7 Quick Takes: Spelling, Vodka and the Gospel

Last updated on: November 6, 2015 at 8:55 am by Anne Kennedy

7 Quick Takes: Spelling, Vodka and the Gospel 2015-11-06T08:55:57-04:00 Anne Kennedy

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

One
I sensibly hauled myself to the walk-in yesterday to see about arresting the increasing fiery pain in my ears. We’ve all had a cold since the beginning of October and mine has been chiefly residing in first one, and now both, of my eardrums. The walk-in doc seemed shocked that anybody, let alone a whole family (because I went ahead and complained about the whole crew) could be sick. Wondered if he knew where he was. We do all live in the cold northeast, right? Am I missing something? Colds that linger for weeks and weeks are one of the main defining characteristics of life up here, along with roads that get torn up in the winter and the desolate, resigned, Aldi shuffle. That’s where you shuffle around Aldi flinging stuff in your cart and feeling smug about how cheep it all is.

Two
In the way of desolation, feel really tragic that Simcha Fisher is going to the speaking In Syracuse, Tomorrow! A day when I shall strangely find myself in that same place, but not hearing her talk. Actually, I’ll probably be about half an hour away, but the distances feel too vast to overcome. It’s like driving from Binghamton to Endicott. It takes Twenty Minutes. Twenty minutes! That’s something you have to plan ahead for. Anyway, I’ll be watching two young people get married, which will be lovely, but also thinking about the fact that I am not gazing upon the hilarity of Simcha. On the other hand, not being Catholic, they might not have even have let me in.
Three
I’ve been meaning for some time to commend to you my new favorite cooking ingredient: Vodka. I see, of course, from wandering around the Internet, that everyone else knew this already. But, and this should be a comfort to you, I don’t have a lot of experience with this interesting and versatile spirit. If I’m in the way of drinking anything, it’s wine. Although, I should say, at the end of an exceptionally long and bad day, if you heat a little milk, and splash in a little splash of Cointreau, it’s not awful. You don’t even have to add sugar, which, as we all know, is very bad. Where was I? Oh yes. Usually when I’m shoving lots of vegetables into my Bigger Frying Pan, as I am wont to do, and maybe a pork chop, or some nice chicken or something, usually, before the heavy measure of cream, I splash in a modicum of wine. Or maybe brandy. But then one day, there was some vodka in the cupboard, and so I just flung that in instead. And let me just say, It Goes With Everything. If you need just that little something to bring mushrooms and zucchini and garlic and onion together in serendipity, just a splash of vodka and a slash of cream raises it to a level of delicious heretofore unknown to me.
Four
I’ve also landed on a little trick in the way of coping with spelling in our charming, cough, homeschool life. That was just a little joke. I’ve never used the word ‘charming’ next to the word ‘homeschool’ before and I think we can all see that it really doesn’t work. Where was I? Oh yes, getting children to spell is a beast, especially if you’re a bad speller yourself, as I am. You don’t have to rush in to agree. I’m sure we understand each other. Every new homeschool year I try out a new guaranteed never to fail spelling curriculum but have been always and forever disappointed. However, being now in the possession of the Perfect Spelling List and a Smart Phone, I have worked out an easy and simple solution. First, I write everybody’s lists on the board. Then, they practice the words. Then, I take a picture of the board. Then, I give four spelling tests in rapid fire, like this, “Gladys Boat, Romulus Their, Alouicious Behold, Elphine Desire”. I pause for breath and then go around again. Words they misspell go back up on the board and new ones after. The simple fact of being able to take a picture of the board, without having to copy it out myself, and lose the various bits of paper, is revolutionary.
Five
With the evil and life destroying time change, I’ve been able to stay awake through my usual bible listening time this week, instead of turning it on and going straight back to sleep. It’s been in time to hear about Samson, and Jephthah, and the idolatrous Micah, and finally the horrific slaughtering and abuse of the Levite’s concubine which launches the whole land of Israel into a civil war. The understated refrain, “there was no king in the land and the people did what was right in their own eyes” is easy, at first, to miss. But it is so often repeated, at the end of each new idolatrous horror, that finally the ear wakes up to it. The usual way of things is everybody doing “what is right” in their own eyes. Each person is determining their own moral worldview. Each individual is deciding what would be best for them. And the result is a total fracturing of the quiet order that was supposed to pervade and govern the land. Each person living quietly under his own vine, peacefully following the law of God, devolved into theft, adultery, idolatry, lying, abuse, murder, more theft, and more murder so that moral darkness completely covered over the land. And then the book ends. And the very next verse is Naomi and her husband and sons leaving Bethlehem because of famine. The landscape is heavy with grief and loss brought about by each individual pursuing his or her own set of values. Surely God must be angry. He will probably want to destroy them and start over. But what is his answer? As decadence, decay, and darkness prevail, another person is born into the line of the Savior. In the midst of incredible darkness, instead of the judgment that’s deserved, light is shed, a king is crowned, and the word of God comes into the mouth of a prophet.
Six
The individualism at the heart of the book of Judges is a gentle, if stark, warning to us in the west, who have been lied to a whole lot about everybody choosing their own path, their own gender identity, their own religious world view. It’s interesting how violence and anger are creeping in to our own moral landscape. Where each one is a king, or, a kind dressed up as a queen, there cannot be order and peace. My default is despair and wondering where God is and what he going to do about it. But he has already acted. He has already wrought the salvation of the world, of the individual, in his own blood. Imagining myself desolate, standing alone in a field, having lost everything, but having the saving work of God to grasp hold of, and then bringing even one person, like Ruth, is all I can do. I can’t save the system, or the world. It can only be the saving grace of the gospel, going out of the mouths of ordinary Christians, casting a dawning light of hope to those who are perishing.
Seven
Here is a picture of some teeth.

And my spelling Board.

And some flowers that made the long week less dismal.

Go check out This Ain’t the Lyceum. And have a lovely weekend!

Previous Post

November 5, 2015

Utopia for the Modern Family

Next Post

November 7, 2015 Good Books for the Weekend

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category books Catechesis of the Good Shepherd Children in Conversation culture watch Daily Devotions Demotivations with Anne faith alone for the grandparents GAFCON In conversation with children In the News Kitchen Notes Lambeth Learning Notes Life Going On Men are Human Notes from Home Pictures Reading the Bible Saturday Links Sermons Signs of the Apocalypse The Bad Word Association The Prayer of Jonah Travel Notes Uncategorized Witless Wednesdays Work and the Christian

Select a Month June 2024 May 2024 April 2024 March 2024 February 2024 January 2024 November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 July 2023 June 2023 May 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 July 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010 November 2010 October 2010 September 2010 August 2010 July 2010 June 2010 May 2010 April 2010 March 2010 February 2010 January 2010 December 2009 November 2009 October 2009 September 2009 August 2009 July 2009 June 2009 May 2009 April 2009 March 2009 February 2009 January 2009 December 2008 November 2008 October 2008 September 2008 August 2008 July 2008 June 2008 May 2008 April 2008 March 2008 February 2008 January 2008 December 2007 November 2007 October 2007 September 2007 August 2007 July 2007 June 2007 May 2007 April 2007 March 2007 February 2007 January 2007 December 2006 November 2006 October 2006

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

Who was the first woman?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Mary Sarah Deborah Eve

Books by This Author Books by Anne Kennedy

See All Titles »