Do you hear what you’re saying?

Not long ago, I posted something called Careless Words. I think God’s trying to tell me something, for I’ve been running into a series of readings that revolve around the issue of our words. There are plenty of verses that speak to this topic.

In Mark 7:9, Jesus chides the Pharisees for focusing on man-made tradition rather than God’s law. “And he said to them: ‘You have a fine way of setting aside the commands of God in order to observe your own traditions!’” In the parallel passage in Matthew, he says, “Don’t you see that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and then out of the body? But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and these make a man ‘unclean.’” (Matthew 15:17-18).


If indeed the words of our mouth reflect the state of our hearts, we have good reason to listen carefully to what we say. It might just be a sure-fire cure for becoming complacent and resting on our spiritual laurels.

Further on in the book of James, an early follower of Jesus teaches at some length about the importance of controlling the tongue:

All of us get tripped up in many ways. Suppose someone is never wrong in what he says. Then he is a perfect man. He is able to keep his whole body under control.  

We put a bit in the mouth of a horse to make it obey us. We can control the whole animal with it. And how about ships? They are very big. They are driven along by strong winds. But they are steered by a very small rudder. It makes them go where the captain wants to go.

In the same way, the tongue is a small part of the body. But it brags a lot.

Think about how a small spark can set a big forest on fire. The tongue also is a fire. The tongue is the most evil part of the body. It pollutes the whole person. It sets a person's whole way of life on fire. And the tongue is set on fire by hell.

People have controlled all kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and creatures of the sea. They still control them. But no one can control the tongue. It is an evil thing that never rests. It is full of deadly poison.

Have you found tricks that help you start to "tame the tongue?

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OH - by the way...


This is W-A-Y off topic, but check here  for a neat video.

Here's what the fuss was all about.

Remember the brouhaha revolving around the Super Bowl commercial featuring football player Tim Tebow? I posted about it here last week. It caused a bit of a furor among "pro-choice" groups because of its pro-life stance.They bombarded CBS with demands to pull the commercial, even before it aired.

Here's the commercial. Darned if I can see anything that should raise hackles.

Do you?




Oh: By the way...

Congratulations to the Saints.

Now can we move on to baseball?

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Don’t forget to enter this week’s contest, found here.

What a great idea!

Yesterday I read a post by Kansas Bob that told of a wonderful idea going on over at Enchanted Oak. To quote from that site:

I'm celebrating the simple pleasures of life, and you are helping me. For each person who participates with a list, a poem, or a prose piece about the joy of simple things, my family will donate $2.00 to Heartline Ministries for their medical clinic and other programs in Haiti. The Heartline Ministries blog by John McHoul will tell you more about what they are doing.

Post your piece this weekend and include a link to my blog. Then pop in here to say you’ve posted your “Simple Things.” Post by midnight, Pacific time, Sunday and don’t forget to link with me and notify me that you’ve posted. You can borrow the “Simple Things” photo. If you don’t have a blog, a comment on my blog will count too if you tell me so. 

So whether you blog or not, there's a way for you to share about the things that make you happy. And Enchanted Oak will, in turn, share with Heartline Ministries to aid their efforts in Haiti.

So here are some things that make me happy

• Laughing with my husband
• Listening to music
• Petting a purring cat
• The first crocus in spring
• The innocent laugh of a child
• Getting together with friends
• Feeling like I've made a difference

What about you? What makes YOU happy?

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Don’t forget to enter this week’s contest, found here.

This week's chuckle: And so it goes...

A group of 30 year old golf buddies discuss and discuss where they should meet for dinner. Finally it is agreed upon that they should meet at Mario's restaurant because the waitresses there wear sexy outfits and are drop-dead gorgeous.

10 years later, at 40 years of age, the group meets again and once again they discuss and discuss where they should meet. Finally it is agreed upon that they should meet at Mario's because the food there is very good and the wine selection is good also.

10 years later at 50 years of age, the group meets again and once again they discuss and discuss where they should meet. Finally it is agreed upon that they should meet at Mario's because they can eat there in peace and quiet and the restaurant is smoke free.

