"Southernese," Samantha, & the Sovereignty of God

Here in the Southern part of the United States, we often add our own special twist to the English language.  We shorten or lengthen words as we see fit. We change vowel sounds and add syllables at will.  Sometimes we invent words or create alternate meanings for existing words. 

Have you ever heard the expression fixing to? [pronounced fis-sen to or fi-den-nuh, depending on how far South you live]  Some of us say fixing to instead of about to.

How about Mama nim?  I can’t speak for all Southerners on this one, but I know some of us from the Mississippi Delta use this expression when we actually mean Mama and them. This expression isn’t only limited to Mama; any family member or name will work just as well with nim.  [for example, Daddy nim, Aunt Becky nim, or Bubba nim.]

I personally don’t use this word incorrectly, but I find it HILARIOUS when some of my loved ones do; a few of my dear relatives mispronounce the word afghan (a blanket) by saying the word African (a native of Africa).

Here’s another: chester.  No, I’m not referring to the man’s name; I’m referring to what fancy folk call a bureau, or rather, a chest of drawers.   Some use the longer expression chester drawers, but others, like my Mamaw (grandmother), shorten it to chester.  

Here is an example of how one might use all of that Southernese lingo in a sentence: 

I’m fixing to go see Mama nim so I can put this new African in their chester.

I could go on and on with other unusual examples of Southernese.  I will mention just one more that has come to mind here recently, and I have a feeling that this one may not be peculiar to the South alone.  This expression may be used when something unexpected, exciting, or wonderful occurs:  you must be living right. [Some of us Southerners drop the –g in living and slightly alter the long –i sound in right. Y’all know what I mean.]

You must be living right….. That expression implies that living (or doing) right equals favorable results while NOT living right equals UNfavorable results.  

Consider that logic again: if you face unexpected and UNWANTED circumstances, one would have to assume that you are, in fact, NOT living right.

I recently received an email that has caused me to consider how I personally am prone to evaluate my own circumstances in this way.  Now, the next portion of this post may take a little longer to read, but PLEASE continue reading—it’s well worth your time.  Please consider what this email from Walk in the Word ministries has to say:

There are too many people (believers among them) who have fallen into the trap of believing that prosperity and blessing equal God’s favor. In other words, when it’s all going your way, God obviously likes what you’re up to and has rewarded you with good things. And when life is hard, God obviously doesn’t like what you’re up to and is punishing you with bad things. That thinking is pretty common. … Practically speaking, it seems we believe it is true. Our culture is no help. Life is measured by how much you have. Your bank account, your educational achievement, your address, and the number of Facebook friends you have become the measure of whether or not you’ve got it going on.

Ezra 4 helps us answer the question, “If I’m doing exactly what God told me to do, how is it that things can still go so wrong?” Ezra 4 recounts for us the frustration the Jews were experiencing when their vision to re-establish worship was stopped in its tracks by the lies, threats, and political maneuvering of some adversaries.

Though the purposes of the Jews were frustrated, God’s purposes were not. In the midst of the failure, “I cry out to God Most High, to God who fulfills His purpose for me” (Psalm 57:2). And what are His purposes for me? Answer: to set me apart from the world, to have me know His power, to have me man-up and trust Him, and to have me know that His ways are far greater than my ways.

And if those are the purposes, they can be accomplished whether I’m experiencing good times or bad. So in fact, life may be really hard for you right now, and yet you may be doing everything right. God is simply doing what He needs to do to accomplish His purposes.

Don’t that beat all? [translation:  Isn’t that an extraordinary thought to consider?]

Sometimes, our “doing everything right” has absolutely nothing to do with what God is accomplishing on this planet.

The old preacher J. Vernon McGee said this:

 “This is God’s universe, and God does things His way.  You may have a better way, but you don’t have a universe.”

His ways are not our ways…. Isaiah 55 tells us that God’s thoughts and ways and plans are far beyond what our tiny human-sized brains can comprehend. 

