Jack’s Winning Words 10/30/20

“Where there is no imagination there is no horror.”  (Arthur Conan Doyle)  Tomorrow’s Halloween, the scariest day of the year.  Spiders, black cats, ghouls...Oooooh!  For me, I don’t like fake vomit (or real, either).  It was suggested that my daughter change her address because it contained the numbers, 666.  The Hound of the Baskervilles, both as a book and a movie, really took hold of my imagination…a fake dog, but no fake fear.  What causes goose pimples for you?  ;-)  Jack  

FROM WILLMAR REV:  The first thought that crossed my mind this morning regarding "what causes goose pimples for you?" was delivering a death notification yesterday to a friend that his wife had purposely walked out in front of train a few hours previously. He and his wife are very close friends of mine for many years. She has always seemed to be a very positive person and in her late 60's; however, she had been suffering for over a year with dilapidating health problems.  0:-/===JACK:  NOW that even causes goose bumps for me.  When it comes to meeting people in their needs...Lutheran or AG?  It doesn't really matter, does it?  

FROM ST PAUL IN ST PAUL:  getting out of the shower when the room temp is much too cool:):):)  ===JACK:  ...or, getting out of the shower and looking in the mirror.===SP:  that is when you are sooo  glad the mirror is all steamed over!  

FROM NORM'S BLOG:  There is an interesting, and one might say necessary, interplay between imagination and faith. Indeed faith cannot become strong in someone’s life without imagination. Religion is built upon things that we cannot physically see; rather we must believe and try to  imagine what God and Heaven and other major part of our religious beliefs must be like. That is both good and bad – good because our imagination allows us to wrap our heads around what would otherwise be enigmatic, but bad because it confines our understanding to the pitiful limitations of our own imaginations.  We are told that we will experience a peace in the afterlife that is beyond understanding and then we try to imagine what that must feel like. We are told that Jesus has gone to prepare a place for us in his Father’s hose, a place with many rooms and we imagine a giant Motel 6. We buy into the cartoon images of people with wings standing around talking to each other and the thought that we will again “see” everyone who has gone before us, as if we are at a vast family reunion.

FROM DR J:  I like that one. Autumn is my favorite time of the year!

 Jack’s Winning Words 10/29/20

“Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower.”  (Albert Camus)  Camus was a French philosopher and author.  The leaves this year have been particularly colorful.  “Autumn flowers” described them well.  I once saw a book of thoughtful sayings like:  God was having a good day when He created the rainbow.  God was having a great day, too, when He made the flowers and the Autumn leaves.  …and especially people.  Don’t think that beauty is onlyin the mirror.  ;-) Jack

FROM GUSTIE:  Brent’s daughter (my Carol’s age) is named Karma.===JACK:  Karma...a nice-sounding name.  There's usually "a story" behind why names are chosen.  Is there behind yours?  

FROM YOGI CA:  Love this !  My bday is in the fall so - i love the season.===JACK:  I love each of the seasons for the good things they bring with them.  There are bad things, too, if you want to concentrate of them.  I choose not to. 

 Jack’s Winning Words 10/28/20

“Karma is what happens to a person because they caused it by their actions.” (Free Encyclopedia)  “They had it coming!” is a very satisfying phrase.  One that you don’t hear often is, “They got their comeuppance.”  (Literally, it means to appear  before a judge, probably, God as Judge!.  Now, that’s really Karma!  On a more positive note…there can be Good Karma, too.    For example, Mother Teresa was named, a saint by her Church after a lifetime of service to the poorest of the poor. ;-)  Jack

FROM NORM'S BLOG:  Lately we have been hiding from the Corona Virus mugger that is running rampant in our world ravaging those whom it has infected; however, there is no way to hide from the cat burglar of age that creeps up on all of us stealing yet another precious day from us each night. What we can do, all of us, is to steal a part of each day back from that burglar by getting the maximum value and enjoyment out of each day such that there is nothing to regret having done or not done as sleep casts it’s nightly veil over us. If we begin each day thankful for God having given us yet another opportunity, we should end each day thankful to God for having been with us as we had the experiences of living through it. We should pause to reflect on the people that we met the challenges that we overcame, the knowledge that we gained and the joys that we experienced. That moment of reflection and thankfulness serves to steal back the day and lock it in our memories in a way that even the cat burglar of age cannot take from us. The longer one lives the greater is the treasure that is stored in those memories. Age may steal our endurance and our strength, and bring with it aches and pains to remind us that it is there, but, for most, it cannot steal our memories and need not dull our minds.  It is easier to retain those memories is one starts the day in the right frame of mind. Perhaps you could start with a little prayer asking God to help you:  to be more open to new ideas and new people, to be more calm and thoughtful in the face of the day’s challenges,  to be more ready to listen and less ready to talk,  to be more understanding and less judgmental,  to strive to love thy neighbor as Jesus loves you.  If you actually lived the day with those thoughts in mind, I’ll bet that you will end the day with new treasures to add to your memories; memories that the cat burglar of age cannot take away from you.  Have a great and memorable day!===JACK:  Thanks for giving me something to chew on today.

FROM ER IN FL:  This is truly how I see the way you structure your life. You have told me that it makes you happy to give, and that you get back twofold. I would say that's pretty good Karma!  You make me want to be a better version of myself. Thank you for that. ===JACK:  KARMA!!!  Thanks

 Jack’s Winning Words 10/27/20

“While disease is a mugger, age is a cat burglar who steals but a single day each night, and the thief has learned patience.” (Madeline Albright)  I wish that I could write in Madeline’s descriptive way.  One of the elements of this writing is to get the reader to use their imagination.  While I was no Madeline, I enjoyed writing essays.  “Cat burglar” is certainly a descriptive term.  In the Bible, the story of Daniel in the lion’s den fascinates me.  What catches your attention?  ;-)  Jack  

FROM SF IN FL:  Awesome statement. I love steeping my mind in good writing!!!! When I can’t put a book down, I am in (one of) my happy places!!!===JACK:  Words can be similar to bricks that are used to construct a building.  A beautiful house or a beautiful story?  Madeline knows how to use words.

