February 5, 2012
Genesis 32
Intro: What makes you who you are? Some ethnic backgrounds have a practice of naming or at least renaming people according to things that are distinct about them. In our country the American Indian is known for this practice. It was celebrated in the movies, like Dances with Wolves. We may tend to name our kids according to ancestors, or movie stars, whereas an indian might name them according to something they like or saw recently.
January 29, 2012
Intro: I was young, innocent, infatuated with a short, blonde girl not altogether unlike my someday-to-be wife. Ah, but this was long before true romance. Anyway, I digress. Being the romantic type and also a happy Christian, when I came across a Mizpah coin, it struck me as the perfect thing. Here was a coin cut puzzle-like in half, each half attached to a chain. The coin as a whole read the loving verse “May the Lord watch between me and thee while we are apart one from another.” Wow, so heartfelt. So Kings English with “thee”s and “whilest”s. So much more than the common, “Yo! God Bless!” I bought it and gave half to the short blonde. It said it was 14k gold overlay, but when my half started turning green I didn’t care. This was romance!