Words

Words.
I love words.
Because God loves words.
When He created the universe, the Word Himself spoke it into existence with words.

"Light," He whispered and, at His word, light awoke for the first time. And God was delighted. He spoke again and again. "Heavens. Earth. Life." Each utterance shaping His creation just as He intended.

In the beginning was the Word.
The Word was with God.
The Word was [is] God.

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.

The eternal Word that used words to speak creation into being Himself entered His creation in the flesh. And He spoke words to His creation.

His words gave life to the universe.
His words gave life to the hurting.
They still do.

As those who were created in the image of the Word, our words can also give life to creation. Cherish them.

Sticks and stones, remastered

Sticks and stones,

may break my bones,

but the tongue's a blazing coal.

The former leaves

a deep blue stain

the latter scars a soul.

Sticks and Stones

Words kill, words give life; 
     they're either poison or fruit--you choose.-Proverbs 18:21 (MSG) 

As kids, we used to say, "sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me." It was a lie we told to mask what was going on inside. But Proverbs tells the truth. Contrary to our childhood rhyme, words have the power to kill. We do not need guns or knives or sticks or stones to harm a person, our words will do just fine. Talk to any adolescent girl trying to navigate her way through the painful waters of junior high school as she experiences a slow death by ten thousand words from her peers. 

"Fatso." 

"Slut." 

"Cow." 

"Why do even come here? No one likes you. Why don't you just kill yourself." 

Each word a paper cut upon her soul. Each word draining her life, bit by bit. Many survive, though a close look will reveal battle scars, long calloused over to prevent any future pains. Some don't make it. 

I wish I could say these death words were isolated, but they are not. Every day in every town in America in many homes, schools, jobs, and churches, people criticize, shame, and isolate others with their words. Some scream. Some use sarcasm. Some damn with faint praise. Some scoff. Some gossip. Some slander. The weapons are different, but the effects are similar. Words have the power to kill the spirit.

But words also have the power to give life. Words have the power to heal, to restore, to build up. For every cut inflicted upon the soul, we have in our power the opportunity to bind up those wounds, to speak life to another person. 

Words are rarely neutral. They are poison, or they are fruit. They are death, or they are life. So the next time your son forgets to feed the dogs and you are about to respond, ask yourself, "am I speaking life to him?" The next time you want to add a snarky comment on something you see on Facebook, ask yourself "is my desire to build up and encourage or to make myself feel better by knocking that person down a peg?" The next time your spouse says something to you that makes your blood boil, ask yourself "in the midst of my hurt, how can my words bless the one whom I love?" 

A gentle tongue is a tree of life,
     but perverseness in it breaks the spirit.-Proverbs 15:4 (ESV)

Book Review: Tell It Slant

Tell It Slant: A Conversation on the Language of Jesus in His Stories and Prayers (2008) by Eugene Peterson is the 4th book in his 5-volume spiritual theology series. As the subtitle says, Peterson uses the first part of this book to explore the stories and parables of Jesus and the second half to explore Jesus' way of praying.

The first section the book was centered around the journey to Samaria described in Luke 9 to 19. On his journey, Jesus used the opportunity to teach his disciples, typically through the medium of parable. Peterson looks at how Jesus was not simply a theologian, but that he engaged people through the telling of stories. Too often, storytelling seems to be a lost art today, though Jesus was the master storyteller. In this part of the book, chapter 5 "Manure: Luke 13:6-9" was perhaps my favorite. Peterson, through one of the stories of Jesus, educates the reader that Jesus often does not work quickly. He writes, "Manure is a slow solution. When it comes to doing something about what is wrong in the world, Jesus is best known for his fondness for the minute, the invisible, the quiet, the slow--yeast, salt, seeds, light. And manure."

In the second half of the book, Peterson introduces the reader to six prayers of Jesus. His exposition on Jesus' "high priestly prayer" in John 17 is essential reading for the Christian to know that we are invited to join in the Trinity. We are loved by a relational God who invites us in.  Another important concept Peterson raised here was that of the importance of silence in prayer and in language, an oft overlooked virtue, particularly in modern culture.

I would recommend this book, or any in the series, to those who want a deeper understanding of the spiritual life of the believer. 

Book Review: Encouragement

Encouragement: The Unexpected Power of Building Others Up (1984/2013) by Larry Crabb and Dan Allender is an excellent book on how to speak into one another's lives. In this book, Crabb calls the reader to move beyond surface conversations to those that are 1) prompted by love and 2) directed toward fear.  I suspect that many of us resonate with the first part.  At least on some level, we know that what we do must come from a place of love, whatever that means.  However, when Crabb talks about encouragement being directed toward fear, that may be confusing for many of us.  Essentially, he makes the point that many of us hide behind layers that serve to protect us from exposure and abandonment.  I have heard Dr Crabb say in the past "looking bad in the presence of love releases our true self" and I think he gets at that here.

If you want to learn how to have godly, meaningful conversations, may this book be an encouragement to you.  I would like to loan my copy to all of my friends, but I will likely want to read my own again first.  

Remind your wife of her purity

Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish. In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself.-Ephesians 5:25-28

If you have ever been to a Christan wedding or read Christian marriage books, you have no doubt heard that "husbands are to love their wives as Christ loved the church." If the authors went further, you have perhaps even heard that it means that he is to give himself up for her. Husbands are to love their wives sacrificially.  We are to commit to loving our wives fully, perhaps by setting aside some of our own selfish wants. 

Rarely, however, do these authors take it further.  Ephesians 5:26 says that "he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word." Husbands, your words matter.  So often, husbands are careless with their words.  They criticize, complain, or outright attack their wives.  Rather than restraining their tongues, they say things without thought. 

Men, you must seek to remind your wife of the gospel regularly.  You must remind them of their beauty in Christ.  Your words must serve to edify your wife. Your words must serve to purify her, or rather, remind her of her purity in Christ.

Your words matter. 

Let My Words Be Few

A sarcastic person has a superiority complex that can only be cured by the honesty of humility.-Lawrence Lovasik

For all of my life, I have loved to talk. With people, around people, at people. As a young boy, my mother had a shirt for me that said "Motomouth" and people laughed often because it was true. I don't ever recall a time when this was not true. I have always been quick to speak.

Unfortunately, with a quick tongue often comes impetuousness. Speaking, before thinking, can lead to trouble. As a junior high and high school student, I was occasionally subjected to attacks by older students because I would make what I felt were quick-witted, comedic comments. I have a way of quickly spotting verbal inconsistencies in people and can turn a phrase to make a joke out of nearly anything. This "ability" was often my downfall. I inherited this skill from my father; get-togethers are peppered with witty observations, often at the expense of others.

This is the heart of sarcasm. It literally means "to tear the flesh." I have previously written on this topic, noting my appreciation for gentler sarcasm (if there is such a thing), yet issuing a caution that we must be careful with our words.

I still struggle with this most days. My default setting still calls up sarcastic comments. At times I still make them, though through God's grace, I have done so less often. I continue to work on being slow to speak and quick to listen--to God and to others. I have been amazed at how much more likely people are to open up when they feel heard, rather than criticized.

Guard your steps when you go to the house of God. To draw near to listen is better than to offer the sacrifice of fools, for they do not know that they are doing evil. Be not rash with your mouth, nor let your heart be hasty to utter a word before God, for God is in heaven and you are on earth. Therefore let your words be few. For a dream comes with much business, and a fool's voice with many words.-Ecclesiastes 5:1-3