Be fearless today…

February 6, 2021

“There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment.” (John 4:18)

The love referred to is this passage I believe is that mutual love between God and man. Those who love God receive God’s love in return and that love drives fear from our lives.

While the passage from John uses the word “punishment”, it is really the fear of death that the love of God drives out of our lives, because we know that Jesus overcome death for all of those who believe in Him. Once one conquers the fear of death, everything else that we might fear is put into perspective and we can become fearless. Once you trust in God to overcome death, how can you not believe in Him to help you with any of your other fears?

This is not to say that believing in God means that those things in your life that you might fear won’t happen; rather, that God will also be there with you as you face those fears. If you believe in Him, He will give you the strength to persevere and overcome those fears.

Being fearless due to your faith does not mean being reckless or stupid about what you do. One doesn’t jump off a tall building and say on the way down, “God will protect me.” A part of being fearless is making good decisions; decisions that are not based solely upon fear. Perhaps one should add to their morning prayers this request: “God help me make good decisions today by taking fear out of my life and replacing it with trust in You.”

In many of the computer games that are so popular there are things in the game that one may find to recharge or restore an injured character. These are sometimes called Golden Apples. In the games you can see the character’s strength restored, sometimes with a little on-screen strength meter. In our regular lives, touching base with God is our Golden Apple.

So, start today and each day by touching base with God and re-charging your faith. You’ll see your fearlessness meter go up when you do and you’ll be ready to face whatever the day throws at you.  

Love God and remember, “There is no fear in love.”

Be fearless today!

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Posted by Norm Werner

I forgive me. Now you forgive you…

February 5, 2021

In today’s post to his blog, Jack’s Winning Words, Pastor Freed used this quote from Joan Baez – “Forgiveness of self is the hardest of the forgivenesses.”

I’ve posted here a few times about loving oneself before one can love others. A key to loving what and who you are is forgiving yourself for the mistakes that you’ve made in life. We all tend to beat ourselves up for doing something stupid or failing because of a bad decision or maybe even making a horrible mistake that costs us a friendship or even a loved one. It is hard to forgive ourselves for those mistakes, yet it is essential in order to move on with life.

I think the thing that we need to do first, in order to forgive ourselves is to accept that God loves us so much that he forgives whatever we have done and continues to embrace us. Once you can accept God and His love into your life, you will find it easier to forgive yourself and move on. It allows you to refocus from the thoughts of “I wish that I hadn’t” onto thoughts of “I still can”. It resets your sights from the past towards the future. It allows you to move on from “What did I do” and instead start thinking about “What can I do”.

That refocus to the future points to another aspect of forgiving yourself and that is learning from your mistakes and doing better in the future. The goal is not to somehow wipe out the memory of whatever it is you did; rather, it is to learn from it so that you don’t do it again and perhaps even change the course of your life because of that learning.  We see stories on the news every now and then about ex-cons wo go on after their incarceration to become leaders and motivators in their communities. They forgave themselves and changed the course of their lives.

Most of us will not have an event as dramatic in our lives as going to prison; however, we have almost daily instances of the need to forgive ourselves for some small mistake or oversight that causes a guilty feeling. You know that you feel guilty when you look the other way and hurry past that Red Kettle outside the store  or that beggar on the street corner. And how about being too much in a hurry to hold that door open for the person just behind you at the store or maybe forgetting about a loved one’ birthday or your own anniversary? Those are little things that make you feel bad about yourself later. There are, of course, bigger things in many people’s lives; however they are forgivable, too.

Maybe you can start each day with a prayer asking God to forgive you and for His help in forgiving yourself. More importantly, start each day accepting God’s forgiveness and forgiving yourself. Start your day with that clean slate, instead of carrying around a “rap sheet” of past crimes.  

God loves us and forgives us. I forgive me. Now, you forgive you and this will be a great day for both of us.

