Taming the Tongue
Happy belated Fourth of July, everyone. :) Mine was very pleasant. After I worked a few hours in the morning and early afternoon, I drove down to Whitmire to meet my family and grandparents for the rest of the day. We had a relaxing time swimming, sitting around talking and just enjoying each other's company. We ate chargrilled chicken and ribs for dinner along with my granddad's homemade vanilla ice cream that is unrivaled by any other. Then once it was dark enough, we shot our own collection of fireworks in my uncle's backyard. Fun times, all.
So on the heels of yesterday's celebratory aura, today was more routine and normal, but still another great day. I worked a full morning and afternoon shift at CFA, and then came home to some great news from a couple of my dearest friends. Lauren is about a month into her service at Connie Maxwell, and from her own blog, I can tell it has touched her life in ways I can't describe. She's met and befriended kids from all sorts of various backgrounds and several of them have dealt with rough times and circumstances that are just hard to imagine. I really feel God is doing a great work with her there; she has such a kind, compassionate heart and a loving spirit; she's the kind of person these kids can really open up with. I also heard from my friend Ashley down in Columbia. She's been busy lately with work and shopping for her apartment, as well as getting signed up for graduate school courses, but she's doing well also. Please pray for Lauren and Ashley and all they've got going on in their lives.
Anyway, this is Tuesday night, which means it was Bible Study night once again. Doug was back, along with the majority of the college students, and we had another awesome meeting. If you can't tell by the title of this entry, our discussion focused on James 3:1-12, a passage on taming the tongue. It was a real eye-opener of a lesson, mostly because I think it touched a nerve with a lot of us. The tongue, our words, is a tool with so much impact. When we master it, and develop self-control, it can be a powerfully motivating tool for others. But when we are careless with our words and say hurtful, destructive things, it really is like a violent fire that ruins and destroys. It can shatter relationships, alienate potential seekers of God's love, and make us hypocrites if we allow our speech to wander into sarcasm, gossip, and disrespect. I should know; I've been guilty of that more times than I'd like to admit. But as Doug says, we can master our tongues and practice self-control by praising God in the midst of the rough times. One thing he likes to do, which I've also done many times, is when things in his life get overwhelming and he's at a point where he knows the first words that come from his mouth will be displeasing to God, then he'll go to his room or his office, close the door, and start praising God. By listening to or singing a praise song all by himself, he'll always feel totally refreshed and renewed in less than 10 minutes. Just amazing how much difference taking the time to praise God in everything, good times and bad, truly makes. It's better than any pain reliever. :)
After Bible Study, some of the students and I went out for a quick bite to eat at a local Chick-Fil-A (thankfully, we weren't near Haywood). It was lots of fun sharing light-hearted comments and conversation over ice cream and chicken nuggets, and not necessarily in that order. Pray also for my friend Stephanie. She'll be a senior at Furman (!) this fall, and she's been in a relationship with her boyfriend for five years. From the looks of it, he is planning to propose to her very soon, and I can tell she's terribly excited about that. She's a terrific model of a leader being used by God and seeking His will every step of the way. So just pray for them. Thanks bunches!
Song of the Day: Salvador - "How Far is Heaven"
Verse of the Day: "With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men. who have been made in God's likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My friends, this should not be. Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? My brothers, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grape vine bear figs? Neither can a salt stream produce fresh water." - James 3:9-12
So on the heels of yesterday's celebratory aura, today was more routine and normal, but still another great day. I worked a full morning and afternoon shift at CFA, and then came home to some great news from a couple of my dearest friends. Lauren is about a month into her service at Connie Maxwell, and from her own blog, I can tell it has touched her life in ways I can't describe. She's met and befriended kids from all sorts of various backgrounds and several of them have dealt with rough times and circumstances that are just hard to imagine. I really feel God is doing a great work with her there; she has such a kind, compassionate heart and a loving spirit; she's the kind of person these kids can really open up with. I also heard from my friend Ashley down in Columbia. She's been busy lately with work and shopping for her apartment, as well as getting signed up for graduate school courses, but she's doing well also. Please pray for Lauren and Ashley and all they've got going on in their lives.
Anyway, this is Tuesday night, which means it was Bible Study night once again. Doug was back, along with the majority of the college students, and we had another awesome meeting. If you can't tell by the title of this entry, our discussion focused on James 3:1-12, a passage on taming the tongue. It was a real eye-opener of a lesson, mostly because I think it touched a nerve with a lot of us. The tongue, our words, is a tool with so much impact. When we master it, and develop self-control, it can be a powerfully motivating tool for others. But when we are careless with our words and say hurtful, destructive things, it really is like a violent fire that ruins and destroys. It can shatter relationships, alienate potential seekers of God's love, and make us hypocrites if we allow our speech to wander into sarcasm, gossip, and disrespect. I should know; I've been guilty of that more times than I'd like to admit. But as Doug says, we can master our tongues and practice self-control by praising God in the midst of the rough times. One thing he likes to do, which I've also done many times, is when things in his life get overwhelming and he's at a point where he knows the first words that come from his mouth will be displeasing to God, then he'll go to his room or his office, close the door, and start praising God. By listening to or singing a praise song all by himself, he'll always feel totally refreshed and renewed in less than 10 minutes. Just amazing how much difference taking the time to praise God in everything, good times and bad, truly makes. It's better than any pain reliever. :)
After Bible Study, some of the students and I went out for a quick bite to eat at a local Chick-Fil-A (thankfully, we weren't near Haywood). It was lots of fun sharing light-hearted comments and conversation over ice cream and chicken nuggets, and not necessarily in that order. Pray also for my friend Stephanie. She'll be a senior at Furman (!) this fall, and she's been in a relationship with her boyfriend for five years. From the looks of it, he is planning to propose to her very soon, and I can tell she's terribly excited about that. She's a terrific model of a leader being used by God and seeking His will every step of the way. So just pray for them. Thanks bunches!
Song of the Day: Salvador - "How Far is Heaven"
Verse of the Day: "With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men. who have been made in God's likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My friends, this should not be. Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? My brothers, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grape vine bear figs? Neither can a salt stream produce fresh water." - James 3:9-12
posted by david @ 6:41 PM
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