When studying speech errors, linguists often look for similar sounds (ask vs. axe, or nuclear pronounced as ‘nucular,’). Some errors affect both sound and meaning. A person says, “If you axe me…, ” for example, and gruesome violence comes to mind. Better meanings arise, though, if they complain of being ‘taken for granite’ (instead of granted). Being mistaken for rock, though, »
On October 12th, Columbus Day, we honor a brave ship captain. Shouldn’t we also celebrate the faith that Columbus’ sailors had in his leadership? By his calculations, their little ships had enough food and water to cross the Atlantic to Asia. He was off by 9000 miles, but fortunately, there were some islands and a couple of continents in »
When a famous professor said on TV that science had demonstrated that there is no Creator, Grandma muttered, “Any old rock knows more than that smarty-pants!” She spoke from the wisdom of many years of knowing God through the Bible, and from seeing Him reveal Himself through His works around her in the world. Grandma was no anti-intellectual, but she »
Two guys often meet to talk baseball cards in a café where I sometimes read. Baseball cards must mean a lot to these guys, because they’ll talk about them for an hour at a time, a couple times a week. I’ve overheard them quote prices from $2 to $270 for a card. One guy is obviously wealthy, while »
A farrier once made me a very cool puzzle. He looped and welded three horseshoes together in such a way that they couldn’t be separated unless they were twisted just right. It was easy once he showed me how to solve it; otherwise, there was just no way. I felt like a fool before he showed me--but afterward, I »