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I just got done watching my favorite kind of movie, the kind that makes you reflect on life, how beautiful it is, and how adventurous and free it can be. It’s called Into the Wild and one of the key lines in the movie is “Happiness is only real if it’s shared.” Last weekend, a guy at the Czecho-Slovak Easter retreat was telling me and Graham how he loves to travel in the outdoors, to rough it and see new places. Most of his traveling, however, he does alone. At one point he solemnly said, I’d like it a lot more if I had someone to share my experiences with. There is a deep desire in mankind for community, a desire reflecting the very nature of the One God in three persons we worship.

Practicing praiseworthy speech is in many ways countercultural and therefore hard to keep up. It’s hard to sustain from day to day after having grown up in homes, schools, societies that model an often less than praiseworthy use of communication— throwaway words, selfish words, hurtful words, and on and on the list could go. Bucking the system and finding transformation is no easy task.

That’s where the Spirit-empowered community of believers comes in. We need each other. And, thank God, we have each other. Walking side by side as disciples of Jesus, Christ’s followers “spur one another on toward love and good deeds (Hebrews 10:24).” They take seriously their responsibility to remind each other of the quality of speech that should flow from their mouths. Because it’s so easy to forget. They encourage one another to keep their heads up despite failures, to get back up after each fall. Because it’s so easy to get discouraged.

And so they—we—give hugs. We give pats on the back. We praise each other for successes along the journey. We thank each other for good deeds and genuine effort. Via a death/resurrection lens, we point out new ways to view a certain problem or situation, or we help someone see something from their enemy’s / friend’s / spouse’s / whoever’s point of view, thus removing blind spots and enabling grace to do its healing work. And the praiseworthy posture we take before any of this teaching or advice takes place, is sitting patiently, saying, “Bend my ear.”

We also need to see examples and to be examples. We are to be living signs for each other and for the world of what communication can be in God’s righteous Kingdom—of how words can be used to set people free, to give life, to speak truth. And all along the way, we pray for each other and praise God. [Summary—what we need and get in community: reminders/accountability, encouragement, physical gestures, praise, thanks, new lenses, open ears, examples, prayer, voice to our worship.]

But beyond requiring community, this type of speech creates it. When you talk like Jesus it draws a crowd. When you use words the way they’re meant to be used it brings people together. Because, there is a hunger for truth in this world, for genuineness—with a healthy mix of humility. And there is a hunger for true praise—to join with all creation in unhindered praise for its Creator and to hear Him reply “Well done.”

As God’s people, we are a family of storytellers, witnessing to the goodness of God to give everything to transform us and show his love for all people through the death and resurrection of Jesus. This priesthood, through words of blessing and hope, connects people with God. As God’s co-workers we are conduits of mercy and love sharing the good news that every man and woman on this planet is a child of God. [Summary—words that draw us together: speaking like Jesus, truth, genuineness, humility, true praise of God, true praise from God, storytellers/witnesses/priests/co-workers, good news, words of love/blessing/hope/reconciliation/mercy, revealing true identity.]

Thanks for reading everyone, Mitch.

Our latest topic of reflection in our Praiseworthy Speech Project is the issue of community. During the past week, each of us meditated on and wrote about the following…

Why the praiseworthy speech way of life we are pursuing together (1) requires and (2) creates community.

First, could one sustain praiseworthy speech without the help of a faith community devoted to the same? What do we need to be reminded of by each other? How taught to adopt a Kingdom worldview / God’s story? How encouraged? How held accountable?

And second, what kind of community results when its members are people of praiseworthy speech, dying to self in their use of communication in order to give praise to God and life to others?

As we’ve reflected on these things, we’ve found that we truly have good news to share with others about the beauty of life in churches centered on Christ’s death and resurrection.

“Look carefully then how you walk! Live purposefully and worthily and accurately, not as the unwise and witless, but as wise (sensible, intelligent people), making the very most of the time [buying up each opportunity], because the days are evil. Therefore do not be vague and thoughtless and foolish, but understanding and firmly grasping what the will of the Lord is.” Ephesians 5:15-17 (Amplified Bible)

Do you experience distractions in your devotional time, praise time, and prayer time? You try to give Him one minute of praise, spend time in the word or prayer, but your mind wanders and you find yourself thinking about what you are going to fix for supper, what you need to accomplish before the day is over, what someone said to you yesterday at work, who you have a meeting with tomorrow, and the list goes on. Before you know it, your mind has wandered miles away from where you started and devotion time is up. Then you begin to feel condemned.

