Jack’s Winning Words 10/1/18
“When I pray, coincidences happen.  When I don’t, they don’t.”  (Willian Temple)  Articles have been written, sermons preached trying to explain prayer…how it’s to be done and what it’s supposed to accomplish.  It’s still a mystery to me.  I’ve come to the point where I see prayer as talking with God, as I would to a good friend.  “This is what’s on my mind.  I’m grateful, but I really need your help.”  Forget the fancy words.  Just be yourself, and see what happens.   ;-)  Jack

FROM TRIHARDER:  Experiencing a long shot coincidence, I often say "What are the chances? I'd rather win the lottery."  And then I go on to consider all of the bad things that could happen with long odds -- lightning strikes, fires, other disasters-- and I temper my prayer for  those long-odds events to happen.===JACK:  Morse proof of what I said..."You are a religious person!", whether you think so, or not.

FROM FACEBOOK LIZ:  👍

FROM INDY GENIE:  That’s good advice for prayer and life in general...”Just be yourself and see what happens!”===JACK:  Popeye followed that advice.  “I yam what I yam, and that's all what I yam.”

FROM TAMPA SHIRL:  Everything happens for a reason! We are home safely from Washington DC, Acadia National Park, little New England towns,Cape Cod and Plymouth Rock! Along the way we’re at a birthday party for a three year old great grandson and a surprise baby shower for a grandson and his wife! A very exciting life!===JACK:  A follow-up movie could be made...It's A Wonderful Life--Part 2.

FROM SHALOM JAN:  Thanks for the words of encouragement that reflect my view of prayer, too.  I expect the Lord will understand what I cannot express in so many words or thoughts.  :-) ===JACK:  I think that I might express the feelings of others.  Some people seem to "pray" so much better than I do.  James Montgomery wrote: "Prayer is the soul's sincere desire, uttered or unexpressed."

FROM BLAZING OAKS:  God is willing to help everyone, but we have to ASK, or SEEK, and I think, very specifically what we or whomever we're praying for needs. When our daughter, Sarah Suzanne, whom we often called "Sooz", applied for her car license plate, she asked for SOOZ 1. Turned out she had to take SOOZ 3, as there were 2 other "SOOZes!  Bill told her, "Hey, that's perfect for you, God first, Others, second, and Sooz 3rd. She liked that, because that is how she tried
to order her life, and has kept it ever since! She called it a God Wink,,,===JACK:  ===JACK:  Just a follow up on "God is willing to help...but we have to etc."  The "but" bothers me.  BTW, I like SOOZ 3 and her recognition of a winking God.

FROM OUTHOUSE JUDY:  We all know they aren’t coincidences.  We call them “God sightings!”

FROM PR AW:  There are lots of  ideas of what prayer is to accomplish.  I am with you that it is me, a child , talking to my  Father.and sometimes listening or looking for a reply.===JACK:
Jesus, tender Shepherd, hear me;  Bless Thy little lamb tonight;
Through the darkness be Thou near me;  Watch my sleep till morning light.

All this day Thy hand has led me,  And I thank Thee for Thy care;
Thou hast clothed me, warmed and fed me,  Listen to my evening prayer.

Let my sins be all forgiven;  Bless the friends I love so well;
Take me, when I die, to Heaven,  Happy there with Thee to dwell.
===AW:  Thanks, Jack..I have not heard that prayer for a long time...and I am going to forward  it to my children.   Blessings and love to you and yours.