Jack’s Winning Words 5/28/21

“If everything seems under control, you’re not driving fast enough.” (Mario Andretti)  Mario showed an interest in racing at age 2, using a pot lid for a steering wheel.  As a grown-up he raced real cars, winning both Formula One and Indy 500 championships (at over 200 mph).  I read that the first Indy 500 was won at a speed of 74.6 mph.  I could have competed in that one.  Unlike Mario, I like to have things under control.  However, Mario’s got a point….sometimes complacency sets in, and we need to push the accelerator of life a little harder to live life to its fullest. ;-)  Jack

FROM HONEST JOHN:  In debate, when we were crushing someone, we would get worried and work even harder....never know what is around the corner! ===JACK:  In life, it's that way, too.  We never know what's around the corner.  Have you had some surprises that have changed the direction of your life?

FROM ST PAUL IN ST PAUL:  this is a long story but when i was in high school in Livonia,  a neighbor of ours who was a ranking Ford employee invited me a Memorial Day  Indy 500 Race.   he was an engineer and he had a lot to do with the Ford Lotus that was racing that year.   the night before the race we were actually down in the Pits with all the cars and most of the drivers who were making last minute adjustments.   you could cut the tension with a knife.  i think A J Foyt won that year and Parnelli Jones was in the lead until he ran out of gas on the last two laps.  it was a very memorable weekend for me.  have a good weekend, Jack.  and remember to remember the fallen.===JACK:  I, too, had a one-time experience at the Indy 500.  Jim Nabors sang, "Back Home Again In Indiana."  That, with the release of thousands of balloons, was a thrill in and of itself.   David and I had pit passes from the Roger Penske Team.  The race was kind of boring, because the cars would zip by us and be gone as they circled the track.  Zip, and they were gone again.  The many campers parked outside of the track put on a show of their own.  Beer, beer...and more beer...and catcalls to the ladies passing by.  We did enjoy the experience.

FROM GUSTIE:  We went to some racing place West of Detroit where Clem even had tickets for the pit.  Mario was very young and he was racing.  I think Carol was 3 so that was a very long time ago.===JACK:  That was probably the Michighan International Speedway.  I once rode with a driver on that track.  We went over 100 mph, and that was mighty fast.  Race car drivers go over 220 mph.  Not for me!  

FROM BB IN CHGO:  Great quote.  Is control really something we value so highly?===JACK:  One of the problems that goes along with the aging process is the gradual giving up of being in control.

FROM JU IN NC:  I have encouraging news.  As I become older, I find I am getting stronger.  I used to need two hands to carry $90. Of groceries.  Now I need only one.  Happy Memorial Day===JACK:  Lots of things are different from the "good old days."  Growing up on the ranch would have been easier (but not as much fun) with inventions that we have today.  Running water and electricity are just two examples.

 

Jack’s Winning Words 5/27/21 “When I pray coincidences happen, and when I don’t, they don’t.”  (William Temple)  There are stories of answered prayer in the Bible, but I’m seeking first-hand examples of how prayer has been answered in today’s world.  This one appeared in Guidepost magazine…”Thank You Lord that my son was invited back for an individual interview for a job after the group interview last week! Please Lord, forgive my anxiety and doubts. Lord watch over him when he has his interview and help me to say Thy will be done and I really mean it.”  Do you have a an example of how prayer has worked for you?  ;-)  Jack   FROM WILLMAR REV:  Today's rewarding results in ministry, I believe, is from yesterday's continued prayers from a countless number of folks including my own for God's "watchful eye" being placed over me. I will never forget the continuous prayers of my mother for my family and ministry while she was alive. 0;-) ===JACK:  In 1954, when I wasa ordained as a pastor in 1954, my grandmother wrote me a letter saying that she would be praying for me.  Even though her funeral was my first "official act" as a pastor, I feel that her prayers have continued to bless my ministry. FROM BB IN CHGO:  What a lovely and honest prayer; thank you for including that example===JACK:  .Guideposts is meant to inspire....I'm glad that it did so for you. FROM BLAZING OAKS:  I've had so many rather dramatic answers to prayer, but one  comes to mind from years ago, when Sarah,who'd graduated college, was applying for her first job; Everytime, Sarah, complained they asked if she had experience: "No, not yet", and that would be that. .We  continued to pray. One day not long after, she called to say she had an interview with  a well-known and fairly prestigious agency in Chicago...! She aced the interview and was hired. It was only months later that they discovered her application had been placed in a file for persons of 4 yrs. or more experience in that field ; that's how she was called  for an interview when they had an opening! Coincidence indeed!  She performed very well in that position, and her work experience went smoothly from then on! :-)  I have to keep in mind that sometimes the answer to my prayer is NO, such as physical healing for son Mark...but I remain faithful in prayer, the habit of ===JACK:  I sometimes compare prayer requests to God to requests a child mahes to a parent.  A loving parent doesn't answer "yes" to everything.  Sometimes it's, "Let's wait and see about that."  Sometimes the loving parent has more imnformation than the child and answers, :No." FROM YOGA GURU:  .How long do you have?    We should all be keeping prayers answered journals!  I call them mini miracles. Thank you for the reminder - all Glory to God!===JACK:  I wonder if there's such a thing as a "minor" miracle?  Whenever we see God, we see a miracle.  There's a song, "All creatures great and small, the Lord God made them all.  The elephant and the microbe...created by God.  You and I, and all that we are...God's fingerprint is on us.

