Jack’s Winning Words 5/7/20
“If you work hard and run straight, God’s gonna bless you sooner or later.”  (Brian Carroll)  Brian’s a car concierge.  Tell him the kind of car you want, and he does all of the dickering.  You get what you want at the best price.  He’s a success at what he does, because he works hard and is honest.  Sooner or later the honest hard worker is gonna be blessed, too.  That what Brian believes.  Maybe you won’t get rich, but you’ll have the satisfaction of a job well done..  ;-)  Jack   

FROM WILLMAR REV:   Have a dear friend like that here in Willmar, MN . . . I'm the worst when it comes to buying cars . . . I really don't have a taste for it, as long as it drives and I can afford it . . . I call him, tell him what we are looking for and can pay and he does all the bickering  for the best price  ===JACK:  Not only is God "gonna" bless you, He has blessed you with a concierge...and a satisfying ministry.  

FROM GOOD DEBT JON:   One of the favorite lines I wrote over the years was to my father, who died May 25, 1968. It’s the bridge of one of my songs, “Maybe Dad, love is only memories, and if it is, I know you’re still here with me.”  I am researching a bit on the constructivist concept of “narrative reality.“  Meaning our reality arises from the stories we tell ourselves.  A great book title, “What to Say When You Talk to Yourself,” is worth a review. Probably from the 1980s.  Shad Hemsettler, Ph.D. as I recall.  I may dig that out again. ===JACK:  I like that "dad" quote and the thought that the "maybes" in life might be true.  That's one of the things I say when I talk to myself...among other things. 

FROM NORM'S BLOG:  We have become  a nation that is used to instant gratification, sometimes without working at all. We no longer have the patience to write novels; so, we write Tweets. Out “knowledge “is served to us in sound bites, rather than in great lectures. We are not willing to self-quarantine to protect others because what we have to do we feel is more important. For us, waiting is the hard part. We don’t have time for later. Come on God, we have things to; let’s get to the blessings part now.  We have also become a nation obsessed with getting on to the next big thing, owning the next new gadget or having the next new experience. That tends to downplay what we already have, what God has already given us, including the fact that we awoke this morning to another day. Rather than be thankful for what we have already been given, we are constantly striving for the next thing. Rather than enjoying the gifts that we have in hand, we are dissatisfied with what we have yet to achieve or possess. We don’t have time for later. Come on God, we have things to; let’s get to the blessings part now.  This crisis and the Stay at Home time that was government mandated in many areas should have provided the time to pause and thank God for being alive, for not being sick and for all of the other things that you have. Instead, it has driven many to acts of stupidity or worse. Violence in domestic abuse cases is up, suicides are up, shootings are happening over the lack of a mask in public and armed demonstrators have taken to the streets demanding the right to congregate and get sick. We don’t have time for later. Come on God, we have things to; let’s get to the blessings part now.  That’s not how it works. Start with the work hard and run straight part of today’s quote. Basically, that boils down to doing the right things. The right things never involve the anger and stupidity that some are displaying or the violence towards others. Loving thy neighbor as you love yourself does not involve yelling and screaming, or pushing and shoving. We were asked to do the right things by staying at home and practicing social distancing when in public. For many that was easy to comply with, but for a few who don’t have the patience to wait and help stop the spread of the disease, it was impossible. We don’t have time for later. Come on God, we have things to; let’s get to the blessings part now.  We now enter a very dangerous phase of this crisis, when economic and political pressures are forcing government leaders to take actions that they know will cause an increase in the number of deaths – projections from models range as high as 400,000+. Government leaders have decided that the potential death toll is an acceptable trade-off to get the economy running again. We will all soon be at greater risk in our stores and restaurants, at our workplaces and in any gathering of people in public. Our scientists medical professionals have warned us and shown us data that says we are not ready to re-open the country. Our reply… We don’t have time for later. Come on God, we have things to; let’s get to the blessings part now.  Let’s hope that God takes pity on us. He has forgiven a foolish people before; maybe he will forgive us again. Maybe we should all pray for patience, rather than telling God…We don’t have time for later. Come on God, we have things to; let’s get to the blessings part now. ===JACK:  In short, "Count your many blessings, name them one by one, and it will surprise you what the Lord has done."

FROM ME IN NEWPORT BEACH:  Nice.  Like guys like Brian.  Self starters and hard workers.  ===JACK:  Were you ever in the position of hiring and firing people.  If so, were you able to determine ahead of time who will fit the mold you describe?