Jack’s Winning Words 2/26/21

“After silence, that which comes nearest to expressing the inexpressible is music.”  (Aldous Huxley)  I know the thought that Huxley is expressing, but the passing thought that comes to my mind is how Charlie Chaplin was able to use music in his silent movies…a talent for putting silence and music together.  Back to Aldous…  I’ve known him as a philosopher, but I didn’t know of his 7 Nobel nominations for literature.  He must have listened to lots of music.  What kinds of music do you like?  ;-)  Jack 

FROM BS ION ENGLAND:  I love all kinds of music from pop beginning with the Beatles up to the latest.  Classical particularly  Bach and Mozart.  Not Opera! But as I grow older,  choral music would be my desert island choice to take.  Music is playing all the time in this house.======JACK:  I love the sound of music playing in the background, especially,  soft jazz...or the Beat5les....or Mozart.

FROM INDY GENIE:  I like this quote. Music has always touched me emotionally. I like all kinds of music, especially music I can dance to. I had a good time playing those hymns on the organ at Shepherd of the Lakes!===JACK:  I never learned to dance, but on two occasions I tried...and looked like Snoopy when he dances.

 

Jack’s Winning Words 2/25/21

“I have no special talents.  I am only passionately curious.”  (Albert Einstein)  I’m curious.  Do you think that young Albert ever read a Curious George book?  I’ve read that Al’s growing up years were difficult, and that he overcame the complication.  Difficulties in life have a way of coming to each of us, and we have to handle them in our own way.  Curiosity seems to have helped Einstein…a willingness to wonder why and research it.  Try being extra curious today and see if it ends up making your day better.

FROM JU IN NC:  Your winning words have a way of stimulating my curiosity.  My pondering brought me to think of 2nd Timothy 3:7.  Ever learning but never coming to a knowledge of the truth.  Man has placed a robot on Mars, taken photographs of distant solar systems and walked on the bottom of the ocean.  Yet we still know only a fraction of the small organ between our ears. It is true that the discoveries we understand has come from that small organ but how much more we could understand if we connected the brain to our heart.  The knowledge gained is lost to those who have been used to explore these amazing discoveries if they failed to include the creator who knows all things.  A christian has the privilege of having the mind of Christ.  Wow! What wonders await our curiosity.===JACK:  "Who has known the mind of God?"  That verse in the Bible assures me that we will always face situations which have incomplete answers...so, we need to keep on searching....being curious.

FROM ST PAUL IN ST PAUL:  i sometimes wonder a lot about you, Jack:):):) ===JACK:  I sometimes wonder about myself.  I'm a complex person.  (Aren't we all?)===SP:  as the Good Book says,  "we are fearfully and wonderfully made".     (sometimes more fearful than wonderful!) 😀===JACK:  It depends on which mirror we look into.  I'd say to avoid the one at the carnival funhouse.  Those don't show the real you. ===SP: as the Good Book says,  "we are fearfully and wonderfully made".     (sometimes more fearful than wonderful!) 😀   thank goodness for that.  its the only time i ever have wavy hair!  

FROM BLAZING OAKS:  WOW! He had no special talents?!!  I could be Curious all my life, but not have the smarts to convert info. into world-changing theories and discoveries!! His whole life was somewhat chaotic and unstructured, but I"d say he had talents!!  I'm an avid reader  so I guess I am curious!~! ===JACK:  It's hard to imagine an Einstein being like the rest of us, or even a Biden, a Harris, or "land-sakes", a Trump.  As the saying goes, "They put their pants on, one leg at a time, just like the rest of us."

FROM FACEBOOK LIZ:  i loathed nearly every minute of school, unless i found it interesting. felt like 12 years of jail. kindergarten was fun.  but i have always ♥️ learning, and the internet at my fingertips on my iphone is a dream.  my mom was journalism major at iowa, worked at daily iowan. she subscribed to a variety of newspapers and mags. so i grew up in libertarian-minded, political household.  ===JACK:  Sometimes the best learning is done in a setting that isn't designed for learning.  My first Winning Words epitomized this..."Virtue is learned at mother's knee.  Vice is learned at other joints."  You are what you were.

FRTOM RS IN TEXAS:  Or, ask RFK said.... Some men see things as they are and ask, ""Why?"" I dream things that never were and ask, ""Why not?""  Sounds like something Al would have embraced.===JACK:  I would not like to play SCRABBLE with either one of them.

 

 Jack’s Winning Words 2/24/21

“It’s not what you know, but what you do with what you know.”  (Unknown)  This song. Swinging On A Star, comes to mind, and the line, “You can better than you are,” followed by the question, “or would you rather be a mule?”  Many people put down Liberal Education, knowing something about a lot of things.  I had my majors (philosophy/religion), but English, psychology, history, geology, sociology all helped me be a better pastor.  What studies have helped you to be a better person?  ;-)  

FROM WILLM,AR REV:  . a very unique book that puts a little ‘salt’ on all the others, called the B I B L E!”  0;-)===JACK:  :  Did you ever sing, The B I B L E, that's good enough for me?===REV:   Being a Sunday School and Vacation Bible School graduate, many times! 0;-) 

 

FROM ST PAUL IN ST PAUL':  i totally agree, Jack.   a good liberal arts education helped me in my ministry a thousand times over because i could talk to just about anyone about sooo many different topics.   btw, i think it was Sammy Davis, Jr. that first sang that song. taek care, ===JACK:  Just this morning my daughter Beth asked how Geology hellped me become a better  pastor.   told her that it helped me understand the earth andmn its creation...and the beginnings of the animals and humankind, people I would be working with.===SP:  my Mother told me many times that sooner or later i would use just about every bit of knowledge i had ever learned earlier in my life.  i think she was right.   Mom was a wise woman===JACK:  I wonder why three Wise Women didn't come to see Jesus?

