Jack’s Winning Words  6/10/22

The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.”  (Nelson
Mandela)  The Toastmaster’s Club was formed to help people overcome the fear of speaking in public.  That fear is often listed as #1 among people.  If not that, is there some other fear that you have?  I could never work at building skyscrapers.    There are countless phobias, all the way from acrophobia (fear of heights) to zoophobia (fear of animals).  Whatever our fears, we can be comforted by the words of Jesus, “Fear not; I am with you always.”  When you find yourself in “one of those situations,” be brave and remember the saying…Wherever I am, God is!”     

FROM LS IN WB:  Good morning.  This quote is one I live. I am a toastmaster.  I became a toastmaster to conquer my fear of standing in front of others and sharing. Lessons learned and close friends made in Northwood Toastmasters are forever lessons I use each day.    Prayers and thought of you for an abundance.  I continue to read and look forward to your Winning Words. ===JACK:  My fear is not so much -standing in front of a group and speaking - It is the fear of failing to say something that is meaningful to the group.  It's a burden to bear...but it tends to keep me focused as I prepare for what I intend to say.  

FROM SHALOM JAN:  God does not drive my car across the Mackinac Bridge, but the Mackinac Bridge Authority provides drivers who do this service.  The cables going by in my peripheral vision give me vertigo; God has provided safety for me in the MBA service!===JACK:  I've heard of that bridge experience, but I didn't know that it was vertigo.  I watched Hitchcock's "The Birds" recently, but I'm not up to watching his "Vertigo."===LS:  If you touch one person, you have made a difference that will be paid forward. You are not responsible for touching a group - the good lord has that - those for whom your winning words are suppose to touch will in fact be so touched.  Let go of perfection.  Your winning words are guided to those who are directed to receive. Perfection is in honoring your inner voice bringing you to share just what you need to share.===JACK:  Thanks, I needed to read that.  

 

Jack’s Winning Words  6/9/22 “I don’t know what more to say.  I mean, we’re all going to die in a world that is worse than when we entered it,”  (Daniel Berrigan)  Daniel was once a R.C. priests during the protests of the 60’s.  His quote captures the spirit of that time.  I wonder if the same attitude mirrors how  some people feel about the world today?  What do you think?  How can we of this generation leave  the world better than when it was given us?  What suggestions do you have?  A lady in the area where I live wants to do away with manicured lawns and, instead, to grow grass on the roofs of houses.  Some Scandinavians have been doing this since prehistoric times, with goats serving as lawnmowers.  ;-) Jack   FROM GOOD DEBT JON:  I do not agree with Mr. Berrigan. By every measure we have less poverty, less hunger, we are doing better than ever.   Medical advances recently saved my wife. Our cars and trucks are fifty times faster and safer. Building and construction technology vastly improved.    The one thing that has declined is critical thinking and objective gratitude for our wonderful lives.  Opportunity abounds yet people like to moan and whine.   The nihilist says there is no reason to live, he never considers perhaps he is worthless to himself and his fellow humans.   I'm glad Daniel didn't live in my neighborhood.  Shut off the TV and live.===JACK:  Fr Berrigan was living in the tumultuous 60's.  He did not have the benefit of seeing what positives might come with the future.  Is the same situation existing today?  when we do not have the foresight to see future benefits?  Perhaps a green world is in our future.  Perhaps world peace will come in our time.  Perhaps Americans will come together to celebrate what a great country is their's.  The optimists see the glass half full; the pessimists, half-empty.  FROM M&L IN WB:  Joan, in response to Jack’s WW question as to how we can make the world better..I (Mike) have been reading Wendell Berry. He offers a lot of suggestions about how we can get to communal living and greater respect for the earth. Good ideas about making the world a better place.  our world is better since we have you both as friends. ===JACK:  Do you remember the song, That's What Friends Are For?  Those lyrics make the pooint about friendship. FROM SHARIN' SHARON:  Another thought-provoking quote.  I still have hope but it is because I can see little signs of promise in the church.  Pastor Karole and the Pastor of Shepherd of the Lakes are going to do a zoom Bible study on the ELCA’s social statements, the first one being the Church in society.  Read the social statement and it says the Church needs to take a stand of maintaining a critical distance from society so it can be a prophetic voice when it needs to.  I welcome this study because I don’t believe we lay people, as far as I can determine anyway, actually have thought very deeply on what it means to maintain a critical distance from society.  Plenty of Christians think in terms of moral issues but we have problems with thinking about and deliberating on institutional issues.  I think, if we’re going to leave the world in a better place when we die, the Church has to assume more responsibility in our society, this is my perspective anyway and Pastors willing to engage congregations on these matters is a very proactive step.  Probably I would have enjoyed having a friendship with Daniel Berrigan, even if he was kind of pessimistic, he might have cared about the same justice issues I do.  Just guessing though. him being a R.C. Priest and maybe very concerned about poverty.===JACK:  I agree with need for a prophet to society....but sometimes the Church needs to have a prophet to speak to the Church.  The Church doesn't always have all of the answers.  A does of humility is good for each of us. FROM ME IN NEWPORT BEACH:  As I think you have heard me say, I feel there is less fun in the world today and more stress. So my words are to have more fun so long as it is not at anyone else’s expense.  Time flies when u r having fun.  Stress is largely self induced and very overrated.  ===JACK:  As you go through life, let this be your goal....Keep your eye on the donut and not the hole. FROM ST PAUL IN ST PAUL:  another quote from the Berrigan brothers in the 1960s was this one:  if you are really serious about following Jesus,  you better look good on wood!  FROM COPPER COUNTRY BOB:   My kids say, "We were born in the right place at the righttime.  We had freedom and a community that disciplined us."    Both they and myself  feel the truth of his quote.===JACK:  Many things are good or ba  Positive thinkers have more fun than do negative ones.d, depending on the way you look at them.

