Jack’s Winning Words  2/28/20
“Tradition is the albatross around the neck of progress.”  (Bill Veeck)  Hall of Famer Bill Veeck thought tradition was hampering the progress of baseball, so he became an innovator – the exploding scoreboard, using 3’7” Eddie Gaedel as a pinch-hitter, 10-cent-beer night, 42-yr-old Satchel as a pitcher.  Veeck put fans in the seats.  Innovation can become an albatross, too.  I don’t want computers as umpires, or to determine strategy.  Take me out to the old ballgame.  ;-)  Jack  

FROM OUTHOUSE JUDY:  Life has to be fun too.  He put the fun in baseball by adding fun in a sometimes boring game.  I love baseball but I’d rather play than watch.     Tradition is good sometimes but can be very stifling!  Sometimes we need to shake up traditions.===JACK:  I like to watch baseball when I'm close to the action and can see the players' faces.  My grandson's high school baseball team played a game at Comerica.  I was right up close, and it was more fun that sitting in the nosebleed section of a major league game.  Even more fun was when I actually played baseball.

FROM GUSTIE:  It is really fun to go to St. Paul Saint’s Baseball games.===JACK:  I went to a Saints  once, and a guy was taking a bath in the outfield, and a man was getting a haircut in an aisle near me.  The game was interesting, too.

FROM WILLMAR REV:  "Sing it, Jack-- I mean Harry Carey!! 0;-)===JACK:  I read that the guys who wrote, "Take me out to the ballgame," had never attended a ballgame.

FROM RS IN TEXAS:  Ah, yes....the good old days....when kids said yes ma’am and yes sir, families went to church together and fights were with fists instead of guns.===JACK:  Do you actually recall those days?  I hardly remember them.
FROM RS IN TEXAS:   

Jack’s Winning Words  2/27/20
“There’s a polar bear in our Frigidaire.  He likes it ‘cause it’s cold in there.  And he lets out a roar when I open the door.  That Polary Bear in our Fridgitydaire.”  (Shel Silverstein)  Wildlife experts have listed polar bears as a vulnerable species, meaning that they will probably become extinct if something isn’t done to counteract the loss of frigid air in their habitat.  I hate to think that zoos would become the only habitat for this beautiful creation of God.   ;-)  Jack 

FROM FACEBOOK LIZ:  yet zoos have air that is not frigid, and they thrive there... as the sun is entering into a cool phase, they will be fine.===JACK:  I do not want a world that's not fit "for man nor beast>"

FROM HONEST JOHN:  I love Uncle Shelby.   My favorite book of his is “Lafcadio, the Lion Who Shot Back.”===JACK:  What are some of the children's books that you've written?  Are you still writing? ===JOHN:  I wrote a great number of little children’s stories for the kids st church....lots of puppet shows, too.  The artist got two of them published....Murphy the Christmas Dog and Jocamar Squirrel.    I had no interest n getting into the publishing business....lots of politics there.   The first one was a sell out.    I still use them now and then....have four grandchildren. ===JACK:  A friend of mine has written a book for her grandchildren...Beliefs and Ideals that have Guided My Life   It's hardcover and complete with illustrations . 

Jack’s Winning Words  2/26/20
“Today is Ash Wednesday, so don’t tell people that their foreheads are dirty.”  (Anon)  “From dust you have come; to dust you shall return” are the words spoken by the pastor to the Ash Wednesday worshipper.  The hit song by Kansas puts it: “Nothing lasts forever…All we are is dust in the wind.”  …but we humans are more than dust; we have a soul, a spiritual connection with our creator God.  “I am more than dust!”  Think about that today!   ;-)  Jack

FROM OUTHOUSE JUDY:  But or dust is temporary.  We will be raised again!  I’m sure there’s no dust in Heaven!===JACK: ....not even gold dust?

FROM TAMPA SHIRL:  Yes I plan to go to noon Mass!===JACK:  One of the local churches is offering drive thru ashes.,  I don't Catholic Churches do that.

