Surely this will be the post that bores even the more hard-core fanatics among you...actually, if any of these etymologically related posts should fascinate you and drive your brain to think in a whole new dimension, it's going to be this one.
I left you last night with the Romance languages. But, for those of you who find love and romance dull, I'm going to head to the next group of languages to influence English. Before I mislead you with that statement, though, a bit of history. The Romance languages developed in the early medieval period, at their most primal forms. However, the languages of the North that I'm about to show you, though developed later, have roots that go back in English much farther in history than the Romance languages. These influences include Old Norse, Germanic, and Celtic. Just to start you out easy, though, I'm going take you to the original form of English, from medieval times, and begin right there.
"Whan that Aprille with its shoures soote,
The droght of March hath perced to the roote..."
And so begins Chaucer's infamous Canterbury Tales. Chaucer was one of the original English poets, and though not all of his stories were exactly wholesome, it cannot be denied that they are worthy of their infamy. So what was this language like that Chaucer, and later Shakespeare, would so faithfully employ? Let me try my hand at making a sensible sentence from modern words that are originated from the Old English: Bookkeeping is not so dreary and forlorn as it may sound to my kith, who often deem it as a fickle workmanship. What defines, in terms of spelling, these words? The three most common elements are often still applied in new words to American English: 1) Double consonants follow short vowels, 2) long \a\ sounds at the end of words are spelled "ay," and 3) the long \e\ sound at the end of a word is usually spelled with a "y." Other definitive elements to recognize include the ow, stle, gh, oa pronounced as long \o\, and a soft \th\ ends with a silent e.
As we gradually produce in our Northern difficulty, we move to the Dutch language. I have no introduction but to go straight into the spelling rules: and that's the beauty. There are none. Dutch words are almost always spelled just as they sound, thanks to the adaptation skills of some English liguists. All your simple words are pretty much as they sound: scrabble, holster, brackish, crimp, floss...easy. The hard ones, are hard, however. For instance galijoen, bobbejaan, uitlander (pronounced "eight-lander"), and schipperke, are among words that have come from Dutch into our language. Just memorize them, and spell the rest as simply as peanut butter and jelly.
The last two are...last for a reason. Let's look at German and Slavic Languages. My favorite ever spelling word that I mastered has got to be Weissnichtwo. Awesome, amazing, purely incredible spelling. This is a good illustration of some important German spelling rules. First, whenever you hear a \v\ sound, it's almost certain that you are spelling a "w." The long \i\ sound is typically spelled ei. Double consonants, especially s, are frequent, but variable. Consonant blends such as schn, cht, and ngst are also common appearances in German. So guess how weissnichtwo is pronounced? The correct answer, and I hope you actually tried and didn't just peek ahead here...
is VICE-KNEESHT-VOE.
Hope you actually tried to figure that one out. ;) Now, note that I won't even try to explain to you words such as pfeffernuss and weimaraner. They can be explained, but it's a bit more complicated unless you've been following Germanic and Celtic for a while. =D
There are lots of other influences in English, such as Russian, Cherokee, Japanese, and Arabic. For your information, I got my main sources from the first place where I began to study etymology, http://www.myspellit.com/. If you are interested in this topic, I would encourage you to check out all these fantastic introductory resources:
http://www.myspellit.com/ If you want to spell based on etymology, go here.
http://spellingbee.com/ Fantastic for learning to spell in general.
http://www.m-w.com/ : type in any word and there's about a 95% chance there will be some great etymology resources about the word!
American Dictionary of the English Language, by Noah Webster, 1828 edition -- this contains scores of pages on etymology, before the already etymology-filled dictionary even begins!!
Britannica Macropaedia, 15th Edition, Volume 22, pp. 566-813. VERY in-depth, and goes deeper than English.
Anyways, have fun with words, and know that THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE IS AMAZING.
Meridian
Sunday, April 15, 2012
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
Why the English Language is Amazing, Part 2
I write at the command of my co-laborer in the art of words...okay, not really, I actually was anxious to follow up on my last post. Today I want to focus on the spelling and etymology of various European language influences in English.
