Gossip is not only a sin of the mouth, but also a sin of the ears. It takes two: the one who speaks and the one who listens. Reading or listening to gossip is not a different sin from speaking or spreading it, but simply the opposite side of the same sin. It’s a quarter whether it’s head or tails, a die whether it’s six or one, and gossip whether it’s spoken or heard. It’s as sinful to hear it …
There is not an individual or a church that has not been impacted at some time or in some way by gossip. The sad fact is that too much of the time we talk too much and about all the wrong things. In this episode of The Art of Godliness, Paul and I discuss the common, ugly, destructive sin of gossip. Give it a listen and see if you find it at all helpful or challenging!
We don’t want to live in the past or dwell on former sins. On the whole, not much good comes of thinking back to the unwise things we’ve said or the depraved things we’ve done. We trust that God has fully and finally forgiven our sins, and we do well to leave the past in the past. But the Bible does make at least one exception. There is at least one time we may benefit from dwelling on our shameful …
Sometimes it happens to even the best of us. We aren’t watching for it, we aren’t expecting it, but suddenly it overwhelms us like a tsunami. In a moment we’re plunged into the depths of sorrow and despair. Now we find ourselves grappling with negative thoughts, we realize we’ve lost confidence in our abilities, we have let go of all sense of self-worth. This is the plague of low self-esteem and none of us is immune. What can we do …
Sometimes it seems like everywhere I go, I hear people grumbling about others. Maybe it’s me. Maybe people consider me a fellow grumbler and are comfortable unburdening themselves in my presence. But I’m inclined to believe it’s actually all of us and we all find some kind of catharsis in complaining about people. Even backstage at conferences with theological heavyweights it’s not unusual to hear names being used and misused, to hear facts being traded back and forth. I wish …
Not surprisingly, this was a busy week for letters to the editor. I say it is not surprising because of the article I wrote on Monday concerning public schools and their teachers. The majority of the letters today (and, indeed, almost all of the letters I received this week) concern that article. I’m grateful that so many people took time to write kind, thoughtful responses. Comments on A La Carte (March 22) I am a long-time reader and enjoy your …
