TERRE HAUTE —
Our language is peculiar, isn’t it?
Words and their meanings are sometimes very clear, and at others very obtuse. Take the word, “very.” My Webster’s Unabridged says that, used as an adverb, the word “very” shows extremes. “It is very gracious of you to do this for me.” As an adjective, “very” indicates something precise or particular. “That is the very book I have been looking to find,” or “He was caught in the very act of robbing the bank.” But, really. Is “very” needed in these sentences? How can you be very gracious? You’re either gracious or not. Wouldn’t it be just as clear to declare you found the book you were looking for? As for that robbery thing, using “very” implies that it was, indeed, a true bank robbery. Well, duh! Is there any other kind of bank robbery? So, does it make us verbal morons to say we use “very” so much it has lost its very meaning?
Speaking of morons, there’s no escaping the assault on our language by that moron of all morons, the oxymoron — those contradictory words smashed together to form a phrase of sometimes hilarious meaning.
For instance, what about those JUMBO SHRIMP? Aren’t they AWFULLY GOOD? Or that new brand of cookies that boasts it is a NEW CLASSIC. Then there’s that 12-OUNCE POUND CAKE, the newspaper headline that screams someone was FOUND MISSING, and the stores piping in SOFT ROCK music to accompany our shopping. Ringo Starr and Buck Owens sang that all they had to do was ACT NATURALLY. Shakespeare told us that parting is SWEET SORROW, making it the precursor to GOOD GRIEF. Now that our nest is empty, my husband and I are ALONE TOGETHER. If you get a PRETTY UGLY scratch on your car, the insurance company will ask you to get an EXACT ESTIMATE.
In Matthew 12:36, 37, Jesus said: “But I tell you that men will have to give an account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken. For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.”
James 3:9, 10 warns, “With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God’s likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be.”
Ephesians 4:29 says, “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.”
Our souls and our hearts cry out for pleasant words — words of love, encouragement, faith, and love. “May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer,” (Psalm 19:14.)
“For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words will you be condemned.”
Your words (and mine) today — will they acquit or condemn us?
Verna Davis, speaker and writer, maybe reached at vrdspeaks@yahoo.com.
Features
THE JOY LADY: Be VERY careful with all the words you say
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Kick off summer with Banks of Wabash Festival tonight
The 29th Annual Banks of the Wabash Festival will run from tonight through June 2 at Fairbanks Park in Terre Haute. The festival offers bingo, crafters, food, nightly music, a merchandise mart and will feature Luehrs’ Rides and Midway Games.
Admission and parking are free. -
Popular act The Van-Dells to play Boot City Opry
Rock ’n’ roll review band The Van-Dells have been called “The Three Stooges set to music.” The group has been entertaining audiences of all ages with its unique blend of comedy, costume changes, choreography and tight harmonies for close to four decades.
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Rockville Cruise-In Street Dance set is June 2
Main Street Rockville will offer its Cruise-In Street Dance, combined once again this year with a motorcycle, scooter and bike show, from 4 to 8:30 p.m. June 2 on the courthouse square in Rockville.
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'Planes, trains and automobiles' at Rosedale Strawberry Fest
Big kids’ toys will be prominently featured at the 2012 Strawberry Festival in Rosedale.
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See ISU grad’s ‘I’m Too Young For This @#!%’ exhibit
John D. Shearer, photographer and Indiana State University graduate, will display his multi-media exhibit “I’m Too Young For This @#!%” during June at the Ivy Tech John Waldron Arts Center in Bloomington.
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The sky’s the limit
Backyard astronomers stare at the night sky, trying to remember how to find the North Star, the Big Dipper and Mars.
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Actor to portray Ernie Pyle in one-man drama
Noted actor Rick Plummer and the Crosley Radio Players will team up to celebrate the life and times of renowned World War II correspondent Ernie Pyle in a special presentation Saturday at South Vermillion High School Auditorium in Clinton.
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Top-10 Christian group Sidewalk Prophets in Terre Haute
Sidewalk Prophets will be coming to Terre Haute on Saturday for their “Live Like That” tour. Lead singer David Frey, a graduate from Terre Haute South Vigo High School, will be performing the first concert at his home church, Maryland Community Church.
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Halcyon Gallery showcases art of Evalyn James during May
Evalyn Gertrude James settled in Terre Haute the first time in 1928.
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International exhibit to feature painting in ISU collection
An oil painting from Indiana State University’s Permanent Art Collection will be featured at an international exhibition in Belgium.