FROM WILLMAR REV: Remembering Sunday School, the paper cut outs of Biblical characters pasted upright in the shoebox and looking through the hole cut out at the very of the box while the teacher told the story!! I can still imagine most every Old Testament story that was made alive by the Sunday School teacher!! 0;-)===JACK:  I, too, learned Bible stories through pictures.  Every Week, in Sunday School, we received a leaflet with a picture on the front.  I especially remember the one with Daniel facing the lion in his den.

FROM BLAZING OAKS:  Certainly descriptive! I'm not all that conversant with her writing, unfortunately! I was so impressed with Jesus feeding the 5,000, with a few loaves and fish! And to have 12 baskets left over! WOW! Also when very small,,  the story of Noah and the Ark! : - )===JACK:  The more I read of her writings, the more I'm impressed by her.  She was a masterful Secretary of State for our country.

 Jack’s Winning Words 10/26/20

“When I was young my teachers were the old.  Now when I am old my teachers are the young.”  (Robert Frost)  I remember seeing poet Frost read one of his poems at JFKs presidential inauguration.  I thought to myself, “This is a lifetime experience!”  What modern poet might be the future’s Frost?  I have a hard time thinking that it would be rapper 50 Cent.  Maybe the point of Frost’s quote is that we can learn from people of any age…as long as we’re willing to keep learning.  ;-)  Jack  

FROM ST PAUL IN ST PAUL: a few years ago i got a traffic warning from a cop who looked like he wasn't even shaving yet!  not sure he had even gone thru puberty!     actually,  his voice was kind of high:):):) ===JACK:  When he got home that night he probably told his wife and kids about that old guy who was holding up traffic by going so slow with the wrong blinker on.

FROM ER IN FL:   Robert Frost has always been a poet that I have have a fondness for. His poetry typically makes me nostalgic and reflect on my childhood of country living.===JACK:  My favorite From poem is "The Road Less Taken."  Have you ever wondered what it would have been like to have taken a different path?  I have...but I'm satisfied that the choice  I made at the time was the choice I made...and I can't go back and change things.  Sometimes, in the marriage vows, it's said, "For better or worse."  It is what it is.===ER:  A television show that I watched after talking with you tonight ended with the actor saying,  "I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference." Coincidence?  Not in my world.===JACK:  Eerie, isn't it?===ER:  The Road Not Taken was the first Frost Poem that I was introduced to. I fell in love immediately, but as my experience with the poet grew I became enthralled with The Mending Wall. The first half of the poem reminds me of growing up on the farm. Fences always needed mending even though they we seemingly untouched. The pictures Frost paints, and the solutions to dismantling walls/fences make me smile every time.  As I have matured the two refrains he uses throughout the poem give me pause. Even today Frost stops me in my tracks to think about both his viewpoints. What is your stance on, "Good fences make good neighbors?" ===JACK:  I don't mind fences.  I think that Frost said that it depends on what you are fencing in and what you are fencing out.  Stone walls can be very attractive; the Border Wall, on the other hand, is a negative, IMO>

M SF IN FL:  I believe in surrounding myself with teachers and friends of all ages. Keeps ideas fresh and life interesting!===JACK:  Isn't it interesting...how the choices we make so dramatically affect our life? 

FROM NORM'S BLOG:  When we are younger we look to older people to learn from, because we believe that they have learned things that we don’t know but would like to  know. As we become adults, we look to the people around us who may have already had experiences that we have not yet had. In addition, as we get older we look to younger people because we are sure that they have adopted and learned about new things that we have yet to try – like how to operate our smartphones.===JACK:  As the birthdays come and go, I become more thankful for the teachers I've had during my lifetime.

FROM LBP:  I was going to counter your final words ... “keep learning” with “keep and open mind” or “keep listening” or other such things.  But actually you capture it all there. To keep learning we must be open to the fact that we don’t know it all and hear what others are sharing. I’m still learning! ===JACK:  When Michelangelo was in his mid-80s he wrote: "Ancora  Imparo," ..."I am still learning."  I have his words posted by my computer.

FROM DR JUDY:  I was going to suggest Maya Angelou, but since she’s so much older and already deceased I decided to go with someone more current/youth.  Check out Brandon Leake. He won this year‘s America’s got talent. His spoken word poetry is mind-boggling. Here’s his first appearance on AGT you can Google more.  https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=tdjIFkM-ohQ  (Yes you can share this on your blog)===JACK:  You're the second one who's suggested Brandon to me today.  Thanks for the link.===DJ:  Have kleenex===JACK:  I do have sort of a runny nose today.===DJ:  The things I like to learn now are about acts of kindness and caring. I hope I hear them everyday!

FROM GOOD DEBT JON:  Not familiar with modern poets. Maya Angelou, perhaps one of the best.  Here is Josiah Gilbert Holland, I believe, right after the Civil War.  The words appear pertinent now. We have no one reporting anything but guarded self-interest for current events.===JACK:  What is it that makes a poet a poet?  Are rappers our modern poets?===JON:  Probably,  except where they descend into repeated profanity. But a great deal that I've heard is excellent.  Here's  a few lines from Dessa:

I don't need an agenda

I just tell the truth (yup)

Let it off the leash and

Don't touch it

It knows what to do

===JACK:  Who defines profanity?  It seems as though the definition has changed as times have changed.  BTW< thanks for the Dessa words.

FROM FACEBOOK LIZ:  do we still have poets?===JACK:  Who do you classify as a poet?  Are Eminem, Snoop Dogg and Kanye West modern poets?  Just because their words might not fit our style, are they still poet===FL: no more so than musicians of the past..===JACK:  ...such as?===FL:  .whom do we consider to be a “poet” in the music industry? i can’t think of anyone...===JACK:  I quoted The Eagles recently.  The music, to me, overwhelmed the good lyrics.  Modern songwriters seem to focus more on the tune than on the lyrics.===FL:  elvis costello comes as close an anyone to musician and poet...===JACK:  I thought that Costello was part of the Abbott and Costello comedy team - famous for "Who's on first?"===FL  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9SYczqCVFQw&feature=share    elvis is married to diana krall. he’s british, so he has that odd ironic humor, as they do... a wry social commentator w/a knack for a catchy tune.===JACK:  I remember when he first appeared on the scene.  He was a hit.

