV! I used to have some admiration for Rudy G., but not anymore. Sad.===JACK: I think that it was Mark Twain who said, "I never trust a man who makes money with his mouth." I don't think that Rudy is working pro bono.===JAN: I was thinking the same thing about the way we "make money"!! I hope Mark Twain knew some good-hearted preachers among those he judged to be crooks!===JACK: I especially dislike pastors who tell the congregation that God wants THEM to buy HIM a new jet airplane, so that HE can preach the Gospel in more places in less time. OOMPAH!
“Truth isn’t truth.” (Rudy Giuliani) A synonym for truth is fact. That’s why a courtroom witness is asked to swear to tell the truth and nothing but the truth. “Do you swear to tell the facts?” On a Monday the church custodian was dusting the pulpit and saw the sermon notes. In the margin was scribbled: “Argument weak here. Pound the pulpit!” Whether it be in a sermon, or in court, or in everyday dealings with people, an ordered society depends on truth. ;-) Jack
FROM THE SHARK: “Just the facts ma’am”, just the FACTS.===JACK: I was going to use Dragnet and Sgt Friday in my commentary, but I thought only old people would understand.
FROM SF: AMEN...JACK: I like that better than a BOO!
FROM WALMART REV: Certainly a political season of "wheat and tares" (Matthew 13:24-30) affecting the entirety of our nation!? 0:-/===JACK: I think that a refresher course in "basic morality" is needed by our country...even for "religious" people.
FROM EDUCATOR PAUL: Now, even “the Truth” is a relative term.===JACK: I've sometimes been accused of being a :relativist," and I accept that badge (for the most part). Shakespeare wrote: "There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so." - Hamlet: Act 2, Scene 2.
FACEBOOK LIZ: but my truth is not necessarily your truth... yet we are both truthful.===JACK: That's the point that Giuliani was making, and I don't happen to agree with that. There is a basic truth beyond what you or I believe. Truth is truth; fact is fact, no matter what I believe. In the real world, a person REALLY tells the truth, or he/she is a prevaricator.
FROM ST PAUL IN ST PAUL: Amen to that, Jack!===JACK: Two words came to mind when I first hear Rudy--the attorney's words...equivocation and obfuscation.===PAUL: i could add one more....B S !!
FROM HUNGRY HOWIE: Here is a research project for you. who said, "We are all allowed to have our own opinions but not our own facts." Or something like that===JACK: Google says that those words belong to Daniel Patrick Moynihan, and "they have a haunting quality in our own age of poisoned public discourse." Oh, how we miss legislators like Daniel who had a way with words and a way of getting to the point. I hear him rolling over in his grave...in Arlington Cemetery.
FROM BLAZING OAKS: Rudy Giuliani is a real piece of work!! :-( It is frightening to have a Pres.
who is eroding faith in our free press. That's how the Nazis took over Germany, firing any opposition voices in leadership capacities, and suppressing or ridiculing the press and critical books. It is insidious, baby steps at a time! It is a truly disheartening time in America. Our coarse, uneducated leader invokes Stalin's phrase "Enemies of the People" to describe our free press! He touts his "job growth", but according to AP Fact Check the number of jobs created during Trump's 1st 20 months in office is 3.9 million, compared to Obama's 4.3 million jobs in his last 20 month in office. Politifact constantly corrects Trumps "Facts", where truth isn't truth, for sure! AAAARGH!!===JACK: But, can't you see? The Emperor has no clothes!"
FROM SHALOM JAN: I've had enough "My truth is my truth" to gag on it -- and I don't even own a TV! I used to have some admiration for Rudy G., but not anymore. Sad.===JACK: I think that it was Mark Twain who said, "I never trust a man who makes money with his mouth." I don't think that Rudy is working pro bono.===JAN: I was thinking the same thing about the way we "make money"!! I hope Mark Twain knew some good-hearted preachers among those he judged to be crooks!===JACK: I especially dislike pastors who tell the congregation that God wants THEM to buy HIM a new jet airplane, so that HE can preach the Gospel in more places in less time. OOMPAH!
Monday, August 20, 2018
Jack’s Winning Words 8/20/18
“Don’t judge some just because they sin differently than you.” (From Katie Wiese) When the Univ of Michigan hockey team scores a goal, the fans stand and point a finger at the opposing goalie and yell, “It’s all your fault!” There’s lots of finger pointing these days. Someone once told me that when you point the finger at someone, notice that there are 3 pointing back at you. Jesus said, “Let the one who is without sin point the finger,” or something like that. ;-) Jack
FRO RS IN TEXAS: Or perhaps do it in front of a mirror ===JACK: Do mirrors reveal what you REALLY want to see?===RS: Unfortunately not, but it will probably give us a clue as to what others are seeing when they look at us.
FROM HONEST JOHN: While sin is sin, there are some sins that are far worse than others. I would say murder is worse than swearing RO one's self when we are hitting our thumb with a hammer.....genocide certainly ranks up among the most vile of sins.===JACK: Ultimately sin is "going against God's will for us," so in that sense, there is no gradation. It's when we equate sin with human law there is a gradation,i.e., some sins are worse than others. You'd make a good Roman Catholic with venial and mortal sins.===JOHN: I think there is a difference....thou shalt not kill makes it into the Ten Commandments....a lot of others don't.....I know Jesus seems to close the gap in the sermon on the mount;yet, I can't think that detesting someone ranks right up there with murdering them. The Matthean context is a diatribe against perfectionists not a statement that all sins are if the same level of evil. We need to keep things in context. The Lutherans are so hung up on grace that they forget the law.===Jack: Even the Commandments are subjective. As I've said before, actions can be right or wrong, depending on an interpretation of the situation. ...and, as for grace, I'm hoping for a God of grace, rather that a God who is a legalist. You pick yours, and I'll pick mine. ===JOHN: I perceive that he is a just God. If not, we are in an awful bind. Justice demands both law and gospel. A gracious God demands repentance. Repentance carries with it transformation....transformation entails a law by which we can learn how to act. Grace is not cheap.
FROM OUTHOUSE JUDY: A sin is a sin no matter how small! Ones not different than another I recall. With apologies to The Cat in The Hat!!!===JACK: A simple, "God, be merciful to me, a sinner," seems to cover it all.
FROM TAMPA SHIRL: I am not here to judge people!===JACK: Like it, or not, I am forming opinions all of the time...things, situations...even people. That's the way my mind works. ===SHIRL: Mostly I just enjoy people-who are all different and interesting!===JACK: You should be right at home in Heaven.
“Don’t judge some just because they sin differently than you.” (From Katie Wiese) When the Univ of Michigan hockey team scores a goal, the fans stand and point a finger at the opposing goalie and yell, “It’s all your fault!” There’s lots of finger pointing these days. Someone once told me that when you point the finger at someone, notice that there are 3 pointing back at you. Jesus said, “Let the one who is without sin point the finger,” or something like that. ;-) Jack
FRO RS IN TEXAS: Or perhaps do it in front of a mirror ===JACK: Do mirrors reveal what you REALLY want to see?===RS: Unfortunately not, but it will probably give us a clue as to what others are seeing when they look at us.
FROM HONEST JOHN: While sin is sin, there are some sins that are far worse than others. I would say murder is worse than swearing RO one's self when we are hitting our thumb with a hammer.....genocide certainly ranks up among the most vile of sins.===JACK: Ultimately sin is "going against God's will for us," so in that sense, there is no gradation. It's when we equate sin with human law there is a gradation,i.e., some sins are worse than others. You'd make a good Roman Catholic with venial and mortal sins.===JOHN: I think there is a difference....thou shalt not kill makes it into the Ten Commandments....a lot of others don't.....I know Jesus seems to close the gap in the sermon on the mount;yet, I can't think that detesting someone ranks right up there with murdering them. The Matthean context is a diatribe against perfectionists not a statement that all sins are if the same level of evil. We need to keep things in context. The Lutherans are so hung up on grace that they forget the law.===Jack: Even the Commandments are subjective. As I've said before, actions can be right or wrong, depending on an interpretation of the situation. ...and, as for grace, I'm hoping for a God of grace, rather that a God who is a legalist. You pick yours, and I'll pick mine. ===JOHN: I perceive that he is a just God. If not, we are in an awful bind. Justice demands both law and gospel. A gracious God demands repentance. Repentance carries with it transformation....transformation entails a law by which we can learn how to act. Grace is not cheap.
FROM OUTHOUSE JUDY: A sin is a sin no matter how small! Ones not different than another I recall. With apologies to The Cat in The Hat!!!===JACK: A simple, "God, be merciful to me, a sinner," seems to cover it all.
FROM TAMPA SHIRL: I am not here to judge people!===JACK: Like it, or not, I am forming opinions all of the time...things, situations...even people. That's the way my mind works. ===SHIRL: Mostly I just enjoy people-who are all different and interesting!===JACK: You should be right at home in Heaven.
Friday, August 17, 2018
Jack’s Winning Words 8/17/16
“Where you used to be, there’s a hole in the world…I miss you like hell.” (Edna Vincent Millay) I looked; I wondered; I couldn’t find…Who did Edna miss so much? Have you had such an experience? Recently, the remains of some soldiers, killed in the Korean War, were returned to the USA. An 83-yr-old Iowa man will be able to bury his older brother. “It’s like hell to miss someone you love.” But, God promises a peace that passes understanding. ;-) Jack
FROM FACEBOOK LIZ; 💔===JACK: I figured that I'd hear from you. Re-read the last sentence of my commentary.
FROM HONEST JOHN: Have you just defined hell?....the absence of love..===JACK: If God is omnipresent and God is love, does it follow that God, somehow, is there (if hell is a place)? I'd just rather concentrate on the truth that God is love..
FROM KF: ;- )===JACK: Peace be with you!
FROM WALMART REV: Exceptionally well published this morning, Jack. Thanks for the read. 0;-) ===JACK: Sometimes "hell" is the right word.
FRO JR IN SOCAL: Good Morning, Dear One, Wow, does this message hit home.===JACK: Years, months, days...even minutes, the "miss you" is still there.
FROM INDY GENIE: The dream: I was in a hospital room with brother Joe...we knew he was dying...and the 2 of us were visiting. Then...in walks my mom looking healthy and “sprite-like”. Her spirit is light and happy. I’m wondering and a little concerned...wow, I thought, maybe she doesn’t know that Joe is dying! All of a sudden the 3 of us start singing Bob Marley’s “3 Little Birds”...you know, the one about “don’t worry about a thing, every little thing is gonna be alright“. My spirits are lifted as we sing and then... like in a movie, (kinda like the end of The Wizard of Oz when Dorothy says “there’s no place like home”)....the scene changes to a close-up of my mom with a very peaceful look on her face and a halo-ish light around her face...she then looks right at us, smiles and says...”The peace that passes all understanding!” I’ve always been grateful for that dream. :)
I do believe, even when it’s really hard to do so, that there is a peace that passes all understanding
FROM HONEST JOHN: It would seem to...at least, biblically that those in Hell have excluded themselves from God's presence rather than having God exclude them from his presence....thus, while God is present the person is unable to acknowledge that presence...thus, they have cast themselves onto the place where there is much weeping and gnashing of teeth....
