Jack’s Winning Words 12/18/20

“Good men must not obey the laws too well.”  (Unknown)  As a child I was always taught to obey the law!  As I grew older, I realized that there were exceptions.  I learned about “Jim Crow” laws.  I even learned that some “laws” espoused by the Bible had exceptions.  A man was told that Jesus said, “Love your neighbor.”  The man responded, “…but Jesus never met my neighbor.”  Would Mr. Rogers be comfortable living in your neighborhood?” ;-)  Jack

FROM WILLMAR REV:  I use this often when closing my funeral messages— Three surprises will be found when walking the streets of gold in Heaven- 1) finding some you never thought had a chance of being there; 2) some not there you thought surely would be; 3) the biggest surprise when seeing the glory of God displayed before you your very eyes, that you were there?! Have a blessed Friday, Jack!! 0;-)===JACK:  Another surprise......I think that the quote is from Martin Luther.  He thought tht he was more sinner than saint.

FROM GOOD DEBT JON:  Thought-provoking as always, you bring up an excellent point about the Jim Crow laws.  Shiva Ayyadurai mentioned this, an MIT Ph.D., known by the New York Times as “always the smartest man in the room” in his Massachusetts Supreme court case he won a few days ago against the Republican party.   Oddly his Jim Crow reference referred to how the voting machines were used in a Senate race to allocate only 3/5 of the vote for his voters. Dr. Shiva knows a bit about this; he came from India as an untouchable and moved to the top of his field.  Only in America can you change your social-economic class through hard work. He invented email when he was 14. He is interesting to listen to; we take our liberty and freedom for granted and eschew opportunities to give thanks and be grateful.  Dr. Shiva is in year four of his battle. If his rights can be taken that easily by corrupt politicians and a few machines, I think we all have to wonder about the fragile nature of our rights.===JACK:  Law is never simple.  Even when Jesus said, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul and mind, and love your neighbor as yourself,"  it's subject to interpretation: "What does this mean?"  Countless sermons have not fully come up with the answer. ===JON:True enough. The law is not simple but the results of simple math are. No one of sound mind believes now or then that blacks were or are 3/5th of a person.  I presume that would apply to all humans?  It is only when you cast people or groups as less than human that things like this are thought permissible. 

FROM MY LAWYER:  Me and Jesus would have been pals!!!===JACK:  You might have been able to help him with the Law.

FROM BLAZING OAKS:  MY NEIGHBORS SEEM TO BE KIND AND CARING,  BUT I HAVE NO  IDEA WHAT ACTIVITIES THEY ARE INVOLVED IN EXCEPT FOR  A VERY FEW. I FEEL THEY ARE GOOD PEOPLE !  i THINK MR. ROGERS COULD COUNT ON ANY OF THEM TO "DO THE RIGHT THING".  SOME LAWS WE MARCHED AGAINST IN LONG GONE YEARS, WERE ABOUT UNFAIR HOUSING LAWS, AND UNEQUAL SCHOOLING FOR MINORITIES. IN CHICAGO THAT IS STILL A PROBLEM, AND PROBABLY IN MANY BIG CITIES..===JACK:  It must have been exciting to be "activists" for a just cause in those days.===OAKS:  So true! I guess it made us feel we were standing up to be counted in a just cause. The Congress passed a Fair Housing Law, the Fall after we marched, making it  unlawful to refuse to rent to or sell to ANY individual.   Which helped, but the ones who integrated neighborhoods still suffered consequences!===JACK:  I will not forget one of Bill's "favorites," Once to Every Man and Nation Comes the Moment to Decide."

 

Jack’s Winning Words 12/17/20

“Every wall has a door.”  (Emerson)  I don’t know if Michael Jordan ever read Emerson, but he said something similar about walls.  When Jordan was cut from his H.S, Basketball Team, he refused to give up.  “When faced with a wall, don’t give up.  Figure out how to climb over it, how to go thru it, or work around it.”  He also said, “I’ve failed many times, and that’s why I’ve been successful.”  Remember, when you encounter a wall, look for the door.  ;-)  Jack  

 

Jack’s Winning Words 12/16/20

“Wow!  Face it…God’s crazy about you!”  (Pr Bob Langseth)  I admire “farm boy” Pr  Bob who’s able to take “religion” and apply it to today’s world.  “God loves you” becomes, “God’s crazy about you.”  People loved the stories Jesus told, because they related to everyday life…”A farmer went out to sow.” is an example.  Today’s quote was used to begin a Confirmation Day sermon. I believe that God does get excited when young people confess their faith.  “In today’s lingo, God might say that he thinks you’re the GOAT!  ;-)  Jack

FROM RVB IN WB:  My youngest son has a shirt that says:  God is dope and thinks the same of me!===JACK:  Are you sure that the shirt says, "dope?"  Maybe it says, "God is hope."===RVB:  Jack, you read it correctly!  One millennial meaning is: Awesome or the best ever   Ask your great grandchildren, ===JACK:  I asked my daughter, and she said: "I knew that!"

FROM LBP:  I guessed right about what GOAT means. Yay! My 9 yo likes to be aghast at the things mom doesn’t know. My 13 yo just sighs===JACK:  I like to play with people's minds.

FROM BLAZING OAKS:  THIS DINASOUR DOES NOT KNOW THE CU;RENT MEANING OF GOAT! :-(  but as Yancy has said, "God is crazy about you! He'd have your picture in his wallet, & on his refrigerator!" I think others have said very similar things, and we can be assured his love is unconditional !! That is a great comfort!  Thankful for your daily words which make us THINK! ===JACK:  G.O.A.T. = Greatest Of All Time.  Another millennialism is "dope."   God is dope! = God is the greatest.  Try these on your grandchildren, and they'll probably think that old gram is really with it.