FROM BLAZING OAKS:  Ash Wed. brought another snow storm to our area; My Bridge luncheon (and schools) all canceled, and evening service in doubt. It's difficult to imagine "living" without a body, and continuing to exist as an immortal soul...But I'm sure if Jesus has prepared a place for us, we will love being there with Him. That's our faith and our Hope! I wonder if we'll remember ===JACK:  Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor has entered the mind of people what God has prepared.......and yet we continue to wonder.
aving earthly bodies??! Something to ponder...

FROM DR J:  Does this have something to do with Ashes, Ashes, we all fall down!?===JACK:  Not really, but "ring around the rosey has to do with the Black Plague and the read rash which had a ring around it.  Not a nice background for a children's game. 


FROM CL:  I have thought about saying that many times!  lol===JACK:  It is a chilling thought when the ashes are placed on your forehead with those words.

Jack’s Winning Words  2/25/20
“If you believe it will work out, you’ll see opportunities.  If you believe it won’t, you will see obstacles.”  (Wayne Dyer)  Michael Jordan tried out for his high school basketball team and was CUT!  It was a major setback for him, but MJ had a plan.  He worked at improving his game and eventually made the team.  Hard work was important, but so was his I-can-do-it! attitude..  “I will make the team!”  Obstacles, for you, can be stepping stones with hard work and the right attitude.   ;-)  Jack

Jack’s Winning Words  2/24 /20
“History is written backwards but lived forwards.”  (Madeleine Albright)  Someone who grew up in Nazi Germany told me what it was like in those times.  “We were young; we did what we were told, believing that it was right.”  Looking back, he said that he’d have acted differently.  Given past experiences, and looking forward, are there things that you’d do differently…if there were  do-overs?  Today is a new day with new beginnings.  Take advantage of it!   ;-)  Jack 

FROM GOOD DEBT JON:  She often quotes Soren Kierkegaard, "Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards."Still a great quote. ===JACK:  I'm glad that we don't have to footnote everything we write or say.  Madeleine was a commendable Secretary of State.

FROM WILLMAR REV:  If too many “do-overs” were granted we perhaps wouldn’t have that overcoming and greater established character present as such today?!?! 0;-)===JACK:  Thank God for do-overs.  "The grace of God passes all understanding."===REV:  If too many “do-overs” were granted we perhaps wouldn’t have that overcoming and greater established character present as such today?!?! 0;-) ===JACK:  The good thing is that God never tires of forgiving you and me.

FROM BOBBY CEE:  It is a variation of the Merlin story.  King Arthur sought Merlin’s counsel because Merlin could foretell the future.  When Arthur ask how Merlin was able to do that, Merlin said that he was born an old man and lived his life backwards, and one day he would die a baby.  Although it is impossible to live our lives backwards like Merlin, we are able to describe our preferred life legacy and work backward from that, always knowing how we should have lived our lives 5, 10, 20 years before the legacy is realized.  We can live a life consistent with our life legacy starting today.===JACK:  It's always a good day when I learn something new.  Thanks for being my teacher.

FROM OUTHOUSE JUDY:  No do-overs!  God has guided my path and each wrong turn, I was guided to yet a better road.  Mistakes, yes...but always ended up better for it.  Regrets, yep but I learned each time.  Wouldn’t change anything.===JACK:  "You are forgiven; go, and sin no more" is a do-over.  I've heard those words more than a couple of times.

FROM TAMPA SHIRL:  No! Everything has worked out perfectly so far -except for losing dear ones! That is God’s plan for me I guess!===JACK:   There's a hymn, "Be not dismayed what e'er betide, Go will take care of you."

FROM PRFM IN WI:  Thank you Jack, one of my favorite quotes from someone who served us well ===JACK:  The past isn't always so bad.===P:  Maybe it is a matter of moving yourself – and making other changes your self!===JACK:  All and all, you seem to have had a good life, in spite of the latter changes.

FROM BLAZING OAKS:  Really good words! I'll share with my adult S.S. class.  I'd sure like a do-over at how I handled one of my middle son's problems. Often think about it, tho it was years and years ago, and expressed my regret to him, which he graciously took with good humor, as was his wont in life. A  caution for me to take the long look forward when assessing a situation, and forget my pride, and "what will people think" mentality!  (Of course people don't "think" nearly as much as

I'd assumed!) :-(===JACK:  It's tough to be a PK and also a PW.  Think what it must be to be a P!

