A disciplined faith encompasses a subject that is in everyone’s mouth: the tongue. J. Wallace Hamilton said, “In the beginning was the Word . . . and since then a billion, million words have been spoken” (Still the Trumpet Sounds). Words matter. The person who said, “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words […]
According to an article in Psychology Today, most of us make between seven and 22 slips of the tongue every day. That’s one or two errors for every 1,000 words we speak. Verbal banana peels come in a variety of forms. Sometimes our brains work faster than our mouths, so we say “plaster man” instead […]
Use one or both of these questions to introduce the lesson: 1. Nineteenth century American poet Emily Dickenson wrote this couplet: “A word is dead when it is said, some say. I say it just begins to live that day.” Paraphrase her thought into a single sentence. What evidence do you have that it is […]
Be wise in the way you act towards outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone (Colossians 4:5, 6). One summer when I was in high school, my mom, who was a farmer’s wife, went to […]
Thousands if not millions of couples stand together and listen to a minister read 1 Corinthians 13 during their wedding ceremony. Many guests hold hands, cast sideways glances, and smile in memory of their own special moments. What a perfect statement for a wedding ceremony: “And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But […]
