Jack’s Winning Words 8/31/21

“The difficulty of the task is irrelevant when compared to the consequence of not doing it.”  (Peterson) I once completed writing my sermon notes as the church bell was ringing to announce the beginning of worship.  It’s a good thing that my house was next door to the church.  Would you call that an example of procrastination?  I’ve gotten better at managing time, but how about you?  I wonder if clocks were invented to nudge “put-offers>”  Virgil  first said it 2000 years ago: Tempus Fugit, meaning that “time flies and is irretrievable.”  Have you noticed that?  ;-)  Jack  

FROM SCIENTIST:  This WW couldn’t have been more timely!===JACK:  I'm ready for a Zoom meeting, but I have a feeling that I'm not ready.  Has that ever happened to you? ===S:  More than it should

FROM ST PAUL IN ST PAUL:  most certainly!  and it seems to move faster the older we get. ===JACK:  It's like the sand in an hour-glass that's almost empty.  WOW...It certainly seems to drain down more quickly.===SP:  that is a very good analogy!   i may use that in a sermon sometime.===JACK:  Potential illustrations are all around us, if we have eyes to see, ears to hear, and a mind put them into words.  

FROM WILLMAR REV:  Yes. sir, I have! 0;-)===JACK:  We've long talked about lunch together in Willmar.  Just because we've been able to cross that off of The Bucket List, doesn't mean that it can't happen again. 

FROM BB IN CHGO:  I’d call it…inspiration.  Jack, I know you.  I bet you were waiting on the holy Spirit for that inspiration rather than just plowing ahead. ===JACK:  Yes, I do believe in (and trust in) inspiration, but sermon preparation can sometimes get to "a drag" week after week after week.  I've putting out Winning Words since 1992, 5 days a week.  I never would have been able to do that without the help of the Holy Spirit, but we're not always on the same page.  Whatever success U might have had is credited to "in-Spiration."

SR RD"  Yes, Jack, I have noticed it,===JACK:  Even in cloistered living? ===R: Ah, yes!===JACK:  Did you know??  The first recorded clock was built by the future Pope Sylvester II around the year 996.  Time was very important for keeping track of the various calls to prayer.

 

 

 Jack’s Winning Words 8/30/21

 “Everything is going to work out,  There’s no other option.”  (Kari Miller)  Kari is amazing!         Imagine playing volleyball when you have no legs.  Kari lost her legs in a car accident caused by a drunk driver.  She took a bad situation and made it better by joining the American Paralympics Sitting Volleyball Team.  Try playing volleyball while sitting!  I have a hard time while standing.  But when you have no other option, you do what you can do.  All of the Paralympians give us encouragement that things will work out for those who don’t give up…like Kari.  ;-) Jack

FROM SCIENTIST:  I too am pretty bad at standing volleyball. I notice that she didn’t say it will all be like it used to be. Instead, she found a different way that worked for her.===JACK:  I was a better athlete before I had polio, but I seldom look back and  wonder, "What if?"  Maybe once in a while.  As with any of us in our life, we have to keep movin' on.

FROM MAGGIE:  I have been watching the paralympians in awe. Thank you for sharing Kari’s story ===JACK:  Is it right to compare the Olympics with the Paralympics...or the Special Olympics.  Each has its own story to tell.  Maybe that says something about each of us.  We each have our story to tell...which is like no other. 

FROM JU IN NC:  It is a good thing to give up to the Lord.  After that you have nothing left you need or can give up.===JACK:  What more can be said at the end of a race (win or lose)?  He/she gave it their all.  So, too, at the end of a life.  Yesterday my son drove me through the Fort Snelling (Minnesota) Cemetery, and I saw row upon row upon row of many who had given their all.

FROM ST PAUL IN ST PAUL:  good one,  Jack.  It is amazing how the human spirit can sometimes triumph over adversity===JACK:  As pastors, you and I have met some gallant people.  I especially thing of a cystic fibrosis person in SLLC.  A parishioner told me of her former pastor who had no arms and, yet, was able to paint his own house.

FROM THE VOLUNTEER:  Thanks, Jack! So needed this today🤗===JACK:  Even those who seem totally in control have "those" moments, don't they?

FROM BLAZING OAKS:  IOn TV last night there was a similar story of a NFL Football player (QB) who had such a horrendous leg injury they thought they'd have to amputate it, but he fought o keep his leg, and after many months, and 21 surguries they saved, but thought it impossible for him to walk and run, and certainly return to Football, but in 3 years he did come back for one more season, and his odds and treatment were an awesome story! He's a Football annalist on ESPN now!  His wife and 2 children were his chief cheerleaders, which I imagine was his inspiration, too.===JACK:  i saw the same program,,,60 Minutes.  it was inspiriting.  I don't think that I would have gone back to "the situation" that helped cause the problem, but it worked out for him.  That's why we are "individuals."  While you were a twin, you were you, and she was she.  God makes us as our own person.

