What's with the gorilla??

When my husband and I were married we decided that we would not promote Santa Claus in our Christmas traditions at home.  That horrified several family members who then inundated our wee bairnies with Santa and Mrs. Claus.

As our wee ones grew I came up with a strategy to promote fun but not get bogged down in the lies that go with the Tooth Fairy and the Easter Bunny.

When our son lost his first tooth we told him to expect a visit from the Tooth Gorilla.  

So, when morning came there would be a crumpled dollar bill under their pillows.

After all, gorillas don't have wallets.  They carry their cash around in their hands.

Having tackled the Tooth Gorilla, we moved on to Easter...

The Easter Gorilla comes once a year, bringing a basket of goodies and hiding the eggs we've colored and left out waiting for him.

But, remember, if your chocolate bunny is missing an ear, don't complain!  After all, hiding eggs is hungry work!  And if one or two of the eggs is cracked, that's OK.  Gorillas a clumsy.

Now, about Christmas...

This is Santa's helper.  He was bringing you a candy cane and a gift, but was momentarily distracted by the truth.

So, for a little while the Easter Gorilla will grace the top of my blog.  I hope you enjoy him as much as I do!

God bless and have an extra exceptional Resurrection Day!

I Am Not Abandoned

Ps. 16:10  ...because you will not abandon me to the grave, nor will let your Holy One see decay.

This is my strongest hope and belief.  I will not be abandoned to the grave.  Because Jesus did not see decay, and I have faith to believe it, I have an eternal home.  Life may be crappy sometimes, in the here and now, but when things get ugly and stressful I can picture heaven and see myself there.  My hubby calls it  a “mental vacation.”  Toil and striving will cease.  To be in God’s presence and worship him will be my eternal delight.  Like someone in church said once, “ To stand before the throne and sing out, ‘Holy, Holy, Holy’ for all eternity and never get bored!”

Thank you, Lord, for eternity with you.  

Thank you, also, for the deposit of you, Holy Spirit, the evidence of my inheritance!

Tuesday Word Bytes; Mmmm, Mmmm, Mmmm!

I LOVE words!  I think language is the best part of being a human.  There's nothing as good as taking a new word and rolling it around the inside of my mouth and feeling how it tastes.

Todays word;

Jiggery-pokery; (jig-er-ee-po-ker-ee)

The origin of this word seems to come from Scots dialect; joukery-pawkery, jouk - to dodge and pawk - to trick.

So jiggery-pokery is tricking someone by being dodgy, eluding the truth, maybe not telling all the truth.  



Some examples of jiggery-pokery...

If a person is skulking around the neighborhood, hiding behind garbage cans, peeking around corners, one might ask what jiggery-pokery that person was up to!

The Artful Dodger was up to jiggery-pokery, as was his idol, Fagan!

Henry Higgins was guilty of jiggery-pokery!

What's your favorite word this week?

It’s Worth The Mess

Proverbs 14:4  Where there are no oxen, the manger is empty, but from the strength of an ox comes an abundant harvest.

Where there are no oxen, the manger is empty - There’s no need to produce or purchase food for it.  And there is no need to keep a stall clean that doesn’t have an animal living in it.  It just doesn’t get dirty.  So there’s no loss of income or expenditure of labor. 

But the ox makes man’s life easier by its toil.  And although an ox makes a stall dirty, his dirt can be used to fertilize the land and so produce an even greater yield!

So the mess and expense are worth it.

I guess what I’m really thinking is that life is messy!  And messy is good!  If we keep our lives tied tightly up, neat and proper, never disturbing the water, never muddying the stall, then we stagnate.  

Part of living a faith filled life is learning to take chances, go out on that limb, be willing to deal with the mess of what comes from stepping out in faith.

Maybe you’ll think, “but I don’t want an ox!  I can’t afford one and I don’t want to deal with the mess of an animal that’s not house trained and needs to be fed every morning and every evening, who needs to be led to water, who’s as dumb as a stump and who I have to clean up after, after I’m done cleaning up after my family!”

(This is, of course, all proverbial.)

But!  The labor that the ox provides means a larger yield, a better investment, greater provision!  And in the farming way of life, nothing goes to waste!  Especially waste!

So… life is messy!  Clean it up!  Be willing to take a chance at doing something that seems hard and different. Jesus lets us know what he requires of us.  His plans are perfect.  If he’s put an ox in your stall then it’s because he wants you to plow, to invest in his kingdom, to work hard and reap the benefit.

Tuesday Word Bytes; Mmmm, Mmmm, Mmmm!

I LOVE words!  I think language is the best part of being a human.  There's nothing as good as taking a new word and rolling it around the inside of my mouth and feeling how it tastes.

Todays word;

Charientism; (kar-ee-ent-is-um)
From the Greek, Charis, meaning grace.

