Jack’s Winning Words 2/28/19
“I like the night!  Without the dark we’d never see the stars.”  (Stephenie Meyer)  Starry Night is my favorite Van Gogh work of art.  He did it from memory in 1889, a view from the window of the asylum where he was staying.  It’s now in a NYC museum and is said to be worth at least 100 million dollars.  I have a 500 piece jigsaw puzzle of it and imagine myself as VG as I put the pieces together.  The trees around my house block my view of “the real” starry night.   ;-)  Jack

FROM HUNGRY HOWIE:  You have a great tree in front of your house   We should all sit out there this summer and draw/ paint it as he would.===JACK:  What a great idea!  ...to paint my view of the front yard as I see it from the front porch.  If I want to see the sky, I can look at Starry Night.

FROM KLM:  Hi, I like the stars too. My husband and I walk our dog every evening and some nights the stars are so bright and beautiful. Was below zero last night and the stars were so bright. ===JACK:  There's a hymn that I like:
All things bright and beautiful,  all creatures great and small,
all things wise and wonderful,  the Lord God made them all.
 Each little flow'r that opens, each little bird that sings,
he made their glowing colors, he made their tiny wings.
The purple-headed mountain, the river running by,
the sunset, and the morning  that brightens up the sky.   ...(and more verses)

FROM SHALOM JAN:  One of my faves, too.  I have only a small version of it along with two others.  Maybe, somewhere, I still have an old calendar with a better copy of this painting along with 11 others of Van Gogh.  His works have always appealed to me.  Today might be a good day to look for that calendar.===JACK:  OK!  You get the calendar, and I'll get the puzzle.===JAN:  Sounds like a plan!===JACK:  ...but, I feel constrained to do the puzzle...except that I have to get busy and finish preparing my Transfiguration sermon..."Last night, I saw Jesus at the foot of my bed!"

FROM SF IN FLA:  I like the night because it’s quiet (like me!). Have you read ‘Quiet’ by Susan Cain? A wonderful book about the gift of being an introvert. It freed (no pun intended!!) me. She also has a TED Talk and several YouTubes. She taught me that being an introvert describes what you need for inner peace...quiet...some solitude...times of low stimuli. When I trained in counseling, I was told that I am a ‘socialized introvert’. I think that fits. I like being with people and I like being quiet! My sister is the ultimate extrovert. She exhausts me!!===JACK:  Thanks for the psychoanalysis...I think that I'm a socialized introvert, too.  I can be "social" when the work-situation calls for it, but, I generally choose to sit back and observe...except when I'm with friends (like at the Early Bird or Twin Beach).  So, there!  I've let down my guard...somewhat.

FROM TAMPA SHIRL:  I love that work of art too!===JACK:  Another one that I like is "The Creation" by Michelangelo.

FROM BLAZING OAKS:  I recently watched the movie made of his life (again) on TCM, and
commiserated again on VG's unfortunate and unhappy circumstances!  So ironic how valued his paintings are today, when he couldn't sell a single one while he was alive!! I have his Sunflowers paintings.  The brightest I ever saw stars was in the Congo, in Africa.(1970) Since they have so little industry, the smog doesn't cover or blot the heavens. The night sky is just magnificent. Sarah used to hurry out to the end of our lake lane in Petersburg to catch the dazzling sunsets there!  We do need to be mindful of the great "scenery" we can enjoy, if only our eyes are open!  I'm always enthralled with
views of Lake Michigan (and the Chicago skyline) when I visit Chicago!  Makes me think of the song, "It's a wonderful world"...It sure is!! :-)===JACK:  As you have described your overseas visits in the past, it seems that the Congo had a great influence upon you...perhaps the greatest.  True? ===OAKS:  As Mark Twain so truly said, travel broadens your vision and affects your prejudices...Congo was my 1st sashay into a completely different culture, and it was "in depth"...for almost a month there. (We also toured the Holy Land, Turkey, and attended the  Passion Play in Oberamergau, Germany on that trip, so the intake was HUGE!)  My Subsequent trips to Japan, also for 3 weeks, and India, 2 1/2 weeks,  and Bill's month; in Haiti, as well as the European trip of England, Scotland, France and Wales,  also had great impacts, giving me a "word-vision" that h as affected my whole life! Never in my childhood did I ever expect to travel like that! I feel extraordinarily blessed to have done so!===JACK:  I've liked your congo stories.

FROM OUTHOUSE JUDY:  Driving across from South to North Dakota, we saw the stars across the whole sky!  They were do close!  Also, we saw a meteorite fly across the sky and land in a field!
   As a Picture Lady, we got copies of paintings and explained about the painter and told about the paintings to grade school and maybe dale school kids.  One of our paintings were a series of 3 from Van Gogh.  It was so very special to tell the kids all about him and his paintings!===JACK:  I have great respect for school districts who believe that learning about the arts is an important part of being educated.  Picture ladies (men) are an important asset to the classroom.  My sister was once a Picture Lady.

FROM TRIHARDER: For a great view of the horizon and night sky, I  often go to Wabeek golf course -- especially for glorious full moon rises.===JACK:  Hey!  That's a good idea.  I haven't done anything like that since when I was first dating.

FROM KF IN WB:  I almost bought "Starry Night" puzzle while I was Christmas shopping this year; the reason I didn't was because I bought a VanGogh puzzle last year ("Paris Cafe"), and it just about did me in.  The bottom was cobblestone and the sky was just like "Starry Night". But it was fun. I just finished a 1,000 piece puzzle which had a very difficult sky section and lots of grasses and shrubbery on the bottom; took me all of February, but I really enjoyed it. I'll send you a picture of it! S just sent me a puzzle made of photos from our Kiawah Island/Charleston vacation in September.===JACK:  500 pieces are enough for me.  My S N puzzle is now on the table...just about ready to go.  I once sent a photo puzzle, taken apart with the pieces in an envelope.  She was excited, wondering what the picture might be.  It was of her father, taken many years ago.  She was so appreciative.  You're welcome to use the idea sometime.

FROM JK IN OC:  Mary sent me a very special miniature teapot with Starry Night.. painted on it! I look at it often and keep it in a special place in my kitchen :) :)===JACK:  As you pursued your singing career, we would often refer to you as Starry Knight...and you have become a star!===JK IN ORANGE:  Haha getting there! I've been advanced to this round 2 of a pretty extensive tour this summer! It's am amazing Christian Organization but is highly involved with top industry executives! If all the planes on one part of the tour.... MERRILL WISCONSIN :) :) PRAY FOR ME TO DO GODS WILL...AND BE BLESSED AND HELPING OTHERS IN THE PROCESS

 

Jack’s Winning Words 2/27/19
“There are many ways of moving forward, but only one way of standing still.”  (FDR)  It was a horrible time to be POTUS, at the beginning of the Great Depression.  Dramatic changes had to be made.  Standing still was not an option.  Roosevelt had a way with words and was able to convince most people that his way was the right way.  No matter what the problem, if you take no action, it will remain a problem.  A work issue, a marriage issue, a health issue…  ;-)  Jack

FROM ST PAUL IN MESA:  FDR was a gutsy leader who had a whole bunch of good ideas!   for a guy in a wheel chair,  he did amazing things!===JACK:  His brain wasn't in a wheelchair.

FROM OUTHOUSE JUDY:  When the President talked, people listened.  It stopped I believe with the Clinton Era.  When he was caught lying it seemed people lost their respect for the office.  Yes I know about Nixon but he was not popular like Clinton.===JACK:  Whether it be Nixon, Clinton or Trump, it seems as though we, as a nation, are more accepting of immoral behavior.  It distresses me that some church leaders overlook that in favor of personal agendas.===JUDY:  It is distressing.  The morals have disappeared.  They aren’t teaching them at home or at school or, like you said, in church.  You would love going to the home school co-op Noah attends.  The children have manners, talk nicely and are polite.

Jack’s Winning Words 2/26/19
“I  love people who make me laugh.  Laughing cures a multitude of ills.  It’s probably the most important thing in a person.”  (Audrey Hepburn)  When I want a laugh, I YouTube the 3 Stooges, Jonathan Winters or Groucho, or call a friend.  Laughter has a way of getting our mind off other things.  I like that story in the Bible that tells of a time when old Sarah laughed.  What makes you laugh?  It might not cure all ills, but it beats living in daily sadness.   ;-)  Jack

FROM TAMPA SHIRL:  My small five great grandchildren make me smile!===JACK:  The children of today make me optimistic for the future of society.

