Taming The Tongue... Again!

We all love to talk! Talking has been a part of cultures throughout history. Oral history, stories of exploits, even the giving of commands have depended on verbal communication.

God gave us communication as a gift so we can interact with each other and with Him. Imagine what it would be like if we couldn't communicate with each other, or worse if we couldn't communicate with God.

Sometimes our talking becomes a negative influence on others. Excessive sharing of information (TMI, stop already), gossip (aka "prayer requests"), and talking about ourselves (I, me, my, mine, etc.) are all misuses of this gift.

Let's be honest: At times we are all guilty of misuse. There is however, good wisdom in God's Word concerning our speech (verbal, written, and posted).

James 3:9-10 says: With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God's likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be.

Consider:

• Have we ever praised God on Sunday, and criticized others on Monday?
• Have we ever quoted scripture, and then quoted (reposted) gossip?
• Have we ever turned a conversation from another's sharing to "our" story?

As Believers, we have the responsibility of taming our own tongue. Our honoring of God, our encouragement of fellow Believers, and our expansion of God's Kingdom are all linked to how we control our speech (and postings).

May our speech be seasoned with flavor that is acceptable to God, and influential for His Kingdom... Lead Well!

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Two Are Better Than One

I remember the first time I attended a National Youth Worker's Convention, very early in my ministry career. There I was like a very small fish in a huge ocean: Hundreds of career Youth Pastors with years of experience sitting and learning from some of the best ministers in the country.

My eyes were wide, my ears were open, and my intimidation factor was in the "red" (being intimidated, not being an intimidator). As a result, I pretty much kept to myself because I didn't want anyone to know I was young youth minister with barely three years of experience. At the conclusion of the afternoon session on the final day of the five-day conference, I was randomly invited to eat dinner by the guy who happened to be sitting next to me.

I reluctantly agreed (he mentioned an Ethiopian restaurant three blocks from the conference hotel), and when I met him in the hotel lobby to take the short walk to the restaurant, he was there... along with six other people he was friends with. My intimidation factor red-lined again: Not only was I among seasoned youth pastors, but I was going to have to talk to them and let them know that I don't know very much.

My, how I was wrong. The people in the group were kind, encouraging, and nonjudgmental. They were interested in me, and didn't try to be interesting to me. They listened, they laughed at themselves, and I learned a lot about relationships, encouragement, mentoring, and the need to be mentored... And about youth ministry.

Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 says: Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor. If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up.

It is important that we value relationships: Let us seek to be interested in others, rather than interesting to others. Let us seek out those who need encouragement. Let us seek to mentor those who are open to input into their lives. Let us be open to input into our lives by mentors.

Let us not waste our relationships on things that don't really matter. Let us invest in people, and allow people to invest in us. Let us... Lead Well!

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Asking For The Big Piece Of Cake

Do you remember when you were a child, looking at a freshly baked cake, and as it was being sliced for your family, asking for the big piece?

Being OCB (similar to OCD, but instead of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, I see it as Obsessive-Compulsive Blessing... God made me this way), I was and still am able to determine the largest piece with a quick glance. (But I should limit my cake consumption... Another Blog post.)

When it comes to life, I believe that God wants us to ask Big: More of his Blessing, more of His Ministry, more of His Power, more of His Presence.

I don't believe that the Christian life should be comfortable, sufficient, and mediocre. I don't believe that we are destined to just get by.

Rather, I believe that God wants His children to dream Big, ask Big, expect Big, believe Big, and live Big.

Consider...

• Jabez, who asked God for a bigger border and to be blessed indeed (I Chronicles 4:10)
• Hezekiah, who asked God to extend his life (II Kings 20:1-11)
• Aksah, who asked her father not only for land, but also for springs to water it (Judges 1:13-15)
• Caleb, who in his old age asked for mountainous country filled with God's enemies so he could drive them out (Joshua 14:10-12)
• Elisha, who asked for a double-portion of God's Spirit (II Kings 2:9)

What do all of these people have in common? They dreamed Big, they asked Big, they expected Big, they believed Big, and they lived Big.

Dream Big, ask Big, believe Big... Lead Well!

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