FROM E EAR: I think Edna had a love that she truly missed, perhaps a secret love for whatever the reason....I read the poem about a train leaving when my first cousin passed away.... She problem has poems that are meaning ful to her about her love and loss. may I say Shabbat Shalom
FROM SHALOM JAN: I'll miss the Winning Words, and I understand. I think I have a lot of holes in my world from people who are no longer "where (they) used to be". I think all of us do as we grow older. My grand nephew will get word today that one of his best buddies -- a church friend also age 14 -- was killed in a heavy-duty rear-ending of the family minivan and died yesterday morning. At least my gr-nephew will hear about it from his parents, at Blue Lake Music Camp, rather than on the local TV news. There are some holes in young lives, too.
.
“Where you used to be, there’s a hole in the world…I miss you like hell.” (Edna Vincent Millay) I looked; I wondered; I couldn’t find…Who did Edna miss so much? Have you had such an experience? Recently, the remains of some soldiers, killed in the Korean War, were returned to the USA. An 83-yr-old Iowa man will be able to bury his older brother. “It’s like hell to miss someone you love.” But, God promises a peace that passes understanding. ;-) Jack
FROM FACEBOOK LIZ; 💔===JACK: I figured that I'd hear from you. Re-read the last sentence of my commentary.
FROM HONEST JOHN: Have you just defined hell?....the absence of love..===JACK: If God is omnipresent and God is love, does it follow that God, somehow, is there (if hell is a place)? I'd just rather concentrate on the truth that God is love..
FROM KF: ;- )===JACK: Peace be with you!
FROM WALMART REV: Exceptionally well published this morning, Jack. Thanks for the read. 0;-) ===JACK: Sometimes "hell" is the right word.
FRO JR IN SOCAL: Good Morning, Dear One, Wow, does this message hit home.===JACK: Years, months, days...even minutes, the "miss you" is still there.
FROM INDY GENIE: The dream: I was in a hospital room with brother Joe...we knew he was dying...and the 2 of us were visiting. Then...in walks my mom looking healthy and “sprite-like”. Her spirit is light and happy. I’m wondering and a little concerned...wow, I thought, maybe she doesn’t know that Joe is dying! All of a sudden the 3 of us start singing Bob Marley’s “3 Little Birds”...you know, the one about “don’t worry about a thing, every little thing is gonna be alright“. My spirits are lifted as we sing and then... like in a movie, (kinda like the end of The Wizard of Oz when Dorothy says “there’s no place like home”)....the scene changes to a close-up of my mom with a very peaceful look on her face and a halo-ish light around her face...she then looks right at us, smiles and says...”The peace that passes all understanding!” I’ve always been grateful for that dream. :)
I do believe, even when it’s really hard to do so, that there is a peace that passes all understanding
FROM HONEST JOHN: It would seem to...at least, biblically that those in Hell have excluded themselves from God's presence rather than having God exclude them from his presence....thus, while God is present the person is unable to acknowledge that presence...thus, they have cast themselves onto the place where there is much weeping and gnashing of teeth....
FROM E EAR: I think Edna had a love that she truly missed, perhaps a secret love for whatever the reason....I read the poem about a train leaving when my first cousin passed away.... She problem has poems that are meaning ful to her about her love and loss. may I say Shabbat Shalom
FROM SHALOM JAN: I'll miss the Winning Words, and I understand. I think I have a lot of holes in my world from people who are no longer "where (they) used to be". I think all of us do as we grow older. My grand nephew will get word today that one of his best buddies -- a church friend also age 14 -- was killed in a heavy-duty rear-ending of the family minivan and died yesterday morning. At least my gr-nephew will hear about it from his parents, at Blue Lake Music Camp, rather than on the local TV news. There are some holes in young lives, too.
.
Thursday, August 16, 2018
Jack’s Winning Words 8/16/18
“The greatest masterpieces were once only pigments on a palette.” (Henry Haskins) Have you ever attended a Paint-Nite-Party? They’re popular these days. Usually a group of friends get together and each is given a blank canvas, a brush and some paints. An artist shows a picture, gives some basic instructions, and you’re on your own. You leave the event, happy and with your own masterpiece. I wonder if Vincent ever attended such a party? ;-) Jack
:
FROM RI IN BOSTON:Vincent could have attended such a party, but when the announcement about the event was broadcast, he didn't hear about it. Due to an ear problem he didn't get the message! ===JACK: He did attend, but was so disappointed that he hopped in his VW bus and sped away. Someone was heard to say, "Wow! Look at that van go!."
FROM HONEST JOHN: They might have only been pigments on a palette but not everyone could do with them what Leonardo did to create the Mona Lisa. That step is the key. We too often forget that and heap praises on the mundane.===JACK: Art, as with people, who is the judge? Is "beauty" in the eye of the beholder?===JOHN: Ah, the old Sophist in you surfaces once again...===JACK: Isn't it great to know that some people don't change...at least. not very often.?
FROM BLAZING OAKS: Our PETERBURG Women's Club had an artist member who did
a program like that. We all were given a stretched canvas, and she presented several flower options, and we created "our" masterpieces. It was interesting, we worked hard, and most did a credible job for rank amateurs! We all have some talent that comes to life when given the right basic materials. The trick is to recognize it and use it! :-) We ARE "fearfully and wonderfully made!"===JACK: The rwo pictures in my home are a French cafe and a winter scene with a bright moon in the sky. BTW, I can understand "wonderfully,: but do you think is meant by "fearfully?"
FROM OUTHOUSE JUDY: I wonder if it had anything to do with his death?!===JACK: Have you ever heard someone say, "I thought I'd die!"? Strange expression.
“The greatest masterpieces were once only pigments on a palette.” (Henry Haskins) Have you ever attended a Paint-Nite-Party? They’re popular these days. Usually a group of friends get together and each is given a blank canvas, a brush and some paints. An artist shows a picture, gives some basic instructions, and you’re on your own. You leave the event, happy and with your own masterpiece. I wonder if Vincent ever attended such a party? ;-) Jack
:
FROM RI IN BOSTON:Vincent could have attended such a party, but when the announcement about the event was broadcast, he didn't hear about it. Due to an ear problem he didn't get the message! ===JACK: He did attend, but was so disappointed that he hopped in his VW bus and sped away. Someone was heard to say, "Wow! Look at that van go!."
FROM HONEST JOHN: They might have only been pigments on a palette but not everyone could do with them what Leonardo did to create the Mona Lisa. That step is the key. We too often forget that and heap praises on the mundane.===JACK: Art, as with people, who is the judge? Is "beauty" in the eye of the beholder?===JOHN: Ah, the old Sophist in you surfaces once again...===JACK: Isn't it great to know that some people don't change...at least. not very often.?
FROM BLAZING OAKS: Our PETERBURG Women's Club had an artist member who did
a program like that. We all were given a stretched canvas, and she presented several flower options, and we created "our" masterpieces. It was interesting, we worked hard, and most did a credible job for rank amateurs! We all have some talent that comes to life when given the right basic materials. The trick is to recognize it and use it! :-) We ARE "fearfully and wonderfully made!"===JACK: The rwo pictures in my home are a French cafe and a winter scene with a bright moon in the sky. BTW, I can understand "wonderfully,: but do you think is meant by "fearfully?"
FROM OUTHOUSE JUDY: I wonder if it had anything to do with his death?!===JACK: Have you ever heard someone say, "I thought I'd die!"? Strange expression.
Wednesday, August 15, 2018
Jack’s Winning Words 8/15/18
“Our best successes often come after our greatest disappointments.” (Henry Ward Beecher) Scott Steinberg tells of people who turned disappointment into success, J,K, Rowling, without a job, depressed…but “I’m still alive!”…then came Harry Potter! Steve Jobs, fired by Apple because of poor sales. Later came back and made Apple the richest company on the planet. Michael Jordon, when cut by the high school basketball coach, saw it as a challenge, and set out to prove that the coach had made a mistake. “You can be better than you are!” ;-) Jack
FROM TAMPA SHIRL: All great examples-if at first you don’t succeed, try try again!===JACK: During your teaching days, did you ever use The Little Engine That Could, as an example for your students?===SHIRL: Not for teaching school but for my children and grandchildren. I love that book!
FROM BLAZING OAKS: This reminds me of Jean-Dominique Bauby, the French journalist (Ed.of Elle magazine, and a popular newspaper columnist) who at 43 suffered a stroke that totally paralyzed
“Our best successes often come after our greatest disappointments.” (Henry Ward Beecher) Scott Steinberg tells of people who turned disappointment into success, J,K, Rowling, without a job, depressed…but “I’m still alive!”…then came Harry Potter! Steve Jobs, fired by Apple because of poor sales. Later came back and made Apple the richest company on the planet. Michael Jordon, when cut by the high school basketball coach, saw it as a challenge, and set out to prove that the coach had made a mistake. “You can be better than you are!” ;-) Jack
FROM TAMPA SHIRL: All great examples-if at first you don’t succeed, try try again!===JACK: During your teaching days, did you ever use The Little Engine That Could, as an example for your students?===SHIRL: Not for teaching school but for my children and grandchildren. I love that book!
FROM BLAZING OAKS: This reminds me of Jean-Dominique Bauby, the French journalist (Ed.of Elle magazine, and a popular newspaper columnist) who at 43 suffered a stroke that totally paralyzed
his body. He had "Locked-in Syndrome, his mind active
and alive, but unable to communicate this, until he mastered blinking ONE eyelid, and
using this to denote what letter he wanted, with the help of a publisher friend,
devised a way to write a best-selling book, THE DIVING BELL AND THE BUTTERFLY about
his condition! What a wrenching, insightful book, showing his curiosity and
love of life; I'll never forget it! He died 2 days after his book was
published, before he could complete other projects he had in mind! So if you can move even a
single eyelid, you have
something to give. No excuses! :-) On a personal level, when my teaching job in
Springfield didn't pan out as I had wished, the subsequent teaching job for 20+ yrs. in a
nearby locale were much easier, pleasanter and satisfying. I loved teaching!===JACK: A Winning Words reader, with Lou Gehrig's Disease, operates his computer by visual movements. Amazing!
FROM HONEST JOHN: Beecher on the other hand followed great successes with a bad tumble....fell into adultery.===JACK: Jesus is the only paragon that I know of.
FROM HONEST JOHN: Beecher on the other hand followed great successes with a bad tumble....fell into adultery.===JACK: Jesus is the only paragon that I know of.
Tuesday, August 14, 2018
Jack’s Winning Words 8/14/18
“You can’t blame gravity for falling in love.” (Albert Einstein) Einstein’s daughter has shared her father’s thoughts on Love, contained in letters sent to her. “Love is an extremely powerful force in the universe, which science cannot explain. It is Light, enlightening those who receive and give it. It is Magnetic, enabling people to be attracted to each other. It is Power, bringing out the best in people. It is God, everything that gives meaning to life.” ;-) Jack
FROM KB IN HL: Another one of my favorites. “Favorites “ are one that stay with me for a very long time.===JACK: You're a favorite, too. Thanks for the good work you did that helped so many people.
FROM SF: WOW!===JACK: Is that what Gary said when you accepted his proposal?
FROM HONEST JOHN: Science has its realm. Religion should let it have its say in that realm. (The Evangelicals have not learned to do this). However, the spiritual world is another realm...even tho the two work in harmony in many areas). Science must leave that realm to others....the little people with briefcases under their arms have not learned to do this.===JACK: It sounds as though Albert was a philosopher as well as a scientist as well as a dad. The concept that we are all of one world became most evident to me when I saw the picture of Earth as taken from the Moon. That happened 50 years ago. We are all equal as passengers on Spaceship Earth!
