Jack’s Winning Words 4/30/20
“We’re swimming in the same soup, you and me.  I am a carrot.  You are a pea.  Peppers, onions, celery, cabbage…we’re swimming in the same soup, and there’s room for all.”  (ESL class saying)  I love diversity!  I live in a community where over 60 languages are spoken in the homes of our high schoolers.  The president of our Clergy Group is a Muslim Imam.  The family living across the street is Russian.  I like vegetable soup.  Broth is kind of bland.  ;-)  Jack

FROM FACEBOOK LIZ:  60 languages! call me not so bright, but i did not realize there were so many different languages in the world, much less in one school district!  i was glad for gisela to have a russian skating coach from age 5... gives a child an expanded view of the world.  so what do you think of justin amash’s running for libertarian party presidential candidate?===JACK:  Americans, generally, are a pretty insulated people.  I have envied my European friends who know several languages, while I only know one.  Re: Libertarians...I have known several as close friends.  They are passionate about their beliefs, but their numbers continue to be insignificant compared to the final tallies of the main parties.  Libertarians continue to make their statement with no real hope of winning, imo

FROM LBP:  I did like that (diversity) about the east side of the state. The other soup analogy I like is the stone soup. We can each share a little to make it tasty.===JACK:  Lots of blondes in Minnesota.  You'd fit right in.

FROM SF IN FL:  Me too!!! I love this metaphor! Gary was always so proud of the diversity of the high school. Unfortunately, that is the very reason why some of our own people criticized and even moved to a ‘better’ school district. We and also our kids have friends from all walks of life. Our lives are enriched by our circle of friends. They have truly become our family.===JACK:  Yes, opposition to diversity is a reason to change school districts...another "hidden" one is the perception that you can move to a higher economic bracket with the change.  Foolish, foolish parents!===S:  Yes. Parents are competitive and view a diverse school population as inferior. So unfortunate.

FROM HY YO SILVER:  Excellent.  Good timing, too. I made a Greek soup yesterday and tossed in some carrots at the end just because “there was room”!===JOHN:  What is the "Jewish-made" soup that is supposedly a cure for almost everything?===HYS:  Chicken soup and or matzah ball soup  ===JACK:  I hope that Esther has a recipe for both.

FROM TAMPA SHIRL:  That is the story of America these days!===JACK:  The "Make America Great Again" movement seems to want to lessen diversity.===SHIRL:   Not at all!

FROM EILEEN IN MI:  So true and well said-when our kids were in First Grade-they made stone soup-we each brought in an item for the soup and it was included in the Thanksgiving celebration.  You never know how it is going to taste, but it is different every time.  I put a little dill in my chicken soup, along with parsley..and use chicken stock when making Bear Creek Soup, along with the water...Diversity is good, and so are changing things up each time, groups will blend and change with grace.===JACK:  A little bit of soup at Thanksgivingtime seems like a good idea.  Tell me more about stone soup and Bear Creek Soup.===EILEEN:   Stone Soup came from Village Oaks Elementary-I belive they started with a base and we brought in the rest, whether it was beans, a veggie, a spice or rice...

Bear Creek Soups are salty but..You can buy in the soup Aisle and do your own thing-I got creative with them once I experimented and picked the ones I like...Mike and I don't always agree..but I buy what we agree on-In the soup Aisle-runs around $3 and try first then decide if you want to add-I highlly recommend broth and or stock along with water, about half/half ===JACK:  Mmmm

FROM OUTHOUSE JUDY:  Love vegetable soup!  My favorite.  I think of us all as more of a fruit basket:  sweet, sour, thick, thin, mixed up in a big bowl!!  All different but bringing our own special flavors.===JACK:  Forrest Gump quoted his Momma..."Life is like a box of chocolates."

FROM PASTY PAT:  Amen...Amen===JACK:  What is a tasty Finnish soup?

FROM BLAZING OAKS:  Whew! 60 languages? That is diverse! I remember the elementary story Stone Soup, that my kids read, and some classes had kids bring vegetables to put into a occasionally had a chili fest where everyone brought a can of chili to put in the kettle. It always turned out good!

Yes we ARE all swimming in the same soup; a fun and apt analogy! Hope we soon swim out of this Covid 19 soup!! NOT palatable!===JACK: I used to co-host a TV program for the school district called, "Meet Your Neighbor" during which my partner and I invited some of "the 60" to tell us something about their country and its customs. 

FROM M & L:  M wanted me to tell you that he loves vegetable soup!!  :)===JACK:  You can serve that anytime I'm around.  It's a favorite of mine, too.

FROM SUNSHINE:  We also value the diversity in our community here in Blacksburg, VA . . . a rarity in southwest VA.  However there seems to be no racial or cultural diversity in our ELCA congregation.  Our former pastor, when asked about this and when we suggested possible actions, indicated that blacks have a different way of worship.  Our current pastor indicated that "Of course we have diversity, there was an Asian at our last service."  So this begs the question - do you also have diversity among your congregation?  If so, how was this accomplished?  I should add that this is in spite of our being a "Reconciling in Christ" congregation. 

===JACK:  Oh my!  In my opinion, diversity starts with the feelings of the pastor and how he/she presents the message, "Which is the greatest of the Commandments?"  It's hard to argue with Jesus when he tells the story of the Good Samaritan.  As I began a new congregation, our first worship service was well attended; we even had a choir.  Later that afternoon I had a call from someone who had signed the "charter" as a new member.  "Pastor, what are you trying to do by bringing in a black person to sing in the choir?"  I didn't know what she was talking about, because there was no "black person" in the choir.  Then it dawned on me.   "Oh, you must mean Bonnie...She just got back from  Florida and has been out in the sun a lot.  "Click" went the phone.  She and her family removed their names from the charter and joined a less liberal Lutheran congregation. 