10 years later, at 60 years of age, the group meets again and once again they discuss and discuss where they should meet. Finally it is agreed upon that they should meet at Mario's because the restaurant is wheel chair accessible and they even have an elevator.

10 years later, at 70 years of age, the group meets again and once again they discuss and discuss where they should meet. Finally it is agreed upon that they should meet at Mario's because they have never been there before.

And so it goes . . .. .

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Watch, dear Lord...

Watch, dear Lord, with those who wake or watch or weep tonight, and give your angels charge over those who sleep. Tend your sick ones, O Lord Jesus Christ, rest your weary ones, bless your dying ones, soothe your suffering ones, shield your joyous ones, and all for your love's sake. Amen.

-- St. Augustine

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Don’t forget to enter this week’s contest, found here.

Tim Tebow: faith in football

You’ve probably heard of the controversial pro-life commercial scheduled to be aired during the Super Bowl. Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow will appear in the ad.

As to the ad itself, I’m amazed by the heated debate it has caused even before its debut. The pro-choice movement hasn’t had the opportunity to see it, but they have voiced their opposition so forcefully that CBS may pull the ad even before it is aired. (So much for “freedom of speech”…)

At any rate, Tebow, who plays for the Florida Gators, has already developed a reputation not only as a top-notch football player, but also as a man of faith. Tebow often adds a special touch to his uniform as he prepares for a game. In the “eye black” used by football players to reduce glare, you can often read the citation for one of Tebow’s favorite Bible verses. Here are some of the verses he has proclaimed using this unusual method:

John 3:16: "For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life."

Mark 8:36 - "For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?"

John 16:33 - "These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world."

Ephesians 2:8-10 - “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

James 1:2-4 - “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”

In a sport where machismo reigns, you’ve got to admire the man for having the courage to wear his faith and his convictions out front for all to see.

As I think about this, I wonder… When people look at me, what do they see? Can they tell that I’m a Christian? Do my words and actions reveal my faith, or do they betray it?

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Don’t forget to enter this week’s contest, found here.

And please visit Jen's place, Conversion Diary, for 7 Quick Takes

Grant Desme embarks on a new kind of spring training.

I don’t know quite when or how it happened, but I’ve become a baseball fan. To be more specific, I’m a Durham Bulls baseball fan; my husband and I don’t miss many home games, I promise you. If you’d known me for a long time, you’d be surprised, too.

But even a baseball fan has got to wonder if baseball players’ salaries make sense. It is estimated that a baseball player who makes it to the major leagues and is able to remain there for 4 years will be pulling in an annual salary of $2,555,476. That’s a lot of money for one individual to earn. And it would be difficult to walk away from that sort of earning potential.

So I ran across a headline the other day that piqued my interest: Pro baseball player trades career for priesthood. The article relates the story of a 23-year old outfielder named Grant Desme, a prospect for the Oaqkland Athletics.

Desme was ranked as one of the best prospects for the Major Leagues by “Baseball America” and voted the most valuable player of the Arizona Fall League. Amid speculation that he might be called up to the majors this spring, Desme announced his retirement on January 22, 2010. When asked to explain his decision, Desme had this to say:

I'm doing well in baseball. But I had to get down to the bottom of things, to what was good in my life, what I wanted to do with my life. Baseball is a good thing, but that felt selfish of me when I felt that God was calling me more. It took awhile to trust that and open up to it and aim full steam toward him ... I love the game, but I'm going to aspire to higher things.

Desme had a bit of a career setback when he suffered shoulder and wrist injuries in 2009. He could have indulged in self-pity and bitterness during his recuperation, but his faith grew stronger instead. He said:

As a person, baseball was really the one and only thing in my life. With the injuries, it kind of put everything in perspective. There are much bigger things in life. Baseball could be taken from you at any moment . . . You step on the field and that could be your last game. There are a lot of other things that matter more . . . baseball's just a game.

So Desme entered a different sort of “spring training” by entering a Catholic Seminary in Orange County, California. There, he will embark on a period of discernment which he hopes will culminate in a vocation as a priest.

Desme’s decision is reminiscent of the disciples who left their livelihood to follow Jesus’ call. It takes tremendous courage to leave the safe and familiar to venture into uncharted territory in response to God’s call.

Do you hear God calling you?

