What's In A Name?

It's an old question - What's in a name?  Proverbs tells us that a good name is better than great riches. U.S. companies spend millions of dollars protecting their brand names. Remember when the Maytag repairman was the loneliest man in town? Ford had a better idea? Coke was the real thing? I even helped Children's Television Workshop (not an endorsement of Sesame Street by any means) protect the names of two of their most beloved characters - Burt and Ernie. A bar in Danville, Illinois, where I was living at the time, had renamed itself Bert and Ernie's, complete with Sesame Street drawings. The legal department of CTW was quite interested in hearing about it and the bar soon had a new name.

Liberian's also seem to put great thought into names. Here are a few suggestions for you should you come to Liberia and visit me.

Does your wife need a new hairdo? Try the Success Beauty Saloon.

Have a breakdown with your rental car and no one seems to know the problem? The God Only Knows Spare Auto Parts store might have the answer.

Looking to do some building. You might try the Possible Construction Company.

Looking for a way to fool that pesky neighbor? Sly Enterprises could have the answer.

The God's Battle-axe Ministry might help you overcome any problem in life.

You might think twice before putting your money in the FIB Bank or before calling the Naked We Came, Naked We Shall Return taxi service.

Want to learn a little culture? Dance lessons might be the thing. Just call C* Trippe for information.

I like to protect my own name as well. It always was a little amusing to me that in Bolivia the brothers could never get it straight if I was Gordon Elliott or Elliott Gordon. One night I received a phone call from one of the district leaders. "Pardon me pastor, but is your name Gordon Elliott or Elliott Gordon."

"Gordon Elliott."

"I knew it. They owe me a Coke."

So I was a bit amused when the first time I saw my name in print at a church event it was printed as Doodnor. I don't have any idea how they came up with that. However, I received a much better misspelling the other day in a letter requesting heHas my reputation grown or what? That's a hard name to live up to.

So what's in a name? Maybe not much in yours or mine but at this season of the year we remember the greatest name of all and the angel's words; "You shall call his name Jesus because he will save his people from their sins."

Merry Christmas!