Jack’s Winning Words  4/19/22

“A public-opinion poll is no substitute for thought.”  (Warren Buffett)  How much “stock” do you place in the polls?  There’s probably a poll indicating that many people look for Buffett’s advice when investing.  Polls can be entertaining (Which ice cream flavor best represents you?)  The question: “Is our country headed in the right direction?”  caters to the crankiness in people.  Not that all polling is bad – It’s like taking someone’s temperature.  Imagine if Moses took a poll and showed the results to God before the Commandments were etched.  Would there have been a different TEN?  As one of my school teachers said: “Use your brain!”  ;-)  Jack

FROM SHELBY JER:  Just wanted to let you know you inspire me.  You are such a Blessing.===JACK:  It's been a while.  Thanks for the response...and, of course, I remember you.

FROM W2ILLMAR REV:  A random thought with your interesting post this morning—I gave up trying to live up to "the Ten", in my thoughts and deeds, settling on, "loving the One and only God with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength, and as well, loving my neighbor as myself.” This keeps me occupied and reminded of often. I know I can’t right now without studying them, but it's interesting asking someone if they can repeat “The Ten” in order as written. I saw a telecast once where they randomly offered $$$ to anyone that could, and no one could that day. 0;-) ===JACK:  I suppose you've noticed that the Lutherans have the TEN in a different order.  Does that mean that Luther got a special message from God?  ===REV:  I actually have not…just would disqualify him from the $$$ that day! 0;-) ===JACK:  Do different translations of the Bible bother you?  I think that you've indicated that you use the King James Translation===REV:  .Those following any of my posted devotionals find me all over the place with translations…I really enjoy the Amplified Bible and have for a number of years…Bible college was the NASB and the NIV has been popular…I quote often from the NLV and ESV….as I said, all over the place. 0;-)===JACK:  On Easter a stranger, a young man came up to Joan and said, "I am the voice of Christ.  I'd like to have some money for food.  When she did not give him money, he said, So, you're going to refuse to give money to Jesus ... and he went over to someone else.  Joan noticed that he went up to take communion.  Do you think that he was Jesus in disguise?

FROM CPA MD:  Yeah Mr. Buffet made a fortune for him and his investors  by being a contrarian but he never put money into a stone cold loser.===JACK:  I may have told you that a pastor-friend of mine was a childhood friend of Warren's.  They had sleepovers growing up together.  My friend was "in" on Buffet's investments, and after annual meetings they'd go out and have supper together.  Money was never a problem for my friend.

   

 

 

Jack’s Winning Words  4/18/22 “All changes, even the most longed for, have their melancholy, for what we leave behind us is a part of ourselves.”  (Anatole France)  Are you familiar with song, Melancholy Baby?  Ella Fitzgerald has a good rendition.  A melancholic mood is a mood, a kind of sadness over what has happened, over what might have been.  Maybe this sounds strange, but I can imagine Jesus singing that song to me, with the lyrics “Every cloud must have a silver lining.”  Yes, there are those “rainy days” for each of us, with unexpected changes, but the song advises us to “Look for the silver lining!”  We have a God who knows, understands and who cares.  So, smile and let the sun come shining through.  ;-)  Jack. FROM BLAZING OAKS:  Right!  Each new day is a gift. ===JACK:  I don't know if it fits, or not.  When we were in Sunday School, and it was our birthday, we'd bring pennies indicating how old we were.  There was a plastic cake in front with a slot in the top.  When the coins were put in the slot and a fake candle would light as everyone counted the years.  Then, everyone would sing: Jesus bids us shine,  With a clear, pure light, Like a little candle burning in the night; In this world of darkness, we must shine, You in your small corner,  And I in mine.

 