Europe has always had a great impact on the English lanuage. After all, it is from Rome that much of Europe sprung, and it is to Rome that all roads lead. And Rome was in many ways a very grandiose nation. As most people know, Rome has served for ages as a model of architecture, art, government, literature, and naturally, language. This is why we have the Rom-ance languages: they are derived from Latin, the language of Rome. So, since I left off with Latin yesterday, I'm going to dive straight in to one of its closest relatives, Spanish.
When you think of Spanish words, you probably think burrito, quesadilla, amigo...The list goes on and on. Spanish words have really pushed their way into American English, thanks to the fact that we border Mexico. But evidences of Spanish influence in the English language go back much farther than that, possibly as early as the 15th century (fun fact: Spain is probably a much older country than you thought, dating back to the early days of Rome, arguably earlier). Did you know that the word alligator is from the Spanish? How about vanilla? And buffalo? Well, whether you knew those or not, you might notice that all those words had a common factor: double consonants. This is a defining element in both Spanish and Italian words. Other common features of English-from-Spanish words include the long o or e at the end of a word (due to the grammar of the language). K sounds are often spelled with a qu, and even more likely a c.
Moving along in our European vocabulary, let's head to te next most closely related language in my quick overview, Italian. Like I mentioned in my previous post, the Italians (and much of Europe, for that mater), decided in the Renaissance, and even somewhat in the Middle Ages, that they were sick and tired of having boring old spelling and pronunciation: they were above that. So, the Italians worked on their, "Mama mia!" and improved their pasta so that they could have all kinds of fancy names for it...not really, but the spelling can seem a bit mind-boggling at first. More likely than not, you'll run across the most Italian words when dealing with food, art, and music. In case you aren't already aware of it, let me give you some of the most commonly used Italian words in English: graffiti, extravaganza, balcony, stucco, allegro, salami, ravioli, fresco, cauliflower, provolone, macaroni, staccato, sonata, mozzarella, prosciutto, vivace...hopefully you get the point. Aesthetics are in the blood for Italians...trust me, I know some. How do we deal with these complex spellings, though? Well, although there are more "heart words" in Italian than you might want, it's not as difficult as it looks. Notice that many words have a long e sound that end in an i, though an e is used in cases such as provolone. The long o sound at the end of words, like Spanish is spelled with an o. Throw in some double consonants right in the middle, and you're good to go.
The final language I'll work on for you is French, as it, too, is a Romance language. The French, like the Italian, were obsessed with sounding highly educated, so their words have some different kinds of spellings. These words have more of a scope than the Italian ones, making them ocassionally harder to identify, though most likely you'll recognize many of them as French. Commonly used words from French include bureaucracy, denture, diplomat, rehearse, expertise, elite, rouge, quiche, baton, manicure, croquet, leotard, mayonnaise, entourage, and many, many, many more. Note that if you see the \sh\ sound, it's probably spelled with a ch cosonant blend, and word that ends \et\ is spelled ette, and a long \a\ at the end, is spelled et, quite frequently, though that is not a certain rule in various cases. Double consonants are less common than they are in Spanish and Italian, but still appear in odd places, and the letter e at the end as a silent add-on is not completely uncommon. Spell \eer\ as ir. If you hear a long o, there's no guarantee, but try an eau, or ot. And sometimes there are just silent letters in all the wrong places...or rather, unexpected. But I can assure you that learning to spell these words is a blast!
Lastly, I want to show you really briefly how all three of these languages point straight back to Latin. I'll keep it short and sweet with one word from each language, cross my heart. The English word amenable comes from the French word amener, meaning "to bring," and that word comes from the Latin word minare, meaning "to drive." The Italian word piazza is actually just a severely altered version of the Latin word platea, meaning "a broad street." The Spanish word conquistador is an adapted way of saying the Latin word conquirere, "search." Impressed? You should be. English is truly an amazing language, and I haven't shown you half of it. Once again, I'll only post more if this is truly interesting. And again, ignore me if I just bored you to death. Maybe I am a little wacked after all.