Or you read your Bible, but you’re just reading words. You begin to praise Him and there is no meaning coming out of your mouth. You enter into prayer and dullness overcomes you. You think, maybe I’ll just go check my email and get back to prayer later. Then later never comes. Instead of focusing on God, you feel the pressure of the demands hovering around you. Only now you feel guilty, condemned, and alienated as if you are the only person who is struggling with this problem. You even say to yourself, “tomorrow will be better” - but tomorrow never comes. If you find yourself continually battling this sort of distraction, you are not alone. The enemy of your soul is on special assignment, to keep you distracted from pursuing the presence of God. This “assignment of distraction” is designed to overtake your mind and keep you in the mire the Bible calls “the cares of this world.” Distractions - if not overcome - will eventually bring destruction. Satan finds strength in distractions; because he knows your strength comes from your focus on God through your praise, prayer, and devotional time.

In Luke chapter 10, Martha invites Jesus into her home, but she becomes so distracted with entertaining, that she neglects being present and enjoying His company. Jesus did not condemn Martha for her work, but he drew her attention to her distractedness.

Don’t let the enemy have his way with you and your destiny. Redeem the time, make the most of every opportunity, be vigilant, and be diligent with the precious few hours you have been given each day. Be a good steward. For God to use you as a vessel of honor, you must be circumspect, and ruthless with your time. That doesn’t mean “doing more” - that means “being more.” Becoming “a vessel of honor prepared for every good work” (II Tim. 2:21) involves the work of being, not the work of doing. The work of being, or becoming, is done at the feet of Jesus - by spending time in His presence. When you invest yourself - your time - in being with Him, He can then release you into the right doing.

Darlene McCarty - “One Minute of Praise“

“I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me, and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.” Galatians 2:20-21

“Emotions accompany all the events of our lives. If you have a broken relationship, chances are you’ll feel sad or rejected. If you spouse dies, you’ll likely feel lonely. If you’re unjustly accused, you’ll probably feel angry. The more importance you assign to the event, the more intensely you’ll feel the emotion…What we hold in high esteem will eventually govern us. Yes, we need to acknowledge our feelings, but we should never regard them more highly than God’s Word. Don’t ever bow to your feelings because you hold them in such high regard. Instead, make them bow to your God.”

Jennifer Rothschild - “Lessons I Learned in the Dark“

Christian worship is not only a dialogue, a dramatic conversation, between God and humanity; it is also … a kind of dress rehearsal for human speech outside of the sanctuary. To worship is not only to hear and speak truthful and life-changing words inside the sanctuary but also to prepare ourselves for truthful and life-changing speech in the other areas of life. This is why I have called worship God’s language school, a place where we are trained to speak in new ways and given the vocabulary to express a new reality.

The words of worship can enable ordinary speech out in life to become, in its own way, holy speech. The kind of genuine, emotionally rich, hopeful, faithful, courageous, grittily honest speech that makes up truthful worship is countercultural in world where talk is often cheap and evasive, and it prepares us for speaking in the rest of our lives in ways that are surprisingly fresh and hopeful and healing. As Craig Dykstra puts it in his book Growing in Faith, “religious faith is a way of living that intends to be in touch with what is true and real. But it implies that to see, understand, and live rightly requires living in a particular way. This means that religious language is not just language about ‘religious things’ (i.e., the religious community, its institutions, and traditions), but is about the whole of reality made evident and available through the community’s faith.” In a world where talk is cheap, where we are pummeled all day long by words, words, words, there is a deep hunger for the right word, the true word, the word of grace and hope. Like a monarch butterfly in a field full of gray moths, an honest word, a loving word, a faithful word sings and soars and stands out by its very contrast.