 

 

Jack’s Winning Words 5/26/21

“Winning doesn’t always mean being first.  Winning means you’re doing better than you’ve ever done before.”  (Bonnie Blair)    While speed skater Blair was an Olympic medal winner, her focus was on something other than the gold.  While she’s proud of her medals, she concentrates on improving herself rather than on beating others.  Life would go better for many of us if we’d focus on “self-improving,” rather than on what others are doing. What is on your schedule today? Can you do it better than you’ve ever done it before?  ;-)  Jack

FROM NORM'S BLOG:  We have unfortunately become a society fixated on the concept of winners and losers. In order to be a winner, it seems, someone else must lose – you must beat someone or be better than them at something. There are very few focused upon creating win-win scenarios, where everyone is a winner and there are no losers required. The Special Olympics is one organization that focuses upon everyone who competes being a winner. Support the Special Olympics in your area. Be a winner.  Our political scene has become such a dysfunctional mess because the politicians’ ability to find compromises where everyone feels like they won has been lost. Politics has become a knock-down winner-loser contest with jaws set and compromise out of the question. Don’t let yourself get dragged into that morass. Be a winner.===JACK:  I hate it when somebody calls another person, a loser.  Imagine if, after a Little League baseball game, the members of the team when up to the other team and chanted: "Losers, losers, nah, nah, nah."  Instead, the custom is to shake hands with them and say, "Good game!"  

FROM MARCHE SWEDE:  Hi, Thank you for your winning words. I enjoy reading them daily. I found Covid to be very challenging and your words have been a real treat.===JACK  I write THE WORDS, first of all, for myself, then my editor, and then the rest of you...including Kim.  It's fun and at time challenging, but it starts my day off in the right way...a winning attitude.

FROM OPTIART:  I really like this one Jack. I hope I can do a better job of applying it as I move forward. Thanks===JACK:  As I grow older, I care less and less about whether or not I'm first.  "Been there; done that.".

 

 

Jack’s Winning Words 5/25/21

“It’s choice, not chance, that determines your destiny.”  (Jean Nidetch)  When I looked up life as a choice or chance, it was suggested to “Google yourself.”  I never realized that that there were so many “of me” out there.  I also never realized how much my life depended on “chances” and what chances I took.  We are what we were…Life is full of quirkiness.  “If I had done this instead of that?”  I believe that God has been by my side.  How’s it worked for you?  One of the great gifts of God is individual Free-Will…the opportunity and the wisdom to choose.  ;-)  Jack

FROM NORM'S BLOG:  There is a tendency to use the words fate and destiny as if they have a common meaning and indeed the dictionaries often show them as synonyms; however, when I did a little quick research, I found some useful definitions of the differences –  “Fate and destiny are both words dealing with a predetermined or destined future. That's why they are so easy to mix up. However, while fate is concrete and determined by the cosmos, destiny depends on your choices in life.”  It is that ability to make choices that is made possible by free will and the impact of free will is further defined in these two sentences that I found –  fate brings you opportunities, and free will determines whether or not you take them.  Fate parades options in front of you, but you have to use your free will to reach up and grab one.  So, rather than believe that God has somehow pre-determined the course of your life, it is perhaps more accurate to think that God already knows what choices fate will present to you and can foresee the choices that you will make. There are all sorts of sayings about God being one’s co-pilot in life or being there with you as you make those choices. It is also comforting to know that even if you make bad choices, God forgives you and sticks with you.===JACK:  Free Will is the wild card.  "I am the master of my fate" is a statement that calls for clarification.