Jack’s Winning Words 4/15/22 “Life teaches you a new lesson every day, if you are attentive enough in the class of life.”  (Invajy) Someone once commented to me, “You must read a lot in order to write your Winning Words."  A friend listening nearby  said, “He knows how to Google.”  Yes, that’s true, but I’m also a curious person.  Have you ever read the Curious George books?  Since 1939 over 30M have been printed in 14 languages.  You and I can learn something every day (even from the books of children) if we pay attention to what’s going on around us. Has today's world situation helped you learn a life lesson?  I’m curious as to what you think..  ;-)  Jack FROM JU IN NC:  Curiosity must be married to thoughtfulness.  It killed the cat but got man to the moon.===JACK:  I'm curious....Why do some people believe that the moon landing was faked?  And, what was it that killed the curious cat?  Do you have the answer to these questions?===JU:  When the cow jumped over the moon the cat looked up to see and the cow landed on it.  And ever since that time many folks thought only cows were able to go to the moon. ===JACK:  You have satisfied my curiosity...and I'm still alive.  Thanks. And that is the true answer to both questions. FROM CPA MIKE: Can't think of any life lessons right now. Got me to thinking about an article I wrote in the early eighties. My draft started with "in these uncertain times" I thought about it and concluded that we have always uncertain times  so I changed it and that was forty years ago. Not much has changed since then.  What comes to mind presently is let's choose our leaders wisely no matter what beliefs we have.===JACK:  You're beginning to see the light.  As to choosing Leaders wisely, we have only one vote.  I would say that it's more important that we choose our Teachers wisely.  In that case, our one vote is all important.===MIKE:   What do you mean by today's world situation?===JACK:  Ukraine, Covid, Weather, Finances, Hunger, Genocide.  We each see the world through our own eyes.  I see the world in disarray, but because of my faith, I do not see it as hopeless.    FROM GSLP:  I just learned that Lauren Kirsh-Carr died and thought you would want to know.===JACK:  Today's Life-Lesson:  Be ready, for we never know when the bell will toll for us.  She was a committed (and unique) pastor.  Her family, the Church and "the island" will miss her. FROM NOVA SCOTIA FISH:  there was a lot to learn in Pogo too. The most famous message was undoubtedly "We have met the enemy and he is us."   I think the language in it might be attacked today as racist, but my understanding at the time was that this was the language of the Okefenoke area regardless of race. I would like to see someone like Christiane Amanpour or Anderson Cooper do a retrospective of it, but have not yet got around to raising the matter with them. Any suggestions?===JACK:  IMO today's emphasis on being politically correct has resulted in our losing some of nuances of the life that is going on around us.  Pogo was one of the best cartoon strips...even.  I could hardly wait for the paper to come each day.  I think that Pogo helped puncture Sen Joe McCarthy's balloon.  I agree Christiane and Anderson are two of the best reporters around today. FROM NORM'S BLOG:  When we are very young, life is all about exploring and playing. There is some learning going on, but we really aren’t paying attention. Eventually the adults in our lives start imposing some discipline and force us to pay attention. They use the concepts of schools and classes to force us to pay attention and develop the ability to learn from what we are experiencing. Some embrace learning through paying attention and some do not. Some take the learning process from their schooling, and some do not. Some continue to pay attention to the people, things and events around them and some retreat into the comfort of being oblivious.===JACK:  When I was in school I paid more attention to the clock than I did to the teacher, but, somehow, some way (maybe by osmosis), I learned to multi-task: watch the clock aand learn at the same time. FROM EDUCATOR PAUL:  I really like that you made “lesson” plural.  So much to learn!===JACK:  A good teacher multi-tasks.  My "best" teacher was one of those multi-taskers. FROM SHARIN' SHARON:   I'm learning a life lesson this week which is that things can always change and change for the better, for more peace especially.  When I was growing up in the Church of Christ in Bayard, Iowa, a little rural community, there was extreme polarization between the churches.  But Tuesday night, I went on Facebook for the Church of Christ Lenten worship and was able to worship with Bob Rogers, Minister of Church of Christ, the woman Pastor of the Methodist Church (I didn't catch her name) and also Father Ray of the Catholic Parish, and worshippers assembled together from those three congregations.  When you see stuff like that, it gives hope that other divided peoples will also, one day, see more peace and reconciliation.  Love and yearning for love, hope and faith and Jesus' Sacrifice for us outlasts hostility and all the evils in this world.  The love has been poured out upon us, I hope it spreads.  Thanks for your WW this morning, Pastor Freed.  May we make it through Good Friday and Saturday and have a joyful Easter celebration of Jesus' Resurrection!!!===JACK:  You are an example of someone who is able to "learn" in spite of faith differences.  I admire your spiritual curiosity. FROM WILLMAR REV:  Everyday is a learning day!! 0;-)===JACK:  Have you ever sung the chorus..."Every day with Jesus is better than the day before"? ===REV: Many times in earlier years…here’s another one: 0;-)    The more I trust Him, the more I love Him Nothing good for me He'll deny The longer I know Him, the better I can show Him I couldn't stop now if I tried   It gets sweeter as the days go by It gets sweeter as the moments fly His love is richer, deeper, fuller, sweeter Sweeter, sweeter, sweeter as the days go by FROM ME IN NEWPORT BEACH:  It has caused me to think more about the consequences of too much power.  I have a concern that Mr. Putin may Becoming the posterboy for the proposition that absolute power corrrupts absolutely ===JACK:  One of the strengths of our government is "checks and balances."  I'm distressed by those who are trying to do away with that for personal political gain.   FROM M & l:  Thank you for getting me back on board.  Yes, todays world has taught me a life lesson- you can’t give in to megalomaniacs. The response to Putin has exposed him as a mass murderer. History has celebrated many mass Murderers as conquerors and heroes. Maybe this time we can stop the revisionism. Let’s hope in the future there is never a chapter in the history books about “ Putin, The Great. “ ===JACK:  Prior to the Ukraine invasion Putin seemed to be a world leader among others.  A miscalculation can certainly make a difference in a reputation.  Megalomaniac is certainly an appropriate word. FROM SALON SUZY:  Amen to that one! Happy Easter!🐣===JACK:  FROM SR R IN SC:  YES! Just today, I learned that we are all sinners: a Ukraine woman did not want to carry a cross with a Russian one!===JACK:  Puzzling, but I see her point.  There are other crosses that the Russian-style one.

 *Jack’s Winning Words 4/14/22

“One day at a time, Sweet Jesus; that’s all I’m asking of you.”  (Marijohn Wilkin)  I’ve used that song lyric more than once when talking with someone who was facing a major problem in their life.  It was that way with Marijohn: alcoholism, a broken marriage, her mother’ death!  By impulse, with tears in her eyes, she pulled into a church parking lot.  Among other things, the minister she met advised her “to take one day at a time.”  Comforted, she and her friend, Kris Kristofferson, wrote the “Sweet Jesus” song.  Thanks to You Tube, you can play it anytime you feel the need.  Remember!  “One day at a time!”  ;-)  Jack  

FROM PAIGE:  I just played that song for my husband Luke and myself as we are waking up this morning. I love it. Thank you for introducing me to such a great song for my whole family. :) Happy Easter!===JACK:  What a pleasure to hve you share this "morning" experience.  If each of could wake up and say...One day at a time, Sweet Jesus.  Oftentimes we want to bite off more than we can chew.  When I'm advising people to take one day at a time, I'm speaking to myself, as well. 