Here’s something I still cannot explain or comprehend.  Not so long ago in God’s universe, this happened.

This sweet girl, Samantha, married the boy she loved. 

Samantha was loved by many people. Her beautiful smile and infectious giggle brought gladness to the coldest of hearts.

Oh, how we loved her.

Samantha gave birth to her first son.  My goodness, was that baby loved.  He was surrounded by family and friends who adored him just as much as they adored his sweet mom and dad.

I had the privilege of meeting Samantha's beautiful son when he was about two weeks old.  Samantha was my former student, and she wanted me to meet my new "grand-student."

A few short weeks after that, Samantha went to be with Jesus.

Oh, how we loved her, and oh, how we hurt.

Her husband, her mom, her dad, and the newest man in her life experienced a loss that no one can explain.

This beautiful lady is Samantha's mother.  I've met very few people as loving and joyful as she. 

Along with many other loved ones, she stepped in to help care for her only child's only child.  Oh, how she loved that baby, and how we all loved her.

Less than a year later, she also went to be with Jesus.

This beautiful boy is Samantha's baby.

He's so easy to love.

His mother and grandmother went to be with Jesus before his first birthday, but he is surrounded by people who adore him.

I don't understand why some things happen like this in God's universe.

How do we deal with inexplicable loss?  What do we say when there are no satisfactory human explanations to our most heart-rending questions?  Did somebody do something wrong?  I’m by no means a theologian.  I don’t have the satisfactory answers because there are none that we can perceive. 

This is all I know….Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.  In all your ways, acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths (Proverbs 3:5-6).

Those paths may lead us through unexpected, uncomfortable, or undesired detours, but we can trust the One Who holds us in His hands.  It is He “who fulfills His purpose” for us, and His Word assures us that “He has made everything beautiful in its time” (Ecclesiastes 3:11).  We may not understand or see the beauty in His purposes, but we can be sure that “all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28).

I don’t have all the answers because this isn’t my universe.  I do have this precious hope, though: one day, I will have the pleasure of dwelling forever with the One Who made the world and all who are in it.  Maybe He’ll use a few minutes in eternity to help me understand the things that perplex me now.  Or maybe just being with Him will be enough.

And guess who will be there with me?

That’s right.  Samantha nim.

A Reality Check from Tanzania

I have never been to Tanzania, but I want to go there now.

Today as I was scrolling through the Twittosphere, I landed on a link that led me to this beautiful account of an average American mom meeting the fifteen-year-old Tanzanian boy that she and her family sponsor through Compassion International.

I'm totally stealing her story and her pictures to share with you, but if you scroll to the bottom of this post, you will see that I'm including the link to her original account.  (It's way better than mine....I just want to give you a taste of what she wrote.)

OK, so the blog I am swiping these photos from is called The Nesting Place.  The lady in the picture is the writer, who refers to herself as "The Nester" because her real name is supposedly strange and difficult to pronounce.  [For some reason I want to call her "Keely" .... maybe that's her name on Twitter or maybe I dreamed it .... if that IS her name, then I don't find that strange or difficult at all.  I prefer Keely to "The Nester" any day.  But just in case I invented the name "Keely" and it really isn't her name at all, let's refer to the pretty lady as The Nester.] 

Please don't leave yet.  This will get better.  I promise.

So Keely and her family sponsor (through Compassion International) that adorable Tanzanian teen pictured below. His name is Topiwo. 

The Nester and several other sponsors were invited to be Compassion Bloggers, which means they are given the privilege of meeting and hugging the children they sponsor, and they tour all of the Compassion facilities and see how Compassion works in their "children's" villages on a daily basis.  While they are traveling and touring, they blog about their experiences.

The Nester explains it all so much better than I, but please, hang in here, OK?

So Keely The Nester wrote about meeting this beautiful boy that she and her family sponsor.  Follow the link to her post and see for yourself all the great pictures.  The ones below are the ones that grabbed my heart.  These are pictures she took on the way to Topiwo's home.  See?

