My husband used to play word games with his Grandma. “Rhyming and opposites”, he calls them. I love that story. It sounds like fun.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I kept that idea and played them with my grandson, Fred. I watch him in the rear-view mirror. Sitting in the backseat, toddler shoes bouncing off the bottom of his car seat. Little wheels spinning in his three-year-old word capacity. He looks out the window, scrunches up his face, slaps his knees trying to shake one loose. When he just can’t find a single one in there, he makes a new one up, and we laugh at the sound of it knowing it isn’t real, but it’s really<\/em> fun to say. Fun just to be together and play games with words. No boards, dice, cards, or pieces to move ~ just the spinners in our mind waiting for our imagination to land on the winning one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I recently started taking inventory of the words in my mind. And it’s no game. You know, the ones never let loose into the air. The words we keep in the dark. Because, who really wants to think that way? Who really wants to punch, belittle, or betray anyone that way?<\/em>Not me. Not you. What to do with these words is my question. Do I just allow them to keep coming ~ keep spewing? Why can’t I just decide not to think them anymore? I make decisions every day that I stick to. But these seem to arrive without invitation, without a moments notice. Pushing through the door of my mind like they own the place. And there’s the burn. They do own the place. These gross, ruinous words were planted way before birth. Like DNA.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You can’t stop them from coming. Can’t amputate them like cancer. But we are not without help. We have great Hope! We don’t have to be bombed with the shrapnel of our humanity. We can post a guard at our mind. Twenty-four hour Bouncer at the entrance of our thoughts. He doesn’t need a gun (that’s for weaklings). He uses words. Yep. Words. Not our words or made up words. Real ones. And you’d be amazed<\/em> at the power they deliver.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" My husband used to play word games with his Grandma. “Rhyming and opposites”, he calls them. I love that story. It sounds like fun. I kept that idea and played them with my grandson, Fred. I watch him in the rear-view mirror. Sitting in the backseat, toddler shoes bouncing off the bottom of his car […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":143625079,"featured_media":3227,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_coblocks_attr":"","_coblocks_dimensions":"","_coblocks_responsive_height":"","_coblocks_accordion_ie_support":"","advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_seo_schema_type":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_wpcom_ai_launchpad_first_post":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[54418],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2556","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-bible"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pacmrQ-Fe","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":7200,"url":"https:\/\/joalo.org\/?p=7200","url_meta":{"origin":2556,"position":0},"title":"CHRISTMAS IS BARKING UP THE WRONG TREE","author":"Jo Alo","date":"December 25, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Driving in circles at the Christmas tree farm, we argued almost the whole time. Our sweet little grandsons, Paul, and Martin, bored in the backseat, \u201cCan we get out and walk?\u201d Tripping over stumps, we found the perfect one to cut down. Not to wide, nor too high, we acted\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "The Bible"","block_context":{"text":"The Bible","link":"https:\/\/joalo.org\/?cat=54418"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/joalo.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/tony-litvyak-EN7gAcMYy7w-unsplash.jpeg?fit=960%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/joalo.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/tony-litvyak-EN7gAcMYy7w-unsplash.jpeg?fit=960%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/joalo.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/tony-litvyak-EN7gAcMYy7w-unsplash.jpeg?fit=960%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/joalo.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/tony-litvyak-EN7gAcMYy7w-unsplash.jpeg?fit=960%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":18491,"url":"https:\/\/joalo.org\/?p=18491","url_meta":{"origin":2556,"position":1},"title":"At the Crux of Every Broken Waits Wholeness","author":"Jo Alo","date":"May 2, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Friends were almost here. You could smell stuffed shells bubbling in the oven, fresh bread ready for slicing. They were bringing the salad. The table was set with Italian pasta bowls, red cloth napkins, and my favorite farm-stenciled goblets . . . until I broke one adding the centerpiece, glass\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "suffering"","block_context":{"text":"suffering","link":"https:\/\/joalo.org\/?cat=82348"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/joalo.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/img_4090.jpeg?fit=1200%2C1059&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/joalo.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/img_4090.jpeg?fit=1200%2C1059&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/joalo.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/img_4090.jpeg?fit=1200%2C1059&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/joalo.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/img_4090.jpeg?fit=1200%2C1059&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/joalo.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/img_4090.jpeg?fit=1200%2C1059&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":6527,"url":"https:\/\/joalo.org\/?p=6527","url_meta":{"origin":2556,"position":2},"title":"You Want To Fly But You Don’t Have Wings","author":"Jo Alo","date":"July 20, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"When the grandkids come, we play a game we call Would You Rather. Would you rather be a whale or a penguin? Would you rather have a toothache or a sprained ankle? Occasionally for fun, we throw in this one, \u201cIf you could have a superpower what would it be?