by Roseanna White | Apr 23, 2018 | Word of the Week
This is actually a repost of a word from 6 years ago, but my daughter asked me about it last week, so it seemed a fine time for a revisit. ?
Reckless is one of those that always confused me as a kid. I mean, why was it reckLESS when you were indicating that people were apt to wreck?
Of course, I knew there was that missing “w”…but still. For years it made me shake my head, and I rated it up there with “inflammable = flammable.” (Yeah, just try puzzling
that one out without the help of the etymology! LOL.)
As it turns out, it is indeed mere coincidence that reck and wreck are homonyms and carry meanings that can be so opposite. Reck is from a very old Germanic word that means “care, heed.” So since the days of Old English, reckless (or its original receleas) has meant “without care or heed.”
Wreck, on the other hand, is from the Old Norse wrek, which for centuries had ONLY ship-wreck meaning–flotsam, that which washed up after a ship went to pieces. It wasn’t until the 1700s that “wreck” was applied to any remains of a thing ruined. As a verb, it has carried the meaning of “ruin or destroy” since the 1500s.
So there we have it. Two totally different roots that happen to end up with identical sounds in modern English. Solely to confuse school children across the English-speaking world, I’m sure. ?
by Roseanna White | Apr 19, 2018 | Thoughtful Thursdays
I’m busy.
This is indisputable fact. I’m writing 6 books in 18 months, I homeschool my kids, I do much of the day-to-day running of WhiteFire Publishing, I design book covers and interior layouts, I cook, I (occasionally) clean, I knit, I’m pianist at my church, I’m a ballet mom, and I teach a class pretty much every semester at our homeschool association. There are days when I’m just so exhausted it’s all I can do to think.
But it’s funny, right? I look back at where I was, say, seven years ago. Only one of my kids needed to be taught. I was working on my first book that would be published by someone else. WhiteFire was only two or three authors other than me. I did no design work. Xoe had just started ballet, so it was only one night a week (now it’s two). We didn’t do Bible study yet at our church. I had no responsibilities in our homeschool group. My house was more of a mess than it is now, and we more often ate canned soup for dinner.
And I felt
so overwhelmed. I’m talking, break down in tears because I felt like I couldn’t do it all overwhelmed. My constant prayer was that God would expand my time. That He’d refresh me because I was so drained. That somehow He would do it all for me, because I didn’t think I could.
That’s a familiar refrain in the world. I can’t tell you how many times I hear someone say, “Oh, I could never ______.” Fill in the blank.
I could never homeschool.
I could never write a book.
I could never work from home.
I could never work outside the home.
I could never go into foreign missions.
I could never give that up.
I could never take that on.
I could never . . .
And it’s true, you know? We can’t just do everything. Especially not on our own. But with friends, with family, with our churches, and most importantly, with God, we can be equipped to do exactly what He calls us to do. No more…but no less.
But how often do we let our fears, insecurities, and laziness interfere with that call? How often do we give up on or not even attempt to do that thing God has whispered in our ear because we don’t think we can?
Back when Xoe was in kindergarten, I was seriously considering giving up on this whole homeschool thing. I didn’t think I could anymore. I couldn’t write and teach and take care of a toddler all at the same time. That was that time of overwhelming, when it was all so much, so heavy, that I was just exhausted by it.
Around that time, we had a healing service at our church, led by a Spirit-filled couple visiting from another church in our association. I remember slipping into a pew at the back of the church–so I could slip out again with my toddler if necessary. There weren’t a lot of people there–maybe 15 or 20. I didn’t want to draw attention. But I knew I needed something. I wasn’t sick, but I was tired. Still, I didn’t want to take the time of these guests when there were people there so desperate for a healing touch and me…I was okay. I was fine. I was getting along.
But the husband of the couple came back and slid into the pew in front of me and turned to face me. I’ll never forget what he said. “You don’t need a healing. But you need…something. Right? Refreshing?”
I’m not one for tears, but they filled my eyes at that moment, and I nodded. “I feel so overwhelmed,” I said.
So he prayed for me. He prayed that God would shore me up, that He’d be my strength, that He’d breathe new life into my spirit and refresh me. He sat there for probably ten minutes and talked to me about putting on that Spiritual armor every day–and told me that sometimes wearing it isn’t so we can be on the offensive, but on the defensive. That sometimes he imagines curling up into that armor and hiding in it, as if it’s a turtle shell.
