Hello! Hope you’re well. Here’s the latest:
A CELEBRATION OF IRISH SLANG
I’m typing this somewhere over the Atlantic as we fly back to the US after spending the last 5 weeks or so living in Ireland—County Donegal, about 40 minutes’ drive northeast of Derry.
Our time there was so, so good.
In a miracle no less wondrous than water to wine, God connected us to an incredible church and enabled us (and our daughters) to make some wonderful friends. It was such a strange thing to say goodbye to person after person this past Sunday, having enjoyed meals in the homes of Julie & Declan and John & Lorraine and Paddy & Donna and Adam and Claire, having served chicken at the fellowship meal on our second Sunday, having prayed and cried with these people, having celebrated their work and been so honored by the way they’d celebrated Jennifer’s and mine, having received incredibly generous gifts and given gifts as well, and having encountered God so powerfully week after week worshipping among our new friends—brothers and sisters united at birth.
Ireland was not in the plan when we set out on this global adventure in January. But thanks to several unexpected circumstances, we ended up here in this place of wild coastline and carpeted hills and omnipresent sheep. At this point, you couldn’t convince us that God didn’t have a direct hand in bringing us here.
Worshipping in the heart of Derry on the banks of the River Foyle and enjoying easy friendship with people who were strangers a month and a half ago has been one of the great joys of our life, and we’ll always be grateful to those who were Christ incarnate to us during our pilgrimage there.
Also, you gotta love the accent. Americans seem to be universally delighted with Irish folks’ way of speaking and I’ll freely admit to feeling that way myself. But as much as the accent, it’s the idioms for me. Northern Ireland (both “Northern Ireland” the country and the northernmost part of the Republic of Ireland) has a brogue that’s different than what you’ll hear in the south (locals can easily tell whether someone’s from Derry or Belfast—a distance of just 50 miles), but the northerners have their own choice phrases as well.
So that you’re ready when you head over to the emerald isle, here’s a quick education in Irish slang. (Several of these are distinctly northern, and the examples of usage are actual sentences people have said to us over the last few weeks. These are not exaggerated, nor are they antiquated examples of the way Irish folks spoke 50 years ago. This is real and this is now, you guys. Only the most accurate and practical linguistic education for you fine folks—you’re welcome.)
Wee
Would you like a wee receipt? | The wee boys at my school are so mean. | Can I get you the wee bill?
Meaning: Nothing, really. These people will put a “wee” in front of anything and everything with no intent of communicating scale. This word is delightfully ubiquitous.
Slaggin’
Everyone loves slaggin’ on John.
Meaning: Messing with; giving (someone) a hard time
Awk (pronunciation: “ock”)
Awk, I’m mad about badges.
Meaning: This is a filler word used at the beginning of sentences, seemingly to emphasize what’s coming next or to communicate a bit of frustration or heightened emotion. It happens quickly—folks spend about a half a syllable on it, slurring it into the rest of what they’re saying. (The example sentence was said to me last Friday by a friend confessing her love of enamel pins.)
Craíc (pronunciation: “crack”)
It was good craíc. | What’s the craíc, then?
Meaning: Fun. (“What’s the craíc?” means simply, “What’s up?”/“What’s going on?”)
Catch yourself on -
Awk, catch yourself on—there’s no way.
Meaning: You’ve got to be kidding.
So it was / So I did / So he does / So you are / etc
Reuben has an exam tomorrow, so he does.
Meaning: Emphasis. (I dig this one.)
Yous
Do yous like sandwiches?
Meaning: (plural) You / You guys / Y’all. This is their standard second person plural pronoun. Blew my mind.
Class (pronunciation: “kloss”)
My daughter said yous are travelin’ the world—that’s class.
Meaning: Cool. Awesome.
Sure
Sure I’m not a good flyer.
Meaning: Nothing, really. Maybe a bit of emphasis? Another filler word, used at the beginning or end of a sentence—again, since you’re not looking for it and it’s said so quickly, you’ll miss it entirely.
There you go. Practice your accent and throw a few of those out when you get to Derry you’ll blend right in.
Here are a few final pics from our time in this magnificent place:
Oh—and remember that “How to catch a feral goat” video I shared last time? Turns out that was solid counsel—my daughter and I used it to capture a sheep. (Also, most of the sheep over here are tagged with spray paint—I promise that red spot isn’t blood.)