- from “Sunday Words,” by Thomas G. Long in Testimony

Then we your people, the sheep of your pasture, will praise you forever; from generation to generation we will recount your praise.”  Psalm 79:13

“And she [Leah] conceived again and bore a son, and said, ‘This time I will praise the Lord.’  Therefore she called his name Judah.”  Genesis 29:35

In the story of Leah and Jacob, we read that Leah was living in the shadow of Rachel.  She was a victim of her circumstances.  Even so, she was determined to make the best of an unfortunate situation.  She thought to herself, “I’m going to do everything within my power to make my husband love me.”  Have you ever said to yourself, “I will make them be my friend.”  “I will make this man love me.”  “I will make my co-workers respect me.”?

In the same way, Leah was determined in her heart to turn things around.  When Jacob came in at the end of the day, all of his ironing had been done.  His house had been cleaned.  He didn’t even have to carry the trash out… [abbreviated]  She thought, “I’ve got to make him love me because he’s my desire.  He’s what I want.  He’s my life.”  Then she thought, “I’ll give him a baby, I know that will make him love me because nobody else has given him a child.”

So, she conceived and brought forth a child by the name of Reuben.  Back in those days, they would name their children according to what was happening in their life at that moment.  Every name had a meaning.  So she named the first child Reuben, which meant, “Look at me; see my affliction.”  She thought, “Surely, if you see the pain I’ve gone through, you will love me.”  But the atmosphere in the house did not change.  She thought, “If I give him two children, then he will love me.”  So she brought forth Simeon, which means “listen to me; hear me.”  [abbrev.]

Then she thought, “That didn’t work.  Maybe three.  Maybe if I give him three children.”  So she conceived again and gave birth to Levi.  Levi means “to be joined together; to be connected.”  She thought, “Surely, after I give him three sons, I will be connected to him.  I will be joined to him.”  But things still did not change.  [abbrev.]

But something happened between child number three and child number four.  I think God perhaps had a conversation with her.  [abbrev.]

When she gave birth to a fourth child, she named the child Judah: “I will praise Him.”  What changed?  She was now saying, “I will praise my God- no matter what.”

Did you know all the descendants of Judah through the generations were known as praisers?  Do you realize what she gave birth to because her attitude and her focus changed?  Do you have any idea what you can give birth to in the spiritual realm when you just begin to praise God without compromise?

Lord, what wisdom and mercy You have ordained that we should only need to praise You.  Help us by Your Spirit to continually offer You praise, to have our self-worth tied to Your praises, to be resolutely determined to praise You without compromise- to be desperately addicted to praising You at all times!

- from PRAISE-WORTH EQUALS SELF-WORTH, from One Minute of Praise by Darlene McCarty

Words Not Left Unsaid

 
“The bitterest tear shed over graves are for words left unsaid and deeds left undone.”  Harriet Beecher Stowe

Harriet Elizabeth Beecher was born on June 14, 1811 in Litchfield, Connecticut. Her father, Reverend Lyman Beecher, was a Congregationalist preacher, and he was well known as a persuasive speaker who championed high moral standards. He did not hide his anti-slavery views from his congregation or his children. Harriet was one of Lyman Beecher’s thirteen children. All of them, including Harriet, were brought up with strong moral principles, and all were expected to follow their religious upbringing throughout their lives, which they did.  Her mother died when Harriet was four years old, and she developed a close bond with her older sister Catherine. Harriet attended school in Litchfield during these years, then studied under her sister Catherine, and then joined her sister as a teacher herself. In 1832 both of the sisters moved to Cincinnati when their father was invited to be the president of Lane Theological Seminary there.

The move was an eye-opener for Harriet. She witnessed the cruelty of slave auctions. She saw husbands, wives, and children sold to separate bidders. She saw fugitive slaves fleeing across the Ohio River from Kentucky, hoping to find refuge to the north in Canada. She drew upon several of these first-hand experiences when she later wrote the work that would make her famous, Uncle Tom’s Cabin. During this time in Ohio, Harriet also met Calvin Stowe, a clergyman, educator, and staunch abolitionist. She married him in 1836, and they had seven children.