Meridian
Europe has always had a great impact on the English lanuage. After all, it is from Rome that much of Europe sprung, and it is to Rome that all roads lead. And Rome was in many ways a very grandiose nation. As most people know, Rome has served for ages as a model of architecture, art, government, literature, and naturally, language. This is why we have the Rom-ance languages: they are derived from Latin, the language of Rome. So, since I left off with Latin yesterday, I'm going to dive straight in to one of its closest relatives, Spanish.
When you think of Spanish words, you probably think burrito, quesadilla, amigo...The list goes on and on. Spanish words have really pushed their way into American English, thanks to the fact that we border Mexico. But evidences of Spanish influence in the English language go back much farther than that, possibly as early as the 15th century (fun fact: Spain is probably a much older country than you thought, dating back to the early days of Rome, arguably earlier). Did you know that the word alligator is from the Spanish? How about vanilla? And buffalo? Well, whether you knew those or not, you might notice that all those words had a common factor: double consonants. This is a defining element in both Spanish and Italian words. Other common features of English-from-Spanish words include the long o or e at the end of a word (due to the grammar of the language). K sounds are often spelled with a qu, and even more likely a c.
Moving along in our European vocabulary, let's head to te next most closely related language in my quick overview, Italian. Like I mentioned in my previous post, the Italians (and much of Europe, for that mater), decided in the Renaissance, and even somewhat in the Middle Ages, that they were sick and tired of having boring old spelling and pronunciation: they were above that. So, the Italians worked on their, "Mama mia!" and improved their pasta so that they could have all kinds of fancy names for it...not really, but the spelling can seem a bit mind-boggling at first. More likely than not, you'll run across the most Italian words when dealing with food, art, and music. In case you aren't already aware of it, let me give you some of the most commonly used Italian words in English: graffiti, extravaganza, balcony, stucco, allegro, salami, ravioli, fresco, cauliflower, provolone, macaroni, staccato, sonata, mozzarella, prosciutto, vivace...hopefully you get the point. Aesthetics are in the blood for Italians...trust me, I know some. How do we deal with these complex spellings, though? Well, although there are more "heart words" in Italian than you might want, it's not as difficult as it looks. Notice that many words have a long e sound that end in an i, though an e is used in cases such as provolone. The long o sound at the end of words, like Spanish is spelled with an o. Throw in some double consonants right in the middle, and you're good to go.
The final language I'll work on for you is French, as it, too, is a Romance language. The French, like the Italian, were obsessed with sounding highly educated, so their words have some different kinds of spellings. These words have more of a scope than the Italian ones, making them ocassionally harder to identify, though most likely you'll recognize many of them as French. Commonly used words from French include bureaucracy, denture, diplomat, rehearse, expertise, elite, rouge, quiche, baton, manicure, croquet, leotard, mayonnaise, entourage, and many, many, many more. Note that if you see the \sh\ sound, it's probably spelled with a ch cosonant blend, and word that ends \et\ is spelled ette, and a long \a\ at the end, is spelled et, quite frequently, though that is not a certain rule in various cases. Double consonants are less common than they are in Spanish and Italian, but still appear in odd places, and the letter e at the end as a silent add-on is not completely uncommon. Spell \eer\ as ir. If you hear a long o, there's no guarantee, but try an eau, or ot. And sometimes there are just silent letters in all the wrong places...or rather, unexpected. But I can assure you that learning to spell these words is a blast!
Lastly, I want to show you really briefly how all three of these languages point straight back to Latin. I'll keep it short and sweet with one word from each language, cross my heart. The English word amenable comes from the French word amener, meaning "to bring," and that word comes from the Latin word minare, meaning "to drive." The Italian word piazza is actually just a severely altered version of the Latin word platea, meaning "a broad street." The Spanish word conquistador is an adapted way of saying the Latin word conquirere, "search." Impressed? You should be. English is truly an amazing language, and I haven't shown you half of it. Once again, I'll only post more if this is truly interesting. And again, ignore me if I just bored you to death. Maybe I am a little wacked after all.
Meridian
Tuesday, April 10, 2012
Why the English Language is Amazing
A lot of people look at me funny when I share my love of words. Usually they say something like, "Oh, that's great!!" This is followed by a fake smile. I know people do really think it's good, but all too often they do not appreciate what I see in word structures. So, in this post, I'm going to do my best to give you a crash course in basic English etymology, spelling, and word structure.