FRFOM FACEBOOK LIZ:  my minor in economics, especially.  we need to return to trade schools, and to teaching basics like math, english, instead of making excuses for students as to why they aren’t learning.far too many people have no employable skills, much less $15/hr skills. we’re headed to more despair on this misguided path.===JACK:  I totally agree.  I know a young man who is learning operate all kinds of earth-moving machines.  Pretty soon he'll be getting his "journeyman's" license and will be able to get a good job.

 FROM NORM'S BLOG:  Do you know someone who is never happy with what they have and always searching for ways to get more? Maybe you know someone who claims to be searching to “find myself”, to find some purpose and meaning to their life. It is not unusual for the young to go through phases like that, to have many questions for which there are no apparent answers. This is usually a period of a lapse in faith that occurs between being a child and accepting and understanding your faith as an adult.  As a child you were told about Jesus and the love of God and you just embraced it, not questioning it, just accepting that love as you accepted the love of your parents. So called “child-like innocence” protected you from the doubts that would later creep into your mind.===JACK:  Isn't there a song, Love Is A Many Splendored Thing?  God's love is like that.

FROM JU IN NC:  Studying the Bible has been the best subject for me.  It has helped me study the most important subject, myself.  Geography has been very enjoyable,  I began an interest in it at the age of six.  Math, I must say, has been my least successful.  It was only a few years ago that I learned 2+2 is not 5.  Imagine my surprise when I discovered it really is 6.===JACK:  Math can be a problem, but so can "reading the Bible."   I find that's helpful to have a "good" commentary available to explain some of the stories.  The Bible is a book that is not always to be taken literally.  It can be a Great Book when you understand what it says.

FROM HONEST JOHN:  I think we received a first class education at Augie.    We had some great teachers....Holcomb, Naeseth, Celms, Erickson......===JACK:  Since I went to the same school, I have to agree.  Fine teachers help steer our thoughts and give us new ones.  Sometimes Liberal Arts colleges are looked down upon.  Not for me.  I learned things besides my philosophy major, like how to sing Swedish songs.

FROM LBP:  Gained some new knowledge recently. Flipped some mental models I was holding. Had to take a day to process the now what!? I will not say ignorance is bliss, but it certainly can become comfortable.  Was it the GI Joe tagline “knowing is half the battle”?===JACK:  I've found knowledge in crossword puzzles and in talking with people.===L:  Yes! It was a public service announcement series with GI Joe and crew from my childhood. ===JACK: Yay!  The memory bank is open for withdrawals.

FROM BLAZING OAKS:  Love that song! Jan's 4 girls used to sing that for programs, each taking a different animal! "But then if you hate to go to school,   you may grow up ;to be a MULE! Many of us prize knowledge on a broad scale...makes for interesting conversation with others! And if your are in the Ministry, you use every bit of talent and know-how, and liberal ed knowledge you have! So thankful to have been blessed with a good education. So many are denied the chance to really learn in a meaningful way!!===JACK:  Because of a college and seminary like Augie, I didn't grow up to be a mule....Maybe a "Smart A**"  A broad knowledge has been helpful in  many conversations.

FROM GUSTIE:  My Larks were singing that song last Spring when rehearsals were so abruptly suspended.  Wonder if we will ever get back together again.===JACK:  With your enthusiasm, I'm confident that the Larks will "fly" again.  Begin thinking about the music you will use. ===G:  Depending on the time of year we will use what we were working on last Spring when everything shut down.===JACK:  I'd like to be there to hear it.  

.  .  

 

 Jack’s Winning Words 2/23/21

“Optimism shouldn’t be seen as opposed to pessimism, but in conversation with it.  Your optimism will never be as powerful as it is in that exact moment when you want to give it up.”    (Amanda Gorman)  To me, the most impressive part of the Biden presidential inauguration was Gorman’s reading of her poem, The Hill We Climb.  22 years old – so poised.  We have a BIG hill to climb in this divided America.  I’m optimistic about the future of America because young people such as Amanda offer hope! 

 ;-) Jack

FROM FACEBOOK LIZ:  if all we ever talk about is race, we will never get past color, will we? no one has a bad deal in this country bc of race. there is ample opportunity, every conceivable program... when does personal responsibility enter into one’s life equation?  the democrats are perpetuating an “underclass” for political gain. trump had the highest minority employment ever. this is not about personality, it is about people’s lives... lots of lives were better for awhile there.

===JACK:  We can cease talking about racism when racism is over.  It showed itself in the recent Presidential election.  Confederate flags, Proud Boys, nooses aand the like were evident.  It would be nice if we could concentrate on equality, and we can when it exists.  Meanwhile...===LIZ:  some people are racists, since the beginning of time... do you think most people are racist? are all races racist? ===JACK:  some people are racists, since the beginning of time... do you think most people are racist? are all races racist?  some people are racists, since the beginning of time... ===JACK:  some people are racists, since the beginning of time... 