FROM WILLMAR REV:  Sweet Jesus!" 0;-)===JACK:  I see people of the AG persuasion using the Sweet Jesus term more frequently than I do.  That doesn't make it right or wrong...it's what we're comfortable with when referring to God in the human form of Jesus.  I like the term, "friend," such as, "What a friend we have in Jesus."  Of course, there are other terms, as well.

FROM DB IN GR:  Hello Jack  Just wanted to check in and let you know how much I appreciate and look forward to your emails each day. I wish that I had gotten to know you better when I was in West Bloomfield. I think we would have gotten along pretty well. I hope you are well and that all is good in your life. After retiring from WB Parks And Recreation my wife and I moved to the Grand Rapids area to be nearer our youngest son, his wife and our grandchildren. We moved many times in our married life but this has been the best move ever.  Well, keep up the good work with Winning Words. You have a big impact on people with your writings.  Stay safe.===JACK:  Of course I remember you...and think of you when I enter Marshbank Park and see the building you helped design.  You may be gone, but you have made an impact on our community.  I thought that you had moved to Gaylord, but you've probably removed since then.  I still keep in close touch with WB P&R, altho I now live 1/2 time In Michigan and 1/2 time in Minnesota.  

FROM SA IN WASH:  Music for One Day at a Time..... 

https://open.spotify.com/track/5f2btCjcN87enR8OBijRBz?si=albf0jVETZKW4H7IYSirwA&context=spotify%3Aplaylist%3A37i9dQZF1EFsCbd8LFmb6w 

I bet Jesus liked music. ===JACK:  You would have made a great pastor...but great pastors aren't always occupying a pulpit.===SA:  You are a great pastor. Luther leveraged technology (printing press) and would like how you've leveraged the latest technology to spread the Good News. You've also leveraged knowledge of applied psychology and a keen sense of factors influencing your audience's need for meaningful content delivered in a brief statement. Commendable indeed. ===JACK:  You've "nailed" it.  ...and I did it, not on purpose, but by instinct.  I always felt guilty for taking a paycheck from the Church; now I feel guilty for receiving a pension and good medical benefits.  But, on 2nd thought, that's what the Church wanted me to do...as an occupation.  Winning Words has been going on since 1992 and has produced over 6000 Winning Words...and the computer has preserved each of them.===SA:  Luther would say, "Well done pastor Freed!". 

FROM ST PAUL IN ST PAUL:  .  thanks.    do you suppose Jesus thought of taking that first Holy Week  "one day at a time"??===JACK:  Jesus was truly human, but He was also truly Divine...which means:  Maybe YES, and maybe NO...in answer to your question..  ===SP:  i can live with that somewhat ambiguous answer:):)===JACK:  Maybe, ambiguous is one of the terms we should use to describe someone who is both human and divine.===SP:  i often think about the ambiguities of our faith life:   Jesus,  true God and  true Man;   bread and wine also body and blood;   the Trinity, 3 in 1 and 1 in 3;  you and me, saint and sinner at the same time;  the Bible  humanly written and divinely inspired;  God's sovereignty and our Freewill; etc. etc.  apparently  Lutherans are very comfortable with ambiguities!===JACK:  Comfortable?  I'm not so sure about that.  Sometimes my "evangelical" friends seem so sure about their faith that I wonder if I'm missing something...then,m I remember the man who came to Jesus seeking healing for his son.  Jesus asked if he believed, and he responded: "I believe; help my unbelief."  ...and Jesus did not shoo him away.===SP:  good point.  perhaps comfortable is too strong a word.   how about this:  Lutherans seem to tolerate ambiguity better than evangelicals who insist on a black and white world order.===JACK:  I think that you're right.  In writing his Catechism Luther asked, "What does this mean?"  Evangelicals tend to be literalists when it comes to understanding the Bible...not asking, "What does this mean?"  Or, maybe they do ask that question and happen to come up with answer that differs from mine.===SP:  i once saw a bumper sticker that read:  "the Bible says it,  and i believe it,  and that settles it!'   oh, if only it were THAT simple..===JACK:  A hymn lyric says, "If my faith were but more simple, I would take Him at His word, and my life would be all sunshine in the glory of the Lord."  It could be that we make things too complex...the, maybe not.

   

FROM JR IN TRANSIT:  Also love Kristofferson’s hymn (?), “Why me, Lord?”! ===JACK:  I'll have to look up more about Kris and his religious beliefs.

 *Jack’s Winning Words 4/13/22

“Everything happens at a perfect time, man.  You may not realize it.  But now I do.”  (Ty Dolla $ign)   The biblical book, Ecclesiastes, says that everything happens at an appropriate time  “  ..a time to laugh and a time to cry, to live and to die, to keep and to throw away.”  Like it or not, time is in the hands of God.  We may not understand, but “ultimately” it is good.  It is good to pray: “Thy will be done on Earth.”  As yet, I haven’t found time to listen to Dolla $ign’s music, but maybe you have.  We each find time for the people and things we like.  Are you one who believes that  there’s a perfect time for everything?  ;-)  Jack    

FROM HY YO SILVER:  My favorite book of the biblical canon.===JACK:  I also like Jeremiah.  I thought that you might choose, Ruth. 

FROM HONEST JOHN:  Augustine said that he knew what time was…until he was asked….is time built into the creation…..relativity challenges that….just “what is time?”===JACK:  We have a hard understanding a w2orld that is timeless.  Pi should have an ending.  Nothing is infinite, until we begin to think about God.  I once preached a sermon...WHY GOD DOESN'T WEAR A WRISTWATCH.

