Good and Wholesome

"Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen."

Ephesians 4:29, NIV

Ephesians 4:29 is one of my favorite verses in the Bible, but it is also one of the hardest to live by. In this age of instant information, online rants and abuse are commonplace. Our era of heated disagreement, whether due to politics, religion, sexual orientation or even which designer/singer/dancer should have won, has led to the proliferation of slander, ridicule and defamation through various outlets, in person or otherwise. I myself am guilty of the occasional Facebook or Twitter post declaring my disdain for someone or something to the world. In my opinion, it's just not appropriate to complain about someone in a forum under which they cannot reply. We color each others opinions of one another through our one-sided and sometimes unjustified words. That's just not fair. More often than not, when you post or say a negative anything about another person, my opinion of the person you're complaining about increases, while my respect for you decreases.

I really love how the New Living Translation states this verse; "Don't use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them." I don't care who you are or where you come from or what you believe in, those are just good words to live by. Just for a moment, let's set aside the global implications it could have and just focus on an individual living by these words. Your daily interactions will become more peaceful leading to less stress for you. Your opinion in the eyes of others will greatly increase and people won't avoid you and your "bad side" because they know you are a person of integrity. Your positive attitude could influence others around you resulting in less tension for all. A kind word from you, rather than rebuke, even deserved rebuke, could change someone's life and literally keep someone on the verge of suicide alive. Wouldn't that feel good? Really, the bottom line on a completely selfish level is that more people will want to be around you. On a global scale, the result of people using good and helpful language would be obvious and far-reaching. I think we're far from that, but the change could start at home, with me and the people I may influence.

I know I will fall short, but I can make a conscientious effort to watch my tongue for the benefit of myself, others and ultimately for the glory of God. We are priveleged to live in a world of differences and rather than be closed-minded and judge those who are unlike us, it would benefit the world and ourselves to show a little bit of compassion rather than criticism, a little bit of love rather than loathing and a little bit of faith rather than fear.

Wash day...

I received this awesome email this afternoon and thought that I would share it.

Monday: Wash Day
Lord, help me wash away all my selfishness and vanity, so I may serve you with perfect humility through the week ahead.
Tuesday: Ironing Day
Dear Lord, help me iron out all the wrinkles of prejudice I have collected through the years so that I may see the beauty in others.
Wednesday: Mending Day
O God, help me mend my ways so I will not set a bad example for others.
Thursday: Cleaning Day
Lord Jesus, help me to dust out all the many faults I have been hiding in the secret corners of my heart.
Friday: Shopping Day
O God, give me the grace to shop wisely so I may purchase eternal happiness for myself and all others in need of love.
Saturday: Cooking Day
Help me, my Savior, to brew a big kettle of brotherly love and serve it with clean, sweet bread of human kindness.
Sunday: The Lord's Day
O God, I have prepared my house for you. Please come into my heart so I may spend the day and the rest of my life in your presence.

Interesting...

I just read this article about The Prayer of Jabez. Interesting, indeed. Must confer with the human father on this one later this week.

The Simple Life...West Texas Style

I'm hoping to find a place to recount the week to week adventures Jason and I experience out here in the "last frontier" of Texas. We're loving life right now and are completely content with where God has led us.

We started doing "The Prayer of Jabez; Breaking Through to the Blessed Life" by Bruce Wilkinson this afternoon. We're planning on doing it weekly from now on. After that we'll be looking for another devotional to do that will be appropriate for couples. The first chapter of the book really ignited a desire in us to pray the prayer of Jabez and also to immerse ourselves as much as possible in the Word of God. I'm hoping that the next few weeks will be a spiritual awakening for both of us.

On my own, I'm planning on starting "What I Learned From God While Cooking" by Cristine Bolley. It is a book of 52 devotionals that include recipes and cooking tips, so it seems like it will be perfect for the budding chef in me. I imagine that the devotionals are meant to be done one week at a time over the course of a year, but I'm planning on doing at least 5 a week. They're short so that shouldn't be a problem.

Right now, we're revelling in the awesome Fall weather here. It is just perfect. We're also feeling very productive around the house. Jason worked in the yard today and I did the house cleaning and laundry. The house looks wonderful, if I do say so myself. Yesterday was our day of BIG accomplishment as we installed our new ceiling fan together. The light fixture on the old one was broken and it was hideous, so we had to get rid of it and get a new one. Now, can you guess which one is the old one and which one is the new one?!




Next, I'm hoping to move on to redecorating the kitchen. I have to admit that I'm taking my inspiration directly from this beautiful kitchen. She has got exactly the look I'm going for. This color palette is the one I'll be using. I am planning on painting our cabinets red, which some people find appalling, but we're dealing with fiberboard cabinets, so I'm not going to deviate from that plan. If they were real wood cabinets, I'd reconsider. This is the kitchen in it's current state.


The paint color is a compromise that went horribly awry. We've already replaced the sink with a stainless one and the faucet with one in rubbed bronze. First on the checklist will be priming and then painting the kitchen walls "Light Chamois". The next step after that will be painting the cabinets black, then red. I'll sand down the red in natural wear areas and then apply a glaze over them. I'm hoping to have those two projects done soon, but I'll have to see what happens.

Well, that's life as we know it for now. I hope to be back soon with an update!