September

(under construction)

Week 1- stage Week 2- purge Week 3- ripple Week 4- vanish

Stage.090715.Monday

“He has no intention of leaving the political stage.” When we use the word ‘stage’ we normally think of the theatre and acting. In politics, there is also a type of stage or arena in which politicians make themselves and their views known. Stage is a Middle English word that comes from the Anglo-French word “estage” meaning abode, story of a building or state. We are all on the stage of life expressing our personal views!

Stage.090815.Tuesday

“The actors walked out onto the stage.” In this sentence, stage is used in one of its most common meanings “a raised platform in a theater, auditorium, etc., where the performers stand.” Most of us are aware of the acting profession and what it means. But ‘stage’ means more than a performance. Another of its meanings is “one of a series of positions or stations that are one above the other (in steps). Rockets have stages of fuel that are used to propel it into orbit. Stage is also the small platform of a microscope and it is also a period or step in a process such as a child’s growth. We all go through stages in life!

Stage.090915.Wednesday

“He is in an early stage of the disease.” No, we are not talking about cancer, but Alzheimer’s. In this use of ‘stage’ we see it used in a medical sense. Many diseases go through ‘stages’ as they progress from onset to cure or termination. It is the recognition of what stage a disease is in that is important. With many diseases, catching it in an early stage is very important for proper treatment and cure. Recognizing a disease in its early stage can be a lifesaver!

Stage.091015.Thursday

“Many companies want to compete on the world stage.” In this sentence we see ‘stage’ used to mean “a center of attention or scene of action.” The focal point of such a company is to be productive for a global economy. This means a company must produce products that results in making products that satisfy the needs of a wide international community. It takes a lot more effort to be successful in this environment. This stage requires multi-talent and multi-lingual abilities!

Stage.091115.Friday

Yes, it is true that most relationships go through stages. There is an initial blush as one focuses on the start of a new relationship and then it fades as the relationship matures. If it is a good relationship, it will become solid and trustworthy. If it is not a solid relationship, it will continue to fade or disappear if there is not a strong bond to keep the association alive. Some relationships will be solid and last for years; others are only for a time and then will fade into obscurity. Good, strong relationships take hard work!

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Purge.091415.Monday

“The doctor purged his stomach of the contaminated food that he had eaten.” This week’s word is one that has an unsavory sense in what it means. Removing something that is causing a problem is seldom a healthy condition. Sometimes we must remove that which is making us sick in order to overcome the illness. Be sure to purge in the right way!

Purge.091515.Tuesday

“Many high-ranking officials were purged from the company following the merger.” This sentence illustrates a common use of the word ‘purge.’ Its primary meaning is “to remove people from an area, country, organization, etc., often in a violent and sudden way.” A secondary meaning is to cause something to leave the body. To rid something or someone of an unpleasant condition is another meaning of purge. Be care and don’t get caught in a purge!

Purge.091615.Wednesday

“A good piece of advice is to purge yourself of fear.” Why? Fear can immobilize you. It can make you hesitate when you shouldn’t. It can rob you of joy. It can send you in the dumps when you should not be there. Fear can cause paranoia which may require expensive treatments. Fear is a symptom of insecurity and instability. Search for and use good tools to help you deal with fear. (God’s Promises?) Fear can stop you from being a success!

Purge.091715.Thursday

“The restaurant purged its menu of seldom ordered food items.” We see in this suggestion another way in which a purge can produce good results. We should review any list or range of items we use to make sure they are producing the most efficient solution for good end results. Many times we need to look at our bad habits and figure out ways to purge ourselves of those causing damage. This kind of purge should be a long term project. The best results cannot be produced overnight. Removing bad habits can go a long way toward relieving stress!

Purge.091815.Friday

“Relationships that hinder you from being your best need to be purge to that you can accomplish your goals.” You need to be free from moral or ceremonial defilement and bad relationships can keep you chained to unsavory reactions. Purging those bad relationships will keep you up to date on those that may impact you in a negative way. Life has enough surprises without consciously keeping associations that are bad news. Like a surgeon’s knife, a purge can help relieve relationship stress!