FROM LS IN WB:  Yes I am.  I find it a beautiful challenge to actually live life, all knowing,  that this is true.  For me, the challenge is living my belief that everything happens at a perfect time.  For then, and only then, am I at peace  ===JACK:  There's poem (turned into a hymn) - "Our times are in thy hand, O Lord.  We wish them ther etc."

FROM JJ IN SJ:      For me, when I think about, "God's will be done", it's a bit hard to distinguish God's will from my own. Perhaps a greater diligence to the study of God's word would be a suggestion.  However, through the ages there has been very broad interpretation, has there not?  The persecution of Native American children comes to mind but there are a few others.  The righteousness of it all. ===JACK:  The Lord's Prayer petition ( in its completeness) is, "Thy will be done on Earth as it is done in Heaven (perfection).  Or...Thy will (not my will) be done.  But, if possible, May your will be as my will.  Somewhere among my books, I have one...The Will of God by Leslie Weatherhead.  If I can find it I'll bring it to

FROM BB IN CHGO:  I think his music is kind of typical rap.  I have to look in the website “Genius lyrics” or “Rap Genius” to understand not only the words but their meetings.  This one is about the Rams beating the Bengals in the superbowl.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H_yb4XnQHcw

 This one is about a broken relationship.  If you listen a minute and then click the next link with the lyrics you’ll see a highlight where he says You Say “when I bleed” and I said “we all be loved or friends”  If you click t e highlight a new pop up comes up which is an annotation reading, “ He actually says, “What are we? I said Home, lover, friends” which is the exact same thing he says in a later verse.  He is referring to a song from r. Kelly’s 1993 album, 12 Play and is referenced frequently in pop culture.  Home lover friends is a type of friends with benefits, which is why she would be upset and say “put some respect on my name”. Is that more confusing or does it make sense.  Connor & Angelique explained to me that while we may often look at rap as guttural or simple, it typically has many layers of meanings and is self-referential so, unless you know the other artists they are lauding or criticizing or fighting about, you don’t get the meaning or understand the joke.  The Rap Genius website allows outsiders to comment on these various levels of meanings so we, the uninitiated can understand a bit better.  If you have time one day, look at the Genius for any song from the Musical “Hamilton”.  Lin Manuel’s lyrics are riddled with double-entendre and layered meanings and historic references that are really interesting to my mind.   Have a great day. ===JACK:  Some of us are concerned about "the shape" of the post-pandemic Church.  We might want to have young people explain it to us.  What does it mean when they say, "I'm spiritual, but not religious."?

 

*Jack’s Winning Words 4/12/22 “His march to greatness was not without stumbling.”  (Sinclair Lewis)  In a college Speech class I was assigned to give a “talk” for George Washington’s birthday.  The class laughed as I pointed out the flaws in Washington’s life.  The prof complimented me on the content, but advised that I should NEVER give a speech like that when people were expecting solemnity.  I never forgot that lesson.  “No one is perfect, no, not one,” says the Bible.  We each have our stumbles, our shortcomings.  There’s a saying that when you point your finger at someone, there are three fingers pointing back at you.  Do you have that trouble, too?  ;-)  Jack FROM WILLMAR REV:  . . . there seems to be a good number of relationships like a car battery . . . two opposing posts, one positive and one negative, and both can have a most helpful attitude in their minds contributing to the relationship set before them . . . my wife’s and my experiences have worked that way, she always finding lint, dirt and imperfection and I always looking to make lemonade out of the lemons in life . . .  our basic attitudes have remained the same through 52 years of marriage and ministry . . . always making their way into our conversation and times when looking over my body and clothes before leaving the house, and with what is expected in keeping our home up to a particular standard in house cleaning, we respectfully tolerate each other, along with agitated conversation at times . . . these opposite poles are needed to work well to keep the car running. 0;-)===JACK:  I thought that just happened at my house. FROM FACEBOOK LIZ:  that sounds really interesting! what are some of his flaws?===JACK:  After the prof's critique, I tossed the speech, but here are some little known facts about him.  He was a school dropout at age 11.  He was a fearless leader, but many of his military moves have been questioned.  He was in love (not openly) with his best friend's wife.  His "wooden teeth" were not wooden, but were actual teeth pulled from poor people, slaves (and even cows).  He owned slaves, because it was the way of the times.  He encouraged people to go to church, but seldom went himself.  As the speech professor said...interesting content, but inappropriate for the occasion. ===LIZ:  i'd have given you an "A."===JACK:  As I recall, I did get an A for the speech.  More importantly, I learned the importance of being sensitive to the feelings of people...I gave the prof an A for that. FROM JR:  In probably the same speech class, I gave a speech as Adolf Hitler complete with black comb for a mustache.  It was also a hit.  There is also a saying in German, “Don’t point a naked finger at people with clothes on!”.  Variations on a theme.  Always look forward to WW.  We sold our house in Andover last summer.  Currently, in St. Thomas for our youngest granddaughter’s birthday, otherwise in Mesa or in our motor home in the Midwest.  Hope you’re doing well!===JACK:  I would loved to see/hear that "Hitler" speech.  Today I'd do a spoof on Trump.  Oh, that's right, just doing a normal impersonation would be a spoof.   His latest:  “I’ve got to be the cleanest, I think I’m the most honest human being, perhaps, that God has ever created,” FROM THE SCIENTIST:  I am grateful for those who are willing to give me feedback. And I remind myself that whether I’m the one who has to give or receive the feedback.===JACK:  The secret...How to be honest without being so honest that you destroy confidence and a willingness to improve.  "Ah, there's the rub!"===S:  Focus on being constructive not destructive ===JACK:  As the old song goes...You gotta accent the positive, elimi-i-nate the negative. FROM SHALOM JAN:  I gave the Keego Harbor/ Sylvan Lake Memorial Day address some years back and I'm sure some people in the audience weren't happy when I included that the idea was begun by freed slaves who dug up Union soldiers in mass graves and reburied them individually, trying to honor their service in gaining their own freedom.  Of course, as in every Southern occasion, they had a picnic supper after their labors -- so that began two traditions for Decoration/Memorial Day!  Blessings on your Holy Week and Easter worship!===JACK:  I'm sure that all people haven't agreed with what you had to say from the pulpit on Sundays.  You spoke, because you were called to preach, not to entertain.  That doesn't mean that you were always right, but you endeavored to be faithful. FROM BLAZING OAKS:  Good thoughts!! XO===JACK:  The prof was Levander.  Augustana College was good to me, more than I could appreciate at the time.