Harriet was an avid writer, contributing to periodicals and local publications, in addition to her poetry, children’s books, and novels. In 1850 Calvin Stowe accepted a position at Bowdoin College in Maine, and the Stowe’s moved east. The anti-slavery movement was heating up, especially in the Northeast, after the passage of The Fugitive Slave Law of 1850, which forced Northern law enforcement officers to aid in the recapture of runaways. Anyone of color was suspect, whether or not they were runaways. Many former slaves feared for their own safety, and many were fleeing to Canada, along with the fugitive slaves. Harriet saw the power of the pen as her way to force the nation to look at its immoral system. Her answer to all the injustice that she witnessed was her belief in herself as a writer and her belief that people would side with her if they knew the truth. She needed to tell the nation what it should have already known, that slavery was unjust, immoral, and evil.

This was her mission when she wrote Uncle Tom’s Cabin. Attempting to get her work published, she accepted a Washington anti-slavery newspaper’s offer to publish it in serial form. It ran in The National Era as a series of 40 installments, to a readership that was already anti-slavery anyway. But the serial did attract the attention of a Boston publisher, J.P. Jewett. He contacted Harriet, and they agreed to publish it as a novel. When it was published in 1852, it was an immediate success. By 1857 Uncle Tom’s Cabin had sold over a half a million copies. It gained international fame and has been published in scores of languages. Although she wrote dozens of novels and stories in her lifetime, none reached the heights that Uncle Tom’s Cabin did. This one work spawned such an unprecedented amount of enthusiasm, indignation, and controversy that it certainly accomplished her mission: to bring the immorality of slavery to the forefront of American thought.

The world is no longer lived by ideas, but by coherence between lived and spoken experience. Therefore, argumentation is not the way to show people Jesus, but rather apprenticing people while manifesting a particular way of life. The solution is not a well-written book but communities living out the words they speak. There is a great hunger for this.

This is why witness should emerge along our way of life. Forge witness out of life experience, not abstract definitions.

[Mark Love, Narrative class notes, Fall semester 2005]

“I suppose the most interesting toehold for this project as it intersects the life and ministry of Jesus was his lifelong commitment to “telling it like it was.” In every instance of his speaking there lurked a stark denuding of the deceptive and harmful language people used to conceal deeper and more wholesome truths. If we really examine the substance of Jesus’ speech we rarely see the predominantly complimentary language we have attuned ourselves to expect from him; instead, what we see is Jesus pulling the world back into alignment by tempering the tone, gravity, and content of his words according to the needs of the situations in which he found himself. To those who needed a sharp rebuke he wielded brutally cutting and withering reprimands like a whip; to those who needed consolation or restoration he whispered compassion and advocacy like a tender mother; and to those who simply banded around him for wisdom and inspiration he levied double-edged ethical principles that struck at the establishment as much as they pierced the sincerest of hearts. As much as we echo the love of God we must remember first that the majority of Jesus’ communication orbited primarily a core of unveiling the truth, a truth that we all need to hear about the world, about near-sighted and conventional wisdoms, and about ourselves so that we don’t become like those who clothe themselves in self-deception and imperfect self-awareness, who point the finger outward to divert attention away from fractured realities and false conclusions.

And so the death and resurrection of Jesus rip away the last pretenses of crude and contented replacements for truth. The words of Jesus’ ministry culminate physically in the splinters of a cross and the tearing of the temple curtain: what stood as the groomed and impassible barriers to the divine reality were shown to be the duplicitous veils that they were, and the lingering syllables surrounding the crucifixion scene leave no doubt as to Jesus’ lifelong conviction to rescue us from the sweet seductions of untruth: “Forgive them, Father, for they know not what they do.”

Jesus’ insistence on speaking the truth thus sticks like a thorn in the tongue, working its barb into the empty, meaningless, and lowly inclinations of speech in order to bleed out all that perpetuates the myths and lies of the unclean heart. But the blood that seeps out around this tiny prick bathes everything in one death or another: we may persist in spewing out the same lines, the same script, as the rest of the world, adding to the cup yet more death and oppression, or we may bathe our speech in the blood that triumphed over death, that life-giving flow that restores and transfuses the pulse inside, destroying the copy for the sake of the original.

It becomes to us to speak when and where others cannot, using the words of life to expose the impostors, those fraudulent claims that cannot stand up against truth spoken from an overflowing reservoir of love. Shrewd as snakes and innocent as doves we dwell in a world that has lost its way and lost its resistance, and if we who have tasted the firstfruits of salvation fail to speak with candor the truthfulness of Christ, to whom then does the task belong?”

Graham