FROM PROUD MARY:  The only thing I would add is animal crackers!✌ ===JACK:  You must be vegetarian...a cracker cow instead of beef. ===PM:  That's who I am!

FROM SK IN SJ:  Hi Jack! I liked your scenario of us all being in the same soup. It’s true ! Everything that’s going on is happening to all of us , no matter what our circumstances are. I’ve been of course thinking a lot about my life and where is it going . What do I need to be doing. But most of all, I get up everyday and try to reach out to friends and family. And my sewing! That keeps me going. Thank you for your words of wisdom!😊===JACK:  "Sewing keeps me going!"  That's a good slogan for shelter in place days.  How many masks have you made?

Jack’s Winning Words 4/29/20
“Old McDonald had a terrible Scrabble hand.  E-I-E-I-O.”  (Juicy Quotes)  Rachel is a good
Scrabble player.  She knows lots of 2-letter words and the obscure ones, too..  But, what do you do with E-I-E-I-O?  Some situations seem impossible! After thinking for a while. OE is a Faroe wind.  There are 6 other words using those tiles.  6?  How is that possible?  Some life problems seem to have no answer.  But, as the teacher used to say, “Put on your thinking cap.”  ;-)  Jack

FROM LBP:  If grandma got tiles like that she would start giggling, show me, and sing e-i-e-I-o. We played scrabble a lot so a hand full of vowels happened a lot. Grandma wasn’t super competitive about scrabble. Of course we kept score, but a good game to her fit all the tiles in. There are many old score papers in the scrabble box. A history of time spent with others.===JACK:  I wonder what it feels like not to be competitive?===L:  Her sister was very competitive. She would block spaces and target the big points.... no hints... no dictionaries. It's a different kind of fun to think about it strategically that way. Grandma did not like playing with her sister. For us it was just a social exercise. Like some folks might have a knitting circle, we had our scrabble games. I figured it was helping us get spelling and math practice when we were kids, but lots of folks visited grandma to play a game of scrabble, boggle, or similar games. Given that she was so shy, I wonder if it gave her something to do while visiting. Having tea and cookies, with a game of scrabble does give definition to a social visit.   ===JACK:  I like Grandma's way best.

FROM HY YO SILVER:  Oi- I have no idea.   Kidding. Only one I could think of is “I”.    A little help?  !That’s two. Oi and I.===JACK:  I have to laugh at your response.  I've heard my Jewish friends say, "Oi Vey!" but I've never stopped to ask for a translation.  I could Google it, but I'd rather ask you.===HYS:  It is Yiddish and doesn’t translate directly.  It is an exclamation of emotion. Often a depressed or frustrated or depressed term. It expresses grief but can be used in many ways. ===JACK:  OI VEY!!!

FROM BLAZING OAKS:  I play VERY competitive Scrabble games with my daughter, and am familiar with the vowel two letter words like:AA,AE, OE, and two letter wds, like ZA,AR,AY,QI,XU,ETC! Recently I was able to use ALL 7 of my  tiles, which has big bonus pts., for the first time with her...she has done it several times!. I never beat her, but at times I come close, and it's a very good way to "think outside the box" and creatively use your letters to count for the most points! Sarah actually had a coffee mug made for me with all of the Scrabble two letter wds. allowed, so it's handy to grab my mug, and search for one, when I'm in a bind!  Quite unique!  My whole family is super competitive with games, but that makes for extra fun in winning! :-) Code Name is a new game that is challenging to play, with teams!===JACK:  No competitive Scrabble with someone who's a smirker, or with someone I hate losing to.  Which translates....I HATE TO LOSE!  I like the idea of a 2-letter-word coffee cup===BO:  So you play hard and well! But we all lose our share, right?!===JACK:  That describes it.  I'm proud of the words I know, especially obscure ones...and when people look them up, they're generally valid.  I like that feeling more than winning.

Jack’s Winning Word 4/28/20
“Ah!  The clock is always slow; but it is later than you think.”  (Robert Service)  In 1947 a group of atomic scientists established the Doomsday Clock which told how close we are to a global catastrophe.  At that time it was 7 minutes until midnight.  It has moved up and down 24 times since then. The Bad News: Last January it was at 100 seconds.  The Good News:  We still have opportunity to make decisions that will add time.  I hope that we have the will.  ;-)  Jack 

FROM BETTY:  Great message! Being happy and in love adds time.===JACK:  There's a song you might enjoy YouTubing..."Enjoy yourself, it's later than you think.  Enjoy you're while you're still m the pink."===B:  Thanks! I will look it up. Have a great day!

FROM LBP:  Ew!

FROM ST PAUL:  i also like the line that     even a broken clock tells correct time twice a day.   think about it.

Jack’s Winning Words 4/27/20
 “Make sure we’re talking with each other in a way that heals, not in a way that wounds.”  (Guess which U.S. President said these words) This quote is based on Proverbs 12:18; in fact, there are many places in the Bible where we are advised to be careful with words.  I remember a song I learned in Sunday School.  “Be careful little mouth what you speak…for the Father up above is looking down in love, so be careful little mouth what you speak.”  Ans: 44^th  ;-)  Jack   

FROM HY YO SILVER:  Trump?  Kidding. President Obama===JACK:  Proverbs is one of my favorite books of the Bible.  I'm sure that Lincoln was familiar with today's quote, too.