 

*Jack’s Winning Words 4/11/22 “Love is the most important thing in the world, but baseball is pretty good, too.”  (Yogi Berra) My father was a pretty good baseball player.  He once batted against 3-finger Brown.  Last summer my son played a game with Hall of Famer Tony Oliva in the stands.  I love “the game!”  Love is an interesting word with several different meanings: Linguists say that there are 4 kinds of love: Family, Erotic, Friends and Godly love.  I’d add a 5th: Love of baseball.  Yogi, Stringbean, Miggy, Bam Bam, and the Babe.  I love ‘em!  Do you have a 5th type of love?  ;-)  Jack FROM ST PAUL IN ST PAUL:  filial,  erotic, and agape'   (i think this is correct) ===JACK:  \Remembering my Greek classes, I thought that there were four, but Google must have taken more Greek than I did, because it lists eight... Philia — Affectionate Love. Philia is love without romantic attraction and occurs between friends or family members. ... Pragma — Enduring Love. ... Storge — Familiar Love. ... Eros — Romantic Love. ... Ludus — Playful Love. ... Mania — Obsessive Love. ... Philautia — Self Love. ... Agape — Selfless Love. ===SP:  and as we age,  there is more Ludus and a lot less Eros:):):)   btw,  Philadelphia is the "city of brotherly love".   Philia plus delphi (Greek for city).  make sense.===JACK:  Mechanicsville, PA is another city name derived from the Greek, mechanus (a place for rules and law)===SP:    Mechanicsville, PA is another city name derived from the Greek, mechanus (a place for rules and law)===JACK:   Corpus Cristi is Latin...however,  Legend has it that in 1519, on the Roman Catholic Feast Day of Corpus Christi, Spanish explorer Alonzo Alvarez de Pineda discovered a lush semi-tropical bay on what is now the southern coast of Texas. The bay, and the City that later sprung up there, took the name of the feast day celebrating the "Body of Christ."  In Greek, the word is: κόρπος χρήστη.===SP:  Very interesting!   thanks for the info.   btw,  how do you write Greek lettering  on your computer?   i must have missed that class in school===JACK:  I took 5 years of Greek, and it's still Greek to me.===SP:  good thing you didn't take Aramaic:):):)    talitha cumi,    and    Eloi Eloi   lama sabachthani,   etc.  etc.===JACK:  I always smiled when volunteer readers at church came across words like that, without having practiced them beforehand.===SP:  i always told the readers to just say it with all the confidence and authority in your soul,  right or wrong.  then the congregation will just think to themselves, "oh,  so THAT is how it is supposed to be pronounced":):):).  who knew???===JACK:  Pamphylia was always a fun one.  A seminarian talked about Beezel-bub in his sermon.  FROM HY YO SILVER:  YES===JACK:  Your wife?  or the Tigers? FROM WILLMAR REV:  . reading "Jack’s Winning Words!" 0;-) ===JACK:  I'll bet that you still love bowling.  This morning I heard thunder.  When I was a child I was told that thunder was the sound of bowling in heaven. FROM JJ IN SJ:  A many splendored thing. ===JACK:  Are you remembering the movie, or remembering your diary?===JJ:  My life. So much good to remember.===JACK:  ...and new memories are being created each day - the people we meet  and experiences we have.  Love is a many-splendored thing, INDEED! FROM QUILTING CAROL:  I think we have to love ourselves or who we are in order to live a good life.  Maybe then there would be less mental health issues and less suicides.===JACK:  As children, we were often reminded not to "brag."  Maybe we've paid to much attention to those words.  The Bible says that we are to love God and to love our neighbor "as we love ourselves." FROM BLAZING OAKS:  Probably Love of Football.===JACK:    Bill was a pretty good baseball player, too.   Aside from golf, what sport do you excel in?  FROM CPA MD:  I love baseball. Starting going to Briggs Stadium as an eight year old traveling on the bus with my buddies. Played dice baseball finishing an entire AL season and keeping the stats (perhaps pre CPA training). Played all summer long both sandlot and organized. People who say baseball is boring are clueless about what's happening on the diamond.,how the defense is positioned, how to pitch to the batter, should we bunt hit and run or steal etc etc. My first love is my fifth ie let's do our best to keep the game away from wokeism and greed. ===JACK:  The "old baseball game" has changed beyond fixing, especially the pros.  Money, money, money!  The DH, replays (even umps make errors).  The robotic strike caller will be another erosion.  "Cleaning up the nicknames" is another erosion.  No more "Fat Freddie Fitzsimons" or "Schnoz Lombardi" or "Ducky Medwick."  David and I were at Tiger Stadium's last game.  I loved that park where you could really see (and feel) the game. FROM HONEST JOHN:  I went to Opening Day again this year.    Got these old bones to the places I needed to be.   How did your Dad do against Mordecai (great name) Brown?===JACK:  What an exciting opener this year.  My daughter Jeanne has caught 3 balls during her time cheering for the Tigers.  My dad never said that he got a hit off of Brown...but he and his Galesburg No. 6 team were good players. FROM IKE AT THE MIC:  How about tennis?  Scoring a game in tennis 0 points=Love..===JACK:  Do you remember how John McEnroe would storm around when a "fault" was called on him?  Marriages don't go well with behavior like that.

