Sesotho Gospel Music

This is a Sesotho gospel song.  Along with English, Sesotho is the official language of the country of Lesotho.  The name "Lesotho" means "the land of the people who speak Sesotho."

Lesotho is a land-locked country completely surrounded by the Republic of South Africa.  The capital of the country is named Maseru.  The religions of the people are 45% Roman Catholicism, 26% Evangelical Protestantism, 19% Anglicanism and other Protestants, and 10% practice non-Christian religions.

Solly Moholo is a South African talent scout, music producer, and gospel music singer.  He is the man at the front of the picture below.

The Three States of the Converted

"There are in truth three states of the converted: the beginning, the middle, and the perfection. In the beginning, they experience the charms of sweetness; in the middle, the contests of temptation; and in the end, the fullness of perfection." Pope Gregory the Great (540?, Italy - 604)

I suspect that most of us are in the middle state.

The New York Same-Sex Marriage Vote

The State of New York, on Friday, 24 June 2011, became the sixth of the United States to legalize same-sex marriage.  This prompted a strong response from the Roman Catholic bishop of New York, Timothy Dolan.

“We strongly uphold the Catholic Church's clear teaching that we always treat our homosexual brothers and sisters with respect, dignity and love. But we just as strongly affirm that marriage is the joining of one man and one woman in a lifelong, loving union that is open to children, ordered for the good of those children and the spouses themselves.

“This definition cannot change, though we realize that our beliefs about the nature of marriage will continue to be ridiculed, and that some will even now attempt to enact government sanctions against churches and religious organizations that preach these timeless truths.

“We worry that both marriage and the family will be undermined by this tragic presumption of government in passing this legislation that attempts to redefine these cornerstones of civilization.

“Our society must regain what it appears to have lost - a true understanding of the meaning and the place of marriage, as revealed by God, grounded in nature, and respected by America's foundational principles.”  Timothy Dolan, Roman Catholic Archbishop of New York

I applaud Archbishop Dolan for his strong statement.  He is correct that there may be consequences for the stand.  The most obvious would be attempts to remove tax exempt status from churches which refuse to accept the legislation.  We must be willing to accept persecution for the truth without wilting.  We do not have a spirit of fear.

.....................................

More on tax-exempt status, homosexuality, persecution, and marriage later.

Hello, Myanmar!

Hello, Myanmar!  Welcome to the group of readers from eighty-seven other countries who also visit this blog.  I hope you find some of the posts useful or meaningful.

I am sorry to say that the translator on this page does not have the capability of translating the English text of this blog directly into Burmese.

 Eighty-eight Countries: Argentina, Aruba, Australia, Austria, Bahrain, Belarus, Belgium, Belize, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Cayman Islands, China, Colombia, Congo, Costa Rica, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Estonia, Ethiopia, Finland, France,  Georgia, Germany,  Greece, Hong Kong, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Italy, Ivory Coast, Japan, Jordan, Kuwait, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg,  Macedonian, Malaysia, Malta,  Mexico,  Moldavia,  Morocco, Myanmar, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, Norway, Pakistan,  Panama, Paraguay, Philippines, Poland, Romania, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Tanzania, Thailand, Trinidad and Tobago, Turkey, Uganda, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States, Venezuela, Vietnam,  Yemen, Zimbabwe.

Hello, Dominican Republic!

Hola, República Dominicana! Bienvenido al grupo de lectores ochenta hasta sieteotros países que también visitan este blog. Espero que algunos de los mensajesútiles o significativas.

El "Traducir esta página" gadget directamente sobre el "Total páginas vistas" Counter tiene la capacidad de traducir el texto Inglés de este blog directamente enespañol.