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Ripple.092115.Monday

“His favorite trout fly settled into the water just before it rippled over the rock and into a calm pool.” No, our word this week is not about trout flies, but what ‘ripples’ like water. This is one of those words that we see, hear and read about but do not give a lot of thought. We can see the movement of wind across a still pond because of the ripples it makes. We see movement happening without a lot of fuss. A day with ripples and not a lot of fuss is fun!

Ripple.092215.Tuesday

“The news of the crash rippled outwards across the crowd.” We see in this sentence one of the most often understood meanings of ‘ripple’ which is to move in small waves. Another meaning is to flow with a light rise and fall of sound or inflection. Again, another way we understand ripple is to “stir up small waves on” some liquid like water or as sound waves. Ripple is the movement of something to cause or appear as a wavy motion. It may be interesting to look for the ripples in your life!

Ripple.092315.Wednesday

”A ripple of smothered laughter circled the courtroom.” This is not a normal occurrence in a courtroom. In this event, what happened was not intended but was perceived as laughable. Most judges would frown on this type of action even if it was accidental and unintended. Such spontaneous outbursts are seldom controllable and usually dismissed as an anomaly, an unintended act. Most ‘ripple’ type of motions are the result of an initiating action. Watch your ripples as they may have unintended effects!

Ripple.092415.Thursday

“We could see the lion’s muscles ripple as he stalked his prey.” Muscles that ripple are what many men would like to have. To watch an animal, like a lion, in action as he stalks his prey is something imposing to watch. It requires good conditioning whether man or animal to see muscles working smoothly. For us humans, it requires a lot of hard work and sweat to make our muscles supple enough to ripple. That kind of ripple a lot of us would like to see!

Ripple.092515.Friday

“Often our relationships cause us a ripple of alternating joy and woe as we remember them.” We see that many of the things that happen in our lives cause ripples; some good and some bad. We can live with most of the ripples. It is when the ripples become full blown storms that we feel and remember their impact. Most ripples will fade and be forgotten. It is the stormy relationships that will stay with as bad memories, yet these are the ones that we need to turn loose of and forget. Hang on to the good ripples, not the bad ones!

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Vanish.092815.Monday

“Atheists and evolutionists claim that dinosaurs vanished from the earth millions of years ago.” Truthfully, no one really knows the why, when and how dinosaurs vanished. Mankind does not want to believe the Bible, so they concoct “theories” that try to explain how things vanish. If the Bible is to be believed, then a “higher” authority must exist. Without a “higher” authority, then anything can be concocted and “lies” then become truth. Without belief in the Bible, truth will vanish!

Vanish.092915.Tuesday

“Magicians seem to be able to make things vanish.” With this example sentence, we see the use of ‘vanish’ in its most often used form as in “to disappear entirely without a clear explanation.” Another definition for this intransitive verb is “to stop existing.” It is also used in math as “to assume the value zero.” The sense of this word ‘vanish’ is that something ceases to exist in reality. Be careful that your reality check does not vanish!

Vanish.093015.Wednesday

“Sore spots vanish when you work out regularly.” In this sentence ‘vanish’ is used quite simply. It means to pass quickly from sight or feel. This Middle English word first came into use about the fourteen century and its root spelling is from Anglo-French which meant “empty.” It was but is no longer. Most of us have things that we would like to see vanish!

Vanish.100115.Thursday

“For those who know math, there is such a thing as a ‘vanishing’ point.” It happens when you have a positive value and negative value (+9 & -9) that are the same so the result will be to assume the value zero which means it is empty or has no value. This can also be called the balance point as both values are equal. The balance point means that things are at rest. We should strive to be ‘at rest’ with things in our lives being in balance!

Vanish.100215.Friday

“The missing friend vanished without a trace a year ago.” Have you ever had this happen to you? Sometimes those friends that are more ‘acquaintance’ that close friends will do the vanishing act without notice. It is upsetting when such happens, but it does occur. Keep in mind the sometimes fickleness of the human psyche and give grace in such cases. Just be certain that you are not guilty of doing the vanishing act!

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