FROM SF IN FLA:  Good morning! My grandkids make me laugh. They are so joyful and hopefully, so innocent! Although…the twins are 13 and seem to know everything!  We just returned from a Caribbean cruise with all of them in honor of my 70th birthday. I am just so happy… can’t wipe the smile off my face!   We are blessed.  I have finished the text for my little book and my girlfriend/illustrator is working on the watercolor art. I think I’m about to bring this baby home!🤓
Hope all is well with you and your family. Stay warm and buckle down! Whoosh.===JACK:  Seeing an e-mail from you makes me smile...especially one that shows how happy you are for your family.  It will be another happy day when your book is published.  Yes, the weather here is cold, but that's to be expected.  It's winter, up north.  Looking forward to the time when the snowbirds return.

FROM DR J:  YOU make me laugh… always have!===JACK:  Datsun!  BTW, the attachment picture didn't show up.===DR J:  ===DR J:  The Hulk! I think you said something like… the best looking guy in Maumee Ohio!===JACK:  Yes, that was a knee-slapper!  How about the best-looking girl?

FROM DB IN WB:  I liked Robin Williams. He played in Patch Adams. Dr Adams (supposedly a real person) believes the same thing.===JACK:  Oftentimes comedians have very sad episodes in their personal lives..."Laughing on the outside and crying on the inside,"  Have a happy day today!

FROM THE SHARK:  I watch FOX news to get my daily dose of laughs :)===JACK:  I cry!

FROM QUILTING CAROL:  I LOVE to laugh and like this quote today!  Lots of things can make me laugh – some of my goofy habits, a small child’s attempts at learning something new, a young child telling you a made up joke, pets doing fun things in the snow, a squirrel trying to figure out how to get into the birdfeeder, good jokes.  Sad if a person can’t laugh at least once every day.  Hope you laugh today.  One of our favorite restaurants in town sends these silly jokes every Monday. I share them with our youngest grandsons as I know I can hear them groaning when they read them.
Q: Why couldn't the pony sing himself a lullaby?
A: He was a little hoarse.
Q: What kind of lion never roars?
A: A dandelion!
Q: What's a pirate's favorite letter?
A: Arrrrrr!
===JACK:  I thought you might say that Bob makes you laugh.  Tell this one to your grandsons...
"He was the apple of his mother's eye, but he wasn't appealing to me."

FROM OUTHOUSE JUDY:  Laughter is such a blessing!  It takes away the blues, pain and brings such joy!  There’s nothing like a good laugh!===JACK:  When was the last time you had a good laugh?===JUDY:  Saturday...my grandson made a funny request to our Alexa. He kept asking her to play Lemonade but it was Wemonade because he can’t say L’s yet.

FROM BLAZING OAKS:  I'm with Audrey! A good laugh saves many a day;! As famous preacher,  Henry Ward Beecher said, "A person without a sense of humor is like a wagon without springs--jolted by every pebble in the road." I read that "whoever invented knock-knock jokes should win the No-bell prize...":-)  Knock-knock. Who's there? Noah. Noah who?  Noah lot of good jokes, and you'll feel better!  Enuff said...===JACK:   My brother-in-law once got the idea that he should start off each sermon with a joke.  He told me a few, and I responded...BAD IDEA!

Jack’s Winning Words 2/25/19
“Generosity lies less in giving much than in giving at the right moment.”  (Jean de La Bruyère)  Blazing Oaks recently wrote, “One of our deacons once told me (with a smile) that he knew when I stepped into the pulpit it was going to cost him money...I was always cheering on some worthy project!  Most of us wish we had more to give, with so many desperate pleas, but we do what we can.”  It’s said, Give ‘til it hurts.  I say, Give ‘til it feels good.   ;-)  Jack

FROM DAZ IN COLORADO:  I know what the feeling that deacon had and I remember hearing giving til it feels good.===JACK:  A "good giver" once told me that "every church needs a hole in the roof."  What he meant was that people generally will give when a reason is apparent or well presented.

FROM OUTHOUSE JUDY:  It is more blessed to give than receive.  Ask any parent at Christmas or birthdays or whatever the occasion when they see their children open their special gift. ===JACK:  I'm the first one to say, "Let's open the presents!" at Christmastime.

FROM BLAZING OAKS:  I like that turn of phrase, Don't give until it hurts,give until it feels good"! I'm going to promote that for my; MOther's Day plea for blanket Sunday! (Last year I used "Blanket the world with LOVE"..._)  Our small congregation bought almost a $1,000.00  worth of blankets! They are generous for a good cause. Most churches these days have "a hole in the roof'! No problem! :-)===JACK:  I thought that you might comment on my use of your words today.  I remember other "giving" (wasn't there one about you..or someone..being held up at the church?) stories that you have told..

FRO ST PAUL IN MESA:  i also like this line:   its not how much am i going to give?   rather, its how much am i going to steal from God.  its all HIS  to begin with so why should i try to hoard it?  ===JACK:  You can find a wastebasket for that one.  IMO

Jack’s Winning Words 2/22/19
“Understanding human needs is half the job of meeting them.”  (Adlai E. Stevenson)  Even though he lost, I voted for Adlai, because I thought he understood human need.  (He wore shoes with a hole in the sole.)  Many legislators have absolutely no idea of what it means to live “on the edge.”  Paycheck to paycheck; lack of healthcare; food stamps.  This is not a comment on red vs blue…I’m part of the privileged…and maybe you are, too.  More understanding will MAGA.   ;-)  Jack

FROM HONEST JOHN:  I would have voted for Ike....Adlai and his friends lived in an idealistic world...e.g. They supported Unilateral disarmament which would have led to disaster.   Ike balanced his ethics with the pragmatic approach of a general who had to deal with both Churchill and FDR.    He was neither a liberal or a conservative but tamed McCarthy and dealt with Little Rock wisely.    We could use such a person now.   BTW, I think the church had such a person in Franklin Clark Fry.   The ELCA had Herb Chilstrom who was an abject failure.   It makes a difference. ===JACK:  So.. a couple of examples of me, the idealist and you, the pragmatist.

FROM TAMPA SHIRL:  My year of social work in Peoria and my summer recreation work in Moline parks made me forever know that many people need help!===JACK:  Sometimes problems are so big that we come to believe that they are impossible to solve, but your work among the poor shows that every little bit helps.  To do nothing simply makes the problem worse.

FROM JF IN NOVA SCOTIA:  Adlai received an introduction that was so long and effusive that it used up a lot of the allocated time for his speech. Nonetheless, when he took the podium he said "After that wonderful introduction, I can hardly wait to hear what I have to say!"===JACK:  When I think of Adlai, the word erudite comes to mind.  Somehow, we've lost that word when we are at the point of choosing our leaders.

FROM RS IN TEXAS:  Agreed.  As a counselor for the poor, Gloria sees the effects of living on the edge a lot more than I do.  Actually, I'm participating in a poverty simulation thing at our church a week from Saturday. I would suspect my vision of a great America is different than our president's vision.===JACK:  Again?  Actually, when was America great?  First, we have to define, What is great? before we say, Again.

FROM THE SHARK:  I think that every day my friend.===JACK:  Refugees (especially Chaldean) Have Made Our Community Great ...RHMOCG!

FROM OUTHOUSE JUDY:  How very true.  If we all thought more of true needs we would be working harder to help erase them.===JACK: There's an expression that I remember from my growing up years.."What you really need is a swift kick in the rear!"===JUDY:  Good one!!!  I like that!!

FROM ST PAUL IN MESA:  that idiot Wilbur Ross,  Sec. of Commerce,  who is worth 2 1/2 billion dollars (!)  said publicly that he could not understand why people were so upset because they missed two entire pay checks during the recent shutdown.   as you said,  they are soooo  insulated from the average American... ===JACK:  I remember a time when pastors were invited to experience poverty.  Those who signed up were dropped off on Chicago's Skid Row with absolutely no money or I.D. and were forced to "make do" for a week.  It was a very frightening and humbling experience.  I didn't sign up.