FROM BLAZING OAKS: HA! What a neat turn of phrase! Having read a couple of biographies
about him, I wondered how his children fared! He didn't always make the greatest personal decisions, but this quote is so good; I plan to incorporate it into my S.S. lesson this week: He was a deep thinker for sure. Love DOES give meaning to life: How fortunate we are to discover that first-hand! ===JACK: Einstein was human, also! It might be interesting to make a list of love songs that you have sung...including "The love of God is greater far than tongue or pen can ever tell..." I think that the S.S. might enjoy adding to the list. Together, you could sing, "Jesus loves me."===OAKS: It's been awhile since I''ve song that old John Peterson "love" song; It's a good one! We've sung the Golden Agers Jesus loves me...Jesus loves me this I know, tho my hair is white as snow...etc. :-)
FROMSTARRY KNIGHT: I like this one!! I hope to find that someday ....with someone I want to be with...forever :)===JACK: Someone has said, "Fall in love, head first." In other words, use your brain when you're considering "that someone."
FROM BB IN CHGO: New to me – thanks for sharing!===JACK: Usually we shortchange someone when we fail to look at their total being. Einstein had a love affair with Lina...that was the name of his cherished violin. He was more than a physicist!===BB: Again, I had no idea. We always hear about Mozart and babies and the relation between music and math. Apparently Einstein is another great example. Last night I saw Tiniarwen, a Taurig band from Africa ….will try to write more about them later. Fascinating!===JACK: Yes, the more we examine the lives of people (like you and Albert) the more fascinating they become.
FROM OUTHOUSE JUDY: Awesome words! He hit the nail on the head!===JACK: Leave it to a physicist to connect gravity with falling in love.
“You can’t blame gravity for falling in love.” (Albert Einstein) Einstein’s daughter has shared her father’s thoughts on Love, contained in letters sent to her. “Love is an extremely powerful force in the universe, which science cannot explain. It is Light, enlightening those who receive and give it. It is Magnetic, enabling people to be attracted to each other. It is Power, bringing out the best in people. It is God, everything that gives meaning to life.” ;-) Jack
FROM KB IN HL: Another one of my favorites. “Favorites “ are one that stay with me for a very long time.===JACK: You're a favorite, too. Thanks for the good work you did that helped so many people.
FROM SF: WOW!===JACK: Is that what Gary said when you accepted his proposal?
FROM HONEST JOHN: Science has its realm. Religion should let it have its say in that realm. (The Evangelicals have not learned to do this). However, the spiritual world is another realm...even tho the two work in harmony in many areas). Science must leave that realm to others....the little people with briefcases under their arms have not learned to do this.===JACK: It sounds as though Albert was a philosopher as well as a scientist as well as a dad. The concept that we are all of one world became most evident to me when I saw the picture of Earth as taken from the Moon. That happened 50 years ago. We are all equal as passengers on Spaceship Earth!
FROM BLAZING OAKS: HA! What a neat turn of phrase! Having read a couple of biographies
about him, I wondered how his children fared! He didn't always make the greatest personal decisions, but this quote is so good; I plan to incorporate it into my S.S. lesson this week: He was a deep thinker for sure. Love DOES give meaning to life: How fortunate we are to discover that first-hand! ===JACK: Einstein was human, also! It might be interesting to make a list of love songs that you have sung...including "The love of God is greater far than tongue or pen can ever tell..." I think that the S.S. might enjoy adding to the list. Together, you could sing, "Jesus loves me."===OAKS: It's been awhile since I''ve song that old John Peterson "love" song; It's a good one! We've sung the Golden Agers Jesus loves me...Jesus loves me this I know, tho my hair is white as snow...etc. :-)
FROMSTARRY KNIGHT: I like this one!! I hope to find that someday ....with someone I want to be with...forever :)===JACK: Someone has said, "Fall in love, head first." In other words, use your brain when you're considering "that someone."
FROM BB IN CHGO: New to me – thanks for sharing!===JACK: Usually we shortchange someone when we fail to look at their total being. Einstein had a love affair with Lina...that was the name of his cherished violin. He was more than a physicist!===BB: Again, I had no idea. We always hear about Mozart and babies and the relation between music and math. Apparently Einstein is another great example. Last night I saw Tiniarwen, a Taurig band from Africa ….will try to write more about them later. Fascinating!===JACK: Yes, the more we examine the lives of people (like you and Albert) the more fascinating they become.
FROM OUTHOUSE JUDY: Awesome words! He hit the nail on the head!===JACK: Leave it to a physicist to connect gravity with falling in love.
Monday, August 13, 2018
Jack’s Winning Words 8/13/18
“Think of all the beauty still left around you and be happy.” (Anne Frank) I just read of something new, the GOODNEWSPAPER, a newspaper full of good news about people, ideas and movements, aiming to make the world a better place. As a child, Fred Rogers was afraid of “the news.” His mother advised, “Look for the helpers! You’ll always find them.” There is good in this world, and when you focus on it, you’ll send a hopeful message to others. ;-) Jack
FROM HONEST JOHN: I think we need to keep r eyes open and see the whole thing ...good and evil.....better able to deal with it all if we are not sheltered from it.===JACK: In my opinion, I'm aware of the negative, which helps me choose the positive. That applies to many of the choices I make...my friends...my church...my politics...my weltanschauung.
FROM TAMPA SHIRL: Accentuate the positive! I think there is a song about this ===JACK: You were probably a teen-ager when Johnny Mercer made that song popular...
You've got to accentuate the positive Eliminate the negative
And latch on to the affirmative Don't mess with Mister In-Between
===SHIRL: That was a long time ago wasn’t it? It has a great message!
FROM ST PAUL IN ST PAUL: another good one, Jack . thanks! i did some preaching yesterday at a church over in Newport, on the eastside of St. Paul. about 80 people in attendance. i was representing LSS. a small but quite active church. very warm and welcoming. reminded me a lot of SLLC in the 1970s.===JACK: Sometimes we equate success with numbers, but how to measure success is more elusive than that. "Beauty (success) is in the eye of the beholder." God is the only judge in this Beauty Contest!"
FROM DB: That's exactly what the world needs. Can you please share its website or how one may view it please?JACK: Just Google: GOODNEWSPAPER
FROM BB IN CHGO: I loved that concept of “look for the helpers” and thought that was a highlight of the documentary. Goodnewspaper sounds like a great venture. I would like a reality show depicting thoughtfulness, kindness, forgiveness and positive values instead of smut and hollering and tearing people apart.===JACK: I would like a miracle to happen resulting in our leaders showing a concern for basic values rather than political self-preservation. The only ones who seem to speak out are those not running for re-election.
FROM OUTHOUSE JUDY: There’s so much more beauty in the world than the ugly. But you don’t hear about it! It’s not hard to find though!===JACK: "Good News" people often can see beauty in what others call, "ugly." Buy, you have to look for it. A woman, because of her illness, had many hospital admissions. After her latest one, she was heard to remark, "I wonder what God for me to do here this time?"
FROM HAWKEYE GEORGE: Beautiful===JACK: While Anne Frank was in hiding, there was a window which allowed her to see outside, to see nature. One of nature's gifts to her was a horse chestnut tree. That tree is now gone, but a cutting produced another tree which was planted and is now growing at the Holocaust Center, 5 miles from where I live.
FROM INDY GENIE: Today’s WW’s are words to live by, that’s for sure. Your beautiful story of Anne Frank’s Horse Chestnut tree reminded me of 2 quotes by Maria Montessori.
I believe Anne Frank attended a Montessori school.
(I also spend my days in a Montessori school....lucky me:)
FROM BLAZING OAKS: That sounds like a great newspaper to read! I remember one of the female
folk singers singing a song "What's the Good News? Hey! What's the good News today?" I arranged it for our Youth choir, who dressed as "Newsies" hawking their newspapers while they sang! There are many good people everywhere! Last week the blind man that I pick up for Bible Study at church lost his billfold with over a hundred dollars in it...We tracked it down at the large Super market he'd gotten some groceries at, and someone had found it in the Men's RR and turned it in, money and credit cards intact.It was kind of funny, when the manager asked Brian what color his billfold was, he said, I don't know the color, but it is leather, and I'll know the way my money is folded in it." (Turned out it is brown: now he knows what color his billfold is!:-) Heartwarming when these good things happen!!===JACK: I don't suppose that story made the Journal-Register or Sherman's Village News. Maybe your Church Newsletter will carry it.
“Think of all the beauty still left around you and be happy.” (Anne Frank) I just read of something new, the GOODNEWSPAPER, a newspaper full of good news about people, ideas and movements, aiming to make the world a better place. As a child, Fred Rogers was afraid of “the news.” His mother advised, “Look for the helpers! You’ll always find them.” There is good in this world, and when you focus on it, you’ll send a hopeful message to others. ;-) Jack
FROM HONEST JOHN: I think we need to keep r eyes open and see the whole thing ...good and evil.....better able to deal with it all if we are not sheltered from it.===JACK: In my opinion, I'm aware of the negative, which helps me choose the positive. That applies to many of the choices I make...my friends...my church...my politics...my weltanschauung.
FROM TAMPA SHIRL: Accentuate the positive! I think there is a song about this ===JACK: You were probably a teen-ager when Johnny Mercer made that song popular...
You've got to accentuate the positive Eliminate the negative
And latch on to the affirmative Don't mess with Mister In-Between
===SHIRL: That was a long time ago wasn’t it? It has a great message!
FROM ST PAUL IN ST PAUL: another good one, Jack . thanks! i did some preaching yesterday at a church over in Newport, on the eastside of St. Paul. about 80 people in attendance. i was representing LSS. a small but quite active church. very warm and welcoming. reminded me a lot of SLLC in the 1970s.===JACK: Sometimes we equate success with numbers, but how to measure success is more elusive than that. "Beauty (success) is in the eye of the beholder." God is the only judge in this Beauty Contest!"
FROM DB: That's exactly what the world needs. Can you please share its website or how one may view it please?JACK: Just Google: GOODNEWSPAPER
FROM BB IN CHGO: I loved that concept of “look for the helpers” and thought that was a highlight of the documentary. Goodnewspaper sounds like a great venture. I would like a reality show depicting thoughtfulness, kindness, forgiveness and positive values instead of smut and hollering and tearing people apart.===JACK: I would like a miracle to happen resulting in our leaders showing a concern for basic values rather than political self-preservation. The only ones who seem to speak out are those not running for re-election.
FROM OUTHOUSE JUDY: There’s so much more beauty in the world than the ugly. But you don’t hear about it! It’s not hard to find though!===JACK: "Good News" people often can see beauty in what others call, "ugly." Buy, you have to look for it. A woman, because of her illness, had many hospital admissions. After her latest one, she was heard to remark, "I wonder what God for me to do here this time?"
FROM HAWKEYE GEORGE: Beautiful===JACK: While Anne Frank was in hiding, there was a window which allowed her to see outside, to see nature. One of nature's gifts to her was a horse chestnut tree. That tree is now gone, but a cutting produced another tree which was planted and is now growing at the Holocaust Center, 5 miles from where I live.
FROM INDY GENIE: Today’s WW’s are words to live by, that’s for sure. Your beautiful story of Anne Frank’s Horse Chestnut tree reminded me of 2 quotes by Maria Montessori.
I believe Anne Frank attended a Montessori school.