These are the roof-tops of Topiwo's neighbors' homes.

This is the inside of Topiwo's home.

The Nester explains that before Compassion International found Topiwo's family, they had little, if ANY, food to eat.  Now they have food, and Topiwo has a new faith and a fresh start in life.  This next picture KILLS me.  KILLS ME DEAD.  Look at that. 

These are The Nester's words from her original post entitled "Decorating Truths from a 15-year-old Tanzanian Boy":

 On the outside of the home Topiwo had painted Psalm 23 and then his name and the names of others who live there.

Topiwo lives in a mud hut.

Do you remember how the 23rd Psalm starts?

Did I happen to mention that Topiwo lives in a mud hut? And that his family lives in Tanzania and didn’t have any food until Compassion stepped in? This young man quietly declares his faith and I wondered about what message I am sending people when they walk through my front door? Do I really believe that I have everything I need, or do I immediately launch into declaring what I don’t have and what isn’t good enough as soon as someone walks into my home?--from The Nesting Place, May 10, 2012

Did that grab anyone else's heart besides mine?  Talk about a reality check, right? 

I'm so convicted because I DON'T often invite people to our home because of its many flaws (like paint peeling on the front door, stained carpet, damaged dining room flooring, and I could go on and on....).

However, I should be thankful because we actually HAVE a front door.  We HAVE carpet on the floor.  We HAVE a room used just for the purpose of dining together--at a table.  AND, we have running water, indoor plumbing, electricity, air conditioning, a refrigerator and cabinets full of food, a roof that doesn't leak, and I could go on and on.  And so could you, right?

If "The Lord is my Shepherd," then I should be able to relax and revel in the knowledge that He has provided all that I need.  So what if my carpet isn't as clean or as nice as yours? I have Jesus.  He makes me lie down in "green pastures."  He also "leads me beside still waters."  Most importantly, "He restores my soul."  [Who needs carpet, anyway?]

Lord God, please help me learn a lesson from Topiwo.  Help me rest in the knowledge that as long as my Lord is my Shepherd, I will have everything I need. 

And truly, isn't HE all that we really NEED?

Maybe one day I'll invite you over, and maybe I won't make excuses or complain about my carpet (and door and dining room, etc.)   Instead, maybe we will just sit down for a hot cup of coffee and enjoy talking about how sweet it is to trust in Jesus, our Shepherd.

To read The Nester's own account and see her other pictures of Topiwo, visit http://www.thenester.com/    Her post was written on May 10, 2012, and is entitled "Decorating Truths from a 15-Year-Old Tanzanian Boy."


My understanding of how Compassion Int. sponsorship works is a little fuzzy, but I believe that it is a ministry that provides food, clothing, education, vocational training, and THE GOSPEL for children in poverty-stricken environments all over the planet. Compassion sponsors like The Nester send monthly contributions to aid specific children from specific locations.  Please visit The Nester's blog for a better explanation.

The One Where I Try to Make Up for Lost Time

So, it's been over a month since I've visited my own blog.  Since Phil's out of town and the kids are in bed, and since I've had so much coffee I can't sleep, I think I'll take some time for a cell phone dump.  (That sounds atrocious, doesn't it?)  A writer whose blog I follow will periodically feature her own cell phone dumps--a post made up of the pictures that happen to be on her cell phone at the moment.  So, I thought I'd give it a try.  Some of you may choose to sign off at this point, but I know at least ONE of you will enjoy these pics (Hi, Aunt Becky!).  Drum roll please........ and here we go:

She loves accessories.

February 2012

My sweet class threw a surprise birthday party for me, and as another surprise, these two OLD  :) guys showed up for the fun.  They both graduated YEARS ago.  (in 2010, I think? The years in the classroom are beginning to blur...)

