Meet Me At The Faire

Word of the Post
Today's word is: hubris
/hyoo"bris/
noun
From Greek. Overbearing pride or presumption; arrogance; overconfidence that sets one up for failure. I have often heard this term used to describe a pride aimed at God, an arrogance that one knows better than the mind of God.
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Children are innocent, and yet so sneaky. I got to watch the Adorable Niece on Friday. She is so full of life! She is smarter than the average bear. She was sitting on her knees on the floor, and looked like she would fall over. I asked her if she could get up. She said, "Yes." Then she got up, put her little hands on her barely-there hips, looked up at me, and said, "See?" Dear Hubby was home for lunch, and we both just laughed out loud. She has dimples. If you ask her where they are, she points to them, and giggles, which shows them more clearly. I'm smitten, in case you couldn't tell.

Today, we went to the ever-popular annual Medieval Faire in Norman, Oklahoma. This is held in a park near the University of Oklahoma campus. DH and I have gone together every year for eleven years so far. The weather was beautiful. Anyone who has ever been to Medieval Faire knows that the weather from year to year can be unpredictable, but cycles through these styles:
1. Tornado (which we had Friday afternoon)
2. Rain (comes with or without Tornado)
3. Freezing Cold
4. Blistering Heat
5. Wind to blow you to the Emerald City
6. Gorgeous
The park was muddy in patches, lake in others, and mostly just not full of allergens. The rain knocked down all the hay and grass and tree pollens, and kept the air cool. The bugs in the air were minimal, and the molds hadn't had a chance to form. Last time the weather was like this, I lost a shoe in a quicksand-like mud puddle. A nice man retrieved it for me, and I had to wear it without my sock, because I had then stepped in the mud to balance myself. This year, I was not trapped in such hazard, and for that I am prayerfully grateful.

The music is always the first thing I look for. There is a man who plays what he calls a Glass Harmonica. It is a table with various sized wineglasses filled to perfect pitch with water. He wets his fingers and rubs the rims, and each glass has it's own note. He plays actual songs on it, like Cannon in D, and Ode to Joy. There are people who play Flutes, Harps, Drums, Guitars, Bagpipes, and Dulcimers. There is much Irish and Belly dancing to watch. Many of the artists insist on audience participation.

The next thing we go for is the food. DH always gets a jumbo Roasted Turkey Leg. You can smell them from the street! I don't know exactly how it relates to Medieval times, but they also have Indian Tacos. I missed having these from when I lived in New Mexico. They are a fried puffy yet flat bread the size of a dinner plate, covered in beans and meat, and piled high with lettuce, tomatoes, onions, and cheese. It is similar to an open faced chalupa at Taco Bell, but so much better. There is a stand that has been there every year, they sell bottles and root beer to fill them. This year it was called "Piper's Pub". They have Root Beer, Cream Ale (Soda), Wizzard's Wine (a Fruit Punch), and Raspberry Lemonade. If you bring bottles from prior years, they will refill them for only $1.

The live events are fun. There is usually a fully outfitted Joust and a live Chess game with period outfits on a huge chessboard stage. Both happen with much yelling, and a pretty maid's marital bliss on the line. There are people who go around selling flowers. One man yells derogatory remarks to anyone near him, hoping to guilt the men into buying the women roses made of Brass. There was a woman who was balancing on stilts in a tall tree outfit, and one lady looked like a mythical creature that was half human and half goat. There is a word for those... I forget it right now. I will edit when I think of it. {EDIT: The word is FAUN. Thanks to those leaving comments and DH for the rescue!} I missed seeing the guy that scared me the first year. He used to carry a large tankard around, and slosh beer on you, and he was dirty and loud, but never said anything. He once fell flat on his face in a booth, showing reverence to the Queen and Princess who had also entered the booth. I was quite confused, until the good shopkeep answered my query. He stayed there for almost half an hour, probably breathing dirt, until he was sure they had moved on. Some of these people take the Faire very seriously.

I usually have a few vendors that I look for. I am always happy to visit with Aubrey. She makes personal care items I know I can't live without, and spins wool while at the Faire. I look for unique jewelry and the cinnamon roasted almonds. I love to see the real swords you can buy, and learn the history of the crafts. This year they had two different blacksmiths, complete with demonstrations.

Then there is the Halloween improvisation. Honestly, at Halloween, you hope that the weirdos you see are just costumes. At Medieval Faire, you can never be too sure. There are couples fondling each other in public (enough to make you gag), goths being dark, OU fans just out for family fun because they didn't get tickets to the game, girls bringing out the goods for the spring clearance (it hurts me to watch them sunburn), and royalty dressed in fine array all walking around at the same time. I usually wear a simple skirt and blouse with a cloak I made, but this year I chose to be average 21st century comfortable Chelf.