 FROM BLAZING OAKS:  The young teach me  computer skills and phone skills!  I still need help mastering my Christmas Smart phone!!  Yes, I had my "time" of teaching for 24 yrs, but imagine that would be hopelessly outdated today! Still our kids learned and certainly had a mastery of the 'basics" in English; reading, and math. by memorizing, etc. Now their computers and phones think for them!  Fascinating to think what the future holds, if we ever master this Virus!===JACK:  The best teaching is when we teach each other, and the best learning is when we learn from each other.

  

 Jack’s Winning Words 10/23/20

“Making the simple complicated is commonplace; making the complicated simple, awesomely simple, that’s creativity.”  (Charles Mingus)  I came across a listing of simple inventions that have changed the world.  You might guess that the wheel was there, and so was the use of fire.  Surprises were the tooth brush, the nail and Velcro. What about humans? Are we complicated or simple? It really doesn’t matter because God, who creates everything, loves us all…it’s as simple as that.  ;-) Jack 

FROM BLAZING OAKS:  AMEN, to that!  Invention of the Microwave Oven ranks high on my list!! SO handy to have for so many uses!!===JACK:  That was one of the inventions of NASA's space age program.  Others: Dustbuster,, computer mouse, Speedo swimsuit material, smoke detector, Tang, memory foam, freeze drying...and others.

FROM JK IN NV:  Yes — simplicity is not simple! Childlike faith is not childish. Further along these lines, French philosopher Blaise Pascal wrote in his Lettres Provinciales (“Provincial Letters”) dated 1656-57:   “I would have written a shorter letter, but I didn’t have the time.”  In the legal field most courts have word count limits on written submissions (“briefs”). It is an art learned by hard work to cover persuasively all necessary detail in the fewest words. ===JACK:  So, that's the origin of the word, briefs.  It's interesting when I learn something new. 

FROM OUTHOUSE JUDY:  As we EAT, the simpler things are the better.  We like to shop but whatever comes in means something goes out.  To keep things simple.===JACK:  Ooooh.  She has a sense of humor!===JUDY:  Hard to believe???===JACK:  There has to be a sense of humor behind that laugh of yours.

 Jack’s Winning Words 10/22/20

“So often in time it happens, we all live our life in  chains, and we never even know we have the key.”  (The Eagles)  It’s said that the Eagles’ song, Already Gone, has one of the great lyrics of all time.  It expresses a thought that I’ve found to be true: “Things always work out for the best in the end.”  And there’s another truism:  “Chains” sometimes keep us from having a better life.  The lyrics say that we have the key to a happier life.  We don’t have to  live in chains.  ;-)  Jack

FROM GOOD DBT JON:  Sherman set the way back machine to 1975. “There’s 17-year-old Jon and his girlfriend Terrie, sitting in a booth at LK Restaurant eating patty melts and milkshakes. Terrie, the more lovely of the two, puts a dime in the Juke Box and sings along (smugly) You Ain’t Seen Nothin’ Yet. Towards Jon (of course, she was technically correct).  After her stellar performance, Jon would put another dime in the Jukebox (the control was right at the table) and play “Already Gone.” Jon seemed to enjoy the line, “…just remember this, my girl, when you look up in the sky, you can see the stars and still not see the light.”  That’s right. Back to the present day, I haven’t seen that girl since the late 1970s.  I hope she got a new song. Much later in life, I heard, “Thank God for Unanswered Prayers.”  Perhaps nothing in life is better than knowing you are with who you should be.  I’ve been married to Nita for 38 years. We just had our 4^th grandchild, Gideon. I wrote a song in 2014 when my daughter was expecting our first;  it was called Perfectness or Sunday Morning.     The 1^st Verse:Another Perfect Sunday Morning,  my time for walking and thinking  My son’s safe and home from Iraq, my daughter’s  having her first child, now how ‘bout that?   It’s like God is making up for everything I missed,  And right now I know He’s sending me His very best. Gratitude.  I look across 3 generations now, something my parents never got to do.  Thanks for opening the memory flood gates Pastor Jack.   Now I have work to do.===JACK:  Always a good and thoughtful response from you.  Family...It can be a blessing or a curse.  I'm glad that you and I can share our blessings.

FROM CS:  I look forward to your quotes every morning. Hope you are well. If only the heart controlled the body - then we could all fly.  Keep on flying!===JACK:  I like the song..Fly Me To The Moon.  I hope to be flying to Minnesota in a week or so.

 

 Jack’s Winning Words 10/21/20

“The only one I know who behaves sensibly is my tailor; he takes my measurements anew each time he sees me.  The rest go on with their old measurements and expect me to fit them.”  (George Bernard Shaw)  I’ve changed.  Have you noticed that my Winning Words are a bit edgier than when I began over 25 years ago?  Even the clothes I wore then are baggier now.  How about you?  Everett Dirksen once said that people who don’t change are in the cemetery.  ;-)  Jack

FROM ST PAUL IN ST PAUL:  a very good one, Jack!   thanks.   but my clothes are not baggier; their tighter!:):):)===JACK:  You probably wear your belt higher, too, as older men are prone to do. ===SP:  it's either above  your belly or below your belly!    as they say,  men get a gut and women get a butt.   not always true but often.===JACK:  Why should we care?...but we do. 

FROM COPPER COUNTRY BOB: Heaps of thanks for Derxin quote.   When the mines closed I used his legislative model "TAX CREDITS FOR JOB CREATION.     We need something similar today. ===JACK:  Will we ever be satisfied?  Is there such a thing as Heaven of Earth?  

FROM NORM'S BLOG:  Sometimes events  bring back to the surface thoughts that were always there, but which had faded. The events which lead to the resurgence of the Black Lives Matter movement brought back our memories of, and belief in, the inequities and injustice suffered by people of color that had faded into the background for many. Complacency oft fills the void left when commitment and compassion fade. Jarring events like the killing of George Floyd serve to snap those feeling back to the fore. Few remember that the Black Lives Matter movement actually went back to the 2012 killing of Trayvon Martin and the hashtag #BlackLivesMatter was first used in 2013. America had become complacent again.===JACK:  I like the poem (set to music)..."Change and decay in all around I see.  O thou. who changest not, abide with me."

FROM YOGA GURU:  Regarding changing or being flexible-  I keep doing yoga - there is plenty of afterlife time for me to be "stiff".  😂  Hope all is good in your camp. We are being super cautious in this covid spike.  Love your words Jack .===JACK:  I relate to the yoga words, but the stretches and moves are too much for me. 