 

Jack’s Winning Words 8/27/21

“I always was fascinated by neat nicknames.”  (Steve Sabol)  In the “olden days” of baseball, nicknames made the game fun for me.  My father once batted against 3-Finger Brown.  Small players were called, Peanuts or PeeWee.  The Dean brothers were called, Dizzy and Daffy.  Yogi resembled a yogi.   Nicknames can be fun, as long as the recipient enjoys it, but when they are used to degrade someone, it shows lack of both compassion and empathy. How about you?  Did you ever have a nickname?  Bill and Moya Lear (jet airplane developer) named their daughter, Chanda.  ;-)  Jack

FROM WILLMAR REV:  Still can recall back in Osawatomie, Kansas as a kid before the fourth grade where Leroy Butts attended our church and was married to Rosy (Winter) Butts and Leroy’s sister was named and called Lottie. Always happy,  having my first name being, Harry, that Leroy wasn’t my father! 0;-) ===JACK:  You are so funny.  I wonder what might have become of you if God hadn't rescued you?===REV:  Probably a retired bowling alley manager somewhere out in Kansas, never having the blessed treasure of knowing the Reverend John Jack Freed!! 0;-)===JACK:  I'm sure that the Lord has used some bowling alley mangers in His  service.  Did you ever meet one?  If my church had been in Kansas I might have come to your place with my youth group.  We enjoyed bowling as one of our activities.===REV:  Did my share with our youth as well…I enjoyed the 10 years participating in the bowling alleys around high school, Bible College and early on ministry locations in Ohio, Missouri, Michigan, Wisconsin and Minnesota…bowling did more for associating with the working class than the professional class of folk…put the old bowling ball to rest in 1997 and really do not miss it any longer…it was a nice adventure for me in competing, winning/losing experiences, getting to know people and places, and over all enjoyment. 0;-)===JACK:  Maybe in retirement you can run a bowling alley and reach people in a new way while sitting behind the counter.

FROM ST PAUL IN ST PAUL:   i heard she had a sister named Gonda Lear.   any truth to this?===JACK:  Good one   

 FROM DR ERIC:  Pepper or “Pep” ===JACK:  Yes, there was an energetic baseball player named "Pepper" Martin.

FROM FACEBOOK LIZ:  she was the light of their lives!===JACK:  You have your "clever" cap on today.

FROM DAZ IN CO:  How about the Hogg family with daughters named Ima and Ura.===JACK:  ...and those were actual names, too.  I could see someone giving you the nickname of Zipper.

FROM SCIENTIST:  Never had a nickname stick though some tried to make one for me. My husband and a very few others will shorten my 2-syllable name to only the first syllable sometimes. How about you? Does Jack qualify?===JACK:  Your unusual last name seems ripe of "nicking."  Jack, of course, is a nickname for John.  People who don't "know" me still call me, John. 

FROM STINKY:  AS a youth, I was called stinky. Never bothered me one bit. Worked with a guy named Mark Butt who had a brother Harry. My friend Ann  married Dr. SIPPY she is addressed as Mrs. SIPPY.===JACK:  It sounds like you made up that SIPPY one, but not the Stinky.===S:  True story. Mary Ann and I are acquitances of Dr. (Frank) and Ann Sippy. They live here in Bonita.

 FROM JAN-JO:  The Lear Family lived in G.R. & my close teen friend, baby-sat for Chanda Lear’s family. Your accuracy is confirmed, as usual!   Janjo of Waterford Long-time reader, long-ago correspondent—but no reason for lack of contact. I read ‘em every day! U R continuedly sharp!===JACK:  I sometimes wonder if anyone reads this stuff.  I do it for myself as well as for others.  It was the same way with my sermons...I tried to keep them edgy,

FROM JLT:  Always marvel at winning words and the blog.  Names are fascinating. I grew up in a small community in northern Minnesota. One sister married a man with the last name of Baker. Her sister married a man with the last name of Cook.  Their farm homes were only several miles apart.  I never thought it unusual until I grew up and had moved away.===JACK:  We had a family in our city with the last name of, Turnipseed.  

 

    

    

 Jack’s Winning Words 8/26/21

“Take a sad song and make it better.”  (The Beatles)  The song, Hey Jude, was released on this date in 1968.  It has some encouraging words, like: “Don’t try to carry the world on your shoulders.”  Some people actually become sick with worry over certain issues that they can’t control.  Hey Jude suggests taking the bad and turning it into something good.  There are plenty of opportunities to make this happen.  Have you found a way to do that?  ;-)  Jack

FROM WILLMAR REV:  Maybe I’m blessed more than I realize being born with “slumped shoulders”?!?! Luggage always has a tendency to slip off my shoulders when walking through an airport terminal or I’m found with a sore shoulder trying to keep the strap up! 0;-/===JACK:  Try a lighter load.  Instead of carrying the world on your shoulders, just make it Willmar..., or better yet, your own briefcase.

FROM SCIENTIST:  Ah … a fine song :)===JACK:  It was originally called, HEY JULES, but that; another story.