Jack’s Winning Words  2//21/20 “Why not do this  When you wake up in the night  With problems racing through your mind  And sleep becomes a fight?  Try this simple method,  It soon will gain control  And rest will surely come again  And calm down all your soul. Thank you, Lord, for hearing me.  Thank you, Lord, for knowing who I am.  Thank you, Lord, for seeing me.  It’s so easy to get lost these days  In the shuffle and the noise.” Many years ago I heard George Beverly Shea sing this song, written by Kurt Kaiser.  It has been a comfort during restless nights.  Perhaps you might want to keep a copy by your bed.  :-)  Jack FROM FACEBOOK LIZ:  thanks... i needed that!===JACK:  The words are even better with the music.  I like....It's so easy to get lost these days in the shuffle and the noise. FROM OUTHOUSE JUDY:  I love this!  Will try it!===JACK:  Try it; you'll like it.  Do you remember the Life cereal TV commercial where the 2 boys try to get their younger brother to eat the new cereal?..."Try it, Mikey, you'll like it."

Jack’s Winning Words  2/20 /20
“I have a feeling that I’ve seen everything, but failed to notice the elephants.”  (Anton Chekhov)  A cartoon showed an elephant in a room, with two people on a couch.  Painted on the side of the elephant were the words, IGNORE ME!  I’m sure we’ve each been in conversations where we’ve ignored talking about what needs talking about.  “How are we going to get rid of this elephant?  He’s affecting our relationship.”  Do you know how to get rid of elephants?   ;-)  Jack

FROM NORM'S BLOG:  The phrase “elephant in the room” is oft used to refer to something or someone that should be too big to be ignored. It may be an unspoken prejudice that causes someone or everyone discomfort. It might be the presence of someone unexpected or unappreciated or perhaps who stands out from the rest of the crowd. Perhaps it is the introduction of a controversial conversation topic into the room. Whatever it is, there is a difference between failing to notice the elephant and ignoring the elephant.  One may be forgiven for being so blissfully ignorant of the situation that they fail to see the elephant in the room; however, tolerance of the elephants of hate or prejudice or fear of those who might be different is a willful act that cannot be forgiven. If one wallows in the mud bath with those elephants, they too get muddy.  The thing is that if you recognize those elephants in the room that you just entered, you are no longer blissfully ignorant and have to make a choice on how you react. Silence in the face of those elephants is usually seen as acceptance or willful tolerance of the behavior and the elephant splashes mud on you. At a minimum, distancing yourself from that situation or those people at least removes the threat that you could be association with their behavior or opinions; however, that is a very passive way of protesting or showing your true feelings.===JACK:  Many of us choose to live with the elephants.  Talking about them eventually leads to..."Who's gonna clean up the poop?

FROM OUTHOUSE JUDY:  My parents would refer to the “elephant in the room” often.  With five of us kids, there was often a large one in our talks.  And, we talked a lot with our siblings and parents.===JACK:  Talking gets a lot of things resolved.  Not talking often causes festering.  Do you know what it mean, to fester?

FROM WILLMAR REV:  Given in time, they will run away to some circus going through town?! 0;-) ===JACK:  You're living in the old days...Circuses don't come to town anymore...not like when you were a whippersnapper.===REV:  You "city folks" have forgotten, I'm living out here in west-central Minnesota where all the "simple farmers" live and enjoy the circus still coming to town-- Jose Cole Circus annually play in Willmar, MN! 0;-))===JACK:  ...and you still have good old boys stock car races, too.  Are they still run on a dirt track?

FROM BLAZING OAKS:  You sure can't push it out the door, and I think it's a myth that they are afraid of mice ...Eventually you have to deal with the problem, touchy or tricky as it may be,

like an addiction confrontation, or person who is undermining what you are trying to accomplish, etc. Sometimes when you lose the  elephant, you lose a relationship, too.  But still has to be dealt with, unless you are going to keep on being unhappy or miserable!===JACK:  You have some interesting observations...and if you don't get rid of that elephant, someone's going to have to do some cleaning up...in one way or another.