 

*Jack’s Winning Words 4/8/22 “Quiet, He might be listening.”  (Rita Smilovitz)  Detroit sportscaster, Bernie Smilovitz’s  mother died recently.   She was a Holocaust survivor, actually seeing family and friends being taken away, never to be seen again.  Shortly before her death, Bernie asked her if, after all she had seen and endured, did she still believe in God.  She responded, “Quiet!  He might be listening.”  I see her words as a statement of faith, punctuated with humor.  Christians typically state their faith, using the Apostles’ Creed.  Does the Lord “listen” to ALL  voices?  ;-)  Jack FROM JJ IN SJ:  Sure, He/She most certainly does.  I’m sure the communications are open loud and clear in Ukraine right now. ===JACK:  If God had a choice, what color, gender, nationality, race, religion, etc might IT be?===JJ:  Never it, it seems.===JACK:  How does one describe the indescribable? ===JJ:  Perhaps there is no need to describe. Only to experience ===JACK:  That would come through IN-SPIR-ATION.  God's Spirit connecting with our spirit. FROM THE SCIENTIST:  Yes====JACK:  No need for a translator, either. FROM BB IN CHGO:  Omigosh – we used to say that and I recall saying something similar to my children.  God heard you!===JACK:  I think that one of the scariest symbols for God is the BIG EYE.  He sees you when you're sleeping.  He knows when you're awake.  Oops, that's Santa Claus.  But, it's God, too.  The "eye" is even on the back of the dollar bill.===BB"  Right, is that eye benevolent or not? Last night I joked with my mom about missing “fire and damnation and hell” as I was raised with a bit of that in Missouri Synod.  We were discussing the situation in Ukraine – hell on earth - as well as people who set others up for a fall without a care.  I told mom I kinda miss that rhetoric and that we’ve lost something in our society with people being so selfish and uncaring and destructive with no fear of retribution here or in “the beyond”.  Can’t believe I said that to her but I thought it and she understood and kind of laughed with me. ===JACK:  As long as there's life there's opportunity for bridge building...parent and child.  Congratulations to both of you. FROM SR R IN SC:  Oh, yes! God is not as we are!!!===JACK:  In order that we might know Him better, He came to us in the human form of Jesus. FROM BLAZING OAKS:  i BELIEVE HE DOES. I BELIEVE OUR GOD IS OFTEN "TOO SMALL", AS A BOOK I ONCE READ SUGGESTS!  ALMIGHTY GOD IS JUST THAT:ALMIGHTY!! ===JACK:  What does it men...All-Mighty?  I think it's something beyond being a miracle worker.  I like All-Loving!  That can mean lots of things. FROM OGDSEN DAVE:  That's a beaut, John.===JACK:  I hope that God liked it, too...if He was on His laptop.

 *Jack’s Winning Words 4/7/22

“What we expect rarely occurs.  What we don’t expect is what happens.”  (Holly Goldberg Sloan)  I went to get a haircut the other day and was told that my barber (for over 40 years) had died.  I was stunned.  Have you had a similar un expected experience?  The unexpected death?  or “We no longer need you as an employee!” or “Will you marry me?” or “I want a divorce ”  Here are some suggestions for handling the unexpected:  Take a deep breath.  Life is not perfect.  Look for the positive.  In a surprising way, bad often turns out to be good.  How have you handled surprises?  ;-)  Jack     

FROM RS IN TEXAS:  Yes, when I lost my job after 20 years, and shortly afterwards got divorced, I thought my life was in shambles.   However, events ultimately led me to meet Gloria, and thereby receive one of the greatest blessings in my life.===JACK:  There's a hymn: "Be not dismayed, whate'er betide, God will take care of you."  In your case, that hymn seems to have taken legs....and, in my life, too. 

FROM ST PAUL IN ST PAUL:  there surely are moments that shock us to the core.   sorry to hear about your barber.  a death notice is always a surprise even when we think we are well prepared for such news.   take care old friend. ===JACK:  When I think about it, barber Tom had no religious affiliation.  I might have been his only Spiritual contact.  Each time I sat in the chair, he'd ask, "What's the Winning Word for today?  And, we's talk about the thought for the day.  He always called, me, "pasto," not using my first name.  May he rest in peace!

FROM FFACEBOOK LIZ:  thanks... i needed that!===JACK:  Thanks, I needed that response from you!

FROM SMILIN' TERI:  My favorite!===JACK:  I'm going to have to reread it.  God's Spirit moves in mysterious ways.

FROM WILLMAR REV:  . have always looked for that pony in that pile of proverbial horse manure! 0;-)===JACK:  Too many people are turned away by the stink of the sh-t.  They need someone like you to tell (show) them about the pony.  You are a chaplain who can do the job.