FROM PR MAGGIE:  : Your Winning Words are always a blessing whether for a challenge like today or humor that brightens our lives. Stay well my friend.===JACK:  Winning Words is what gives me joy and keeps the mind active.

FROM OUTHOUSE JUDY:  And who knows what the Taylor tells his wife?  I’d like to think he keeps it to himself...like a good friend would.===JACK:  That's especially true for a pastor and a counsellor.

FROM BB IN CHGO:   These are great when you’re edgy and great when you’re not===JACK:  We're living in edgy times, so maybe we need edgier words.  Something (or someone) causes me to write as I write.  One of my favorite Bible stories is found in Daniel 5, when King Belshazzar saw the handwriting on the wall...and what it said.  Now, that was something edgy!===BB:  Each week I take the NYTimes news quiz.  Today I missed 2 of 11, one of which was regarding new cave drawings found in Peru – the early writing on the wall?  I guessed that the drawing was an Alpaca but missed as it was instead a cat.  Share more of your faves with me.  I know you’ve been reading and pondering over it a long time!===JACK:  I think that it was the biggest cat ever know...something like 9 feet.  I may be wrong about the size.

 

 

 

Jack’s Winning Words 10/20/20 “Listen!  The wind is rising and the air is wild with leaves.  We’ve had our summer evenings; now for October eves.”  (Humbert Wolfe)  Humbert’s works are somewhat strange.  I wonder why he wrote, The Blind Rose, Reverie of a Policeman  and X at Oberammergau? Wolfe was Jewish, converted to Christianity, but maintained his heritage.  Today’s WWs show his fascination with nature.  He loved Fall’s rustling leaves and crisp air.  I do, too.  Do you?  .  ;-)  Jack  FROM ST PAUL IN ST PAUL:  we love Fall too but today we are supposed to get 2 to 4 inches of snow!.  so much for a late Fall.   oh well, there is usually an Indian summer sometime in Oct. or Nov.===JACK:  I wonder if there's a politically correct term is for Indian Summer?  ===SP:  good question.    "Native American warm week"   just doesn't seem to cut it:):):)  ===JACK:  No more playing cowboys and Native Americans, either.===SP:  good point.  what do we do with Indian head pennies??? ===JACK:  Be careful, you're playing in the conservatives band.   FROM OUTHOUSE JUDY:  Definitely my favorite season.  The colors have been unusually beautiful this Fall.===JACK:  What I DON'T like about Fall...Winter's close behind...but then there comes the beautiful Spring and the nice warm Summer.  I love the changing of the seasons.  Life is something like that. FROM BB IN CHGO:  Definitely love the rustle of the leaves as well as the autumn aroma in the air.  I’ve never read Humbert before; perhaps I will explore later in the day.===JACK:  X at Oberammergau sounds intriguing. FROM BS IN ENGLAND:  Yes, and the beautiful colours. But clearing leaves from the lawns, now, that's  a different  ball game!===JACK:  MacBrown who mows my grass also grinds up the dry leaves and hauls them away...but I remember the days when I raked and when burning leaves was permitted.  I loves the small of the bonfire. FROM STEVE IN WASH:  Yes...and the fog on calmer mornings.===JACK:  Is the fog because you live relatively close to the ocean?===S:  Yes, as a source. Low elevation combined with water vapor from the ocean, gets trapped against the Cascade mountains. The air temperature drops to the dew point regularly in the Fall and Winter months. ===JACK:  I knew that you might have the answer.  FROM TRIHARDER:  Shorter days, no longer cooler nights. Time for nature's wonders to sleep.===JACK:  I don't think that Daylight saving Time affects what goes on as we move from season to season.  "You can't fool Mother Nature.==TH:  It only affects what time we wake up, what time we watch our favorite TV shows and what time we go to sleep===JACK:  Which do you like, EST or EDT or does it make any difference.  I personally prefer ONE time, whatever that may be.===TH:  I don't like the sudden shift of sunlight or darkness to an hour later or earlier on the clock. Most of the things I need to accomplish are in the early hours of the morning when I prefer light over darkness. To that extent, I prefer EST. Buf frankly,  I willingly relent to whatever is for the greater good.===JACK: You're very compliant today. FROM D&K IN CO:  We   love the fall too and we've had a great fall here except for the many fires. Many days they pollute our air so we don't go outside. But we've still had the beauty of fall around us.===JACK:  Amazingly, nature has a way of recovering from the forest fires.  Global warming is another bowl of fish.===D&K:  One fire is very close to Boulder and burned many homes so fast that people lost everything. We see the smoke from that one. The  forest will recover and most people are thankful they are out safe.

 Jack’s Winning Words 10/19/20

“Fight for things you care about, but do it in such a way that will lead others to follow you.”  (Ruth Bader Ginsburg)  I watched the movie, On the Basis of Sex, thinking that it was one thing and finding out that it was something better.  Red or Blue, the women of American owe Ruth Bader Ginsburg a debt of gratitude.  She saw “unfairness” and pursued a solution, in spite of many political roadblocks.  Ruth was an example of a caring leader right to the end.  ;-)  Jack

FROM SF: Amen. RBG...a true hero and role model. ===JACK:  Each generation seems to have such an icon.  A friend in Nova Scotia is currently reading Madeline Albright's book.  She, too, was a remarkable person and an outstanding Secretary of State.

FROM EDUCATOR PAUL:  And... one of her best friends was a legal opponent.. Scalia. I admire her for that, too.===JACK:  In several cases I've read that the enormity of the SCOTUS job causes some justices to modify their view on how cases should be decided.  John Roberts has mellowed.

FROM CZB:  Not just the women of America... ;)===JACK:  OK....I grant you that, but I was not discriminated in the way that women were before RBG...and she would not give up, either.