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Wabash Valley Art Guild’s Spring Show at Honey Creek Mall this weekend
The Wabash Valley Art Guild’s 35th Annual Spring Show will be open to the community Friday through Sunday in Honey Creek Mall. Artists from throughout the Wabash Valley will be represented and promise to show a surprising variety of art.
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AUDIO: Sidewalk Prophets singer discusses Terre Haute boyhood, and Saturday's concert
Terre Haute native Dave Frey leads his Dove Award-winning band, Sidewalk Prophets, into a 7 p.m. Saturday concert at his hometown church, Maryland Community Church, joining opening performers Justin Hoeppner and Josh Wilson.
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Mother's Day stories: Amazing, Loving, Patient, Faithful, Friend, Brave
It’s merely one word, yet the conjunction of those six letters conjures up so many meanings and feelings. While teaching us both the simple and profound lessons in life, mothers somehow can instill morals and memories. They can guide us on our journey, pick us up when we fall, and let go when we must find our own strength.
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Opry brings in acts from around the country
The Boot City Opry is in its sixth season and going strong. The theater is full, and the parking lot is packed every Saturday night from April to December.
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Bridgeton Art & Wine Fair May 12
The 10th annual Bridgeton Art & Wine Fair will run from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday in the 1878 Barn in downtown Bridgeton.
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REVIEW: ‘Look Out!’ pure rock ’n’ roll, with no detours
ashville music aficionados know Tim Carroll as the crafty guitarist and songwriter performing alongside his wife, critically-acclaimed Americana country singer Elizabeth Cook.
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A craft and talent all their own
Take a fiber artist mother who is compelled to tell a story through her Early American-influenced rug hooking. Add a color-loving daughter who incorporates a kaleidoscope of vibrant hues with a twist of humor into her fiber and polymer clay jewelry. The result is an enthusiastic local duo that share an art studio and the designation of Indiana Artisans.
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Register now for Children’s Museum camps
From wacky science and space exploration to fairy tales and superheroes, the Terre Haute Children’s Museum has scheduled an exciting list of summer programs.
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Historical Fire Station No. 9 opens for season
Historical Fire Station No. 9 at 1728 S. Eighth St. will open Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and will be open until September.
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May Day Festival is Sunday in Sullivan
The May Day Festival is scheduled from 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday in Sullivan, rain or shine.
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On The Line presents ‘The Miracle Worker’ this weekend
The theatrical production company, On The Line Productions, will open its third production, William Gibson’s “The Miracle Worker.”
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Marshall’s Got Talent seeking performers
In the spirit of the America’s Got Talent acts of today and the Vaudeville acts of yesteryear, Harlan Hall’s Entertainment Committee is now seeking individuals or groups with unique and appropriate acts or talents.
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Mystery author to speak in Rockville
Mystery author Tony Perona will visit the Rockville Public Library at 6:30 p.m. May 15 to talk about Dec. 21, 2012 — a date the Mayans say the world will end.
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Jason Petty brings ‘The Swinging Cowboys’ to Boot City Opry
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What do you want to be?
For more than 43 years more than 14,000 high school students have been able to explore what their future job could be like, experience college campus life and earn university credit during one-week seminars in the Summer Honors Program at Indiana State University.
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Community Theatre to stage auditions for An Evening of One-Acts
Community Theatre of Terre Haute will present An Evening of One-Acts by Jason Miller this summer on its smaller Oakley stage.
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Mom Moments: Tell us your story
Mother’s Day is fast approaching. It’s a day we pay tribute to the women in our lives who have inspired us, made us laugh and taught us life-lessons.
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The Woods presents world premiere of ‘La Providence’
When Michael Boswell, assistant professor of music at St. Mary-of-the-Woods College, sang his first piece by Sydney Guillaume, a dynamic rising composer, in 2009, he thought, “This person feels music the way that I do.”
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Taste the Music of the Night Rose-Hulman presents ‘Phantom of the Opera’
One of the best-known and most-beloved musicals of our time, Andrew Lloyd Webber’s “The Phantom of the Opera,” tells the haunting story of the deformed and outcast Phantom who lives within the bowels of the Paris Opera.
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Christian recording artist endorses Valley author’s book
Bryan Duncan, Dove and Grammy award-winning contemporary Christian music pioneer singer and songwriter, recently endorsed Clay County author Marjorie E. Hopkins’ book.
“Dying to Meet Him: Wit and Wisdom from a Funeral Director’s Wife,” is a “must read,” Duncan said. - More Features Headlines
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