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The best tricks seem logical and easy to do. Fool your friends into thinking they can do this task. Under pressure, they can’t do it! Here is how:
Say: Is there anyone who has a quarter?
Do: Take the quarter from them.
Say: Watch me place this quarter between two fingers and easily drop it.
Do: Place the coin between your ring fingers. Pinch it between the two fingers then easily drop it.
Say: It is easy to do things when we are not under pressure. Let me see you do this!
Do: Give them the coin and watch them have success.
Say: I bet I can stress your fingers so badly you cannot do this!
Do: While you are pinching the quarter between your ring fingers, squeeze your middle fingers knuckles together. Hold them tight. Try the trick again while you hold those knuckles together. You can’t drop the quarter!
Say: Finders keepers, losers weakers!
Discussion:
When we are under pressure, it is hard to do what comes naturally. Stress can limit our daily activities. Anxiety causes all kinds of limitations and temptations. We don’t feel at ease.
This stunt shows you what you can’t do when your fingers are stressed. Do you remember the last time you were under stress? Did you do something you didn’t want to do?
Do you play guitar or another instrument? When someone is listening or watching, it is easy to feel tense. Mistakes are easily made. I play music and practice long hours so I won’t make mistakes. Even with practice, mistakes can happen in front of a crowd.
Test taking can stress you so you forget the answers. I remember in sixth grade. I wanted to be as smart as my friends. Sam, Betsy, Miles and John Kurz were really, really smart. They could get A’s on tests without having to study. They were brains.
I wanted to be like them. There was a history test at school. I was pressured to get an “A” grade just like everyone else. The stress was too much. I couldn’t remember some of the facts. I remember glancing at John’s paper to get the right answers. I really liked John. He knew it. John let me copy and the teacher saw it. I was given an “F”. Mr. Dreadfall humiliated me further by taking me outside the room and giving me a tongue-lashing.
The worst part of this experience was that I felt dumb. I wanted to be liked so much that I did something wrong to earn my friend’s approval. I feared rejection in the worst way.
Cheating is a form of lying. You are telling people you can do something that you can’t do.
Lying is stealing. When we say something happened and it really didn’t … we steal the truth. If you lie too often, friends will not trust you. If you steal too often, cheat on exams or lie…no one will trust you. The desire to be accepted, loved and not rejected can be such strong pressure that we cannot relax and be ourselves. It really means we are not happy with who we are.
Do you allow people to tell you something you know is untrue? Is it fun to go along with them? For example, we may sing a nonsense song just for fun. It may be completely untrue but we love it! When a magician does a stunt, we know he plans to trick us but we go along with it just for the pleasure of watching the trick.
Here is a silly song. We know is not true but we enjoy singing it. People know it is not true but there are times we allow ourselves to be fooled just for entertainment. The person who wrote this song wanted to make people laugh and enjoy themselves. When we do stunts or entertain, we may secretly want people to like us and love to be around us. Be careful to do all things to bring joy to others not to get approval.
FATHER’S WHISKERS
I have a dear old daddy,
For whom I nightly pray,
He has a set of whiskers
That are always in the way.
Oh, they’re always in the way,
The cows eat them for hay,
They hide the dirt on Daddy’s shirt,
They’re always in the way.
Verse 2:
Father had a strong back,
Now it’s all caved in,
He stepped upon his whiskers
And walked up to his chin.
Oh, they’re always in the way,
The cows eat them for hay,
They hide the dirt on Daddy’s shirt,
They’re always in the way.
(The following verses are blended together. This is permitted in English for certain forms of poetry and songs but not grammatically correct in essays or other forms of writing)
Verse 3
Father has a daughter, Her name is Ella Mae, She climbs up father’s whiskers , and braids them all the way. Oh, they’re always in the way, The cows eat them for hay, They hide the dirt on Daddy’s shirt, They’re always in the way.
Verse 4
I have a dear old mother, She likes the whiskers, too. She uses them for dusting and cleaning out the flue. Oh, they’re always in the way, The cows eat them for hay, They hide the dirt on Daddy’s shirt, They’re always in the way.
We have a dear old father, to whom we dearly pray. He has a set of whiskers, they’re always in the way. Oh, they’re always in the way The cows eat them for hay, They hide the dirt on Father’s shirt, They’re always in the way.