First, a quick background on how I know this stuff: I love spelling. Always have, always will. I'm not a perfect speller, but I've done my share of spelling bees. =D While studying for the state level competition a little over two years ago, I found I had to know lots of things about etymology in order to really be a good speller. At first, it was a drudgery, but before I knew it, studying spelling in the way I'm about to lay out stopped just short of being a minor addiction for me. I love this stuff. So let's get started.
The numer one question you should be asking when you think about the etymological history of any language is where its first origins can be traced. This is the first reason why English is so amazing. Since I promised to make this a crash course, and not a doctorate level dissertation, I'm going to put this in really, really simple terms. We start with a bunch of very ancient languages that eventually mesh together to form Greek, not unlike the way English itself formed. The Trojan War happens, colonies are planted, and suddenly we end up with Rome. After a while, the tribal tongues and certain Greek elements ram into each other, and a need for a new language arises. This is what would become arguably the most influential tongue in history, Latin. Some of the Greek elements remain, however. During various wars, tragedies, and colonizations in the history of Rome, the Roman people are spread across the world, heavily concentrated in Europe and the British Isles. There are already lots of tribes here, so again these languages are infiltrated with the Latin, which already contains Greek elements.
The Gauls take ther tongue and conform it to Latin, making a primitive version of French; the Germanic tribes are more fierce and do something more like conforming Latin to their tongue, and mixing in whatever else they want (thus German is less like Latin, and actually contains more Greek elements); the Italians (or rather, Roman groups) decide they are highly superior people and slowly try to make Latin more complex and "elegant"; Spain does something similar, but allowing a little more freedom; and the Britons mesh a little of everything together, sticking at first primarily to Latin combined with the tribal Celtic tongues, but slowly developing their own language. This would become known as the Anglo-Saxon language. During the years leading up to the Norman Invasion of 1066, as the Northern tribes very gradually infiltrate Briton, this language, too, with all of its own elements, is incorporated into Anglo-Saxon. As this becomes more and more of a cultural center in the years to come, people from around Europe enter the little island of Britain. Suddenly, Middle English begins to arise.
Now with Middle English in the foreground of literature, along with Italian, and to an extent Middle French, developments are sure to happen. The Renaissance is just about to happen! And it does. In the years that follow, Shakespearian Old English develops, followed closely by King James English, Elizabethan English, Colonial English...and then we end up with yet another language group jabbed into English. When the English come to America, they find many indigeneous peoples. Naturally, a word or two slips in. Africans come as slaves and add some various dialects, and South Americans and Asians, known for their spices and jewels, are willing to trade for furs with North America. Before you know it, we have modern English.
Hopefully that was an interesting explanation. Whether it was or not, though, I want to show you just how cool this is when applied in spelling. I'll just take one or two examples from each stage. Don't worry, I might even skip a few so as not to confuse you. =D
First, let's see how the Greek element remained in Latin, and sometimes just carried straight through to the English. The word epidemic is a good example of this. The prefix epi- is from the Greek, and means "above" or "in addition to"; the root demos means "people". Literally, the word epidemos means "visiting." This carried straight through into the Latin, only changing endings to conform to the Late Latin, making the word epidemia. This passed right over to Middle French, epidemie, and during the renaissance was fancified by being made epidemique. Finally, it passed into English, where some smart word geeks decided its spelling should just be epidemic to make the most English sense. The word wasn't used in English until 1603, but we can tell that it's Greek without even knowing any of the history I just related, simply by looking at the word structure. Greek words are generally spelled just as they sound, plus a few THings to help the etYmologY, such as the frequent PH, TH, RH, Y, and don't ever use a J in Greek. Also "q" and "qu" are not uncommon elements, though they are more noticeable in Arabic words. Epidemic fits all these rules, and as we'll see in a minute, very narrowly works with others, but really is best here. Of course, though, knowing the root words is the best route. ;)