FROM WILLMAR REV:  Early on in my ministerial experiences, a younger group of us were at a pastor's retreat and the pastoral counselor and presenter handed out a sheet of paper with a list of questions on one side (name, family names, address, church pastoring, college/seminary attended, hobbies enjoyed, memorable family vacations, etc.) and on the other side was a blank sheet asking us, (within a certain number of words) to answer the question, "In God's eyes, 'Who Am I?'" After waxing eloquently I'm sure with my many spiritual descriptions now completed and having turned it in, did I find the best responses were the ones who made a list once again of the information they had previously written on the other side of the blank sheet, for that was who they were in God's eyes?!  0;-) ===JACK:  Do you know the Bible Camp song...."He's got His eye on you.  He's got His eye on you.  My Lord, sittin' in the Kingdom...He's got His eye on you." 

FROM CF IN KH:   Great contemplation there Jack.  You can always wonder what if but once you take a fork in the road you can’t go back.  If you feel you took the wrong route you can only look to change your path at the next fork.  Made me think of my family.  When I got hired at Southfield PD I also had employment offers with Auburn Hills PD, Grand Rapids PD and Wyoming, MI PD all at the same time.  If I had taken the GR or Wyoming offer it’s a pretty sure bet I wouldn’t have met and dated my wife, then married and had my two daughters.  But what didn’t I have by not going to GR?  Not something to worry about.===JACK:  For better or worse, we are responsible for how we use Free Will.  You and I seem to be satisfied that we have chosen wisely.

FROM BLAZING OAKS:  As long as we lean in on our faith, our choices can't be too bad, tho some are obviously better than others! Women didn't have the wide range of choices that are offered to girls today, but I am happy   with my life, as it turned out! Baptist clergy when we entered the ministry, was very strict about no alcohol and no smoking, and divorce was pretty  much a death warrant to ministers'  careers...all of which has greatly modified in recent years, as has options for women in ministry. (I never aspired to be an ordained pastor, but totally supported Bill's ministry as a team member.) My music ability was always a plus in the ministry !  God's unconditional love through all of our choices is definitely a comfort!! Interesting definition of Fate and destiny in Norm's blog;  Good to ponder!!===JACK:  Ordained, or not, we each minister (serve) in our own way.  Some are Marys; others are Marthas.  You seem to be a combination.

 

 Jack’s Winning Words 5/24/21

“Remember, nobody will ever get ahead of you as long as he’s kicking you in the seat of the pants.”  (Walter Winchell)  Winchell was the Andy Rooney of his day,.  He was one of the first to make the news entertainment, with gossip and jokes interjected among the news items.  One big mistake was to align himself with Sen Joseph McCarthy.  When Joe lost popularity, so did Walter...the advent of TV played a part, too…and so did death threats from the NYC “Mob.”  But, thanks to YouTube, we can relive yesteryear.  Next time you feel you’re getting kicked around, remember that you’re ahead of the one doing the kicking.  ;-)  Jack

FROM WILLMAR REV:  A pastor friend of mine once told me when I asked how he was doing, the church board is running me out of town but  I’m running as fast as I can and acting like I’m  leading a parade! 0;-)===JACK:  That's a good one....turning a negative into a positive.

FROM THE SHARK:  So much for the saying: “I’m kicking ass and taking numbers” 😂===JACK:  "Kicking ass" seems to be a "boss" expression.  In my work, I was my own boss, and I never really had people working for me.

"Kicking ass" meant kicking a donkey.

FROM ST PAUL IN ST PAUL:  Joe McCarthy was a very sick man.   alcoholic,  mentallly imbalanced,  paranoid, etc. ===JACK:  I never thought that anyone could trump him, but someone did.

 