 Jack’s Winning Words 8/25/21

“I never say, ‘never,’ and I never say, ‘always.’”  (Grace Kelly)  Never and Always are called absolute words.  I don’t like absolutes, because they leave no room for discussion or “exceptions.”   We learn by exploring other minds whether discussing morality, politics, or religion.  Princess Grace was simply saying, “I don’t pretend to have all of the answers, and I’m willing to listen to your thoughts.”  I echo her words.  I don’t know about you, but I think that life sometimes needs “wiggle room.” ;-)  Jack”
www.jackswinningwords.blogspot.com to see my blog

FROM WILLMAR REV:  "Absolutely!" Good Morning, Jack!! 0;-)===JACK:  Church people need to be aware that "faith" is a growing entity.  We need to be careful with the use of "absolutes." 

FROM ST PAUL IN ST PAUL:  you could also add "only" to your list of absolutes.  ===JACK:  Only you could have thought of that,===SP:  yesterday we were talking about there being too much Absolutism is our world today.   what word best describes the opposite of Absolutism?    just curious. ===JACK:  I might ise the word, qualified....or to be flexible. ===SP:  I like it.  Thanks

 

FROM BLAZING OAKS:  I agree! We modify many of our opinions after more thought and research, and listening to others!===JACK:  Even :we" have to be careful when we use the phrase "It says in the Bible."  It's not to be used as an absolute (without explanation).  ===OAKS:   The old writers and prophets had a much more "Hell-fire and Damnation view of God inspiring fear and awe, the NT writers inspired warmth and love and a very caring God.  I like the NT. But our Bible is only 5,000 yrs. old compared to Billions of years of history of Earth. I think I read that life on Earth emerged 150 Million yrs. ago! Almost impossible to take in!!  Reading the book Sapiens was an eye-opener, too!===JACK:  ...and even before the beginning of time...there was no Bible, but there was GOD!

FROM JO-AN IN ST-JO:  Sometimes I just Go along to Get along. Works for me.===JACK:  I've done that a few times myself, especially as a pastor.

FROM SR RD:  Oh, YES!  thanks, Lord, that you give us wiggle room.  Help us to give it to one another!===JACK:  I like my space.  Am I weird?

FROM STEVE THE WONDER:  A little 'wiggle room' is the best way to go when dealing with just about everything. ===JACK:  I always tried to do that as a pastor...and as a parent.

FROM HONEST JOHN:  Do you “confess” the Apostle’s Creed each Sunday? ===JACK:   I do....bit keeping in mind Luther's mall Catechism... "What doe this mean?"  

 

Jack’s Winning Words 8/24/21

“Everybody’s working to get to the top, but where is the top?”  (Rihanna)  A poem (Be the Best of Whatever You Are) tells of a scrubby bush that wanted to be a stately pine tree.  Poet Douglas Malloch writes:  “If you can’t be a tree…be the best little bush by the side of the road!”. Rihanna knows what it is to be “a scrub” growing up in an abusive home in Barbados.  The TOP for her was not becoming a musical star, but it was for her to be “the best little scrub.”  Today, why not determine to be the best of whatever you are?”  ;-)  Jack

FROM WILLMAR REV:  "Even a scrub brush cleaning urinals, I've been told!" 0;-)===JACK:  There are people who make a living scrubbing toilets, emptying bedpans and collecting garbage.  I can picture Jesus doing that.  Can you?  

FROM MAD SCIENTIST:  I struggle with “best.” As in the quote, where is the top (best). Can’t we just say “whatever you do, do it well?”===JACK:  I've known children who couldn't draw or write as well as others,  The good teacher would encourage them by saying, "Do the bes you can,"  

FROM SR RD:  Wonderful, dear Jack!  Good News!  Good directives!===JACK:  I always likef the story of Brother Lawrence who was content to scrub pans in the kitcher,  He was probably the best little "scrubber" there.

FROM SCIENTIST:  Sure and the Cub Scout motto is “do your best.” But some of us have to watch that “perfect become the enemy of the good” and just get stuff done===JACK:  I'm a little bit of both (It's good enough!), but at other times I work ans work trying to make something "perfect."  Is there ever something that's perfect?

 

 

