Twenty-two And Counting

Whatever happened to great songs like The Name Game? You remember:
Shirley, Shirley bo Birley
Bonana fanna fo Firley
Fee fy mo Mirley, Shirley!
They just don't make music like they used to! Our names are important to all of us but we don't always own the copyright to what we go by as this entry from November 26, 2006 explains.

In Luke 6:40, Jesus tells us that, "A student is not above his teacher but everyone who is fully trained will be like his teacher." To those of us who instruct in the classroom, that can be an exhilarating motivation and a terrifying realization. On a regular basis, I check up on two of my former students, Jason Bybee and Lane Widick, who both are in the ministry. Jason and Lane write online devotionals and I try to read them several times per week. Yesterday, Jason's blog was about something he saw on Lane's blog. The topic was a website called HowManyOfMe.com. By clicking on this Internet location, you can find out how common your name is in the United States. Curiosity, and vanity, required me to check it out. You will be pleased to know that there are 22 Americans with the Steve Hawley label. I already was aware of two. Astronaut Steve Hawley and artist Steve Hawley have both acquired a sizable lead over teacher/coach Steve Hawley in the fame department. That's OK. My students and players make up for the accolades I miss in the public arena. Plus, my players told me yesterday my singing voice would capture the American Idol competition. Too bad I have so much going on at school!

Tonight, I wonder about the other nineteen Steve Hawleys. I have never met someone who shares my name. Truthfully, I have only met a few Hawleys I am not related to. (Incidentally, the website informed me that there are 17,998 Hawleys currently abiding in the USA.) It can be a headache in a school setting to have multiple students with identical names. Several years ago, we had two Daniel Wilsons and two Sarah Whites. It was confusing. When the office paged one of them, they had to include the grade for clarification. It could have been worse- they could have dated each other. I wonder what God called us before we were born and titled by our parents. Does he give moms and dads the leeway he gave Adam in the Garden of Eden when he named his bride? Up to that time in the scriptures, the first lady is referred to simply as the woman or his wife. Adam christened his mate Eve, the name she made famous. (Maybe the Lord will let me do that. I would like to name my wife Jennifer Anniston.) John the Baptist and Jesus were named before they were born. When we are reborn into Christ, a post-script is tacked on to what others call us. In 1 Peter, the apostle challenges believers when he writes, "if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed but praise God that you bear that name." So, according to the Bible, I am the owner of two names. Peter says I might be oppressed because of my second name. Maybe I have been living incognito- I haven't experienced that suffering yet.

Applicable quote of the day:
"Change it to what? Tiffany? It's been an advantage. It's unforgettable. I'm the only one."
Swoosie Kurtz/actress
 

 God bless,
Steve
Luke 18:1
www.hawleybooks.com
E-mail me at steve@hawleybooks.com