 FROM WILLMAR REV:  Interesting times, to say the least...time will tell...the stirring in the mixing bowl as begun with new and old called-for ingredients and the oven has been turned on...shouldn’t be too much longer for us all to taste the newly prepared Biden baked goods! 0;-)===JACK:  I'm wondering if there are any African-Americans in your community.  I  suppose that there are some Indigenous Americans.  Is there prejudice against them?  And, if so, how does your church react to this?===REV:  As mentioned previously, in our city of 20,000 residents we have a few thousand Somalis intergraded and working in our community . . . they have purchased a closed grade school and converted it into their Mosque . . .  before this, we had a few thousand Hispanics migrate from Texas to work the fields during the season, only to decide to stay here in Willmar year around as the benefits suited them better in Minnesota than in Texas . . . in my estimation, we just have a token amount of an African American population . . . there are few families who have adopted black children (a family adopting three in our AG Church) and who have grown up and married interactionally . . . not found as a problem in our area and are warmly welcomed within our community. 0;-) ===JACK:  Many Minnesota communities seem to have Somalians living in them.  The difference is not only color, but culture and religion, too.  I'm glad to know that yopur preaching has made a difference.

FROM SF IN FL:  Amanda is an amazing young woman. So bright and inspiring. ...JACK:  A recent cover story of TIME magazine shows that in this world it helps to be pretty and well-dressed.  But, upon reading the article, you will see that there is more to Amanda than meets the eye,

FROM JU IN NC:  Yesterday I joined you in your walk with Jesus by taking a bike ride with Him.  Enjoyed both of your company!   Pessimism is a glass sitting in the cabinet.  Optimism is the glass in hand filled to the brim.===JACK:  I'm trying to imagine Jesus riding on a bike.  How would He keep his robe from getting caught in the spokes?  ...or, maybe He was wearing shorts.  Can you imagine Jesus wearing shorts?

FROM ST PAUL IN ST PAUL:  she is a rather amazing person and she sure did a great job at Biden's inauguration.===JACK:  But what has she done for us lately?  I'm for more great things to come from Amanda...Not only her words, but her deeds.  I see her as a "comer."   

FFROM BB IN CHGO:    Amen!  I felt similarly that her recitation before the Superbowl was powerful and meaningful.  Did you enjoy the President’s eulogy/speech yesterday?  I thought it was poignant no matter that he’s spoken of the “empty chair” before.  Most of us have experienced that sense of missing someone deeply and I like that he is connecting to our basic humanity.===JACK:  It seems as though we might be turning a corner and reintroducing civility to our country.  It's about time!

FROM NANCY RUTH:  DO YOU HAVE A COPY OF HER POEM? IF SO, WILL YOU  PLEASE E-MAIL  A COPY OF IT TO ME.  THANKS.  HER THOUGHTS WERE RIGHT ON TARGET, AND DELIVERED WITH SUCH POISE AND GRACE I WANTED TO STAND UP AND SHOUT,   “HOORAY FOR OUR YOUTH!!!!  THE FUTURE IS IN GOOD HANDS!  BOO, TRUMPSTERS.  THEY CAN’T BEGIN TO COMPETEWITH THIS KIND OF QUALITY.  GOOD WW.===JACK:   The poem is rather long, but Google has a transcript of it...and even a recording her saying it as she did on Jan 20. 

FROM NORM'S BLOG:  Whether you are generally an optimistic person or a pessimist directly impacts your daily life. Someone probably already said this, but I’ll attribute t to myself here – “What you see depends upon how you look at things.”  It can be a dark and gloomy world for those trapped in an pessimistic outlook on life, just as it can be perpetually sunny and bright for the optimists of the world. I suspect that most walk right on that thin line between the two, sometimes seeing the dark side of things and sometimes the bright side. One can hope that the bright side wins out most of the time, such that you are seen by others as having a “sunny disposition”.===JACK:  I like that line...What you see depends upon how you look at things.  There was a place in the movie, "No Time For Sergeants where Andy Griffith looked at a woman officere, and could only see an officer.  It was not in his mind that a woman could be an officer.

Jack’s Winning Words 2/22/21

 “I think that there is a real art to walkabouts.”  (Kate Middleton)  I like the word, walkabout.  I also like related words like: sauntering, strolling, meandering and ambling.  There’s a sense of relaxation that goes with them.  I tend to think that most of us need less stress in our lives.  If you were to take a walkabout, where would that be?  I love walking down Lanigan Way and waving at the neighbors, or stopping for a brief chat.  What gives you relaxation?  ;-)  Jack

FROM WILLMAR REV:  ". . . sitting (others do the walking for me) in our local Walmart at the corner Subway for a couple of hours visiting with some of those of our city (20,000) and county (40,000), greeting, reminiscing, hugging occasionally and even praying for at times. There aren't too many places a pastor will find the folks coming to him!?!? 0;-) ===JACK:  I like the song, Brining In the Sheaves."  Both you and I have seen the need to go out to where the people are.  I rand door bells,  and you went to the mall...Both of us did walkabouts for Jesus.