Ochenta y ocho países: Argentina, Aruba, Australia, Austria, Bahrein, Belarús, Bélgica, Belice, Brasil, Bulgaria, Canadá, Islas Caimán, China, Colombia, Congo,Costa Rica, Croacia, República Checa, Dinamarca, República Dominicana, EcuadorEgipto El Salvador, Estonia, Etiopía, Finlandia, Francia, Georgia, Alemania, Grecia,Hong Kong, Hungría, India, Indonesia, Irán, Irak, Israel, Italia, Costa de Marfil, el Japón, Jordania, Kuwait, Letonia, Lituania, Luxemburgo, Macedonia, Malasia, Malta, México, Moldavia, Marruecos, Myanmar, Países Bajos, Nueva Zelandia, Nigeria, Noruega, Pakistán, Panamá, Paraguay, Filipinas, Polonia, Rumania, Rusia, Arabia Saudita, Senegal, Singapur, Eslovaquia, Eslovenia, Sudáfrica, Corea del Sur, España, Sri Lanka, Suecia, Suiza, Taiwán, Tanzania, Tailandia, Trinidad y Tobago, Turquía, Uganda, Ucrania, Emiratos Árabes Unidos, Reino Unido, Estados Unidos, Venezuela, Vietnam, Yemen, Zimbabwe.

Food Bowl

My little dog just emptied her food bowl and turned to look at me.  She would look at me and then her bowl and then at me again.  The message was clear.  "Put some more in it."

This set me to thinking.  I've just been reading a book (I'll comment on it after I finish it) in which the author is telling his readers to quit being "normal," to dare to be different and to just trust God.  "Normal" people worry about money, specifically whether or not there will be "enough."  The author points out that there will always be enough for you to do whatever it is that God wants you to do.

“Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” Matthew 6:25 -33

Hello, Uganda!

Hello, Uganda!  Welcome to the group of readers from eighty-five other countries who also visit this blog.  I hope you find some of the posts useful or meaningful.

The “Translate This Page” gadget directly above the “Total Pageviews” Counter has the capability of translating the English text of this blog directly into Swahili.

Hello, Uganda! Karibu katika kundi la wasomaji kutoka nchi themanini na tanowengine ambao pia kutembelea blog hii. Natumaini kupata baadhi ya nafasi muhimu au maana.
"Translate Hii Kwanza" gadget moja kwa moja juu Counter "Jumla Pageviews" ina uwezo wa kutafsiri Nakala ya Kiingereza ya blog hii moja kwa moja katika lugha ya Kiswahili.

Themanini na sita Nchi: Argentina, Aruba, Australia, Austria, Bahrain, Belarus,Ubelgiji, Belize, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Cayman Islands, China, Colombia, Congo, Costa Rica, Croatia, Jamhuri ya Czech, Denmark, Ecuador, Misri, El Salvador,Estonia, Ethiopia, Finland, Ufaransa, Georgia, Ujerumani, Ugiriki, Hong Kong,Hungary, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Italia, Ivory Coast, Japan, Jordan, Kuwait,Latvia, Lithuania, Luxemburg, Kimasedonia , Malaysia, Malta, Mexico, Moldavia, Morocco, Uholanzi, New Zealand, Nigeria, Norway, Pakistan, Panama, Paraguay, Philippines, Poland, Romania, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Singapore, Slovakia,Slovenia, Afrika Kusini, Korea ya Kusini , Hispania, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Tanzania, Thailand, Trinidad na Tobago, Uturuki, Uganda, Ukraine, Falme za Kiarabu, Uingereza, Marekani, Venezuela, Vietnam, Yemen, Zimbabwe.

Altar'd State

Altar'd State is a chain of Christian retail stores which are placed in shopping malls.  They sell clothing, accessories, shoes, home decor, gifts, music, and books.  Profits are shared with local charities.  The stores look like typical mall chain stores.

Alone With Him

"You are as much alone with Him as if you were the only being He had ever created.  When Christ died, He died for you individually just as much as if you had been the only man in the world." C.S. Lewis

Our Deepest Desire

"When our deepest desire is not the things of God, or a favor from God, but God Himself, we cross a threshold." Max Lucado

Ancient Libyan Ruins Threatened by Fighting

The Ruins of the Carthaginian/Roman city of Leptis magna in modern Libya are being threatened by the fighting between the forces of Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi and those of the NATO alliance.  There is a strong possibility that Qadaffi is hiding military equipment in this and other historical sites, knowing that western forces will be reluctant to damage historical treasures.  A NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) spokesperson has been quoted as saying,"We will strike military vehicles, military forces, military equipment or military infrastructure that threaten Libyan civilians as necessary."