Jack’s Winning Words 5/21/21 “I really believe that waiting tables makes you a better person.”  (Judy Greer)  Today is Waitstaff Day, time to put down “something extra as a TIP.  Daughter Beth’s first real job was as a waitress at Joey’s Café.  It was her introduction to “the demands of the public.”  Eddie, the cook, was quick to give her tips (non-money).   It doesn’t matter what your occupation is, you can still be a servant and make someone’s life better.  If you worked as a server, what interesting event do you remember?  ;-)  Jack FROM WILLMAR REV:  Still at it . . . several similarities found in serving in a local coffee shop and serving in the local church?! 0;-) ===JACK:  Some pastors sometimes take a part-time job as a coffee shop server (or other restaurant server) so they can get a different kind of contact with people.  Have you ever done that?===REV:  The various chaplaincy outreaches serve as such (some volunteer and a couple are paid). (*) A G Hours spent out and away from the Church Building and Office: ...almart/Subway...Routine Community Outreach: 7 hours (Mondays)...   Law Enforcement Cener ...   Rice Hospital ER & Ambulance Services ...   Willmar Fire Department ...   Divine House Administrative Offices (Paid) ...   Divine Home and Hospice Care Administrative Offices (Paid)...   Frieda’s Cafe ...   Other retail business and hospital offices, as I walk by visiting with those listed above.  ===JACK:  It doesn't look like you have time to serve coffee at sTARBUCKS, or to be a WALMART greeter. FROM ST PAUL IN ST PAUL:  working in the Livonia Convalescent Home for $1.10 an hour as a orderly one summer.   i got into some very "human" and smelly situations but it was a good lesson for life. ===JACK:  There are "situations" that help build empathy.  When we avoid them, because "we don't like the smell, the sight, the feeling," our lives are the less because of it.  Livonia helped you become a better pastor...as I see it.===SP:  i would agree.    also running Jack Hammers for the Wayne County Road Commission for two summers in college.   i met a group of workers that i would never have been exposed to otherwise.  i also sold Mary Jane shoes for two summers (parttime work) and that too was a real learning experience.   also worked at two Bible Camps during seminary summers.   lots of exposure to lots of different people. ===JACK:  "People (who have the opportunity to be among ordinary people) are the luckiest people in the world." FROM NORM'S BLOG:  In your post there's this piece of advice from a restaurant worker – “It doesn’t matter what your occupation is, you can still be a servant and make someone’s life better.”  There is a lot in this piece of advice that is rooted in the  teachings of Christ – serving others and making their life better. There is purpose in service to others and a rewarding feeling of accomplishment if something that you do makes someone else’s life better.===JACK:  Thanks for always coming up with something that helps cement the idea behind my WWs. FROM JU IN NC:  We serve at whatever we do.  When I hear people at work complain about Monday morning, I remind them that Monday morning is the best opportunity to begin serving our customers for the rest of the week.===JACK:  I seem to recall from reading your diary that the way you worked and treated people was appreciated at the PX.  I think that the training you received during your growing up years paid off in the long run.  I like servers who do good work...not for the tips...because that's their nature. FROM BB IN CHGO:  I served for a decade at many restaurants.  I still dream of tables of people waiting for food and kitchen glitches.  The work was hard on your feet but rewarding and I felt my enthusiasm made for a better day.  The tips often depended on making some kind of connection with the people and making them feel you’d gone out of your way to make their experience pleasant.===JACK:  Whether as a waitress, or just as a person in general, things go better when you make the people around you feel that they're having a pleasant experience.  You are that kind of person. FROM BLAZING OAKS:  I never waited on tables in a restaurant, but my daughter Sarah worked in an upscale Pizza place (if there is such a thing!) And often said the people who look least likely to afford a generous tip were often the ones to do so, and every once in a while she had a party of 8 or10 who were a lot of work and left nothing!!  Life lessons...:-)===JACK:  Some restaurants pay a low wage, figuring that tips are part of what is earned.  Since I haven't been in that business I'll leave employer and employee to come to an agreement.  Pastors often get a gift after performing pastoral duties. I never looked upon those as a tip...but they have to be reported to the IRS as income.  FROM A SUNSHINE BOY:  working my way thru college and wanting to eat, I had a meal job serving fraternity boys - no tips but I did get fed -  thus I don't recommend serving fraternity boys or fraternity boys period . . . course I'm sure I'm bias ===JACK:  Serving fraternity boys beats going hungry...and teaches social skills, sometimes negatively.  You came out OK with no visible scars. FROM MAGP:  I remember Mike and my Mom, Eileen, telling about being a carhop at A&W when she was young. They had to pay for any broken glass root beer mugs out of their earnings. I guess that was to make them more careful.===JACK:  Waiting tables involves more than witing tables.  It means "learning to be careful...the value of cleanliness and good service...the value of money...how to get along with different kinds of people.  I read this morning that A&W was the first fast-food restaurant, started in 1919. FROM LBP:  Does DQ girl count? Given the long lines in the summer I’d think so. It was my first job, outside of babysitting, and I will still recite things I learned there.===JACK:  Ah! Patty and  Frank!  "Hey,  I'm not paying you to talk to your boyfriends."  Frank has since died, and Patty has remarried.. ==LBP:  “I’m not paying you to be worried about school or your boyfriends. Leave all that at the back door. You can pick it up on your way out”  As a manager now, that’s a hard one, Especially with folks working from home now.  We cannot always leave it at the door. ===JACK:  Frank was a successful manager, because he was "hardnosed."  If you want the manager's job, then you have to take what goes with it.  Personally, that wasn't for me.  I would have let you talk to your boyfriends.