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Posted by Norm Werner

You’ve got work to do…

February 4, 2021

In his blog, Jack’s Winning Words, today Pastor Freed used this quote –

“You can wake up every day and make today better than the last.”  (Tommy Lasorda)

He went on to write about having a positive attitude every day. One might ask how to make each day a better day and the answer may be found in another quote from Freed’s blog that I had saved –

“You can look anywhere and find inspiration.”  (Frank Gehry)

The fact is that there are always things all around us that need doing, in order to make it a better day for someone. And in recognizing those things and doing them, you will make a better day for yourself. Some of the things are very small and subtle – smiling at someone when they needed a smile today or opening a door for someone and letting them go ahead of you. Sometimes they are bigger, like stopping to help someone in distress or rushing into a burning building to recue a trapped occupant.

I think a key point is that you have to work at it. Lasorda didn’t just say everyday is going to be better than the last; he said that you can make it better. Better doesn’t just happen all be itself. You don’t just sit there all day, waiting for better to happen; you have to work at it. What Gehry was saying is that yo have to look for the opportunities to make things better and when you see them to be inspired to take action.

Perhaps you can start each day by getting help with that. Ask God in your prayers to help you see the opportunities to make things better and to not be satisfied with just seeing them, but to take action to make better happen. That can start with asking God to help you to make better decisions during the day and to help you to be more sensitive to the needs of others.

We often hear the phrase in the eulogies for those who have passed that, ”He/She made the world a better place.” Many times that is a reference to the love that was shared with family and friends, but often it is also a reflection of the actions that the departed took to make the lives of strangers better. Maybe it was the hours of toil to earn money so that a child could go to college. Perhaps it was volunteer charity work or work within the church or the community. Possibly it was some work of art or literature that they created that impacted the lives of others. The point is that they worked at it; it didn’t just happen.

So, as you start your day, look around for your inspiration. Ask yourself how can you make this a better day for yourself and others. Then get at it.

Make this a better day!

You’ve got work to do.

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Posted by Norm Werner

But try something different…

February 2, 2021

Today Pastor Freed offered some time proven advice in his blog Jack’s Winning Words – “If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again.”  (Palmer’s Teacher’s Manual-1840)

Thomas H. Palmer (1782 – 1861) published his manual for teachers in 1840 and it served as a good guide for teachers for many years.

One needs however to temper Palmers advice with that this bit of more modern advice that has been widely credited to Albert Einstein – “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, but expecting different results.”

So, it is good advice not to give up on something, just because you failed initially; however it is also good advice to give the situation enough thought that you don’t continue to do the same thing over and over and expect the outcome to be different. You have to learn from your mistakes at least what not to do again.

Other than tenacity and resolve, another good attribute to have in situations where one has failed at something is the ability to admit that failure and not try to blame it on others. There may well be times when some outside influence from a third person or some uncontrollable thing like the weather, contribute to a failure; however, even then, your failure to include the possibility of those influences is still just a factor in your own failure.

Failure isn’t necessarily bad, just disappointing. Failure is a key ingredient of learning. It as been well documented now often Thomas Edison failed at things before he finally succeeded in inventing something. Each time he failed, he learned from that experience and tried a different approach to the problems the next time.

Don’t give up today if you fail at something. Just take Palmer’s advice, and add a little insight from Einstein, “If at first you don’t succeed, try again, but try something different.”

Try, learn and try again. But, try something different.

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Posted by Norm Werner

Live the one that you are in…

February 1, 2021

In his Jack’s Winning Words blog to start off this week, Pastor Freed used this quote – “There’s another life that I mighthave had, but I am living this one.”  (Kazuo Ishiguro)

It is quite normal every now and then to muse about what might have been, had you made a different decision at some point in your past. However, it is not health (mentally) to obsess about what might have been. It is better that you spend that time planning what might yet still be. Look forward, not backwards.

I’ve posted here often about letting go of things in the past, whether it was a a traumatic event or just a poor decision, and moving on with life. Letting go of the past allows one to focus upon the here and now and to turn one’s attention to the decisions ahead. It matters less how you got here than where you plan to go from here. There’s not a bit of value in beating yourself up for past decisions; although there is hopefully some value in what you learned from the outcome of those decisions.

Spending time analyzing and agonizing over past decisions leads some into the downward spiral of depression. Since there is no way to change the past there seems to be no “solution” available and frustration and remorse can quickly turn into guilt and depression.