Jack’s Winning Words 12/15/20

“One day I will find the right words, and they will be simple.”  (Jack Kerouac-poet)  I have great admiration for writers…particularly poets.  To be able to say a lot in a few words is a gift.  Ogden Nash makes me laugh: The Perfect Husband : “He tells you when you’ve got on too much lipstick – And helps you with your girdle when your hips stick.”  (Do people still wear girdles?)  One of my goals for Winning Words is to write something worthy without being wordy.  ;-)  Jack  

FROM CZB IN NEW HAMPSHIRE:    Good morning!  Ogden Nash’s home is two doors down from ours. He used to write in the barn that was next door. Lots of fun history where I live. Our house was built in 1890. It used to be the guest house for a stately house across the street.   And to answer your question, girdles have been replaced by “foundation” garments, the category leader is Spanx. It’s huge business! Everyone still wants to look thinner than they might be!===JACK:  If only Ogden were living today...You could show him Winning Words.  As for girdles, I know that the word is passe.  I won't say it out loud, but I think that the POTUS wears spandex.  I wonder who helps put it on?===CZB:  Oh my gosh, that is a visual I could have done without!!!! hahahaha!===JACK:  At the golf course he let's it all hang out.

FROM WILLMAR REV:  "Always a challenge for the better preachers . . . when younger, I thought the sermon had to be 40 minutes to be worth its salt, and then I grew wiser?!" 0;-)===JACK:  When I started out my mentor was "20 minute-Tillberg", known for his short sermons.  I've since cut down to 10 to 12 minutes.  

FROM RS IN SAMN:  And you succeed.  Thank dear Jack, for being part of my quiet time with God.  Blessings. ===JACK:  Sometimes, I wish that Winning Words could be like Face-Time when we could have time to talk back and forth.

FROM RS IN TEXAS:   Goal achieved.===JACK:  Thx

FROM FUNERAL DIRECTOR:  Jack, you do, every day that we are blessed with an edition.  ===JACK:  Thanks for the good words.  Are eulogies just for the dead? ===FD:  What a great question!  I think a lot of folks today need to hear their eulogies now!  You’ve got me thinking……===JACK:  Success!  WWs is designed to make people think.

FROM ST PAUL IN ST PAUL:  O. Nash also had a great toast for a wedding couple which i have used many times:  When you are wrong, admit it.  And when you are right, forget it!    rather wise words i do believe.   take care,===JACK:  For a toast, I  though you'd use another Nashism..."Candy is dandy, but liquor is quicker," 

FROM LK IN OH:  Covid notwithstanding. . . . ."Merry Christmas" abounds!  Jack, I hope you are healthy in all respects.  May God continue to bless you and all those you love!===JACK:  Thanks for the Xmas Greeting.  I havw ni qualms about writing Xmas...because of my Greek language classes.  It was in one of my early sessions that I leaned that X was the first letter in the Greek word for Christ....Xmas: the same as Christmas.

FROM DAZ IN COLORADO"  :  W W  are never wordy and very concise also thought provoking  ===JACK:  It helps to work with an edit0or, like David. 

FROM VGW MARY:  Always worthy, never wordy===JACK:  Congratulations!  You were the first one to notice...worthy...wordy.

FROM BLAZING OAKS:  I no longer wear a girdle! As Jack Nicholson said you can only hold your stomach in for so many years! Ha!===JACK:  How about lipstick?  Do you remember when you first tried it?===OAKS:  Very soft colors of lipstick for special occasions in 8th grade;; More vibrant as we went high school, which was 10th - 12th grades in Moline, as you know.===JACK:  Lips that touched lipstick never touched mine until sometime after high school (maybe after seminary...I can't remember HAHA).

FROM NELLIE:  John Freed's words are worthy in any length so far as I'm concerned. You and your WINNING WORDS are one of the short list of blessings in 2020!===JACK:  Just like a sermon...long enough to make the poit; short enough to keep the interest.

 

Jack’s Winning Words 12/14/20

“I have written your name on my hand.”  (Isaiah 49:16 – God’s translation)  I was surprised to read that God has a tattoo…my name written on His hand.  My grandson’s first tattoo was his confirmation Bible verse.  I’ve come to appreciate translations of the Bible that put it into the language of today…anything that helps me to grasp the message.  My name on His hand!  I must be important to Him. There’s room for your name too, because you’re also important to Him.  ;-)  Jack.

FROM FACEBOOK LIZ:  thankful that tattoos are becoming passe... young people are such sheep. gauges are proof that some will do anything to be “different.”===JACK:  When did you decide to be different?===LIZ:i didn’t... i just do what i do w/o regard to what people think. gisela and i are the only “girls” we know who do not have pierced ears.===JACK:  So, Gisela decided to be like you?  I'm sure thar she's her own person in other ways.  We all are.===LIZ:  gisela was not allowed to get them pierced till she reached majority age... then she no longer wanted them. same w/me. body altering decisions are for adults to make.  you obvs do not know gisela. she goes her own way, always has... and she has made it work for her. she is a leader in every respect, and totally fearless... but that’s like me, actually. 👍🏻===JACK:  Why am I not surprised?

 

FROM BLAZING OAKS:  I LOVE your idea of God's hand being  tattooed with our names! If I have to give a devotional, I"m going to pass this on, with credit to you!  This is a good verse to carry with me, and easily memorized!===JACK:  The quote is from a little book by Max Lucado, and he evidently "picked up" that modern translation of the Bible verse.

FROM OUTHOUSE JUDY:  His hand is big enough for everyone!  As is His heart! ===JACK:  How bibg is God's hand?  He's got the whole world in His hands.

 

Jack’s Winning Words 12/11/20

“Some things are just better left unsaid, and I usually realize that right after I say them.”  (Sent by St Paul in St Paul)  Hall and Oates are famous for a “rock ‘n soul” song with the theme: It’s important to choose your words carefully, because some bad things can be made worse by the wrong word at the wrong time.  In my younger days we’d call it: A case of foot-in-mouth disease.  “Oops!  Let me re-state that!”  Has it ever happened to you?  ;-)  Jack 

 Jack’s Winning Words 12/10/20

“A candle of God’s goodness can serve as a beacon of hope for those navigating dark passages of their lives.”  (Hanukkah Quote)  One thing that Hanukkah and Christmas have in common is a message of HOPE.  God’s goodness is always with us…told by the menorah’s nine candles, or the one Christmas Star.  As we traipse the dark passages of life, let’s not forget that God is with us.  In the darkest hours, seen or unseen, our Hope is that G-d goes with us. ;-)  Jack 

FROM GOOD DEBT JON:  A good message.  What is January 6^th?  Is that the Advent?===JACK:  There are two Christmases...Dec 25 observed by those related to the Roman Catholic tradition and Jan 6 (Epiphany), observed by the Orthodox (Russian and Greek) traditions.  It is thought that the wise men arrived, probably 2 weeks after the birth of Jesus when the Holy Family had moved to other housing. Sometimes, by explanation, a simple story becomes more complex. ===JON:    Nice. I am hoping for an Epiphany myself on Jan. 6th.  All the best. ==JACK:  "Epiphany" is from the Greek....epi and phanos....a day of light (enlightenment). 

