I heard the Bermuda Triangle got tired of warm weather and moved to the North Pole. Now Santa Claus is missing!

It may be twenty degrees here this morning but let me get one thing straight. For those who may think I am wavering a little in my ability to handle cold weather, don't even think about parking in that spot. I know I am not as resilient and tough as I once was but I can still stand in there, or out there if you will, with the best of them. That's not to say that I don't try and follow some common sense preparations. Like Granny Mac used to say, "Use your brain for at least the sense God gave a goose." Or, perhaps, Paw Paw Mac, "Son, use your head for something other than a hat rack." At any rate, good morning and welcome to my world where there is usually something speeding around on that gray cell turnpike. It is Friday, and we can say with the world, thank God it's Friday, and we can say exactly the same, thank God it's Monday and we can express that thankfulness on every day of the week. But it is Friday, February 11, 2011. Last Sunday evening my wife was ailing with flu like symptoms. She had been guzzling NyQuil throughout the evening, therefore, I called her sister over in Louisiana to let her know they wouldn't be able to have their normal Sunday night conversation. My brother in law answered and I gave him the message. He said if my wife was not careful she would end up drunk as old Cooter Brown. I've heard that saying all my life but never knew anything about Mr. Brown or his drinking habits. I can think of a few guys from my growing up days that might quality as a fill in the blank but he didn't call any of their names.

The best I can tell from a few Google searches is that Cooter Brown is a legendary figure used for slang just like my brother in law called it. There's no empirical data that confirms whether there ever was a real Cooter Brown or not. But there are some interesting stories. The one that seems most likely to fit the legend is told about a Cooter Brown who lived during the Civil War. He supposedly lived on the line between the North and South and could have been drafted by either. He could not see himself taking up arms against his family, friends, and neighbors on either side, therefore, he came up with a plan to make himself ineligible to serve. That plan involved staying drunk for the entire time of the war. He implemented the plan and that's at least one explanation for where the saying came from. There are others. In fact, even the same character is used in the African American community but with a different story. I don't think I observed any weebly wobbly behavior from my wife but that stuff does tend to knock her out. I'm glad to report she is some better after having slept for maybe 25 or more hours in two days. She did surprise me a little one afternoon when she said it might be better that she not drive. Hello? You learn not to ask too many questions because Cooter might be somewhere listening.

You know by now that I am a word person, yes, that does include wordy as well. I like phrases, sayings, well written sentences, (I know that's a surprise), puns, witticisms, dialogue, funny stories, and all of the above and more. Here's a few I recently found and they might spark an interest in someone out there somewhere. The lesson is what you read in the fine print. The experience is what you get when you don't. A rumor is as hard to unspread as butter. When there's nothing on TV, most people will watch it anyway. What sunshine is to flowers...smiles are to humanity. These all might cause us to stop and think but even greater are those words of wisdom that come directly from God through His inspired Word. Bible Gateway which is likely the most widely used Bible look-up/search website in the world recently published a list of the most frequent 100 verses searched for. Number one is a given, John 3:16, For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. This is the verse that explains the depth of God's love for humanity and it is also the one that continues to bring many people to a saving knowledge of Jesus. I'll leave you with one of my personal favorites, number 65 on their list, Hebrews 12:1-2, Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,  looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. These challenging words have always been marching orders to me and it's a good way to end the work week and prepare us for our Saturday and Lord's Day Sunday. May God bless each one. Amen.     ....More later.