(I also spend my days in a Montessori school....lucky me:)
folk singers singing a song "What's the Good News? Hey! What's the good News today?" I arranged it for our Youth choir, who dressed as "Newsies" hawking their newspapers while they sang! There are many good people everywhere! Last week the blind man that I pick up for Bible Study at church lost his billfold with over a hundred dollars in it...We tracked it down at the large Super market he'd gotten some groceries at, and someone had found it in the Men's RR and turned it in, money and credit cards intact.It was kind of funny, when the manager asked Brian what color his billfold was, he said, I don't know the color, but it is leather, and I'll know the way my money is folded in it." (Turned out it is brown: now he knows what color his billfold is!:-) Heartwarming when these good things happen!!===JACK: I don't suppose that story made the Journal-Register or Sherman's Village News. Maybe your Church Newsletter will carry it.
Friday, August 10, 2018
Jack’s Winning Words 8/10/18
“Success in life comes not from having the right cards, but from playing the bad ones properly.” (Joshua Dool) My card-playing skills are limited to Old Maid and Crazy 8s, but I know that in those games you can win, even with a bad deal. You may know of someone who’s made a success of life, despite physical, financial and/or social handicaps. Maybe, it’s luck, but more often it’s because they’ve known how to play the cards dealt to them. ;-) Jack
FROM HAPPY TRAILS IN NOVA SCOTIA: My favorite prof, General Georges F. Doriot of the Harvard Business School, asked one of my fellow students why his paper wasn't turned in on time. He replied, "I wasn't feeling well." The General, who spoke softly but always had everybody's attention, said "Many of the great things in history have been accomplished by people who didn't feel well at the time." Nelson regularly got seasick. We often hear a saying along the lines of "Health is the most important thing." I have long been inspired by the accomplishments of people who don't have what most of us would think of as health, and would substitute "Attitude". Many of our friends from the Good Shepherd Rehabilitation Home (a long-term care facility) in Allentown, PA were inspirational. One man who had grown up there and later gone on to a satisfying career despite significant disabilities, composed a song called "Masterwork in Progress" along the lines that God was continuing to help him become what he could be.===JACK: Right to the point! Some time ago we had a e-mail discussion which included a reference to Harry Golden's essay, "The Show Must Go On." That's worth re-reading, too.
FROM SF: Hi. Just learning to play canasta. So many rules! New in retirement...canasta, mah jongg, golf, grandkids...fun learning curve! ===JACK: Who says "you can't teach old dogs new trick?" I checked..."The idea of it being more difficult to teach things to an older dog has been around since at least the early 1500s. For example, in Fitzherbert's Book of Husbandry, 1534, there's a part that reads:
"He muste teche his dogge to barke whan he wolde haue hym, to ronne whan he wold haue hym,
and to leue ronning whan he wolde haue gym; or els he is not a cunninge shepeherd. The dogge
must lerne it, whan he is a whelpe, or els it wyl not be: for it is harde to make an olde dogge to stoupe (put his nose to the ground for a scent)." Grandchildren have a way of making you feel young again.
FROM BLAZING OAKS: One of course thinks of people such as Helen Keller, or her teacher,
Annie Sullivan who often felt ill, and had terrible eyesight herself! But we all know personally, inspirational folks in our own lives who did amazing things. My grandson is named for a man in our church who had severe Cerebral Palsy, could not walk, very difficult to speak, or control his movements, who went to college and graduate school at U of IL earning a Master's 'Degree in Library Science, and worked for many years for IL State Library. He drove a motorized scooter to work, and
everywhere, in all kinds of weather, and when he retired, he volunteered at the Hospital, and in a first grade at one of our schools. My son Fred and wife Judy were close friends and often assisted him. He loved classical symphony music, and I took him to concerts, as we had season tickets. That's just ONE of several I've know personally to overcome a "bad hand" dealt to them. (I should pay tribute to Jim's mom who was instrumental in all his educational accomplishments, living on campus with him throughout his education!) I love playing bridge; Also enjoy Euchre, Pinochle, and most card game!! Our family are GREAT game players! :-) Competitive===JACK: There was a new seminarian who threatened to quit the sem after playing basketball against me. When the ref wasn't looking I'd grab the other guy's pants while guarding him so he couldn't get around me (stuff like that). "If people who intend to be pastors play like that, I don't want to be a part of it." His friends explained that I was really a "nice" guy...just competitive. I wear that as a badge of honor. BTW, he and I became best friends. He went on to become a college and seminary professor...and even was on the Winning Words list...as are his children.
“Success in life comes not from having the right cards, but from playing the bad ones properly.” (Joshua Dool) My card-playing skills are limited to Old Maid and Crazy 8s, but I know that in those games you can win, even with a bad deal. You may know of someone who’s made a success of life, despite physical, financial and/or social handicaps. Maybe, it’s luck, but more often it’s because they’ve known how to play the cards dealt to them. ;-) Jack
FROM HAPPY TRAILS IN NOVA SCOTIA: My favorite prof, General Georges F. Doriot of the Harvard Business School, asked one of my fellow students why his paper wasn't turned in on time. He replied, "I wasn't feeling well." The General, who spoke softly but always had everybody's attention, said "Many of the great things in history have been accomplished by people who didn't feel well at the time." Nelson regularly got seasick. We often hear a saying along the lines of "Health is the most important thing." I have long been inspired by the accomplishments of people who don't have what most of us would think of as health, and would substitute "Attitude". Many of our friends from the Good Shepherd Rehabilitation Home (a long-term care facility) in Allentown, PA were inspirational. One man who had grown up there and later gone on to a satisfying career despite significant disabilities, composed a song called "Masterwork in Progress" along the lines that God was continuing to help him become what he could be.===JACK: Right to the point! Some time ago we had a e-mail discussion which included a reference to Harry Golden's essay, "The Show Must Go On." That's worth re-reading, too.
FROM SF: Hi. Just learning to play canasta. So many rules! New in retirement...canasta, mah jongg, golf, grandkids...fun learning curve! ===JACK: Who says "you can't teach old dogs new trick?" I checked..."The idea of it being more difficult to teach things to an older dog has been around since at least the early 1500s. For example, in Fitzherbert's Book of Husbandry, 1534, there's a part that reads:
"He muste teche his dogge to barke whan he wolde haue hym, to ronne whan he wold haue hym,
and to leue ronning whan he wolde haue gym; or els he is not a cunninge shepeherd. The dogge
must lerne it, whan he is a whelpe, or els it wyl not be: for it is harde to make an olde dogge to stoupe (put his nose to the ground for a scent)." Grandchildren have a way of making you feel young again.
FROM BLAZING OAKS: One of course thinks of people such as Helen Keller, or her teacher,
Annie Sullivan who often felt ill, and had terrible eyesight herself! But we all know personally, inspirational folks in our own lives who did amazing things. My grandson is named for a man in our church who had severe Cerebral Palsy, could not walk, very difficult to speak, or control his movements, who went to college and graduate school at U of IL earning a Master's 'Degree in Library Science, and worked for many years for IL State Library. He drove a motorized scooter to work, and
everywhere, in all kinds of weather, and when he retired, he volunteered at the Hospital, and in a first grade at one of our schools. My son Fred and wife Judy were close friends and often assisted him. He loved classical symphony music, and I took him to concerts, as we had season tickets. That's just ONE of several I've know personally to overcome a "bad hand" dealt to them. (I should pay tribute to Jim's mom who was instrumental in all his educational accomplishments, living on campus with him throughout his education!) I love playing bridge; Also enjoy Euchre, Pinochle, and most card game!! Our family are GREAT game players! :-) Competitive===JACK: There was a new seminarian who threatened to quit the sem after playing basketball against me. When the ref wasn't looking I'd grab the other guy's pants while guarding him so he couldn't get around me (stuff like that). "If people who intend to be pastors play like that, I don't want to be a part of it." His friends explained that I was really a "nice" guy...just competitive. I wear that as a badge of honor. BTW, he and I became best friends. He went on to become a college and seminary professor...and even was on the Winning Words list...as are his children.
Thursday, August 09, 2018
Jack’s Winning Words 8/9/18
“I don’t believe that there are aliens. I believe that there are really different people.” (Orson Scott Card) What’s your favorite…Independence Day or E.T.? Personally, I like the friendly alien, the stranger who turns out to be one who makes life more interesting for me. Some of my best friends were once aliens…different (religion, nationality, color), and I was different to them. Think back over the past year. Have you made any alien friends? ;-) Jack
FROM WALMART REV: 1500 Somali I’m told now live in Willmar, MN and making a home here. Somewhere around a dozen young folk are now working at our local Walmart...I’ve learned four different words of greeting now and use them everyday and time I meet one of them...usually having one of those words responding back to me with a smile and appreciation for the greeting. 0;-) ===JACK: It's surprising to me...how many Somali refugees have come to Minnesota and have found jobs there. How did it happen that your state became the place for them? And, secondly, I believe that most of them are Muslim, right? Do they have "church-like" gatherings, or overtly practice their faith? I'm proud that someone like you bothers to learn a greeting in languages other than your own. Yours is a great ministry!===REV: The state government must have had something to do with inviting them here...something similar a few years ago with the Mong population in Minneapolis...Willmar has attracted many of them because of the turkey industry (processing plants for Jenni-O and Willmar Poultry)...several local Somali businesses catering to their own needs have developed as well....all Muslims and following the dress code, especially with the women. Interesting dynamic among us to say the least.===JACK: Is prejudice against them widespread? Have any found their way into churches? Do any of them stop by your table at Walmart? Just wondering. ===REV: More prejudices with the older Willmarites as there was with the influx of the Hispanics coming from Texas as south of the border to work the fields and poultry jobs...they were mostly seasonal until they found the government social programs more to their liking than those of Texas.
Some Somali work with a special needs business and find themselves sitting out in the church foyer while their consumer is in the service...I’ll tell them “You and I have something in common?” They always look surprised, and I follow up with, “We both get paid to be here!” I have many Somali friends at Walmart and around town for that matter. 0;-)===JACK: Somehow, I'm not surprised by your answers. You're a good one!
FROM BS IN ENGLAND: Not only over the past year but over forty years your alien friend.
I truly am an alien as I carry an alien registration card! The little ones at school loved it when I told them that I was an alien!!===JACK: Rather than fear the aliens (immigrants), we should embrace the fact that we have much to learn from them. I think back to what my immigrant relatives contributed to America. Think back, too, to what America has gained in culture (religion and music) from the reluctant immigrants, the slaves. I have certainly learned to appreciate the "culture" of England because of you. If "little green people" were suddenly to come to earth from outer space... istead of receiving them with fear, we should look upon them as an opportunity for learning.
FROM BLAZING OAKS: ET was a heartwarming movie/story! We had foreign students or
International visitors from the Chicago Area, one weekend every year, for many years, and young kids from the ghetto who came for a week or two in the summer; one set of brothers (2) came
three years in a row, and we became quite close with that family in Chicago when we served the Dixon church. Our boys learned first-hand about prejudice when these boys accompanied them
or our family on outings! As I've said before Traveling the world is a first hand experience with "Aliens" and leads to empathy and understanding of the sameness and the differences among us! ===JACK: ...and you were aliens to those Chicago boys. We are aliens to each other until we get to know each. Christ is even an alien to us until we come to know Him. But not so in reverse. I like the words from Jeremiah: "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born." Though they applied to the prophet, they apply also to each of God's creation.