 

Jack’s Winning Words  6/8//22 “Without the light, no chance; without the dark, no dance.”  (William Blake or Margaret Atwood)  One of my high school classmates was called, Mr Smooth, because of how gracefully he could dance.    One of my regrets is that I never learned to dance.  But, so what?   I did manage to read the Dale Carnegie book, How To Win Friends And Influence People. Today is Best Friends Day.  Best Friend, or simply a Friend…friends are a real blessing in time of need…and just for fun, too.  I know of someone who had Warren Buffett as his best childhood friend, and that friendship continues.  What do you see as the qualities of friendship?  ;-)  Jack FROM COPPER COUNTRY BOB:  Greetings friend!    And thanks for being light on my journey.===JACK:  On our way, rejoicing, gladly as we go.  I like that song. FROM FACEBOOK LIZ:  i never dance in public.===JACK:  ...so. you never went to a prom?  Neither did I.===LIZ:   first of all, i do not believe in proms, homecoming dances or similar school-sponsored matchmaking services. this is not the middle ages.===JACK:  Whether you believe in proms, or not, they exist in many place...and are BIG business.  Just an observation....The Villa (and places like that) were thought of by outsiders as places for the "snooty-ones" or places where parents could send their children to be protected from the "riff-raff."  I'm just reporting and observation with no evidence.  secondly, i went to private school... st katharine's, graduated from the villa... no prom or homecoming, tho we had a winter whirl dance. i went to fancy dinner/drank, as it was 18, then... but i do not dance in public. it's a weird ritual, isn't it? FROM SK IN SJ:  I think the meaning of Friends who stick by you, have a lot of same values, like to be together. I appreciate your’s and Joan’s Friendship.😊❤===JACK:  You certainly provide a warm welcome when the door to your home opens.  The food is good, too,  I can imagine that in days gone by you "cut a mean rug." F️ROM WILLMAR REV:  "Never doubting it?!?!" 0;-)===JACK:  i'M SUSPICIOUS OF THE ONE WHO HAS ALL OF THE ANSWERS.  WE ARE SEEKERS AFTER TRUTH.===REV:   "I'd sure give you the benefit of any doubt?! 0;-)===JACK:  I'm comfortable with what I believe, but I'm ready to admit that I don't have of the answers to all of the questions.  FROM KQ:  My dad (Byron Swanson) and Warren were buddies to the end!  Warren came to visit him on his last birthday - April 22, 2017!  He brought Dad an autographed Tom Osborne football!  Pretty special friendship! ===JACK:  It was special for your dad to have Warren as a friend.  It was special for me to have your dad as my friend.  Someday I should tell you how that friendship was almost "botched" by me. ]

 