FROM QUILTING CAROL:  Was recently talking to one of Bob’s bike friends whose wife has cancer which is spreading.  I’d asked how she was doing and he replied that she sleeps a lot and is enduring the pain.  She’d just had another treatment so was not tolerating food well. Of course she doesn’t want to be out in public and he said that in the evenings they often just sit in the living room together not talking.  I said it is like having an elephant in the room; he smiled and said that was a good concept.  Sometimes there isn’t much we can say about that elephant either.  I shared with him that when my mom went through her cancer treatments my 3 sisters and I took turns staying with her so she wouldn’t need to be in a facility.  One day I asked her if she’d given any thought to what she wanted to do with her favorite things.  She immediately started giving me a rundown.  I grabbed a steno pad and wrote down her wishes.  We had many good conversations after that as I’d addressed the “elephant”.  She wasn’t going to survive her cancer and we both knew it so let’s look forward.  I doubt Steve will ask Lori that same question but maybe just maybe he will address the elephant.===JACK:  Some people may have vision problems and can't see well enough to spot an elephant....although you should be able to smell one.

Jack’s Winning Words  2/19 /20
“Nothing is worse than active ignorance.”  (Goethe)  Goethe (pronounced “Gerta”) lived in 18^th century Germany and is considered one of the greatest thinkers of the modern era.  It’s said that he had an IQ of 220. (That’s higher than mine.)  People, who pretended to be smart when they were really ignorant, bothered him.  That type of person lingers in today’s world.  Goethe also said: “No one ever finishes his apprenticeship.”  To be always learning is a virtue!  ;-)  Jack

FROM NORM'S BLOG:  Were Goethe alive today he might label the current political situation as being representative of active ignorance. The two sides are so rigid in their positions that they refuse to even try to see the other’s point of view, especially where the solutions to the problems are concerned. It’s not so much that they disagree upon the problems, just on the best approach to fixing them.  Goethe’s term “active ignorance” alludes to the inability (inflexibility) to learn and change, especially from one’s mistakes in life. Sometimes people can become so entrenched with their beliefs that not even overwhelming proof that those beliefs are wrong can change them. Global warming immediately comes to mind.  Sometimes people who have a change of heart and mind find that they are still trapped and categorized by memories of their past, at least by others. It’s not that they have not been flexible enough to learn from their mistakes and change; but, rather, that others refuse to see the change in them and relegate them to their past positions. I remember when George Wallace proclaimed that he had  realized the mistakes of his racist past and changed his mind and heart on topics of race. Almost no one believed him. As a four-time governor of Alabama and a four-time Presidential candidate, Wallace was the personification of racism and resistance in the South to integration. Then in 1982 he changed -"We thought [segregation] was in the best interests of all concerned. We were mistaken," he told a black group in 1982. "The Old South is gone," but "the New South is still opposed to government regulation of our lives." So, ,he was still inflexible on some things.  More recently, Michael Bloomberg has been held up to scrutiny for his past actions as Mayor of New York; specifically his “stop and frisk” campaign against violence in the city that was primarily aimed at blacks and Latinos. Bloomberg has admitted that he was wrong and stated that he has learned from his mistakes. Goethe might have been proud, but his Democratic opponents need something negative to say about him and are not yet ready to move on. They remain bent out of shape. ===JACK:    Those of us in business know that "the customer is always right!" ...up to a point.  Be it a real estate broker or a pastor, we need to be flexible....just like a contortionist, but even the contortionist can go just so far.

FROM TAMPA SHIRL:  Definitely! Learning is necessary every day!===JACK:  Be on the lookout for a new lesson to be learned today.

FROM FACEBOOK LIZ:  that’s higher than mine, too. my daughter’s is 177... no lie. she skipped the last semester of 4th grade, the 1st of 5th. her teacher, a great guy who previously taught at lawrenceville academy, was shocked when she was tested. said he’d start expecting more from her. she tended to slide by. still does, to an extent.  i only tell you this bc you brought up IQs, and you’re a pastor... so i am not bragging, just relating that info.===JACK:  We are who we are, no matter what our IQ might be.  I've known some people who belong to a group called, Mensa.  It's for people who have high IQs, and you have to document your number before you can join.  I am more than my IQ, and so are you...and, most certainly, so is your daughter.