FROM JU IN NC:  One of my favorite words is "ponder" .  I spend a lot of pondering about things. Lately I have been pondering about those folks who believe the covid 19 virus is a hoax.  If so, then everything connected to covid-19 must be a hoax.  If that is true would it not make sense for them to turn over their stimulus check to me?===JACK:  Half a million COVID deaths is no hoax.  Hoax and witch hunt are words that need to retired. ===JU: Another thing I pondered about recently was the dead tree in front of the house we are temporary staying in.  In spiite of its dead appearance, there must be some life in it. At least the spotted woodpecker thinks as much.   As he pounds away through the dead wood, I remind myself to be willing to pound through the dead wood in my life ever seeking the life of Christ vibrating within .===JACK:  This morning I've singing the song....I Want Jesus To Walk With Me..  You can get YouTube to play it for you.

FROM ST PAUL IN ST PAUL:  these little green pills called Valium.    (just kidding)    have a good week, Jack.===JACK:  Of course you're kidding, but all kidding aside, the opioid crisis is a real problem. 

FROM PASTY PAT:  I walk several miles on the West Bloomfield trail every morning in the spring, summer and fall. All of those “walking words” warm my heart. But despite my Finnish heritage, I really don’t like winter!===JACK:  So, that must mean no sauna and a jump in the snow for you.  I'll bet you've done it once or twice in your life.===PP:  Guilty as charged --- when I was MUCH younger!===JACK:  Guilty as charged --- when I was MUCH younger!

FROM YOGA GURU:  St. John's University has some fabulous trails! ===JACK:  Recently, I saw a man walking in a strange way.  I rolled down the car window and asked if he were doing the Monty Python Funny Walk.  He replied that he was just exercising.  Is that what you do on the trails?===YG:  I take lots of photos.  The trails are very friendly-  Joan could push you in a chair if she's willing. ===JACK:  Horses probably aren't allowed on the trails.  

FROM RS IN TEXAS:  I think a walk in the forest...where the only sounds are those of nature.  But not too far from the car!===JACK:  I suppose there's not much walking being done these days in icy Texas.  It must seem that you've been tansported back to Wisconsin where they really know what winter is all about.

FROM BLAZING OAKS:  Used to be a walk around the Golf course; now a "ride", and that only occasionally! 3 of my 4 kids are hikers and walkers, especially Sarah along Lake Michigan shores. So many beautiful places to stroll!! Mark and Lori used to frequent /State and Nat'l parks for hiking.  Good WW to contemplate!!===JACK:  Why don't the legs move as they used to?

FROM BB IN CHGO:  Great question; love Kate.  I think the Art Institute.  It is open again with a new exhibit featuring Bisa Butler – check her out.  I just asked Angelique to come for a visit so I have a buddy for the walkabout.===JACK:  The Art Institute....What a great place for a walkabout, especially with your daughter who was trained there.  The Zoo would be fun, too, for a second stroll.

FFROM JR IN ANDOVER:  Spazieren and Spaziergang are nice words, too, meaning taking a relaxing walk and the walk it self respectively.  Usually also means no destination is required===JACK:  I wish that I made better use of my half-German heritage.  I did learn to like German food.  Mmmmmm!  I should have learned more of the German language (You could have been my teacher)..

 

 

Jack’s Winning Words 2/19/21

“An ungrateful man is like a hog eating acorns under a tree, but never looking up to see where they come from,”  (Timothy Dexter)    Julie gave me a book, Leaves of Gold.  In it, I found today’s Dexter quote which made me smile.  Imagine a hog eating acorns under a tree… grunt! grunt!...unaware and not caring where this food came from.  I guess, at times, we are like that (eliminate the grunt part) that, forgetting the source of “acorns”.  It’s good to have a table prayer as a reminder, isn’t it?  ;-)  Jack

FROM HONEST JOHN:  I know I should not think so but it seems barbaric to me to get your food and then to just dig in without saying a word of thanks  ===JACK:  We use "Come, Lord Jesus, be our guest," or, "God is great, God is good."  If I were stilll in the business I might preach a sermon on table prayers.  I guess that's what I did today.

FROM ST PAUL IN ST PAUL:  good one, Jack.   sooo true too...===JACK:  I like acorn squash.  Does that count as acorns?===SP:    i don't think so but it's a lot easier on our teeth!===JACK: Did you know that the seeds from squash and pumpkins can be saved, dried and roasted?  They taste deeelishious!

          

ROM NORM'S BLOG: How easy it is to be like the unthinking hog in Freed’s quote. Even worse than that, how foolish it is for man to ascribe what he has to his own efforts. As bad as it is to say to oneself, “I found the tree and gathered the nuts, so my success is of my own doing”; man takes the next step and cuts down the tree for it’s wood and then wonders why he no longer has the acorns to eat that it provided. At least the hog did not cut down the tre.===JACK:  Le's try to avoid doing foolish things today!

 

Jack’s Winning Words  2/18/21

“Be a light, not a judge.  Be a model, not a critic.  Be a part of the solution, not the problem.”  (Stephen Covey)  Covey is known as “the management expert!”  His writings are meant to teach us how to be more effective in what we do.  “How Parents Around The World Are Inspiring Greatness In One Child At A Time,” is one of his popular books.  Stephen wants to help his readers to have a part in making this a better world.  So, hide your judging and criticism under a bushel!  ;-)  Jack

FROM LG:  Love this! Have a great day, Jack!===JACK:  It's good to hear from you again.  It's been a long time since we've had a face to face.  I'm glad that you like this WW.  Have  a great day!