Leptis magna (now known as Lebda, Libya) is not mentioned in the Bible, but Libya itself is. The city of Cyrene, the home of Simon of Cyrene (Mark 15:21, Matthew 27:32) is located in Libya.  The city of Leptis magna was especially prominent in the 2nd and 3rd centuries and, in 70 AD/CE, became the home of a community of Jewish slaves sent there by Rome after the War of 70.

The city was founded about 130 km east of modern Tripoli as Lpqy sometime near 1100 BC/BCE, a colony of the seafaring Phoenicians and became a major city of the Carthaginian Empire.  In 146 BC/BCE, during the Third Punic War, it fell into Roman hands.  It became one of the major cities of Roman Africa.

Biblical Sources of Phrases in Common Use: God helps Those Who Help Themselves

"God Helps Those Who Help Themselves" does not occur in the Bible at all.   It was written by Algernon Sydney (1622-1683) and repeated by Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790) in Poor Richard's Almanac (1757)

Good Can Come From Tragedy

Regardless of anyone's opinion on the death penalty (and sincere Christians worldwide are divided on the issue), a beautiful thing happened during the 16 June 2011 execution of Eddie Duval Powell at the prison in Atmore, Alabama (USA).  Duval was executed for the brutal 1995 rape, sodomy, and murder of seventy-year-old Mattie Wesson during a home robbery.

Duval died by lethal injection, holding the prison chaplain’s hand.  Before the execution, he was described as talkative and calm.

Executions in Alabama may be observed by the victim's family and by the family of the person being executed.  Before the procedure began, Duval turned his head toward the observation room and said, "I would like to say I'm sorry for all the pain I've caused to my family and the victim's family. I've made peace with myself and God and hope everyone can move on from this situation." 

"While nothing can ever replace our Mother, Mother-in-law, Grandmother or Aunt, or replace the times we've missed, we take comfort in knowing that justice has been served in this case.  We would like to offer our condolences to the family of Mr. Powell. We truly understand the grief they are experiencing. It is our prayer that Mr. Powell has found forgiveness from our Lord Jesus and that he will spend eternity in Heaven."  The statement was signed by Mrs. Wesson’s sons and their family members.

There are consequences for actions, but even in horrible situations there can be forgiveness and redemption.

“Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth.” Luke 15:10

Sacred Harp Singing

Sacred Harp Singing is an a capella musical tradition which originated in the American South in the 1800's among the rural churches, especially among the group known as Primitive Baptists, who never allow musical instruments in their worship services.  Since many of the people could not read music, the notes were represented by open and solid squares, diamonds, triangles, and ovals.  From this, the musical form also became known as shape-note singing.

Many of the songs were written by English composers and were brought to America by early settlers.

A Christian Father

One day in 2008, a two-year old boy named William Bronner "Cornbread" Burgess fell into the family swimming pool and drowned.  How his family, and especially his father, responded is an inspirational Christian story.

Rick Burgess and Bill "Bubba" Bussey are "Rick and Bubba ," a nationally syndicated radio team whose humor is based on their Southern heritage.  There is much more to them than the average morning radio talk show hosts.  They appear primarily on secular radio stations but never shy away from clearly stating their Christian faith.

Ignorance of the Faith

"The most salient feature of contemporary students is their vast ignorance of their faith.  Their knowledge of Scripture and religious tradition is woefully inadequate, and their deepest moral commitment seems to be to tolerance and being nice. "  David Solomon, a professor at Notre Dame University, in the December 1995 issue of the New Oxford Review.

The Offense of the Cross

Read missionary Josef Urban's statement on The Offense of the Cross.
http://www.puregospeltruth.com/the-offense-of-the-cross---a-rebuke-to-the-modern-gospel-of-watered-down-half-truths.html

The Acrostic in Psalm 119

Ancient Hebrew poetry has many conventions which are not immediately apparent to the reader, especially when it is read in translation as most of us, including me, must do.  I took several semesters of Hebrew in seminary but I have to admit that I barely understood what I was "learning" and today still understand it only in very patchy form. (Greek to me was much easier as it is Indo-European and is much more similar to English than the Semitic Hebrew.)

