When Your Child Says “Why Can’t I Get A Puppy?”

Ermm... truth much.

As a black woman who likes white men why don’t we see many black women/white men pairings, without the white guy trying to come off as this urban stereotype?

Pretty words

Here’s a little list of cute or silly words that you might have never heard before and would probably have some trouble to pronounce!

Ratiboiser, v : swindling someone (fam), buzzing one’s hair

Confiscation, n.f. : confiscation

Ineptie, n.f. : nonsense (posh)

Mirobolant-e, adj : fantastic

Saperlipopette : golly (old)

Hurluberlu, n.m. : crank, weirdo

Pécho, v : hooking up (fam), ex: Je l’ai pécho mardi dernier! I hooked up with him/her last tuesday! NB : a) sg only, A pécho B, they don’t pécho eachother ; + b) unvariable 

Balivernes!, n/e.f. : nonsense (old)

Goûtu-e, adj : tasty (posh)

Coi-te, a : stunned (rare) - pronounced Quoi

Ébaubi-e, adj : flabbergasted

Tohu-bohu, n.m. : confusion, commotion

Balourd-e, n : clumsy, rough (fam; annoyed)

Dégoter, v : getting, finding (fam)

Se coltiner, v : getting stuck with, ex: And now I have to me coltiner my little sister tonight because my parents decided to go to the cinema!

Tout azimut, e/a : everywhere, all around

Prendre la poudre d’escampette : running away

Subodorer, v : detecting, sensing

Concupiscent-e, adj : lecherous

Zinzin, a : weird, loony (nice loony, not joker loony)

Procrastiner, v : procrastine

Flagornerie, n.f. : toadying, butt-kissing

Et rebelote : same thing again, one more time

Bavarder, v : chatting

Chouette! : nice! great!

Brindille, n.f. : twig

Mille-pattes, n.m. : centipede (”one thousand legs”)

Pouf, n.m. : ottoman seat

Vachement, adv : a lot (”cowly”)(fam) your car is vachement fast!

Chou, adj : cute (”cabbage”, don’t ask)

Peton, n.m. : foot (kiddish)

Minou, n.m. : kitty, puss (kiddish)

Nounours, n.m. : teddy bear (ours : bear)

Confiture, n.f. : jam

Margoulin, n.m. : swindler, incompetent

Moufle, n.f. : mitten

Coquecigrue, n.f. : absurdity (Pigwidgeon‘s french name)

Pâtisserie, n.f. : pastry

Tapisserie, n.f. : wallpaper, tapestry

Daily Reading by A.B. Simpson

Devotional for July 4

“No one who lives in him keeps on sinning. No one who continues to sin has either seen him or known him.” - 1 John 3:6

What becomes of our old nature when we are sanctified? Many people are unduly concerned to know if it can be killed outright and seem to desire a sort of certificate of its death and burial. It is enough to know that it is outside and Christ is in us. It may show itself again, and even knock at the door and plead for admittance, but it is forever outside while we abide in Him. Should we step out of Him and into sin we might find the old corpse in the ghastly cemetery, and its foul aroma might yet embrace and overcome us once more. But he that abideth in him sinneth not and cannot sin while he so abides.

Let us therefore abide and let us not be anxious to escape the hold of eternal vigilance and ceaseless abiding. Our paths are made and we are given strength to pursue them; let us then walk in them. God has provided for us a full sanctification. Since He has given us His own holiness, is it strange that he should require us to be holy, even as He is holy? Let us then put on our beautiful garments and prepare to walk in white with Him.

This is one of my favorite hymns!