So, let’s not go there. Focus instead, as Kazuo advises on the life that you have now and spend you energy (mental and physical) on planning for where you want to go and how to get there. Perhaps yo can add to your prayers this thought – “Lord let me accept my life as it is and give me the strength and wisdom to do the things to make it better in the future.”

Taking the time to stop and examine the life that you have and the future that you would like may also cause you to re-evaluate some of your current goals or focuses in life. We (especially men) often get so “heads-down” focused upon goals like making more money or achieving more position and power at work, that we forget the reasons and the people that we started doing that work for in the first place.

You can’t go back and make good on all of the little league games that you missed with your son or the school play with your daughter that you didn’t see – that was a life you might have had, but didn’t. However, you can adjust your priorities and refocus for all of the future games and plays and recitals yet to come. It is not too late to change and make the future better.

Instead of constantly looking back through the door of what might have been in your life; close that door and instead open the door to the future of what yet can be. You are living this life. Make the best of it.

Have a great week of possibilities ahead.


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Posted by Norm Werner

I can’t see it, but I don’t doubt it…

January 29, 2021

I save most of the little quotes that Pastor Freed uses in his blog, Jack’s Winning Words. I always think that someday I’ll write something about those quotes. That doesn’t always happen and I occasionally clean out the old, dusty quotes that I never used. Sometimes two quotes that I saved at different times will just sort of go together and reinforce a thought that I might have. Such is the case today. The top quote Pastor Freed used today, but the bottom one has been on the shelf gathering dust for a while. Today, they just seemed to fit together.

“Actually, I do have doubts, all of the time.  Every thinking person does.”  (Edgar Allan Poe – The Raven) 

“Seeing is believing, but sometimes the most real things in the world are the things we can’t see.”  (The conductor on the Polar Express)

The doubts that Poe and Pastor Freed were talking about concerned faith. Some doubts are healthy because they force us to think about and examine our faith. They also reinforce in us the fact that although we cannot “see”  the things that our faith is based upon they ae nonetheless very real.

Poe was right that every thinking person will have some doubts about some aspects of their religious beliefs or questions what certain things have become dogma within that religion. Some practitioners of religion hold the belief that every word on the Bible is the truth, handed down by God. Others take the position that it is an collection of writing that were inspired by God, but told and sometimes embellished a bit by men over the centuries. Our current pastor used the story of Jonah and the Whale as an example recently of a Bible story that may not be literally true, but shich provides a good lesson. Jesus used a lot of stories or parables to get his point across, not all of which were meant to be taken literally.

So, it is quite natural to have doubts about certain aspects of one’s religion and maybe even about one’s faith.  In times of crisis or great loss, we often hear people asking God how He could let those things happen to them. They often ask, “Where was God when this was happening to me?” The faithful quickly realize the answer. God was right there with you. He was patiently waiting for your faith to kick in and for you to ask for his help and guidance. He was waiting to bring the calm to your soul of your beliefs which, while unseen, is very real.

We don’t actually see faith, we see faith in action. We cannot reach out and touch our beliefs, yet our beliefs touch everything that we do. We cannot see God, but others can see God in our lives. It is no wonder that we have doubts about things that we do not understand; but it is faith that let’s us transcend the human need to understand and be happy just believing. Faith removes the doubts and fears of living because faith removes the fear of dying.

Remember Hebrews !!:1 – “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.”  

Put away your doubts, have conviction and say to yourself, “I can’t see it, but I believe it.”

Have a great day in faith.

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Posted by Norm Werner

Listening is just step two…

January 28, 2021

Pastor Freed used this quote from Alan Alda today – “Listening is being able to be changed by the other person.”  (Alan Alda) 

Hearing is probably step one, but it does not carry with it the acknowledgement that you have recognized anything other than that some sounds are being made. When one moves from hearing to listening, the change is both a recognition of the speaker and a focus upon understanding what is being said. Just saying ,”I hear you”, does not mean that you are really listening to what the other person is saying. The listening that Alda was probably referring to goes well beyond just politely waiting for your turn to speak. Too many people spend that polite time focused more upon what they want to say next, rather than really listening to what the speaker is saying and evaluating their position or arguments.