FROM THE WB SAINT:  Today’s WW is perfect for what I’m facing in this evening’s Board Meeting.===JACK:  God opens doors for us to walk through.

FROM CPA MD:   You just never know.  Had to fire my barber because he was talking behind my back.===JACK:  That's a joke, right?

FROM SR R IN SC:  When they are good surprises, i smile in amazing gratitude;  when the surprise is not so good, I sit in my recliner and ponder.===JACK:  We are blessed beyond our deserving....so, I guess it's good to ponder once in a while.  Why am I blessed so much, while others face suffering deprivation beyond their deserving?

 

 Jack’s Winning Words 4/6/22

“Don’t think there are no crocodiles just because the water is calm.”  (Malayan Proverb)  I recently saw on Facebook an ad for someone to participate in the castration of crocodiles.  I did not volunteer, but I think that Crocodile Dundee might be the one for the job.  Although it is important to be on the lookout for "crocodiles", whether it be at work or in other relationships, we have to balance that cautiousness with a willingness to trust;  otherwise we live in constant fear.   ;-) Jack

FROM WILLMAR REV:  BTW…Do you know what they call a Crocodile detective— An investi’gater’!! 0;-) ===JACK:  Funny...But, substitute alligator for crocodile. ===REV:  My daughter and I had this discussion when telling her this joke of including the two together:  "Crocodiles (family Crocodylidae) or true crocodiles are large semiaquatic reptiles that live throughout the tropics in Africa, Asia, the Americas and Australia. The term crocodile is sometimes used even more loosely to include all extant members of the order Crocodilia, which includes the alligators and caimans." 0;-)===JACK:  Did God create crocodiles first, or alligators?  (book, chapter, verse)

 

FROM ST PAUL IN ST PAUL:  any idea what that castration job pays??  :):)   ===JACK:  Since Joan grew up on a ranch and raised her family on a farm, castration was part of the "job"...bulls, boars, stallions...One way to do family planning.===PAUL:  i am very glad we don't do that on humans anymore:):)    during the Middle Ages,  did they not castrate certain choir boys so that they would keep their high tenor voices for life??   if you had a bass or baritone voice you could consider yourself lucky!!===JACK:  Even Handel used castrati in his oratorios.  (I wonder if any were used in Messiah?  They were used in the Sistine Chapel Choir, too.  I know that we often complain about today's world, but "some" progress seems to have been made.  

FROM BLAZING OAKS:  Enjoyed these wise WW today!! :-)===JACK: ..and I enjoyed writing them and imagining someone else castrating a crocodile.

 *Jack’s Winning Words 4/5/22

“No matter what accomplishments you make, somebody helps you.”  (Althea Gibson)  Wow!  I didn’t know…that tennis great, Althea was the first woman to break the color barrier in pro tennis.  One of her supporters was boxer Sugar Ray Robinson.  As a teen, she like basketball, but a musician-friend gave her a tennis racket, and that changed her life.  I suppose that each of us can look back and see a “person” or a “happening” that changed the course of our life.  Who was the “Sugar Ray” for you?    ;-)  Jack 

FROM WILLMAR REV:  ...too many of like precious faith and feelings for Christ to count have guided me along over the years to where I am now, beginning with my parents, I'm sure. 0;-)===JACK:  Is there ONE who led you consider the ministry as your career?===REV:  More than one, but in a “come to Jesus experience” while watching the movie “I’d Climb the Highest Mountain” at home, by myself, and before heading out for an evening of league bowling, with tears freely flowing, the decision was made (over 56 years ago). 0;-)===JACK:  That's what I was looking for.

FROM ST P-AUL IN ST PAUL:  and sometimes a Sugar Ray can also be a Sugar Daddy who helps with the finances...===JACK:  Did you ever have a "SWugar Daddy" at SOTV?  When we were beginning Holy Spirit, there was a member who said, "Tell me anything that you need, but don't say where the money came from."  A couple of times...his gifts were very helpful.  

FROM SHARIN' SHARON:  Interesting words to reflect upon.  I think, in my perspective anyway, it’s like that scripture in Ecclesiastes, for every time there is a season, a time to sow, a time to reap and so forth and so on....a time for Black atheletes, a time for a Black woman Supreme Court Justice, a time for lots of justice issues and people rise up who are known and also who are behind the scenes actively supporting and the needed changes just come about.  In my opinion, no one of these is actually more or less important or necessary than any other person’s faithful loving heart in this whole rather mysterious journey with God.  Glad and thankful that there are role models for us like Sugar Ray Robinson and also glad and thankful that friends give us the necessary time, gifts and teaching that help each of us to go forward and accomplish something constructive with our lives.  Also always nice that famous successful people in every field can stay humble and acknowledge their helpers that got them where they are.  I’m really joyful over the accomplishments of people, like Althea Gibson, overcoming the horrible racially divided past and present we live with in our country!!!  Great WW to reflect upon, Pastor Freed!!!  Thanks for letting us know about her quote.===JACK:  Many of us have a "Sugar Ray" in our life.  Did you have one in yours?===SS:  Since you ask, I think the Sugar Ray in my life is Martin Luther.  I had a very impactful conversion experience when we lived on Long Island and I believe it stemmed from the fact that Trinity Lutheran ELCA had and has a history of adhering to the Unaltered Augsburg Confession.  They didn’t allow for Teaching that Communion was with Jesus in heaven as it seems some Protestant churches do and could misunderstand something Melanchthon put in.  Right now I’m reading The Augsburg Confession and The Apology of the Augsburg Confession with Key Historical Documents.  It was Pastor Kolbo and Pastor Schulz who with wisdom and insight and fidelity to the Unaltered Augsburg Confession started me on the path I’m on and made a strong enough impact on my heart and Soul that I am able to stand up against some of the other voices that seem not so creditable.  These are some of the heroes in my life.  Anyway, Sugar Ray is a real force.===JACK:  I wonder if Luther had a nickname?..I have one for him, but I guess I'll keep that to myself.