Verse 5
We have a dear old mother, with him at night she sleeps. She wakes up in the morning and eats her shredded wheat. Oh, they’re always in the way. The cows eat them for hay. They hide the dirt on Father’s shirt. They’re always in the way.
Verse 6
We have a dear old brother. He has a Ford machine. He uses Father’s whiskers to strain the gasoline. Oh, they’re always in the way The cows eat them for hay, They hide the dirt on Father’s shirt, They’re always in the way.
Verse 7
We have a dear old sister. It really is a laugh. She sprinkles Father’s whiskers as bath salts in her bath. Oh, they’re always in the way. The cows eat them for hay. They hide the dirt on Father’s shirt. They’re always in the way.
Verse 8
Father has a son., His name is Sonny Jim. He wants to grow some whiskers but Father won’t let him. Oh, they’re always in the way. The cows eat them for hay. They hide the dirt on Father’s shirt. They’re always in the way.
Verse 9
Father has a daughter, Her name is Ella-Mae, She climbs up Father’s whiskers, And braids them all the way. Oh, they’re always in the way The cows eat them for hay, They hide the dirt on Father’s shirt, They’re always in the way.
Verse l0
Around the supper table. We make a merry group. Until dear Father’s whiskers, get tangled in the soup. Oh, they’re always in the way. The cows eat them for hay. They hide the dirt on Father’s shirt. They’re always in the way.
Verse 11
Father fought in Flanders. He wasn’t killed, you see; His whiskers looked like bushes, and fooled the enemy. Oh, they’re always in the way. The cows eat them for hay. They hide the dirt on Father’s shirt. They’re always in the way.
Verse 12
When Father goes in swimming. No bathing suit for him. He ties his whiskers ’round his waist and gaily plunges in. Oh, they’re always in the way. The cows eat them for hay. They hide the dirt on Father’s shirt. They’re always in the way.
Verse 13
Father went out sailing. The wind blew down the mast; He hoisted up his whiskers and never went so fast. Oh, they’re always in the way. The cows eat them for hay. They hide the dirt on Father’s shirt. They’re always in the way.
Verse 14
Father, in a tavern, likes his lager beer. He pins a pretzel on his nose to keep his whiskers clear. Oh, they’re always in the way. The cows eat them for hay. They hide the dirt on Father’s shirt. They’re always in the way.
Verse l5
Father went out chopping. He struck a mighty blow. He pinned down all his whiskers, now hear those cuss words flow. Oh, they’re always in the way. The cows eat them for hay. They hide the dirt on Father’s shirt. They’re always in the way.
Verse l6
Father went out skiing. He thought he’d try a schuss. He caught his whiskers on his skis and landed on his puss. Oh, they’re always in the way. The cows eat them for hay. They hide the dirt on Father’s shirt. They’re always in the way.
Father’s whiskers caused him a lot of trouble. He thought they looked good and so he let them grow. People gave him a lot of attention for those whiskers but they were always in the way. Don’t let your desire for love or friendship stress you out so much you yield to temptation and lie, cheat or do harmful things.
THERE ARE A NUMBER OF VIDEOS ON YOUTUBE FEATURING THIS SONG. Here is one:
“Father’s Whiskers/Family Sing Along – Muffin Songs – You Tube”
Spiritual Application:
Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its Creator. Col. 3: 9-10
Our goal in life should be to be like the Lord. If we are filled with the Lord’s character we have love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, faithfulness and self-control. These are the best qualities a person may have. I would add, truthfulness. Truthfulness is kindness. Telling the truth is self-control. When we do not lie, we are faithful others will like us for who we are. Do not try to be like everyone else. Work on building these character qualities and you will love yourself and love the Lord. Others will love you, too.
Boundaries:
Enjoy life. Enjoy the songs people sing and the stories people share with you. Not all tales people tell you are true but laugh and be merry. There are times, however, when people lie to you and you must tell them you do not accept their untruth.
How do you stop a trusted friend from lying?
Oct 12, 2020 — Confront him in a loving way. Tell him all the things you like about him or her. Build up that person’s self confidence. If your friend is caught lying again, ask him or her to tell the truth. Hear the response and see how much ownership and remorse there is for the lying. Does he or she really feel badly for not telling the truth? Try to figure out what the lying means in the relationship. Why did he or she lie? Look at the level of repentance and change. Do they stop lying? Is the change being sustained? If the person continues to lie, change friends. (Boundaries.me)
