Use Your Allusion: Bob's Your Uncle

"Bob's your uncle" is a phrase heard mostly in Britain, Ireland, and other Commonwealth countries. It has its roots in a situation in 1887 where British Prime Minister Robert Cecil (a.k.a. Lord Salisbury) needed to appoint a new Chief Secretary for Ireland, which was a very important and sensitive position. He appointed a man named Arthur Balfour for the position. The problem was that most of the time, Mr. Balfour knew Lord Salisbury as "Uncle Bob".

This was a blatant case of nepotism, and people were very upset about it.

For a while, "Bob's your Uncle" became a popular sarcastic phrase to use about any situation where the result was preordained by favoritism. Over time, the situation was forgotten about, and today the phrase has a meaning more like, "There you have it", or "You're all set." It's lost a good deal of its edge.

For instance, if I were teaching you how to make your bed, I might say, "Put on the sheets, add the comforter on top of them, put the pillows at the head of the bed, and Bob's your Uncle."

I personally like this allusion, and I wish we could redeem its edge a bit. It is being used a lot, though I'm not sure people understand its meaning. If you Google it, you'll discover it's been used as a name for Pizza Cafes, a greeting card company, and a comic strip.

It's Nacho Cat: Wii Fit

Nacho doesn't seem to get that when we're doing the Wii Fit, there is a good possibility that we could step on her. She persists in rubbing up against our legs, despite all the stepping, jumping, and leaning. But she's also glad to lay on the floor by the Wii Fit pad when we're done, as if she had been working out herself.

It's Nacho Cat: Nap Time

One of Nacho's favorite things to do is to sleep on us. That goes for upstairs in the recliner, and especially for downstairs on our bed when we take naps. Sunday afternoons, it is the three of us, all sound asleep.

My Grad School Papers

On the one hand, I know that most people will have no interest in reading papers. On the other hand, a good part of why I blog is for my own sake. I've been working very hard on my MDiv, and really don't want to loose track of all the papers I've had to write. Though I have decided not to include some of them, I have now made .pdf files of several of my papers, and have made them available for download for anyone who is interested.

The ones I've included are:

• Principles For Long Term Effectiveness In Ministry
• Christian Responsibility And Environmental Ethics
• I Corinthians 5 Exegetical Paper
• Karl Barth and Natural Theology
• David Lipscomb and the 1906 Division Of The Restoration Movement
• Personal Theological Reflection Paper
• The Function Of Solomon's Temple
• The "Everything You Need To Know About The Mexico Trip Book"

I've added a permanent link on the upper right hand corner of my blog, so if you ever feel like trudging through, you're welcome to take a look at these. From time to time, I will probably add more. Because of the program I used to make them into .pdf files, some of the formatting became a bit skewed, but the content is all there.

I don't promise that they're good, but I worked so hard on them that I would really hate for them to simply vanish and never serve the purpose of sharing the information that I learned.

A Valentine's Day Gift Idea For You Guys

I'm sure that if you're anything like me, and you're a guy, you're starting to go into the Valentine's Day panic about now. I know it's coming soon. I feel like I just spent too much money in December, and I should be saving now rather than spending more, yet the Hallmark Corporation continues to force all these holidays and expectations onto humanity. But regardless of what you think, the expectations are in place, and if you don't deliver, you'll be in the dog house. I feel a need to do something fresh and creative, yet I never can seem to come up with anything in time. I'm offering you some help here, because as of right now, there's still time.

Here's an idea for you: EarthyGlow Candles.

Here's what they are:

These are lotion candles made with natural soybean oil. After burning the candle for a while, you can use the wax as lotion on your hands, cuticles, elbows, and knees.

Here's why these are better than any other candle you might get:

- They are made with 100% natural products that are environmentally friendly, and come from renewable resources. Even the wicks are 100% cotton with no lead or zinc in them, so they burn clean. If you or your wife are into "going green", then you'll really like this company's philosophy.

- A portion of every purchase is used to support local charities.

- There are a zillion fragrances to choose from.

- Rather than having to buy them lotion and a candle, you get both for the price of one. The novelty of the idea is also cool.

- You can tell your significant other that the candles have been used as giveaways at parties at the Oscars, and are popular among celebrity types. Tell her it's a luxury candle. When you can brag and give all this extra information about the candle you bought, she'll know you put more effort into purchasing it. It's not just another lame-o Yankee candle.

- The company is owned by a good Christian woman who is a friend of mine. I'm a firm believer that Christians should support other Christians.

Feel free to do whatever you want, but don't say I didn't try to help you out a little here. Best of luck, fellas. If you don't want to be in the dog house, it's time to get hopping!