FROM WILLMAR REV:  "220" . . . that was always a great score for a game of bowling; I wish I could get my weight back to there once again?! I find one generally tries to change the subject when found purposely avoiding the truth of the matter being asked. 0;-/===JACK:  Have you thought of changing your thinking from "I wish" to "I will?"  We can't do anything to change our IQ, but other things are within our/my/your grasp.

FROM OUTHOUSE JUDY:  Never knew I was a per cent higher than him!  Not!  There is a person in our lives who thinks he is much smarter than us.  It’s very aggravating but it’s also funny.  Still, we love him.===JACK:  Do you know what a pedant is?  You may know one.

FROM TRIHARDER:  Or wilfully ignorance.===JACK:  I'm trying to think of someone who is willfully ignorant...dropouts?...lazybones?...Help me! 

FROM BLAZING OAKS:  Well, now I know how to pronounce his name, which is new info. for me..I had been saying Get-ay...:-( I knew what my kid's IQ's were at one time, but don't recall knowing my own, which certainly wouldn't compare to 220!!  The kid with the highest IQ of mine, did the poorest job of using it, at least intellectually. But he did qualify through interviews for jobs that required advanced degrees that he did not have, but which he was hired to fill, anyway! IQ does not define us, as you pointed out!===JACK:  I looked up "Successful people with low IQs."  Not surprising...Muhammad Ali (but he was smart) and Britney Spears (she could sing).  But surprising...Andy Warhol, Ronald Reagan, JFK (60) and Abe Lincoln (I didn't know that they had IQ tests in his day).

Jack’s Winning Words  2/18/20 “Those who in quarrels interpose, must often wipe a bloody nose.” (Ben Franklin)  Recently I was given a book of old Ben’s quotes.  Some are sayings by others, but given a Franklin flavor.  At times I try to do something similar with Winning Words.  Take today for example…Have you noticed that if you intervene in a dispute, you may sometimes suffer a bloody nose, and perhaps the loss of a friendship.  But then, it may be a lot worse to sit by and do nothing.  ;-)  Jack FROM WILLMAR REV:  Is that where the old saying, “you can’t win for losing” comes from? 0;-)===JACK:  You CAN win by losing, if you stay consistent with your principals for good versus evil. FROM NORM'S BLOG:  Franklin was probably referring to those who stick their nose in where it doesn’t belong, or to those who jump into arguments seeking to be peacemakers. It often happens that the anger that was being vented between the arguing parties becomes refocused onto the peacemaker. We sometimes see on the nightly news that some would-be peacemaker in a street argument ends up being shot or injured by one of the parties to the argument.  While being a peacemaker is sometimes dangerous or difficult, it is a role to which we have been called. “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.” (Matthew 5:9)===JACK:  I feel guilty for being an observer on the sidelines (too often).  It's not that I fear a bloody nose.  I like to keep my options open to speak (for the the good) to both sides and be a conciliator. FROM RS IN TEXAS:  Blessed are the peacemakers.....bloody noses and all. ===JACK:  I'm a member of the Optimist Club, an organization in our community which works to try an effect a positive influence upon people.  Today's speaker for the group was from the ADL, the Anti-Defamation League...a group not afraid to get a bloody nose. FROM BLAZING OAKS:  Good manners, respect, compassion, personal integrity, and humility  will always be the hallmarks of a decent human being. I find these sadly lacking in our leadership at the White House! :-( And these days, in other places as well!===JACK:  Sadly, negative leadership affects the followers (the core).  That's why it's so important to have the right kind of leadership in any organization, including the family.

Jack’s Winning Words  2 17/20
“If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.”  (John Quincy Adams)  On this Presidents’ Day, JQA gives a good description of what a president should be…a leader.  In your opinion, which president has been the best leader?  For me, it was FDR…leading the country out of the Great Depression and to the conclusion (almost) of WW 2.  He wasn’t loved by all, but his 4-time election says much about his popularity.  ;-)  Jack

FROM OUTHOUSE JUDY:  Abraham Lincoln.  He had the most to overcome as any President.  He had to keep this United States united, which was probably his hardest job.===JACK:  He did have a difficult time during his presidency.  Yes, he was an outstanding leader.  On 2nd thought, maybe he WAS the best leader.