FROM HONEST JOHN:  Sounds like good advice that might have come from any number of Presidents....since you turned it into a guessing contest, I’ll say George Bush....that gives me two chances!   Let me know who it was. ===JACK:  I like to make my Winning Words like my sermons...informative...entertaining...challenging.  Bush is not the answer.  See the answer just before my name on today's WWs.===HJ:  That fits.  Would have worked well with James Monroe, also ===JACK:  Who was it that said said, "History is bunk?"  somebody probably also said that about philosophy as a college major, but you and I know otherwise.

FROM ST PAUL:  if Trump said these words, then they are meaningless, at least for him.===JACK:  What do you think?  Were today's  WW's sarcasm or irony?

FROM THE BUGMAN:  I am pretty sure which president did not say those words, I have several in mind who could have.  Are you going to tell us or do I have to Google the quote ===JACK:  It's one thing to say words; it's something else to mean what you say.  Truth is a very powerful force to have on your side.  You probably remember the story of the boy who cried, Wolf!"  BTW, Carefully read WW's again to discover the answer.

FROM OUTHOUSE JUDY:  Love these words!   I’ve been crabby lately and have to remember the advice my grandma told me:  “If you can’t say something nice, don’t say it.”===JACK:  Do you remember the cartoon character, Crabby Appleton?  You certainly don't want to be like him!

FROM BLAZING OAKS:  AHA! So the 44th! I loved both he and his wife! They are sorely missed by me!! I remember teaching that song to my Cherub choirs (ages 4-6) Not only "be careful little mouth what you say," but "Little hands what you do, Little feet where you go, etc. There's a Father up above, looking down with tender love, Oh, be careful little mouths, hands, feet... I wager most remember that song even today, as we sang it to warm up a lot ! :-) Still good advice!===JACK:  A lot of the morality that we learned was taught to us in song.  How are morals taught today?

FROM GUSTIE:  I remember the same song.  We must have both been Swedes!  (Guess we still are—I should have said Augustana—which I miss and wish I still was!)===JACK:  You're just an old-fashioned Swede girl.  The Augustana days were the good old days as we remember them...but time marches on.  I'm glad for the opportunity to put good old values into new clothes for the present generation.  I just talked with one of my grandchildren today.  I'm so proud of what she and the others have become.===G:  That is true—but back in those days I knew pastors from our whole area and all of our churches did things together.  We were much more intimate.  This on line stuff is about to do me in.  Our pastor stands in front of one of the Stained glass windows in just a regular t-shirt type and of course no tie.  That is where he gives his sermons—and all the music is from the “Praise Choir”.  They are truly very good, but some of their music goes a long way with me.  I am beginning to wonder that when this is all over will we no longer have our blended services?  We have a beautiful Casavant organ and a great Grand piano.  Will we ever use them again.  Will we ever sing the beloved choir anthems again?  Guess I am just getting depressed.  Uff Da!===JACK:  Do you remember the hymn verse..."Change and decay in all around I see.  O Thou who changest not, abide with me." ===G:  Oh do I ever.  I couldn’t get through it the first few times we sang it after C died.
===JACK:  Nothing is more important than...God continues to go with you thru all of life's changes.

FROM DAIRYLAND DONNA:  I can guess which President did not say these words. 😔===JACK:  It used to be that we looked to our leaders to set examples.

Jack’s Winning Words 4/24/20
“There’s a part of you that always remains a child, no matter how mature you get.”  (Barbra Streisand)  Almost from the beginning of her life, Barbra felt rejected.  She called her growing-up-years, “painful.”  No toys…a hot water bottle was her “doll.”  “There was no love in my house.”  People made fun of her looks and her way of dressing.  In a way. the adult Barbra is the child Barbara.  As you look at old photo albums, do you glimpse the adult in the child?   ;-)  Jack

FROM TAMPA SHIRL:  I have had a wonderful life!===JACK:  Maybe they could make a movie of it.

FROM ST PAUL:  i look at some of my teen years and think how geeky or dorky i looked.  but then the styles for dress and hair were sooo different then too. ===JACK:  How about those persons who say..."That Harrington never changes?"  They must be talking about your good sermons.

FROM BLAZING OAKS:   My early childhood was lived during the depression, but I really don't have negative memories about that, I suppose because everyone around me was in the same 

boat, and we were happy playing with the neighbor kids!  There's no doubt your childhood impacts your adulthood; Bill learned to be very frugal, and responsible at a young age.

Probably Jan and I learned to love the limelight, as twins, dressed alike, and performing in church and school together!  We sure weren't shy!  I'm so thankful for the carefree childhood, and happy life I've been granted!! I try to "pay it forward" in my family and community!!===JACK:  Some of my memories are different from yours.  I remember, "poor."  I also remember, "frugal."  I'll be using this quote in a week or two..."We're may be in the same storm, but not necessarily in the same boat."

FROM OUTHOUSE JUDY:  We had the best childhood!  I wouldn’t change anything about it.  We’re trying to do the same thing for our grandchildren.  We had a destination...Gary has Uncle Mike’s house in Cadillac on Lake Mitchell and I had Grayling on the AuSable River.  We both travelled a lot and had wonderful neighborhood friends.  I still have my friend Joni.  We literally grew up together from birth!  Wonderful memories!===JACK:  "Care-free" says it all!

Jack’s Winning Words  4/23/20
“Love makes everything that is heavy, light.”  (Thomas a Kempis)  My cousin was a Catholic priest…a good one.  He became frustrated with how the Cardinal was treating minorities; he left the priesthood and eventually married a nun.  Together, they became advocates in work among minorities.  In their marriage, they found that love helped make heavy burdens, lighter.  You don’t have to be a former priest/nun to see the truth in this.  How has “love” helped you?   ;-)  Jack   

FROM OUTHOUSE JUDY:  Love heals, helps, uplifts, strengthens, fortifies, comforts and upholds us!===JACK:  Love-Hope-Charity...Love is the greatest!

