“There Is a Name I Love to Hear”
by Tom Goodman
January 26, 2005

What’s in a name?  Apparently, quite a lot!

Sometimes Einstein would sign a check and never see it again.  His signature became so famous that even his creditors held on to his checks.

Joe DiMaggio had trouble with checks, too.  The famous Yankee center fielder once had to wrestle a souvenir collector at his bank to retrieve a check made out by DiMaggio and endorsed by his then wife Marilyn Monroe.

These autograph collectors knew that the name alone was worth more than the amounts for which the checks were drafted.  These days, an old autograph of Thomas Jefferson fetches $1000, a signed photo of Humphrey Bogart starts at $1000, and a two-page letter handwritten by Greta Garbo recently sold for $6600.

Of course, not everyone appreciates a famous name.  Golf great Lee Trevino recalls autographing a $5 bill once for a persistent woman in a restaurant.  She gushed as she walked away, "I'll treasure it forever."  But later, upon paying for his meal, Trevino looked at his change from the cashier and saw the $5 bill he had just signed!

How highly do you value God’s name?  In the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus taught us that the very first thing that should come to mind when we pray is the value of God’s name.  He taught us to ask God to “hallow” his name—to make it holy and special.  It’s interesting that the first request of the Lord’s Prayer covers the same territory as the first sentence of the Ten Commandments:  the name of God.

When someone slanders us, we say they’ve ruined our “good name.”  Our name is a kind of short-hand for our being and character.  Jesus said that the highest priority for anyone should be reverence for the being and character of God.

Last week we began a two-month study through the famous and familiar Lord’s Prayer.  Our series is called “How to Talk to God,” and we’re looking at eight ways to improve our prayer life.  Bring someone with you for this important study at 10:45 a.m. this week!

—Tom


Important Note:

Learn to Speak the Five Love-Languages!  The next Mom-to-Mom meeting will be on February 4th in the Parlor from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m.  Mom-to-Mom is comprised of a fun group of women with children of any age that meet together to discuss issues that are relevant to our current life situation (children, spouses, health, spiritual matters, etc).  Our topic for February will be "Discovering and Applying the 5 Love Languages in a Practical Way Within Our Families."  Childcare is available on a limited basis and by appointment only.  Please contact Melinda Johnson to make reservations for childcare or with any questions (310-0590 or melindaj@flash.net).