FROM THE FISH IN NOVA SCOTIA:  I am entranced reading this latest book by Madeleine Albright. Each of you three bccs has an interest in religion, I know at least two of you have interests in politics, and I commend this refreshing book to you, especially Chapter Eleven, “Things Unseen”  As you may know, Madeleine first learned in her early days as US Secretary of State that although she had been raised as a Catholic and became an Episcopal when she married, she hadn’t learned that her family fled Czechoslovakia because they were Jewish. As she said, she can have an ecumenical discussion sitting by herself.  In a constructive and non-cynical way, her book uses her deep knowledge of world politics to inform her view of the impact and positive and negative interactions of world religions including but not limited to the “Abrahamic” religions. (I was going to use the Islamic expression “peoples of The Book” but so far she hasn’t mentioned Zoroastrianism.)  It’s often funny too.   I have it checked out from the Annapolis Library, which purchased it, so although there might be a waiting list it should generally be around for two of you three.===JACK:  Thanks for bringing this book to my attention.  Ruth BG was "a special Person,"  and so was Madeline A.  She was what a US Secretary of State should be...no political hack>  I want to read her book.  I laughed out loud when I read that she could have an ecumenical discussion while sitting by herself.===FISH:  Madeleine Albright included the following thought in several of her many commencement speeches shortly after 9/11: She quoted from Tom Burnett’s call to his wife from Flight 93, realizing that two other hijacked planes had crashed into the WTC: “I know we’re going to die...but some of us are going to do something about it.”  Albright concluded, “We are all mortal. What divides us is the use we make of the time and opportunities we have.”===JACK:  Not to put down RBG, but there were other remarkable women.  Madeline was one of them.

FROM DR J:  Loved the movie and RBG... a legend... grateful for sure!!!===JACK:  Sexism, like racism, was worse in the past than it is now...but there's a long way to go.  Who will be the new RBG< the new MLK Jr? 

FRO ST PAUL IN ST PAUL:  Amen to that!! ===JACK:  Both you and I know...and had the experience of...how important it is to get people to follow us as we interpret the theological views of the Church.  It's like starting out with a clean black/white board. 

FROM NORM'S BLOG:  Martin Luther King Jr fought for things that he cared deeply about in such a manner that many others followed him. Mahatma Gandhi was the same kind of leader, fighting for the freedom in which he believed.  You have probably known or known about other leaders who demonstrated or fought for things that they cared deeply about and attracted the following of others. The American Labor Movement was full of early pioneers who lead the fight for better pay and working conditions. The recently celebrated Suffragette Movement that resulted in women being granted the right to vote was another success story, although not originally an American movement (see Wikipedia from which came this - . The term refers in particular to members of the British Women's Social and Political Union (WSPU), a women-only movement founded in 1903 by Emmeline Pankhurst, which engaged in direct action and civil disobedience.).  More recently, we have seen groups taking to the street to protest the killing of black people by police with the Black Lives Matter movement and counter protests, which gave rise to groups like the Proud Boys. In the midst of all of the protests, groups like Qanon and Antifa have taken advantage of the resulting chaos to foment their vision of anarchy. In all of those groups, there are leaders who are succeeding in getting others to follow their vision of the future, albeit some are very distorted or hate-filled directions. I’m sure that is not what RBG had in mind.  The current political campaigns (which thankfully will soon be over) are certainly example of the two sides both trying to fight for what they believe in and to attract followers. Both sides engage in negative ads as well as those that serve to encourage people to follow their lead. Were a casual observer from another world to sit and watch the political ads on TV for a day they might conclude that no matter which side wins the world is doomed. The messages aren’t so much about “here’s where I want to lead you” as they are about “follow those other guys and America will end up as either a Socialist state or a Fascist state, but in a bad state no matter what. The messages are not so much about a vision of better times ahead if one side wins, as they are a forecast of eminent disaster if the other side wins.===JACK:  I'm tired of the epithets.  Show me by your actions.  Let your words take legs.

FROM BLAZING OAKS:  She is respected, if not loved, internationally!  And certainly that is the key  to success; Tact, persistence, listening to others with civility, and then presenting your case with humor and wit, and deadly accuracy!  Who indeed can take her place?!  she so wanted to live to see a different President elected. I mourn that she didn't!  I wonder what the title of Madeline A.'s new book is ? I hadn't heard of it!  There are many more women running for office now than in previous elections! I'm sure 'she need to raise millions of dollars is a big deterrent to many who could have been astute leaders in government! :-(===JACK:  It was not meant to be that Ruth should hang on for political purposes.  I think that God is still in control and we play the cards we are dealt.  The world goes on.  As for madeline, her book is "Hell and Other Destinations."  Great reviews.

FROM SHALOM JAN:  It was not meant to be that Ruth should hang on for political purposes.  I think that God is still in control and we play the cards we are dealt.  The world goes on.  As for madeline, her book is "Hell and Other Destinations."  Great reviews.===JACK:  I'm awaiting the time when we can simply recognize people as people for what they accomplish.  It's a putdown to say, "...and she was a woman."

 

 

 

 Jack’s Winning Words 10/16/20

“When you forgive, you live.  When you let go, you grow.”  (Sent by Sandi)  INC. magazine published an article on How to Be a Better Person.  Practice forgiveness was one suggestion.  Be open to change was another.  Others: Let go of anger - Be honest - Listen to what’s being said -  Be polite and respectful - and there were more.  The point is that we’ve all made mistakes.  If we want to grow beyond our failings and be a better person, it begins with action on our part.  :-)  Jack 

FROM LBP:  Was talking to my pastor a year back about slights that had nagged me for years. She asked me, do you think God forgives you? Do you forgive yourself? Me?!? That stopped me short. What she was hearing was my hang up wasn’t as much the offense toward me but my response to it. Got to forgive and let go of my own slips too.===JACK:  I don't know if you've heard of such a thing as flypaper.  We can be the most loving and kind person, but sometimes it's so hard to practice what we preach.  Things we should let go of hang on like a fly to flypaper.  "All we have sinned and fallen short."  I t reminds me of the pious lady who prayed at the Ladies Aid..."O Lord, forgive my falling shorts."

FROM OUTHOUSE JUDY:  "Love grows when a fault is forgiven.”  Proverbs 17:9===JACK:  One of my favorite Bible books is Proverbs, but I can't remember reading 17:9, at least in that translation.  It's a good one.

