“Sometimes it takes courage not to be discouraged.” (Ben Ferenze) Recently 60 Minutes did a story on 99-yr-old Ben Ferenze, an investigator of Nazi WW2 war crimes. He has lived his life seeking justice for victims of atrocity. “It must never happen again!” Yet, we see signs of the same things that allowed Nazi power to develop. It’s not easy to stay focused on a difficult task. “It takes courage not to be discouraged,” but if you believe in something, you can do it! ;-) Jack
FROM ROSIE: Great words - and oh how timely.===JACK: I was really impressed with Ben's story and his tenaciousness.
FROM PASTY PAT: Amen from Bethlehem!===JACK: From Bethlehem. WOW! I remember your first visit to the Holy Lands and your apprehension. By now, you must be a veteran. How many trips?===PP: I’m almost embarrassed to say it’s my 13th. Each is a totally different experience. The relationships I’ve developed are such a gift and a privilege. Just returned from a day with a Bedouin (Muslim) family who live deep in the desert south of Bethlehem. I’m staying in a (Christian) guest house which is a school and residence for 22 blind and disabled folks of all ages. Helped pick olives with them this morning and helped hang the laundry out on the roof before going into the desert. They operate on a less than skimpy shoestring here but provide such an amazing ministry. I like that my money for the room goes to their support. And in Tiberias attended the traditional Shabbat dinner at that guest house. I am blessed beyond measure!===JACK: The novice has become an expert on the Holy Lands situation.===PP: Except that it changes on a daily basis. I need a much more nimble mind😀!===JACK: You seem to be getting more nimble as the years go by. What's your secret?
FROM HONEST JOHN: Amen===JACK: Or, maybe a triple Amen (as it used to be sung in the Augustana liturgy.
FROM WALMART REV: Personally remembering the words of Paul from the Holy Text this morning-- "For I fully expect and hope that I will never be ashamed, but that I will continue to be bold for Christ, as I have been in the past. And I trust that my life will bring honor to Christ, whether I live or die. For to me, living means living for Christ, and dying is even better. But if I live, I can do more fruitful work for Christ. So I really don’t know which is better. I’m torn between two desires: I long to go and be with Christ, which would be far better for me. But for your sakes, it is better that I continue to live" (Philippians 1:20-24 NLT). Good Morning, Jack! Hope your day is well spent and blessed!! 0;-)===JACK: My day? 2 doctor visits in prep for my next MN trip in a week. Poor St Paul! ....trying to make up his mind. Have you ever faced that dilemma?===REV: Actually being teased somewhat when realizing now my body is functioning in a much older mode...at this point I think often about the possibility of not being here by the time I’m eighty, especially when I’m standing next to the body of a deceased man around my current age and his grieving wife mourning his death. Seeing more of them nowadays. 0;-/===JACK: The less sand in the hourglass...the faster it seems to vanish.
FROM ST PAUL IN ST PAUL: , i often forward your WWs to one to four people almost every day. thot you'd like to know. one friend asked me "who is this wise old man?"===JACK: Thanks for sharing. One of my friends own a school bus company with 200 drivers. He posts Winning Words on their work schedule each morning. Maybe I'm a modern Johnny Appleseed. ===SP: i was thinking more along the lines of peaches or pears! how does Johnny Plumb Seed sound to you? ===JACK: I see myself as couching "the Word" in a form that is not immediately evident...but is there.===SP: I agree! sometimes its good to sugar coat the medicine... Jesus did it masterfully. he told some great stories with the Truth hidden inside that the listener sort of discovered on his/her own.===JACK: It's been said of me..."Freed has a way of sticking the knife in you without you knowing it...until he begins to twist it."
FROM FACEBOOK LIZ: curious as to what you find that is similar to hitler’s rise in today’s world... esp interesting, as you lived during both times.===JACK: I was a child during Hitler's rise, but pre-Word War 2 there was a vocal division in the country (somewhat as today), and one of those groups chanted, "America First!", wanting America to not get involved with (nor side with) "the oppressed."===LIZ: now it’s china that is imprisoning/torturing muslims in labor camps, and oppressing their own people. i do not hear anyone from either side saying “let’s go in and rescue them.” quite the contrary... we are slave owners by proxy when we buy their products.===JACK: Until the internet, I used to believe what I read without too much questioning.
FROM OUTHOUSE JUDY: Just curious... what signs do we see of it happening again?===JACK: The rise of hate groups, especially white supremacists. Suspicion of those who are "different.
FROM TAMPA SHIRL: When Les and I went to Argentina in 1991 we felt that the nazis were all around the city! It was all an eerie feeling===JACK: I had almost forgotten how many war criminals fled to South America. Many were hunted down.
FROM DB IN WB: Awesome words … thank you! I NEEDED this one! p.s. where do you find all of these amazing quotes? I know that you are a plethora of information, but you must have some “insider” information of where to find great quotes. 😊===JACK: Thanks for you interest and response. Different people collect different things. I collect words and sentences that interest me. I throw away more than I save.
FROM GUSTIE MARL;YS: That is what happens when we no longer teach History in schools—and what we do teach is changed to the way they was to believe it happened===JACK: History has always been taught from the perspective of the one who wrote the textbook. As much as we'd like teaching to be objective, it's usually subjective, depending on the teacher...whether in the home or in the schoolroom.===GM: I heard a talk show host ask a lady who did the Americans fight in the Civil War? She had no idea!!! Now I think that is very sad!===JACK: Sad...but not surprising.
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