Because when we hide in Him, He takes care of it all.
That evening, something shifted. Maybe I didn’t have a physical illness that needed to be healed, but my spirit needed it. And my spirit received it.
Never, in the intervening seven years, have I ever again felt like I did back then. Oh, I get tired. Exhausted. Frustrated. Overwhelmed. But only physically and mentally. Never spiritually. Thanks to that shift, I kept on homeschooling…and man. I know my kids would have been fine wherever they got their education, but I can’t even count all the amazing moments we would have missed out on had I given it up when it really wasn’t the time for me to step aside from it!
I didn’t feel capable. And maybe I wasn’t. But He was. He is.
With God fighting our battles for us, we can do whatever He asks. It isn’t easy, but it isn’t supposed to be. The thing is, it’s
possible. We become capable, in Him, of doing the things we are not capable of doing by ourselves.
I really can’t tell you what changed that day in that back pew of my church. I can just tell you that the things that exhausted me then are but a portion of my daily tasks now. We get used to burdens until they don’t feel like burdens anymore–that’s part of it. The weight that it took all our effort to lift when we first started our training becomes easy over time if we keep working our muscles, right? The same goes in life. In our tasks. In our callings. In our spiritual lives.
I’m not saying busy is the best state to always be in. And I’m not saying there aren’t still plenty of things that I have to say “No” to or delegate to someone else. I’m certainly no Superwoman.
But we’re never asked to do the things He calls us to alone. We’re just asked to step up, be willing, and follow in His footsteps.
Do you ever struggle with feeling capable of doing what you need or want to do?
by Roseanna White | Apr 18, 2018 | Announcements
I thought I’d take a break from series historical matters today, LOL, and instead bring to you a fun poll!
WhiteFire Publishing is launching a line of books for younger readers, as I announced last summer. We’ve now selected our launching titles, sent out contracts, and are selecting illustrators where appropriate… All very exciting stuff!
But one item yet remains.
Naming the line!
We’d like to choose something that’ll sound great for that vast array of ages–not too young for the YA line, but still appealing to kids too.
When considering ideas, we liked something that hinted at either the white or the fire in the main line…but we’re also in the process of acquiring another imprint, so we were also toying with names that would tie in with those. These options do those things, but we want to make sure they evoke the right images and ideas in readers’ minds too! (For instance, WhiteAsh might make you think of ashes…whereas we’d be meaning the tree. Would a tree logo help ground the “correct” idea or not?)
If you have a second, please vote! And if you happen to have a young reader in your family, we’d love their opinions too!
by Roseanna White | Apr 16, 2018 | Word of the Week
Some families are football families. Baseball families. Basketball families.
We are a hockey family. And since the playoff just began and we’re cheering our Penguins on, I thought I’d pause to look at one of the hockey terms. (Okay, so it was a trending word on
www.etymonline.com, which is where I actually got the idea, LOL. Still!)
When I first started watching hockey with my husband, it was a constant case of, “What does that mean? Why are they doing that?” I knew none of the rules. Even now, twelve years later, I still occasionally have to ask for clarification or reasoning.
One of the early terms I needed defined was hat trick. Simple definition: when a single player scores three points in a game. In hockey, when a player gets a hat trick, the fans celebrate it by throwing their hats onto the ice. (One night, this happened during Free Hat Night, when every fan had been given a souvenir ball cap. Oh. My. Gracious. The ice was black with them!)
But where did this come from?
As it turns out, the phrase originated in the 1870s and was used in cricket for a player who took three wickets on three consecutive deliveries. The why isn’t entirely clear. Some say that he’d be given a hat by his club, commemorating the feat. Some say he got to pass that hat around for congratulatory donations. Some say it’s surely influenced by the magician’s trick of pulling something out of his hat, which is recorded for the first time in the same few years. Probably a little bit of all of these.
By 1909, the phrase had been borrowed by hockey, for the feat mentioned above, and it’s been a term in the sport ever since!
by Roseanna White | Apr 12, 2018 | Thoughtful Thursdays
This past weekend I just began my rotation teaching the kids at my church (being a small church, we alternate who’s in with them so that the same person doesn’t have the responsibility all the time). I decided to start a 36-week course aimed at tweens and teens (our kids range from 9-13), and it goes through Father, Son, and Holy Spirit each in a 12-week course that focuses on a lot of tenets of faith, as they fall under the different headings.
This first week, the focus was on God the Father as Creator.