The next element to examine is the Latin element. Oh, Latin. There are so many words in our language from the Latin. In fact, nearly 60 percent of English words are from Latin at some point or other in their development. That's a lot. About 25 percent carried straight through with little to no alteration in spelling, only meshing various Latin words, prefixes, and suffixes together to form words. Can you say Antidisestablishmentarienism? How about Floccinaucinihilipilifacation? I know it's a long example, but let's try it for fun. Floc = care. Nauc = no account. Nihil = nothing. Pili = hair. Fac = do. The ending simply makes it a verb. Literally, this strange word means, "I care no account for you, I do nothing for the hair on your head." The actual definition is, "The mistreatment of someone or something." :) Amazing, isn't it? That's the 25 percent. The other 35 percent works like this: transverse. Take trans, meaning "across," and add versus, meaning, "line." Across the line. In the Middle Ages, someone decides that dealing with cases is a bit too complicated, takes off the last two letters, and adds an e to make it work with Middle English. TADA! In the 15th century, the word transverse was already in use. How do we identify such words? Well, more likely than not, you already know some Latin roots, such as aqua (water), ama (love), and tri (three). Those should help you to identify Latin words. However, there are some ways strictly limited to spelling, as well. Double consonants in the middle of words, the \u\ sound followed by d, j, l, r, or s sounds is almost always spelled with a u, (if you've studied Latin this should make sense), ious is common at the end of words, and k and z are not really there unless it passed through another language.
I have lots more to say, but I'll give you a break. If this is interesting to you, let me know and I'll post more. If not...you can disregard this comment. ;)
Meridian
First, a quick background on how I know this stuff: I love spelling. Always have, always will. I'm not a perfect speller, but I've done my share of spelling bees. =D While studying for the state level competition a little over two years ago, I found I had to know lots of things about etymology in order to really be a good speller. At first, it was a drudgery, but before I knew it, studying spelling in the way I'm about to lay out stopped just short of being a minor addiction for me. I love this stuff. So let's get started.
The numer one question you should be asking when you think about the etymological history of any language is where its first origins can be traced. This is the first reason why English is so amazing. Since I promised to make this a crash course, and not a doctorate level dissertation, I'm going to put this in really, really simple terms. We start with a bunch of very ancient languages that eventually mesh together to form Greek, not unlike the way English itself formed. The Trojan War happens, colonies are planted, and suddenly we end up with Rome. After a while, the tribal tongues and certain Greek elements ram into each other, and a need for a new language arises. This is what would become arguably the most influential tongue in history, Latin. Some of the Greek elements remain, however. During various wars, tragedies, and colonizations in the history of Rome, the Roman people are spread across the world, heavily concentrated in Europe and the British Isles. There are already lots of tribes here, so again these languages are infiltrated with the Latin, which already contains Greek elements.
The Gauls take ther tongue and conform it to Latin, making a primitive version of French; the Germanic tribes are more fierce and do something more like conforming Latin to their tongue, and mixing in whatever else they want (thus German is less like Latin, and actually contains more Greek elements); the Italians (or rather, Roman groups) decide they are highly superior people and slowly try to make Latin more complex and "elegant"; Spain does something similar, but allowing a little more freedom; and the Britons mesh a little of everything together, sticking at first primarily to Latin combined with the tribal Celtic tongues, but slowly developing their own language. This would become known as the Anglo-Saxon language. During the years leading up to the Norman Invasion of 1066, as the Northern tribes very gradually infiltrate Briton, this language, too, with all of its own elements, is incorporated into Anglo-Saxon. As this becomes more and more of a cultural center in the years to come, people from around Europe enter the little island of Britain. Suddenly, Middle English begins to arise.
Now with Middle English in the foreground of literature, along with Italian, and to an extent Middle French, developments are sure to happen. The Renaissance is just about to happen! And it does. In the years that follow, Shakespearian Old English develops, followed closely by King James English, Elizabethan English, Colonial English...and then we end up with yet another language group jabbed into English. When the English come to America, they find many indigeneous peoples. Naturally, a word or two slips in. Africans come as slaves and add some various dialects, and South Americans and Asians, known for their spices and jewels, are willing to trade for furs with North America. Before you know it, we have modern English.