 

Jack’s Winning Words 5/20/21 “I really have to go to the bathroom…IMMEDIATELY! is the best excuse for avoiding a speeding ticket.”  (Shutterstock)  Today marks the anniversary of the issuing of the 1st speeding ticket…to someone going 12 mph in an 8 mph zone.  I vividly recall receiving my 1st, and I’m sure you remember yours, too.  (Yes, some of you “lightfoots” have never gotten one).  My excuse to the officer was that “This cat got in my car without me knowing it, and I have to take it back to the golf driving range.”  Maybe I should have used the “bathroom excuse.” (Ed’s comment:  ; Although we all like to use excuses, sometimes the best approach is to fess up and admit you’re wrong-)  Jack FROM WILLMAR REV:  I've been fortunate with warnings in recent years (3, I remember) of being warned as they were stops for me going around forty mph in 30 mph zones while leaving one of the small towns out here in rural Minnesota. Two of them were in neighboring counties, and I wondered if for some reason they knew I was either a minister or a chaplain in our county? 0;-/===JACK:  I can't imagine you breaking any laws, except in the "wild days" of your youth.  I'll bet you never, ever, stepped over the foul line while bowling...and if you did, you probably said, "Excuse me!" FROM EDUCATOR PAUL:  Hasn’t happened in years, but  in today’s world? The first thing I would say is, “ No matter what t did to have you get out of your car and walk to my car… I’m sorry I put  you in that position.” ===JACK:  If you said that, he'd (she'd) probably give you a breathalyzer test.  Seriously, though, parents of color have to give the "what to do when pulled over" lecture when teaching their children to drive.  I can't remember doing that with mine.   FROM JACK:  I'd almost forgotten this one.  I was driving a car with the church's name on the door...and I was pulled over for speeding.  After giving the lecture, the cop said, "Reverand, you're supposed to scare the Hell out of people with your preaching and not your driving!  BE CAREFUL1111" FRO TRIHARDER:  "My wife ran off with a police officer, sir, and when I saw you in my rearview mirror,  I thought it was him bringing her back." ===JACK:  That's a good one, but most of the ones I've met aren't into jokes. FROM HONEST JOHN:  I wonder if anyone ever got one going to a synod convention?===JACK:  Maybe...going home from one.    FROM SAUSAGE SALESMAN:    As a 30 plus year road warrior, I found honesty and courtesy worked best. I actually had 10...yes 10 warnings in a row before getting another ticket.===JACK:  I think your dad was one of the fastest drivers I've known.  He held the record for the shortest driving time beteen Merrill and Marinette. FROM JU IN NC:  In nearly sixty years of driving, I have never had a ticket.  Maybe because I tell everyone, if you want to grow old, do it slow. Every where I have needed to go, I've always got there.  Just the other day a car dived in front of us and ahead of another   I told my wife, guess he wants to get to red light before us.  Sure nuff!===JACK:  The first traffic signal was operated here in Detroit.  I wonder how mant there now are in the USA?  Google should know.===JU:  I used to ask my Friend as he would speed from one end of town to the other, so you will get to where you're going quicker. What do you plan on doing with the two extra minutes after you arrive? ===JACK:  Did Army vehicles obey the speed limits?===JU:  They usually went slower than other traffic, but if they decided to go faster, well, no one of ever argued.===JACK:  No one argued......especially if it was a tank. FROM QUILTING CAROL:  I told the officer I was sorry and that I deserved the ticket.  I was NOT paying attention to the speed limit.  Hope I set a good example for our college aged son sitting next to me (awakened by my suddenly pulling over to the shoulder of the road).  I told him I was about to get a speeding ticket.  His comment – “You?  You never speed!”  Bless him! 😊 ===JACK:  I'll bet husbands are faster drivers than their wives. ===QC:  Not in this household…..===JACK:  I'm shocked FROM SALON SUZY:  I’ve only had one. On my way to final fitting of my wedding dress.===JACK:  Bummer.  I hope he took that as a good excuse.  If I were the cop, I would have turned on the flashers and siren and led you to the dress shop. FROM PROUD MARY:  My first and only speeding ticket was in Lake Villa. I was working at Allendale School for Boys, 1979. Was on my way back from a doctor appointment with one of the residents when he started harassing and threatening me. Thought I might get back to campus quicker if I did 40 in a 30 mile zone. When I asked the police officer if he could excuse the offense he pretty much laughed. I got back to my supervisor and told her about the situation and she pretty much laughed. When went to court and explained the situation to the judge he pretty much laughed. Have never had a ticket since. Think I learned my lesson.===JACK:  As a pastor, I might have smiled, but I would have yold you that you did the right thing.  However, I AM surprised that your slate is clean from that time until now...but who knows about tomorrow?  I gave up my driver's license yesterday (vision issues), so no more tickets for me.  The roads are now safer.