FROM BLAZING OAKS:  I loved and respected Adlai; He had such wit, and great empathy, it seemed. Proud he was from Illinois! We have many "needy' folks in our congregation now,compared to 20 yrs. ago. Changing neighborhood, and economic times!  Missing a paycheck is a really big deal for the average Joe or Jill. Most of our leaders don't seem to have a clue. We do what we can, with our modest means! As Bill used to quote to our congregation. "It isn't what you'd do,with a million, if  fortune should be your lot; It's what you're doing now with the buck and a half you've got!"  Still true today!===JACK :  A true story.  Some of the church deacons came to me one day and told me of a member who was not paying his bills in town.  He owed many people and businesses.  And yet he continued to be one of the church's biggest givers.  He believed in tithing.  "Pastor, can you talk to him and tell him that he cut down on his giving to the church and begin paying his bills?  Tell him that tithing should not be at the expense of stiffing his neighbors.  What  would you do?

Jack’s Winning Words 2/21/19
“Time is more valuable than money.  You can get more money, but you cannot get more time.”  (Jim Rohn)  Steve Jobs was worth $10.2 billion when he died at age 56!  Bill Gates said that Jobs taught him to value things that matter.  “You have to pick the important stuff, because you have a limited time.”  Whether you’re Jobs or a homeless person on the streets, “money don’t buy time.”  What’s in your wallet doesn’t compare to the sand left in your hourglass.   ;-)  Jack

FROM DB IN WB:  Wise words! I’ve also heard the expression, “count the minutes, not the days”.
Our lives are what we make of it.  I think that you are an amazing person!===JACK:  Time is always passing; it never stands still.  The sand is alway dribbling out of our hour-glass, and God has created that "time-keeper" in such a way that that the top of the device is darkened so that we can only speculate about how much sand is left.  So, make the best use of the time that is yours.  Proverbs 27:1 - Do not boast about tomorrow,  for you do not know what a day may bring.

FROM TAMPA SHIRL:  How true! Have you read the book about Steve Jobs by Walter Issacson? I thought that it was a great book.culate about how much remains. ===JACK:  No, I haven't read the book, but in my reading I've discovered that much of what S.J. became was based on his early life.  I think that that is true for many of us.

FROM DS IN SOCAL:  So true, and the sand is flowing faster and faster.======JACK:  It seems like ONLY yesterday that you and I were growing up and singing, "We are Moliners."===DS:  I think it was last month.  Oh wait, that was when we went down to "state".===JACK: MHS BB players and fans know how important===DS: You bet, Jack.  I remember listening to the Moline game when Kenny Moore and that team, I believe was 1951 were down there and did so well.  I think they came in 2nd.  Then I listened to Rock Island when they went down with Sharm Scharman (sp)  in 52 or 53.  I was fortunate enough to go down in 54 and 55....what a super experience and obviously I'll never forget it.  Then, at Augie....it got even better for me.  4 super years I still try to re-live.  Those were the days. t the "going to State" experience is/was.  Before TV, I remember listening to the games on radio.===JACK:  My first listening experience was about 1943...Cal Anders, Frank Demeyer, Bill Hall, Jim Grafton, A1 Van Landuyt.  I think that they finished 2nd.===DS:  GOSH, you're OLD!!!  I wasn't even born yet  (well I guess I was 6).  Bill Hall was our coach at John Deere back in I think 1952 or 53.  Maybe he took Bill Bishop's place when Bishop went to high school as assistant coach.  I really liked both  of them.  Bishop really worked me hard and I learned a lot of fundamentals from him.  We became very good friends in later years before he died.  Used to go over and play bridge with he and his wife....he was an extremely good bridge player.  Bill Hall was another of my favorites but lost track of him after he left John Deere.  I think he went to work for Wilson Sporting. Great memories.

FROM PRFM:  SO TRUE, JACK.    I HAVE BEEN IN THE HOSPITAL FOR 8 DAYS – last Sunday I almost ran out of sand.   I doing better but need to wait 4 weeks for my body to be ‘ready’ for a pacemaker!===JACK:  I have a quote in my pile..."You're never lost as long as you have gas in your tank."  or, "Don't call the undertaker as long as there's sand in the hourglass."  Best wishes!

FROM OUTHOUSE JUDY:  Amen.  I have a tendency to waste a lot of it!===JACK:  If time were money, would you be wasting it?===JUDY:  Yes.  Many days I can’t move out of my chair.  I do a lot of reading but does that meanful??  I’m not sure.  Right now I’m reading books on the keepers of the Lighthouses in Michigan.  Fascinating, but no one learns anything but me!  It feels like wasting my precious moments, minutes and hours.===JACK:  "Feeding your brain" is never a waste of time.  you are making good use of the "down" time that has been put upon you.  God is aware...and understands!

FROM BLAZING OAKS:  A good thought to remember! Most 0f us probably feel we have more
time than money; but both are valuable. As John Wayne used to say,   "Money can't buy happiness, but it IS a lot more comfortable to cry in a Mercedes than on a bicycle!" :-)  Some CEO's would say, "Time is Money";  Hope the sands of the hourglass keep running for you! We need the perspective! ===JACK:  I like that John Wayne quote.  Here's another that I like...“Tomorrow hopes we have learned something from yesterday.”

FROM BB IN CHGO:  One of my favorite vocalists, ever, Minnie Riperton, died in 1979 at the age of 31 –cancer.  My father passed in the spring of ’78 so I found the album of her music, released posthumously very meaningful.  The song attached, “Give Me Time” is sweet and thoughtful as is much of the rest of this album where her duet/compliment singers recorded after her passing.  Reminds me of Natalie Cole singing Unforgettable with her father Nat after he passed.  Since I know your family appreciates music, I just read that her coloratura/whistle soprano ability allowed her to hit “F7” on this tune – higher than most opera sopranos can reach!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uERIpAwxyhY

Seconds pass so very fast
Hours march in perfect time
Won’t you take this hand of mine?
Love can span the hands of time.

Yes, time is a treasure that we cannot buy
Time measures an hour and I don't know why

My Love, before I met you I just could not give
Then you touched my heart
And you taught me to live

You are the sun, gentle and warm
You make my life complete
Give me time to show what you mean to me

Let me share each day with you
Love you through the sands of time

Time is precious to so few
Love is rare and hard to find
Won't you take this hand of mine
Love can span the hands of time
===JACK:  Thanks for calling back the memory of Minnie and that beautiful song.  It was a great day when God invented music.  I appreciate the depth of many of your responses.

FROM DAZ:  You’ve been coming up with some really good, thought provoking ones lately. At least I thought they were particularly good one and maybe applicable.===JACK:  I agree.  Some WW are better than others...just as it is with sermons.  I, too, have liked some of the recent quotes.  Deadlines creep up...and time forces me to come up with something.  Regardless, I like what I do.

Jack’s Winning Words 2/20/19
“Any jackass can kick down a barn, but it takes a good carpenter to build one.”  (Sam Rayburn)  Before Nancy Pelosi or Paul Ryan…if you can think back as far as I can, there was Sam Rayburn as Speaker of the House (for 17 years).  He was a Texan, spoke like a Texan.  In this quote he’s talking about negative people, always griping, but never coming up with a positive suggestion for how things can be better.  I miss (some of) the good old days.   ;-)  Jack

FROM TAMPA SHIRL:  Yes now there is too much money involved and they stay too long! We need term limits!===JACK:  ...but, how do you make exceptions for legislators like Rayburn and still have them apply to the ones who've overstayed their usefulness?===SHIRL:  I guess there are always exceptions! When I worked for senator Douglas in 1954 he and his wife lived a very simple life in dc. Also congressman Ford and his family lived a simple life too!===JACK:  You've named two that make my point, exactly.

FROM BLAZING OAKS:  I'm currently reading Doris K. Goodwin's book, LEADERSHIP (In Turbulent Times), where the Lyndon Johnson sections often refer to Sam Rayburn, one of his mentors. So interesting! Would that we still had the comraderie (or at least cooperation) "across
the Aisle" that they had  then, to get things done!!  The book a few years ago on T. Jefferson, THE ART OF LEADERSHIP was another good one!  Sam R. probably sang or hummed the pop song "Ya gotta accent=uate the POSITIVE, Elim-inate the NEGATIVE, Latch on to the AFFIRMATIVE, and Don't mess with Mr. IN-BETWEEN!! :      Makes life a whole lot sunnier!===JACK:  In today's world leadership seems to be lacking.===OAKS:  Afraid I have to agree with you,,,Financially impossible for some of our bright minds to even consider  running for office, if they'd even consider the hassle and meanness of Politics today. ===JACK:  Sad to say...today money seems to talk with a louder voice than reason.

