A LOGOPHILE WRITES

There is a story told about a group of women who were having a study on the book of Malachi. When they got to the third chapter, they read these words in verse three. "He will sit as a refiner and a purifier of silver; He will purify the sons of Levi." The questions began to flow. What does it mean to purify silver? What does it mean to sit as a refiner and purifier of silver? One of the ladies spoke up. "I'll study and do some research this week," she said. "And when we get together for the next study, I'll let you know what I found.  The next day, she called a local silversmith and wondered if she could come watch him work. "I'd like to observe the process of purifying silver," she explained without giving any further details or bothering to explain her reasoning. He warmly invited her to come over.  Soon, she was walking into his shop. Despite the cool breezes wafting through the open building, the heat from the roaring fire was oppress...

Perspective. It's a powerful thing. It shapes the way we view circumstances, people, events, and quite honestly all of life. It's easy to keep the same perspective the whole way through life without even realizing it. And while that's not necessarily a bad thing, changing viewpoints occasionally can result in beautiful outcomes.  Technology demonstrated this when cameras were able to speed life up significantly. In several seconds, we can now watch a flower opening its petals, the stars traveling across the sky throughout the course of a night, or clouds moving through the sky while morphing and merging in a beautiful dance. This fresh perspective gives us a broader understanding of how things work, and we get a clearer glimpse at the big picture. Life can be significantly slowed down as well. There are slow motion clips of a bird in motion, raindrops hitting a water's surface, or lightning splitting the sky. Characteristics that are often hidden by the speed of life be...

Last week, I went on a mission to renew my CPR/First Aid/AED certification. It began with 200 minutes of online reading, videos, and practice exercises. I was awarded a temporary certification. And on Saturday, I met with my assigned instructor and three other strangers to complete the rest of my homework.  Our next two hours of in-person classwork were fun ones.  I became acquainted with a man and his 17 year old daughter. (Come to think of it, we never did proper introductions, so I have no idea what their names were.) They were very interactive and asked good questions. They also added funny comments to the discussion. While practicing all our newly acquired skills, they were a team. The other participant was a man in his upper 20's with a bald head, pale skin, and round glasses. He is a teacher at a local school, he lives within several miles from my house, and that's all I know about him.  (Oh, except that he appeared to have arrived early for the purpose of inhaling...

 Last August, I was privileged to be part of a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Thirteen of the Faith Mission staff were assigned a student. Then we hopped on a big bus and went on a five day tour. Okay, wait. It wasn't quite that simple. :-)  Twice a year, Faith Mission Home initiates what we call Program Trip. A small group of staff - typically the ones who have served there the longest - are invited to go. Then, they are assigned to a student for the entire five days. A repertoire is formed, and the group meets daily for three weeks to practice. Once completed, the group travels to several different churches to share what they've rehearsed. The tour is by no means an attempt at performance; we were far from professional! Instead, it's an opportunity to sing about heaven and the love of Jesus with our special needs students and to raise an awareness about what we do at Faith Mission Home. Those who go on Program Trip focus less on music notes and harmonizing than they do on...

Firstly, what is a "logophile"? Secondly, what do they write about?  I love words. They are stunningly beautiful and poignant. Magical and mysterious. But the secret is knowing how to arrange them the right way. Writing an essay or a piece of poetry is a puzzle. It's a challenge to pick beautiful words and arrange them in striking ways. And sometimes, I believe that the end result can be as beautiful as a painted work of art. When done appropriately, a group of small words has tremendous power to move and influence people. And that fascinates me! Because I have a love of words, I wondered if there was a name for people like me. So one day I googled "a lover of words". And what was word they gave me?  Logophile.  As an appreciator of excellent words, I thought it was strikingly poetic and appropriate. I write about many things. Sometimes, it's various forms of poetry. Other times, it's essays on things I'm passionate about - like why you should get ad...