about the name

Since many (all three of you) have asked about the name of this blog,
            "Holy Heteroclite,"

here's the scoop.

It all started at a 5,000 watt radio station in Fresno, California...
(If you didn't get the reference, you're not as old as me or Keltic Ken, so click here for the backstory).

Actually, it DID start in my hometown of Fresno..

some of our church saints/heteroclites

One day,  on a particularly holy and  heteroclitic day, the folks from our churchlike family (called "third day fresno") split up into small groups to serve and bless a community outreach at a park.  It's been many moons ago, so I don't remember all the crazy assignments the teams were on: Maybe some were offering free prayer at a booth, some were offering free drinks; some giving away toilet paper (one of our favorite servant evangelism projects ever).

But one team, a high school couple, were commissioned to walk around the park with a signboard around the guy reading "HETEROCLITE," to see what kind of reaction, stares, and comments they got.

The most common comment was a blushing, "Oh, I thought it was something sexual" when the term "heteroclite" was explained to them.  They even got, "I thought you were straight."   (:

Having said all that, here's the lowdown on the term (from Wikipedia):

Etymology[edit]

From late Latin heteroclitus, from Ancient Greek ἑτερόκλιτος (heteróklitos), from ἕτερος (héteros, “other, another, different”) + κλίνω (klínō, “lean, incline”), the latter from Proto-Indo-European*ḱley-.

Pronunciation[edit]

• IPA: /ˈhɛtərəʊklaɪt/

Adjective[edit]

heteroclite (comparative more heteroclite, superlative most heteroclite)

1. Deviating from the ordinary rule; eccentric, abnormal.  [quotations ▼]
2. (grammar) Being irregularly declined or inflected.

Related terms[edit]

• heteroclitic

See also[edit]

• eclectic

Noun[edit]

heteroclite (plural heteroclites)

1. A person who is unconventional; a maverick
2. (grammar) An irregularly declined or inflected word
3. (linguistics) A word whose etymological roots come from distinct, different languages or language groups.

Sooo..I decided .that's me in a nutshell and in a paradox.

I am not arrogant to call myself "holy."  Even though that's the same word as "saint."
I am a follower of Christ; and the Bible allows all Christians to be called "saints," even if they suck at being a Christian.  Heck, even those mocosos in First and Second Californians..uh, I mean, Corinthians...were called saints by St. Paul...and some of them were getting drunk at communion and sleeping with in-laws!

Uh, don't think I'm advocating..or doing ..either of those things.
And, despite what you may have heard from this viral video (326 views, whoo hoo), Ken and I are not on crack:




 I'm just reminding you that the Bible uses "saint" as
 a synonym for a believer in Jesus, no matter how well they live up to the name.

But I can't stop there.  I must append "heteroclite" to make my nom-de-interwebs  complete and compleat.
Anyone who knows me..or has even read this far... can guess that I am a bit

heteroclitic..

                eclectic and eccentric;
                         sometimes pulling your leg, and always  "pushing toward the unobvious"

I have thus illegally adopted "Holy Heteroclite" as a synonym/psuedonym/psuedohim for me
Oh, BTW..since it's against my religion to use a title (see my many posts tagged  role of the pastor) ,
you'll note I add it to the end of my name, not before it,  on my Twitter handle:  twitter.com/davewainscottHH    .

I don't mean..or always want.... to be such a hɛtərəʊklaɪt!

But I must be true to meself, and become myself.
On Judgement Day, I don't want to hear what St. Sudzi feared he would hear  (:

So help me God,

Holy Heteroclite