FROM TRIHARDER:  If I'm the first in those pairings, I hope I can be the second, as well.===JACK:  Did you ever think of running for the bench?  I think that you'd be a good judge.  You're a good critic, too..in the best sense of the word.===TH:  

Thought about it. Difficult name to push invite of the Irish surnames that are so popular in Oakland County. Maybe if I moved yo Hamtramck===JACK:  You would make a good judge,... knowledgeable and fair.  Oakland County is changing.  Without Brooks, the GOP is struggling.

===TH:  Thank you. I have several friends who are/were judges. One was very full of herself. The others were very humble.===JACK:  Bernie F and Denise L M are friends of mine.

FROM SF IN FL:  We relied on his work in teaching. I learned a lot in ‘The 8th Habit’ as well. Have you read it?===JACK:  Covey's is usually well done.  I have not read "The Habit."  It sounds interesting.===SF:  I actually found myself in The 8th Habit. (The ‘Transition person’)===SF:  I actually found myself in The 8th Habit. (The ‘Transition person’)===JACK:  I think, in a sense, that we are all in transition...each day is different...or, as the song goes, "This world is not my own.  We're just-a passing through."  I'm going to look up the rest of Covey's Habits.  (pause)  I'm back.  I like the Habit of putting first things first...but all of the habits he lists are good.

 FROM RS IN SA:  Love this!!   Thank you, dear Jack.  I so look forward to my WW from Jack===JACK:  Virtual Bible Study was not the same without you.  But, it was without us, too.  The internet connection for us went down shortly sfter the start.  Look forward to seeing you next week.

FROM EILEEN:  so true-I try to be every work day===JACK:  Did I hear you right?  Winning Words helps you at work?  That makes me feel good.  

FROM BLAZING OAKS:  He sounds like he has something profound to share!  I'll have to borrow some of his books at the library for more wisdom! I think most of us want to be a light in the world, God helping us!  In these troubled times, it seems especially urgent! Thanks for WW today!===JACK:  YOU are light to many people...in the Church, in your family, among your many friends.  You are the epitome of "This little light of mine, I'm going to let it shine!"===OAKS:  Thank you, that means a lot. I hope that is true; I get a LOT of gratitude from my immediate family!!  And often from former parishioners, which is a perk in my old age!===JACK:  As the saying goes, "Age is just a number." I'm older than you and feel productive and happy each day.  It's a state of mind.  When does your golf season start? 

FROM THE SHARK:  Amen to that!===JACK:  This world needs more light, and more positive thoughts.

FROM MD IN BSFL:   I find myself surfing the news looking for bad stuff on Biden, Pelosi,  Cuomo Schumer, etal. This is frightening.  How on earth do I benefit from this. Meanness and ugliness now dominate my perspective. Am I a sample or a bad example?-===JACK:  I look for the good news.  More and more people are being vaccinated.  Covid numbers are going down.  I feel safe, having gotten my first shot anf scheduled for my second.  Life is good.  Less news about the former President...as it usually is after an election.  I belong to the Optimist Club, whose Creed begin: "Promise yourself to be so strong that nothing will disturb your peace of mind."  I'll check to see if there's a club in your area. ===MD:   Thanks for the Optimism as we sit here doing our 2nd covid shot. ===JACK:  I give thanks for the scientists who are able to figure things out to make us safer.  I give thanks for CPAs, too, who help us figure out taxes.

FRO THE FISH IN NOVA SCOTIA:  Madison said...’without virtue in the people, no form of government can secure liberty’. King said, “Nobody exemplifies that more than a disciplined Freedom Rider looking at someone who’s about to hit him in the face, and saying, ‘we may not make a connection, but our children will, because of what we’re doing here today.”  —from “The American Story: Discussions with Historians”, by David M.Rubenstein.===JACK:  That's something I've never read before.  Thanks for sending.

 

Jack’s Winning Words 2/17/21  Ash Wednesday

“Remember that you are dust and to dust you shall return.”  (Genesis 3:19)  The human body is amazing, made up of countless atoms and electrons held together by some nuclear force, not to mention quarks and gluons.  If “the force” were to stop, we’d be a pile of dust.  That’s what we’re reminded of on Ash Wednesday when ashes are placed on the head of a worshipper, with the reminder that God has created us from “dust” and “to dust” we shall return.  Life is temporary; God wants us to make the best of it.  ;-)  Jack

FROM BLAZING OAKS:  Doesn't seem possible that it's already Ash Wednesday this year! I just read a verified account of a 3 yr. old boy who remembered a previous life in israel/Syria...details were striking. I've read several other such stories of children recalling previous lives...so it appears we do live "somewhere" after our spirits leave our bodies! Interesting to contemplate, especially at our age! I still prefer to think of Jesus preparing a place for us where He is.... ===JACK:   The Eastern religions have that idea of a never-ending spirit coming back in different bodies.  I prefer "one and done."  I don't suppose that the Baptist Church does an "ashes" service.===OAKS:  Yes we do on Ash Wednesday our prayer service included the ashes on the forehead in the signal of a cross. But I don't believe all Baptist churches do that! Of course right now I am not affiliated with any church, due to our church closing.

