Names, Strong Coffee, Enchiladas Suisas

Last Friday evening at our closing ceremony, I came up to a man I had seen in church once before, and asked him his name.  "Jesús," he responded.  "I really should remember that name, " I responded."  "Yeah, that's not all," he said, "my parents' names are Joseph and Mary."  "Wow", I responded. "Now that would really be something if your mother was a virgin when you were born!"  (True story)

Jesús, by the way, is a family common name here.  The nickname for Jesus is Chucho.  Not sure why, that's just what it is.  Most names have nicknames, or shortened versions.  José Luis is Pepe.  Francisco shortens to Paco or Pancho.  Guillermo becomes Memo.  Ignacio becomes Nacho.  Rodrigo becomes Roy.

Because "Rod" is not a common name here, sometimes I use Rodrigo, which ends up becoming Roy.  My name has been spelled all sorts of ways, most recently "Roth."  I've also been known to be called Rot.  That's a fun one.  My father-in-law calls me Ronnie.  The owners of the other stores at the local market where our community center is call me Ronald.

Jesus, Hosea and Joshua mean "The Lord saves."  Pretty good name.  I've been told that the name Jesus was actually pretty common in Jesus' time.  It's still pretty common here.

Emmanuel is a good name to be called also.  Or Manuel.  Or Manny.  God with us.  We need it now more than ever!

Below...a picture that Tina took of the fanaticism that is 12/12.  I passed many, many similarly decorated vehicles on my way to the airport and back today.  Great talk, strong coffee and some famous enchiladas suisas at Sanborns with Toño Muñoz.

Quote of the Day: Another form of idolatry within religious communities turns spiritual gifts and ministry success into a counterfeit god. Spiritual gifts (talent, ability, performance, growth) are often mistaken for what the Bible calls spiritual “fruit” (love, joy, patience, humility, courage, gentleness).103 Even ministers who believe with the mind that “I am only saved by grace” can come to feel in their heart that their standing with God depends largely on how many lives they are changing.
Keller, Timothy (2009-10-20). Counterfeit Gods: The Empty Promises of Money, Sex, and Power, and the Only Hope that Matters (pp. 131-132).