FROM LK IN NI: Not just in the past year. My entire life===JACK: A newspaper headline declared today that "There are aliens to be found in Ferndale." How about that?
“I don’t believe that there are aliens. I believe that there are really different people.” (Orson Scott Card) What’s your favorite…Independence Day or E.T.? Personally, I like the friendly alien, the stranger who turns out to be one who makes life more interesting for me. Some of my best friends were once aliens…different (religion, nationality, color), and I was different to them. Think back over the past year. Have you made any alien friends? ;-) Jack
FROM WALMART REV: 1500 Somali I’m told now live in Willmar, MN and making a home here. Somewhere around a dozen young folk are now working at our local Walmart...I’ve learned four different words of greeting now and use them everyday and time I meet one of them...usually having one of those words responding back to me with a smile and appreciation for the greeting. 0;-) ===JACK: It's surprising to me...how many Somali refugees have come to Minnesota and have found jobs there. How did it happen that your state became the place for them? And, secondly, I believe that most of them are Muslim, right? Do they have "church-like" gatherings, or overtly practice their faith? I'm proud that someone like you bothers to learn a greeting in languages other than your own. Yours is a great ministry!===REV: The state government must have had something to do with inviting them here...something similar a few years ago with the Mong population in Minneapolis...Willmar has attracted many of them because of the turkey industry (processing plants for Jenni-O and Willmar Poultry)...several local Somali businesses catering to their own needs have developed as well....all Muslims and following the dress code, especially with the women. Interesting dynamic among us to say the least.===JACK: Is prejudice against them widespread? Have any found their way into churches? Do any of them stop by your table at Walmart? Just wondering. ===REV: More prejudices with the older Willmarites as there was with the influx of the Hispanics coming from Texas as south of the border to work the fields and poultry jobs...they were mostly seasonal until they found the government social programs more to their liking than those of Texas.
Some Somali work with a special needs business and find themselves sitting out in the church foyer while their consumer is in the service...I’ll tell them “You and I have something in common?” They always look surprised, and I follow up with, “We both get paid to be here!” I have many Somali friends at Walmart and around town for that matter. 0;-)===JACK: Somehow, I'm not surprised by your answers. You're a good one!
FROM BS IN ENGLAND: Not only over the past year but over forty years your alien friend.
I truly am an alien as I carry an alien registration card! The little ones at school loved it when I told them that I was an alien!!===JACK: Rather than fear the aliens (immigrants), we should embrace the fact that we have much to learn from them. I think back to what my immigrant relatives contributed to America. Think back, too, to what America has gained in culture (religion and music) from the reluctant immigrants, the slaves. I have certainly learned to appreciate the "culture" of England because of you. If "little green people" were suddenly to come to earth from outer space... istead of receiving them with fear, we should look upon them as an opportunity for learning.
FROM BLAZING OAKS: ET was a heartwarming movie/story! We had foreign students or
International visitors from the Chicago Area, one weekend every year, for many years, and young kids from the ghetto who came for a week or two in the summer; one set of brothers (2) came
three years in a row, and we became quite close with that family in Chicago when we served the Dixon church. Our boys learned first-hand about prejudice when these boys accompanied them
or our family on outings! As I've said before Traveling the world is a first hand experience with "Aliens" and leads to empathy and understanding of the sameness and the differences among us! ===JACK: ...and you were aliens to those Chicago boys. We are aliens to each other until we get to know each. Christ is even an alien to us until we come to know Him. But not so in reverse. I like the words from Jeremiah: "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born." Though they applied to the prophet, they apply also to each of God's creation.
FROM LK IN NI: Not just in the past year. My entire life===JACK: A newspaper headline declared today that "There are aliens to be found in Ferndale." How about that?
Wednesday, August 08, 2018
Jack’s Winning Words 8/8/18
“Experience informs us that the first defense of weak minds is to recriminate.” (Samuel Taylor Coleridge) Recriminate means to blame someone else. No one really knows, but we’re told that the Great Chicago Fire was started by Mrs (Mame) O’Leary and her cow, and so a song was written, Put the Blame on Mame. People recriminate in many places. I liked the sign on Truman’s desk: The Buck Stops Here! Strong minds admit mistakes and move on. ;-) Jack
FROM TRIHARDER: I have great misgivings when I see all of the tragedy, especially that which involves genocide. "Gd's plan"? Too hard for me. ===JACK: I believe that, ultimately, God’s will is done. Today is only one part of a complicated puzzle. The Holocaust, too. I remember, in my own life, a particularly depressing time which seemed contrary to the will of a good and gracious God. Ultimately, it made a tremendous difference in my life. It’s sort of like the T-ball player who was asked the score of his game. “17 to nothing.”....“Wow, that’s too bad.”....“It’s only the first inning. We haven’t come to bat, yet.”===TH: I know that many concentration camp victims (survivors) emerged as atheists, faith destroyed, after having lost all -- family and earthly possessions; while many emerged with faith in Gd restored. Both views warranted.===JACK: When the Jews complained that God had abandoned them in the wilderness...and that they'd be better off as slaves in Egypt...would you call that, atheism? Given time....we see that the wilderness experience was bad turned into good.
FROM ST PAUL IN ST PAUL: good words for this day,. thanks...===JACK: I try. That's why I call them Winning Words rather than Losing Words.
FROM BLAZING OAKS: A Prime example of these WW sits in the Oval Office in Washington
today! I remember the song blaming Mame, a very catchy tune, and very popular at the time! It takes a certain amount of courage to admit or accept blame. A strong sense of self helps you do that, and go on. Adversity reveals character!===JACK: I think that recriminate might have the same root source as crime and criminal. Mmmm
“Experience informs us that the first defense of weak minds is to recriminate.” (Samuel Taylor Coleridge) Recriminate means to blame someone else. No one really knows, but we’re told that the Great Chicago Fire was started by Mrs (Mame) O’Leary and her cow, and so a song was written, Put the Blame on Mame. People recriminate in many places. I liked the sign on Truman’s desk: The Buck Stops Here! Strong minds admit mistakes and move on. ;-) Jack
FROM TRIHARDER: I have great misgivings when I see all of the tragedy, especially that which involves genocide. "Gd's plan"? Too hard for me. ===JACK: I believe that, ultimately, God’s will is done. Today is only one part of a complicated puzzle. The Holocaust, too. I remember, in my own life, a particularly depressing time which seemed contrary to the will of a good and gracious God. Ultimately, it made a tremendous difference in my life. It’s sort of like the T-ball player who was asked the score of his game. “17 to nothing.”....“Wow, that’s too bad.”....“It’s only the first inning. We haven’t come to bat, yet.”===TH: I know that many concentration camp victims (survivors) emerged as atheists, faith destroyed, after having lost all -- family and earthly possessions; while many emerged with faith in Gd restored. Both views warranted.===JACK: When the Jews complained that God had abandoned them in the wilderness...and that they'd be better off as slaves in Egypt...would you call that, atheism? Given time....we see that the wilderness experience was bad turned into good.
FROM ST PAUL IN ST PAUL: good words for this day,. thanks...===JACK: I try. That's why I call them Winning Words rather than Losing Words.
FROM BLAZING OAKS: A Prime example of these WW sits in the Oval Office in Washington
today! I remember the song blaming Mame, a very catchy tune, and very popular at the time! It takes a certain amount of courage to admit or accept blame. A strong sense of self helps you do that, and go on. Adversity reveals character!===JACK: I think that recriminate might have the same root source as crime and criminal. Mmmm
Tuesday, August 07, 2018
Jack’s Winning Words 8/7/18
“God is never late, but He sure misses a lot of opportunities to be early.” (From Mike Watson) Prayer is personal conversation with God, so I won’t give you a right or wrong way to do it. For me, I just say what’s on my mind and what I’d like to have happen…closing with, “Thy will be done.” Sometimes, Thy will is My will and sometimes, not. My faith lets me live with that. There’s a hymn: “My God and I talk as good friends do.” That’s prayer! ;-) Jack
FROM HONEST JOHN:What do you think of that Bill Hybels business?===JACK: I've lived long enough and "seen" enough stuff,,,so that nothing surprises me anymore. There are higher expectations with regard to preachers and Presidents...but as we used to say at the beginning of the Augustana church service..."We poor miserable sinners come unto thee, confessing..." We all have sinned and fallen short. I'm reminded of the old deacon who prayed: "O God, forgive my "falling shorts."
FROM ST PAUL IN ST PAUL: this one was almost "profound" today, Jack:):) thanks!===JACK: Theologically (and in the minds of many), Jesus is the personification God...so, I give some slack to those who like the song, "In the Garden."===PAUL: when the LBW first came out, i noticed that almost all of the hymns from previous hymnals that spoke of a very personal, one to one relationship with God/Jesus were deleted. almost all hymns had a more corporate theme. i think this was a mistake. we need both dimensions of our faith expressed in our hymnody. that is why With One Voice became so popular because of hymns like Thy Holy Wings and Great is thy Faithfulness, etc. ===JACK: I don't foresee a time when another official hymnal will be printed. We've grown accustomed to new ways of worship, new songs and old favorites, depending on the particular worshipping community...and the whims of the pastor or worship and music committee. Personally, I like the new way, although I know of others who would like to go back to the old way.
FROM SUEBARTH: AMEN===JACK:: Since God is beyond our complete understanding, it's OK to have questions. "We'll understand it all, by and by."
FROM QUILTING CAROL: What a timely message for me. I’m working on a lesson on prayer for our circle meeting this month using the Gather magazine. After trying to combine the summer Bible study lessons in this magazine, I came to the conclusion that the author was making it too complicated to pray. If we get all caught up in the ‘politically correct’ way to pray or why we should pray, we’ve forgotten what we want to pray about. I did find the words for this hymn online and will use it next week. I do enjoy my conversations with God – at all times of the day and sometimes in the middle of the night. Thank you!===JACK: I would sometimes put an empty chair in front of confirmation students and ask them to write down their words to Jesus as though he were sitting in that chair. You might try that sometime with your "circle." ...meeting Jesus face to face!
FROM BLAZING OAKS: We've all had that thought at one time or another, haven't we? I'm with you; I have running conversations with God throughout the day! Especially since I've lived alone...and of course some times our prayers are not answered in the way we so wish, and our faith accepts that God knows best. (Often that becomes apparent later on!) The concept of timelessness is so difficult here on Earth where we are so controlled by "time", but in eternity what is "early" and what is "late"??!===JACK: Among other things, I admired the way you have "walked through the valley" on more than one occasion without prayers being answered in the way you would want. Yet, you have learned also to pray, "Nevertheless, not my will, but thy will be done." Later next week I plan to have some Winning Words relating to this. Even those who comfort others need comfort, also.
“God is never late, but He sure misses a lot of opportunities to be early.” (From Mike Watson) Prayer is personal conversation with God, so I won’t give you a right or wrong way to do it. For me, I just say what’s on my mind and what I’d like to have happen…closing with, “Thy will be done.” Sometimes, Thy will is My will and sometimes, not. My faith lets me live with that. There’s a hymn: “My God and I talk as good friends do.” That’s prayer! ;-) Jack
FROM HONEST JOHN:What do you think of that Bill Hybels business?===JACK: I've lived long enough and "seen" enough stuff,,,so that nothing surprises me anymore. There are higher expectations with regard to preachers and Presidents...but as we used to say at the beginning of the Augustana church service..."We poor miserable sinners come unto thee, confessing..." We all have sinned and fallen short. I'm reminded of the old deacon who prayed: "O God, forgive my "falling shorts."