 

FROM SF IN FL:  Thank you. We are lighting the first candle this evening on Zoom with our kids. Different for sure. Praying for good health and peace. ===JACK:  I wonder it "the old-timers" would approve of Zoom or even understand it.  All that counts is that G-d knows! 

] FROM JJ IN SJ:  Thank you Jack. Those are winning words.===JACK:  Why not light a candle today....and let it be a sign of HOPE for a better tomorrow. 

 Jack’s Winning Words 12/9/20

“Remember that at the end of the day, it’s not what you say or do, but how you make people feel that matters the most.”    (Tony Hsieh – Former CEO of Zappos)  Tony was a multi-millionaire businessman who died tragically in a house fire at age 46.  He was living proof that you could be successful and a good human being, too.  His business mantra was, “I want to deliver happiness.”  It’s a good mantra for any of us as we go through life.  ;-)  Jack

FROM ER IN SKO:  For better or worse, that's my moto, too. Unfortunately, I think it's gotten me into a little trouble. ===JACK:  During times when I am conducting a wedding, I wonder if the people know what they are promising.  Life has a way of making it hard for two people to live together with a real COMMITMENT to do their best, for better or worse.

 FROM HONEST JOHN:  That's very biblical.===JACK:  Does everything have to be biblical: ===HJ:  No...but for the Christian it means that a saying that is to guide our life’s activities ought not be antithetical to the Biblical understanding of life....and this one is.===JACK:  There's a certain satisfaction that comes from knowing that you are a child of God...and that's not limited to Christians.

FROM FACEBOOK LIZ:   it’s a good shoe website.===JACK:  .In the olden days when I was growing up, "a good ole shoe," meant a good and reliable friend.===LIZ:like you and me! 

.FROM KLM: Hi, I enjoy reading your winning words. Thanks for all your efforts in writing and sending them. Sure has been a challenging year with Covid. I have 7 siblings and have not seen much of them, or rather not as much as I normally would and would like to.  But I have been able to see my 2 sons often and grandkids and daughter in law and husband, of course so I am grateful for that.  Hope you and loved ones are doing well. ===JACK:  I see the year 2020 as a time for reflection  and resolve.  We can (and must) do better in caring for God's creation and the gifts that are ours. 

FROM BLAZING OAKS:  Anyone who has had A near-death experience comes back with the resolve to spread love, and to love all people. That is what they learned while in their view of "heaven"...My friend in Elgin who experienced this out of body event, came back saying she wanted to stay, but did not want to leave her children motherless..She said she would never fear death, but felt such love, and knew that was the way we were to live. So many NDE fascinating stories! Live Love!===JACK:  I. too, had a member who experienced a "life" after death experience.  Hers was a remembering of the doctor swearing when she (the patient) had died on the opering table.  She was floating above, watching what was happening below.===OAKS:  I read a poll (I think was in the book Life after Life, that said one in ten people have these experiences. I think they are more rare than that..===JACK:  I would agree..

 Jack’s Winning Words  12/8/20 

“Make money your god, and it will plague you like the devil.”  (Henry Fielding)  Fielding was a famous novelist known for his satire.  IMO, he was a realist in writing that choosing money as a god is like choosing to worship the devil.  In theology, God is a word representing the ultimate good.  Devil represents ultimate evil.   Given that we are born with free-will, the choice is up to us, good or evil.  ;-)  Jack

 

Jack’s Winning Words 12/7/20

 “December 7, 1941, a date which will live in infamy.”  (President FDR)  Most people living today “Remember 9/11.”  Some are smart enough to “Remember the Alamo” and why?  As long as I live I’ll remember where I was when I heard about Pearl Harbor and the start of WW 2 for America.  Is there a date that you especially remember?  BTW: Infamy means “a collection of evil deeds,” or something like that.  ;-)  Jack

FROM BLAZING OAKS:  I think we all remember that day; I was just in High School, but some of our classmates lost their lives in WW2, so it had tough consequences.  I especially remember the day Pres. Kennedy was shot and killed. I was broken hearted at the time!! My wedding date is a pleasure to remember, too, after all these years ! (70) ! I wish we had been able to share all 70, but 51 were a blessing...===JACK:  Life does not always turn out the way we want it...but my satisfaction is to be able to celebrate the good times and know that God goes with us all the way.

FROM GUSTIE:  I too remember Pearl Harbor Day.  I was 6 years old.  My Mom and Dad and I sat around our radio (only 1 in the house) listening to Pres. Roosevelt.  Scary.===JACK:   Many things scare us...both young and old.  I get frustrated when we seem not to learn how to live at peace with each other, even in the USA.   ===G:  Part of the problem is that they do not teach American History in the schools anymore.  And now we are trying to change it.  That means it will happen all over again.  Those statues they are tearing down is part of our history. ===JACK:  A bigger problem is a failure to understand that "history" is how a particular writer put it into a book.  To understand history, we have to be able to read more than one account...and somewhere between the different accounts is the truth.  I fwe are smart, we continue to learn, even in our old age.  

FROM RS IN TEXAS:  9/11 and JFK’s assassination.===JACK:  I remember where I was...and the time of day, when I heard of the assassination, but I can't recall the date, as I can, "the day shall live in infamy."===RS:  Yeah....November 22, 1963....I was a freshman in college.   The next day four of us got in a car and drove nonstop to D.C. for the funeral.  The impetuousness of youth.===JACK:  The loss of impetuousness makes the world a stodgier place.