FROM NORM'S BLOG:  Letting go. Forgiving. Listening. Being polite and respectful. These are all conscious efforts, but they are not efforts that you must do alone. In the business world there is the concept of having an accountability partner – someone with whom you agree to be completely honest and who agrees to hold you accountable for the things that you commit to do. They make sure that you make the effort to reach the goals that you have shared with them.  In life, one may also have an accountability partner, someone that you trust completely with your life’s secrets; however, I submit that we already have that partner – God. If we are honest with ourselves and God about wanting to be a better person by doing all of the things listed above, then we must hold ourselves accountable to God for what we have accomplished and what we have left undone. We do that through daily prayer, because that is the time when we open ourselves up to God and hold our lives up to His light. It may well be that the thing that we often think of as our conscience – that little voice that we hear inside our head that tells us the difference between right and wrong – is really the voice of God holding us accountable. We know when we haven’t made the effort, because that little voice admonishes us.===JACK:  The ultimate accountability is when we stand before God's judgment seat and we find out that our works have not been enough...that we have to rely on the mercy (grace) of God.  I can't do enough.  There's a song..."My God and I."  God is my partner.  

FROM ST PAUL IN ST PAUL:  a very good one today,  Jack.  thanks!===JACK:  IMO, a good one fits my needs and causes me to think positively.

FROM GOOD DEBT JON:  You can't pursue a credible future while dragging the past.  No part of your past is more dangerous to your health than unforgiveness or constant prejudging of others' motives. ===JACK:  Yes, it's not good to rely too much on the past...but, since "the past" is responsible for much of who we are today, we can accent the positive and e-lim-i-nate the negative and move on to be a better person.===JON:  Agreed, as I recall in GDBD, I wrote, “Use the past as a reference library, not a place to dwell.  Draggin, around a carpetbag of old grievances, makes life very diffi===JACK:  I like the carpetbag visual.

FROM BLAZING OAKS:  Which is one of the reasons I would never vote for Trump!!!  He's amoral, a bully, ignorant in handling relationships and working with stafF, etc etc etc.  Never has said, I'm sorry, I  was wrong...:-( !!===JACK:  What would cause you to forgive him?===OAKS:   Certainly nothing he's done so far...although his life doesn't personally impact mine. He just appalls and offends me...daily ! ===JACK:  Not to denigrate what you've written, but WWJD?

 

Jack’s Winning Words 10/15/20 “The least I can do is speak out for those who cannot speak for themselves.”  (Jane Goodall)  Chimps do have voices that most of us don’t understand, but Jane does and has given her life to speaking up on their behalf.  There are people who, for some reason, can’t speak for themselves and are being taken advantage of.  Let’s be thankful for the “Jane Goodalls” who speak for them.     Call these “Janes,” do gooders, but I think that world is better off because of them.  ;-)  Jack FROM SF:  We just watched a Netflix documentary called “Crip Camp”. I think that you and Joan will really appreciate it. It’s about a group of handicapped kids who go to summer camp each year and eventually become activists for the passage of Section 504 of the ADA. It is an amazing story. Sad that it took so long to pass and that it required such a strenuous journey. Inspiring people who found their collective voice and used it for good.===JACK:  Some people think that Jane is nuts, that people who care about the voiceless are quacks.  IMO, the world is a better place because of them.  FROM OUTHOUSE JUDY:  Does that include the unborn babies?===JACK:  That's an interesting question and deserves more than a YES or NO answer.  Good people are Pro-Life and good people are Pro-Choices.  Does one group have the right to choose that which affects the whole group?  The issue involves religious views, medical views and should "a questionable" law be passed that affects all?  I know that I've been dancing around the issue, but I do so, because there seems to be no clear-cut solution.  I'm satisfied to let those who want to avoid abortion do so (Let Catholic Hospitals refuse to perform the procedure).  Roe v. Wade is contentious.  Repealing that law would be contentious, too.  In a land of free speech, let religious groups and all persons express their views.  Speaking for the unborn is something some do, but others do not consider that to be the issue. ===OJ:   I truly can’t imagine anyone...especially Christians, can condone abortion at birth. It’s unimaginable!  Abortion is an abomination at anytime but this late term abortion is just plain murder.  I know of three couples who would take any of these babies.===JACK:  That's one of the issues that is open for ethical discussion.  Not all Pro-Choice believe it's black & white...where to draw the line...but most P-Cs believe that it is not something to be decided by a group of politicians.===[OJ:  It had been decided but not by politicians.  But by the Word of God===JACK:  But, the Bible is the book of the Christians and Jews, just part of America.  BTW< speaking for the voiceless, how about those who choose to be vegan?  I have grandchildren who are vegetarian/vegan for that very reason.   FROM BLAZING OAKS:  iF IT WAS CRAZIER THAN NOW, I WASN'T AWARE!! THE WHOLE WORLD IS A MESS!!! :-(===JACK:  Think back....to the 60s...Viet Nam protests...Kent State...the assassinations of Jack and Bobby Kennedy and MLK Jr. and you saw what happened during peaceful protest.  I guess sometimes the tummy ache we have NOW seems more painful that the toothache we had years ago.  ...just some rambling as I think back.===OAKS:  i GUESS i WAS TOO BUSY RAISING A FAMILY AND DOING MY CHURCH WORK TO DWELL ON THESE THINGS, BUT OF COURSE WE MARCHED FOR AND WITH /DR. KING, AND I ILL NEVER FORGET JACK KENNEDY'S ASSASINATION...i WAS IN THE DENTIST'S CHAIR (HE BELONGED TO OUR DIXON CHURCH, AND WAS NOT A FAN OFKENNEDY,) SO I WAS DEVASTATED, and HIS COMMENT WAS, "WELL THAT'S NOT THE WAY TO DO THINGS IN AMERICA" BUT HE'S NO BIG LOSS, IN MY OPINION! "   NOW THAT I KNOW ALL THE IMMORAL THINGS THAT WENT ON DURING HIS ADMINISTRATION, WITH AFFAIRS, ETC. HE DOESN'T HOLD SUCH A HIGH REGARD  IN MY OPINION!===JACK:  I was referring to "the state of the country then, as compared to now.  Today is not necessarily the worst.  The Great Depression and WW 2 days, in their own way, were worse than today...or just as bad....and, with regard to affairs, Donald probably could teach Jack a few things.