FROM OUTHOUSE JUDY:  There are so many negative people now...Actually not just negative, but hateful.  I have to use all of my God-given forgiveness to even communicate nicely with some.  I've been keeping my communication with God going non-stop.===JACK:  Negative people tend to affect me negatively.===JUDY:  Me too!  Although sometimes they’re good for a laugh!===JACK:  ...except when they are in power.

FROM CG:  I hope you are doing well.  Have you ever read Eckhart Tolle?  You would really enjoy him ===JACK:  You caused me to do some research.  After Oprah recommended one of his books, over 3.5 million copies were sold.  Watch for a quote by/about him to show up one of these days.

FROM DB IN WB:  Oh, hear, hear!!! It seems like there are a lot of people in office who haven’t got a clue. They are “all sizzle, but no steak”.===JACK:  "All sizzle, but no steak," can apply to pastors, as well.

Jack’s Winning Words 2/19/19
“The difference between you and God is that God doesn’t believe he’s you.”  (Anne Lamott)  A book in my collection is called, Come, Let Us Play God.  It has to do with ethical choices that we make in life. But, in general terms, it can mean that we want the Lord’s Prayer to read, “My will be done.”  There may be times when we don’t understand God’s action or inaction, but there’s never a time when He doesn’t understand us and our situation.   ;-)  Jack

FROM HONEST JOHN:  THE difference is that He can be us (Jesus) but we can't be him...try as we may===JACK:  IMO, that's how the unknowable becomes knowable.  Jesus helps us to "unscrew the inscrutable," as one of my professors once said.

FROM JT IN SJ:  Significant. Amazing isn’t the that in spite of My will God does know best.  I’m so glad to live His plan instead of mine!===JACK:  Some people see the song, "My God and I," as being too syrupy.  Maybe so, but it does seem to say that "my God and I" are partners in working out a plan for my life.

FROM OUTHOUSE JUDY:  This is so true!  We have a tendency to believe we can control everything around us!  We worry, we try to control and we are in Great Hands who is our pilot not co-pilot!===JACK:  Robert Scott, WW2 pilot wrote a memoir, "God Is My Co-pilot," which became a best-seller (and a movie).  He felt the presence of God beside him in combat missions.  In this life, many of us experience the presence of God beside us.===JUDY:  I have watched that movie a few times.  Gary’s Uncle Mike has a huge library of movies and that is one of them.  It’s a good one too!  and God IS Good all the time!

FROM BB IN CHGO:  My dad enjoyed all of them including Og Mandino and I think you’ve quoted him in previous Winning Words.===JACK:  I remember that your
 father liked the Og Mandino and Zig Ziglar type of books.  I believe that all of us could learn from them...even some pastors.

FROM KFWB:  I always liked Steven Covey; my current self-help book is "the life-changing magic of tidying up ....the Japanese art of decluttering......."  by Marie Kondo.  She is helping me see the value of "letting go" of stuff and losing the emotional attachment to "things".  It is very helpful, but I have mixed feelings of morphing our home from a family of 4+dog, to an empty nester "nest"  : )   Stephanie and Rose are afraid they'll come home and find all their stuff gone (I wouldn't do that); so is Mark.====JACK:  Been there; done that! The longer you hang on to stuff, more stuff accumulates.  After awhile the children accumulate their stuff, and there's no room for the "precious" things.  The good thing is when the children come back and find welcoming parents.  Enjoy each segment of life, because that's what memories are made of.

FROM DLaM:  There is great safety in the good old L,P.  Credible Source who gave it to us as well. ===JACK:  I'd like more information.

FROM BLAZING OAKS:  I enjoy Anne Lamott's books. She has a unique way of putting things into words that I identify with. I definitely felt the presence of God in my car, as I raced to the hospital after Bill's heart arrest at the YMCA.  I felt strengthened to received whatever news the Drs would give me when I arrived, as I knew he might not have survived, or would be in a vegetative state, considering the circumstances. We were  blessed that he did survive, and lived an active life for 16 more years. (After 9 heart by-passes!) I have never mistaken myself, or anyone I knew for God...So glad I'm not the one judging our earthy lives!!===JACK:  You've lived the faith experience more than once.  You know ,firsthand, what the word, survivor, means.  Thanks for being an inspiration.

Jack’s Winning Words 2/18/19
“Act enthusiastic and you will be enthusiastic.”  (Dale Carnegie)  A friend of mine recently discovered D.C. and his book, “How to Win Friends and Influence People.”  Tho published in 1936, it remains relevant today.  Do you want to have more friends?  Do you want to influence people…in some particular way?  Carnegie has some suggestions.  For the most part, I’ve found self-help books to be helpful…Zig Ziglar, Wayne Dyer, Steven Covey.  Give ‘em a try!   ;-)  Jack

FROM LBP:  I will take a management role at work. It’s announced to the team today. I will work on being enthusiastic 👍===JACK:  Management gives you a new and different way to influence people.  But you will be the same person, so I believe that you will continue to be the one who wins friends.  Enthusiastic is a word whose root means that the spirit of God is in you.

FROM TAMPA SHIRL:  Have u been watching capable history this weekend? They were doing Springfield Illinois. I did not know that a Lincoln Museum and library opened there in 2005! Very interesting! I used to take my students to new Salem and Springfield- one of my favorite trips.  Not much TV watching this weekend, but I continue to be enthusiastic about Abe, one of my heroes. ===SHIRL:  Today is President’s Day and it is an exciting time to be living! Young people today have many decisions to make.y decisions to make!===JACK:  Decisions to make?  Each generation has them.  We had ours.  Recently I referred to a hymn composed during Civil War times..."Once to every man and nation comes the moment to decide."

FROM PC IN CT:  One of my favorites: Duhigg's "The Power of Habit". ===JACK:  To check out the power of habit, try sitting in a different pew on a Sunday morning.

FROM BLAZING OAKS:  Bill's dad, who opened his Oaks & Sons Construction business, after working in a John Deere factory for several years, read that book, and it was very helpful to him! He served as Pres. of the school board, andmany social organizations, even tho he had only an 8th grade education. He was a respected leader!  As poet Samuel Ullman said years ago: "Years may wrinkle the skin, but to give up enthusiasm wrinkles the Soul!" I believe it!===JACK:  Detroit Public Schools have given up trying to prepare everyone for college.  They're back to offering training to those who want skills for jobs that are available...jobs that are waiting for those who graduate.===OAKS: Yes, Springfield High Schools and Jr Colleges are doing the same.  With training you can make a pretty decent living following a trade!  Mark left college after a year, and became a master carpenter. He
did that for awhile supporting a family, and then became a state worker that offered more perks and comfortable retirement.===JACK:  Michigan's new governor wants free Community College (2-yr) for each high school grad in order to get tech training for the jobs that are available.  The trades are offering apprenticeships to interested people.  Opportunities are becoming available to replace an aging workforce..  One of our seminaries now has a 2-yr in school training plus a 2-yr paid internship.  I don't look at that as a negative, but as a way to give better and more competitive training for tomorrow's pastors.===OAKS:  Yes, Springfield High Schools and Jr Colleges are doing the same.  With training you can make a pretty decent living following a trade!  Mark left college after a year, and became a master carpenter. He did that for a while supporting a family, and then became a state worker that offered more perks and comfortable retirement.  I would to. The times, they are a-changing! As the old song goes....===JACK:  Sometimes I long for the good old days...but, by and large, a new generation has to make their own "good old days."