FROM ST PAUL:  Wow!  i never knew this.  he sounds like Martin Luther with Katie.  hopefully he didn't find his wife in a barrel that had formerly held fish!   (she was smuggled out of the convent as  you recall).   i love the joke about the Monk who took a vow of silence when he entered the monastery.  he could speak two words a year to the Abbott.  at the end of the first year he said  "bad food".  the next year he said,  "hard bed".   the third year he said "I quit".   the Abbott replied,  Doesn't surprise me one bit.  all  you have done since you got here was complain, complain, complain!  ===JACK:  My first funeral after ordination was for my grandmother.  My cousin and I did it together.  My ministry began in an ecumenical way.  The first inter-faith service including Catholics was held at my congregation with my cousin as the speaker.  It was the first time that the Cardinal had approved such a service in the Chicago Archdiocese.

Jack's Winning Words 4/22/20

“It’s our innate tendency to only act when we’re face to face with danger, rather than to try a preventive approach.”  (From Voices of Youth)  In 1962 the book, Silent Spring, warned, “We are on the way to losing our bird population!”  Environmental changes were made and the birds still sing.  Covid-19 now overshadows Earth Day.  The virus is significant, but so’s a livable world.  I grew up learning preventive medicine: “An apple a day…”  Let’s not give up on  Earth Day!  ;-)  Jack

FROM TAMPA SHIRL:  Live and learn===JACK:  I'm reminded of the song with the words, "When will they ever learn?"

FROM FACEBOOK LIZ:  the silver lining to “stay home” is to see how quickly the earth heals... ===JACK: I had originally intended to have a quote by Greta, but didn't want to upset you.

FROM DR J IN MAUMEE:  Hooray for Earth Day!

FROM MAILMAN MIKE:  Hooray for Earth Day!  I was a freshman at Wayne State and went to a rally on campus in 1970.  Unfortunately, we are still a long way away from sustainable practices and respect for all life on Earth.  Gandhi had a lot of great one liners in the movie, but his wife had one too.  Remember when he forced her to clean the latrines at their Ashram in South Africa?  And she refused because it was beneath her Caste.  A great argument ensues and she says no one wants to be as good as you.  That seemed to be the definition of the man, he was always seeking out the good in life and how best to live life, as well as his work for social justice.  You might like Out of Africa,the autobiography by Karen Blixen.  Themes of European colonial exploitation and repression of women in the early 20th century.  Or, Master and Commander, based on the books of Patrick O'Brian.  Life on a Clipper ship during the Napoleonic Wars. ===JACK:  "No one wants to be as good as you."  I like it.  The one who stands above the crowd makes a perfect target.  Try to be good,  but not too good.  Try not to set yourself up as God.

FROM SK IN SJ:  We grew up on the farm. We didn’t see neighbors or other family for weeks. We didn’t think anything of it. Self preservation and survival is a daily thing to do. We are all stronger for it. Yes! Let’s celebrate the earth. And wonderful friends.===JACK:  "The salt of the Earth" probably refers to farm folk...people like you.  (I'm going to have to look up "salt of the Earth)

FROM ST PAUL:  Honeycrisp is the best apple around.  developed right here at the U of MN.  sooo good to eat. ===JACK:  I wonder if Johnny Appleseed visited Minnesota.  Honeycrisps are my favorite.  One of my favorite old jokes...Young girl says: "He was the apple of his mother's eye, but he wasn't appealing to me."

FROM WILLMAR REV:  What's that old adage-- "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure."  Working to stop something from happening is easier and better than having to try to resolve it later, until . . .  0;-/===JACK:  ...and the Bible says, "Train up a child in the way that he should go etc."  

FRO JC AT THE LAKE:  Happy Earth Day! I am attending a “virtual” event today so will see how that goes!===JACK:  Virtual event?  I wonder what that might be?===JC:  Some organizations are holding live web presentations on different topics related to climate change. I will be watching a few segments at http://www.earthdayinitiative.org/earth-day-live to see what I can learn!  ===JACK:  ....what an interesting way to spend part of Earth Day!

FROM LBP STAYIN' AT HOME:  I saw it was the 50th anniversary of earth day. For what it’s worth, my car has been parked for a month now. I hear the air is breathable in some of the traditionally smog filled cities. I wonder if this pandemic will trigger earth friendlier habits? I don’t think we are going back to our 2019 “normal” but not sure what the new 2020 norm will be  ===JACK:  The NEW frIghtening headline;  "Virus may reappear in the fall along with the flu!"  Will that mean another shutdown and more clean air?

FROM BLAZING OAKS:  kind of depressing to envision what our  grandkids and great g.kid's Earth is going to be like! It seems so few do clean recycling, and there are so MANY issues like climate change, clogging our oceans and rivers with 'Junk" and toxic waste, irresponsibly cutting down forests, when trees are the lungs of mankind...on and on. You're right, "When will we ever

 learn?!"  But on the other hand , we have always adjusted, and come up with solutions to new situations, so hopefully the next generation will be bright and creative, and live fantastic lives!

I pray so!!===JACK:  I see enough caring people these days who are going to make a difference for the future.  I'm optimistic.

Jack's Winning Words April 21, 2020
“Give it to God, and go to sleep!”  (Sent by LouGam)  There was a time when Irving Berlin suffered from stress insomnia (can you relate?).  His doctor advised that instead of fretting over short-term problems, he should “go to sleep counting his blessings.”  And so, a song was born!  Irving’s producer commented that the song was too much about emotions.  “But, it really took place, and I’m going with it.”  Is there a solution that you have for insomnia?  ;-)  Jack 

FROM OUTHOUSE JUDY:  Have a goal for the next day and believe God had you in His Hands slways.===JACK:  That sounds doable.