FROM ST PAUL IN ST PAUL: this one was almost "profound" today, Jack:):) thanks!===JACK: Theologically (and in the minds of many), Jesus is the personification God...so, I give some slack to those who like the song, "In the Garden."===PAUL: when the LBW first came out, i noticed that almost all of the hymns from previous hymnals that spoke of a very personal, one to one relationship with God/Jesus were deleted. almost all hymns had a more corporate theme. i think this was a mistake. we need both dimensions of our faith expressed in our hymnody. that is why With One Voice became so popular because of hymns like Thy Holy Wings and Great is thy Faithfulness, etc. ===JACK: I don't foresee a time when another official hymnal will be printed. We've grown accustomed to new ways of worship, new songs and old favorites, depending on the particular worshipping community...and the whims of the pastor or worship and music committee. Personally, I like the new way, although I know of others who would like to go back to the old way.
FROM SUEBARTH: AMEN===JACK:: Since God is beyond our complete understanding, it's OK to have questions. "We'll understand it all, by and by."
FROM QUILTING CAROL: What a timely message for me. I’m working on a lesson on prayer for our circle meeting this month using the Gather magazine. After trying to combine the summer Bible study lessons in this magazine, I came to the conclusion that the author was making it too complicated to pray. If we get all caught up in the ‘politically correct’ way to pray or why we should pray, we’ve forgotten what we want to pray about. I did find the words for this hymn online and will use it next week. I do enjoy my conversations with God – at all times of the day and sometimes in the middle of the night. Thank you!===JACK: I would sometimes put an empty chair in front of confirmation students and ask them to write down their words to Jesus as though he were sitting in that chair. You might try that sometime with your "circle." ...meeting Jesus face to face!
FROM BLAZING OAKS: We've all had that thought at one time or another, haven't we? I'm with you; I have running conversations with God throughout the day! Especially since I've lived alone...and of course some times our prayers are not answered in the way we so wish, and our faith accepts that God knows best. (Often that becomes apparent later on!) The concept of timelessness is so difficult here on Earth where we are so controlled by "time", but in eternity what is "early" and what is "late"??!===JACK: Among other things, I admired the way you have "walked through the valley" on more than one occasion without prayers being answered in the way you would want. Yet, you have learned also to pray, "Nevertheless, not my will, but thy will be done." Later next week I plan to have some Winning Words relating to this. Even those who comfort others need comfort, also.
Monday, August 06, 2018
Jack’s
Winning Words 8/6/18
“When you change
the way you look at things, the things you look at change.” (Wayne Dyer)
Barnes and Noble reports that sales of books about handling stress are
high. These are anxious times…politics,
finances, illness, relationships, you name it!
The Bible gives me hope. Isaiah
wrote: “The crooked will be made straight and the rough places, plain.” A new book is titled, God Wins! Ultimately, God’s
will is done! “It ain’t over til it’s
over!” said Yogi. ;-) Jack
www.jackswinningwords.blogspot.com to
see my blog
FROM BLAZING OAKS: Sometimes I think Arthur Miller (author) was right when he wrote:"There
is nothing farther removed from Washington DC than the entire world." And it's been an eye-0pener to me that so many think so differently than I do in the USA! Hard not to be discouraged by the meanness, madness, and wrangling that constantly goes on among diverse factions these days.
Maybe it's always been like this, but we didn't hear about in the news like we do now. Thankfully, we all know many good people make up the majority of our population! Keep the Faith!===JACK: Now is worse. Trust and honesty and co-operation for the higher good are in the rearview mirror.
FROM WALMART REV: ". . . or when the fat lady sings!" 0;-)===JACK: Or, until the roll is called up yonder.
FROM HONEST JOHN: Only a Relativist would buy that....certainly not someone who thinks that the world exists independently of us===JACK: The world without people is just stuff. We are part of the world, too. "God so loved the world...(you know the rest)"===JOHN: We are a part of the world but not an indispensable. The "world" has been here for billions of years....humankind for approximately 1.5 million years....that makes us Johnny Come Latelies.....the rest of the "stuff" has bragging rights on us. We are also a part of the world that is working on our own destruction....if we follow our present path, we will be gone and the "world" will just keep on rolling along===JACK: There's so much we do not know. "Jesus loves me, this I (DO) know."===JOHN: With that I agree. Amen
FROM TAMPA SHIRL: Enjoy each day!===JACK: That's your mantra. "One day at a time."
FROM BLAZING OAKS: Sometimes I think Arthur Miller (author) was right when he wrote:"There
is nothing farther removed from Washington DC than the entire world." And it's been an eye-0pener to me that so many think so differently than I do in the USA! Hard not to be discouraged by the meanness, madness, and wrangling that constantly goes on among diverse factions these days.
Maybe it's always been like this, but we didn't hear about in the news like we do now. Thankfully, we all know many good people make up the majority of our population! Keep the Faith!===JACK: Now is worse. Trust and honesty and co-operation for the higher good are in the rearview mirror.
FROM WALMART REV: ". . . or when the fat lady sings!" 0;-)===JACK: Or, until the roll is called up yonder.
FROM HONEST JOHN: Only a Relativist would buy that....certainly not someone who thinks that the world exists independently of us===JACK: The world without people is just stuff. We are part of the world, too. "God so loved the world...(you know the rest)"===JOHN: We are a part of the world but not an indispensable. The "world" has been here for billions of years....humankind for approximately 1.5 million years....that makes us Johnny Come Latelies.....the rest of the "stuff" has bragging rights on us. We are also a part of the world that is working on our own destruction....if we follow our present path, we will be gone and the "world" will just keep on rolling along===JACK: There's so much we do not know. "Jesus loves me, this I (DO) know."===JOHN: With that I agree. Amen
FROM TAMPA SHIRL: Enjoy each day!===JACK: That's your mantra. "One day at a time."
Friday, August 03, 2018
Jack’s Winning Words 8/3/18
“Never lie to someone who trusts you, and never trust someone who lies to you.” (Mark Twain) I read that 60% of people will lie at least once during a 10-minute conversation – little white lies, mostly. Whatever…truth is taking a beating these days. We used to believe: “A man’s as good as his word.” Where’s that man gone? If we’re to have a culture of believability, it has to start with us. Lying, as a norm, is unacceptable. We can do better than that. ;-) Jack
FROM SUNSHINE: AMEN===JACK: Who wouldn't agree with that?===SUNSHINE: TRUMP ===JACK: ...and those who are his supporters.
.FROM ST PAUL IN ST PAUL: and the biggest LIAR of them all occupies the Oval Office! two major newspapers stated recently that Trump has put out over 4,000 lies, half-truths, and falsehoods since taking office. whatever happened to the Commandment, thou shalt not bear false witness??? ===JACK: The Commandment isn't the basis for me trying to be a truth-teller...It's part of what makes society work. The Commandments are relevant to those who believe in, and obey, the Commander.===PAUL: but each Commandment does indeed protect a very important part of our lives and our communities. don't steal protects our property, don't kill protects our very lives, don't commit adultery protects our homes and marriages, don't tell lies protects our reputations, don't covet... well, you get the idea.===JACK: While "we" venerate the 10 Commandments, I think that it's a stretch to think common laws trace back to them. At least that's what it seems to me after some cursory reading.
FROM WALMART REV: I hate that feeling when sharing a little white lie--trying to stay away from them. Too old any more to carry any extra weight of deception. 0;-/ ===JACK: An "untruth" is not necessarily a lie, when it's for the greater good.===REV: I keep telling myself that?! 0;-)===JACK: Keep on fighting for the greater good!
FROM MV AT ML: Amen===JACK: As sung in the old spiritual..."Amen, Oh Lawdy! Amen, have mercy! Amen, Amen, Amen."
FROM SF: Good advice for everyone, whether in leadership or general cordial conversation. Sometimes, the truth hurts and it’s best to be quiet! Or check your facts! Have a great Friday! ===JACK: Anyone in a leadership role has faced the decision, "What is best for the situation?" It isn't always "black or white." There is some gray!===SF: Or...what is best for the kids? Always our priority.===JACK: Not to disagree, but to be more expansive: "What's best for the situation?... which may go beyond the individual child. Maybe I should put away my thinking cap.---SF: Love the dialog===JACK: It would be better, face to face....as with most conversations.
FROM HONEST JOHN: I think it begins with ourselves....we must be honest with ourselves ===JACK: It's a nice trick, if you can do it. I think that one who lies to others will lie to self as well.
FROM TL: Jack, many of your daily lessons strum my funny bone. Today’s lesson is a hammer.
Thank you.===JACK: I'm like most of those who read Winning Words...I like some of them better than others. I like Mark Twain's edgy wit.
FROM TRIHARDER: I know 3 people whose best, life-long friend cheated with his buddy's wife and then married her. In one case, I know all sides. The male cheater is a "trusted" financial advisor. My reaction is (forgetting the cheating spouse for a moment) if your best friend can continually cheat and lie to your face, there is virtually nothing he couldn't justify. I hope all is well in your life. ===JACK: I would call the lie you describe...Bold-Faced, which caused me to look up that term. "A shameless falsehood....The adjective barefaced means "beardless," and one theory is that in the 1500s this condition was considered brazen in all but the youngest males. By the late 1600s barefaced also meant "brazen" or "bold," the meaning alluded to in this phrase." I don't know if the person you described was beardless, but he certainly was brazen. In this case, "friend" needs to be redefined.
FROM RS IN TEXAS: Amen===JACK: So far, three from the Amen Corner.
FROM JB IN OLV: So true!===JACK: Or, to put it another way..No lie!
FROM SH: Amen: JACK: How do you write "Amen" in Aramaic?
FROM BLAZING OAKS: Bill's mother was a stickler for the truth! she used to say if someone
catches you in a lie, you'll be a Liar to them the rest of your life. Probably right...hard to trust someone who lies, even once to you. Only 2% of the claims Donald Trump made during his Pres. campaign have been true, according to fact-check Org. (Politifact.com). Six % were mostly true, 15% were half true, another 15% were mostly false, 43% were false, and 18% were "pants-on-fire"lies. His 76% "false" rating far exceeds that of all other candidates who ran for President. Not surprisingly!! blessings, (I think! )===JACK: FROM BLAZING OAKS: Bill's mother was a stickler for the truth! she used to say if someone catches you in a lie, you'll be a Liar to them the rest of your life. Probably right...hard to trust someone who lies, even once to you. Only 2% of the claims Donald Trump made during his Pres. campaign have been true, according to fact-check Org. (Politifact.com). Six % were mostly true, 15% were half true, another 15% were mostly false, 43% were false, and 18% were "pants-on-fire"lies His 76% "false" rating far exceeds that of all other candidates who ran for President. Not surprisingly!! blessings, (I think! )blessings, (I think! ) ===JACK: The other day someone asked to check on something she'd been told (not political), to see if it were true, or not. It wasn't, so I called her and caught myself saying, "Fake News!" Why did I do that?===OAKS: Are you brain-washed by our fearless leader??! :-)===JACK: I've got to stop doing that!
FROM OUTHOUSE JUDY: Wiser words have never been spoken. We’ve had an extremely busy summer and it looks like it will stay that way. Squeezing very ounce of sun and fun possible!