Jack’s Winning Words 2/15/19
“My dad used to have an expression:  I don’t expect government to solve my problem, but I expect them to understand my problem.”  (Spoken at Rep John Dingell’s funeral)  At every opening session of Congress Dingell would introduce legislation to provide health care for all.  He understood the needs of people, particularly those without a voice.  I’m glad to be able to carry a Medicare card and to have a SSN.  I’m glad for legislators who understand.   ;-)  Jack

Jack’s Winning Words 2/14/19
“There is only one happiness in life: to love and to be loved.”  (George Sand)  “George” was a 19th century female poet who was a romantic rebel (she also smoked cigars and wore trousers).  She and Frédéric Chopin were once “an item.”  Today’s words about “love” are among the most quoted on Valentine’s Day.  Feb 14, honoring a St. Valentine, became less of a religious holiday and more of a romantic one in the 14th century.  Did you ever exchange Valentines in school?   ;-)  Jack

FROM HAWKEYE GEORGE:  School was a long time ago for you and me. But I think I did a few times.===JACK:  I remember exchanging cards in 1st and 2nd grades.  You had to give a card to everyone (even those you didn't want to).  All cards went into a big box and were pulled out one by one.  The name was read, and everybody cheered.  Those were the days.

FROM EMT SINGS IN TRAVERSE:  Hi!  I love Valentines Day.  Rick and I have already exchanged Valentines this morning.  We have sent out 6 boxes of homemade Valentine cookies to our 6 grandchildren.  See what you started almost 29 yrs ago? You did a good job!===JACK:  29 years ago?  You were just a kid.  Did you have to get your mom's permission?  ...and our paths crossed again in Plymouth.

FROM BS IN ENGLAND:  Not in school but we did celebrate at home and with our neighbours.  We would knock on the door, leave a small gift,  run away and hide.  They were baffled when opening the door to know who had left the package!  Mother would do the same usually leaving gifts for us in a shoebox.  Somehow it was more exciting than Christmas.  I remember one year I was given an umbrella plus other little treats.  HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY====JACK:  Isn't it fun to remember those days.  Did you ever sing the song..."I wish I were a kid again doing all the things I did again?"
For just one day...I'd like that experience to be relived.===BS:  I don't  remember that song but I still love to do things that we did as children.  Today is sunny, a beautiful  blue sky and really warm, 50's and so I  took a long walk to enjoy snowdrops in the grounds of the Roman Catholic  Church here in Poringland.  Hundreds of them, beautiful!  Did you know that snowdrops represent  the  Presentation of Christ in the temple and so they were on the altar on Feb03.===JACK:  No, I didn't about snowdrops.  We have much to learn from one another.

FROM MY LAWYER:  Of course. One for each classmate, boys and girls. Brings back memories. ===JACK:  Do you remain in touch with any of them?  For me?  Elementary classmates?  Most are now deceased...some at an early age.===ML:  Believe it or not, since we’ve been in Florida, for the past 10 years, or so, I’ve reconnected with three women that were in kindergarten with me. There are 17 of us, including we four, that have Sunday brunch together every week. All are from Michigan, most married, some widowed. The men and women sit separately so the guys talk guy talk and vice versa. Bryna’s become friends with each of them.

FROM BLAZING OAKS:  Yes, we are so blessed to have loved ones in our lives, and to be loved in return!! I sent out many valentines, to all my  "greats" (10 - with "treat" money) and to all our
shut-ins, and some "needy" church friends and a few friends, and my super kids!!  HAPPY VALENTINE DAY, JACK, to a fellow MOLINER and a wise "old" school friend!  I  remember our elementary parties well, as you say, a card for EVERY child and special cupcakes or cookies and drinks!  Many, many, years ago! :-( :-)===JACK:  Since this day honors the saint named, Valentine, I wondered to myself if there was a saint named,  Marilyn.  During that search I discovered that Marilyn is a form of the name, Mary.  WOW!  You have a great heritage.  I counted!  There are at least 12 Feast Days honoring Marilyn (I mean, Mary).===OAKS:  Wow! I'LL HAVE TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THAT!  ===OAKS:  Wow! I'LL HAVE TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THAT!
OH, PROBABLY NOT BAPTIST....(OR EVEN METHODIST) I'M OUT! :-(  STILL SENDING LOVE YOUR WAY, JACK!===JACK:  Isn't it strange that we associate Mary, the mother of Jesus, with the Catholic Church, as though she were a saint for them, exclusively.  Have you ever heard a Baptist preacher eulogize Mary from the pulpit as is so often done with St. Peter, St. John and St. Paul?

FROM JB IN OLV:  Yes in elementary school we made shoe box valentine's boxes in which our classmates put a valentine card.  We were required to bring enough cards so each student received a card from everyone.  Since I was a baby boomer...my class had 48 students.  So it was a very big deal.  Wonderful memories of a simpler time. (for me)===JACK:  Yes, simpler times, but kids are kids...Valentine's Day is still special (I think), recess is still fun, and so are Halloween and snow days.  I'm sure that Santa Claus still brings a smile.

FROM OUTHOUSE JUDY:  What a wonderfully true quote!  We decorated boxes for our Valentine’s cards.  It was quite the party at school.  We also made our Valentine’s cards for our relatives.  Happy
Valentine’s Day to you!  I hope it invokes many happy memories!!===JACK:  With your skill as a scrapbooker, you should be able to create a beautiful Valentine's box.  Why not take an oln old shoebox and see what you can come up with...just for the fun of it...and remembering days gone by.

Jack’s Winning Words 2/13/19
“Positive thinking is not about expecting the best to happen every time, but accepting that whatever happens is the best for that moment.”  (Lori Schneider)  Doris Day sang, Que sera. sera, whatever will be, will be.  When the future is in doubt, que sera, sera.  Things have a way of working out.  This is especially true when we see God at work in our lives. Ralph Abernathy once said,  “I may not know what the future holds, but I know who holds the future.”   ;-)  Jack

 FROM QUILTING CAROL:  Just received a message from a quilt friend that she’s dying from her cancer.  Your message was the next one I read – so true.  Her hearing that she is terminal was not what they wanted to hear, but she was given morphine to help with her pain and so far only a small amount is needed to bring her relief.  She has been near death several times so she and her husband are prepared for this next journey and know who holds the future for them.===JACK:  Unwelcomed News can come to anyone at anytime.  Blessed are those who know that God goes with them always, even as they walk through "the valley of the shadow of death."  Let this hymn be a comfort to you as you think about your friend..."God be with you 'til we meet again."

FROM BLAZING OAKS:  Jan and I used to sing Que Sera....a philosophical outlook, as most of the time one cannot change things that come your way, and a positive outlook does help to resolve hings! N.V. Peale's book "The Power of Positive Thinking" was a positive force in my life, helping me to believe in my talents and abilities as a young woman.. Made a big difference in my life! :-) ===JACK:  We may not be able to change everything that comes our way, but decisions we make can determine some directions we take, as in Robert Frost's, The Road Not Taken.  For the most part, I'm satisfied with the choices I've made (with God's help).  NVP and Schuller influenced me to look for the positives in life.  I was careful not to buy into everything that they were selling.

FROM JT IN THE DR:  Very opportune as we had problems with our schedule and some rigamyrole to get it straight.  All went well and we’ve had another great day ===JACK:  Rigamarole?  I haven't heard that word in a long time.  Looking it up, we both misspelled it.  Rigmarole: an elaborate or complicated procedure:

FROM OUTHOUSE JUDY:  God has us in His Hands no matter what happens.  He has our stories and we know and look forward to the ending which is our true beginning!===JACK: 
He's got the whole world in His hands
He's got the whole world in His hands
He's got the whole world in His hands
He's got the whole world in His hands
He's got the itty bitty baby in His hands
He's got the itty bitty baby in His hands
He's got the itty bitty baby in His hands
He's got the whole world in His hands
He's got a-you and me brother in His hands
He's got a-you and me brother in His hands
He's got a-you and me brother in His hands
He's got the whole world in His hands
He's got a-you and me sister in His hands
He's got a-you and me sister in His hands
He's got a-you and me sister in His hands
He's got the whole world in His hands
He's got the whole world in His hands
He's got the whole world in His hands
He's got the whole world in His hands
He's got the whole world in His hands

Jack’s Winning Words 2/12/19
“To handle yourself, use your head; to handle others, use your heart.”  (Donald Laird)  In Sunday School, when I was a kid, we’d sell crimson heart pins (10 cents each) to raise money for a local orphanage.  Using my head, I left before the closing prayer, to go outside and sell to the incoming worshippers before the other kids had a chance.  A Bible verse says, “Be wise as serpents.”  On 2nd thought, the devil is pictured as a serpent.  “Father, forgive me!”   ;-)  Jack

FROM HONEST JOHN:  I think forgiveness is the avenue you should travel for your SCS action! ===JACK:  I still have sleep in my eyes (and mind).  Explain further.  Does SCS mean Sunday Church School?  I still use SS, Sunday School.===JOHN:  SCS =Sunday Church School===JACK:  That never caught on with me.  Did you ever sing: "School days, school days, good old Sunday School days?"===JOHN:  Don't remember it.....I come from a Sunday School family....my Dad was Superintendent of the Sunday School at the First Presbyterian Church for many years....we went to Sunday School when I was a kid....didn't start going to church until we joined the Immanuel Lutheran Church in EM

FROM FACEBOOK LIZ:  i marked mine down to nine cents.===JACK:  To counter that,, I would have asked if they wanted to upgrade to a quarter to better help the little kids in the orphanage.===LIZ:  touche.===JACK:  I'm speechless!

