Your Slip Is Showing

Today, a woman, a church lady type, asked, "How was your friend's Coronation?" I responded, "The Ordination was great," and I thought, "I'll bet that slip of the tongue is fairly common." A mother makes it clear she wants her son to enter the seminary. To please her, he does and goes the whole route, enabling her to say with pride, "Yesterday, I went to my son's Coronation." A young man might refer to "My Coronation." We should be warned by these slips of the tongue. Like sirens, they're sure signs of trouble ahead. Haven't you met priests and ministers who acted as if they'd been crowned instead of ordained? They're as destructive as tornadoes. How should we deal with them? By escape, by hiding in the nearest basement with a good flashlight and a good study bible? No. Lean towards them and whisper urgently, "Your slip is showing." What if the royal personage never mentions his or her Coronation? Smile and ask brightly, "When was your Coronation?" Wait for a reaction. Then let inspiration guide you. Remember. Two of anything, even two slips, can be better than one.