\u201d\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "contentment"","block_context":{"text":"contentment","link":"https:\/\/joalo.org\/?cat=102201"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/joalo.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/img_8569-3.jpeg?fit=900%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/joalo.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/img_8569-3.jpeg?fit=900%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/joalo.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/img_8569-3.jpeg?fit=900%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/joalo.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/img_8569-3.jpeg?fit=900%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2603,"url":"https:\/\/joalo.org\/?p=2603","url_meta":{"origin":2556,"position":3},"title":"Live at Peace","author":"Jo Alo","date":"September 16, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Biting lips and holding the tongue\u2014isn\u2019t that keeping the peace? No words get exchanged, no fighting ignites, and everyone walks away in one piece. No bloodshed doesn\u2019t mean no harm done. How many times have I walked out, or sent others away, emotionally injured, insulted, or hostile? Thin grinned and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "The Bible"","block_context":{"text":"The Bible","link":"https:\/\/joalo.org\/?cat=54418"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/joalo.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/401ad-group-diverse-hands-holding-each-other-support-together-teamwork-aerial-view_53876-42397.jpg?fit=626%2C453&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/joalo.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/401ad-group-diverse-hands-holding-each-other-support-together-teamwork-aerial-view_53876-42397.jpg?fit=626%2C453&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/joalo.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/401ad-group-diverse-hands-holding-each-other-support-together-teamwork-aerial-view_53876-42397.jpg?fit=626%2C453&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":15085,"url":"https:\/\/joalo.org\/?p=15085","url_meta":{"origin":2556,"position":4},"title":"Partners with Christ","author":"Jo Alo","date":"January 21, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Be ready to suffer.1 Peter 4:1How do the saints prepare for battle? They ready themselves for suffering. They apply their mind to the mind of Christ\u2014who humbled Himself unto death.We live in a place where suffering is regarded as wrong, evil, unnecessary. And yet God says, \"Don't be surprised at\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "suffering"","block_context":{"text":"suffering","link":"https:\/\/joalo.org\/?cat=82348"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/joalo.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/frantisek-duris-sq4ajophzb4-unsplash.jpg?fit=1200%2C901&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/joalo.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/frantisek-duris-sq4ajophzb4-unsplash.jpg?fit=1200%2C901&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/joalo.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/frantisek-duris-sq4ajophzb4-unsplash.jpg?fit=1200%2C901&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/joalo.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/frantisek-duris-sq4ajophzb4-unsplash.jpg?fit=1200%2C901&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/joalo.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/frantisek-duris-sq4ajophzb4-unsplash.jpg?fit=1200%2C901&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":8977,"url":"https:\/\/joalo.org\/?p=8977","url_meta":{"origin":2556,"position":5},"title":"“Find enjoyment in your toil.” Eccl 2:24","author":"Jo Alo","date":"March 31, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Sounds like a contradiction doesn't it? So much of life feels like a game of Chutes and Ladders. Once I graduate. When I marry. When the kids start school. After the kids move out. When I retire. Once the book is finally written. We're always toiling to reach the top,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "The Bible"","block_context":{"text":"The Bible","link":"https:\/\/joalo.org\/?cat=54418"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/joalo.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/dmitry-mishin-gRxMIyZR4U0-unsplash.jpeg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/joalo.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/dmitry-mishin-gRxMIyZR4U0-unsplash.jpeg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/joalo.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/dmitry-mishin-gRxMIyZR4U0-unsplash.jpeg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/joalo.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/dmitry-mishin-gRxMIyZR4U0-unsplash.jpeg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/joalo.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/dmitry-mishin-gRxMIyZR4U0-unsplash.jpeg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/joalo.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/dsc_0096.jpg?fit=4096%2C2731&ssl=1","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/joalo.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2556","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/joalo.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/joalo.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/joalo.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/143625079"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/joalo.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2556"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/joalo.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2556\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":19965,"href":"https:\/\/joalo.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2556\/revisions\/19965"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/joalo.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/3227"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/joalo.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2556"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/joalo.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2556"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/joalo.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2556"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}