FROM RS IN TEXAS:  Maybe recognizing that the serpent devil is indeed wise can help keep us on guard as he tempts us on an ongoing basis,===JACK:  I think that Satan uses sneakier disguises these days.  Sometimes he even appears as a "religious person" or a sweet=talking politician.===RS:  I think he's always used those disguises....and others....over the course of time. I still think your approach is best - WWJD. ===JACK:  Seriously, What Would Jesus Do about building a wall at our southern border?  Maybe only God has answers for the complications...because there are complications, even beyond what we see.===RS: True -  Somehow I don't see Jesus building a wall anywhere.===JACK:  I like Robert Frost's Mending Wall.  A portion of it reads...
Before I built a wall I'd ask to know  What I was walling in or walling out,
And to whom I was like to give offence.  Something there is that doesn't love a wall,
That wants it down."

FROM QUILTING CAROL::  Wow!  You jogged a long time forgotten memory of those little heart pins.  I don’t think I would have remembered why we had them.  Snowing here again today!  Looks like another 4” in the driveway as Bob is snow blowing. We have a coating of ice under it so it isn’t fun shoveling or blowing snow on our inclined driveway.  There is a coating of ice on pretty much every surface up here so one must be very careful walking.  Bob is wearing cleats on his shoes and they even slide.  Thankful that is isn’t -28 or -30 with wind chills added on to that.  We’ve experienced that as well this winter.  A couple more weeks and we’ll be into March and better signs of spring coming!===JACK:  Our weather is similar to yours.  BTW, I still have one of those heart pins, but it's worth more than a dime to me...because of the memories that it holds.

FROM GUSTIE MARLYS:  No wonder you and Clem got along so well—2 peas in a pod!  Ha! ===JACK:  Oh, we had fun, especially when we were able to put one over on Clifford.  Our brains seemed to be in sync when it came to mischief-making.

FROM TAMPA SHIRL:  I love it! I had never heard that saying before!===JACK:  I see that Laird has written some books...Sizing Up People and Why We Don't Like People are two of them.  They sound interesting to me.

Jack’s Winning Words 2/11/19
“Once to every man and nation comes the moment to decide…truth or falsehood, good or evil.”  (James Russell Lowell)  In 1845 the America was in crisis over slavery, and over the annexation of Texas.  The crisis then is, in part, a crisis now, people at odds with one another.  The events of each day place before us, regular challenges…truth or falsehood, good or evil?  …and, What is truth?  What is good?  To answer that, I simply ask, “WWJD?”   ;-)  Jack

FROM OUTHOUSE JUDY:  We should be on our knees asking God blessings to know truth!  This young nation we were blessed to live in is taking some precarious steps into o the future.  What is Truth?  I’m not so sure it’s so easy to find at this time.  But, the people who followed Jesus didn’t know either.  They continued in His Way and trusted and prayed!  That’s all we can do.  In the long run, God will decide.===JACK:  In the looooong run God will sort all things out.  I am trusting in that...and his grace.

FROM ST PAUL IN MESA:  Jack,  did you even sing this hymn in the LBW but the same title??  its a great hymn.   a bit hard to sing perhaps but a great hymn nonetheless!   the melody starts to grow on you after you have sung it a time or two...===JACK:  The hymn was written in the pre-Civil War days...days even more dangerous than today.  The powerful tune fits well with the powerful lyrics.

FROM TAMPA SHIRL:  WWJD is an excellent way of making decisions through life!===JACK:  Someone wrote recently...WWJHMD...What Would Jesus Have Me Do?

FROM BLAZING OAKS:  One of My husband's favorite hymns!  Although we often have to choose more than "once". However if we have chosen to follow Christ, that choice colors all our other decisions!  As  long as there are humans on the Earth, we will have division and challenges. All the ancient philosophers and and leaders  through the ages have thought THEIR generation (or the next
one) was "going to the dogs"....and we have the same concerns!  And many have different ideas of what is "evil" or "bad" and what is "good", as we are aware.  The longer I live, the less judgmental I've become. Happy to let God sort it out!! Meanwhile, lives of honesty, kindness, and integrity do
count, in  their little corner of the world!! So let's keep on truckin' !:-)===JACK:  It's one of my favorite hymns, too, especially because of the history of its composition.  When we get to thinking our times are bad, read about the Civil War...pre...during...post.  "Mine Eyes Have Seen the Glory" is another one of "those" songs.===OAKS:  You don't have to read much history to know that more violent times have certainly  been  suffered by people in bygone eras!!! :-(

Jack’s Winning Words 2/8/19
“If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.”  (John Quincy Adams)  I’ll always remember what JFK said at his inauguration as President…“Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.”  Inspirational!  People began to dream,  What can I do for my country?  A positive challenge!  It’s been called one of the best speeches ever.  I’m sure that it can be YouTubed.   ;-)  Jack

FROM GOOD DEBT JON:  Nice. Jack, have you read "The Power of Kindness"?  If not please check it out. You will love it. ...
The Power of Kindness: The Unexpected Benefits of Leading a Compassionate Life--Tenth Anniversary Edition https://www.amazon.com/dp/0143129279/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_UsyxCbY4SZ27V
===JACK:  You're right!  Kindness improves the relationship between people.  It's surprising to me that more people don't realize that.  Thank you for introducing me to "Ancora Imparo."  It's a daily reminder for me to be open-minded.

FROM FACEBOOK LIZ:  i think it’s accurate that kennedy would be a conservative by today’s standards.  best line ever!===JACK:  That line in that speech, to me, was a seminal moment in the history of America.  In my quest for "Why?" I discovered that "seminal" means, seed-planting.  Yes, it was a seminal moment!

FROM TAMPA SHIRL:  What a wonderful speech that was! Be a good citizen and love our country! ===JACK:   MAGA, to me, means going back to the spirit expressed in that JFK speech!

FROM TRIHARDER:  Interesting coincidence that you choose John Quincy Adams to quote today. Steve Mitchell informs us that he and John Dingell were involved in this country's history longer than anyone else.===JACK:  Sometimes it's hard to process that we have lived (and are living) in the midst of history-making times...for better or worse.  I'm proud (?) and glad (?) to have experienced the Great Depression, WW 2, MLK Jr, Obama and even Trump (?).===TH:  As to the last name you have mentioned, I am embarrassed that he is our President.===JACK:  I remember when people felt the same way about FDR...and he was elected for four terms.  Imagine "that" today?

FROM RS IN TEXAS:  Sure would be nice if we could find someone with Jack's (Kennedy) qualities and abilities to make all of us proud of our country for the right reasons, and inspire us all to do for others instead of ourselves and the wealthy.  THAT would be the type of President I would love to see.  He wasn't perfect, as are none of us, but he and Bobby sure did some great things when it came to civil rights and the average American Joe.===JACK:  Amazing...how we have transitioned to what we have today. 

ROM BLAZING OAKS:  Yes. That was a memorable and neat turn of phrase!!  Morally, as we later learned, he was far from ideal, but as a bright and charismatic leader, he excelled. I just read about Rep.John Dingell's death (92) today. He served 59 yrs. as Rep. of SE Michigan. Amazing!. Always
supported universal health care. He  was a master of the legislative deal, working "across the aisles". We sure need more of that today!! (He was mentioned in your blog today with John Quincy dams....)
When you lead, you have an awesome opportunity & challenge to inspire and educate. Hopefully we rise to the challenge!!===JACK:  In the early days of WW2, another memorable phrase from FDR, "We have nothing to fear, but fear itself."  That can apply to many situations.  BTW< John Dingell was a page on the House floor when FDR announced the declaration of war after Pearl Harbor.

