Disciples and Nooning It
The old journal I was reading told tales along the Oregon Trail in 1852. It said, “About twelve miles past the lower cutoff on the south side of the Snake River, we found a little shade and nooned it a couple hours.” Nooned it? A noun into a verb? What did that mean?
When they nooned it, they stopped for a noon meal, unharnessed the teams, built the fire, fed the animals, and rested.
Converting a Noun to a Verb
The old pioneers made a noun, noon, into a verb, back in the days when they universally called the noon meal dinner. And they called the evening meal, should they have one, supper.
I don’t know how well the verb “to noon” has caught on, but I personally enjoy the creativity of twisting a noun into a verb.
The Word Disciple
For instance, take the word disciple, which means a disciplined follower. To earn the general title of a disciple of Jesus Christ you have to organize your life in orderly fashion and follow the pattern set by Jesus Himself. There is no such thing as an undisciplined disciple.
But disciple can also be a verb. To disciple someone, you train them in such a way they begin to react, behave, think, and initiate action in the same manner as a pre-chosen pattern.
How To Disciple
You could disciple yourself. Or you can disciple someone else. You can also be discipled by another. Or you can do all three processes at the same time. To earn the name disciple, the discipline must show.
Jesus’ Disciples
We all know about the twelve disciples of Jesus, but others in the New Testament became disciples too. John 19:38 designated Joseph of Arimathea a disciple, as were Timothy, Tabitha, and Ananias, all in the book of Acts.
They had all been discipled. They had been taught how to follow the teaching and the lifestyle of Jesus. It is a title earned by consistent actions, not pious words.
Back to the Old West
In the old days of the long journeys out to the West, you couldn’t say you nooned it until you actually stopped and made a midday camp. Nowadays, you and I are not real disciples until we’ve been discipled. This expresses an act, an occurrence, a mode of being.
Let others decide where to call us disciples or not. Being labeled the noun is not nearly as important as experiencing the verb.
Stephen Bly
Circa 1995
Nouns & Verbs Image by Alison from Pixabay
Nooner Campfire Image by OpenClipart-Vectors from Pixabay
Jesus & Disciples Image by Emmanuel Mendez from Pixabay
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“Nooning It” audio podcast by award-winning western author Stephen Bly. The importance of nouns versus verbs, titles versus actions. Sponsored by BlyBooks.com Legacy Series.
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