Words That Bless

In spite of my reluctance to move into the 21st century technologically (cf. this post from the archives) I opened a Twitter account a few weeks ago. I really like it too, as it has provided access to both useful and entertaining information. Here's a tweet I received from Rick Atchley on Monday: "Got tons of positive feedback to services yesterday, and 1 really ugly email. Guess what I'm thinking about today? Satan is cunning."

That is so true, isn't it? I certainly feel it as a preacher, and I would imagine all of us do in some area of our lives. One negative criticism can offset a lot of praises and encouraging words. That doesn't seem quite fair. It's not that we don't need to give and receive criticism, but how and when that criticism is presented makes a great difference in the impact it makes upon us. Those factors also play a major role in whether that criticism is constructive or destructive.

This week, be aware of which side of this equation your words fall. As you interact with your family, church, the people in your workplace, be the one who will praise generously and criticize positively. Bless people with your words.

"Reckless words pierce like a sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing." Proverbs 12:18


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I nailed my World Series pick. Went 5 games, as I predicted, and I was only slightly off on the winning team. Actually, might have been a long ways off; the Giants were pretty impressive.

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Did you notice the new look of the blog? I thought what I had before was hard to read so I decided to change it. I may do that quite often. Seems that a blog that is about sharing the journey ought to have new scenery from time to time. Change is good.