But before we get to that, notice that it's all about perception. Riegels, Corrigan, Beulah - perception is in a name.

Riegels morphed into Wrong Way Corrigan when in 1972 Richard Nixon's campaign manager Clark MacGregor tried to muddy Democrat George McGovern’s name, declaring, ''Every time [McGovern] picks up the ball, he brings memories of Wrong Way Corrigan, the fellow who scored a touchdown at the wrong end of the field. One wonders why they don't send someone in off the bench to tackle him before it is too late.''

Republicans had a good laugh, even as MacGregor was selling them the Brooklyn Bridge disguised as the Rose Bowl wrapped up in the Cotton Bowl...

You see, rather than muddying McGovern, MacGregor muddied the facts. He confused Roy Riegels of Rose Bowl fame with Douglas Corrigan of Brooklyn to Ireland fame. Corrigan flew from Brooklyn to Ireland claiming he was heading for California. Compases were rotten in 1938!

But MacGregor also transposed the 1929 Rose Bowl with the 1954 Cotton Bowl. In the ’54 Cotton Bowl an Alabama fullback came off the bench to tackle Rice's halfback who was fully engaged in what would have been a 95-yard run - excpet for Alabama's 12th man who jumped into the game uninvited! Rice got the touchdown by default and went on to win the game.

To this day the separate events of Riegels’ wrong way run, Douglas Corrigan’s wrong way flight, and a sidelined fullback’s wrong way tackle have merged in the public mind due in large to a politician’s wrong way speech. Events unrelated in reality have become the mythical tale of a single happening only vaguely related to truth. And even though Roy Riegels went on to play good enough football to eventually coach for Berkeley and be inducted into the Rose Bowl Hall of fame he is remembered erroneously as “Wrong Way Corrigan.”

So we ask, what’s in a name? Well, sometimes not a whole lot of what is real. Perceptions can be way off the mark. Then again, they can be in the ball park but still caught up in a "who's on first" riddle.

Beulah, an unusual name that appears but one place in the Bible, is like this. In 1981 Squire Parsons wrote and recorded, “Sweet Beulah Land,” which hit number one, I think, on Southern Gospel Music Charts. This might be unremarkable except that Parson's Beulah came along 100 years after the fact, a kind of a “been there, done that” thing. As far back as 1911 three numbers titled “Beulah Land” had been widely circulated and were in use for years after (still are). More remarkable, however, is how a name mentioned but once in the Bible, Beulah, could interest four composers to write about it, millions to sing about it, and enough other people to buy the 1981 recording to make it number one on gospel music charts.

Well, it's all in perception. I'm willing to bet the average person doesn’t have a clue about the Biblical roots of “Beulah.” But those who wrote the "Beulah" versions and the people who sing and listen have perceptions – and this brings up the most remarkable thing: the people who enjoy the 1981 version, have a perception of Beulah that is nearly the polar opposite of the older versions!

Parson's 1981 version identifies Beulah with heaven; while the 1876, 1884, and 1911 versions place Beulah in the here and now. In short, Parson's makes Beulah a future hope; but the older versions make it a present experience.

Wow! Is there maybe a "wrong way Beulah" at work here? Which way to Beulah, guys?

Does it matter? Only as much as any perception matters - like which way to the goal line; and what's in a name anyway: does it matter who or what you believe?

Well, the question to ask is where does God put Beulah? What is his perception? He invented the name anyway. We’ll offer an answer in a future post (soon). Of course, you may have an answer...?