 Jack’s Winning Words 10/14/20

“Personally, I’m always ready to learn, although I do not like being taught.”  (Churchill)  One of my favorite NPR programs is Ask Dr Science, who states “I’m not a real doctor, but I have a Master’s Degree in Science”.  In a humorous way, I’ve learned about kidney stones, celiac disease and vaccines.  Usually, we enjoy learning when the teaching is enjoyable.  Did you ever have a “fun” teacher?  ;-)  Jack

FROM GOOD DEBT JON:  Yes, in my MBA program (2008) Niccole Chandler Hyatt Ph.D. she was finishing her Ph.D. and now is encouraging me still. Good people are good people across the spectrum of life.  She moved to Savannah but we still zoom. She's sort of a unofficial mentor for me in my Ph.D studies now. We catch up by Zoom video.   I had several fantastic grade school teachers along the way too.===JACK:  Thanks for mentors who challenge us to keep on learning.  "The pandemic" has introduced me to Zoom (speakers for our Optimist Club - church services - Saturday chat each week with two close friends - family gathering from multiple states.  While Google isn't the best and most accurate, it helps satisfy my curiosity.  

FROM LBP:  I’ve had engaging teachers over the years. Now I try to be one of them. My latest thought experiment is how to bring what I’ve learned about teaching to adult learners into the area of faith formation.===JACK:  I read someplace that "Faith is caught, not taught."  I loved teaching confirmation classed, but I'd do it differently today. 

FROM FACEBOOK LIZ:  i loathed school...===JACK:  I'm sorry to hear that.  You must have gone to the same school as Churchill.===LIZ:  i think we both were prolly bored to tears bc it did not interest us, nor did it move along at our pace.  i went to private school mostly, which was waaay better than public. i liked the people and the architecture... st katharine’s in dport, graduated from the villa. ===JACK:  I think that it's the teacher, rather than the school, that makes being taught, fun.  Were your teachers mostly nuns?  I know of children who went to 1-room schools...enjoyed it and got a great education.  I seem to remember that you got a great education at home, too.===LIZ:  st katharine’s was episcopal, but not when i went there. there were episcopal nuns in my mother’s day. the villa had nuns... mostly very kind souls. i did not like that the catholic girls made fun of them.   school felt like jail... boring, LET ME OUT!===JACK:  I was a clock watcher.

FROM ST PAUL IN ST PAUL:  Dr. Roy Harrisville at Luther Seminary was a hoot!   Taught N T theology... ===JACK:  G. Everett Arden would dramatically act out Biblical stories...Like Abraham and Isaac and the altar.  "Dad, where's the lamb for the sacrifice?  Why are you looking at me that way?  What?  You want me to climb on those rocks?"

FROM WILLMAR REV:  Good question? One to ponder. More so when back in the classrooms of earlier years. ===JACK:  What was your hardest class in school?  Mine was math.===REV:  High School-- Geometry!! I even dropped it. Being from Kansas and dealing only in square dimensions, I couldn't get in my head how that course could help me? ===JACK:  Farm boys have to know how to figure out bushels per acre...or something like that.

FROM SHOP TEACHER DAN:  I always tried to make learning fun. Dan===JACK:  I spent many hours in "shop," most of them in the drafting room.  In fact, after graduation that was the direction I was headed until I got the call to become a pastor.  In shop I liked woodworking best and often thought that I would like to have a lathe.  Machine shop was OK, but not a favorite.===DAN:  That is the reason I became a drafting teacher. One of my students Mike McCoy loved wood shop.  He started his on business Coy Construction ===JACK:  At times the twists and turns of life are fascinating.  It's almost as though God is there pulling the strings.

FROM TAMPA SHIRL:  I love to learn and I love being taught!===JACK:  What Life-Long Learning classes have you taken lately....or what ones were especially interesting to you?

 Jack’s Winning Words 10/13/20

“Running Cross Country is the closest man will ever get to flying.”  (Joseph Vanderstel)  Olympic running champion, Paavo Nurmi, was called “The Flying Finn,” so I guess x-country is close to flying.  During the Civil Rights Movement of the 60s, Malcom Boyd wrote a book of prayers, “Are You Running With Me, Jesus?”  As I “fly/race” through life, it’s a comfort to know that I have Jesus by my side.  If you ever feel that life is turning into a rat race, remember that you’re not running the race alone ;-)  Jack

FROM NORM'S BLOG:  The description of Boyd’s book of prayers describes the era in which he wrote it as the “turbulent 60’s”. Having lived through those turbulent times, I reflected upon the events that were taking place that warranted that label. There was the assignation of JFK and later his brother RFK, the whole hippie movement and the drug scene, the Viet Name War and the antiwar protesting as highlights of the nightly news. I guess it was a turbulent time. Perhaps the times that we are currently in will someday be called the turbulent 2020’s .It is comforting to know that as one runs/flies through life, they do not have to do it alone. Jesus is right there running with us. There are many time that I now look back upon and thank Jesus for saving my bacon by being there with me. At the time I may have just thought that it was a fortuitous coincidence that I was spared some calamity, but upon reflection I can see the hand of God in my life, keeping me safe in time of potential peril. Even in times when something bad did happen, I can recall the comfort that I was able to find in my faith. I was not alone. There is a well known poet, “Footprints in the Sand” by  Mary Stevenson that serves to illustrate the importance of running with Jesus in our lives. There will be many times in anyone’s life where they will need to be carried by Jesus through the hard times – were their faith will provide the only shelter in the storms.  Few of us are runners and even fewer are cross-country or distance runners, yet all of us have the ability to experience the exhilaration of flying that Vanderstel alluded to in his quote. Believe in Him. Run with Him.  Let your soul fly with Jesus.===JACK: While the pandemic and the current political situation seem to be "once in a lifetime," you speak of the 60s and the "once ion a lifetime" that hbappened then...are there more of these kinds of events in store for us?  Who knows?  What we do know is that we are not alone.  We run the course of life with a partner by our side.  O...I forgot the TV series, the Flying Nun.  But, that was mmake blieve.

FROM SHALOM JAN:  When I tire of the rat race, it also helps me to remember that I am not a rat.  I am a beloved child of God.  You are, too.  Thank you for Winning Words!===JACK:  Speaking of rats (not political), I remember a book...Who Stole My Cheese?  I'll be Googling back to see what it's about.  I have a curiosity that calls to be satisfied.  Have a good day.

FROM ME IN NEWPORT BEACH:  Nice.  Spoke w cousin Joanie Gennrich yesterday and we always remember you in the most positive of ways===JACK:  Have you ever heard the expression about coming from "good stock?"  You and Joanie come from good stock.  I think I know what that means, but I'm curious enough to look it up.