The rhythm of Hebrew poetry is irregular and is based on the accented or toned syllables rather than on meter as in English.  Rhymed word sounds are rare.  Refrains, repeated lines, sometimes occur.  The "rhyming" in ancient Hebrew poetry is based on parallelism of ideas in three forms: synonymous (the meanings of the lines are similar); antithetical (the meanings of the lines are opposites of one another; and synthetic (nouns correspond to nouns, verbs correspond to verbs, etc)

One convention of ancient Hebrew poetry which has received much modern attention is the acrostic, in which the first letter of each line spells out a word or makes a pattern.  Psalm 119 is such an acrostic.  Verses 1-8 begin with the letter aleph, verses 9-16 begin with the letter beth, verses 17-24 begin with the letter gimel, then daleth, he, waw, zayin, etc.  Acrostic patterns also occur in Psalms 9, 10, 25, 34,37, 111, 112, and 145.

All of these poetic conventions are human in origin and have nothing to do with the supposed Bible Codes which some believe that God has embedded into the Torah.

OMG!

OMG!  Stop with the OMG already!  This exclamation is everywhere, on television, in every movie, on the streets, on children's playgrounds.

OMG began as a shortcut for cell phone texting and is the exclamation of surprise, "Oh ... my ... God!'

I have tried to explain to a frequent user of the phrase why Christians find this to be offensive but it just flew right by their understanding. It is a trivialization of the Holy Name, taking the name of God to the same level as vulgarities and profanities.

Jane Austen, Christian Novelist?

British novelist Jane Austen (b. 1778, England - d. 1817) is currently the subject of much discussion as a Christian novelist.  No less a thinker than C.S. Lewis was convinced that Austen was a Christian novelist.  Do a search for the following terms, "Jane Austen" & "Christian novelist" and you will get numerous hits.

Jane Austen was the daughter and sister of Anglican clergymen and was at least nominally Christian.  Little is actually known about her; after her education, from the age of eleven until her death, she was a proud seamstress who lived at home with her family who called her "good quiet Aunt Jane."  Her novels were published anonymously by her brother, who was her literary agent.  She was never noticed until after her death.

There is nothing overtly Christian about her novels (Pride and Prejudice,1813; Sense and Sensibility,1811; Mansfield Park, 1814; Emma, 1816; Persuasion, 1818, and Northanger Abbey, 1818) but they stress respect for others, courtesy, self-control, morality, and that those who refuse to "repent" will finally come to regret it. Her female characters often have a moment of "reflection" in which they make a turn in their lives.

Jane Austen was apparently a Christian and her novels show her Christian understanding of morality, but there is nothing about a personal God and no mention of Jesus.

Chick Publications

Jack Thomas Chick (b. 1924, California, USA) is the most published comic book artist/author in history, with over 750,000,000 of his Christian evangelistic tracts, comic books, videos, and posters having been produced and distributed worldwide.  The works have been translated into over one hundred languages and are included in exhibits at the Smithsonian Institution.

Jack Chick's works are quite controversial.  He is hailed by some as a soul-winner, a genius at evangelistic outreach, and denounced by others as a homophobe, Islamophobe,  and a religious bigot because of his fundamentalist Christian beliefs.  Check out the website of Chick Publications and make up your own mind.

Kristy lee Cook Singing "Amazing Grace" To Audition for American idol

Thrift

Some feel that concern over economics is not Christian "For the love of money is the root of all evil ..." 1 Timothy 6:10.  We are told not to worry and fret over our daily bread.


But a healthy attitude toward money is not un-Christian.  Money is merely a tool.  Hard work, saving, and proper stewardship of our money have always been encouraged in the Christian community.  We are told that "he that gathereth by labour shall increase." Proverbs 13:11


What is important is to remember that "The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, saith the LORD of hosts." Haggai 2:8.  Our finances, just as the rest of our life, should be at the disposal of the Lord.

