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Well Butter my Backside and Call Me A Biscuit!

Well Butter my Backside and Call Me A Biscuit!

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Well Butter My Backside and Call Me a Biscuit--headshot of Tammy WhitehurstPlease welcome my guest writer, Tammy Whitehurst. I met Tammy at the Kentucky Christian Writers Conference. Fast-paced. Funny. Down to earth. Relatable. Tammy is a “hoot with a capital H!” From hilariously funny to seriously faith-filled, Tammy has been featured in Lifeway magazines, Christianity Today and other publications. She has spoken for Moody and Salem Radio Broadcasting. However, to those who know her best, she is simply Davis’s wife, an empty nest mom, and a former middle school teacher. She struggles like the rest of us with dust, dishes, cellulite, junk drawers, and wrinkles. Find out more at TammyWhitehurst.com.

Well butter my backside and call me a biscuit!

If we need a positive expression when good news takes us by surprise, this one takes the cake.

Oh, the joy of being surprised unexpectedly!

  • Well Butter My Backside and Call Me a Biscuit--biscuits on a platePerhaps the door swings open and someone we love dearly stands there.
  • Maybe an answered prayer that seemed impossible.
  • When someone pays for our meal out of the blue.
  • Or a text from someone we haven’t heard from in years.

In the South a grin would emerge that would be almost impossible to wipe away and we would say, “Well butter my backside and call me a biscuit!”

Whether we are southern as “all git out” or “suddenly southern” due to a move or vacation, one thing is for sure…. learning southern slang is crucial.

When the trials and tribulations of life have us up against the Red Sea….

God parted it for Moses so the Israelites could pass through (Exodus 14). He can part it for us as well. God can and does exceed our expectations.

Expect the unexpected.

Ephesians 3:20 (NIV) says, “Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us.”

Thanks to Jeri Stone for the biscuits photo.

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Scarce as Hens’ Teeth

Scarce as Hens’ Teeth

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Scarce as Hens' Teeth--a rooster followed by a row of ducksThis photo, with lots of ducks and a rooster, has no hens. Hens are as scarce as hens’ teeth here.

Scarce as hens’ teeth means very scarce.

What we seek is:

  • Rare
  • Impossible or almost impossible to find

We seldom find a:

  • Mud puddle in the desert
  • Polar bear in Kentucky
  • Pessimist at an optimists’ meeting

Hens have no teeth.

That fact emphasizes how scarce an item can be. Finding what we want is like looking for a needle in a haystack. However, as with mud puddles in the desert, we may find them once in a blue moon.

We often give greater value to scarce items.

Supply and demand teach that demand (and prices) go up when supply goes down. We see that with:

  • One-of-a-kind art
  • Antiques
  • Limited editions of anything

Truth frequently feels as scarce as hens’ teeth.

Everywhere we turn, we find people trying to deceive us. Scams appear:

  • On our phones
  • In the mail
  • During business deals

Such occurrences make us mad as a wet hen.

Occasionally, we wonder if truth exists anymore.

However, one truth never fails.

God, who is truth, offers each of us grace and truth through the gift of Jesus. Hang on to that truth and never let go.

 “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14 NIV).

Thanks to Emily Akin for the suggestion.

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Chickens Come Home to Roost

Chickens Come Home to Roost

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Chickens Come Home to Roost--chickens on a fenceChickens come home to roost.

  • Birds usually return to their nests at night.
  • The results of our past actions return to us.

Bad behavior in the past may causes problems in the present or future.

We may get away with bad choices for a while. However, we often suffer for them later. We land in hot water. That is true for what we do and what we say.

We live with the consequences of the choices we make.

 Mistakes or wrong choices hurt us and others. We reap what we sow.

  • Fail to study: fail a test.
  • Hurt other people; expect to get hurt.
  • Ignore physical needs; suffer physical pains.

Therefore, we do well to always make right choices.

Be careful what we say and do. What goes around comes around. We don’t want our words and actions coming back to haunt us.

If we follow the straight and narrow, we have no need to worry.

“Turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it” (Psalm 34:14 NIV).

Thanks to Steve and LuAnne Russell for the suggestion. Photo courtesy of Pixabay.

Do you have an expression you want explained or a thought about this one? If so, please comment below.

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Fixing to

Fixing to

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Fixing to-Lake Cumberland viewMy mother, sister, cousin, and I were fixing to eat when I took this picture. We planned to enjoy both our food and this great view of Lake Cumberland.

When we are fixing to do something, we are getting ready to do it.

In the southern United States, we often say fixin’ to. However we say it, we mean we are:

  • About to begin
  • Preparing
  • Starting

We plan to do something. For example, we are fixing to:

  • Cook dinner
  • Start a new semester
  • Go shopping

Sometimes people rush us.

We have not tackled a job as soon as they think we should. They want us to get the ball rolling. When that happens, we might say, “Don’t rush me. I’m fixing to do it.” That often happens with:

  • Children doing their schoolwork
  • Teens cleaning their room
  • Husbands or wives working around the house

Are we fixing to do what matters most?

Will what we are fixing to do:

  • Make life better?
  • Help anyone?
  • Have lasting value?

“You also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him” (Luke 12:40 NIV).

Thanks to Carol York Patterson Brangers for the idea.

Do you have an expression you want explained or a thought about this one? If so, please comment below.

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