FROM MY LAWYER:  Two events come to mind.  My first recollection as a child was in April, 1945. My mother and I we walking my younger brother down the street in a stroller When a neighbor lady ran towards us yelling that President Roosevelt had just died. My mother began to cry. I had never seen her cry. That event is the first recollection I have.  Secondly, like you I’m sure, I vividly recall November 22, 1963, the day President Kennedy was assassinated. The whole world seemed to stop that day. I was in college at the time.===JACK:  Thanks for reminding me of the death of FDR.  I remember it, but not specifically.  The year of assassinations was unbelievable.  Strangely, I recall the day (a Sunday) and the time (around noon) when I heard that Malcolm X had been shot.  Those were violent days. 

FROM SHALOM JAN:  The day President Kennedy was assassinated. ===JACK:  Those were tumultuous times.    

FROM THE FISH IN NOVA SCOTIA:  I was born on 14 August 1942...a bit overdue...just about exactly 9 mo later :-) my parents never discussed it with me. We lived in Charleston SC at the old Citadel fort which was by then faculty housing--my dad was a prof at CMA--and my first memories include riding my tricycle (under supervision of my mother) through Spoleto Square and being given Cracker Jacks and chewing gum by the many sailors, who were probably missing their little brothers at home. I remember sitting with my parents in front of the big brown radio with the round dial and listening to the news about VJ Day (I don't remember VE Day). Later, we moved to the Charleston Navy Yard when CMA ran short of students and my dad took a civilian job with the Navy. He and my mom and I went and toured the German U-Boat which had recently surrendered and is now at the Field Museum in Chicago.===JACK: VE and VJ days were important to me, because I was a graduating high school senior at the time, and it meant that I and my friends would not being off to fight in that terrible war.  Those German U-Boats were scary vessels.  I did see the one at the Chicago museum,.===FISH:  my wife and brother-in-law and sister-in-law experienced WW II more directly. Some of the houses in Hannelore's neighborhood in Schwanheim (no part of Frankfurt) turned into craters, and she remembers watching old Frankfurt burn one night in 1944 across the river. My brother-in-law joined the army at age 17 and was sent down to Italy in a unit of 110 men, just before the withdrawal began. They left Italy with maybe 18 (figures by memory). He was then deployed to the Eastern Front, shot and captured by the Russians, and spent until around 1949 in Russia as a POW, finally logging in Western Siberia. He is now 95, which would have been great and surprising news to him during some of those years. My other brother-in-law was wounded next to the gates to Moscow and was lucky to be evacuated to Estonia (then in German hands) by a Junkers cargo plane bringing supplies to the tank units. He never was a prisoner and still had his officer's sidearm when he died in his 90s. My sister-in-law always hated having the gun around the house (next to their bed), and after his death she called the police and told them she wanted to turn it in. They told her which building to go to. She wrapped it in a towel and put it in a shopping bag and went to the police HQ (in Dusseldorf, I imagine) and went up to the correct floor without telling anyone she had a weapon (she must not have had to pass through a metal detector). There she sat in one of the chairs surrounding a waiting room. She took a number and when her turn came the officer was horrified; she was possibly the only one in the full waiting room who was not there at police request. She got a receipt which she later threw away. A few days later there was a knock on the door, and it was a policeman to collect the weapon. She said she already turned in in; he demanded to see her receipt. Somehow, it all got straightened out.===JACK:  Thanks for "the rest of the story."  One of my former church members was a former German soldier who lost his eye in o0ne of the Italian battles.  "We were just kids.  We believed that what they told us was true."  The bombing of Germany, while it helped end WW 2, must have been terrible for the innocents on the ground.  I believe that I did have an occasion to meet yout mother-in-law.

 FROM WILLMAR REV:  My wedding anniversary has been a challenge for me of late...July 25 or 27...my birthday in March is the 27th and our daughter’s birthday in September is the 27th...for some reason I am found floundering when July rolls around...I had to look up my daughter’s actual date when posting my comments this morning! 0;-/===JACK:  I have a special feeling of sympathy for people who are afflicted with dementia.  What a blessing from God is the ability to remember.  What if we couldn't remember Bible verse or song lyrics?===REV:  My Mom walked through that for five years before passing...it worked out that I brought her to Willmar the last year as my sister wanted to move to Arizona from KC where Mom was being kept...Special for me to be able to stop in 2-3 times a week for a few minutes and basically hold her hand or watch Bonanza with her. When she passed, the funeral home embalmed her, placed her in a casket we had picked out and allowed me to rent a van as if I was their employee and take her body to the funeral home in our hometown town in Kansas. I preached her funeral, stayed a couple of nights before heading home. I mentioned this because we were able to cover all these expenses from the funeral money she had set aside from Medicaid...Very thankful for the local funeral home for giving me the privilege and blessing I received in honoring my Mother in this way. 0;-)===JACK:  Your story brings to mind the song, "Precious Memories."

 

FROM ST PAUL IN ST PAUL:  who can forget JFK and MLK's assassinations?  or 9/11/01?  or the Challenger blowing up on lift off in 1986?  or the day you got married or ordained?  also, the birth of your first child.===JACK:  We each have our own memory bank.  I wonder if God keeps a book of memories?  I'm sure that there are some pages in it with your name on them.

FROM HONEST JOHN:  I will never forget beating Moline in a tennis match....1957===JACK:  That probably helped get you an Augie Tennis Scholarship.

 

 

Jack's Winning Words 12/4/20

“Simple rule in life:  If you wouldn’t like it done to you, don’t do it to others.”  (Sent by Lauren A)  I like this clever version of the Golden Rule.  This “rule” is included as part of most major religions, and even by the atheists.  In searching for “A Global Ethic” the Golden Rule was agreed upon by 143 leaders of the world’s major religions.  In what ways have you seen the Golden  Rule being practiced?  ;-)  Jack 

FROM EDUCATOR PAUL:  I don’t like colonoscopies and I promise not to do one on you.===JACK:  The promise includes the prep, too..I hope.