SEASON 2 FINALE
Episode 10 dropped on Monday! It’s a masterpiece, and I can say that because I didn’t write it. :)
Many of you don’t know my wife is an author (she writes as JL Gerhardt) who’s just published her 7th book. It’s called Look to Love: A Better Way to Read the Bible, and it’s all about how (and why) to interact with Scripture in order to know and love God. She begins with the story of Eve, and when I read the manuscript months ago, I told her that when it came time she had to take my place and write the episode of Holy Ghost Stories that features Eve and the Fall. She graciously agreed, and when you hear this episode you’ll know why I asked her to do it.
I’ve narrated the episode and produced the score as usual, but JL did the writing and I’m telling you: she ushers us into the world of Eden with an empathy that’s sadly missing from many tellings of this story.
Among my (many) favorite moments is the scene where she takes time to imagine Yahweh making clothing for the fallen pair. It will give you a moment with your heavenly Father you won’t soon forget.
This collaboration was a joy for my wife and me, and our prayer is that what we’ve created blesses you deeply. Here’s “The Giver and the Taker.”
If you’ve already listened, I’d love to hear your thoughts—if you guys dig it, maybe we’ll collaborate like this again.
LAST CHANCE
So Justin, how do you work for dozens and dozens of hours an episode to make something like Holy Ghost Stories, and then give it away for free? …And keep doing that, episode after episode?
Great question—glad you asked. :) Here’s a step by step guide:
Decide God wants you to spend your working hours communicating His truth in a fresh new way.
Quit your job.
Make a bunch of episodes so people know you’re serious.
Ask the generous listeners to devote $50, $25, or $10/month to making sure Holy Ghost Stories continues to reach people around the world.
Ask one more time because people are busy and they forgot they wanted to help. :)
If that’s you, I’d be so grateful if you’d jump in and become a part of what we’re doing. I’ve found (to my great delight) that the church is hungry for the old stories told well. Help me tell some more.
There are all kinds of great bonuses that release with each episode for patrons (including bonus episodes! You can see everything over on Patreon), but if you become a patron before the end of the month (just a few more days!) I’ll send you a patrons-only sticker or t-shirt that says “Patron Saint of Storytelling”—because that’s what you’ll be.
WHAT’S NEXT
My family and I will spend the next few weeks in a few different places in the US, spending time with family and friends before heading abroad again at the end of the year.
I’m looking forward to doing some “work on it, not just in it” stuff for Holy Ghost Stories during that time, along with planning and doing some initial work on Season 3, which starts at the end of January. If you would be willing to pray for me, I’d be so grateful if you’d join me in praying:
That God would guide me as I begin choosing and working on these next stories
That He’d continue impacting people through HGS
And that He’d provide more partners to enable the financial side of Holy Ghost Stories.
4 COOL THINGS
Look to Love - If you don’t feel like you really “love” God, and/or if you don’t look forward to reading the Bible, you need this book. Grab one to read over the holidays and get one for someone you love while you’re at it. Truly: you will be so very glad you did.
Rewiliding Your Online Attention - Good counsel here if you often find yourself stuck in a social media eddy current.
Scribd - Scribd is absolute gold if you don’t mind reading a book on a device and/or listen (or want to listen) to audiobooks. Scribd gives you access to over a million books (just about anything you’d want) for a $10/month. Crazy. It’s the only way the Gerhardt family is surviving this live-out-of-half-a-suitcase-each life we’re living. (It’s also an absolute must for my HGS research.) (Sadly, no Kindle support though.)
Samson, Remixed - Okay—this is a preview of some of what’s waiting for you when you become a patron of Holy Ghost Stories. Samson, but make it a bit more Thor Ragnarok. At the Storyeller and Raconteur levels of support, you get a remixed scene with every episode release. It’s where I have some fun with a moment from a previous episode and switch the score out for some more modern music. I did these first few just for fun, but patrons liked them so much I made this a regular thing. I think it’s a great way to bring the women and men in these stories into our world.
That’s the latest! Hope you’re blessed by the Season 2 finale. Come join me on Patreon and let’s make a Season 3, shall we?
Gratefully,
Justin