A manner of speech in which an insult is hidden inside a joke.
A veiled insult. 

Charientism covers over an insult with grace.  It is the art of "genteel irony".

Some examples are;

Me:  Do you like my hat?                                                   

You: Words escape me!

Me:  I love this movie!  Don't you?

You: Words escape me!

Me:  I've often been told that this recipe is the best thing I make.  Do you like it?

You:  Words escape me!

What's your favorite word this week?

I Am Not A Chachke

1 Corinthians 6:12, 19, 20

“Everything is permissible for me” -  but not everything is beneficial.  “Everything is permissible to me” - but I will not be mastered by anything. 19 Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God?  You are not your own, you were bought at a price.  Therefore honor God with your body.

Verse 12 has always been one of my favorites.  To me, it speaks directly to the fact that, once we are saved, God no longer sees our sin.  “All things are permissible.”   Nothing I do can rob me of my inheritance.  And that thought fills me with wonder and makes me love him and want to serve him that much more!  There will still be consequences if I do things that are harmful to me or others, but I cannot lose my salvation.

Verses 19 and 20 remind me that I am not my own.  If I truly wanted to be my own person and run my own life then I wouldn’t have given it to God in the first place.

But here’s the magnificent part;  I was bought with the blood of Jesus for the purpose of being filled with his Holy Spirit.  I am not a chachki!  I’m not something that was purchased because I was so beautiful and interesting, to be put on a shelf and admired.  I was purchased to become a holy vessel, specifically designed to hold the Holy Spirit of God.

And he pours himself out of me, yet I am never emptied.

Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.

Luke 6:38 

Tuesday Word Bytes; Mmmm, Mmmm, Mmmm!

I LOVE words!  I think language is the best part of being a human.  There's nothing as good as taking a new word and rolling it around the inside of my mouth and feeling how it tastes.

Todays word;

Cachinnator  (cak-in-ay-ter)

From the Latin; cachinnatus

To laugh loudly or immoderately.

One of my favorite movies is, "Oklahoma!"  
So full of color and emotion, light and darkness!

There is a scene,  where all the young ladies have stopped off at Aunt Eller's farm house to freshen up before they continue on to the barn dance.  There is a girl there who has a HIDEOUS laugh, designed to draw attention.

That's her, with the basket!

Gilbert Gottfried
(Another obnoxious cachinnatior!)

Now, I have room to talk, because I'm a bit of an obnoxious laugher myself.  There are people, who haven't seen me in years, but if they hear me laugh they can identify me right away!  

Some would say I have a hearty laugh.  I admit it can be shrill, when I'm nervous.

Although it may be loud, it is completely genuine and often contagious.

Therefore, I hereby declare myself to be a

NONCACHINNATOR!

How about you?

Light Me Up!

Acts 6:15 

All who were sitting in the Sandhedrin looked intently at Stephen, and they saw that his face was like the face of an angel.

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How would the members of the Sanhedrin know what the face of an angel looked like?  What did that sentence mean?

Does the face of an angel hold a special glow?  How many of them had ever seen an angel?  Did the Saducees believe in angels?

Why would an angel’s face look different from a person’s face?  Because an angel has stood in the presence of God?  Because he has served God in his throne room?  

Moses saw God.  His face glowed.  But Luke didn't  compare Stephen to Moses.  He compared him to an angel.

 Had Luke ever seen an angel?  Had he ever stood in the presence of God?

I know what I see in my mind’s eye when I read this passage.

Stephen had a serenity in the face of danger that could not be explained.  He had stood in the presence of God.  Had he been one to see Jesus after the resurrection?  

Stephen’s face obviously held the light of heaven as he stood before those harsh judges, who sought to do him cruelty.

He probably knew, in that moment, that he was standing on the precipice of eternity.  But the glory of the living God not only sustained him, but excited him and spurred him on to give one of the greatest speeches written down in the Word.

Make me like that, Lord!  Make me fearless before your adversaries!  Light me up too!

Tuesday Word Bytes: Mmmm, Mmmm, Mmmm!

I LOVE words!  I think language is the best part of being a human.  There's nothing as good as taking a new word and rolling it around the inside of my mouth and feeling how it tastes.

Todays word;


Boufage (boo-fahj)
A French word meaning a satisfying meal.

In an English/French dictionary from 1611 the definition is given as;
"cheek puffing meat"

I think that's great!  You know, when you've had a super good meal and eaten as much as you can possibly hold, you lean back in your chair, place your hands over your belly and puff out your cheeks!  

THAT'S a satisfying meal!

I had wondered if there was a connection between the word boufage and our current buffet, but I couldn't find one.

I would think that one could have quite a significant boufage at the right buffet!

    

And this, I think, was the most satisfying meal ever served!

What's your favorite word this week?