 

Jack’s Winning Words 2/16/21

“Don’t give what you think they want.  Give them what they never thought was possible.”  (Orson Welles)  Why do over 100 million people watch the NFL Super Bowl?  Many of them do so to watch the ads.  Coca-Cola usually has good ones.  Budweiser, one of the most popular, did not appear this year.  Instead, the company gave its ad money to a COVID Vaccination Awareness program.  “Bud” did the improbable, giving away ad money to support an eleemosynary cause.  ;-)  Jack 

FROM EDUCATOR PAUL:  Ok!!!! You made me look up eleemosynary! ===JACK:  Success!  😂

FROM FACEBOOK LIZ:  viewership was the lowest since 2007. people don’t want what the nfl is giving them.===JACK:  Times change, don't they?  Even churches have to adjust to change as do restaurants, bars, schools, malls and sports. ===LIZ:  at first i thought “what a typo”.  but, knowing you, i looked up “eleemosanary.”;;;JACK:  It's fun to have fun, isn't it?...and to learn something, too?

FROM WILLMAR REV:  "Bud was Weiser!!" 0;-) ===JACK:  You were weiser when you chose church work  over being a pro bowler.  I'm that there were many "Buds" consumed at the "alleys."

FROM RVB IN WB:  You are always teaching ..."eleemosynary"===JACK:  I appreciate the eleemosynary work that you do...so well! 

FROM LUCIE:  I had to look up eleemosynary  ;-)  Thanks for sharing a new word!===JACK:  It's a word I learned in seminary.  I like the sound of it when you learn how to pronounce it.   Try it now!  ee-lee-MOS-ih--narry. 

FROM JU IN NC:    Thanks Jack!  We could all use some clarity on charity. ===JACK:  Very clever.  You always seem to add something that make Winning Words winninger.

FROM ST PAUL IN ST PAUL:  did you ever use that eleemosynary  word in a sermon?===JACK:  I never could pronounce it...until I looked it up today...so, it was not a sermon word.===SP:  your audience would either be impressed or turned off:):):)===JACK:  How can you tell if they're turned off?  Oh, that's right!  You've never had a "turned off" audience.===SP:  you can tell if the offering plate comes back empty:):):)  ===JACK:  Does the fact that 3 of my former churches have closed say something?===SP:  are you serious??   what the %$#$#$%%  are we doing wrong as Lutherans!   we are  pretty good at doing the Great Commandment (love) but we are really crappy at doing the Great Commission (evangelism).   really kind of sad.   is Holy Spirit still up and running?      and does their closing make you feel kind of sad??    also, i know the former SLLC has surely struggled too. ===JACK:  Each closing has "a story<" and there comes a time...for humans and for churches, too.  The two congregations that I started from "scratch" are still in business .===SP:  wow,  how many parishes did you serve in your illustrious career? ===JACK:  Not that many.  I served a 3-point parish as my first call.  3 sermons each Sunday (lots of driving); 3 church council; 3 youth groups; 6 ladies aids; 3 an nual meeting; 3 confirmation classes...etc.  It was a great learning experience.  All 3 churches closed (not because of me, but because of extenuating circumstances).  Next I started a church in a suburb of Chicago.  I then moved to start the church in WB, Michigan, which is not observing it's 50th anniversary.  I retired in 1992, and began my Winning Words ministry at that time.  

 

FROM FACEBOOK LIZ:   you teach me a lot of good stuff!===JACK:  I want to be a teacher as well as a preacher  I enjoy what I do.===LIZ:  sadly, corrupt govt is a constant thru the ages, and has gotten a toehold here for the time being... but people are witnessing it firsthand, and that is the best teacher. so there are many silver linings to the madness.===JACK:  It is what it is.  We change what we can, and we adapt if we can't.

FROM BLAZING OAKS:  I surmise you made most  of us go to the dictionary this morning! :-) I watch the Superbowl because I love the game; when ads come on I'm apt to turn to my crossword, or book; Guess I miss some fun! Bully for Budweiser for their charity; I'm sure it did more good than Beer ads would! ===JACK:  "Bud", by giving to charity, really was "giving" an ad.  But, that's OK by me.  As for the crossword puzzle, many people tune in to the S B, just for the ads.  Since you missed it, "Old" Tom Brady (from Michigan) did a super job as QB this year ===OAKS:   It'd be interesting to know I I would have become so interested in Football, had I not married an outstanding Football player, and subsequently had 3 sons playing the sport with honors. Tho they were also wrestlers, and I am not addicted to watching wrestling!===JACK: 

FROM ER IN SKO:  Thank you for enlightening me twice. I have never heard or come across that choice eleemosynary word. I also wasn't aware of Budweiser's good deed. Kudos to Budweiser!===JACK:  Evidently someone at "Bud" knew the word, or the spirit of the word.

  

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Jack’s Winning Words 2/15/21

“Lord, grant that I may always be right, for Thou knowest that I am hard to turn.”  (Old Scottish-Irish Prayer)  Jerry Welch, stock market writer, has this quote taped to his computer…a reminder that “I’m as stubborn as a mule.”  I’m stubborn, too, but facts have led me to change my mind.  This world would be a nicer place if more people were less mulish and more willing  to co-operate with one another.  That goes for gov’t, business, church and the home.  Thanks, Joanne, for this quote.  ;-)  Jack

FROM SHALOM JAN:  Whoa!  I needed this one, that's for sure!  Thank you, Jack.===JACK:  Like with sermons...some hit home, and some are just words.  Have a good rest of the day!