FROM TAMPA SHIRL:  I count my blessings every day and usually fall asleep watching tv! ===JACK:  Falling asleep in front of the TV?  Time to go to bed.

FROM GUSTIE:  Wish I had a sure fire way—I try lots of things.  Sometimes they work—sometimes they don’t.===JACK:  In college I had a hard time staying awake.  Could insomnia be an aging problem?  

FROM BB IN CHGO:  I had no idea the origin of the Irving Berlin lyric.  Thank you once again. ===JACK:  There's usually a story behind each story...as with your life...and mine.

FROM INDY GENIE:  Love the story of the song’a origin. I have used Guatemalan “worry dolls.” ===JACK:  I wonder if some Catholics use the rosary beads in the same way.

FROM ST PAUL:  there was a Pope in the middle ages who said something similar every night.   "its your church, Lord,  I have done all I can for today,  good night!"   and he blew out the candle. ===JACK:  I'd like to have you research that one.

Jack’s Winning Words 4/20/20
“Problems that upset you?  Everything’s fine, yes, everything’s fine.  Try not to get worried, everything’s alright, yes!”  (From Jesus Christ, Superstar)  “It’s Easter!  What movie shall we watch?  Ben Hur?  The 10 Commandments?  The Easter Parade?  We chose Jesus Christ Superstar…perfect for a time like now.  “Try not to get worried!”  Yes, the film ends with Jesus on the cross, but we were able to say, “Christ has risen!  He is risen, indeed!”  Everything’s fine!  ;-)  Jack

FROM LK MIN OH:  It's good to hear from you daily as always! You DO "keep the faith", and I rejoice! ===JACK:  "Almost" daily is a good description!  My computer some times has a virus...or maybe a mind of its own.  

FROM BG IN POH:  Christ is risen, indeed! Alleluia!  Your Winning Words are inspiring. In the midst of COVID-19 time, this message of hope is what the world needs.===JACK:  Once a pastor, always a pastor.  Some of just can't give up the message.

FROM BB IIN CHGO:  Interesting quote. The musical score was good. We often watch Monty Python’s Life of Brian.  Tim always appreciated the comedy in seeing The disciples as rather clueless fans who are misinterpreting so much of what they hear.===JACK:  It's interesting to discover truly "religious" messages in that which seems to be classified as entertainment.  J C, Superstar is just one example.  "Dreamcoat" is another.  Winning Words is meant to be entertaining with a religious edge.===BB:  You hit the mark. Always timely, thought-provoking and interesting

FROM MAILMAN MIKE:  Excellent movie choice, Jack.  Keep those winning words coming!===JACK:  During the "lockdown" we've been watching lots of films.  Any suggestions from you?===MM:  Good Morning, Jack.  One of my favorite movies of all time was Gandhi, starring Ben Kingsley.  Biography covering his life from the early days of his social activism in South Africa to his assassination after India's independence and the Civil War/partition.  Added bonus:  Ravi Shankar does the sound track. ===JACK:  We watched Gandhi on Good Friday.  For me, it fit perfectly for that day.  I liked his quote: "I am a Muslim, a Hindu, a Christian and a Jew."  Some people may have trouble wrapping their head around that.

FROM HONEST JOHN:  The movie got it right....Jesus ends on the cross.....that is where the world is no matter how rosy or cheery one’s outlook may be.   Faith knows the resurrection gives Hope but hope isn’t needed where everything is fine....Hope is for the guy hanging on the cross with Jesus...or the guy in the line up, waiting to be gassed...or the people living with a lying idiot as their leader...===JACK:  It's amazing how our "basic training" shows up in our conversations with each other.  I'm so glad that my college/seminary education was built on a philosophical foundation.

FROM ST PAUL:  btw,  for many years,  Ben Hur was my favorite all -time movie.  i first saw it on the big screen in 1959 in Chicago and have seen it at least 10 times since.  i also own it of course.  i also loved the 1956 Ten Commandments.  then i just fell in love with historical epics of any kind.   Dr. Zhivago,  Lawrence of Arabia,  El Cid,  Patton,  Titanic,  Gone with the Wind.  ANY film that takes me a different place and time.   Saving Private Ryan, Master and Commander,  and even the PBS Ken Burns series (11 of them i think),  ALL are informative on one level or anther.  Easter blessings on your day,  Jack!  PLH    btw,  did you see On The Basis of Sex?   no its not a porno flick  its the story of Ruth Bader Ginsberg young life as the first or second woman admitted to the Harvard Law School and then her earlier career.  its a very good film! ===JACK:  Thanks for the movie suggestions.  Usually I do not like Hollywood's version of the Bible, so I steer clear of them.  Ken Burns is one of my alltime favorite film producers.  We "bought" OTBOS knowing that it was about RBG....what a hero!===SP:  Franco Zefferelli's  Jesus Of Nazareth was very well done back in the 1970s. but  I agree,  most other productions were not well done.  some  other good movies  The Green Book,  First Man (on the moon, the  Neil Armstrong story),  Black and White, Ghandi (early 1980s), Wonder,  Sweetland, A Man Named Ove,  Hidden Figures,   Amistad, and Imitation Game  (breaking the Nazi Code at Bletchley Park during WW II)   all good movies in my not so humble opinion. PLH   also,   Sully, (Sullenberg and the landing on the Hudson River)  Lion (an amazing true story), and The Greatest Showman, if you like musicals. ===JACK:When did you have time to write sermons?  Oh, that's right!  The movies became your illustrations!===SP:  many of them did!  do you recall the movie Chocolat?  a really good film about a French village that is changed by a powerful wind and a very loving woman.  i built a whole Pentecost sermon around this movie. 