Jack’s Winning Words 8/23/21 “Nothing is impossible.  Some things are just more unlikely than others.”  (Jonathan Winters)  I came across a list of 10 impossible things to do.  #1 was to “lick your own elbow.”  And #10 was to “achieve world peace.”  Did you try #1?  I like the song, “Let There Be Peace On Earth,” because it gives hope for peace on earth,  We sing together, “and let it begin with me,”  World peace begins with peace within self and continues with peace in small groups and on and on until there is world peace.  Unlikely?  Yes!...unless it begins with you and me.  ;-)  Jack      FROM WILLMAR REV:  "What the world needs now is love, sweet love   It's the only thing that there's just too little of   What the world needs now is love, sweet love  No not just for some but for everyone!" 0;-)===JACK:  So...you know "pop" songs as well as Bible songs.  Next, you'll probably tell me that you know how to dance,  "What the world needs now" is a great song.  and it has sometimes been sung in church,,,at least, I can remember scheduling it for a Sunday to fit in with my sermon.  I also used the "pop" song, "Don;t worry, be happy!"  FROM THE SHARK:   A,em to that.===JACK:  Do they ever shout out, AMEN, in the Chaldean worship service?===G:  No, they don't. FROM HOMELESS:  Nothing's impossible.===JACK:    Nice selfies,,,Thanks! FROM SR RD:  This is so honest, alluring and possible, dear Jack!  thank you.===JACK:  In a couple of days I'll be writing about the danger of "absolutes,"  Stay tooned. FROM BLAZING OAKS:  How wonderful to leave the world we live in where some things seem impossible, and enter God's world of prayer, with infinite possibilities and no "impossibles"!! Just  an aside,, Bill had the funeral of the writer of the song "Don't worry, Be happy" and they played it during her service,  He couldn't have been  niicer! She lived in Springfield and apparently had a Baptist background...JACK:  I'm impressed!!!  Bobby McFerrin is one of my favorites.  I seem to think that his father might have been a preacher.  (I'm too lazy to look it up).  I have a book that I like...Possibility Thinking.===OAKS:  OOPS  i HAVE TO CORRECT MY  COMMENT BILL HAD THE FUNERAL OF BOBBY McFERRIN'S MOTHER!! I DIDN'T READ OVER WHAT I'D WRITTEN, AND MISSED THAT I LEFT OUT "MOTHER" ON THE ASIDE!! :-( MY NOTE DIDN'T REALLY MAKE SENSE BECAUSE OF THAT! ===JACK:  Impressive, just the same.  Do you recall if Bobby was there?

 

Jack’s Winning Words 8/20/21 “God is the “Goodness Glue,” the love that holds the dark and light of things together.”     I’ve read that the most powerful adhesive is Gorilla Glue, which  advertises itself as Strong enough for the toughest jobs on Planet Earth.  But, that’ nothing when compared to  Goodness Glue (Love).  When the events of life become almost impossible to bear, the love of a family member or friend “mends”. almost miraculously.  One of the Proverbs states that “A friend sticketh closer than a brother.”  When it comes to counting blessings, don’t forget to mention, Goodness Glue.  ;-)  Jack FROM SRRD IN SBSJ:  AMEN, Jack!  How precious!!===JACK:  Do you know the song, Precious Lord?  It's a favorite of mine.  You can YouTube it. FROM EMT SINGS IN TC:  I have had many hugs lately.  Since Rick's passing I would not have made it  without the support of my kids mostly, but church friends, neighbors and casual friends who know what you are going through. It has been so comforting and getting better. Many prayers have been said!===JACK:  What we wouldn't give for just one more hug.....BUT, that's why God has given us memories.  God bless you. FROM THE MAD SCIENTIST:  :) that’s a fun one===JACK:  Did you ever make paste out of flour and water> FROM SHALOM JAN:  This is "simply powerful", Jack!  It is simply put, and it is a powerful encouragement to those who need to know about the "Goodness Glue" that God's love and mercy are for us.===JACK:  Do you know the song, The Love of God? The love of God is greater far Than tongue or pen can ever tell It goes beyond the highest star And reaches to the lowest hell The guilty pair, bowed down with care God gave His Son to win His erring child He reconciled And pardoned from his sin Could we with ink the ocean fil And were the skies of parchment made Were every stalk on earth a quill And every man a scribe by trade To write the love of God above Would drain the ocean dry Nor could the scroll contain the whole Though stretched from sky to sky Hallelujah 3x O love of God, how rich and pure! How measureless and strong! It shall forevermore endure The saints' and angels' song ===JAN:  I have never heard that song before -- or read the words.  Lovely!  Thanks for sharing it with me.  I sent the "Goodness Glue" item to a friend who needed to hear of it again and it is really helping in a bad time.  Thanks for that, too.===JACK:  Did you ever play the game, PASS IT ON?  In life it can be more than a game.

 Jack’s Winning Words 8/19/21

“One more hug, mama!”  (Megan Alexander)   A kindergartner was apprehensive about getting on a school bus for the first time and kept running back to his mother for “one more hug.”  Maybe something like that has happened in your life.  Most of us have faced anxious times.  Where do you go for that “hug,” that place where you find security?  The presence of family members helps me; so do the words and music of special hymns.  And a few words of prayer have a calming effect.  Many of us are wanting the feeling that comes with a hug.  ;-)  Jack 

FROM SRRD AT SBSJ:   I go to our hermitage. . .Here's a hug for you and another for Joan!😍😍===JACK:  Hugs were one of things missed during the pandemic,  Virtual is not the same.  

FROM DANDI SANDI:  You know where I go!===JACK:  One of the wedding statements is "The two shall be one,"  A  hug makes it so.

FROM HONEST JOHN:  Each Sunday we get one more hug from the Lord."helps one to make it thru the week.===JACK:  You caused me to think about how the Lord gives us hugs,,,Holy Communion,,,contact with people...the sunrise...prayer...so many ways!