FROM HONEST JOHN:  JQ Adams was so bright, so well educated and such a good person.   He is considered a failure as a president because the Congress wouldn't work with him.    To me, the Congress should be deemed a failure....not him.===JACK:  Partisanship sometimes gives me a pain.  Most accomplishments are bi-partisan, except in a dictatorship.  There's a lot to be learned from history.

Jack’s Winning Words 2/7/19
“Be generous with praise, but cautious with criticism.”  (Old Proverb)  Proverbs is one of my favorite books of the Bible, a collection of sayings:..telling the Godly person how to live, how to choose values, to act wisely…and to have a good life.  You’ve probably heard many proverbs at home, like…Monkey see monkey do.  My Jewish friends tell me Yiddish sayings like, All is not butter that comes from a cow.  What wise sayings have you tried to live by?   ;-)  Jack

FROM TRIHARDER:  "It takes ten attaboys to equal one criticism."===JACK:  Does this proverb apply to you in court, with judge or client?

FROM HONEST JOHN:  "A stitch in time saves nine"===JACK:  There are many examples today, and in the past, where delay has been costly.  "If only..."

FROM TAMPA SHIRL:  If you cannot say something nice do not say anything at all===JACK:  I seem to remember that your mother taught that to you when you were a child.  It's good advice for adults, as well.

FROM HAWKEYE GEORGE:  Many times my favorite is Galatians 5:22:  The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Have a most blessed day!===JACK:  Those words are a prominent part of our church's stained glass  windows...as a weekly reminder to worshippers...and to me as pastor.

FROM MY LAWYER:  1. Mind your own business.  2. Never pass up the opportunity to keep your mouth shut.   Two that immediately come to mind.   😀😀😀===JACK:  Both of those are good advice...which too few bother to follow.

FROM THE SHARK:  What goes around comes around.===JACK:  If you live long enough, you'll really get dizzy.  I'm wobbling right now...with the current political situation.

FROM CPA BM:  "Don't cry over spilt milk"===JACK:  ...like Wolverine football fans do after ANOTHER loss to the Buckeyes.

FROM OUTHOUSE JUDY:  “Do unto others as you’d have them do unto you!”

FROM BLAZING OAKS:  "Keep your words sweet; someday you may have to eat them . "It costs nothing to be kind." are two I grew up with. And another, "Don't count your chickens before they hatch!"  or "She never walked that far before" (What my shoes would say if you walked a mile in them...) :-)  Bill's mother used to say "Remember you're an Oaks!" as he left the house: a warning not to besmirch their good name!===JACK:  Yes, your house must have been a lively place, with words flying back and forth.  BTW, "Remember you're an Oaks!"  Was that when he was going out on a date with you?

FROM MAINBH: Good morning Pastor Jack  I pray all is well with you and your family. I truly appreciate your wise words:)  One proverb but I really like that was said by our Prophet Mohammed Wisdom is the lost property of a believer,  wherever he finds it, then he is most worthy of it. Thank you again for your friendship and wisdom.===JACK:  Wisdom is a gift to be shared.  I look forward to hearing more of yours.

FROM GF IN FLA:  Hi Jack, have you ever heard the saying: when your penis stands on and your brains get buried in the ground.===JACK:  Is that a Yiddish saying?===GF:  . I didn’t want to offend you.  My wife's mother used to share that saying. I once stated it in a room full of the superintendents When we were supposed to introduce ourselves and share something that we learn from our parents. They all wanted me to repeat it so that they could write it down.

Jack’s Winning Words 2/6/19
“When the world says, ‘Give up,’ hope whispers, ‘Try it one more time.’”   (Unknown)
The Little Engine That Could reminds me of the importance of not giving up.  A similar one is, Never, never, never give up! said by Churchill during WW 2.  Every life has some tough times.  We all, at one time or another, need some encouragement to hang in there, to keep on trying.  I know I can!  Is there a steep hill before you today? Where there’s a will, there’s a way.   ;-)  Jack

FROM ROBERT:  Phil. 4:13 keeps me going !!===JACK:  That's one of my favorites, too.  "I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength."  Facing some tough decisions?  On a rough patch?  The Optimists have their Creed.  Christians have Philippians 4:13.

FROM SS:  Good reminder. We all need that on a bleak wintry day, thanks 😊===JACK:  Right!  "You gotta accent the positive, eliminate the negative...and don't mess with mister in-between!"  As Mr. Rogers would sing, "It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood" ...no matter what the weather, because of God's many blessings, including our friends.

FROM LBP:  Just remember to learn something on each go-round. what's the saying... "insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results." It took me 5 submissions (and 3 years) to achieve a goal that I wanted to reach. I kept trying!  ...===JACK:  Insanity is also choosing to stop trying when the goal is in sight.

FROM TAMPA SHIRL:  That (The Little Engine...) was my favorite book to read to the children! ===JACK:  In reading to children I would sometime change the words (the Little Engine that couldn't)  "No, No!  Could, not couldn't!"

FROM BLAZING OAKS:  Richard Nixon said something similar, "A man is not finished when he is defeated. He is finished when he quits!"..He knew something about steep hills, as did his wife...I don't think we could survive without Hope! It re-fuels us to "go on", and on...and on...:-)===JACK:  Even though Jesus said on the cross, "It is finished," more was to come.  "It ain't over, til it's over."

FROM OUTHOUSE JUDY:  Great quote!  No steep hills but a few hills and valleys.  Nothing “My God and I” can’t handle!😊===JACK:  Sometimes when trains are going through the mountains, they have engines at the rear giving them a push.  God, at times, is like those engines.

Jack’s Winning Words 2/5/19
“Arriving at one goal is the starting point of another.”  (John Dewey)  Dewey was one of the great thinkers and educators of the 20th century.  He’s considered to be the founder of pragmatism.  (If it works, it’s good…or something like that.)  J.D. was a strong advocate for democracy.  I wonder if there might be some rumblings from his Vermont gravesite?  Returning to today’s quote…Dewey said that it’s always good to have a goal,  What’s yours?   ;-)  Jack.

FROM HONEST JOHN:  I look always to have some meaning and purpose in my life.===JACK:  Before your current "purpose," was there another?  I sense that there is an overarching purpose that goes back to when I first cared about having a purpose.  How to carry it out has changed with time and circumstances.===JOHN:  I would say bout the same thing.    Somehow my meaning in life was integrally tied to God's purposes....my role changes as my abilities diminish....

FROM HAWKEYE GEORGE:  Good (As Usual) thoughts!===JACK:  I try to put the thoughts into words...into Winning Words.

FROM TAMPA SHIRL:  When I was teaching I remember John Dewey as saying learn by doing! I checked him on google and it goes on forever! My goal is to enjoy each day and to be helpful when I can. Today is my Frank Lloyd Wright class===JACK:  What a great opportunity....to learn more about one of the world's great architects...and an "unusual" person as well.

FROM ST PAUL IN MESA:  my guess is that his grave site could become a small volcano!   am wondering what Trump had to say tonight?

Jack’s Winning Words 2/4/19
“Waste of time is the most extravagant of all expenses.”  (Theophrastus)  Time in a Bottle is a great song, not just for the melody, but for how it speaks about the value of time.  Think!…if we could somehow save wasted time!  How would you use it?…hobbies?...for helping people? ,,,more of it for family?  I guess we each have our…“if I just had more time!”  Jim Croce’s time ran out too soon   I wonder if it happened after his dreams came true?  He died at age 30.   ;-)  Jack 

FROM OPT MV:  I really liked the music of Jim Croce. He died tragically and too early.===JACK:  Ironic, isn't it, that Time In A Bottle relates so much to his life.  We never know....

FROM BLAZING OAKS:  Yes, what a shame that a musician of Jim Croce's talent wasn't given more time on Earth. Our Sweet Adelines Chorus sang "Time in a Bottle", and so true, if we could
pick up some time, we'd want to spend it with loved ones!  Especially those we've lost...As Wm Faulkner once opined, "The Past is never dead;  It's not even past!"===JACK:  The Sweet Adelines will be singing a community concert in our church this year.  I wonder if it will include Time In A Bottle?  BTW, if we to have time in a bottle, which bottle would you open first?===OAKS:  Time with my husband; then my children, then twin Jan, mother, etc. :-) It's nice to have the present time to talk via email to friends like you, with some common background and values!! :-)===JACK:  What does it say...that I could have predicted that order (not that each is important to you in their own way)?