Jack’s Winning Words  4/17/20
“I never thought of being blind as a disadvantage, and I never thought of being black as a disadvantage.  I am what I am.  I love me.  (Stevie Wonder)  When Stevie Wonder says, “I love me,” he’s not saying it as a narcissist.  He’s simply satisfied with who he is.  Blind since birth, he’s grown up to be a Hall of Fame musician.  At age 11, he was signed by Motown and paid $2.50 a week.  He didn’t see himself as disadvantaged.  “I am what I am.”  ;-)  Jack

FROM TRIHARDER:        My uncle was blind  -- Abe Nemeth -- a world renowned mathematician. It was an embarrassing privilege to be around him because he had virtually no limitations and accepted no excuse for the inability of others. ===JACK:  My sight is being affected by macular degeneration...and I don't like it.  I "see" the time when I can't drive, when I can't do this and that.  It's a learning curve, and I imagine Abe had a learning curve, too.  He sounds like a great person.

FROM GOOD DEBT JON:  Inspiring===JACK:  I was able to Google him as a little boy.  Amazing!

FROM OUTHOUSE JUDY:  He has a tremendous outlook on himself and life.  Imagine what this world would be like if everyone thought like he did!===JACK:  Try wearing a blindfold for 5 minutes, or more.  Let me know how it feels.

FROM JB IN WB:  I never met Stevie Wonder, but I was a student teacher in the class he was in. He had just left before I got there. The “critic” teacher told me about Stevie. She said he was a really good person, and she predicted much success for him. She also said the other students wanted to go with him to Motown and that we should be careful not to promise them anything. He was in 5th grade then and he never came back to that school, he went to The School for the Blind in Lansing. ===JACK:  What a fascinating story.  The teaching profession provides a way to affect the lives of so many people...sometimes known and sometimes unknown.  The same with pastors.

FROM VW MARY:  A great attitude.===JACK:  It is a BE---attitude.  What do I really want to be?

FROM OUTHOUSE JUDY:  I was blind for two weeks.  I cut my in the shape of a footprint and was in bed upstairs at my mom and dad’s house.  There was no bathroom up there.  Kimberly was two months old.  They watched the baby downstairs but I was up there by myself.  Both eyes were covered so I couldn’t move them.  It was very painful and very frightening.  My dad helped me down the stairs.   I guess if your born not seeing it’s different than loosing it when you seen first awhile.  I’m not sure which one would be worse or...maybe not...like Stevie!===JACK:  How about those who have always been poor and never experienced "rich?"  Is that easier than having been rich and becoming poor....or, going into prison compared to being released from prison? 

Jack’s Winning Words  4/16/20
“In a big war you go searching for one thing that brings you comfort.”  (Mitch Albom)  Some people are referring to the current virus-crisis as being in a war.  As in war, many search for comfort.  Albom has found his comfort in Knox, a handicapped 8-yr-old who is temporarily in their home. “He makes the days brighter…the songs..the laughs.  His joy is infectious.  He’s  been our comfort in this “war.”  Is there a one thing that has brought you comfort these days?  ;-)   Jack

FROM HY YO SILVER:  The intermediate days - Chol HaMoed - of Passover are filled with happiness. We celebrate our freedom & redemption and commemorate our new lives post slavery.  We acknowledge Gd’s miracles and start new lives as we approach the holy promised land.  Our beautiful tradition teaches that one’s “cup should overflow“... Well, it is with immense gratitude, excitement and pure happiness that we share that our cup is indeed overflowing with joy and extraordinary enthusiasm.  Esther Babayov and I are blessed to announce that we are engaged to be married.  #EstherGotHy #HYandBABAY Mazel Tov! May we always and only know simcha and happiness.  Happy Passover - Chag Sameach. We look forward to celebrating with you soon

Jack’s Winning Words  4/15/20
 “There are things that money can’t buy, like manners, morals and class.”  (Unknown)  It was Andy Rooney who said, “I’ve learned that money doesn’t buy class.”  More Andys: “I’ve learned that…You’re almost always better off keeping your mouth shut…Everyone needs a friend to act goofy with…It’s the small, daily happenings that make life spectacular”…I miss curmudgeon Andy.  In your mind, what are some of the things money can’t buy?  ;-)  Jack 

FROM WILLMAR REV:  Can't buy me love, love    Can't buy me love

I'll buy you a diamond ring my friend
If it makes you feel all right
I'll get you anything my friend
If it makes you feel all right
'Cause I don't care too much for money
For money can't buy me love      (The Beatles, "Can't Buy Me Love

===JACK:  A favorite song of mine....The Love of God Is Greater Far than tongue or Pen Can Ever Tell.
===REV:   I'll take yours over mine any day. 

FROM OUTHOUSE JUDY:  Money can’t buy:  time with loved ones, good health, good friends, honestly, faithfulness, kindness, forgiveness, and true love!===JACK:  ...and peace of mind.

FROM NORM'S BLOG:  Occasionally, (and today was one of those days) I find myself writing blog posts that don't get published. It's not because I've reconsidered the thoughts that I've written, but mainly that I've reconsidered the nasty reactions that sharing those thought might provoke. It is just not worth the firestorm of ignorant retort that I might get.===JACK:  You caught my drift?