FROM BB IN CHGO:  My son.  Folks have long said he has the best hugs…. started when he was around 8 or 10 and, like decent wine, only improves with age!===JACK:  The best hugs are when two embrace.

 

 Jack’s Winning Words 8/18/21

“Comparison is the thief of joy.”  (C.S. Lewis)  Maybe it started in high school, the feeling that others were better than I was.…smarter, better looking, better athletes.  Even pastors play the comparison game.  The Bible assures us that we are “one of a kind”, and fingerprints and electronic facial recognition help drive that home.  This week a mom told me that she was expecting triplets, and although they’ll be the same, each will be different.  Let’s you and I be thankful that we are who we are - a child of God.   Remember what Popeye said?  “I YAM WHAT I YAM!”  (Now, repeat that for yourself!)  ;-)  Jack

FROM ST PAUL IN ST PAUL:  good one,  Jack.  we all need to hear this once in a while.  ===JACK:  There's no one like St Paul, except the original one.===SP:  hey,  that is very HIGH praise.  thanks!

FROM C?L?:  I like this one especially! Comparison does rob us of joy. Think of the impact on children when the parents compare them to others....no good.===JACK:  As the quote says..."It robs us of joy!"

FROM PM:  Thank you! Your timing for this one is impeccable. It’s crazy all the ways we compare ourselves. Too many!===JACK:  I imagine that when you and I (all of us) stop to think about it...we have so many blessings.  Wasn't it Mick Jagger who sang, "I can't get no satisfaction?"  We get no satisfaction by comparing ourselves to others.

FROM JO-AN IN ST-JO:  I begin each day by making a list of twenty-five things I’m thankful for. The first thing on that list each day is that I’m a beloved child of God. Your list Jack would be different than mine but one would not be better than the other. Enjoy your day! ===JACK:  I accept the challenge and will begin my list...#1: Child of God.  etc.

FROM BB IN CHGO:  Just loved this one, both the quote and your inspired words. ===JACK:  C.S Lewis usually has words worth quoting.  I think that as we grow older, the comparison "devil" fades, or maybe moves to comparing aches and pains,  Luke Appling, of the White Sox, carried the nickname of "Old aches and pains," because he was always complaining about how he felt.  Yet, he played as though he had no pains.===BB:  I concur; someone told me that some comparison is inadvertent/hard-wired i.e. we look to see who is faster, fitter, better-nourished out of a biological fight or flight place that is unconscious yet always registering and judging our ability to escape predation/disasters. Kind of odd but I understand and try to get over that to at least interact engage publicly with people who look/act odd but who are my brothers and sisters.  Last week on the way to work the food pantry our little church team literally almost tripped over a “fallen soldier” on the sidewalk who was asleep clutching a 12 bottle cardboard box of beer.  It made me sad and we engaged in a long conversation about how to approach the person during or after our shift to offer assist.  Some folks said these are the local drunks, known to the community and you just have to leave them.  That made me uncomfortable as much as engaging  with the person who could’ve been angry/belligerent.  Who knows?  But I think Jesus would not pass without stopping….===JACK:  Were the Bunnies ever into comparison.? I'm sure that some were

 FROM SRRD AT SBSJ:  This is exquisite!!🙈===JACK:  I've never heard one of my writings ever called, exquisite.  Syn:  elegant - magnificent - superb.  If you say so,,,but I just scribble (guided by the hand of God)===RD:  I'd say "ALL four synonyms could fit the bill. . .be the description be the Bible or C.S. Lewis" ===JACK:  Maybe it would sound more exquisite if I used my "real" name...at least more biblical...John's Winning Words.

 

Jack’s Winning Words 8/17/21

 “My idea of Heaven is a great big baked potato and someone to share it with.”  (Oprah)  I think that I recently had a glimpse of Heaven…no pearly gates, streets of gold…no faces…but a bright light that I’d never seen before.  Is that what He meant when Jesus said, “I am the light of the world?”  I don’t know, but I do know that Heaven is something I want to share with others.  If a baked potato comes with that, I’m all for it.  The truth is that the Bible promises life after death…and it will be good.  That’s all I need to know.  What’s your idea of Heaven?  ;-)  Jack

FROM SHARKLAR:  I think in heaven we will have white robes and wings and float around . Not sure what we will do everyday. 🤣===JACK:  I'd like to see Joseph in Heaven wearing his multi-colored dreamcoat...and maybe a housewife running around in a pink chenille housecoat.

FROM MAGPIE:  Good morning. I read another blog “Sean of the South” by Sean Dietrich. This morning he wrote about heaven also. His beloved mother-in-law died yesterday and his description was very comforting for those who are still grieving (like me). If you have time, Google it. It will bless you.  Grace and great joy!===JACK:  Your last word, JOY, is a reminder that Heaven turns tears of sadness into tears of joy.  

