Jack’s Winning Words 3/30/21

“Be always restless, unsatisfied, unconforming. Whenever a habit becomes convenient, SMASH IT!”  (Nikos Kazantzakis)  Nikos is probably best known for writing, “The Last Temptation of Christ.”  He had a “Smashing” style of writing.  In “The Last Temptation” his screenplay has Jesus coming down from the cross, marrying Mary Magdalene, and becoming a builder of crosses for the Romans. Evangelist Bill Bright is said to have purchased the negatives for the film in order to have them destroyed.  That’s one way to SMASH what you don’t like.  BTW, have you seen The Last Temptation?  What did you think of it?  ;-)  Jack

FROM BB IN CHGO:  Hmmm. I’ve never seen the Last Temptation.  I never had a real interest or knew the premise.  All I can say on the Bill Bright is that you cannot destroy art; especially in this digital age.  Art lives on in the minds and hearts of those who’ve seen it and in the imaginations of those who have not. ===JACK:  Those who have walked the halls of the Chicago Art Institute know how difficult it is to destroy art. 

FROM BLAZING OAKS:  I did not see that, but it sounds as though it would have been very disturbing to committed Christians!  He certainly sounds very aggressive and bold!! I wonder if he was as anti-Christian as his words portray or was he truly rebellious?!===JACK:  SMASH IT!

FROM ST PAUL IN ST PAUL:  it was an excellent film and made for a great sermon illustration.    in the movie,  Jesus, played by Willem DaFoe, (i think) does not go to the cross, as you noted.     and the final scene of the movie is sooo poignant.    Jesus and his disciples are now old men sitting around a campfire and his disciples are ridiculing Jesus for forsaking his true calling in life and for avoiding the cross.  it was a powerful reminder for all Christians to stay the course and follow where Jesus would lead us.  any alternate path will ultimately be disappointing and perhaps even humiliating===JACK:  The actual crucifixion was probably more gross than The Last Temptation.===SP:  agreed.   altho i think Mel Gibson's version in his movie was overdone.  Gibson had crows eating out the eyes of the two robbers  and when they nailed Jesus to the cross while he was still laying on the ground,  they flipped the cross over and "pancaked" Jesus between the cross and the ground while they bent over the tips of the nails that had come all the way thru his hands and the wood.   the Romans would never do such a thing for two reasons:  one, it wasn't the nails that kept him on the cross but more likely ropes too  and secondly, the Romans re-used the nails so why bend the tips.  it would be so much harder to pull them back out of the wood cross beam.   

FROM QUILTING CAROL:  I have seen many remarkable nature photographs over the years but this photo of a nesting Falcon in an old tree is perhaps the most remarkable nature shot I've ever seen. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. Nature is truly breath-taking!T  Please send this to your older friends, since they will probably enjoy this shot.   The younger ones don’t seem to appreciate such photos these days and probably have never seen a falcon, anyway.  They probably wouldn't recognize it...which is such a shame!  http://i.imgur.com/YW6Fufm.jpg