FROM QUILTING CAROL:  Oh, this is so true!  Wish we could listen to each other, respect each other’s views/opinions and learn to be less of an I, ME, MY world!===JACK:  I always saw you as a "listening" person and not so as a person who says, "listen to me."  Having said that, I think that we each are mulish at times.  I know that I am.===CAROL: Oh, I can be stuck in my ways too at times, but I sure hope I can ‘listen’ more than be stubborn.===JACK:  I wonder what Bob has to say about that?

  

FROM BLAZING OAKS:  We've all known a few people who were "hard to turn", but probably don't recognize it in ourselves! I've had to compromise many times in dealing with family and parishioners in order to cooperate for a peaceful resolution.  It IS the best wayl!===JACK:  Compromise is "calming", but, then, there are times when we must stand up for what we believe...regardless.  Life can be complicated.

FROM JU IN NC:  While growing up in Northern Minnesota, the winter's could be brutal.  My Mother taught school 5 miles from our farm.  We owned a 1951 Studebaker, without, of course, automatic steering.  As a result the steering wheel would get so stubborn that I watched both Dad and Mom, going down the driveway twisting the wheel as hard as they could to stay on the road.  In my stubborn moments, thank goodness for the times some other caring person is willing to help steer me straight.===JACK:  I remember how, in the cold winter,  the car's motor would grind and grind before starting...and how frustrated I'd become when it wouldn't kick over.

FROM SG IN FL:  Hi, Pastor Freed, this reminds me of the time when my children were in confirmation class, and they didn’t have much time after school before they had to run that class, and they were starving. I suggested we provide pizza, and you said it wouldn’t work. But, you let us try it and it was a success.  Thanks for letting us try!  You’re not as stubborn as you think, LOL!===JACK:  Ha Ha  If I were to have a "do-over" I'd be less strict with my confirmation classes, but I have many good memories of the kids I've confirmed (including yours).  I will say that teaching confirmation classes was probably the best experience on my ministry.  Preaching sermons comes in as a close second.  In fact, I totally enjoy being a pastor.

FROM RITZY FITZY:    I enjoyed Monday’s Winning Words.  Reminds me of “I know I’m right, your facts won’t be changing my mind”===JACK:  Boy!  When we KNOW we're right, it hard to change our mind...even with the facts.

 

FROM NORM'S BLOG:  We use such euphemistic phrases and terms as “set in their ways”, "stubborn as a mule" or maybe bullheaded to describe those who refuse to change their minds, especially about things that we know (or think we know) they are wrong about. Do you know some people like that? Are you like that?===JACK:  I've been in situations where "holding your ground" was the right thing to do.  I have to admit that I've been wrong a few times, too.  I guess that's the story each of us can tell.

 

Jack’s Winning Words 2/12/21

“The heart should be cultivated with more assiduity than the head.”  (Noah Webster)  I had to go to Noah’s “book” to discover the meaning of assiduity.  Now, I see how that word can fit into a quote for Valentine’s Day (this Sunday).  Someone said that when you fall in love, you should do it “head first.”   No one has been able to figure out (really) how love works.  Both head and heart need to be involved.  What’s been your experience with love, currently or in the past?  ;-)  Jack

FROM BS IN ENGLAND:  I would say that one should think with the head when falling in love, but really it is the heart that wins.  That is what I  think when falling in love twice  (  so far ) in my life.  Happy St Valentine's  Day ❤===JACK:  I'm wondering if Valentine's Day is a BIG DEAL in England, with candy and flowers and cards?  My experience is that most people fall in love "eyes first."  Later on, it"s..."I should have used my head."

===BS:  Absolutely!  We have in Norfolk Jack Valentine who knocks on a neighbours door, leaves a small gift and runs away before the occupant answers. Great fun when we were children!   Flowers, chocolates and cards are given to your true love.  Our team rector has dedicated his service to love 💘  and will film from my church All Saints Shipdham and All Saints Swanton Morley as he says we have no church  that is named St Valentine in the benifice.  You should be able to see the service anytime on this Sunday on U Tube===JACK:  Hey!  Jack Valentine sounds like a good idea.  I wonder why it has caught on in America.  Has Jack come to your door?===BS:  Probably  because our homes are close together. I'm  hoping Jack Valentine will grace my doorstep tomorrow.❤===JACK:  That's what makes the day so exciting.  You never know. 

FROM WILLMAR REV:  Head and heart, for sure.===JACK:  There's a saying..."Love at first sight."  Is that the way it was for you?  ...and how about your wife?  What attracted you to her?  Your good looks?  Or, because you were a pastor?===REV:  My last year at Bible College and she transferred in from an AG church campus there in the Detroit  area that offered a two-year program of Bible courses that would transfer to one of our 4-year campuses. Fran is two years older than I am and being my last year, she caught my attention right away since I thought I’d better settle into perhaps funding a wife and dear friend before graduating. Fifty years later we are still at it!! 0;-)===JACK:  Yes, indeed.  She is a fine lady.  I didn't know that story.  God works in mysterious ways, His wonders to perform.  I hope that when we come to Willmar, we will have a chance to meet her.