Hopefully that was an interesting explanation. Whether it was or not, though, I want to show you just how cool this is when applied in spelling. I'll just take one or two examples from each stage. Don't worry, I might even skip a few so as not to confuse you. =D
First, let's see how the Greek element remained in Latin, and sometimes just carried straight through to the English. The word epidemic is a good example of this. The prefix epi- is from the Greek, and means "above" or "in addition to"; the root demos means "people". Literally, the word epidemos means "visiting." This carried straight through into the Latin, only changing endings to conform to the Late Latin, making the word epidemia. This passed right over to Middle French, epidemie, and during the renaissance was fancified by being made epidemique. Finally, it passed into English, where some smart word geeks decided its spelling should just be epidemic to make the most English sense. The word wasn't used in English until 1603, but we can tell that it's Greek without even knowing any of the history I just related, simply by looking at the word structure. Greek words are generally spelled just as they sound, plus a few THings to help the etYmologY, such as the frequent PH, TH, RH, Y, and don't ever use a J in Greek. Also "q" and "qu" are not uncommon elements, though they are more noticeable in Arabic words. Epidemic fits all these rules, and as we'll see in a minute, very narrowly works with others, but really is best here. Of course, though, knowing the root words is the best route. ;)
The next element to examine is the Latin element. Oh, Latin. There are so many words in our language from the Latin. In fact, nearly 60 percent of English words are from Latin at some point or other in their development. That's a lot. About 25 percent carried straight through with little to no alteration in spelling, only meshing various Latin words, prefixes, and suffixes together to form words. Can you say Antidisestablishmentarienism? How about Floccinaucinihilipilifacation? I know it's a long example, but let's try it for fun. Floc = care. Nauc = no account. Nihil = nothing. Pili = hair. Fac = do. The ending simply makes it a verb. Literally, this strange word means, "I care no account for you, I do nothing for the hair on your head." The actual definition is, "The mistreatment of someone or something." :) Amazing, isn't it? That's the 25 percent. The other 35 percent works like this: transverse. Take trans, meaning "across," and add versus, meaning, "line." Across the line. In the Middle Ages, someone decides that dealing with cases is a bit too complicated, takes off the last two letters, and adds an e to make it work with Middle English. TADA! In the 15th century, the word transverse was already in use. How do we identify such words? Well, more likely than not, you already know some Latin roots, such as aqua (water), ama (love), and tri (three). Those should help you to identify Latin words. However, there are some ways strictly limited to spelling, as well. Double consonants in the middle of words, the \u\ sound followed by d, j, l, r, or s sounds is almost always spelled with a u, (if you've studied Latin this should make sense), ious is common at the end of words, and k and z are not really there unless it passed through another language.
I have lots more to say, but I'll give you a break. If this is interesting to you, let me know and I'll post more. If not...you can disregard this comment. ;)
Meridian
Friday, April 6, 2012
My Sin, His Grace
I'm sick of being a mediocre Christian. Enough. Done. And yet, the harder I try to not be mediocre, the more I am average. I fail to see the hand of God, even when it's there in plain daylight. I fail to praise the God whose mercies I cannot see, because I do not see them. I fail to share the news of the Gospel with everyone I meet, and I certainly do not live it out on a regular basis. I engage in prayer as a beggar looking for material gain, and I fail to open my heart to God's plans. I run around foolishly, as a chicken without its head, searching for wisdom and affirmation where I will find none. I value those around me only as far as I think it will add to my prosperity. And I fail to see grace.
Grace. Why is it important anyway? Can't I be a good person on my own? Well, no, I can't. If I was in the garden of Eden, I would have jumped even faster than Eve to the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Frankly, I would have no concept whatsoever of a need for God. Yet God has chosen in his infinite love and goodness to bestow upon me an understanding, a hard realization and comprehension, that I need grace. Many Christians like to think of grace as the thing you get once that covers everything. They're right that true grace, the kind that comes only from God, covers every sin. But there is a process in salvation that reformed theologians call sanctification. Sanctification is that level of grace that keeps giving and giving and giving. The more you know the depths of your sin, the more grace you realize you have been given. And, paradoxically, the more grace you are given, the more you realize the depths of your sin, and your absolute need for a Savior.