FROM SHARIN' SHARON:  Money can't buy a relationship with God.  In fact, seems like--in my experience anyway--the closer a person moves towards God, the more the Adversary tosses everything he can at me, including feels like the kitchen sink or something.  That old hymn "A Mighty Fortress is Our God" wherein Christians get sort of beat up is still very true though contemporary Christians with our inclinations to move around and make things more tolerable for ourselves try to mitigate the true cost of discipleship.  Maybe in a future epoch this situation will be changed, don't exactly know what God's plans are for us.  Best wishes to you and your wife for a very pleasant day.===JACK:  In the end....God wins!

FROM TAMPA SHIRL:  Money can't buy happiness.===JACK:  I've never been to Disney World.  How much does it cost to get in?

FROM ST PAUL:  are you talking about Trump by chance??:):):)

FROM EILEEN:  Beatles song..money can’t buy you ❤️ ===JACK:  So....another Beatles' fan!

FROM BLAZING OAKS:  Money does not buy happiness, although as John Wayne once pointed out, it's more comfortable to cry in a Mercedes, than on a bicycle! :-)  My husband was chaplain to the IL Senate, and sometimes counseled wealthy senators, whose personal lives were far from happy,,,it can't buy any of the really needed things in our lives  like health (although the poor often die younger than the rich, due to poor health care) rich relationships, wisdom, etc.  It's still true that it  is comforting to have enough to pay all your bills, and to live "comfortably"! Which many do not

have the means to do! LOVED Andy Rooney! He was a treasure!!  We have a book by him; makes me want to re-read it!  blessings,===JACK:  Chaplains need chaplains, too.  I wonder if Andy ever had a "religious friend?"

FROM RS IN TEXAS:  Love, happiness, health, character, compassion, integrity, empathy....to name a few.  For those we need the teachings and love of Jesus....along with the love of family, especially growing up.===JACK:  Values that we embrace are usually the result of examples that we were shown and taught during childhood.  Not being shown and taught values as a child carries over into adult life, too.

FROM NRFC:  Money can’t buy a big brother who didn’t turn out to be a gangster.  Thanks, God!

Jack’s Winning Words  4/14/20
“The secret to a 79-year marriage is sharing a Hershey’s bar every day.”  (Curtis & Virginia Peters)   I don’t know how long (or if, or how often) you’ve been married, but do you have any secret to share?  Don’t stress the small stuff…Unhappy?  Talk about it.  Communication is key…Don’t let the romance die…Go out of your way to do something nice…Listen!!!...to what’s being said and …not being said.  Sharing a Hershey’s bar (or Kisses) is a good idea, too.    ;-)  Jack

FROM GOOD DEBT JON:  Nita and I always speak highly of each other, whether in business or casual conversations, no matter who we are talking to.  Of course, the small kindnesses mentioned, are essential, though few things build and sustain a relationship like knowing you will always be well represented wherever the other travels. ..and, Used too for to.  Also not a great sentence structure but seems to work ending my proposition with a preposition. Thank you===JACK:

FROM OUTHOUSE JUDY:  We’ve been married 42 years. We find it’s the little daily little annoyances which have to be talked about.  Left to fester, they would grow into hurt feelings and built up anger.  So talk about everything, especially the little things.

FROM GUSTIE:  Oh the Hershey Bar!  Ha!

FROM BB IN CHGO:  I am so happy that you ad Joan are blessed to have each other, especially during this time that is challenging and lonely for many.  I snuck my mom over on Easter.  We wore masks in the car.  She sat 8 feet away from everyone but she was at least present.  We put church on the tiny computer screen and blasted it from the speakers so she could hear the service.  At 96, she lost her job dueto the virus shutdown so is now really on her own.  I think she’s handling it very well as it reminds her of sacrifices made during the depression when she was little and with food vouchers during WWII.   That said, she does go to the store on occasion….at least a nurse neighbor brought her some masks to wear, even an N95.

FROM SHARIN' SHARON:  Enjoyed your WW this morning also.  Jerry and I have been married close to 51 years and I believe our secret is and has always been a strong understanding that God brought us together.  We met in high school when my family moved to the same small Iowa rural community Jerry's family lived in and we all attended the same small Church of Christ congregation.  Despite all the ups and downs over the years and the sort of constant moving around following his job prospects, neither of us ever got over that initial understanding of our marriage bond.  But this experience is why I believe that Reformation theology might do well to rethink whether marriage is or is not a sacrament.  When we lived on Long Island and attended Trinity Lutheran in Rocky Point, one of the Pastors was a single man.  Just within the past few years, after he retired from ministry, he has "come out" and now is legally married to Fred.  Having heard so many of his sermons and having participated in his Bible studies and also been in the committee meetings which had to do with social service and outreach, the hot meal program at the church, etc., and supposing that as he continued Pastoring in other congregations, marrying and burying members and so forth and so on, he--and others having a call to serve God--have had to do a lot of serious thinking about marriage and the marriage bond and the integrity of marital love in the eyes of God.  All of these folks discerning living out an authentic call on their lives, as Jerry and I have also been trying to do, really and truly there is something going on that I believe has to inform the theological understandings of sacramental living within the church and even the whole Church as the history of the Church moves on in historical time.  This is my opinion anyway and makes sense to me, rather than succumbing so much to secularization and the weakening of faithfulness to God's laws and prescriptions for us and our well-being of living in this world.  Well, have thunk some and wish you and your wife a very, very pleasant week and pray and hope that neither of you are touched by the coronavirus. 

FROM THE FISH IN NOVA SCOTIA:  We were asked this at the time of our 50th anniversary. My reply (which Hannelore heard and apparently found reasonable) is that there are times when each partner will feel they have to reach out more than halfway to touch. The payoff for this is a long and growing relationship. 