FROM RS IN TEXAS:  I think Abe and JFK, primarily because of the push for equality and civil rights.  I agree with FDR, though.===JACK:  ."No better words than...."Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country."===RS:  Agreed.....perhaps adding .."or your fellow man" following "your country."===JACK:  Now, you're sounding preachy.

FROM WILLMAR REV:  A random thought for a random day-- "Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God" (Romans 13:1) . . . Being mindful of the One who is in control of the one in control and how temporal leaders are, I do try hard to appreciate and pray for the one's elected or I've found I am in charge of following . . . reminds me of being asked to select the "most appreciated" senior pastor I have have worked under (seven in fact) . . . they all have added to my pastoral journey, missing some and not so much others . . . curious at times which one God selected as His choice mentor for my best regards!?!?  0;-) ===JACK:  What do you think?  Was Bonhoeffer wrong in rebelling against Hitler?  Are you ready to requote Romans 13:1?  Just asking..===REV:  ..I’m sure it is worth re/quoting if being placed in the Scriptures as such, but I think I would be guilty of taking the Bonhoeffer route and grabbing the horns of the alter afterward asking forgiveness if necessary...you’ve heard of that before, haven’t you, asking forgiveness instead of permission? 0;-)===JACK:  I think that there's a difference between quoting scripture in a Bible study and being forced to live and react to the scripture in real time.===REV:  I would think situations like these fall in line with “Thou Shalt Not Kill” and the history of wars.===JACK:  There are situations means choosing the lesser sin.

FROM HONEST JOHN:  Unfortunately, Adams was not a great leader....yet, a wonderful thorn in the side to the slaveholder...some of us are better at that.===JACK:  JQA didn't say that he was a leader.  He was describing the qualities of a leader.  Do you agree with his description?===JOHN:  I think being a leader involves something more than that.   Think, for example, of Washington===JACK:  Of course, leadership is more than a description put on paper.  As for Washington, most of what I know about him is what historians have said.  They might have overstated...like cutting down the cherry tree...and not lying. Some have said that Trump is a great leader.

FROM FACEBOOK LIZ:  Trump!===JACK:  Yes, I saw the fans cheering as he sped around the Daytona 500 racetrack yesterday in his limo.

FROM BLAZING OAKS:  ANYONE but TRUMP! He's the worst!!! Being a voracious reader, I've read bios of most of our Pres. and I do admire the personal integrity that Harry Truman personified; He took most of his expenses out of his own pocket, never charged the gov't. a dime for living expenses, or personal correspondence: When they had company for dinner or guests in the White house, they paid for groceries, etc! Unheard of today. But of course Giants like Washington the first to serve, with no real guidance to go by (!), Lincoln in such turbulent times, FDR (and Eleanor!) in terrible economic times, and World War 2...so there are many  to laud (or criticize, as we are wont to do!).===JACK:  The current situation?  I think that you have to "live" it to believe.  I wonder what the (unbiased) historians will write?

FROM ST PAUL IN MESA:  amen to that, Jack!   to overcome polio and rise to the highest office in the land is truly remarkable and especially in a day when handicapped people were almost looked down upon. ===JACK:  He was not a perfect person.  In today's world, Eleanor might have been a better leader than he was...but it is what it was.  In his time he was the leader that was needed.

Jack’s Winning Words  2/14/20
“True love comes quietly, without banners and flashing lights.  If you hear bells, get your ears checked.”  (Erich Segal)   Valentine’s Day customs in America are probably the result of immigrants bringing traditions with them…romantic writings from France, giving red roses from England.  In South Korea, the women, not the men, present gifts to their lovers.  In Wales, it’s romantic to exchange wooden spoons.  Are you going to show love in a special way today?  ;-)  Jack

FROM WILLMAR REV:  Heading now for those wooden spoons as we speak!! 0;-)===JACK:  OH, I thought that you might be going for the roses.===REV:  She's not really into roses as she likes expressive cards . . . which one has been selected and is sitting now at her place at our our dinning table . . . interesting that her middle name is "Rose" though-- Francesca Rose!! 0;-) 

FROM BB IN CHGO:  T and I received a wooden spoon from a dear friend for a wedding gift.  I never knew the significance until this very moment and Tim held it carefully until the fire.  Hmmm.  Thanks for your thoughts.===JACK:  "The mind is a terrible thing to waste"... especially when it comes to memories.