So I'm sick of being mediocre. Yet, in the words of John Newton, who experienced grace upon grace in his truly wretched life, "Two things I know. I am a great sinner, and Christ is a great Savior." Today, as you go about your day reflecting on the death of our Lord Jesus, and prepare for the celebration of his resurrection on Sunday, keep in mind his grace, his love, and his boundless forgiveness. May it drive each of us to a deeper need to rise above mediocrity and become worshipers, proclaimers of the gospel, and eager folowers, of the God who saved us all from the pit of hell, and brought us into his glorious light.
Meridian
Grace. Why is it important anyway? Can't I be a good person on my own? Well, no, I can't. If I was in the garden of Eden, I would have jumped even faster than Eve to the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Frankly, I would have no concept whatsoever of a need for God. Yet God has chosen in his infinite love and goodness to bestow upon me an understanding, a hard realization and comprehension, that I need grace. Many Christians like to think of grace as the thing you get once that covers everything. They're right that true grace, the kind that comes only from God, covers every sin. But there is a process in salvation that reformed theologians call sanctification. Sanctification is that level of grace that keeps giving and giving and giving. The more you know the depths of your sin, the more grace you realize you have been given. And, paradoxically, the more grace you are given, the more you realize the depths of your sin, and your absolute need for a Savior.
So I'm sick of being mediocre. Yet, in the words of John Newton, who experienced grace upon grace in his truly wretched life, "Two things I know. I am a great sinner, and Christ is a great Savior." Today, as you go about your day reflecting on the death of our Lord Jesus, and prepare for the celebration of his resurrection on Sunday, keep in mind his grace, his love, and his boundless forgiveness. May it drive each of us to a deeper need to rise above mediocrity and become worshipers, proclaimers of the gospel, and eager folowers, of the God who saved us all from the pit of hell, and brought us into his glorious light.
Meridian
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
When God Smacks You in the Face
Alright, so he doesn't smack. God doesn't deserve to be turned in for child abuse. Actually, he loves us pretty incredibly deeply- infinitely -and I think that's deep enough for me. So, no, God doesn't really *smack* you in the face, but sometimes he gives you a revelation that's so obvious you think you might have been smacked.
I had one such revelation this weekend: perseverance. Before you close out this tab, though, and think, "Lame. Old topic. There is just not anything new here," allow me to set you straight: There is nothing new here, but I want to shed some new light on it. In just a few moments you will be done, and maybe you'll have some new inspiration to keep going.
The first thing I'd like to recommend is a book called, The Traveler's Gift. This book, of all the boatloads of books that I've read, has by far been one of the most inspiring and refreshing. Andy Andrews takes the reader on a crazy journey through time with a man who's not so sure he wants his life anymore, or if his dreams ever can become realities. In the process, seven phenomenal truths are laid out that will absolutely change your life forever if you take them to heart. As you might have guessed, perseverance is incorporated in there. But, since I don't want to spoil anything, I'll move right along to the next thing that stunned me: the Bible.
If you are at all familiar with the Gospel of John, you'll know that it is one power-packed book. I've been reading through it over the past few days, but one passage shocked me a little, simply because of it's profound truth: "I sent you to reap that for which you did not labor. Others have labored, and you have entered into their labor.” (John 4:38)
Wow. We get the benefit of those who have gone before us, and all we have to do is reap! So, why shouldn't we persevere?
One final thing hit me, and it hit me hard: Jesus isn't giving up, so why should we? This was one of the main points of the sermon our pastor gave on Sunday. Essentially, he showed us our desperate need as sinners for a king, and presented the method of the King in saving us: the Gospel. Finally, he encouraged us, letting us know that our God isn't a quitter. He's not giving up. This battle may rage on, and be miserable, brutal, and cruel, and still our God will not quit. Simply put in the winsome words of Winston Churchill, "If you're going through hell, keep going."