FROM ST PAUL:  from Ogden Nash, poet and playwright:  When you're wrong, admit it.  And when you're right, forget it!   hard to do sometimes but very wise words indeed.

FROM LBP:  20 years! "Communication is key" but I think that good communication for us depends on a lot of things, like respect, trust, openness, being present to listen, giving feedback, taking feedback, being willing to say "I was wrong," saying and showing "I love you," patience .... Sharing something sweet daily, chocolate or otherwise, might not be a bad practice to take up though.

Jack’s Winning Words  4/13/20 “Hope is a great thing, maybe the best of things.  No good thing ever dies.”  (From the film Shawshank Redemption)  I once read of some trapped miners who tapped a message to those trying to rescue them.  “Is there any hope?”  I can’t recall the outcome, but I do see a connection with today’s anxiety.  Easter says that “there is hope!”  God’s not dead…He lives, and we shall live.  I’ve been around long enough to see “evil” defeated and “good” come from it.  Keep hoping for the good.   ;-)  Jack FROM BETTY:  Oh, did you finally get around to watching Shawshank?===JACK:  Yes, I did finish watching that movie.  I like movies where the bad guys get their comeuppance.  I like it in real-life, too.  Upon re-reading the message I went back and changed a grammatical error.  FROM NORM'S BLOG:  Hope never dies, but sometimes it eludes us. Perhaps it is because we are so consumed with fear or anxiety that we fail to look for it. Hope is like an onion with many layers. You may start with I hope things get better soon or perhaps I hope things get back to normal soon. There may be a layer that says, I hope they find a cure for this soon. Right below that hope maybe the layer that says, I hope I don’t get this virus. If you dig down deep enough, at the core for almost everyone is the hope  - I hope I don’t die from this virus.===JACK:  "My hope is built on nothing less" that it is as we pray in the Lord's Prayer: "Thy will be done on earth!" FROM OUTHOUSE JUDY:  He’s more alive today!  We find him everywhere now...people are reaching out and showing the best of humanity like never before.  He is alive and with us always.===JACK:  Yes, he's alive...just using different disguises. FROM ME IN NEWPORT BEACH:  Nice.   How did you spend your Easter and did you watch the Bocelli solo “prayer” concert?===JACK:  Yesterday we had a Family Zoom with 17 of us participating.  We also watched the stage production of Jesus Christ, Superstar...then the Bocelli concert.  On Good Friday we watched the movie, Gandhi (fitting for the day).===ME:  Nice and thanks for the additional suggestions. I do not think I have seen the movie Gandhi, so I copy Marilyn here.===JACK:  I purposely watched it on Good Friday.  See if you cad discern the reason  why. FROM ST PAUL:  good words for the Easter season, Jack.  hope you had a good day yesterday.  we got about 6 inches of snow! ===JACK: COVID-19 has caused us to do the usual things in different ways.  Zoom family get together.  Easter church on TV.  More movies. FROM JR IN ANDOVER:  My favorite verse: Romans 5:3-5 .   Hope never fails us. ===JACK:  Hope-less is a discouraging word.

Jack’s Winning Words  4/13/20 “Hope is a great thing, maybe the best of things.  No good thing ever dies.”  (From the film Shawshank Redemption)  I once read of some trapped miners who tapped a message to those trying to rescue them.  “Is there any hope?”  I can’t recall the outcome, but I do see a connection with today’s anxiety.  Easter says that “there is hope!”  God’s not dead…He lives, and we shall live.  I’ve been around long enough to see “evil” defeated and “good” come from it.  Keep hoping for the good.   ;-)  Jack FROM BETTY:  Oh, did you finally get around to watching Shawshank?===JACK:  Yes, I did finish watching that movie.  I like movies where the bad guys get their comeuppance.  I like it in real-life, too.  Upon re-reading the message I went back and changed a grammatical error.  FROM NORM'S BLOG:  Hope never dies, but sometimes it eludes us. Perhaps it is because we are so consumed with fear or anxiety that we fail to look for it. Hope is like an onion with many layers. You may start with I hope things get better soon or perhaps I hope things get back to normal soon. There may be a layer that says, I hope they find a cure for this soon. Right below that hope maybe the layer that says, I hope I don’t get this virus. If you dig down deep enough, at the core for almost everyone is the hope  - I hope I don’t die from this virus.===JACK:  "My hope is built on nothing less" that it is as we pray in the Lord's Prayer: "Thy will be done on earth!" FROM OUTHOUSE JUDY:  He’s more alive today!  We find him everywhere now...people are reaching out and showing the best of humanity like never before.  He is alive and with us always.===JACK:  Yes, he's alive...just using different disguises. FROM ME IN NEWPORT BEACH:  Nice.   How did you spend your Easter and did you watch the Bocelli solo “prayer” concert?===JACK:  Yesterday we had a Family Zoom with 17 of us participating.  We also watched the stage production of Jesus Christ, Superstar...then the Bocelli concert.  On Good Friday we watched the movie, Gandhi (fitting for the day).===ME:  Nice and thanks for the additional suggestions. I do not think I have seen the movie Gandhi, so I copy Marilyn here.===JACK:  I purposely watched it on Good Friday.  See if you cad discern the reason  why. FROM ST PAUL:  good words for the Easter season, Jack.  hope you had a good day yesterday.  we got about 6 inches of snow! ===JACK: COVID-19 has caused us to do the usual things in different ways.  Zoom family get together.  Easter church on TV.  More movies. FROM JR IN ANDOVER:  My favorite verse: Romans 5:3-5 .   Hope never fails us. ===JACK:  Hope-less is a discouraging word.