Jack’s Winning Words 5/19/21

“The printing press is the greatest weapon in the armory of the modern commander.”  (T E Lawrence)  One of the rules for forming a dictatorship is to denigrate the free press, or get rid of it.  It is said that Martin Luther’s reformation movement “happened” because it co-incided with the invention of the printing press.  The invention of the internet has also been a great weapon.  The suppression of its information is similar to the banning of books.  How do you determine what is “fake” and what is “real” news?  ;-)  Jack

FROM HONEST JOHN:  It So asks the relativist.===JACK:  It seems that we've had this discussion before, and, YES, it seems as though I'm a relativist...if you want to give me a label

FROM TRIHARDER:  The pen is mightier than the sword? The internet is now mightier than the pen. A writing, whether a scholarly effort or an ignorant tweet, travels around the world instantly even before there is opportunity to react to it.===JACK:  For me, face to face contact is the best, so that there is opportunity for instant clarification.

FROM WILLMAR REV:  Jesus sure had a hard time convincing folk that He was the "way, truth and life", even coming back alive after being put to death to prove His case!? 0;-)===JACK:  I wonder if that was a declarative statement by Jesus (I am the only way!), or was He asking his listeners to "believe" what He said, and to choose to follow Him.  

FROM FACEBOOK LIZ:  if fb bans it, it’s real... just as w/other propaganda machines.  here’s one truth they keep taking down. this site shows covid stats for every country and state individually. out of the three billion world citizens, statistically zero have died of covid. 99.4% have what amounts to a cold.   https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/   ===JACK:  Are you an anti-vaxer or anti-masker?

FROM NORM'S BLOG:  The truth is the real weapon.===JACK:  Jesus was looked up as a weak warrior.  In reality, He was just the opposite.

FROM LBP:  Ugh, the question of our time! Best I’ve got is to find a trustworthy source and stick with it. Then I have to be trustworthy in my area, science, to help sort through that noise there===JACK:  Ah, there's the rub.

 

 

 

Jack’s Winning Words 5/18/21

“It’s always easier to cancel something than to fix it.”  (Nick Zano)  I’ve read that someone has over 6,300  “Friends” on Facebook.  I wonder if any of them have “unfriended” him?  It’s said that today we are living in a Cancel Culture when we can so easily cancel friends, or people we don’t like.  In “my day” we’d try to be-friend people, not un-friend them.  I’ve noticed that the divide between people has widened lately…politics, money, race, religion… all play a part.  Trying to “fix” others isn’t the solution either, but remembering that none of us is perfect might be a start.  BTW, what’s your definition of a friend?  ;-)  Jack

FROM SHARIN' SHARON:  Interesting WW again this morning.  Thanks for e-mailing them out.  I think my definition of a friend comes from what Jesus says in the Bible, if I can remember OK.  Something about the pagans lording it over each other but it is not so with us His followers.  He calls us friends and not servants because we wash each other's feet===JACK:  I'm into the words of Jesus about being a friend to people.  BUT, I'm not into the foot washing thing.  It might have been OK "back then,"

FROM HUNGRY HOWIE:  (A friend is) Someone that will pick you up at the airport===JACK:  Or...someone you can call up at 2 am and say, "We need to talk.)

FROM SHALOM JAN:  Someone who cares about me and whom I care about. ===JACK:  They know, and you know.

FROM  HOMELESS:  Your timing is often so uncanny. I just spent the better part of the wee hours of the morning wondering .....  Then I get this message about not giving up on people. Does God work in mysterious ways? I believe that he certainly does.===JACK:  There's a verse in the Bible..."Who has known the mind of God?"  We pray in the Lord's Prayer, "Thy will (not necessarily my will) be done."  Sometimes the hard part is figuring out the perfect solution (God's will).

FROM SK IN SJ:  My definition. You and Joan. Sharing and spending time together. Staying in touch . Going thru the ups and downs of life together. 😊❤ ===JACK it's a serendipitous story.