FROM THE CORVETTE KID:  Got that right and your one of them in my life my friend. ===JACK:  I'm humbled, because I've always admired you.

FROM SR IN SC:  S. Margretta, now in heaven, but she was the one whom I needed when I was chair of our Modern and Classical Language Department which was huge and full of  European men who made me quiver when they spoke!!! she would come to my office after a meeting and simply help wipe my tears with her wisdom : "Renee, what is this in the light of eternity?"===JACK:  What a great runion with the saints of God when "all is said and done"!

 

 

 

 

*Jack’s Winning Words 4/4/22 “The peace sign is with two fingers, not one.”  (Meg Cabot)  On this day (1958) the traditional peace sign (Semaphore N superimposed on Semaphore D was accepted as the sign, standing for Nuclear Disarmament.  Two fingers raised has become the modern sign for peace.  During the pandemic, many in-church worshippers are using it as a greeting during the “passing of the peace.”  I like that.  More common these days is the one-finger salute which often causes an escalation of conflict.  I don’t like that.  Look!  I’m giving you the two-finger salute.  ;-)  Jack   FROM JJ IN SJ:  . It’s a good day to pray for peace.  And signal to the world.  A good sign is the Sandhill crane couple back in St Joe flying over your and Joan’s pond.===JACK:  Those cranes are graceful birds, especially in flight.  Have you ever seen Whoopers?  I don’t know that the Ukranian fighter are giving the Russians the peace sign. FROM FACEBOOK LIZ:  no more passing of the peace... thank you, scamdemic!===JACK:  In church yesterday most members were holding up 2 fingers during the passing of the peace.  In Ukraine I don't think they've gotten beyond 1 finger. FROM EDUCATOR PAUL:  Excellent!!’😂😂😂😂===JACK:  My grade school report card used letters...E, VG, G, P.  I always liked it when I got Es, for Excellent.  It was not a happy household when the card showed a P in Deportment.

 ack’s Winning Words 4/1/22

“April Fool’s Day is cancelled this year as no made-up prank could match the unbelievable stuff going on in the world right now.”  (Unknown)  A senseless war,  distrust among neighbors,  wall-building,  a  lackadaisical attitude toward our planet’s health…these are just some of the jokes being “told/lived” in the world today.  They aren't very funny   Funny, in the old days, was  “fooling” my children on April 1.  It doesn’t happen often, but I've been on the receiving end of an “April Fool” prank once or twice. Today is a good day to remember that even in the midst of serious issues, we still need to have fun. BTW, did you see the latest news picture?  McConnell and Pelosi exchange a kiss and make up?  APRIL FOOL!!.  ;-)  Jack

FROM SR R IN SC:  hahahahahahahahahahaha===JACK:  Let me know if you're able "fool" one of yjr didters today.

FROM JJ IN SJ:  It was very hard to fool my Dad. One year we piled a box of wooden blocks on the edge of our bed and at the earliest hour we could muster, on April Fools day, we kicked it off. He came tearing up the stairs from his bedroom below,  only too late, realizing the house was indeed not falling in. We laughed all day.   And he pouted.===JACJ::  I'm laughing now, jut thinking about it.  Your impishness has not been lost.  

FROM FACEBOOK LIZ:  i bet ukraine wishes they'd built a wall... who's foolish now?===JACK:  Oh, come on....Let's see you smile!  Did you ever play jokes in your home?===LIZ:  you're kidding, right? plus we played epic ones w/the fellow crazies at the agency...===JACK:  I'm glad to know that when God created you, He didn't forget to include the "funny bone."

FROM WILLMAR REV:  0;-)))))))====JACK:  It looks that all of your chins are laughing.

FROM SHARIN' SHARON:  Your April Fool joke at the end, Pastor Freed, made me chuckle.  Good one.===JACK:  Can't you just picture it?  UGH===SS:  Ya, it’s the kissing part that made me chuckle even out loud.  

FROM PASTY PAT:  Good one.===JACK:  Another one...."MEDIA stops covering Trump and Putin and shifts to something else!  April Fool

FROM THE NOVA SCOTIA FISH:  you probably know that BBC at least in the past (maybe still) has slipped a ringer into April 1 newscasts. The one that created the most fuss some years ago was an announcement that Big Ben was going to go digital===JACK:  I happen to like understated British humor.  I have to check today's BBC for an April Fooler.

FROM BB IN CHGO:  Happy birthday to my son and folks still don’t believe it is a birthday.===JACK:  When hospital staff told you that you had given birth to a baby of April 1, did you expect them to say, "April Fool?"===BB:  It was also our first wedding anniversary.  It was also Cubs Opening day at Wrigley and we had tickets.  Thankfully, H & N went in our stead and came by the house later in the afternoon to meet the baby and talk about the game!   What a lovely memory. ==JACK:  Joan works with people who have lost their memory...and their caregivers.  Good, bad or in-between, memory is a special gift. 

FROM ST PAUL IN ST PAUL:   but you are no fool,  Jack! ===JACK:  I'm not so sure about that.  "There's nor fool like an OLD fool."