History of Hymns: "'Tis So Sweet to Trust in Jesus"

by C. Michael Hawn

“‘Tis So Sweet to Trust in Jesus” by Louisa M. R. Stead | The United Methodist Hymnal, No. 462

“Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus, and to take him at his word; just to rest upon his promise, and to know, "Thus saith the Lord.” Jesus, Jesus, how I trust him! How I’ve proved him o'er and o'er! Jesus, Jesus, precious Jesus! O for grace to trust him more!“

From her childhood, the call to missionary service was the guiding motivation for Louisa M. R. Stead (c. 1850-1917). Born in Dover, England, and converted at the age of nine, Stead came to the United States in 1871, living in Cincinnati. She attended a camp meeting in Urbana, Ohio, where she dedicated her life to missionary service. Ill health prevented her from serving initially. She married in 1875, and the couple had a daughter, Lily. Hymnologist Kenneth Osbeck describes a major turning point in the family’s life:

“When the child was four years of age, the family decided one day to enjoy the sunny beach at Long Island Sound, New York. While eating their picnic lunch, they suddenly heard cries of help and spotted a drowning boy in the sea. Mr. Stead charged into the water. As often happens, however, the struggling boy pulled his rescuer under water with him, and both drowned before the terrified eyes of wife and daughter. Out of her ‘why?’ struggle with God during the ensuing days glowed these meaningful words from the soul of Louisa Stead.”

The hymn, “’Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus” was inspired by this personal tragedy.

Soon after, Lousia and Lily left for the Cape Colony, South Africa, where Louisa worked as a missionary for fifteen years. She married Robert Wodehouse, a native of South Africa. Because of her health, the family found it necessary to return to the United States in 1895. Wodehouse pastored a Methodist congregation during these years until, in 1900, they returned to the mission field, this time to the Methodist mission station at Umtali, Southern Rhodesia (present day Zimbabwe).

Kenneth Osbeck records a message sent back to the United States shortly after her arrival in Southern Rhodesia: “In connection with the whole mission there are glorious possibilities, but one cannot, in the face of the peculiar difficulties, help but say, ‘Who is sufficient for these things?’ But with simple confidence and trust we may and do say, ‘Our sufficiency is of God.’”

Her daughter Lily married after their return to Africa. Louisa retired because of ill health in 1911. Lily continued to serve for many years in South Rhodesia. Her mother passed away after a long illness in 1917 at her home in Penkridge near the Mutambara Mission, fifty miles from Umtali. Following her death, it was recorded that Christians in South Rhodesia continued to sing her hymn in the local Shona language.

While the exact date of the composition is not known, sometime between 1880-1882, Lousia Stead’s hymn was first published in Songs of Triumph (1882). The Rev. Carlton R., Young, editor of The United Methodist Hymnal, describes the hymn’s content as “a series of loosely connected key evangelical words and phrases.” Indeed, the hymn is full of the language of piety common to the day in evangelical circles. Furthermore, the succession of stanzas lacks the usual progression of ideas leading to heaven that characterizes most gospel hymns.

Perhaps the hymn might be best described as a mantra on the name of Jesus. Indeed, “Jesus” is sung twenty-five times if one sings all four stanzas and the refrain. Stanza one is a simple statement of “trust in Jesus.” The singer is invited to “rest upon his promise.” Though the “promise” is not specifically articulated, it is assumed that all know that this is the promise of salvation. The stanza ends with “Thus saith the Lord” – a phrase, interestingly enough, that appears 413 times in the Old Testament in the King James Version, and is a reference to God rather than Jesus.

Stanza two continues the theme of trust, drawing upon the “cleansing blood” of Jesus. The poet demonstrates her trust as she “plung[es] … neath the healing, cleansing flood,” a possible reference to the William Cowper (1731-1800) hymn, “There is a fountain filled with blood”: “… and sinners plunge beneath that flood lose all their guilty stains.” The typology of the cleansing flood may find its biblical roots in Genesis 6-7, the account of Noah and the great flood, or perhaps the blood and water that flowed from the crucified Christ’s side (John 19:34), or even a conflation of these ideas. Cowper’s hymn was probably well known to Stead, and she referenced it in her hymn.

Stanza three stresses that one should die to “sin and self” by “simply taking life and rest, and joy and peace” in Jesus. Stanza four is a personal witness by the author that she is “so glad I learned to trust thee.” The final stanza concludes with a fleeting eschatological reference, “thou art with me, wilt be with me to the end.” Though this reference to heaven is not as pronounced as one would often find in similar gospel hymns of this era, especially in Fanny Crosby. Referencing heaven in some way is virtually obligatory in this theological context.

