Jack’s Winning Words  4/26/22

“I see great things in baseball.”  (Attributed to Walt Whitman)  I’ve been a baseball fan forever!  I used to cut out the pictures of players from the newspaper and put them in envelopes marked with the name of the team they played for.  I actually saw Hank Aaron when he was a rookie…and Lou Gehrig play his last game…but last Saturday I missed seeing Miguel Cabrera get his 3000^th  hit,  RATS!.  There’s a saying: “He who has eyes to see, let him see.”  Is there something that you’ve seen in your lifetime that’s really impressed you?  Maybe it was  the Moon landing?  …or the birth of a child?...or, what?   ;-)  Jack 

FROM WILLMAR REV:  ". . . or what?" "Morning by morning new mercies I see?! Blessed to have soooo many!! 0;-)===JACK:  Great Is Thy Faithfulness is one of my  favorite hymns.===REV:  Mine as well, especially that line I used to respond, “morning by morning, new mercies I see!” 0;-)===JACK:  The tune is especially good at that point in the song.

FROM THE IVESTOR:  I remember my grandfather saw the first automobile then saw us land on the moon!===JACK:  Impressive, but I wonder if he ever saw the birth of a baby?===I:  His wife had two of them but I doubt he witnessed it. ===JACK:  I never found out about the birth of my children until and hour, or more after it happened.  "Those were the days."

FROM HY YO SILVER:  You saw Aaron?  You saw Gehrig’s last game?  WOW ===JACK:  Since home TV was not available at the time, I did see Gehrig's speech on movie newsreel...but I was "in the stands" at Milwaukee when Hamerin' Hank played as a rookie.  He was good!===HY:  There's a hymn, "Were you there when they crucified my Lord?"  I've read about the crucifixion, I've preached about it, I've seen artists' renderings...BUT I was not there at the time.  Would I have joined the mocking crowd, or been part of the crying few?  There's a difference between "being there" and "not actually being there."===JACK:  

FROM SHARIN' SHARON:  I've seen a bunch of things that have really impressed me but I believe one thing I saw that really impacted upon me and my family is that 500 year celebration of the positive things in the Church which have happened since the Reformation.  The local and international celebrations were really hopeful and actually continue to guide me forward in a lot of my thinking and reading and relationships and so forth.  Wouldn't be nearly so confident of a good direction forward if none of that stuff hadn't happened a few years ago. Wouldn't personally be so bold if those 500 year celebration things hadn't happened. The memories continue to be inspirational.  Actually, the things you mentioned--baseball, moon landing, new baby all carry that impetus of hope and constructive change to a future that is more open than closed which can be appreciated.  Thanks for the WW===JACK:  I,m old, but not old enough to have known Luther personally.  But, I feel very comfortable knowing that he was "an ordinary guy" with an extra-ordinary mind.  When the devil bothered him, he just farted to scare him away.===SS:  Ha ha, Pastor Freed.  Guess Luther made an impact in whatever way he thought would work.  I love the earthy no-nonsense humor!!!  On his example, I’ll save up my farts for when the devil harasses me too.

FROM ST5 PAUL IN ST PAUL:  i would enjoy baseball a lot more if it was just 7 innings.  but that is just one man's opinion:):):) ===JACK:  If that's the way you feel, 6 1/2 would better...because it would mean that the home team had won the game (or there had been a rain-out.

FROM CPA MD:    I love technology. You can see his hit time and time again even 3,000 times should you choose. Film and TV has enabled me to see Aaron and Gehrig on demand.  Watched the 1952 world series a few weeks back.===JACK:  There's a hymn, "Were you there when they crucified my Lord?"  I've read about the crucifixion, I've preached about it, I've seen artists' renderings...BUT I was not there at the time.  Would I have joined the mocking crowd, or been part of the crying few?  There's a difference between "being there" and "not actually being there."

FROM ME IN NEWPORT BEACH:  I have been impressed by Ukraine’s President Zellensky who to me came out of nowhere.  I have been equally unimpressed with Mr. Putin.  I also find myself embarrassed that, in my opinion, our generation is the first in my lifetime to leave our children a lesser world.  My personal barometer for that remark is my impression that the world is a much less happy and much more angry world than the one I inherited.===JACK:  We are a fickle people.  There's a reason it's called, THE ME GENERATION.  I don't think that people really understand how catastrophic a nuclear war would be.  I agree with your assessment of Zellensky and of Putin (the Emperor has no clothes).  There's also a general misunderstanding of economics.  Inflation has it's reasons beyond whose party is in office.  The same with stagnation or any --ation.  "Ask not what your country can do for you.  "Ask what can you do for your country?"  Kennedy might not have been the greatest President, but he sure was able to generate positive enthusiasm.  (My 2 cents worth)