I don't know what you are facing today, whether it's a joyous spring break, the death of a friend, a dream on the verge of breaking, or a dream just beginning to sprout, but whatever it is, embrace it, and keep going. Build that dream and run with it. Write that book. Travel to the ends of the world. But, as Winston Churchill (again ;D) said, "Never, never, never, never give up."
Meridian
I had one such revelation this weekend: perseverance. Before you close out this tab, though, and think, "Lame. Old topic. There is just not anything new here," allow me to set you straight: There is nothing new here, but I want to shed some new light on it. In just a few moments you will be done, and maybe you'll have some new inspiration to keep going.
The first thing I'd like to recommend is a book called, The Traveler's Gift. This book, of all the boatloads of books that I've read, has by far been one of the most inspiring and refreshing. Andy Andrews takes the reader on a crazy journey through time with a man who's not so sure he wants his life anymore, or if his dreams ever can become realities. In the process, seven phenomenal truths are laid out that will absolutely change your life forever if you take them to heart. As you might have guessed, perseverance is incorporated in there. But, since I don't want to spoil anything, I'll move right along to the next thing that stunned me: the Bible.
If you are at all familiar with the Gospel of John, you'll know that it is one power-packed book. I've been reading through it over the past few days, but one passage shocked me a little, simply because of it's profound truth: "I sent you to reap that for which you did not labor. Others have labored, and you have entered into their labor.” (John 4:38)
Wow. We get the benefit of those who have gone before us, and all we have to do is reap! So, why shouldn't we persevere?
One final thing hit me, and it hit me hard: Jesus isn't giving up, so why should we? This was one of the main points of the sermon our pastor gave on Sunday. Essentially, he showed us our desperate need as sinners for a king, and presented the method of the King in saving us: the Gospel. Finally, he encouraged us, letting us know that our God isn't a quitter. He's not giving up. This battle may rage on, and be miserable, brutal, and cruel, and still our God will not quit. Simply put in the winsome words of Winston Churchill, "If you're going through hell, keep going."
I don't know what you are facing today, whether it's a joyous spring break, the death of a friend, a dream on the verge of breaking, or a dream just beginning to sprout, but whatever it is, embrace it, and keep going. Build that dream and run with it. Write that book. Travel to the ends of the world. But, as Winston Churchill (again ;D) said, "Never, never, never, never give up."
Meridian
Monday, April 2, 2012
The Buck Stops Here
The year is
1945. For six long, grueling years, the world has been at war. Blood has been
spilled across the plains of Africa, the oceans of Asia, and the lands of
Europe. Americans, Europeans, Africans, and Asians alike are ready for this
disaster to be finished. Much action has been taken to stop the war, but
nothing has yet succeeded. America’s president has just died, and the nation suddenly
is thrust under the power of a new leader: President Harry S. Truman. For this
one man, the pressure is on. All eyes are fixed on him. What will he do? Will
he be the deciding point in the war, or will he pass the baton to someone else
to fix the world’s problems? His answer to all this, though, is quite simple
and decided: The buck stops here.
The war
ended that year, and a reconstruction of the world was underway. But, Truman
left a clear message ringing in the hearts and minds of his citizens: shrinking
away from responsibility, or “passing the buck,” will get an individual, and
certainly an entire nation, nowhere in the end. But taking responsibility, and
allowing the buck to stop here, right now, can actually make a difference. The
buck stops here. If it stops here, it
must stop with me. I must take responsibility.
In the Victorian novel Ishmael, a young, illegitimate child,
being raised by his heartless aunt, has for his future what is certain to be a
destitute life. As the boy grows up, he is gradually made aware of his
situation, a situation in which it would be easy, and perhaps even appropriate,
to blame his parents and his aunt for his hopelessness. Yet, Ishmael chooses to
rise above this state of self-pity, taking responsibility for what he is able,
and resolving to take the responsibility for his future. Ishmael ends up,
simply by taking this responsibility, finishing top of the class at an elite
school, and becoming a nationally renowned lawyer. Still, though, he takes
responsibility. One of his wealthy friends, however, who had everything in store
for her future, finds herself destitute on account of not taking responsibility. Clearly, taking responsibility is the
best option. I must take responsibility for my circumstances and actions.The
buck stops here.
Meridian
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