FROM BLAZING OAKS:  I remember a motivational speaker saying if you have five true friends in a lifetime, you are fortunate. By that, he meant someone who was always there for you, that you could count on to care, to help,  to spend time with, who loved you through thick and thin....I think REAL friendship in depth, is rare, and you only have a few.  Bridge club buddies are fun and good company, but not usually your "best friend". Organizational friends and acquaintances are pleasant to know and to  share good times with, but those we share a history with, lots of ups and downs and good times & bad  and years of intimacy...those are friends with a capital F! ===JACK:  I can count my close friends on both hands and maybe the feet, too.  I am blessed.

FROM SALON SUZY:  Boy, this struck a nerve with me today.. like how you explained... agree to disagree...===JACK:  Some days I seem to pick the right words....at least, two of you responded (emphatically) that I did.

 

Jack’s Winning Words 5/17/21

“Some people drink from the fountain of knowledge; others just gargle.”  (Robert Anthony)  The “Fountain of Knowledge” is not necessarily a place.  It can be a place, a person, or an event that makes you “smarter” than you were before you first visited there.  I remember my first Winning Words…”Virtue is learned at mother’s knee; vice is learned at other joints.”  In the rearview mirror, where was it that you were able to “drink in” knowledge?  I think that I was just gargling before I started to connect philosophy and religion in college.  ;-)  Jack

FROM NORM'S BLOG:  The today’s world of rampant misinformation and even disinformation, there are other fountains to drink from and many have chosen those founts of “knowledge”.  It is disturbing to think that there are forces (nations) at work trying to feed us bad information and conspiracy theories as a means of causing confusion and chaos, thus weakening us as an adversary. Yet sufficient evidence exists that Russia, China and Iran, just to name a few, have state sponsored disinformation campaigns under way all of the time aimed primarily at the United States. Their constant efforts at fomenting unrest have been more successful than they probably hoped and more effective than we may have believed was possible. These disinformation spreaders have even succeeded recently is stirring up trouble for the very people who have dedicated themselves to the truth – the fact checkers. The fact that they can have their toadies in America proposing laws that would hinder the efforts to check for the truth is truly disturbing, yet we have bills being introduced in our own state legislature designed to make checking on the fact and presenting the truth harder. It is ironic that the argument for these laws is that facts interfere with the “rights” of the spreaders of misinformation to free speech – to be free to spread lies without being confronted with the truth. Yet that is the defense of their actions. Those same people would stifle or hinder the rights of the fact checkers to refute those lies.===JACk:  Discernment is an interesting word.  But I guess discernment is effective, depending on what we hear and read...and the teachers we've had.

FROM WILLMAR REV:  Thinking of a song again when ready this morning's post-- "Dwelling in Beulah Land"  Far away the noise of strife upon my ear is falling, Then I know the sins of earth beset on every hand; Doubt and fear and things of earth in vain to me are calling, None of these shall move me from Beulah Land. [Refrain]: I’m living on the mountain, underneath a cloudless sky; I’m drinking at the fountain that never shall run dry; O yes! I’m feasting on the manna from a bountiful supply, For I am dwelling in Beulah Land.===JACK:  I like that song (even tho it's not in the Lutheran Hymnal).  I once "did" a  funeral for a family I didn't know.  The deceased name was, Beulah, so I gave the background of the name, and how beautiful it was to be called, "Beulah."  It was one of those times when I thought that the sermon really sank in.  Afterward people said that they never knew why she was named Beulah. 

FROM ST PAUL IN ST PAUL:  did  you use Scope or Listerine?? ===JACK:  Do you know the hymn, "Breathe on me breath of God?" 

FROM BLAZING OAKS:  I had some erudite teachers in M.H.S. that instilled the love of knowledge in me: Fanny Entriken, Barbara Garst,and a heavey=set literature/ language  arts teacher whose name I can't bring forward right now, were excellent at making us think to the next level, a little deeper, more  profound!  And Margaret Becker who encouraged me and inspired me to want to teach music as a profession !  In college of course there were also several professors who encouraged deeper reading and a sense of curiosity to pursue  Knowledge on our own !  Very ;fortunate to  have these educators, and two pastors who also inspired our religious training and led us to community service; Dr Ray Honeywell (Mehodist) and DR. Frederick Brink (Congregational),.Lucky me! ===JACK:  I had some good MHS teachers, but didn't take full advantage of them, altho Carl Eckblad was good, the Civics teacher, Roger Potter taught me to be meticulous in bookkeeping...and the drafting teacher prepared me for my first job...but it was the Tillberg family that led me to the ministry.  At college, it was George Arbaugh...Naiseth...Ander...and God who shaped me.  Lucky me, too.