FROM THE SHARK:   Tina Turner said, What's love got to do with it? "===JACK:   I like Tina and that song.  I think that I'll YouTube it right now.

FROM SHARIN' SHARON:  I also had to look up "assiduity".  Googled it and it does fit my understanding of love, particularly eros, romantic love.  Falling into it "head first" is exactly right.  Though it seems to have no rhyme or reason and one can't plan for it--in my personal experience anyway--as my life has unrolled, I believe I can see the pattern, that the plan is put into place by God and all that happens to a person, in my case me, are only events and experiences that support, keep viable, and maintain that first vow to another person, in my case Jerry, in the Presence of God. ===JACK:  ===JACK:  I wonder if God has time to intervene when it comes to our "love" choices.  Maybe He leaves us to be on our own.

FROM  PROUD MARY:  Love is all you need. It is the most challenging and rewarding aspect of existence.✌🏼❤️🥰===JACK:  Isn't part of the Mary Tyler Moore theme song?  Whether or nopt, it's a good comment.

FROM ST PAUL IN ST PAUL:   are you sure the word is not acidity?? 😀 ===JACK:  You choose your kind of love, and I'll choose mine.  

 

Jack’s Winning Words 2/11/21

“If you know what to do, why don’t you do it?”  (Earl Nightengale)  Nightengale was a motivational writer and speaker in my formative years.  My interest in “positive thinking” was, influenced by him.  The “You can do it!” has helped me in my work and in life, in general.  How about you.  Is your glass half-empty or is it half-full?  Perhaps you can look around you and see something that needs doing.  You know what needs to be done.  Earl says, “Why not do it?  ;-)  Jack

FROM SALOON SUZY:  It that free will and self control! Working on it🙏 ===JACK:  That's the secret....To keep working at it!

FROM ST PAUL IN ST PAUL:  i also recall Earl N.   did he have a short radio program in Detroit in the 1960s or 70s?    i can still hear his voice in my head.    btw,  my glass is 1/3 full.   what does that mean:):):)??  maybe it means i drank too much!===JACK:  Yes, I think that Earl had a 15 minute radio program during which he gave upbeat messages.  I made it a point to listen to him.  Today he's been replaced by commentators, such as Rush Limbaugh.

FROM SHALOM JAN:  There often is a difference between knowing what needs doing and knowing what to do.  For example, I know there need to be  suits filed on behalf of prisoners illegally condemned; but, I am not a lawyer so I don't know what to do to seek the release of illegitimately held prisoners.  Or, what can I do to seek the parents of Central American children held at the US border? I agree, however, that good thoughts need to be followed by good action, if possible.  ===JACK:  One of my daughter's friends (single) adopted a Guatemalan baby (with the mother's permission) and raised her as her own.  She is now in college...a life that she might never have had in her homeland.  Good or bad?  Kowing the situation, I see nothing but good.  

FROM WILLMAR REV:  Good thought to ponder a bit . . . challenged often walking into the church from the parking lot and discovering a coke cup or bottle laying on the ground over by the bushes at the front door and saying to myself that I should go over and pick that up (sometimes, yes, sometimes, no . . . then too there is the other side-- “Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won’t you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money [time and talent] to complete it?" (Luke 14:28) I can remember a pastor I worked for who would say at times, "We pay you a higher rate of money when finding me spending time doing things others are paid less to do?!" 0;-)===JACK:  One thing about the ministry...Sometimes I think that we're overpaid (we should be good for nothing).  And then there times that I think that ministers are overpaid.  My home pastor never asked for a raise, quoting: "The laborer is worthy of his hire."  I remember a pastor saying at a finance  meeting that he could not go home without a raise, because his wife would be mad at him.  Not good!===REV:  I've practiced the faith position of never asking for a raise . . . with the 50-year mark fast approaching, I can't say it has been a mistake to do so . . . "good for nothing"-- I like that one!! 0;-)===JACK:  Following  my home pastor's example, I have never asked for a raise.  Thjere have been "tight" times, but the Lord saw us through.

===REV:   We both stand today truly blessed by our Creator!! 0;-) 

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 Jack’s Winning Words 2/10/21

“The only mistake is the one from which we learn nothing.”  (John Powell)  Written errors can be eliminated by erasers.  But, how do you get rid of life mistakes?  At  times they linger, and you just have to learn to live with them…and living with them can sometimes mean learning from them.  A
 couple whose relationship was “rocky” said that in the end the “bumps” were outweighed by “our commitment to each other.”  Instead of dwelling on our mistakes we can try to embrace them and actually learn from them.    ;-)  Jack

FROM JU IN NC:  

Several years ago a tornado. Swept through my Kansas  community. While driving through an affected neighborhood I observed a gentleman showing his damaged property littered with tree limbs and other items, to another person. Somewhat expressively, may I add.  A few weeks later a home repair van sat parked in front of his neighbors house.  The sound of hammers eminating from inside.  Tree limbs and trash remaining in the other property.  After we experience a setback are we content to spend our days living in leftover debris, or do we call for "home repair"?===JACK:  There could be extenuating circumstances, but, in reality, sometimes we are content to let things go instead of doing the thing that needs doing.