It’s late and it’s been a busy day. I’m thanking my heavenly Father for
an early morning walk with a joyful dog. I’m thankful that God created dogs in general, and our dog in particular.
glasses in general, and my own glasses in particular. I’d be blind without them. People think I’m speaking hyperbolically when I say that, but I’m not. I’m thankful for my eye doctor, and for all those who work to provide eyeglasses and contacts to those who need them. They are instuments of God’s providence, whether they know it or not.
for the focus needed to complete important tasks on a tight schedule. For a quiet day, after a run of noisy ones.
a bit of warmer weather and the better moods that come with it.
Vitamin D in pill form. Otherwise I’d be deficient.
grapefruit in season. I say this (and mean it) every January. They are a spot of sunshine in a dreary month.
that the power that work in those who believe is resurrection power.
Mike and his manager, Hope Wade [Photo Credit]The most popular post of all time here at Rebecca Writes is not one of the theological posts I spent hours (or days) wrestling with, but this silly little thing from six years ago. Every day, people google “headless chicken” and land on this post. Tonight I’m removing a few dead links, updating it, and reposting.
If you need confirmation of the stupidity of the human race, look at the search queries people use. Last week, for instance, someone came here as a result of a really dumb one: life span of headless chicken.
This is the go-to place for information about longest stuff, like the longest female beard ever (Way to go, Vivian!), the longest parasite (Kudos to Sally Mae Wallace.), or the world’s longest dog tongue (Good girl, Brandy.). It’s at this informative site I discovered that the stupid search query might not be so stupid after all.
In Fruita, Colorado, on September 10 1945, farmer Lloyd Olsen was sent out to kill a chicken for dinner. His mother-in-law loved to eat the neck, so Mr. Olsen tried to chop off as little of the neck as possible. With a swing of his axe, off came the head. The chicken, now known as ‘Mike the Headless Chicken’, started to run around as chickens do, but never stopped.
And when Mike did finally keel over, it was, by all accounts, an untimely death.
Mike finally died in 1947, after living for 18 months. He started choking in the middle of the night, and since the Olsen’s left the syringes they used to clear his esophagus at the sideshow, they could not save him.
Who knows how long Mike might have lived were it not for the unfortunate choking incident — although some might say he was already living on borrowed time.
Mike the Headless Chicken has a song written for him. You can listen to it sung
or read the lyrics below. I suggest the latter option.
(You played the video anyway, didn’t you?)
The Cluck Stops Here: The Ballad of Mike the Headless Chicken
INTRO: Mike the headless Mike the headless Mike the headless chicken! (2x)
He was just another nameless chicken Scratching in his barnyard pen Nothing much to live for Just some food, and a little hen He didn’t know what a hatchet was Or what a skillet was for But one false whack of the farmer’s axe Made him a metaphor
CHORUS: MIKE! MIKE! MIKE! MIKE! Mike the headless chicken Mike the headless chicken Mike the headless chicken Mike the headless chicken* (*leave off the last word, in the final chorus)
Mike the headless chicken Lost his head but found his fame Mike the headless chicken That’s why he got a name He was headed for the kitchen When fortune made its strike How could they cook a chicken As remarkable as Mike?
CHORUS
Even folks from far away Knew the chicken who survived Mike traveled the sideshow circuit In 1945 Kept alive by an eyedropper Food and water down his gullet He even gained a couple of pounds Now that’s a healthy pullet
CHORUS
Eighteen months without a head Was enough for Miracle Mike He didn’t even get a headstone I can’t imagine why He lived and died in the forties Times were different then Yet now we have celebrities With no more brains than him
CHORUS (last)
Yes, the song is stupid; I’m guessing the headless chicken was stupid, too. But the search query wasn’t.
Update: Since I first wrote about Headless Mike Chicken, he has starred in his own full length documentary motion picture, Chick Flick, a film that is “an inspiration for all who view it.” (Think about it: Mike suffered a serious injury—a head amputation, no less—and went on to live a meaningful and profitable life.) There’s also a yearly festival held in Mike’s honour. More stupidity? I’ll let you decide.
invisible church “[T]he company of those who truly believe in Jesus Christ and are the recipients of salvation, both those who are currently alive and those who have died.”1
From scripture:
But God’s firm foundation stands, bearing this seal: “The Lord knows those who are his,” … . (2 Timothy 2:19 ESV)
From The Westminster Larger Catechism:
Q. 64. What is the invisible church?
A. The invisible church is the whole number of the elect, that have been, are, or shall be gathered into one under Christ the head.
Q. 65. What special benefits do the members of the invisible church enjoy by Christ?
A. The members of the invisible church by Christ enjoy union and communion with him in grace and glory.
From Systematic Theology by Louis Berkhof:
This church is said to be invisible, because she is essentially spiritual and in her spiritual essence cannot be discerned by the physical eye; and because it is impossible to determine infallibly who do and do not belong to her. The union of believers with Christ is a mystical union; the Spirit that unites them constitutes an invisible tie; and the blessings of salvation, such as regeneration, genuine conversion, true faith, and spiritual communion with Christ, are all invisible to the natural eye; — and yet these things constitute the real forma (ideal character) of the Church. …[T]he term “invisible should be understood in this sense…
Do you have a term you’d like to see featured here as a Theological Term of the Week? If you email it to me, I’ll seriously consider using it, giving you credit for the suggestion and linking back to your blog when I do.
Clicking on the Theological Term graphic at the top of this post will take you to a list of all the previous theological terms in alphabetical order.
Thursday, January 10, 2013 at 10:47PM 