FROM DR JUDY:  Love how you wove it into your winning words!===JACK:  How do you describe the indescribable?===JUDY:  Welcome to my world. LOL You did great

FROM FACEBOOK LIZ:  would it be heaven w/o baked potatoes? 😇===JACK:  what would be your choice?

FROM WILLMAR REV:  Eyes have not seen nor ears heard what God has prepared for those who love Him…the little glimpses I have seen and the Word that has been told should cause one not to be one who would want to miss it! 0;-) ===JACK:  The description of a Thanksgiving meal cannot compare to the taste of the real thing.  I expect that of Heaven, too,

FROM RS IN TEXAS:  No worry, stress or negativity......just pure enveloping love.....and the opportunity to see my parents and tell them how much I loved them.===JACK:  "In my Father's house are many rooms,,,,"  What kind of a "room" would you choose for meeting your parents?  I'd like to meet mine on the front porch of 1818 - 13th Sr in Moline, Illinois.===RS:  I would like mine on the back patio of my current house so they could see all the flowers and landscaping ....they always like that.===JACK:  Maybe streets lined with flowers are more beautiful than streets paved with gold,===RS:  I would vote for that.  Gold may be precious (expensive), but nothing is more beautiful (in my opinion) than nature.===JACK:  What's the price of gold these days...in Heaven?===RS:  I’m sure everything is free.... for all.===JACK:  Heaven....a free-for-all?

FROM INDY GENIE:  Whoa….I’d like to hear more about the light that you saw.===JACK:  Face to face...or maybe voice to voice. 

 

FROM BONEFF IN MONTANA:  I, too, have experienced seeing a bright light - an orb that mysteriously came through the concrete wall of our basement where I was washing my dad's bedding just after he had died.  I felt I was being reassured everything was okay.  It stayed beside me for several minutes until I thought I'd better return to the company of my family upstairs.  I'll never forget the experience.===JACK:  Hmmm.  You've caused me to think that Heaven will not be the same for everyone...but in other ways, the same for  everyone.  In Handel's oratorio, Messiah, there 's a recitative, "Behold, I tell you a mystery."  In reality, Heaven is mysterious...as was your basement experience.

FROM BLAZING OAKS:  Oh my goodness, Jack! In reading your blog I discovered we lived on the same street! Ours was on the corner, 2041 -13th St! A big yellow stucco home, with a screened porch all across the front of the house....!  I wonder if Heaven might not be our Spiritual Condition, rather than a certain place; where we bond with other Spirits and God? I guess we'll know "even as we're known" when we arrive there!!===JACK:  I remember the big yellow stucco house, but did not know who lived there.  Actually, the house I wrote ofwas my uncle and aunt's, but my sister and I spent many times there - a 2nd home.  Have you ever sung the hymn, "Heaven Is My Home?"===OAKS:  No I don't believe I know that song! Thanks for the info about the house, I wonder if we ever passed each other and didn't realize it!===JACK:  You can YouTube the song.   It's an oldie, but a goodie....at least the thought.

FROM SALON SUZY:  Amen! Just passing through…🙏===JACK:  Do you know the song, "This world is not my home, I'm just-a passin' through?"  You can YouTube it.

FROM BB IN CHGO:  Glad you recently saw the light.  You ARE the light as well.  I just read a book called “To Dare the Lord’s Prayer” and the author addressed heaven (of course) as it’s part of the prayer.===JACK:  It just popped into my mind...how we use "heaven" in exclamations...Heavens to Betsy...My Heavens...For Heaven's sake.  Can you think of others?===BB:  Heavens to Murgatroyd===JACK:  Snagglepuss would say it,

 

 

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Jack’s Winning Words 8/16/21

“I think that the first song I ever performed was, Jesus Be A Fence Around Me.”  (Aretha Franklin)   Aretha’s religious faith was certainly influenced by her father, a famous Detroit preacher…and by the music of the Baptist Church tradition.  The song, Jesus, Be A Fence, asks for God’s protection during the ups and downs of everyday life…and Aretha did have downs as well as many ups.  There’s no “fence” that’ll keep bad things from happening, but the Psalmist writes: “The Lord is my Shepherd…I will fear no evil, for He is my fence.”  ;-)  Jack

FROM SRRD AT SB:  I, too, am willing and eager to Stay Inside the Fence, jack! ===JACK:  Do you have time or opportunity to hear "pop"msongs inside of the fence?===RD:  My difficulty, Jack, is that I can't hear. . . .time or opportunity is available, of course! 😢===JACK:  I have the same problem, but I just "crank up" the volume when no one's around.  Have you heard the song, "One Day at a Time, Sweet Jesus?"

FROM DAZ IN CO:  Loved Aretha in the Blues Brothers.===JACK:  She got no RESPECT from her husband/boy friend,  H walked out to "join the band!" ===DAZ:  But the song was great. That was a great scene.