Book Comment: The Atlas of Sacred and Spiritual Sites

The Atlas of Sacred and Spiritual Sites, by David Douglas,  is a review of places of worship, pilgrimage sites, monasteries, pagan stone sites, and land formations associated with religious practices.  The religions featured include Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, classical paganism and animism, Hinduism.  The book is full of high quality photographs of many of the discussed sites.  A sampling of the mentioned sites include Westminster Abbey in london; Varanasi, India; Delphi, Greece; the Nazca lines, Peru; Stonehenge, England; Bodh Gaya, India; Lourdes, France; The Dome of the Rock, Israel; The Shwezigon Pagoda, Myanmar; The White Horse, England; and more.  A very interesting book.  

Our Deepest Desire

"When our deepest desire is not the things of God, or a favor from God, but God Himself, we cross a threshold." Max Lucado

The Lord's Prayer in 28 Different Languages

This site, http://www.voiceshome.com/ , presents the Lord's Prayer spoken in twenty-eight different languages, from Hawaiian to Kurdish.

Christians

At some time during their lives, the following people have publicly identified themselves as Christian.   Inclusion in this list does not indicate approval or disapproval of the person, of their orthodoxy or lack of it, or of their actions.  Readers are encouraged to suggest persons who should be included on this list.  This is a recurring segment in this blog.

Jerome Riester: (b.1919, New York, USA – d.2011, aka: Brother Julian) Franciscan friar; carpenter, gardener, and handyman at Bonaventure University. Twin brother of Irving Reister; both died on the same day.  He should not be confused with the same-named Julian Reister (b.1986), a German professional tennis player. Their father had five daughters, asked for a son, and got twin sons. Roman Catholic.

Irving Riester: (b.1919, New York, USA – d.2011, aka: Brother Adrian) Franciscan friar; carpenter, gardener, and handyman at Bonaventure University. Twin brother of Jerome Reister; both died on the same day. Their father had five daughters, asked for a son, and got twin sons. Roman Catholic.

Laurece Davis: (b. 1965, Illinois, USA; aka: Rece Davis) ESPN sports television journalist, television anchor.

Jay Barker: (b. 1972, Alabama, USA) College and professional American football quarterback, radio sports commentator.  Evangelical. Husband of country music performer Sara Evans.

Sara Lynn Evans : (b. 1971, Missouri, USA) Professional country music singer, songwriter, quitarist, author. Evangelical.  Wife of Jay Barker.

I Want to Be a Minister When I Grow Up

"After church one Sunday morning, a young boy suddenly announced to his mother, 'Mom, I think I'll be a minister when I grow up'

'That's great, but what made you decide that?'

'Well,' said the little boy, 'I have to go to church on Sunday anyway, and I figure it will be more fun to stand up and yell than to sit and listen."

“From The Big Book of Church Jokes, published by Barbour Publishing, Inc. Used by permission.”

Film Comment: Splice

"She's not human ... not entirely."  This is the tagline for the truly disturbing 2009 Canadian science fiction film, Splice , starring Academy Award winner (2002) Adrien Brody, Canadian actress Sarah Polley, and French actress Delphine Chaneac in the role as the adult creature/specimen/thing/woman.  When I saw this film , I heard someone say that they felt like they needed a bath upon leaving the theater. It is that intense, bizarre, and perverse.

A male-female genetic research team (Brody and Polley) at the Nucleic Exchange Research and Development laboratory (N.E.R.D.) are working on creating hybrid animals (mixing genetic material from several species) for medical use.  When their funding is threatened they rush to accelerate their results and secretly add human DNA (their own) to the mix.  A viable little bird-like thing results.  They name it Dren (N.E.R.D. spelled backwards) because the female researcher almost immediately takes a mothering attitude toward the creature and insists that it is not a "specimen."

Dren cannot speak, after all, she is an animal; she coos like a bird.  She proves to be inquisitive, intelligent, graceful, and she grows at an alarming rate.  She is an adult within days.  She is tall and slender with a beautifully innocent face, her knees bend backward instead of forward, her feet resemble hands, and she has a long prehensile tail tipped with a poisonous stinger.