The refrain establishes the Jesus mantra, singing his name five times, the last strengthened by adding the qualifying, “precious Jesus.” Though the singer has “proved him o’er and o’er,” the prayer is for “grace to trust him more.”

C. Michael Hawn is University Distinguished Professor of Church Music, Perkins School of Theology, SMU.

Attribution: Photo (The old red books or red worship songbooks in church) courtesy of Wirestock at: https://www.freepik.com/ijeab

“Why have You forsaken me?”

Imagine you’re watching Jesus hang from the cross. The only way He can breathe is by pushing Himself up using the nails in His wrists and ankles. 

As the day draws to an end, He musters what little strength He has left to pull Himself up again so that He can cry out: “My God, my God, why have You forsaken me?” 

If we’re being honest with ourselves, we’ve all probably had moments where we’ve asked God, “Where are You in this? Why have You forsaken me?” 

How should we respond when we find ourselves in situations where we feel alone, anxious, or forsaken? 

The words Jesus spoke on the cross were actually taken from Psalm 22—a prophetic lament written by King David. In many ways, this Psalm is about Jesus, but it also provides us with three action steps we can follow when we feel alone: 

1. Be honest with God about how you’re feeling.

Relationships start with being real. So if you’re feeling forsaken by God, tell Him that. Ask God your questions, and prepare your heart to hear his answers. 

2. Give God glory anyway.

Our feelings don’t change the fact that God is worthy of being worshiped. In fact, it’s often through worship that we discover the cure for our worry. When we focus on who God is, our perspective eventually shifts—even if our situation doesn’t.

3. Remind God of his promises.

Throughout Psalm 22, David basically tells God, “I know who You are. And since You’re always true to character, deliver me like You’ve delivered Your people before me.” Reminding God of his promises is not only an act of faith, but it also helps us remember the faithfulness of God’s character. 

Ultimately, God’s faithfulness was personified when Jesus was crucified. Jesus willingly suffered alone on the cross so that we could experience eternal companionship with God. Jesus is the prophetic fulfillment of Psalm 22. And, because He endured separation from God, we never have to. 

Take a moment to reflect on Jesus’ ultimate sacrifice for you. 

Pray: Jesus, thank You for rescuing me from eternal separation from You. It’s because You willingly endured separation from Your Father that I never have to. Today, help me to pause and reflect on the magnitude of Your sacrifice, and to give You the glory You rightly deserve. No matter what I’m feeling, You are always worthy of my worship. So today, I choose to worship You. In Jesus’ name, Amen

some people feel the rain... Others just get wet..

read this: When you feel as though God is distant, just remember that He is always near. God promises that when we draw near to Him, He draws near to us. No matter how many times we push Him away, He waits for us with open arms. Run to your Heavenly Father, The Constant One. The Maker of Heaven & Earth. 

Consuming less. Working less. Enjoying efficiency of labor. Saving the planet. Acknowledging climate crisis. None of these things need a higher GDP.

LMAO

Steal my beauty products? You're in for a surprise

A few years ago when I was a student, I lived in a shared house type situation with five other people. We each had our own rooms, but there were two bathrooms that we had to share. There was a smaller, third space, that was just a small room, with a shower and a teeny tiny sink and vanity. Tbh, it was the smallest room and because it was an old house, it wasn’t the prettiest looking space and some of the mildew and damp patches could get bad in the winter, but it had the best shower pressure, so I preferred to use that space to shower.

About a month after my friend moved out and another girl moved in, I noticed that I was having to buy shampoo and conditioner more often than usual. Now, other people used to keep some of their personal belongings in the bathrooms, but it was easy to identify who’s was who, or sometimes it’d be named. It’s that thing of if you want to use something or borrow something, then ask.

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“The pain that you feel is only temporary. The growth that you experience will last forever.”

— Nicole Addison @thepowerwithin