Now, this is something the kids have studied so many times that they kinda start to groan when you say that’s the topic of the day, LOL. They know Genesis. They’ve got it this way, that way, and the next way too. My kids have had homeschool classes on it. It’s been covered by teacher after teacher at church. But this was a different take on it.
This was focused on why they should care that God is the Creator. What it really means for them. And for those who don’t profess to faith.
As I was preparing the lesson, an analogy struck me that I was pretty darn excited about, as it seems really perfect for this video-gaming generation. So I figured I’d lay it out here.
God is Creator. Even people who aren’t Christians, people who don’t really know what they believe, generally grant this. Obviously atheists don’t, but I daresay if you go up to most people on the street and say, “Hey, do you think there’s a Being who created the universe?” they’d say, “Yeah, probably. Sure.”
So with that as a premise, we move into our video game analogy–and with a video game, there’s obviously no debate about
if, right?
Obviously there’s a creator.
Well, a month or two ago, my 10-year-old, video-game-happy son called me in to the living room. “Mama, you’ve got to see this! Watch! It’s a video of the creator of the game playing this level. He does it perfectly.”
It was true–and a lot of fun to watch. Because the game creator knew all the tricks, obviously. Every hidden door. Every power-up. He could get every coin, kill every boss, hit every ledge just right. He not only got the maximum number of points the level would allow, he did it in a time way faster than we ever could, skipping half those coins.
Because he knew that game with the perfect, intimate knowledge that only a creator can have.
Now, let’s say this video game was serious business. Fun, yes, but maybe you’d entered a competition. You were at one of those big gaming conventions, and you had one of the seats. There was a big prize at stake. Huge money, maybe. The person with the highest score at the end of the day would win. Serious stuff, not just a play for fun in your living room sort of thing. High stakes. (Kinda like life.)
Then let’s say that the creator showed up at the convention and announced to all the players, “Hey, I’m having a seminar at 10:00. Everyone’s welcome. I’m going to show you guys all the tricks, all the hidden doors, what to watch out for, and how to get the highest score possible.”
You’d be an idiot not to go, right? Because he’s the creator. He knows it all. And he’s offering to share that knowledge.
But not everyone goes. Some because they think they know better than him. Some because they say it won’t be as fun if they do. Some because it’ll cramp their style. Maybe some even doubt that this guy is really the creator–probably just some phony trying to get in their heads and psych them out.
But the people that go–they come away with some amazing knowledge on how to play the game, don’t they? Maybe it’ll take a little practice to figure it all out. Maybe sometimes, when they try that difficult maneuver he showed them, they mess up. Maybe sometimes they doubt they can really do it. But the creator ends up on the convention floor, at the competition. He’s there, whispering advice and instructions along the way. He’s invested. He wants people to succeed, and to have fun doing it.
I’m sure you see the analogy. If life, this world, is the video game, then God is the ultimate creator. He knows all the ins-and-outs. Where every boss hides, the secrets to bringing them down. He knows the secret doors and power-ups. He can, and did, play this game perfectly, as Jesus. And He offers His knowledge, His guidance, to everyone.
But not everyone cares. Not everyone wants to listen. It’ll hamper their style, and it sure won’t be as much fun, right?
Um…I don’t know about you, but I don’t find failing at a video game much fun. I find it frustrating. I’d rather know how to do something then keep banging my head against the pixelated wall. Same goes in life. I like the guidance, thank you. I like knowing that the Creator has my back and is there whispering in my ear, “This way. Don’t forget about that right there. Now you want to pause. Now it’s time to go.”
If you’re going to grant the Creator…why would you not listen to Him? At least, if your goal is to succeed. You’d listen to him on the game convention floor, right?
So let’s listen to Him in life too. Common sense. Especially when the stakes are so much higher than a few thousand dollars.
Of course, I knew there was that missing “w”…but still. For years it made me shake my head, and I rated it up there with “inflammable = flammable.” (Yeah, just try puzzling that one out without the help of the etymology! LOL.)
Roseanna M. White is a bestselling, Christy Award winning author who has long claimed that words are the air she breathes. Having successfully launched two homeschool grads, she now spends her time writing fiction, designing book covers, and pretending her house will clean itself. Roseanna is the author of a slew of historical novels that span several continents and thousands of years, as well as a fantasy series and contemporary mysteries and romances. Spies and war and mayhem always seem to find their way into her books…to offset her real life, which is blessedly ordinary.