Jack’s Winning Words  6/7//22 For their pastor, they want St. Paul on roller skates.”  (Bishop J. Milton. Nelson)  Last week I saw several large signs…WE’RE HIRING!  Even the Church is facing a shortage of pastors, although I’ve yet to see a “Help Wanted” sign on a Church.  Part of the “job problem” is finding qualified people.  Not everyone can drive a semi, operate a backhoe, program a computer or preach a sermon.  When Bishop Nelson told me that most congregations are looking for,  “St. Paul on  roller skates” to be their leader, he implied that employers aren't always realistic in their expectations, and I suppose job candidates aren't always realistic either.  “WE’RE HIRING” means that the help is needed, but let's make some things - like being able to SKATE - optional.    ;-) Jack FROM FACEBOOK LIZ:  odd situation we have... no one wants to work, and they don't seem to have to, inexplicably.===JACK:  "No one", to me, is an incorrect modifier.  "Some people" do not work at available jobs for a variety of reasons.  Laziness might be one of the reasons.  But, don't lump all of the unemployed into the lazy category.  We both know that societal issues are complex and that answers are not easy.===LIZ:   we also are not so naive as to believe govts (foreign and domestic) want to see the US tank... ===JACK:  Jealousy is not limited to you and me.  One of the best jealousy involves Joseph and his amazing technicolor dreamcoat.  You're right!  Countries can be jealous of each other.  So can political philosophers.  There are no easy solutions to some of life's problems, but we still yearn for solutions.   FROM SHALOM JAN:  Amen, brother!  And let's help young, dedicated Christians attend seminary by paying for their education!===JACK:  I'm afraid that I would not be a pastor today, except that I belonged to the Augustana Lutheran Church where seminay education was tuition free.  A benefactor at Luther Seminary does provide tuition free seminary education for needy students.  I do believe that thewre should be some pre-qualifications. FROM THE SCIENTIST:  Hiring is hard! And I don’t ask for roller skates  ===JACK:  I seem to recall how difficult "the education" was before you were deemed qualified for what you presently do.  ...and I must say that I have truly enjoyed my work.  Sometimes it meant going roller skating with the Youth Group.  FROM BLAZING OAKS:  CLEVER MEDITATION ! LOVED IT! XO ===JACK:  Were you ever into skaing?  I seem to recall that it was once almost as popuilar as dancing. FROM BB IN CHGO:  I went to my first/Catholic ordination a week ago as one of the deacons who has been preaching for us finally finished his studies.  They announced that he is one of only 3 black men to be ordained in the entire country this year.  Not sure whether the priesthood is any more difficult than a protestant ministerial vocation but what a shame that folks want St. Paul on roller skates.===JACK:  There's nothing wrong with wanting the BEST to serve as your pastor.  I'd rather have one on roller skates than one who spends the day kooing at a computer screen...(color doesn't matter!)

 