FROM WILLMAR REV:  "tongue in cheek" . . . Washington, DC!!! They remind each other, depending which party in in power-- "It was okay back when you were in charge?!" 0;-)===JACK:  I actually know one of the 100 seators in DC.  If all politicians were like him we'd be in good hands.  When you get to know people, you get to understand people.  That works in the Church, too. ===REV:  I know of a few like that as well, from both parties...Back in my college days and I was being recognized as one of the up and coming young bowlers while attending Bible college, a sports writer did an article on some of my accomplishments at that time. He titled it “Good Men Don’t Always Finish Last”. He of course was equating the future minister competing in bowling alley’s, as some would look upon negatively in the Bible Belt states.  That’s the way I feel about many of our politicians, both men and women. A great many of them are fine examples of successful pursuit, but few ever seem to be recognized or placed in the spot light. Or if they are, downed played for their faith, good morals or fairnesses. It saddens me. 0:-/ ===JACK:  Immorality (or amorality) turns me off...politician, pastor or anyone who would.  Let them do it by example.  (or bowler,too)

FROM RS IN TEXAS:  Hopefully masochists are the exception.===JACK:  There always seems to be an exception to the rule.  That's why there are disclaimers.

FROM BLAZING OAKS:  That is a neat  paraphrase of the rule we try to live by!  I didn't  know the 143 leaders who chose it for the "Global Ethic", How nteresting! My best friend just had the person ahead of her at Walmart pay for her groceries! By the time she realized this the person had trundled out the door with her huge basket  loaded to the top; So I told her to "pay it forward" and she wrote a ck for the price she would have paid, and sent it to "Friend Indeed", our City fund to bring Christmas to the very poor and homeless! Kindness begets kindness! There are still so many good people in our world!===JACK:  Something like that happened like that to my granddaughter.  Instead of saying, "No, no!" she said "Thank you" and promised to do something similar for someone else.  I fins it really hard to accept a gift that I don't deserve.  A wise person explained to me, "Just smile, say Thank you."  Pastors often receive gifts that we3 feel we don't deserve.

FROM ER IN SKO:  I love this version for the simple fact that you aren't "impressing upon others" (like The Golden Rule would have you do) your likes, but refraining from doing onto others personally distasteful acts. I had a college professor (1993) who was an open lesbian. Very progressive lady at that time. I respected her immensely. Plus she was from Africa and had an amazing accent. Anyway, her thoughts on the implications of The Golden Rule have always stuck with me. Her stand was, as a lesbian, she didn't necessarily want to be treated the same way that I, a heterosexual woman, would want to be treated. Dr. Helen R. understood the good intentions behind The Golden Rule; she just felt the way of thinking needed to be tweaked. She taught secondary education classes. Her motivation behind breaking down The Golden Rule was to use herself as an example of how not all children in a classroom want to be treated the same, and that a teacher needed to recognize and respect people's differences. Refraining from doing unto others distasteful acts seems like an excellent way to start! Thanks, Lauren A and Dr. Helen, for reframing my thinking, and thanks, Jack, for sharing. ===JACK:  We owe much to those who have taught us...whenever the opportunity has presented itself.  To have learned from the teacher is important, too.  It seems as though you paid attention (most of the time). 

FROM ST PAUL IN ST PAUL:  Barry Anderson sits on the MN Supreme Court and is a good of mine.   he thinks you are quite profound at times:):):)   Here's what he had to say about your Winning Words:  This is actually quite profound.  I agree 100%"===JACK:  It sometimes amazes me...to realize how God has used me in retirement..

 

 

 

Jack’s Winning Words 12/3/20 

“God enters, by a private door, into every individual.”  (Emerson)  I can hardly imagine that God has His own door which allows Him access to what’s going on in my life.  Does He actually care?  Do you ever feel that way?  With all that’s going on in the world…with all of the needy people?  But, strange as it may seem, I do feel His presence (even as I write Winning Words).  I do sense that He is listening and caring as I offer prayers.  Do you feel the nearness of God?  ;-)  

EROM HONEST JOHN:  Somehow, I have ended up as an odd combination of objectivist and mystic...so, yes, I do feel God knocking every now and then.  It’s a knock that you can’t refuse!===JACK: Somehow, I have ended up as an odd combination of objectivist and mystic...so, yes, I do feel God knocking every now and then.  It’s a knock that you can’t refuse!

FROM HUMBUG JOHN:  Pastor Jack, I feel the nearness of God in the work of our church food pantry trying to meet a growing need for food, in creative online worship, coffee hours, and bible studies, in three promising vaccines, and in zoom calls planning new projects for our ministry. I feel God at work and this gives me comfort and hope. Peace, John===JACK:  The saving of Humbug, to me, has been a miracle of God, using your help...or has it been the other way around.

FROM KITTY B:  Today’s message feels like you wrote it for me. Thank you  ===JACK:  Our paths crossed for a relatively short time...but, Oh, the memories and good that came from that.===KB:  Our physical paths for a short time. You impact my spiritual side 5 days a week. Thank you===JACK:  There's a poem/hymn, "God moves in mysterious ways, His wonders to perform."

 FROM ER IN SKO:  Always! I always feel like God is with me and listening, but I can honestly say that it wasn't until my dad passed away that I felt God's presence. As you know, God has been supporting me in the most positive ways in the last year. I am constantly overwhelmed that he finds the time to watch over little old me. He has so many bigger issues to handle. However, I am not going to question. I am so very thankful that he does!  I am also very thankful for you and your unwavering support!!!!!!===JACK: There's an old saying..."When God seems far away, who do you think has moved?"  I need to rethink the idea that God is always near, always ready to answer my needs in a way that is to my benefit.  I believe that God opens doors and leaves it to us to walk through them.===ER:  I see your point, but speaking from recent experiences, I would highly vouch that encouragement and gentle pushes from loved ones grease one's wheels.===JACK:  Who are we to place limits on how God works...The fact is that He works, often in mysterious ways. 

 FROM JJ IN SJ:  Jack,  if God has a private door in which She is near to me it is through the Great Mother Earth. A friend gave me a book, The Dream of The Earth, by Catholic Theologian, Thomas Berry. It still resonates with me. Thanks for asking.===JACK:  I remember a time when people discussed the gender of God.  I don't know that there was a resolution...and I don't care.  Now, we have to ask, Does God have  to L,B G,T or Q, L, to understand all?  It's enough that God has given each of a spirit to communicate with the Holy Spirit.  You give goood food for thought.

