He Is Risen! There Is Hope For The Hopeless

by Kevin Burton    Your tombstone and mine will land with the thud of finality. Jesus’ tombstone was pushed aside in very short order.    This was God’s plan, and we rejoice in it today on Easter, as we serve a risen Savior, who conquered death to make a way for us to be saved. …

The Weird Ways We Have Measured Our World

by Dictionary Scoop    Measuring the world is a human necessity, and throughout history, we’ve used some truly strange units. Here are 10 of the weirdest—and funniest—measures ever recorded. Not the most practical, but undeniably fun! 1-Beard-second    A beard-second is the distance a beard grows in one second, roughly 5 nanometers. The unit originated in physics as a …

Talking About The Weather, Using Idioms

by Dictionary Scoop    We always talk about the weather, but, as it happens, we also use weather-related terms to talk about other things as well.    These sayings are part of our everyday lexicon, often without us even realizing their connection to sun, rain, wind, or snow. Which of these 12 do you use …

A Smokin’ Hot Game Can Be A “Barn Burner”

by Kevin Burton    The NCAA Final Four is Saturday. Those of us with no favorite teams playing, merely hope for close games.    In honor of March Madness, Merriam-Webster has looked into the origin of the idiom “barn-burner.” I have mostly heard this refer to football, but it could apply to basketball as well. …

Seals and Crofts Music Sticks To Your Ribs

by Kevin Burton    I like barbecue sauce. I love cayenne pepper and other hot spices. But I don’t have to have it on everything, all the time.    And so it is with screaming guitars and scene-stealing guitar solos. They are cool sometimes, but I can live without them.    So it was that …

Let The Saints Praise Jesus, The Rocks Be Quiet

by Kevin Burton    A philosopher once defined “nothing”  as “that which rocks dream about.”   That makes sense, drives home the point.  Rocks don’t dream as far as I know. But talking rocks, now that’s a thing.    Or at least could be, if need be.    The story is told, “the triumphal entry,” …

Twelve Idioms That Came From The Bible

by Dictionary Scoop    Many common phrases we use today are direct quotes from the Bible. They have slipped seamlessly into everyday conversation, often with little thought to their origins. Which of these sayings do you use? 1-Drop in the Bucket    The phrase “a drop in the bucket” refers to something very small or insignificant compared …

Finding Contentment In The Little Dance

by Kevin Burton    Perhaps you noticed that all the teams in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA basketball tournament this year were from the Big Four conferences.    That and Kansas losing in the second round has dialed my enthusiasm down very close to zero.    A pox on all 16 of their houses …

Dual Citizenship Now A Popular Escape Route

by Ellie Cobb BBC    When Emily Hill, a novelist from Everett, Washington, heard about the recent changes to Canada’s citizenship-by-descent rules, she immediately wondered whether a family connection might make her eligible.    “I felt like I’d been struck by lightning,” she says, explaining that her grandmother was born in Montreal. “This possibility was …

December 1963, Oh What A Song, For The Guy

by Kevin Burton    Here’s what we know about the female character from “December 1963 (Oh What a Night,” the Four Seasons’ fifth and last number one hit:    She had the ability to walk. She walked into a room. That’s all we get.    No eyes of blue, no golden hair, no perfume in …