Do I?

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Don’t forget to enter this week’s contest, found here.

A new photo caption contest

Can you think of a caption to go with this picture?

Use McLinky below to share your suggestions. Winners will be announced next week.

Good luck, and have fun!

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And here are the winners for last week's contest, found here:

The Freedom from Religion Foundation wants to "stamp out the stamp".

According to an article found here, the Freedom from Religion Foundation is voicing strong opposition to the U.S. Postal Service’s release of a postage stamp commemorating Mother Teresa. They object on the grounds that this commemorative stamp is issued in violation of regulations which honor “individuals whose principal achievements are associated with religious undertakings”.

In explaining their position, a spokesman for the Foundation, Annie Laurie Gaylor, says, "Mother Teresa is principally known as a religious figure who ran a religious institution. You can't really separate her being a nun and being a Roman Catholic from everything she did.” Therefore, the Foundation is urging supporters to boycott the stamp.

Mother Teresa isn’t the first figure with a strong religious background honored by the Postal Service. Among other such honorees were Malcolm X (of the Nation of Islam) and the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., (co-founder of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference). A spokesman for the Postal Service, Roy Betts, says, “This has nothing to do with religion or faith.”

In addition to boycotting the stamp, the Foundation wants to release information about Mother Teresa’s “darker side”. Gaylor says, “There was criticism by the end of her life that she turned what was a tiny charity into an extremely wealthy charity that had the means to provide better care than it did.”

As I read Ms. Gaylor’s position, I can’t help but wonder about the Freedom from Religion Foundation’s use of their funds. Is it used to provide care to a needy world? I went out to their website to see if I could learn a bit more about what they stand for and how they spend their money. Their stated purpose is to “educate the public on matters relating to nontheism, and to promote the constitutional principle of separation between church and state”. Almost every page in the website includes information about how to make a tax-deductible donation. But I was unable to find an accounting of how these donations are used.

But it is another thought which truly captures my attention as I read the objections raised by the Freedom from Religion Foundation. Mother Teresa lived her faith so completely that, in the words of the Foundation’s spokesman, we “can't really separate her being a nun and being a Roman Catholic from everything she did”.

This gives me something to think about. Is my faith so much a part of my life… so much a part of me… that it is impossible for others to know me without seeing it?

When Mother Teresa appears before God, I can’t help but believe that the words of Matthew 25:34-36 will reverberate:

"Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.'”

Mother Teresa lived her faith so well… so completely… that it’s impossible for most of us to think of her apart from her faith.

I pray that I will learn to do the same.

God and the spider

During World War II, a US marine was separated from his unit on a Pacific island. The fighting had been intense, and in the smoke and the crossfire he had lost touch with his comrades.

Alone in the jungle, he could hear enemy soldiers coming in his direction. Scrambling for cover, he found his way up a high ridge to several small caves in the rock. Quickly he crawled inside one of the caves.

Although safe for the moment, he realized that once the enemy soldiers looking for him swept up the ridge, they would quickly search all the caves and he would be killed.

As he waited, he prayed, "Lord, if it be your will, please protect me. Whatever your will though, I love you and trust you. Amen."

After praying, he lay quietly listening to the enemy begin to draw close. He thought, "Well, I guess the Lord isn't going to help me out of this one."

Then he saw a spider begin to build a web over the front of his cave.As he watched, listening to the enemy searching for him all the while, the spider layered strand after strand of web across the opening of the cave.

"Hah, he thought. "What I need is a brick wall and what the Lord has sent me is a spider web. God does have a sense of humor."

As the enemy drew closer he watched from the darkness of his hideout and could see them searching one cave after another. As they came to his, he got ready to make his last stand. To his amazement, however, after glancing in the direction of his cave, they moved on. Suddenly, he realized that with the spider web over the entrance, his cave looked as if no one had entered for quite a while.

"Lord, forgive me," prayed the young man. "I had forgotten that in you a spider's web is stronger than a brick wall."

We all face times of great trouble. When we do, it is so easy to forget what God can work in our lives, sometimes in the most surprising ways. And remember with God, a mere spider's web becomes a brick wall of protection.

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Don’t forget to enter this week’s contest, found here.