Monthly Archive for January, 2006

The Prayer Card that never was…

Published on January 10, 2006


Most of our newsletters and prayer cards never make it to your mailbox. High postage and the difficulties of mailing things from Africa mean you don’t always get the news you need. Here is a draft of a prayer card that was planned way back in 2004. Do you like it? Print it! Put it on your fridge!

 Posted by Picasa

What is a kerfuffle?

Published on January 4, 2006
In the Merriam-Webster online dictionary kerfuffle is not defined but is given as a synonym for “disturbance” and “fuss.”  My Encarta dictionary defines kerfuffle as “a noisy disturbance or commotion.”  The Merriam-Webster gives an interesting etymology, saying that kerfuffle comes from Scottish gaelic caerr “awkard” + fuffle “disheveled.”  If anyone has ever been in the same room with my four kerkins they will better understand the meaning of kerfuffle. It is indeed a “noisy disturbance and commotion.”  However I think the etymology given by M-W is incorrect. Anyone living along the border of Scotland and England during the late-Middle ages would have understood what a kerfuffle was.  The Kers were a rambunctious clan of thieves and raiders.  We’re all respectable and well-behaved these days but a bit of the rambunctiousness still remains.