FROM PROUD MARY:  heart shaped marshmallow peeps for my beloved❤i do however believe that each day is a celebration of love.===JACK:  There's love and there IS love.

Jack’s Winning Words  2/13 /20 “Blessed are the flexible, for they will not be bent out of shape.”  (Unknown)  When I was going to college there were rules of behavior.  Chapel was required, and attendance was taken.  Square dancing was allowed on campus, but no “close dancing.”  It’s said that I might feel out of place at my college today.  I still don’t know how to dance, square or close, but I have managed to be flexible and change with the times..  Are there things that test your flexibility?  ;-)  Jack FROM WILLMAR REV:  Aging at this moment of time! A reality check for sure!! 0;-) ===JACK:  When aging stops, no more bending. Have you felt for your pulse today? ===REV:  A-Fib...I hear it pulsating even at times! 0;-/===JACK:  At least the heart is beating.  What a wonderful; invention of God. FROM TAMPA SHIRL:  Every day!===JACK:  Exercise test your bendableness.  Do you have a daily set of exercises?  I do!===SHIRL:  I just walk every day ! Every day is beautiful!===JACK:  I'd like to walk, too.  Too much snow and below zero weather.  How long since you have experienced that? FROM PEEWEE:  Yes. There are things that test my flexibility, daily.  Thank you for the reminder, it put a smile on my face that I needed!===JACK:  I recall that you retired from "your job" to take care of a grandchild.  How's that going?  Is that what's testing your flexibility? FROM DR J:  I recently heard this quote from Maya Angelo: Every storm runs out of rain!===JACK:  Since you don't have to worry about running out of gas anymore, what is it that worries you?  Losing your charge?  I know what worries you most...Trumpty Dumpty!===J:  Yes... waiting for him to have a good fall after he sits on as wall :-)    Racism worries me most... it seems like people feel emboldened under this admin  ===JACK:  Amoralism worries me most, because it is more contagious and destructive than the coronavirus.  DJT seems to be the main carrier. FROM PASTIE PAT:  What an interesting thought as I sit and watch the soft. fluffy snowflakes today!===JACK:  Softly falling snow is beautiful...It's the blizzards (not DQ) that I abhor. FROM YOGA GURU:  New Yoga Poses test my flexibility !  We are reporting in at -18 this morning, area schools are closed and no yoga today.  I am ready for weather break up.===JACK:  Bitterly cold weather also test flexibility.  Even the car groans when you try to start it.  FROM BB IN CHGO:  Hysterical.  This one is going in my journal.  My folks were big square dancers, weekly – and, we took vacations to square dancing camps. I’m not sure my father could dance any other way; apparently he told my mom that since he was a pianist in a band, dancing was a challenge as “the band always had to be a half a beat ahead of dancers on the floor” Ha!===JACK:   Another change...co-ed dorms...I suppose that there are co-ed rooms, too. FROM PF IN MM:  Hello Jack,  Yes, please add me to your Winning Words recipient list. Heavens knows we are in dark days and any words of encouragement are appreciated.===JACK:  These truly are discouraging times.  Your father would always say, "Thank God Judgment Day is coming!"  When all the crooked shall be made straight and the rough places plain. FROM GUSTIE:    We had the same rules.  But I am so glad—Clem sat behind me in chapel.  Without assigned seats, I probably would not have met him.  Things are very different at GAC now. ===JACK:  I thought that you met Clem through Jerry (I think that was his name) and his girlfriend.  But it was the chapel that brought you together...Holy Smokes!