 

Jack’s Winning Words 8/13/21

“I’m not superstitious, but I am a little stitious.”  (Michael Scott)  Does it bother you that today is Friday, the 13^th?  How about walking under a ladder?  I do so if somebody’s up there holding a paint can.  Do you say “Bless you!” when someone sneezes?  “Knocking  on wood” originated with the idea that the gods lived in trees, and it would be good to get their attention.  The root meaning of “superstitious” is fear of the gods.  {n the midst of a storm, Jesus said to the disciples, “Fear not; I am with you.”  I’m not stitious (plain or super), because God is always with me.  Remember the words of Jesus during troublesome times: “Fear not; I am with you.”  ;-)  Jack

FROM MAGPIE:  Good morning, Jack. I was born on a Friday the 13th. My mom, Eileen, and I would celebrate together on any Friday the 13th. It was fun when my birthday landed on a Friday. Stay well.===JACK:  I wonder if the Lord's Supper was on Friday, the 13th?  Oops!  The Gregorian Calendar had not yet been invented...but there 13 at the table, according to daVinci.  Your birth date hasn't seemed to affect your luck, one way or another.

FROM THE CAT: I was born on a Friday the 13th so consider it a lucky day! ===JACK:  It was lucky for the world, too...especially for JCC.

FROM SHARKLER:  Good words to live by. Fear not. I am with you! Love this. I think we learned the habits of knocking on wood and a Bless you after a sneeze as a kid and we just keep doing it. Ha!  But Friday the 13th always gives me the “Willies” ha!===JACK:  "The Willies......."  I haven't heard that in a long time.  I'll have to look up the source.

FROM SALON SUZY:  Like this one today!===JACK:  I, too, liked it...especially the word, stitious, when it's attached to "super."

FROM JU IN NC:  What a wonderful reminder. ===JACK:  Did you ever have superstitions while growing up...or even today?===JU:  Never that I can recall.  My family life always helped me trust in reality.===JACK:  I wonder if that wasn't a characteristic of people who lived "off of the land" and had a basic trust in God? 

FROM FACEBOOK LIZ:  13 is a lucky number, especially for women.===JACK:  Enlighten me....Why is 13 lucky for women?  Because there were only 13 males (no females) at the Last Supper?

FROM HOMELESS:  This was our mantra one summer at the lake cabin. (The O girls and my two boys had been at Vacation Bible school with Gramdma. "Fear not; I am with you" was the theme for that summer's camp. We all used this Bible quote when we were on the inner tube being whipped around the lake by Uncle R,. Good memories.===JACK:  It brings to mind, little Siggy in the movie, What About Bob?  

FROM 'MAD' SCIENTIST:  Been talking to my kiddo about superstitions. I said I sometimes find myself doing superstitious things, but that I know better. Funny I didn’t even recognize today as Friday the 13 until I was leaving work and heard it said on the radio. Now it’s on my mind… and in conflict with my rational self. Ha ===JACK:  As I stop and rhink.....I don't know of any personal superstitions,

FROM FACEBOOK LIZ:  13 has always been a lucky number for me.  i don't want to jinx anything, but it has been good to me in the past. ha!===JACK:  The origin of the word, jinx, refers to putting a "spell" on someone.===LIZ:  i listen to father simon on relevant radio (catholic) in car when i flip stations and he's on. he is an old school latin and greek student, and translations can be very different when you know the word origins. 

 

 Jack’s Winning Words 8/12/21

 “If it weren’t for baseball I’d be in either in the penitentiary or the cemetery.”  (Babe Ruth)  There are lots of “Bambino” stories…many of them true, because he was an unusual character as well as a home-run hitter.  I like this one… The Babe always kept a cabbage leaf under his hat to keep cool. He changed after every two innings…Ruth retired from baseball when he was 53…He had a troubled childhood and began chewing tobacco at age 7…It is probably true that “baseball saved him.”  Was there something significant that altered the course of your life?  ;-)  Jack

FROM WILLMAR REV:  ". . . a close personal friend I've followed for over 70 years now!" 0;-)===JACK:  "A friend is someone who knows all about you and likes you just the same." 

FROM ST PAUL IN ST PAUL:  now that is one rather interesting insight into Babe's life and career!   ===JACK:  If the truth were know, we each have interesting segments of ;ife, known only to a few.SP: have you ever felt the need to preach with a cabbage leaf on your head?   Personally, I prefer lettuce.===JACK:  In the summertime a friend of mine who conduct worship in his underwear, covered only by his alb.===SP: Wow!  hope all the Velcro holds tight.===JACK:  There's a cincture (rope) as a backup.

  

FROM CM IN CALIF:  My neighbor in West Bloomfield altered my course!! ===JACK:  The friends that we've had and the experiences we've shared definitely had an effect on our present.  You've made a difference also!

FROM BLAZING OAKS:  Interesting WW on Babe Ruth. He WAS quite a character! My life was pretty mundane in comparison! But a very happy one!! :-)===JACK:  Though Babe was not a twin, he had more than enough "experiences" to count for being a twin.  The "B" Twins had their share of experiences.