FROM DS IN SOCAL:  I love all of Croce's songs.  I love to sing (with him) my favorite "Time in a Bottle". He truly died way to early.===JACK:  All of Croce's songs?  I'll have to look them up ... and probably be even more impressed by his short life and what was accomplished during it. (Pause, while I Google)  WOW!  I am so impressed!  I like the one called, Age.===DS:  Yes, they all have great meaning in their words, and exceptionally pleasant to hear.  One of my other favorites (from the days when they actually sang nice songs) was by Anne Murray.   I love to sing in the shower. ===JACK:  Anne is another favorite of mine.  A Winning Words reader recently had contact with her in Eastern Canada.===DS:  HA!!   Tell you reader to tell HER.....I still love her!!!  My wife knows it.  You have good taste too!!!

FROM TAMPA SHIRL:  I find now there is as much time as I need each day! And each day is an adventure of new experiences!===JACK:  Yes, we each have the same amount of time.  How we use it is what makes the difference in our lives.

FROM EDUCATOR PAUL:  “Time in a Bottle” was our wedding song!===JACK:  Read, think back and remember...
If I could save time in a bottle
The first thing that I'd like to do
Is to save every day
'Til eternity passes away
Just to spend them with you.

If I could make days last forever
If words could make wishes come true
I'd save every day like a treasure and then,
Again, I would spend them with you.

But there never seems to be enough time
To do the things you want to do
Once you find them
I've looked around enough to know
That you're the one I want to go
Through time with.

If I had a box just for wishes
And dreams that had never come true
The box would be empty
Except for the memory
Of how they were answered by you

But there never seems to be enough time
To do the things you want to do
Once you find them
I've looked around enough to know
That you're the one I want to go
Through time with

 FROM OUTHOUSE JUDY:  Do we really ever waste time?  I’m not sure.  Yes there are days when I sit and read because that’s all I can do.  But my brain is going 90 miles an hour.  Praying, thinking, remembering.    Watching tv is a waste if you watch waste!===JACK:  That last sentence is very clever.  Did that come from your own mind? 

FROM ST PAUL IN MESA:  was it a drug overdose?   just curious...===JACK:  Interesting that you should ask if it was drug-related.  It seems to be a sign of generalities connected with "performers."  He was in an airplane with four others.  The plane hit a tree on takeoff, crashed, and all were killed.  "There never seems to be enough time..."===SP:  Jack,  sometime Google "rock stars who died of an overdose".   last time i did this i found over 100 names from the past 5 or 6 decades.  i was astounded.   some names i did not recognize but drugs have surely killed a lot of people associated with rock.===JACK:  I guess it depends on what you're looking for.  I was impressed with what Jim Croce was able to create, and I was pleased to discover that drugs did not appear to be related to his death.  If I could put time in a bottle, part of that time would include the time of our friendship. 

Jack’s Winning Words 2/1/19
“The secret is to work less as individuals and more as a team.  As a coach, I play not my eleven best, but my best eleven.”  (Knute Rockne)  In a couple of days it’s Super Bowl Sunday.  The winners will each take home $112,000, while the losers get $56,000.  Not bad for a day’s work! TV ads are $5M for 30 seconds.  Gimme the old days when the focus wasn’t on money, blown calls, TV timeouts…It was on teamwork, good coaching and the game, football!   ;-)  Jack

FROM HONEST JOHN:  I don't remember any such days.....pro football is a money sport... .===JACK:   That's my point.  I remember when pro football was played in Rock Island, in Decatur, and an exhibition occasionally in Browning Field.  I even remember when packers sponsored the Packers.  I watched my first Lions game, sitting in the leftfield stands behind the goal posts.  It was against the NY Jets with a young QB, Broadway Joe.  "Older than dirt."  The Lions were good back in that era...but they lost that game.===JOHN:  You do NOT remember the pro football teams being in Rock Island and Decatur...they left those cities around 1919.....and, you are not over 100.    My Dad's cousin, Hoot Ellinwood, played QB for the Rock Island Independents....Jim Thorpe was the running back.    I remember Hoot....great guy.    George Halss coached the Decatur Staleys who became the Chicago Bears.  I remember that great team in the 40s.....Sid Luckman, Bulldog Turner, Dr. Bill Osmanski, Joe Stydahar, Kenny Kavanaugh, etc.    tThe best team ever....the Hall of Fame in Canton is loaded up with those guys.===JACK:  I didn't write..."I remember SEEING them."

FROM RS IN TEXAS:  Amen===JACK:  Have you heard of the Amen Corner in football?  Here's the background.  There's an Amen  Corner in golf, too.  Just what was "Amen Corner?" In each year from 1964–1991, Auburn's final four games of the regular season always included Florida, Georgia and Alabama. Pat Dye, Auburn's coach from 1981–1992, called these three final conference games the "Amen Corner," comparing them to the make-or-break gauntlet of holes No. 11, 12 and 13 of the Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club.===RS:  Knew about Amen corner at Augusta, but didn't know about the Auburn one.  Proves there's something new to be learned every day.  Have a great weekend, Jack.  Hope it warms up some!+++===JACK:  Robert Louis Stevenson wrote: “The world is so full of a number of things, I ’m sure we should all be as happy as kings.”  Things can include new information and new thoughts.

FROM GUSTIE MARLYS:  Amen to that!===JACK:  To me, it's not "the game" when people tune into the Super Bowl to watch the commercials.===MARLYS:  I don’t even do that.  Even the commercials have gotten pretty raunchy for the most part!

FROM TAMPA SHIRL:  Yay===JACK:  Probably more than you want to know...Yay is simply an alternate spelling of yeah or yea, which have distinct pronunciations and meanings. (Yeah, an informal variant of yes, is pronounced “ya” and sometimes spelled that way; yea, which sounds like yay, survives as an affirmation in biblical contexts and as a counterpart to nay in voting contexts.)
Hooray is an alternate spelling of hurrah; both go back hundreds of years, and two other, less common variants, hurray and hooray, are nearly as old. (They all stem from huzza—emphasis is on the second syllable—which dates back to the time of Shakespeare and survives only at “faires” that recreate a Renaissance environment.) These words can also refer to a cheer or a fanfare, or excitement, and the oldest sometimes denotes a disturbance, as in “There was a big hurrah about something happening down the street.”

FROM STEVE IN WA:  Yeah I’m with you Jack. I’ve heard that the ball is actually in-play an average of 11 and a half minutes per game. The rest of the time is standing around getting ready for, or recovering from, a play. Soccer is two 45 minute halves and tennis has no clock, and pay isn’t even close. The highest paid public official in the country is a college football coach! I think Charlie Brown has it right; give it your best shot and then go hang out with a friend by the wall, because that’s more important than kicking a ball anyway. ;)===JACK:  I'd like to see football use the clock as in soccer, with stoppage time added.  Exciting!

FROM ST PAUL IN MESA: i agree with you, Jack, but we both must be showing our age... ===JACK:  Old or young, I see a growing resentment against "unfairness" on and off the field.  People are fickle and can change the channel on their TV.

FROM MARILYN OAKS:  It's become MUCH more BIG BUSINESS since Bill played for the
Bears under Geo. Halas! $5600.00 for the season for a rookie; Don't know what the Big names pulled, but compared to today, am sure it wasn't that much. All the home games  by 1950 were played
at Chicago Soldier's field.  I still enjoy the Pro games, in spite of all the money issues.===JACK:  I remember when the Monsters of the Midway played their games at Wrigley Field and the fans joined together in singing..
."Bear down, Chicago Bears,
make every play clear the way to victory.
Bear down, Chicago Bears,
put up a fight with a might so fearlessly.
We'll never forget the way you thrilled the nation
with your T formation.
Bear down, Chicago Bears,
and let them know why you're wearing the crown.
You're the pride and joy of Illinois,
Chicago Bears, bear down."

FROM OUTHOUSE JUDY:  Amen!!  Games were games and not about money!

FROM ST PAUL IN MESA:  if the rules of the game are not enforced fairly,  people will lose interest.   who wants to watch a game is "fixed" before it even begins.===JACK:  I don't happen to believe that games are fixed.  I believe that referees and umpires make errors just as players do.