Wednesday, January 14, 2009

What's In A Name

Last week my son and I were talking and he said something about a guy at school, and he called him by a new nickname. I didn't know who he was talking about, so he told me and gave me the circumstances surrounding the nickname. It was funny, but it was tough and cruel as 16 year old boys tend to be. (Unless they around hot 16 year old girls, and then they are mush). I have thought several times this week about that nickname, and felt sorry for the boy who has earned it, and it was earned. They call him by his batting average from last year, which was bad. Really bad. Even the coach now calls him by this number.
With 5 kids and 3 nephews who have all grown up together, we have seen our share of nicknames. This is different than name calling, and my kids call each other some very uncomplimentary things which can be universal, these names don't belong to anyone special. But when these nicknames are said, everyone knows exactly who we are talking about. Pooh Bear, Bob, Chopper, Nater, Mini Me, Welchy, Little Welch, Baby Welch, Jellyman, Jerrfy, Whitey, Shake n Bake, Freak, Scooter, Care Bear, Bofe. These kids all have common names that don't get butchered, mispronouned or made fun of, or at least not very much. Hard to mess with Cameron, Brandon, Jeffrey, Kari, Amanda, Ashley, Nate and Whitney, last names Baker and Welch.
My nicknames in high school were not flattering. Pootsy, Flatsy Patsy, Potsy. Worst of all, Cow Patty, from the song by Jim Stafford. "Yippi ay yay, Cow Patty, she rode into town to find the man that killed her daddy…" Yeah, I hated that one. Saw Jim Stafford in Branson, didn't make the connection till he actually performed the song. Ripped all those scabs wide open, right there in the theatre at 32 years old. (Now I'll be singing it all day, 40 shots rang out, 40 people fell, Patty and that killer, they shot that town to…Yippi ay yay) . I even remember the "clever" guy who started it, I had the wildest crush on him before that unfortunate moniker.
I don't have any nicknames for my husband but other people have over the years, and I heard a new one this summer. People we had never met at church knew his name, but said they always called him Mr. Teeth or the Dentist, because of his smile. He's Mr. Teeth, I'm Cow Patty. I'm going to take a minute and wallow in self pity (and download the song, it's kind of catchy)...Okay, I'm back.
A couple years ago Pastor Mark Hoover at Newspring Church did a series on people in the Bible that God changed their name. Abram/Abraham, Sarai/Sarah, Jacob/Israel, Saul/Paul, you get the idea. Steve (Mr. Teeth) sang a song during that series titled "You Changed My Name" by Travis Cottrell. "You changed my name, you called me forgiven, you changed my name when you called me redeemed. You took my place and wrote a new beginning to the story I was living and I'll never be the same. You saw what I could be and reaching down for me, You changed my name." My past is not pretty, but one line of the first verse says, "Who I was before, doesn't matter anymore". Praise Jesus he sees what I can be, and he works on me. I have already blogged about what I CAN do, which according to the Word of God is ALL THINGS. Also blogged on the need to change, because Jesus is doing a good work in me and will complete it on the day He comes and takes me home. Who I was doesn't matter, who I am is changing, who I will be is exciting, and completely in His hands. There will come a day when I won't be Cow Patty anymore.
Just for a laught, these are kids who don't need nicknames because their given name is weird enough. I find these worse than Cow Patty, and they are on their birth certificates. Coco (Courteney Cox & David Arquette), Apple (Gwyneth Paltrow & Chris Martin), Rumer (Demi Moore & Bruce Willis), Diva Muffin Zappa (Frank Zappa), Moxie Crimefighter (Penn Jillette), Tu Morrow (actor Rob Morrow), Jermajesty (Jermaine Jackson), Fifi Trixibelle (Bob Geldof & Paula Yates), Kal-El (Nicolas Cage & Alice Kim. Note: Kal-el is Superman’s birth name), Free (Barbara Hershey & David Carradine), Audio Science (Shannyn Sossamon & Dallas Clayton), Bluebell Madonna Haliwell (Geri "Ginger Spice" Halliwell), Pilot Inspektor (Jason Lee & Beth Riesgraf), Sage Moonblood (Sylvester Stallone).

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