If you ever get the chance to come, this is a wonderful event. It has grown over the years, but there are still some vendors and exhibits that are actually there to educate you, not just take your money. The roasted corn and chocolate bananas are not to be missed, and the kids getting faces painted makes it all the more fun. If all else fails, you can still snicker at the crazies. I will be in the crowd carrying the swords.

Life Is Too Short To Wear Tight Shoes

Word of the Day
Today's word is: erudition
/er'u*di"tion/ noun
The act of instructing; studied book learning; profound scholarly knowledge. The Devil's Dictionary ((C) 1911 Released April 15 1993) says this is "Dust shaken out of a book into an empty skull."
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I had an epiphany this morning in church. Have you ever had one of those? I had a realization that will be life changing for a few of my more relaxed readers. I have found Biblical basis for wearing comfortable, removable shoes to church. I have found basis to justify taking off my shoes in worship service. It may seem small or insignificant to you, but this is major to me. There is no reason on earth to bind a foot into an uncomfortable shoe for the benefit of someone else. Follow my path of reason, please.

~~~Today's study notes that I am currently using the New American Standard Bible translation, from The Open Bible edition of Thomas Nelson Publishers.~~~

Go look up Exodus 3:5. God is about to call Moses to the greatest adventure from the "burning" bush. God tells Moses, "remove your sandals from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground." This is quoted to the people in Acts 7:33. Also, there is Joshua 5:15. The last sentence of the whole chapter is Joshua complying with the command to remove his sandals. In Isaiah 20:2, Sargon, the king of Assyria, was told to take off his shoes, and his clothes, and to fight naked and barefoot, in order to shame Egypt. Isaiah apparently went naked and barefooted for three years, and the king was fighting God's symbolic and physical fight in the proper manner. (I don't advocate stripping in church, however. Just taking off the shoes.)

This motion of removing shoes is seemingly meaningless to American culture, because we don't have the same dusty, dirty, dingy, dry plain to walk through. We don't comprehend the washing of feet to be a symbolic moment of servitude, because we don't have to wash our feet when we go to someone's home. The Japanese and Chinese cultures remove outdoor shoes before entering a home. My Chinese landlord takes his shoes off outside my home, that I rent from him. I was happy to see that, because I don't wear shoes in the house unless I am leaving it. I am a sock-footed dancing queen! It keeps the hardwood polished, and clean.

Matthew 18:20 says, "For where two or three have gathered together in My name, there I am in their midst." When we worship God, He is in the place with us. When we worship God, we are on Holy Ground. By this reasoning, we could say that we should not only remove our shoes, but we should prostrate ourselves (basically flatten the body on the ground face down) in the face of such holiness. God is so beyond what we see as special. He is Holy, Perfect, and fortunately for me, Forgiving. In Christ we are given freedom, that legalism is destined to misunderstand, and try to remove from us.

So what would happen if next Sunday, you got out into the aisle and took off your shoes, and knelt and bowed to God?

Now, I am not saying that you should make a spectacle of yourself. This is NOT a moment to be drawing attention to yourself. Worship is not about YOU. Worship is about GOD. We need to study what God wants from us in our worship. I want to challenge you to think about the commands to remove shoes. We are to be paying attention to the way we approach God, and if we don't do it right, there are dire consequences. Remember that the man who touched the Ark of the Covenant was still struck dead, even though he thought he was helping. God hasn't changed His mind about the directives. The 10 Commandments are still there, and we are still not supposed to have another god we put above Jehovah God.

Now, wear those flip flops to church, and take them off! Put your feet on the cool tile, or the soft carpet, and hope there are no spiders sneaking up on you. Consider that your feet are on Holy Ground, and your heart is worshiping the God of gods, the Great I Am. And remember that He told many great men before you to remove their sandals.

I Know I'm Cute, Take The Picture Already

Word of the Post
Today's word is: prerogative
/pre*rog"a*tive/ noun
An exclusive or peculiar privilege for a particular person or group; precedence.
Bobby Brown was happy to tell us about "My Prerogative", but he pronounced it wrong throughout the song. I get his point.
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Wordless Wednesday
Kinda. I wanted to join in on the wordless Wednesday thing, and here I am neither Wordless, nor on Wednesday. (Technically, this is Thursday, because it is after midnight, but still is Wednesday to me, because I have not yet slept.)

This is my niece, in my living room, for an alternative to the sick babysitter a few weeks back. She knows where the toys live, and is too fast sometimes for the delay on the digital camera.