FROM NORM'S BLOG:  There was a popular TV game show that presented contestants with 3 doors, behind which were hidden either great prizes or great disappointments. Contestants were asked to choose a door. Life can seem like that sometimes. Sometimes we make the wrong choices and open the door to disappointment or worse. The choices that we are faced with in life can seem both scary and mysterious. We really can’t see what’s behind the doors.  However, over in the corner, maybe just out of our vision, there is another door and that door is clearly marked – “God is here”. We know that it is there, but our own ego sometimes stubbornly prevents us from opening that door. We keep trying to do it alone, to face our challenges on our own, and to exert our free will. What we fail to realize is that same free will is what allows us to open that fourth door and seek God’s help. When God gave us that free will he also put that door there in our lives. He put it there for two reasons – 1. Just in case, we needed to open it and get his help and 2. To give us a direct way to communicate with and worship Him.===JACK:  In a way...a scary thought...that God is ALWAYS there is hear what we say and observe what we do.  A loving thought to know that God is a God of grace.

FROM WILLMAR REV:  Another of my choruses that have blessed me over the years-- "Standing somewhere in the shadows you’ll find Jesus. He’s the Friend who always cares and understands. Standing somewhere in the shadows you will find Him, And you’ll know Him by the nail-prints in His hands." 0;-) ===JACK:  He may be in the shadows, but He is always there.  Perhaps you also know this chorus:  "Oh, yes, He cares, I know He cares.  When the days are weary, the long nights dreary, I know my Savior cares."===REV:  Oh yes! A George Beverly Shea favorite at the Billy Graham Crusades!! 0;-)===JACK:  "Bev!" is an all-time favorite of mine.  How would you like to go through life with Beverly as part of your name?...almost as bad as, "A Boy Named, Sue."===REV:  Harry for my first name wasn't always easy to work with in grade school-- "Hairy! Hairy!" I've always went by H Paul McCullough . . . but in more recent times, the first name is always asked for placed on official documents. 0:-/===JACK:  They'd have a hard time referring to you as "hairy" these days.  Right now you are "pastor" and "friend" for how you impact people.

FROM BB IN CHGO:  Yes I do – there was an interesting book review in the New Yorker about how such feelings are cultivated (especially in the born-again churches) where people pray for God to help them choose their shirt in the morning.  I’ve read other studies – Rutgers I think, that say people who are ill respond positively to prayer even when they do not know people are praying for them.  Hmmmm.  Our God is transcendent and imminent?  Something like that….===JACK:  Transcendent or imminent?  He is both; he is beyond comprehension...except as we know Him in the human form of Jesus.

FROM EMT SINGS IN TC:  Very often!===JACK:  Not often enough, for me.  

FROM BLAZING OAKS:  Definitely. Sometimes more than others, but I converse with him throughout the day! When I have felt his presence powerfully, it has  been the feeling of waves and waves of Love enfolding me. Once I even heard a voice, "Dont' worry;I have called you, and I will care for you!", That was from Isaiah, but I didn't know my Bible that well, at the time!  I was wrestling with our decision to go to seminary and become clergy! We had two little boys and a very comfortable life at the time....===JACK:  Many people have said that they have "heard" the voice of God...Who am I to deny.  Once a church member called me close to his side as he lay in a hospital bed.  "Pastor, Jesus stood at the end of my bed last night and said that everything's gonna be all right."  I believed him and treasure that story.

FROM EILEEN WIDEX:  I feel him, sometimes when I least expect, sometimes when I want, but mostly when I need. Hope you are well🙏===JACK:  There's a poem, set to music: "God moves in a mysterious way, His wonders to perform."  Hearing is better since broken hearing aid tube was replaced.

 

 

 Jack’s Winning Words 12/2/20  “How’d you like to take a rollicking  journey in the footsteps of history’s greatest thinkers to discover practical lessons for today’s unsettled times?” (Book Review)  Eric Weiner’s new book, The Socrates Express (Life Lessons from Dead Philosophers) might be the one for you.  It takes Epicurus to Gandhi and Thoreau to Beauvoir and has them take on new life…and, it’s not bubblegum philosophy, either.  ;-)  Jack

FROM WILLMAR REV:  Curious...was Jesus mentioned as one who presented a life appealing philosophy of life...you and I looked at Him through His deity as others only his philosophy of life?  By the way...because of your acknowledgment of “National Giving Day” yesterday, I was moved to help to help a mother  ===JACK:   I don't believe that I've seen Jesus listed among philosophers in my studies (maybe in a broad listing).  What I have come to see...Jesus as God's creation of a human form to show us the perfection that humans can live...to show us, in a human form, what God is like. 

FROM EDUCATOR PAUL:  Fun!!!! Added to my book list.  Thanks===JACK:  So many books...so little time...so, we make lists of what to get to, sometime. ===EP:  I’m into audiobooks now.  I can do stuff around here and get educated at the same time. Right now I’m listening to Obama narrate his new book A Promised Land. So interesting!!!

 FROM FACEBOOK LIZ:  sounds interesting... have you read it?===JACK:  No, I have not.  I'm taking the word of a Princeton friend of mine who has read it and thought that I might enjoy iy, too.  Bad eyesight limits my enjoyment of reading.