We’ve had our youngest grandchildren most of the summer. Ethan, 3 hears his older sisters talking about books or movies or things they have done and he wants them get into the discussion. So he makes up things with his wonderful imagine. We spent quality time teaching him the difference between stories and truth. We think he’s getting the idea. I’ll sit down and write out his “stories” and sometimes illustrate them too. Sometimes people believe their lies are truth and must be told “it ain’t true” just like Ethan’s learning about his stories!===JACK: "Some have eyes, but cannot see. Some have ears, but cannot (will not) hear." Great grandchild story!
FROM LK IN ILL: How true.... Too many bad actors, go get a day job is what I say Very few actually live real lives===MORE LK: On tape bold faced .......sickos not really little.......very insulting===JACK: Telling the truth is a 2-way street, as Mark Twain seems to indicate. And, no one even blinks an eye, anymore. "So help you God," often is just a collection of words.
“Never lie to someone who trusts you, and never trust someone who lies to you.” (Mark Twain) I read that 60% of people will lie at least once during a 10-minute conversation – little white lies, mostly. Whatever…truth is taking a beating these days. We used to believe: “A man’s as good as his word.” Where’s that man gone? If we’re to have a culture of believability, it has to start with us. Lying, as a norm, is unacceptable. We can do better than that. ;-) Jack
FROM SUNSHINE: AMEN===JACK: Who wouldn't agree with that?===SUNSHINE: TRUMP ===JACK: ...and those who are his supporters.
.FROM ST PAUL IN ST PAUL: and the biggest LIAR of them all occupies the Oval Office! two major newspapers stated recently that Trump has put out over 4,000 lies, half-truths, and falsehoods since taking office. whatever happened to the Commandment, thou shalt not bear false witness??? ===JACK: The Commandment isn't the basis for me trying to be a truth-teller...It's part of what makes society work. The Commandments are relevant to those who believe in, and obey, the Commander.===PAUL: but each Commandment does indeed protect a very important part of our lives and our communities. don't steal protects our property, don't kill protects our very lives, don't commit adultery protects our homes and marriages, don't tell lies protects our reputations, don't covet... well, you get the idea.===JACK: While "we" venerate the 10 Commandments, I think that it's a stretch to think common laws trace back to them. At least that's what it seems to me after some cursory reading.
FROM WALMART REV: I hate that feeling when sharing a little white lie--trying to stay away from them. Too old any more to carry any extra weight of deception. 0;-/ ===JACK: An "untruth" is not necessarily a lie, when it's for the greater good.===REV: I keep telling myself that?! 0;-)===JACK: Keep on fighting for the greater good!
FROM MV AT ML: Amen===JACK: As sung in the old spiritual..."Amen, Oh Lawdy! Amen, have mercy! Amen, Amen, Amen."
FROM SF: Good advice for everyone, whether in leadership or general cordial conversation. Sometimes, the truth hurts and it’s best to be quiet! Or check your facts! Have a great Friday! ===JACK: Anyone in a leadership role has faced the decision, "What is best for the situation?" It isn't always "black or white." There is some gray!===SF: Or...what is best for the kids? Always our priority.===JACK: Not to disagree, but to be more expansive: "What's best for the situation?... which may go beyond the individual child. Maybe I should put away my thinking cap.---SF: Love the dialog===JACK: It would be better, face to face....as with most conversations.
FROM HONEST JOHN: I think it begins with ourselves....we must be honest with ourselves ===JACK: It's a nice trick, if you can do it. I think that one who lies to others will lie to self as well.
FROM TL: Jack, many of your daily lessons strum my funny bone. Today’s lesson is a hammer.
Thank you.===JACK: I'm like most of those who read Winning Words...I like some of them better than others. I like Mark Twain's edgy wit.
FROM TRIHARDER: I know 3 people whose best, life-long friend cheated with his buddy's wife and then married her. In one case, I know all sides. The male cheater is a "trusted" financial advisor. My reaction is (forgetting the cheating spouse for a moment) if your best friend can continually cheat and lie to your face, there is virtually nothing he couldn't justify. I hope all is well in your life. ===JACK: I would call the lie you describe...Bold-Faced, which caused me to look up that term. "A shameless falsehood....The adjective barefaced means "beardless," and one theory is that in the 1500s this condition was considered brazen in all but the youngest males. By the late 1600s barefaced also meant "brazen" or "bold," the meaning alluded to in this phrase." I don't know if the person you described was beardless, but he certainly was brazen. In this case, "friend" needs to be redefined.
FROM RS IN TEXAS: Amen===JACK: So far, three from the Amen Corner.
FROM JB IN OLV: So true!===JACK: Or, to put it another way..No lie!
FROM SH: Amen: JACK: How do you write "Amen" in Aramaic?
FROM BLAZING OAKS: Bill's mother was a stickler for the truth! she used to say if someone
catches you in a lie, you'll be a Liar to them the rest of your life. Probably right...hard to trust someone who lies, even once to you. Only 2% of the claims Donald Trump made during his Pres. campaign have been true, according to fact-check Org. (Politifact.com). Six % were mostly true, 15% were half true, another 15% were mostly false, 43% were false, and 18% were "pants-on-fire"lies. His 76% "false" rating far exceeds that of all other candidates who ran for President. Not surprisingly!! blessings, (I think! )===JACK: FROM BLAZING OAKS: Bill's mother was a stickler for the truth! she used to say if someone catches you in a lie, you'll be a Liar to them the rest of your life. Probably right...hard to trust someone who lies, even once to you. Only 2% of the claims Donald Trump made during his Pres. campaign have been true, according to fact-check Org. (Politifact.com). Six % were mostly true, 15% were half true, another 15% were mostly false, 43% were false, and 18% were "pants-on-fire"lies His 76% "false" rating far exceeds that of all other candidates who ran for President. Not surprisingly!! blessings, (I think! )blessings, (I think! ) ===JACK: The other day someone asked to check on something she'd been told (not political), to see if it were true, or not. It wasn't, so I called her and caught myself saying, "Fake News!" Why did I do that?===OAKS: Are you brain-washed by our fearless leader??! :-)===JACK: I've got to stop doing that!
FROM OUTHOUSE JUDY: Wiser words have never been spoken. We’ve had an extremely busy summer and it looks like it will stay that way. Squeezing very ounce of sun and fun possible!
We’ve had our youngest grandchildren most of the summer. Ethan, 3 hears his older sisters talking about books or movies or things they have done and he wants them get into the discussion. So he makes up things with his wonderful imagine. We spent quality time teaching him the difference between stories and truth. We think he’s getting the idea. I’ll sit down and write out his “stories” and sometimes illustrate them too. Sometimes people believe their lies are truth and must be told “it ain’t true” just like Ethan’s learning about his stories!===JACK: "Some have eyes, but cannot see. Some have ears, but cannot (will not) hear." Great grandchild story!
FROM LK IN ILL: How true.... Too many bad actors, go get a day job is what I say Very few actually live real lives===MORE LK: On tape bold faced .......sickos not really little.......very insulting===JACK: Telling the truth is a 2-way street, as Mark Twain seems to indicate. And, no one even blinks an eye, anymore. "So help you God," often is just a collection of words.
Thursday, August 02, 2018
Jack’s Winning Words 8/2/18
“People are more than the way they look.” (From the movie, A Winkle in Time) Not all churches have pews. I read of one that uses chairs and places them in a semi-circle so that worshippers can see each other. Jacob said to Esau, “To see you is like seeing the face of God.” It is a biblical truth that we are the Face of God to others. As MTM’s theme song puts it: “Love is all around…With each glance you show it.” People really are more than you see. ;-) Jack
FROM ST PAUL IN ST PAUL: well spoken, Jack! a women once accused A. Lincoln of being two-faced. his reply: Lady, if i had another face, do you think i would still be wearing this one??? ===JACK: Some people may not have two faces, but they often wear masks...and not always on Halloween.===PAUL: were there not at least a few Sundays when you put on your happy face and went to the church when in fact you would rather have slept in or perhaps you were sick but still well enough to lead the flock in worship? we all have our masks===JACK: Perhaps there were some, but I can't recall any. I liked preaching and meeting the people. It may have been part of my new church building DNA. I could not expect the people to be enthusiastic and the church, if I were not enthusiastic. Maybe that was the mask I was wearing.===PAUL: or maybe it was not a mask after all. i think i could count on one hand the number of really bad days i had doing parish ministry. you would likely say the same...
FROM SA IN KW: Indeed. I'm not the only one, no doubt, who 'sees' you every morning in WW. Thanks.===JACK: Here is an interesting follow-up quote to what you have written: "Discovery is seeing what everybody else has seen, and thinking what nobody else has thought." (Albert Szent-Gyorgyi)
FROM QUILTING CAROL: This weekend we will bury a wonderful missionary pastor we became friends with after we moved up here. One of the many things he shared with us was a greeting he and his wife learned in Senegal – “I see you.” He said the native people greeted you in this way. It does put the greeting in perspective – that you see the person as they are. I often think about greeting people at church on Sunday mornings – what more do I know about this person – sometimes a lot because I’ve gotten to know them by working with them at the church, but sometimes the greeting is all I know as we have no other interaction. Meeting people in smaller settings sure helps us to know each other better. Guess I’m nosy and want to know what makes people tick – what did/do they do for a living, do they have children, grandchildren, what activities do they like to do, do they like to read, where did they come from or natives of the area, etc Sometimes when you read obits about people, you find out a whole lot more about them than you ever knew. Feel sorry for those whose obit reads – he/she was born/died, had children, preceded in death by. There had to have been more to their life than that!===JACK: Does "Peek-a-boo" precede, "I see you?" I remember playing the PEEK-A-BOO game with babies. Meeting people, and seeing them should be fun. If I were still in the preaching business, I'd like to develop a sermon around the theme of "What do you see when you really see people?"
FROM BLAZING OAKS: Albert Camus said "Every great work makes the human face more admirable and richer, and that is its whole secret." Likewise, I think we could say that every act of Love does the same! Kindness and Compassion never go out of style, no matter how the facial image changes. We need to keep that twinkle in our eyes!===JACK: Camus died in 1960, before the coming of anti-aging skin products that seem to work. Judge Judy is a user. A friend of mine is a rep for one of them, and she says that they really work. But, I'm going with good works which may not get me to heaven; however, if Camus is right, they will make my face more admirable.===OAKS: A book that my friend, Mary Ellen Ton, an AB Pastor's wife wrote after she was terribly scarred by a church fire where she worked, THE FLAMES SHALL NOT CONSUME YOU, was one of the
most life-changing, influential books I've ever read. If your self esteem is dependent or revolves around your attractive good looks, you need to read this book!===JACK: Sometimes the blind are better at judging people than those of us who have sight.
FROM JT IN ST JOE: Liked the winning words today especially. People's Church in Bemidji where I was on the mission trip has movable pews. They place them in a circle. Looked strange to me but works for them. Thanks for the winning words!===JACK: I like the name, People's Church. There an ELCA congregation in Dinkey, Pennsylvania called, Dinkey Lutheran Church. I wonder how many members they have?
