I can't think of anything more disgusting than finding a fly in your food (okay maybe a hunk of hair, could be worse).

Bees, aphids, ants, are unpleasant, but not as disgusting as flies. Bees spend most of their time around flowers -- we even eat honey from their hives. Ants are not juicy enough to be gross. And aphids -- well, you can eat around them most of the time in a salad (and I have -- mainly so I was full before the waiter took the plate away -- hey I'm cheap).

Flies are different. They always seem to be flying and landing on disgusting things all the time. They are the ultimate in unclean. So let's try to use them to spice up a few dishes.

First -- I want to encourage everybody to use the imitation flies you find at Toys-R-Us or other peddlers of fake insects. You could use real flies but , then you'd be crossing that line between bad taste and really bad taste. It is important to note as well, that real flies do not hold up well after they die (they shrivel and shrink) whereas the plastic kind hold their shape quite well (please don't ask how I know this).

To make some fly pops, all you need is a mold, some sugar, sucker sticks, and your imitation flies. Simply follow the directions for making the hard candy suckers that comes with your mold. You'll need to cook the sugar until it is hot enough to set up (the hard crack stage). You'll want to use a candy thermometer -- and if you're smart -- it's a good idea to tell your mom what you are up to.

Fill the molds 50% full, then quickly drop in your bug, then fill to the top. Make sure if you color the sugar mixture, that you don't make it to dark -- otherwise they can't see the insect suspended inside.

How many licks to the center of a fly pop? One .... Two ... Crunch.

FOR PEOPLE WHO CAN"T COOK

The next best things to fly pops are fly cubes.

These babies are just bugs and ice. A great no-cook way to surprise Dad after a long day at the office (use good judgment here).

For those of you who forgot the recipe for ice just follow these directions.

You've got 2 choices:

Fill the ice cube trays up with water and insert your flies.

Fill the ice cube trays 50% with water --freeze- insert bug -- cover with water -- freeze again.

To make a great little contest out of this -- freeze a few cubes then invite friends to see who can melt the cube in their mouth first and free the fly.

Believe it or not -- I got this idea from a verse in God's Word, the Bible.

Ecclesiastes 10:1 "As dead flies give perfume a bad smell, so a little folly outweighs wisdom and honor.

One of Solomon's inspired observations was that a little foolishness, can ruin a great amount of wisdom and honor.

The perfume in Solomon's day consisted of a sticky ointment that had a fragrant smell. Because of the gooey nature of the perfume (kind of like Vaseline), you had to keep it covered or flies would get stuck in it and spoil the smell.

You might not experience many flies in your home, but in that day (and still today in many countries) home had no doors or windows -- just openings to the outside. Because the garbage truck didn't come to take away trash and sewage twice a week, flies were nearby and in abundance. To protect the precious (very valuable) perfume, one would keep it covered so the flies would not spoil it.

In the same way, we must guard our lives from the foolishness that can spoil it. Many people do great things with their lives and are brought to ruin by one act of stupidity or sin.

A well known pastor and author from the state I lived in allowed himself to become involved (not sexually) with another woman. When he was found out, he left the church. He was the author of many wonderful books on marriage, yet this one act of foolishness spoiled all his honor.

I'm sure that in his mind what he was doing was as "harmless as a fly", yet a fly in the wrong place can spoil the whole jar of perfume.

I hope one day he will be restored. I know in God's eyes, he is forgiven and God still loves him. But it doesn't take much to lose everything. Take seriously the flies that can spoil your life.