I looked it up. Who is the person listed in the Guinness Book of World Records for having the biggest feet?  Currently, the living record-holder is Jeison Orlando Rodriguez Hernandez and lives in Venezuela. His right foot is almost 16 inches long and his left is a tad shorter. I wonder if people call him Sasquatch?

What got me thinking about the biggest feet in the world? Foot-in-mouth disease.

There is a real disease known as hand-foot-and-mouth disease. It’s a mild virus that children sometimes develop. The risk for hand-foot-and-mouth disease can be reduced by practicing good hygiene.

Then, there is foot-in-mouth disease, which usually occurs in adults. Politicians are particularly susceptible, but preachers and others who talk a lot should also be careful. One of the primary ways of reducing the risk of foot-in-mouth disease is by keeping that orifice made for eating chocolate cake shut more often than open.

Thomas Edison, the great America inventor, said “You will have many opportunities in life to keep your mouth shut. You should take advantage of every one of them.”

America’s mayor, Rudy Giuliani, recently gave a speech in which he said some things about our President and I wonder if, after the speech, he wished his foot would not have gotten into his mouth. I like the former mayor, but it’s not unusual for politicians to suffer from this malady known as foot-in-mouth disease.

The words come so quickly and they escape. Ann Landers was once asked about speaking before thinking and talking so fast; she said, “The trouble with talking too fast is that you may say something you haven’t thought of yet.”

Saying something without thinking? Who has ever done that?

Joe Biden is known for saying things before he has engaged his brain. I think Joe is a likeable and gifted politician or else he would not have been elected so often, but he does say some crazy things. One of my favorite Joe Biden quips was when he asked Missouri state senator Chuck Graham to “stand up.” It was an innocent request for a local politician to be recognized.

Biden said, “I’m told Chuck Graham, state senator, is here. Stand up, Chuck, let ‘em see you.” The only problem was that Graham was confined to a wheelchair. Foot, meet mouth!

People who make their living by giving speeches, like politicians, should be given a little leeway. After all, their motor mouths sometimes go their own ways. During campaigns, there is no telling what someone might say.

Our President, back in his first campaign, claimed to have visited 57 states. We all know there are only 50 states, but once it comes out as 57, there is no taking it back.

If Hilary runs in 2016, she will be reminded of how broke she and Bubba were when they came to Washington and does anyone think she won’t hear the question she asked, “What difference does it make?”

As a preacher and one who has the privilege to speak every Sunday, I am sympathetic to and a sometimes sufferer of foot-in-mouth disease. That makes me very grateful my feet are small and not like Jeison Orlando Rodriguez Hernandez of Venezuela. He’s got a LOT to put in his mouth!