“People are more than the way they look.” (From the movie, A Winkle in Time) Not all churches have pews. I read of one that uses chairs and places them in a semi-circle so that worshippers can see each other. Jacob said to Esau, “To see you is like seeing the face of God.” It is a biblical truth that we are the Face of God to others. As MTM’s theme song puts it: “Love is all around…With each glance you show it.” People really are more than you see. ;-) Jack
FROM ST PAUL IN ST PAUL: well spoken, Jack! a women once accused A. Lincoln of being two-faced. his reply: Lady, if i had another face, do you think i would still be wearing this one??? ===JACK: Some people may not have two faces, but they often wear masks...and not always on Halloween.===PAUL: were there not at least a few Sundays when you put on your happy face and went to the church when in fact you would rather have slept in or perhaps you were sick but still well enough to lead the flock in worship? we all have our masks===JACK: Perhaps there were some, but I can't recall any. I liked preaching and meeting the people. It may have been part of my new church building DNA. I could not expect the people to be enthusiastic and the church, if I were not enthusiastic. Maybe that was the mask I was wearing.===PAUL: or maybe it was not a mask after all. i think i could count on one hand the number of really bad days i had doing parish ministry. you would likely say the same...
FROM SA IN KW: Indeed. I'm not the only one, no doubt, who 'sees' you every morning in WW. Thanks.===JACK: Here is an interesting follow-up quote to what you have written: "Discovery is seeing what everybody else has seen, and thinking what nobody else has thought." (Albert Szent-Gyorgyi)
FROM QUILTING CAROL: This weekend we will bury a wonderful missionary pastor we became friends with after we moved up here. One of the many things he shared with us was a greeting he and his wife learned in Senegal – “I see you.” He said the native people greeted you in this way. It does put the greeting in perspective – that you see the person as they are. I often think about greeting people at church on Sunday mornings – what more do I know about this person – sometimes a lot because I’ve gotten to know them by working with them at the church, but sometimes the greeting is all I know as we have no other interaction. Meeting people in smaller settings sure helps us to know each other better. Guess I’m nosy and want to know what makes people tick – what did/do they do for a living, do they have children, grandchildren, what activities do they like to do, do they like to read, where did they come from or natives of the area, etc Sometimes when you read obits about people, you find out a whole lot more about them than you ever knew. Feel sorry for those whose obit reads – he/she was born/died, had children, preceded in death by. There had to have been more to their life than that!===JACK: Does "Peek-a-boo" precede, "I see you?" I remember playing the PEEK-A-BOO game with babies. Meeting people, and seeing them should be fun. If I were still in the preaching business, I'd like to develop a sermon around the theme of "What do you see when you really see people?"
FROM BLAZING OAKS: Albert Camus said "Every great work makes the human face more admirable and richer, and that is its whole secret." Likewise, I think we could say that every act of Love does the same! Kindness and Compassion never go out of style, no matter how the facial image changes. We need to keep that twinkle in our eyes!===JACK: Camus died in 1960, before the coming of anti-aging skin products that seem to work. Judge Judy is a user. A friend of mine is a rep for one of them, and she says that they really work. But, I'm going with good works which may not get me to heaven; however, if Camus is right, they will make my face more admirable.===OAKS: A book that my friend, Mary Ellen Ton, an AB Pastor's wife wrote after she was terribly scarred by a church fire where she worked, THE FLAMES SHALL NOT CONSUME YOU, was one of the
most life-changing, influential books I've ever read. If your self esteem is dependent or revolves around your attractive good looks, you need to read this book!===JACK: Sometimes the blind are better at judging people than those of us who have sight.
FROM JT IN ST JOE: Liked the winning words today especially. People's Church in Bemidji where I was on the mission trip has movable pews. They place them in a circle. Looked strange to me but works for them. Thanks for the winning words!===JACK: I like the name, People's Church. There an ELCA congregation in Dinkey, Pennsylvania called, Dinkey Lutheran Church. I wonder how many members they have?
Wednesday, August 01, 2018
Jack’s Winning Words 8/1/18
“Tradition is a guide, not a jailer.” (W. Somerset Maugham) “We’ve always done it this way” are words often heard when someone suggests a change. Of course, some traditions are good and worth keeping. But, new ideas can be good, too. Jesus referred to this when there were complaints about breaking Pharisaic tradition. “Does anyone pour new wine into old wineskins?” Sometimes you have to break with the old to present a better idea. ;-) Jack
FROM ST PAUL IN ST PAUL: i drink a glass of red wine almost everyday. is this pouring new wine into an old wine skin:):)?? ===JACK: Is Margaret familiar with this song...
Margaret stood awaiting her lover one night,
Her cheeks flushed and glowing, her eyes full of light.
She had placed a sweet rose 'mid her wild flowing hair;
No flower of the forest e'er looked half so fair
As she did that night, as she stood by the door
Of the cot where she dwelt by the side of the moor.
She heard a quick step coming over the moor,
And a merry voice which she had oft heard before;
And ere she could speak a strong arm held her fast,
And a manly voice whispered, "I've come, love, at last.
I'm sorry that I've kept you waiting like this,
But I know you'll forgive me, then give me a kiss."
But she shook the bright curls on her beautiful head,
And she drew herself up while quite proudly she said,
"Now, Paulie, I'll prove if you really are true,
For you say that you love me -- I don't think you do;
If really you love me you must give up the wine,
For the lips that touch liquor shall never touch mine."
===PAUL: i don't think so but i will surely forwarded it on to her. for the record, i don't drink and drive nor do i drink and kiss (very much:):):)===JACK: I was born during the Prohibition era in the United States. After its end, I recall an increase in "drinking" and drinking related problems. I think that my non-use of alcoholic beverages is related to what I saw.===PAUL: people so often go from feast to famine and then back again. for some, alcohol is a very real problem. i worked for a year parttime in the Abbott Northwestern Hospital's chemical dependency unit. did so many 5th Steps i lost count. but i sure learned a lot that year about human nature.
FROM BB IN CHGO: I love Somerset Maugham. As one well indoctrinated with religion, his writing speaks to me as both consolation and reason to upend some of our dearly held traditions. How do you spell, Cortez? Seriously, we’ve followed her with interest and watched her interview on Trevor Noah’s Daily Show the other night. He asked her about the label “Socialist” and suggested that millennials don’t know the baggage this word carries for older generations. She does not care about the label as she does not think she can rid herself of it nor does she want to further confuse voters. She just keeps talking about the issues and what is morally right and how “reprioritizing” how government money is spent is an option. Today I looked up her bio (below) and now understand more than before where she gets her verve and her commitment to those less fortunate.===JACK: I wasn't able to stay up late enough to see the interview, but I know that she was a popular guest with the show's viewing audience. It's time for politics to have some new faces. "Socialism" and "Communism" have long been words used to discredit political opponents. Opponents often use negative buzz words to distract voters from real issues.
FROM BLAZING OAKS: Many of our churches are going downhill, because they didn't stay current and relevant...CHANGE??!! :-( we are now left with the task of trying to rebuild and yes, CHANGE! The Gospel doesn't change, but our culture does.===JACK: Yes, the Gospel doesn't change, but its interpretation does. When I was growing up, there was more of a literalistic view of the Bible as the word(s) of God. That had changed by the time I got to seminary. When the Revised Standard Version (RSV) came out in 1946, there were some churches that public burned copies of the book. I even heard of a pastor who said: "If the King James Version of the Bible was good enough for St. Paul, it's good enough for me." The need for re-interpretation is ongoing.===OAKS: What a hoot! Did you manage not to laugh in his face as he said it??! :-) Yes, interpretation NEEDS to meet the times we live in. I like the NASB, The Message and Cotton Patch versions; YOu name it they all have something to recommend them! The King James is so outdated...!===JACK: My favorite NT translation is by J.B. Phillips, published in 1958. It's not as well-known as some others, but, to me, it's the best!
“Tradition is a guide, not a jailer.” (W. Somerset Maugham) “We’ve always done it this way” are words often heard when someone suggests a change. Of course, some traditions are good and worth keeping. But, new ideas can be good, too. Jesus referred to this when there were complaints about breaking Pharisaic tradition. “Does anyone pour new wine into old wineskins?” Sometimes you have to break with the old to present a better idea. ;-) Jack
FROM ST PAUL IN ST PAUL: i drink a glass of red wine almost everyday. is this pouring new wine into an old wine skin:):)?? ===JACK: Is Margaret familiar with this song...
Margaret stood awaiting her lover one night,
Her cheeks flushed and glowing, her eyes full of light.
She had placed a sweet rose 'mid her wild flowing hair;
No flower of the forest e'er looked half so fair
As she did that night, as she stood by the door
Of the cot where she dwelt by the side of the moor.
She heard a quick step coming over the moor,
And a merry voice which she had oft heard before;
And ere she could speak a strong arm held her fast,
And a manly voice whispered, "I've come, love, at last.
I'm sorry that I've kept you waiting like this,
But I know you'll forgive me, then give me a kiss."
But she shook the bright curls on her beautiful head,
And she drew herself up while quite proudly she said,
"Now, Paulie, I'll prove if you really are true,
For you say that you love me -- I don't think you do;
If really you love me you must give up the wine,
For the lips that touch liquor shall never touch mine."
===PAUL: i don't think so but i will surely forwarded it on to her. for the record, i don't drink and drive nor do i drink and kiss (very much:):):)===JACK: I was born during the Prohibition era in the United States. After its end, I recall an increase in "drinking" and drinking related problems. I think that my non-use of alcoholic beverages is related to what I saw.===PAUL: people so often go from feast to famine and then back again. for some, alcohol is a very real problem. i worked for a year parttime in the Abbott Northwestern Hospital's chemical dependency unit. did so many 5th Steps i lost count. but i sure learned a lot that year about human nature.
FROM BB IN CHGO: I love Somerset Maugham. As one well indoctrinated with religion, his writing speaks to me as both consolation and reason to upend some of our dearly held traditions. How do you spell, Cortez? Seriously, we’ve followed her with interest and watched her interview on Trevor Noah’s Daily Show the other night. He asked her about the label “Socialist” and suggested that millennials don’t know the baggage this word carries for older generations. She does not care about the label as she does not think she can rid herself of it nor does she want to further confuse voters. She just keeps talking about the issues and what is morally right and how “reprioritizing” how government money is spent is an option. Today I looked up her bio (below) and now understand more than before where she gets her verve and her commitment to those less fortunate.===JACK: I wasn't able to stay up late enough to see the interview, but I know that she was a popular guest with the show's viewing audience. It's time for politics to have some new faces. "Socialism" and "Communism" have long been words used to discredit political opponents. Opponents often use negative buzz words to distract voters from real issues.
FROM BLAZING OAKS: Many of our churches are going downhill, because they didn't stay current and relevant...CHANGE??!! :-( we are now left with the task of trying to rebuild and yes, CHANGE! The Gospel doesn't change, but our culture does.===JACK: Yes, the Gospel doesn't change, but its interpretation does. When I was growing up, there was more of a literalistic view of the Bible as the word(s) of God. That had changed by the time I got to seminary. When the Revised Standard Version (RSV) came out in 1946, there were some churches that public burned copies of the book. I even heard of a pastor who said: "If the King James Version of the Bible was good enough for St. Paul, it's good enough for me." The need for re-interpretation is ongoing.===OAKS: What a hoot! Did you manage not to laugh in his face as he said it??! :-) Yes, interpretation NEEDS to meet the times we live in. I like the NASB, The Message and Cotton Patch versions; YOu name it they all have something to recommend them! The King James is so outdated...!===JACK: My favorite NT translation is by J.B. Phillips, published in 1958. It's not as well-known as some others, but, to me, it's the best!
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