*Jack’s Winning Words  6/6/22 “Are you running with me, Jesus?”  (Malcolm Boyd )    Boyd was an Episcopal priest, a college chaplain  and a product of “the American 60’s.”  “Are You Running With Me, Jesus” is a book of informal prayers, showing how it’s possible to “talk” to Jesus as you would to an ordinary guy.  Jesus, do you understand what’s going on in my life?..Jesus, why is all this bad stuff going on around us?  Jesus, I need your help with this problem…Jesus, I feel lonely.  Do you hear me?  … Are you comfortable with informal prayers, or are you used to the more “churchy-type”?  My feeling is that God knows our concerns, regardless of the words we choose…or even prayers without words.  ;-)  Jack FROM ST PAUL IN ST PAUL:  i well recall this book,  Jack.  it was kind of revolutionary in that it so personalized our talking with our Lord.   it seems kind of tame today but then it caused a bit of a stir in some theological circles as well as elsewhere.   have a good day===JACK:  If that kind of praying was controversial then, what is controversial now?  ===SP:  Good question! FROM WILLMAR REV:  "Gracious He is, and certainly with me. Mine have been centered more so asking Jesus if I've been faithful running with Him?!" 0;- )===JACK:  The book cover shows Boyd wearing a clerical collar and having a cigarette.  Would that keep an AG from buying the book and reading it?  Of course, the picture represents "then"...It's a different world "now".===REV:  When pastoring in East Detroit (now Eastpoint) and before coming to West Bloomfield, I had a large table in the church foyer with a selection of our denominational publications and something at times like Charisma Magazine. I was shocked occasionally finding a JW Watchtower magazine or a publication from the World Church of Tomorow.  I suppose it would be like finding "The Good of Speaking in Tongues!" on one of the foyer tables at Holy Spirit Lutheran Church in West Bloomfield?.!  0;-))===JACK:  Oooooh!  That would be scarey, but I wouldn't remove it.  One of our members chose to go to a church where there was speaking in tongues.  I've wondered why, but we've never had that discussion.  We each have freedom of choice. FROM FACEBOOK LIZ:  jesus seems as if he had no personality, no humor. this bothers me.===JACK:  Quite the contrary...Books have been written about the humor of Jesus.  As you understand the spirit of the time and circumstances in which He lived, it does come through.  It is not the BOLD and BRASH humor that we're used to, but it's there, just the same.  Google a picture of the "laughing Jesus." ===LIZ:  i ❤️ a dry wit. as you likely know.===JACK:  I don't see Jesus as a HA HA sort of guy, but I do believe that He had a sense of humor.  I'd like to have Him as a friend.===LIZ:  he seems dull from my limited viewpoint... loses something in translation, perhaps. ===JACK:  We're living in a different time and situation.....and, besides that, we're not God in human form. FROM SHARIN' SHARON:  Agree with you, God knows us whatever thoughts or words or prayers we use.  I appreciate though this college chaplain writing a book that might touch people’s hearts and needs and inspire them in praying/talking to Jesus.  I’ve read that St. Francis, a lay person, one night in a time of anguish, actually spent all night long, asking “who am I God?” and “Who are you, God?”, a lot of people can probably relate to those prayers too, I know I could.  Just hurting is an honest prayer.  I love reading books on prayer and becoming aware of what many people think about the subject, so comforting to know prayer is uppermost in the concerns of universally practically everybody seems like anyway, folks want to connect to our Creator and to our neighbors.===JACK:  If you haven't rad Boyd's book, but it on your "to do" list.  A used copy should be pretty cheap and worth having in the church library. THE SCIENTIST:  I suppose I’m more informal as I’ve gotten older. I still fall back on the 6 or 7 parts of prayer that we discussed in confirmation though… at least the one part “if this is your will.” I figure even if I’ve expressed a need my idea of a solution may not be the right one so this is an opportunity for humility.===JACK:  One of the lessons of Confirmation is that the learning process goes on.  It can also mean "unlearning" certain things...not that they are wrong, but that they can stand another look, given different circumstances.  I have come to pray the Lord's Prayer.....Thy will be done on Earth," by God, as well as by us. ===S:    Hmmm.  I will think of that. But, Is this sort of like my dad saying that part of asking is doing my part? We cannot just say - here is the problem - and then hope for a magic wand answer. Often we are called to put in the work to be part of the solution. ===JACK:  Your dad is not only a dad; he's a teacher, as well.  You are fortunate to have been immersed in a teaching situation.  ...and that you applied yourself to learning.   FROM RVB:  I share your Feeling ... 😄😄😊‼‼===JACK:  Prayer  is simply a conversation with God, as one would have with a best friend. FROM GOOD DEBT JON:  Perhaps every desire is an informal prayer. We can't get away from hierarchy it is a basic human instinct. Whatever we have as the highest priority on our list, thought, paper, and ultimately actions is our God.===JACK:  One of the great mysteries...How can the "limited" communicate with the "unlimited?"  I happen to believe that that is why Jesus was created - so that God could reveal His will to man in terms that man would understand. FROM SHALOM JAN:  Amen! especially to the prayers without words (which are often difficult/impossible to find in our conscious brain).===JACK:  Silence is sometimes very hard for us to tolerate.  Silent prayers often don't last very long.  Especially with pastors, talking seems to be high on the "to do" list. FROM GP:  One more try - You may be interested in knowing that Malcolm Boyd was an acquittance/client of mine many years ago when he lived in Ann Arbor. .It was after he wrote Are You Running. If we ever find time to have lunch again,  I will tell you a little story about that time in my life.===JACK:  Another chapter in the complex GP story.  You are not only a friend, but you are a very interesting friend. FROM BLAZING OAKS:  I LOVED THAT BOOK!  I THINK PRAYER IS JUST A CONVERSATION WITH GOD...PRETTY INFORMAL IN MY CASE! XO===JACK:  I never was much into "formal" prayer.  I've always found it much easier to pray as though I were having a conversation with God.

 

Jack’s Winning Words 6/3/22 “You’re off to great places.  Today is your day.  Your mountain is waiting.  So get on your way.”  (Dr. Seuss)  I remember when I first heard this quote at a high school graduation ceremony.  I’ve gone to many graduations, and this Seuss quote is the only one I truly remember.  Maybe I remember it, because I think it’s so relevant for graduates.  Jesus often preached so that even the children could understand.  He used stories (parables) that got the attention of all.  When you go to a graduation (or a worship service), what is it that you expect to hear, or want to hear, or need to hear?  ;-)  Jack FROM SHARIN' SHARON:  Thought-provoking WW again this morning.  You touched on a lot here—great places, mountain, scriptural? Mt. Sinai, Mt. Zion?; Jesus’ preaching that got the attention of all, I want to hear something that helps me sustain continuing faith that the preacher is shepherding me into the Mind of Christ, into the Heart of God, Truth, law and Gospel that I can live my life by in a really ethical and faithful and loving way, acting beyond myself in relationship with God and neighbor.  I want to be freed to be authentically human in a higher calling.  Always enjoy Dr. Seuss, he lifts the spirit higher.  I appreciate the WW and your paragraph commentary,===JACK:  You're doing a GOOD job of reaching upward and traveling onward...at least in my opinion.  I haven't checked with God and His opinion, but, in your, case, I think that He agrees with me. FROM WILLMAR REV:  "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him was not anything made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men" (John 1:1-4). 0;-)===JACK:  I don't remember hearing that verse at a Graduation...maybe at a Baccalaureate.  Do they have Baccalaureates anymore?===REV:  Central Bible College, Springfield, MO, 1970! “Go forth and preach the Word unto all nations!” 0;-   FROM GOOD DEBT JON:  In a recent graduation ceremony I watched (Hillsdale University, Michigan) the speaker, Jordan Peterson, counseled graduates thusly, "Don't overestimate your present self, but also don't underestimate who you could become."===JACK:  That's a SAVER!  How did you happen to be at Hillsdale?  I didn't know that they had changed from "college" to "university."  What's the difference?  Do the speaker's words happen to relate to that name change?  FROM BLAZING OAKS:  Love 💖 Dr . Suess!!!===JACK:  Love the subtle Suess messages.

