We were watching the Super Bowl yesterday, and something my older daughter said something that reminded me of that old commercial.
You remember—the one from the 1980s—for emergency devices (before there were cell phones) when someone falls and screams "I've fallen and I can't get up."
See, my daughter was asking what happens when someone gets tackled. I explained. That ends the play. They can't get up and keep running.
"Does that mean," she asked, "that when you've fallen, you can't get up?... That's not fair."
A Proud Father
I have to say I was proud. Now, she may not completely understand all the rules of football. But she does understand one of the rules of life. When we fall, we can get up.
Because everybody falls. We fall because of mistakes we make. We fall because of circumstances we enter. We fall because of situations we inherit.
But the difference between success and failure is not falling. It is getting up.
As Jim Collins, who wrote the absolute classic book, From Good to Great, put it, "The signature of the truly great versus the merely successful is not the absence of difficulty but the ability to come back from setbacks, even cataclysmic catastrophes, stronger than before."
To that we can only say "Amen."
P.S.: I know several authors and aspiring authors read these notes. If that describes you—or someone you know—check out this online course taught by a friend of mine, Nick Stephenson. He teaches through video and a free e-book how to get 10,000 or more readers on Amazon.
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"Your Education Starts Here" Rabbi Moffic of Highland Park, Illinois, United States for Thursday, 4 February 2016 - The Book is Here
It's been a big week. The book officially released Tuesday. An interviewer asked me why I wrote it.
"Aren't there enough books about Jewish background of Jesus," he asked.
"Yes," I said. "But this one is different. I am a rabbi devoted to strengthening Jewish life."
"And I believe both Jews and Christians are strengthened by exploring the Jewish life of Jesus."
"I also come with no agenda except education and enrichment. We live in a world of true religious diversity and respect. That's what this book symbolizes."
I pray it will contribute to creating a world where people of all faiths can live in peace. And I hope you will enjoy and learn from it.
With warmest wishes,
Rabbi Evan Moffic
P.S.: My work does not give me the time to do much promotion, but the book did receive some nice coverage from one of Christianity's leading scholars, Scot McKnight. You can read that here. I also did an interview with Publishers' Weekly.
P.P.S.: If you ordered the book and did not receive the free study guide, let me know right away by replying to this email and I'll get it out to you.
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"How Words Healed a Nation" Rabbi Moffic of Highland Park, Illinois, United States for Friday, 29 January 2016 - The Book is Here
The lunch room was eerily quiet. We sat looking at the TV. It sat on one of those roll-out carts from the AV room with a long black plug going into the wall.
Our eyes opened wide. Then the screen filled with light and static.
It was January 28, 1986. I was in second-grade at Shlenker School in Houston, Texas. We had gathered to watch the Challenger space shuttle.
It was the first time a teacher donned the official astronaut space suit. And in Houston, home of NASA, all shuttle launches were a big deal.
So we watched that morning in amazement—then in horror. After the shuttle exploded, we sat silently.
I’m not really sure what happened next. I know we went back to our classrooms. We may have gone home for the day. I can’t remember. What I do the remember is the feeling of utter sadness and confusion.
The Hardest Question
How do we cope with these feelings? How do we deal with tragedy?
We need comfort. We need perspective. We need hope. Our religious leaders provide them for us. And so can our elected leaders. After the Challenger exploded, President Ronald Reagan became both.
Look at his extraordinary remarks the evening of the explosion. Anyone who ever delivers a speech should read them. Anyone who seeks solace after an tragedy can benefit from them.
They are included in William Safire’s extraordinary collection and analysis of history’s great speeches.
President Reagan had the task of explaining, as he later put to it, to eight-year olds and eighty-year olds, that "life does go on and you don't back up and quit some worthwhile endeavor because of tragedy.”
3 Ways Reagan Answered It
So how did he do it? First, he remembered. He named those who died. He described them as pioneers. As heroes.
Then he evoked the larger cause for which they died. Space exploration is "part of the process of exploration and discovery. It's all part of taking a chance and expanding man's horizons. The future doesn't belong to the fainthearted; it belongs to the brave. The Challenger crew was pulling us into the future, and we'll continue to follow them."
In other words, they leave us with a task, a vision. Guided by their legacy, we move forward.
Then the President spoke to us as grieving human beings—as people who struggle with loss, pain and a vision of something larger. In doing so, he turned to poetry, which is really another form of prayer.
"We will never forget them, nor the last time we saw them, this morning, as they prepared for their journey and waved goodbye and 'slipped the surly bonds of earth' to 'touch the face of God.’”
To that we can only say "Amen."
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"The Biggest Mistake Christians Make" Rabbi Moffic of Highland Park, Illinois, United States for Sunday, 10 January 2016 - The Book is Here
A couple of years ago I stood in front of the largest church downtown Chicago. I stopped ten people walking by and asked them "Who started Christianity?"
All ten answered "Jesus." Had I stopped 90 more people, chances are all of them would have given the same answer.
But they would be wrong. Jesus lived and died as a Jew.
So what? Well, if you want to know more about Jesus; if you want to live the way he did; you need to know more about Judaism.
Even more, you need a picture of the life of Jesus as he lived it: a Jewish life. You need a book that walks you through every moment of of the life of Jesus so that you can see it with new eyes.
Here's that book.
The Prayers Jesus Said
What will this book do? Aside from offering new teachings, it will change your spiritual life.
· You will pray with great understanding
· You will picture Jesus differently.
· You will approach God's word with renewed awe.
· You will feel more confident as you walk into church and open a Bible.
One Rabbi on Another
What makes this book unique is that its author is a rabbi himself. You have a teacher—a rabbi—to guide you on that quest of modeling your life on the life of Jesus.
Now you need to be ready for this book. It is not just for anyone.
It is not for someone who believes they know all the answers.
It is not someone who sees faith as simply a ticket to heaven.
It is for someone who cares about deepening their prayer life.
It is someone seeks to open themselves up to God's authentic word word.
As my friend Michele Cushat said,
"The Jesus I grew up with was intelligent and wise, compassionate and kind. But it took adulthood for me to understand he was also Jewish.
"That revelation opened a world of insight I'd before missed. As I grew to know the real Jesus--a Jewish Jesus--my faith developed fresh depth and life."
A Special Offer with Free Gifts
If you order it now, with this link, you will also get a study guide you can use in Bible study or for preparation for Lent.
The study guide will only be available during the pre-launch of this book. In other words, if you pre-order the book on amazon now with this link, you will get it
This is a book in which you will discover your spiritual roots.
Shalom,
Rabbi Evan Moffic ---------------------
Rabbi Evan Moffic
Congregation Solel
1301 Clavey Road
Highland Park, Illinois 60035, United States
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