Jack’s Winning Words  2/12 /20 “When I do good, I feel good.  When I do bad, I feel bad.  That’s my religion.”  (A. Lincoln)  When I keep the Commandments and follow the teachings of Jesus, I feel good.  When I confess my sins and have to apologize I don’t feel so good.  It’s said that Lincoln never belonged to a church, yet he and I have a similar religion.  I read that going to church doesn’t make you a Christian any more than sitting in a garage makes you an automobile.  What’s your religion?  ;-)  Jack FROM GOOD DEBT JON:  Somewhere in Genesis?..."If you do what is right, will not your countenance follow?"===JACK:  Google says that you're right  (Genesis 4:7)...and I'm impressed.  I like the modern translation...""You will be accepted if you do what is right. But if you refuse to do what is right, then watch out! Sin is crouching at the door, eager to control you. But you must subdue it and be its master.” FROM WILLMAR REV:  "Redeemed" through the sacrifice of Christ . . . happy to know, sad at times realizing why!?!? 0;-)===JACK:  Before we named the W.B. mission congregation, Holy Spirit Church, it was known as Redemption Lutheran Church. ===Rev: Do you good folks have this song in your Lutheran hymnals?    Redeemed how I love to proclaim it! ===JACK:  No, it's not there, but we do have: "I know that my Redeemer lives.  What comfort this sweet sentence gives: I know that my Redeemer lives."===REV:  Sweet indeed! FROM OPTIMISTIC TERI G:  For your Optimist members....not the stroke; the positive effect of OPTIMISM in one’s recovery...See the attached story: Another win for optimism! Recovery after stroke https://www.cnn.com/2020/02/12/health/optimism-stroke-wellness/===JACK:  ...Terri G - Always looking at the "sunnyside of everything." FROM BB IN CHGO:  In my almost senior years, I’m finding the confession part much easier.  I no longer have a desire to even appear “squeaky clean”.  I’m more willing to embrace my humanity/fallibility and hope that our collective imperfections are part of our unique contribution to life.  I now wonder if the “for better, for worse” in the wedding vows has little to do with outside circumstances and everything to do with our personal character – embracing our shortcomings as well as our successes. ?===JACK:  I like your comment about, "for better, for worse."  Maybe it could also be part of the baptismal service...and for confirmation.  In fact, God is always there for us, both in the better and the worse.  At the heart of Luther's theology was the phrase: "Simul justus et peccator,"  we are at the same time, justified and a sinner...better and worse.  And, God loves us as we are. FROM TAMPA SHIRL:  My religion?  Do unto others as you would have them do to you!===JACK:  Many religions have the Golden Rule as a faith statement. FROM ST PAUL IN MESA:  but its also true the practicing your religion in a community of faith  (i,e, a church)  has a way of enhancing and deepening your faith.   ===JACK:  Of course, it depends on the church.  Many "church" people are supporters of the current administration and their policies.  Is religion religion?  Is church church? FROM NORM'S BLOG:  Lincoln was not a member of any organized religion, but he certainly did a lot more good in this world than many of his era that were church goers. Religion is sometimes defined as the practice of one’s faith, what one believes in. One would be hard presses to find a better example than Abe Lincoln of someone who practiced what they believed in.  So, the question, “What’s your religion”, really boils down to what do you believe and do you practice what you believe? Churches tend to build complex sets of rules and rituals for the practice of beliefs, turning them into dogma which cannot be challenged. Disagreements over that dogma has lead to the splintering of churches or religions, not matter what beliefs  they were originally based upon. That is why we have so many different faiths and denominations and sects within faiths. At their core, most are defined by a belief in a supreme being (God in whatever name is used). Once you get past that simple core belief, one begins to encounter the hand of man in the accepted practices of worshiping that God. Let the dogma begin. Most practitioners of religion eventually find a set of dogma that they can accept and settle into one of these groups, secure in their knowledge that they are practicing the one, true religion, while all others are doomed.At least the religion that Abe Lincoln professed has very simple and straightforward rules – do good and feel good about it or do bad and feel bad about it. Jesus put it that we should love others as He has loved us and do unto others as we would have them do to us.  I suspect that you would end up doing good if you accepted that as your religion. Leave the dogma stuff to the people who are more concerned about perpetuating their institutions than about the faith that underpins their religions.===JACK:  Good stuff.  Thanks.