FROM GDJ IN THE WI WOODS:  Thanks for the recommendation, think I'll give it a try.  Hope you are well and safe from The Plague as well as your family. I continue to admire you and your ministry of positivity each morning. Especially these past few months of American divisions. My mantra continues to be Luther's insight that we "are in, not of this world."  About a year ago I was told I had 3 major blockages and should have triple bypass immediately. Fortunately, mainly because of my daughter 's health care expertise and connections, I was spared the surgery and with medication changes am living life fully. BUT, it puts me in the stay away from Covid-19 exposure big time.  So, God's kronos took over and in a confluence of divine interventions my wife and I moved from a very urban and wonderful neighborhood and neighbors, our kids and 4 grandkids (and 1 on the way) to the middle of the woods, 150 miles north.  We live on 10 acres of hardwood forest down a dirt road south of Egg Harbor in Door County. The isolation is a gift. It has helped us both embrace our inner introverts. After all those years as public personas as teacher and pastor we are blissfully and peacefully living lives much more authentic.  Church in any conventional sense has disappeared. Luckily we live in a cathedral of trees so we do have a church "building" to attend. Granted, our fellow parishioners are of the furry and winged variety but they bring us delight and joy without having to pass the peace.  I do miss the holy moment of the sacrament when, shoulder to shoulder we knelt with the humble and often desperate hope that bread and wine were much more than bread and wine. The real presence of Christ "in, with and under" the elements. But. I'll trade it for this life. For now.  I celebrate our now long ago coming together as colleagues and friends. With your gently mentoring my fear and anger as a young pastor in a very challenging call. Starting every day with your almost monolithic hope is a gift.===JACK:  I am humbled...and then I remember that it's not me, but God working thru us.  We had some good times in the presence of God. 

FROM BB IN CHGO:  Have you read this one already or is it ia work in progress?===JACK:  At this point in life, I find myself passing on recommendations from friends that I trust.  There are many good lessons hidden in the words of dead philosophers.

FROM RS IN TEXAS:  Now THAT would be interesting.===JACK:  Speaking of being interesting...Joan's brother was VN vet  and kept a diary while he was there.  I've been reading it.   He was a sgt in the middle of things.  A "Honor Flight" to the Viet Nam Memorial in DC helped him comes to grips with what he had experienced.

 

 

  

 

Jack’s Winning Words 12/1/20  “You can’t go through life with a catcher’s mitt on both hands.  You need to be able to throw something back.”  (Maya Angelou)  Today is Giving Tuesday, a reaction to Black Friday and Cyber Monday.  As we spend for Holiday Giving, let’s not forget the charity needs around us.  Today I plan to write out a check to the Karmanos Cancer Research Fund (Detroit).  Karmanos helped “save” two friends of mine, and I shall be forever grateful.  What charity might you support on Giving Tuesday…and why?  ;-)  Jack FROM LEEEn MARIE:  We run the food pantry out of our church, so we give our time and monies for this. A much needed service for the needy in our area.===JACK:  Your church has always been known as a place where the hungrgy can come and get food.  What a great reputation!  FROM RS IN TEXAS:  My "go to" charity has become Lutheran World Relief.   There is so much need, but it seems that LWR has a big focus on people that are literally starving to death. I'm pretty sure that there is a match made for any contributions today, so will be making our monthly donation to them today.  Hopefully we can help save some lives.===JACK:  LWR Has been checked out and shown to be  "the best bang for the buck."  Administration costs are among the lowest.  FROM NORM'S BLOG:    It is easy to visualize people standing there with catcher’s mitts on both hands. They are the “takers” of life who constantly accept things from others, but who do not give back. You may know some people like that. I prefer to think that we all are not just takers, but we give back in different ways and to different causes.  There has been much already written about the harsh impact that the COVID -19 pandemic has had on charities and non-profits. The financial impact on so many people from the actions taken to slow the spread of the disease has been the subject of almost nightly news show coverage. That impact has had the secondary effect of limiting the giving of those whose own livelihood has been disrupted. Many small local entities like churches, community arts associations and local museums have also been devastated by the cancellation of all fund raising activities or suspension of their services, due to the virus. Fortunately there is some relief available to some of the non-profit organizations through grants.  A less –well documented impact was the subject of the feature article in this morning’s New York Times daily E-Newsletter – The devastation of small local newspapers and the impact on their communities of the loss of their local news reporting services.  Many readers of this blog may already know that in addition to being a Realtor®, I also work part-time for the Spinal Column, a small weekly newspaper with editions for Milford, Highland, White Lake and Commerce Township (including Wixom and Walled Lake). The Spinal Column has been around since 1961 and its name reflects the belief of the founders (and the current owners) that small, independent newspapers are the backbone of democracy in their communities, thus the name. Indeed, our country might not have been born were it not for the local pamphlets, such as James Otis’s Rights of the British Colonies (1764), John Dickinson’s Farmer’s Letters (1768), and Thomas Paine’s Common Sense (1776). Many of those pamphlets were the equivalent of some or our modern day small local papers.  The Spinal Column Newsweeklies, like other small local papers is dependent upon the revenues from advertising to support its free distribution to homes in the communities that it serves. The current pandemic has wreaked havoc on the local businesses that normally advertise in the paper, especially local restaurants and small local stores. The revenue needed to support the staff needed to put out the local papers are drastically down. That is the reason that The Spinal Column is currently seeking donations from its readers.  There are certainly many worthy causes vying for any charity dollars that are available this year. That makes it all the more important to keep our local channels of communications viable. Yes, there will still be the internet; however, the internet does not have reporters digging into and reporting the stories of importance in your local neighborhoods. The internet does not send people to the local Village Council meetings or the Zoning Board meeting to report on issues of local importance only. The internet may report the scores of your local high school games, but it doesn’t do the post-game interviews or post the pictures of the game that your local newspaper might. There might be a post on Facebook about an imagined conspiracy behind a local school board vote, but only the local newspapers actually have people out interviewing the school board members to report the facts behind that vote.  So on this Giving Tuesday, I’m asking you to take off the catcher’s mitts and consider throwing something back to your local newspapers, especially in this area to the Spinal Column. As the New York Times reported, these are the backbones of democracy in our townships, towns and villages You can go to our web site,  http://www.spinalcolumnonline.com and use the Donate to the Spinal Colum choice in the banner  to make a safe donation to keep democracy alive in this area.  What will you throw back today?===JACK:  Being involved in your community allows you to know the REAL needs and the best opportunities for giving back. FROM SF IN FL:  So many opportunities to help. My favorites are St Jude’s and Gilda’s Club. Also, the Naples Therapeutic Riding Stables, which does wonders for children with disabilities, esp autism.===JACK:  "Giving people" know the needs and how each gift can make a difference.   FROM WILLMAR REV:  Never thought if it prior . . . I'm going to give it some thought and support one of your local 'Mom & Pop' eateries in town with an extra-large tip! 0;-)===JACK:  It's always good to remember Mom & Pop.  Those little stores are often the backbone of a real community .===REV:  ...a hardworking mother of three whose husband is incarcerated for rape and robbery, leaving her to fend for herself. Their marriage went astray when he became addicted to drugs. She just got home from surgery and will be off work for awhile. Lovely young lady and mother who will surely be blessed with a generous gift of money to help defray some of her expenses currently.  Thanks for reminding me of the opportunity. 0;-)===JACK:  Your ministry to people in need amazes me.  God has certainly placed you in the right place  at the right time.  FROM FACEBOOK LIZ:  giving of myself starting today, giving tuesday... helping poor kids complete their online lessons.===JACK:  How do you do that?   Face to face?  or virtual?  Who monitors your work, if it's done for school credit?===LIZ:  face to face, w/masks... but within inches bc you have to be able to see their computer screen.  it involves helping them complete their online work. some kids do not have internet at home, so they come here.  face to face, w/masks... but within inches bc you have to be able to see their computer screen.  it involves helping them complete their online work. some kids do not have internet at home, so they come here.  had the most adorable 4th grade/9yo black boy. he showed me common core math... “clustering” is the main concept. clusterf*ck is more like it. education is failing kids miserably. he is a smart kid who is likely to be lost to “the system.”  we talked about being shy, how you grow out of it, and trekked together to ask another tutor a question. i told him i was as shy as he, but now i never shut up, and am afraid of no one.  i taught him how to pinch a pencil and make a one continuous line numeral 8.  it was a good morning!===JACK:  "Each one teach one; each one reach one." FROM BLAZING OAKS:  LOVE Maya Angelou!!!  One of my favorites is Smile Train,  also I help support some AB missionaries:(some in Africa are related to the missionaries Bill and I met and stayed with when we toured Democratic Republic of Congo in 1970!) Habitat for Humanity, homeless meals, various local agencies.  And of course whatever causes my grandkids ask me to help  with!  There are SO many good ones, so one has to choose wisely !!===JACK:  So many needs.  This year I chose to give several major gifts instead of many small ones...and I don't feel guilty about it, either.

