Pass It On

There aren’t a lot of people with names that end in “quist.” Far more last names end in “son.” In fact, the most  popular last names in the United States include Smith, Johnson, and Williams, with Smith being the most common, shared by nearly 2.5 million people. These names often reflect occupational or geographical origins.

“The surname Quist is of Scandinavian origin, originating from Norway and Sweden. It is believed to have derived from the Old Norse word “kvistr,” which means “branch” or “twig.” This suggests that the name may have been initially used as a descriptive term for someone who lived near a particular tree or group of trees.” – Name Census

Spark sparked a Song in my Memory

Today’s word, “SPARK” reminded me of a song from the 1970’s: Pass It On. One of the singers I also remember is Evie Tornquist. (Tornquist is ranked as the 39,138th most popular family name in the United States with an estimated population of 729. Not too many have that name!)

However, “Winquist is the 41,728th most popular name in America based on data collected from the U.S. Census Bureau. The Winquist surname appeared 521 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Winquist.” So I am in the “zero people” group.

Cindie married me, and she was a Boyles. She got into a select group by taking my last name. “Boyles is the 3,236th most popular name in America – from the U.S. Census Bureau. The Boyles surname appeared 11,156 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 4 people would have the surname Boyles.

The words to the song (listen here) are as follows:

It Only Takes A Spark, To Get A Fire Going

And Soon All Those Around, Can Warm Up In Glowing

That’s How It Is With God’s Love

Once You’ve Experienced It

You Spread His Love To Everyone;

You Want To Pass It On

What A Wondrous Time Is Spring, When All The Trees Are Budding

The Birds Begin To Sing, The Flowers Start Their Blooming

That’s How It Is With God’s Love

Once You’ve Experienced It

You Want To Sing, It’s Fresh Like Spring

You Want To Pass It On

I Wish For You My Friend, This Happiness That I Have Found

You Can Depend On Him, It Matters Not Where You Are Bound

I’ll Shout It From The Mountain Top

I Want The World To Know, The Lord Of Love Has Come To Me

I Want To Pass It On.

Pass It On

What do you want your life to be? Here are two passages of scripture that talk about possible results. In both of these passages there is fire. Be careful which one you choose. It really depends on your foundation.

Isaiah 1:27-31

“Zion shall be redeemed by justice, and those in her who repent, by righteousness. But rebels and sinners shall be broken together, and those who forsake the Lord shall be consumed. For they shall be ashamed of the oaks that you desired; and you shall blush for the gardens that you have chosen.

For you shall be like an oak whose leaf withers, and like a garden without water. And the strong shall become tinder, and his work a spark, and both of them shall burn together, with none to quench them.”

1 Corinthians 3:11-14

“For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw—each one’s work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done. If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward.”

How to Identify a Follower of Jesus

Psalm 27:1 summarizes this in the following way: “The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?”

What will remain when your life is over? Will you be consumed? Will your works be a “spark” that vanishes? It really depends entirely on your foundation. It must be Jesus. He is my salvation.

Five Minute Friday

This post is part of the weekly Five-Minute Friday link-up.

All scripture passages are from the English Standard Version except as otherwise noted.