FROM RD AT SB:  YES! Being baptized in the Holy Spirit as part of many years of participation in the Charismatic Movement in the catholic church!===JACK:  Does charismatic mean caring more about others than you do about yourself?  Or, does it mean having the love of Jesus as a aprt of your life?  Or, what do you personally think the word means?

FROM HOMELESS:  As you know, my sister D changed my life with her gift of " a home" last fall. I will forever be grateful.===JACK:  Out of the bad often comes good, i look look hard enough and wait long enough.

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Jack’s Winning Words 8/11/21

“If thou be a master, be sometimes blind; if a servant, sometimes deaf.”  (Thomas Fuller)  Have any of you ever worked as a waiter or waitress?  You must have heard some rude comments and had to bite your tongue.  You might also have waited on someone who did not complain when you were having a bad day.  Even around “nice” church people, a pastor has to be a little bit deaf and sometimes pretend not to see.  …but not always!  It applies in other jobs, too!  Right?  ;-)  Jack

FROM WILLMAR REV:  Sometimes those of us posting daily blogs or devotionals must have a few who will turn a blind eye or two and/or present a deaf ear to our "well-thought-out comments" 0;-) ===JACK:  I write, basically, for my own satisfaction...not necessarily in the expectation of replies.  I can usually count on at least a smiley face from you.===REV:  I follow your pattern as well, write/share what touches my mind and heart, sending it out by way of Facebook or weekly emails to ‘whomsoever will’ might enjoy…over the years I have discovered a remnant of 20 or so who at least will send back a ‘like’ or short comment…at least I know my life has been touched by the treasures  of wisdom meant for me! Enjoyed yours posts over the years as it keeps our friendship ever before us! 0;-)===JACK:  Winning Words goes out to over 500 people 5 days a week.  Only God knows how many read them.  A blog allows me to receive and answer comments.  You are one of my "regulars."

FROM BLAZING OAKS:  Certainly true! Probably in all walks of life, but especially in the pastorate! :-)===JACK:  People would sometimes "pump" our family for information about church.  One person said (with a smile), "You're the most closed mouth people that I know of."===OAKS:  Unless he needed me to pray about a situation, Bill never told me about who he was counseling.... occasionally someone would apologize for taking his time away from me & the family, and I'd had no idea what they were talking about. I think he counseled a lot because people had faith it would go no further.===JACK:  Sometimes a wife's advice is helpful...without betraying confidences.

FRO SR AT SB:  Yes, Jack!  Right on. . .and so beautifully spoken/written !  thank you.===JACK:  Everybody has a bad day once in awhile.  That's why the liturgy provides for confession and the assurance of forgiveness.

     Jack's Winning Words 8/10/21

“What you don’t see with your eyes, don’t invent with your mouth.”  (Yiddish

Proverb)  Many of my Jewish friends enjoy quoting Yiddish sayings.  Usually it’s to make a point…with a comic touch.  Today’s quote is a perfect example.  I’m told that Yiddish is a dying language, but I hope that translated proverbs like this one) live on.  In plain English: “Don’t make stuff up!”  Can you say it better?  ;-)  Jack

FROM SF IN WB:  Love this!===JACK:  What's a saying that you remember from your childhood?===SF:  Some of them I wouldn’t repeat to you! Mostly my mom would swear at us in Yiddish! But my favorite is ‘Menchen truchts and Goot lachts.’ (Man plans and G-d laughs’) I use it all the time.===JACK:  Sometimes the truth is better in the "original" with the dialect.  

FROM HY YO SILVER:  Actually, studies show that Yiddish is very much on the rise. Many universities teach it!  Its popularity has grown over the last decade or two, reversing a trajectory over the last couple of generations.===JACK:  My sense is that Jewish comedians are unusually funny, because they grew up in homesw where humor was a staple.  I'm glad to hear that Yiddish continues to live on.

FROM SUPER G:  The world would be better if people took heed of this proverb.===JACK:  The world would be better if people took heed of this proverb.

FROM EDUCATOR PAUL:  Good one… the closest I can come to that is…. Words should be weighed, not counted.===JACK:  As a teacher, did you ever write moralisms on the chalkboard?  (In Yiddish?)===EP:  The last time I used a chalkboard teaching was 1993!   I was a principal at Roosevelt and the first renovation was removing all chalkboards and replacing with white boards in their place.   But Jewish Yiddish curses are the best!!!!...“You should grow like an onion with your head in the ground and your feet in the air”===JACK:  I think that classroom kids would like to learn curses.===EP:  Nope!  

FROM RD IN SJ: I surely cannot say it better, Jack! 😊===JACK:  Are there any Spanish quotes that are similar?===RD:  En el momento, no recuerdo tal tipo de proverbio, mi amigo!  Lo siento!===JACK:  If you say so, senorita!  

FROM BLAZING OAKS:  GOOD ONE! Can't say it better, even tho  most of us like to embellish a good story as time goes on...at least the funny ones! ===JACK: At our house we have funny stories that we tell over and over again...and they still get laughs, because they really ARE funny.  Joan is putting some of them into a "computer book" that she is writing....IT'S ABOUT JACK.