 

Jack’s Winning Words 11/30/20

“He was the best friend anybody could ever have. “  (Holmes Hendrickson)  H.H. said these words at the funeral of Jim Nabors, 3 yrs ago.  Not Gomer Pyle; not his baritone singing voice…“He was my friend!”  While I’m proud of Winning Words and that ministry, I want to remembered for more than WWs.  “He was my friend” sounds good to me.  Have you any thoughts as to what is defining you as you live life?  ;-)  Jack

FROM JJ IN SJ:  If being a best friend includes being a trusted confidant, I'd go for that. ===JACK:  Only you can determine who your friends are.  Trust is an important component.

FROM BLAZING OAKS:  What is defining me in my old age is of course different than earlier days,    but  relationships with family (close) and good friends remain! Many of these"old" friends and family,   are gone now; we who are given many years bear the losses!  But I maintain my interest in reading, keeping current on gov't.and local issues and  and socializing when time and situations allow!   I hope I'll be remembered as a loving and caring friend and mom, aunt, cousin. etc! I feel blessed to have a good sense of humor and enthusiasm for what life holds ! ===JACK:  Do you remember the old saying, "To have a friend, be a friend?"  You've got that one down cold.

FROM GUSTIE:  You are my friend Jack.  Winning Words is just an added bonus.===JACK:  We go far back, don't we? ===G:   Many years.  Over Half a century!!!===JACK:  My mirror tells the story.

FROM OUTHOUSE JUDY:  I would like to be remembered for living my faith. ===JACK:  I'd like to be remembered as a faithful person.  Is that the same?

FROM BB IN CHGO:  I recall hearing Jim was a spiritual guy; not sure what faith/denomination but not sure it matters at this point.  Kindness is underrated.===JACK: I think that religious belief was part of his life.

FROM RS IN TEXAS:  No worries, Jack.....those of us who know you know that WW is just a part of who you are, and you will be remembered for ALL of who you are, what you did and the lives you touched.===JACK:  Thanks for the affirmatio

FROM ER IN SKO:  Heart strings tugging message. Very powerful.===JACK:  I didn't to play a self-serving emotional song....but, thanks.

FROM SHARIN' SHARON:  "friend" sounds good to me.  Especially it's so Biblical "I don't call you servant, I call you friend" or some sort of words to that effect quoted from Jesus.  That old hymn "What a friend we have in Jesus".  think I'll google "friend" later today and find out more about the word but it certainly might be the best word to describe a treasured relationship between two folks not married to each other or something. Well, better get busy here.  Thanks for the WW to reflect upon again this morning.  Best wishes for a pleasant day.  ===JACK:  I like the hymn, What a Friend, because of the story of its origin.

FROM LS IN MI:  I consider you my friend.  A friend means different things to different people.  For me, as I call you a friend……..Your WW,  I trust,  your thoughts I appreciate, your commitment to your community I admire and having met you after you delivered a meaningful invocation at a dinner I attended I felt inspired to be the best person I can be each day.  I hope you accept my considering you a friend honoring of the person you are.===JACK:  Sometimes we have friends that we don't even know we have.

FROM GOOD DEBT JON:  Nice message, my friend.===JACK:  We have a one-time face to face meeting, and we are friends.  I like that.===GDJ:   I learn quickly.  I change slowly.  

  FROM WILLMAR REV:  Picked up this catchy phrase a couple of years ago now and use it on occasion-- "Pastor to some, friends of many!" 0;-)===JACK  I'll have to meditate on that one fopr a while.

FROM FACEBOOK LIZ:  she was a friend and a fighter. she spoke for those who couldn’t or wouldn’t... and she helped people.”  i start tutoring poor kids tmrw at broken down church/community center. their school is closed for a virus w/a less than one percent fatality rate... but they can still hang w/the other poors bc no one gives a rat’s ass about that.===JACK:  Who are you talking about?  Is she a female Jesus?