FROM BLAZING OAKS:  I loved that book...lost track of it years ago! :-(  Yes, it's a comfort to know our Lord is with us in this  crazy time!!!===JACK:  The 60s were a crazy time, too,,,maybe crazier.  Do you remember Kent State.  It was akso a time when DJT discovered that he had bone spurs.

FROM LBP:  Occasionally I dream that I have the ability to fly. In those dreams I usually discover I have an innate low G buoyancy and can float or bound about. How about you?===JACK:  In fact, I've had some weird dreams (Actually, I've recorded some of them in a notebook), but none of them have involved flying of any sort.

 Jack’s Winning Words 10/12/20

“Although we are in different boats, you in your boat and we in our canoe, we share the same river of life.”  (Chief Oren Lyons)  Lyons is a Red Power advocate for indigenous rights.  In this quote he points out that while we all have differences in size, shape, and color, we come from a common source.  I don’t expect an end to racial divide in my lifetime, but I appreciate the work of those who are trying to lessen the differences.  Are there friends of yours who float in a different boat?  ;-)  Jack 

FROM SF:  Yes, and I am having trouble reconciling a friendship with those who ascribe to values that I oppose and even find sickening. I have always believed that one’s beliefs define one’s values and character. So to support someone who is peddling hate, violence, greed, and divisiveness is contrary to someone I can call a friend. Those people are creating dangerous, even deadly rapids in my peaceful river. How do you handle this? Really struggling. ===JACK:  I don't know that my friends and I agree on every issue.  In fact, some of my best conversations with friends have been over issues.  I met a woman recently who was a Vikings fan and said (sternly) , "I could NEVER have married a Green Bay Packer fan!"  During this political season and the past four years....our personal value system has been tested.  I can understand moral and even immoral behavior, but amoral frightens me.  Narcissism is a personality quality that turns me off.  I choose friends carefully, and I hope that they do also.

FROM BB IN CHGO:  Very nice.  Episcopal writer Barbara Brown Taylor uses a similar illustration in her book Holy Envy about teaching “world religions”  to college students.  She says we may dip into the stream from both sides of the bank or into the ocean from different places but it’s the same Source/water.  She also mentions that Christianity (for her) is the place to which she always returns and calls home.  In her mind, exploring the beliefs and practices of other faiths has increased her own rather than diminishing or diluting her practice.  Hmmm.===JACK:  I've been reading Taylor's book and like it a lot.  I've always been one to think that God is bigger than the compartments we try to stuff Him into.  I happen to have chosen Christianity because of the circumstances of birth...and because, as an adult, it helps me to better "know" the "unknowable."

FROM PROUD MARY:  Thankful to have friends in all different styles of boats and floats.✌🏼❤️🏄🏽‍♀️🚣⛴⛵️🚤🛶===JACK:  ...and sometimes you're bold enough NOT to go with the flow.===PM:  or to rock the boat..===JACK:  I remember that it was fun to rock the boat and to hear the screams..

FROM NORM'S BLOG:  . It is easy to conjure up mental images of boats of all type, sizes and color floating or motoring along the vast river of life. One can even imagine clusters of people floating along on inner tubes (perhaps those are the retirees). But it's harder to imagine being swept along by the river with nothing, no canoe or boat, not even an inner tube; but, that is the fate of the homeless. They are still there, in the river that the rest of us are on, but with no support at all. Perhaps they are just floating on the surface or maybe frantically dog paddling to keep afloat.  There is a tendency to try to ignore those people, lumping them in with the debris that we may also see floating in the river; however, we really can’t ignore the fact that, “there but for the grace of God go I.” They are other human beings; members of our tribe of humans who need and deserve our help. We cannot sweep them under the rug or pretend that they are not there, in the river with us. There may not be room in your boat for another rider; but perhaps there is a spare life vest in your boat that you could toss to them to help. If you look, you may find that there are programs already in place in your area to provide some assistance and help to the homeless. If so, maybe you can volunteer in those programs or at least contribute to them.===JACK:  Whose boat is really the best boat.  It depends on different things.  Is it the safest?  Is it the one that provides the most fun, or the most relaxation.  Mainly, I want a river that takes me to a destination...place or expected experience.

FROM GOOD DEBT JON:  I have friends that float on driftwood or even homemade rafts.  The bigger our boats, the more we can help.  The size of our boat also is influenced by the countenance of the captain.  I like the Dali Lama’s admonition, “Be kind when possible, and it’s always possible.”  The boat is not constructed only by physical material but by everything we are.===JACK:  ...and sometimes hurricanes like come along and our boat can be battered.  But, you're right!  It's good to have a captain that you can trust.  The Dali is one.  There are others, too.  I like the story of Jesus and the disciples in a boat on the Sea of Galilee.  Suddenly a storm came up which frightened the disciples.  Jesus said, "Peace, be still!"  The storm stilled...or was it the fear of the disciples that was stilled.  Suffice to say....we are all in different boats floating in the same water.  I want a captain, whoever that might be, that knows his stuff. 

FROM WILLMAR REV:  The river is pretty saturated, especially here in America!! 0;-)===JACK:  Which boat has the right of way?   Are the rules determined by vote?

FROM NRUTHC:  Good morning, Jack:  I’ve just gotten used to “black lives matter” and you introduce me to Chief Oren Lyons, a Red Power advocate for indigenous rights.  Where did you learn about him? ===JACK:  I was looking for a quote for Indigenous People's Day (instead of using a typical Columbus Day quote) and came across this one by a contemporary "chief."  Typically we think about chiefs in the Wild West, forgetting that the Native Americans still exist.  As Americans, we should be "ashamed" of ourselves for the way we have treated the first Americans.  In fact, we should be ashamed of our racism of ANY kind.

FROM SMT:  This is the America I believe in...We can have differences and still be civil.===JACK:  That's the attitude I bel;eve in, too.   Out with all of the "phobias." 

FROM ST PAUL IN ST PAUL:  Those boats pretty well let it known who they feel has the right away. I’ve noted in recent years the vote doesn’t weigh in as deeply as in earlier years.!?.!? ===JACK:  In the movie, Caddyshack, I recall Rodney Dangerfield speeding in his yacht with horn blowing and causing chaos in the water.  His behavior sort of reminds me of the Leader of the Free World....In the movie, it was funny.  In real life, dangerous.