Alda used the words “being able to be changed” in his quote. I would prefer “being open to be changed”. It is important to keep an open mind, to be willing to re-evaluate your position and current opinions on something, based upon new information. Many times such an encounter will not require a major change in your position, but taking the opportunity to listen to different points of view and opinions will give you a better understanding of those who hold different points of view. That will perhaps allow you to better prepare yourself for those encounters.

Assuming that you have moved through steps one and two, you now are faced with step three – evaluating what to do with, or about, this new information. In some cases, the information may be so ridiculous that your reaction may have to be to stifle a laugh; however, remember that this new point of view was just put forward by someone who may deeply believe what they just said. Excusing yourself and beating a hasty retreat may be the best course of action in that case.

Let’s assume that what you just listened to is, in fact , a valid alternative point of view to your own, based either upon different information than you had on which to base your position or a different interpretation of the same information. That’s when you must be open to change. You must be willing to look at the situation from that other person’s point of view and make a decision on whether to stand firm in your belief or change towards the other person’s belief. That forces you to examine what it was that caused you to form your opinion. Was it really based upon facts or did preconceived notions and prejudices creep into your decisions and opinions?

We hear often about systemic racism these days in the news, That refers to policies and behaviors within government and business entities that are based upon and driven by prejudice. In fact, those prejudices all start within the individuals that make up that entity. Systemic problems are codified within the entities but they start within us all. Being open to change forces us to face our internal systemic issues like racism, sexism, homophobia and others.

Once you have listened with an open mind, and faced down the systemic issues within yourself, you must decide how and where to add this new knowledge into what is called your wisdom. If you decide that you do need to change, some old thoughts and opinions will have to be swept away. Some fears will need to be buried. Some actions and activities may have to be abandoned. You will have a new point of view and the world will look different to you. That’s a good thing, You have grown by being open to change.  I think you will like the new view that you see because you will be more consciously aware of and more comfortable with your vantage point.

You listened, you learned and you changed. Good for you! Good for us all.

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Posted by Norm Werner

Listen to that tiny voice…

January 27, 2021

In today’s post to his blog, Jack’s Winning Words, Pastor Freed used this quote – “The Church is not called to be the master or servant of the state, but to be the conscience of the state.”   (MLK Jr)

He went on to talk about people like MLK and Billy Graham serving in that role at different times n our countries history. He also asked the question – “Who will be the conscience today?”

Perhaps we heard that conscience in the words of inauguration poet Amanda Gorman.

I think the role that MLK was talking about for the church (and the people of the church) is one of giving voice to the messages of Jesus as a guide for our collective conscience. Jesus did not come to live among us only for the experience of being human and thus better understanding humans; but, rather to show us what being human could be if we followed His example.

Jesus was called rabbi (teacher) for a reason. He was trying to direct and shape our conscience – to show us what our lives could be like if we lived in love and harmony. He became that tiny voice in the back of our heads that tells us what is right and distinguishes it from what is wrong. We need to listen to that tiny voice for we are told many times in scripture that the world is loud and God speaks to us in a whisper.

God’s whisper is causing actions all around us, but we often fail to see it. It can be found in a kind gesture or a helping hand. Sometimes it takes the stage in the spotlight, like Amanda did at the Presidential Inauguration event. However, most of the time it takes place in the background, in the unseen acts of kindness and help, like packing food for the hungry or delivering that food. It is the ttiny voice that causes us to rach for our wallet hen we see the red Salvation Army kettle. It is the tiny voice that reminds us to put on a face covering in public, because that is the right thing to do.

The real answer to Jack’s question – “Who will be the conscience today? “  – is that you will be. So, listen for that tiny voice in the back of your head. Stop and think about what it is trying to tell you and let it guide your actions.

God is whispering to you. Listen

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Posted by Norm Werner

We do know better…

January 26, 2021

“Do the best you can until you know better.  Then, when you know better, do better.”  (Maya Angelou)

That was today’s quote in the Jack’s Winning Words blog.

