Welcome to my blog, or should I say to the ramblings of an old man. I doubt that my ramblings are of much value, but at least I have an opportunity to share them.  So, please be kind and humor me. If nothing else of value stands out in these thoughts, I hope that you at least sense the value I place on a daily walk with the Lord.  That walk is what has provided me with motivation and a sense of purpose throughout my lifetime.  My prayer is that you, too, are experiencing this direction and joy in daily living which is available to everyone who puts his trust in Christ.  So, thanks again for joining me.  Please don't go without leaving some comments here so I can get to know you better as our paths intersect today in this blog.

Wednesday, August 18, 2010

Your Name Is?

I will be beginning my ninth year of retirement and while I enjoyed all of my 39 years at Penn Manor, there are some things that make me glad that I retired. One of those, believe it or not, is names. I always had a difficult time learning the names of my students each semester. I dreaded that and hated when I had to nod or point because I couldn't recall the name. The last few years I even took pictures of them to help me memorize names. Now my wife is excellent with names. She learns them quickly and then remembers them. But not me. One of the reasons that I am glad that I no longer need to learn classes of names is that names have changed. No longer are there Bobs, or Johns, or Bills, or Marys, or Janes, etc. Many of the names are cultural and often hard to pronounce. And many of the others are even worse. It appears to me that the "in" thing today is to find a new name or a strange variation of a name to make your child's name unique. Because I may insult some readers, I won't give examples. But a child with an unusual name will often struggle through years of having teachers and others mispronouncing the name or forgetting it. Been there, done that. And it is embarrassing to both the teacher and the student when a name is messed up. After all, our name is one of the most important things that we have. We enjoy hearing it, especially when it is connected with something good. And it is so easy to mess up common names, let alone some of the modern ones. My wife has struggled most of her life with folks - even very close friends who've known her for years - who never spell her name correctly. Her name is Dianne not Diane. Her dad's name was Glenn, not Glen. My name is Barry and that isn't pronounced Berry or Barr. Anyway, I'm glad that I won't need to be struggling with many names of future generations. As I said, out names are important and I am so glad that I know one who knows my name and doesn't struggle with it. I love a recent praise song written by Tommy Walker. Think about these words. "I have a Maker, He formed my heart. Before even time began, my life was in his hands. He knows my name! He knows my every thought. He sees each tear that falls and He hears me when I call. I have a Father, He calls me His own. He'll never leave me, no matter where I go. He knows my name! He knows my every thought. He sees each tear that falls and He hears me when I call." And that I find incredible and comforting. So remember that as you face today's challenges ... now what is your name again?
P.S. - If you don't know the praise chorus "He Knows My Name", you can listen to it here. LISTEN

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