As she matures, Dren becomes very noticeably female and increasingly seductive. "Poppa" makes the mistake of spending time alone with her and willingly/unwillingly ends up as the object of her intense attention.  Then his wife catches them.  He is having sex with his "daughter," he is having sex with an animal, he is having sex with himself.  Dren is all three.

This film touches on the subjects of cloning, responsibility toward our offspring, aberrant sexuality, intense self pride, and amoral scientific research just for the "science."  It is, in reality, a variant on the Frankenstein theme.

The most disturbing thing about this film is that it is on the edge of no longer being science fiction.  Much of science fiction eventually becomes science fact.  Jules Verne wrote of space travel and submarines; now they are established fact.  On the first Star Trek television series, the characters would reach into their pockets and pull out their personal communicators; we now call them cell phones.

Modern molecular biology can already insert DNA sequences into bacteria and cause them to produce synthetic chemicals they would normally not produce.  The entire human genome has now been deciphered with the prospect of the ability to insert healthy DNA sequences in place of faulty ones.  The mutant genetic sequence which causes the bacterium Staphylococcus aureus to be resistant to methicillin (MRSA) can be detected in one hour from a nasal swab.

Artificial life may be just around the corner.  It may already be here.  In 2010, Dr. John Craig Venter of Utah, USA announced the creation of an artificial bacterium using synthetic DNA.  His research is aimed at producing modified microorganisms which can produce clean fuels and biochemicals.

Christians believe that God is the Creator.  There are so many questions. What will it mean if man also is a creator?  What will God think of our glorification of the human intellect?  Does God intend for us to learn all things?   Are there things we should not learn?  Are there things we should not do even if they are possible? Do scientists bear any responsibility for their discoveries?  What if our science creates a Dren?

Using This Blog: Labels

To enhance the usefulness of this blog to readers, I will from time to time explain some of the features available.  Today, I will tell you about the LABELS function.

The labels represent topics or subjects discussed in the body of the text of a post.  They are keywords which trigger search engines to find the individual posts and display them as responses to web searches.

On this blog, the labels appear in two places: 1. directly under each post is a list of keywords specific to the post, and, 2. at the end of the display page,  following the list of blogs and webpages I often view, is a complete list of all the labels used in this blog since its inception.  Clicking on a label word in either listing will display the posts which feature or mention that topic.  Some labels have only one related post while some have as many as thirty.  For those with multiple postings, you can view more posts by clicking on Older Posts.

In keeping with the nature of this blog, the topics discussed have been quite eclectic.  A sampling of labels from the list includes: archeology (3), Barack Obama (8), sexuality (10), manure (1), film commentary (36), death (4), cloning (1), Mr. Rogers (2), light bulb jokes (30), baptism, (5), and sports (10).

The Sign of the Fish

The Sign of the Fish?  Didn't I mean The Sign of the Cross?  The sign of the fish was one of the very early symbols used by Christians.  The obvious reference is to the biblical stories recorded in Matthew 14:13-21, 15:32-39, Mark 6:31-44, 8:1-9, Luke 9:10-17, and John 6:5-15 where Jesus fed thousands using only a few fish and loaves of bread.  Also, several of Jesus' first disciples were fishermen and He promised them that they would become "fishers of men." (Matthew 4:19, Mark 1:17)

The fish symbol was often safer to use than a cross because the Romans knew the cross symbol but most of them would totally miss the significance of a fish.  The symbol became a sort of secret code so Christians could safely recognize others whom they had not yet met.  Also, a house with a fish over the door was a "safe house," an indirect reference to the Passover. (Exodus 12:12-14)

This was not the only meaning of the fish; it was also an anagram from the first letters of the phrase Ιησούς Χριστός Θεού Υιός Σωτήρ (Greek meaning "Jesus Christ God Son Savior).  The first letters of the five words spell out ΙΧΘΥΣ (Icthys, Greek for "fish,'" from which we derive the English word "ichthyology," the study of fish.)