The fact is that we do know better about al lot of things; but, many just choose not to do better.

We know that racism is not right, yet we let racist thoughts dictate our reactions to people and situations involving people of color. We know that homophobia is unwarranted, yet we shrink away from the gay person out of some fear or false disgust. We know that there is no basis for gender based discrimination, yet we continue to tolerate a huge inequity in pay and advancement for women in business.  We know that we could do more to help the homeless or the hungry, yet we look the other way and hurry past them on the streets. We have been told by health experts that wearing a mask in public can slow the spread of the COVID-19 virus, yet many refuse to don a mask or wear it in such a way as to render it ineffective. We know better.

What causes this disconnect between knowing better and doing better? Do we learn anything from the man in the news report who is dying saying that he should have heeded the warnings and avoided getting the virus; or, do we continue to let ego or pride, ignorance or stubbornness get in the way of logic and acceptance of the obvious truths? We know better.

It is hard to understand how so many people can come to such different conclusions about things like wearing a mask to protect others or trying to understand and be accepting and inclusive instead of turning to fear or hate in matters of race or sexual preference. Perhaps systemic prejudices are the masters of hiding in plain sight; and most of these are systemic in nature. We know better.

A popular fashion item of several years ago were the little bracelets with WWJD embossed into them or printed on them. They were meant to help the wearer stop and consider “What Would Jesus Do”? The assumption was that thinking about the teachings and guidance that Jesus provided would help the wearer do the right thing. One doesn’t see those bracelets much any more and certainly doesn’t see people stopping to ask themselves that question as much anymore.  We know better.

 Perhaps at the root of these differences in behavior today is the acceptance or rejection of religion and faith in God as the moral foundation of life. If one does not have that foundation to point to what is better, then one has no reason to do better and may not even be capable of recognizing what is the right thing to do. However, if one claims to be a Christian and a follower of the teachings of Jesus, then one has no excuse not to be doing better. We know better.

The term Fake News become popular over the last four years. Perhaps what we have also seen are Fake Christians – those who proclaim loudly that they are Christians and then go out and demonstrate behavior that is anything but what Christ taught. They know better, but they choose not to do better. We know better.

What can you do as an individual? The best thing is to actually do what is right, what is better; to live your life in such a way as to serve as an example to others of what is better. There are times when you must take the next step and act on what you know is better by not “going along to get along” or not allowing yourself to be swept up in the moment, as some who stormed our nation’s capital claimed afterwards. There are even times when you must proactively try to influence the actions of others to prevent them from harming themselves or others. We know better.

We know better. Now, let’s go out and do better.

Live like you know what Jesus would do and follow Him. We know better. Let’s do better!

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Posted by Norm Werner

Don’t waste a day…

January 25, 2021

As seen on the Lakes Area Chamber of Commerce site today – “The most wasted of all days is one without laughter.” – e. e. cummings

One could substitute the word “joy” for laughter in the cummins quote and it would still be correct. Spending a day without finding joy in just being alive is wasting a day. A joyless day is a day without God in it; for any day that you welcome God into your life will be one in which you find joy.

We waste our days being concerned about things over which we really have no control, trying to solve problems for which there are no solutions or refusing to accept what has already come to pass. Rather than accept our lives as God has willed them to be, we rail against the inevitable and let fear and anger dictate our actions.

Better that we should accept that God got us here and He will show us a path forward. As Paul told the Corinthians – “God is faithful, and he will not let you be tested beyond your strength but with your testing he will also provide the way out so that you may be able to endure it” (1 Corinthians 10:13

That assurance should at least bring a smile to your face, if not laughter to your lips. Start each day with a prayer asking God for the strength and wisdom to face whatever comes your way, knowing that God will be with you. And, with that in mind, you may also recall the verse from Romans 8:31 – “What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?”

Wow, what a powerful way to start any day.

So, don’t waste a day of your life without joy/laughter. Don’t spend your time worrying about things that God has under control. Live, laugh and be happy. This is a day that God made and you get to be a part of it again today. Cue the Bobby McFerrin song – Don’t Worry, Be Happy.

Share the good news!

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Posted by Norm Werner

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