 

Jack’s Winning Words 5/14/21

“Today, I have grown taller from walking with the trees.”  (Karie Wilson Baker)  I am not surprised to learn that the tallest tree known is a California Sequoia, 379.7’ tall.  It’s been given the name of “Hyperion,” meaning, “He who watches from above.”  I have a grandson who wanted to be taller than me.  We’d keep height marks on the kitchen wall.  Now, I’m the short one.  No matter what the measure, positive growth is to our advantage.  Has there been a “tree” that’s inspired you?  ;-)  Jack

FROM  ME IN NEWPORT BEACH:  The purple Jacoranda tree that is now in bloom in Southern California.  Have you spoken to your psychologist friend yet about your OOB experience?===JACK:  We have a purple weeping Japanese tree, about 5' tall, by our front porch.  ...and, NO, psychologist and I haven't gotten together, yet.  

FROM SHALOM JAN:  Yes, Jack "Treed"!  You are an inspiration to me. ===JACK:  Sometimes trees are given as memorials to people...and, with the passage of time, the trees still stand, while the reason for their planting is forgotten.  Treed...HaHa===JAN:  I suppose we could do worse than to plant trees that help replenish the Earth while our "remains" are forgotten.  My body is going to Wayne State Medical School, so I'll be nothing but fertilizer-ashes when they're done with me.  Might as well put that on the roots of a tree!===JACK:  Maybe your ashes will work better than manure.

FRO ST PAUL IN ST PAUL:  many "trees".  in the book i am working on i listed no less than 26 people who inspired my faith in my more youthful years.   i thank God for each one of them. ===JACK:  One of the beautiful trees in our front yard was once a little stalk transplanted from the property where Holy Spirit Church was built.==SP:  we have a Tamarac growing in our daughter's backyard that we brought down in a coffee can  from the UP of Michigan.  it's now about 14 feet tall and a beautiful tree. ===JACK:  We have one of those "coffee can" trees, too...from Wisconsin...where we began our family. 

FROM WILLMAR REV:  One made into a cross caught my attention as a child and has set in order a lifetime of sacred experiences and journeys I couldn’t have ever imagined early on. (Sounds like a sermon introduction, doesn’t it,===JACK:  The hymn, The Old Rugged Cross, was written by an evangelist, while he was conducting a series of revival meetings in Albion, Michigan.  There's a memorial plaque in front of the house where the evangelist was staying.

FROM LBP:  The hymn, The Old Rugged Cross, was written by an evangelist, while he was conducting a series of revival meetings in Albion, Michigan.  There's a memorial plaque in front of the house where the evangelist was staying. ===JACK:  It's true...trees, like people, often need TLC.

FROM JU IN NC:  I once was invited to a party. I love parties. I rushed down to the back of our yard to participate in the festivities.  However, since it was a private pity party, I was the only one there.  As the party progressed, I began enjoying it less.  The Lord tapped me on the shoulder and pointed to a large pine tree on the other side of the lawn.  He said that pine tree had withstood heat, cold, wind, insects,drought,and polution.  Yet it never once failed to lift it's branches upward in praise to it's Creator.  I stood up and ever since have had a different perspective of life, thanks to a pine tree.===JACK:  What a great story.  Thanks.  As you are building your new house, why not pant a tree and watch it grow as the years pass, marking the time that you've lived there.  A maple in our backyard was planted when we first moved it.  It began as a 2" diameter and now must be at least 2' in diameter.===JU:  Will do definitely!===JACK:  Maybe a Northome seedling, or one from Glen Ullin.

FROM BS IN ENGLAND:  Mine would be the Poringland Oak painted by John Crome in 1818.  This tree is a short walk from our home, a beautiful tree. ===JACK:  I like oaks, with leaves that hang on, and acorns which are like the tree's children.  Does your tree have squirrels?===BS:  Oh! Yes, unfortunately only grey squirrels, red ones are rarely seen in England these days.===JACK:  Our squirrels are mainly red and black.

FROM WBDREM:  This tree inspires me Jack

https://www.annefrank.org/en/anne-frank/front-section/chestnut-tree/

===JACK:  I like the Joyce Kilmer poem..."I think that I shall never see a poem as lovely as a tree, etc."===DREM:  Or the Dr. Suess poem, "I am the Lorax, I speak for the trees.." ===JACK:  That doctor knew what he was talking about.

FROM BB IN CHGO:  I doubt you’ll ever really the “the short one” and wouldn’t put it past him to cheat with that pencil!===JACK:  He used to stand on tiptoes.  Now, I'm the one doing that.