My phone was taken hostage by these crazy girls

My friend Hannah told us about a ministry that she and her family are involved in. They provide a Sunday lunch for the homeless in downtown Memphis.  My husband loves to serve.  Joining with the GO Memphis crew has been such a blessing and a great teaching opportunity for our kids.

Lunch

Distributing coats and blankets.  Chaos.

This is a (terrible) shot of Aubrey with weatherman Ron Childers.  He visited our school on career day and chose Aubrey as one of his helpers.

Isn't he cute?

A picture of a picture of Daddy, me, and Momma in the Grove at Ole Miss--May of 1999.  I started playing with my Facebook timeline and added a few old pics.  I was too lazy to hook up the scanner, hence the picture of a picture.

Phil had the privilege of traveling to Juarez, Mexico, with a group from New Prospect in Olive Branch. 

They built two homes for two families in two-and-a-half days.  In many instances, families of up to 10 or 11 people will live in these houses that are slightly smaller than our living room.  What blessings we take for granted...

What can I say?  He's a baby magnet.

While Phil was in Juarez, I got to visit with this sweet thing for a few minutes.  In the picture, he's doing that backwards goodbye wave that babies do.  He's one of my "grand-students;" I taught his precious mother for two years.

This sweet thing is that little guy's mommy.  She introduced me to her little man when he was only a few weeks old.  A few weeks after that, she went to be with Jesus.  We miss her so much.

Just another reminder that God's ways are higher than our ways.  Even when I don't understand His ways, I choose to trust.

My crazy children at the post office--applying for passports

He caught that nasty thing in the pond in front of our house.  Wanna come over and catch one, too?

Another picture of a picture--Drew and our nephew Joey.  (I may take a moment and cry.... it seems like they were babies only yesterday....)

My little sister (-in-law) Sarah got us free tickets (box seats, actually) to see Cinderella at the Orpheum.  It was Aubrey's first ballet and first trip to the Orpheum.

Aubrey enjoying her new (old) bedroom furniture:)  My aunt Julie recently moved and decided to give Aubrey this dresser and some other pieces that belonged to my great-grandmother.  She also gave her a comfy bed that belonged to my grandparents (can you see it in the mirror?).   

Ok, I know this is a silly picture, but it makes me laugh so hard.  I took this while Drew and I were at the pediatrician's office waiting to see a doctor (Drew had an awful sinus infection).  He was so sick, but he couldn't stop laughing at this sign that was posted on the door.  He said, "Momma, if you can read that sign, then you REALLY shouldn't have a dirty diaper."  (Yes, I know what

the sign means, but he had me laughing so hard I cried... the doctor thought we were crazy...)

I'm almost finished with this post......pretty much....

Actually, I still can't sleep (although YOU probably can after being bombarded with all of this nonsense), so I'll continue....

Yet another picture of a picture. I miss the old Far Side comics SO much.  My college roommates and I would get a 365-day Far Side calendar and read all of the comics before the end of January. 

Vintage Far Side. Put a girl in the picture instead of the guy and you have a portrait of my life.  Really.  Ask my mother.

I deal with teenagers all day, so yes, my sense of humor can often be immature and unsophisticated.  Still.  That's funny.

So this is a picture from tonight.  Our old grill is no longer with us, so the kids and I purchased an inexpensive table-top grill.  I (stupidly) thought the grill was already assembled but soon discovered otherwise...

Drew and I were hungry for steak, so we decided to put the thing together ourselves.  The task seemed a bit daunting, so Drew suggested we pray and ask God to help us figure it out without getting frustrated and yelling (he meant me not getting frustrated and yelling).  So, we prayed (he led), and we did it.  With God, nothing is impossible.

They weren't as good as Phil's steaks, but they were edible.

This is the last one--I promise.  Above are (say it with me) more pictures of pictures -- these are of Phil and me at ages 19 and 20.  The bottom picture was taken two weeks ago while we were on a carriage ride in downtown Memphis.  Of course we love each other, but what a gift it is to still like each other after all this time.

Bless your heart for persevering to the end.  'Nite, y'all.