 Jack’s Winning Words 6/2/22

* “Being clever with what you have is better than getting more of what you don’t need.”  (Noor Murad)  This was sent to me by a WWs reader.  Most of us have enough stuff.  What we don’t need is more stuff.  I’ve even started giving away some of my books.  Place settings?  When am I going to have 12 people over for dinner?  I suppose the homeless shelter could use some of the extra ;linens.  Kagawa, the famous Japanese Christian was known for going around shirtless.  When someone would give him a shirt, he’d find someone who had no shirt and give it to them.  Perhaps now might be a good time to start giving away some of your stuff in a meaningful way?  ;-)  Jack

FROM WILLMAR REV:  Just gave away four pair of fairly new dress jeans to a buddy who has lost weight and now is ready for the size I can no longer wear, since gaining new weight and in need of a size above!?!? 0;-/===JACK:  You've taken the Kagawa illustration and given it a new twist...."I saw a man with no pants and gave him mine."

FROM ST PAUL IN ST PAUL:  we are now trying hard to "purge" but it can be so difficult at times.   but once you do get rid of the stuff,  you really don't seem to miss it very much===JACK:  One of the side benefits of "giving away" is the opportunity to "relive" the experience of having that item for the first time....a pair of (once) comfortable pants...that book filled with new and stimulating ideas.  "Those were the days!".

FROM FACEBOOK LIZ:  we sure put a lot of emphasis on stuff... does having stuff make you a bad person? greedy? why are we made to feel guilty for having stuff? ===JACK:  I don't feel guilty because of my stuff; I feel blessed.  It's just that I feel sad over the fact that some have to live in poverty when I have so much.  Of course, poverty has various reasons.  At one time in my life I had a taste of being poor, and it wasn't something I enjoyed.===LIZ:  poverty, poverty, poverty... no one in this country really lives in poverty, compared to the truly poor of the world. we have people who make bad choices that we choose to support, perpetuating the cycle of "poverty."===JACK:  What goes through your mind when you read the Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus as told by Jesus?

FROM SUNSHINE:  "Wise men and women in every major culture throughout history have found that the secret to happiness is not in getting more but in wanting less."  Elaine St. James===JACK:  There are many things that we can learn from other cultures...and from one another.  I learned from you that "minimalism can be beautiful."

FROM JU IN NC:  Lokk up the New English....freegan===JACK:  I've never heard of that word (pause while I look it up)  "an activist who scavenges for free food (as in waste receptacles at stores and restaurants) as a means of reducing consumption of resources."  Wow!  What an interesting word.  Thanks for furthering my education today.  We're never too old to learn something each day.

FROM GUSTIE:  And we did that.  Even some “stuff” I wanted to keep!!  Ha! ===JACK:  You really know that you're doing a good job when you get rid of stuff that you'd like to keep.  Getting rid of junk is easy.  

 

Jack’s Winning Words  (6/1/22 “Remember that there’s always another way of seeing things; that’s the beginning of wisdom.”  (John Barth – writer)  I came across  an interesting  “wisdom” quote by the prolific Jewish author, , Solomon ibn Gabirol, who wrote that the first step in acquiring wisdom is silence, the 2nd  step is listening, the 3rd is memory, the 4th is practice and the 5th is teaching others.  I’m still trying learn as Solomon taught, to see things from the other person’s point of view.  It can work for good in many environments, even the world.  Give it a try.  ;-)  Jack  FROM PEE WEE:  I love that this was broken down into sequential, memorable steps. ===JACK:  Food goes down easier when cut into bite-size servings.