Do Blogs Violate The Bible?

A prudent man keeps his knowledge to himself, but the heart of fools blurts out folly. (Proverbs 12:23 NIV)

A man of knowledge uses words with restraint.... Even a fool is thought wise if he keeps silent, and discerning if he holds his tongue. (Proverbs 17:27 and 28 NIV)

When words are many, sin is not absent; but he who holds his tongue is wise . (Proverbs 10:19 NIV)

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By rights, this should be my last blog entry. Oh the wisdom of shutting up! These Proverbs were penned by Solomon, a ruler considered to be one of the wisest in ancient history. They came from this past Sunday's sermon at church entitle 'Lip-O-Suction' which was based on the Bible verse in James which says "be quick to listen, slow to speak". The sermon did make me pause and consider if blogging is really a positive activity. Am I just shooting my mouth off, showing my stupidity?
It made me think back about why I created this blog in the first place. We live in a culture that is filled with activity and distraction. We keep ourselves so busy that it's easy to just float along and amuse ourselves. We never turn down the noise long enough to consider if there is more to life than all this. What is the meaning of life? Where did we come from and why are we here?
I believe that we are God's creation, created for a purpose. God's primary purpose in creating us was so that we could have a relationship with Him. I created this blog with the hope that readers would take a moment to turn off the noise and consider the God whole loves them. My goal has never been to spout off my own opinions (although sometimes I fall into that trap) but to do what I could to turn our attention to God.
The Bible teaches that God has revealed Himself to us through his Son, Jesus. To learn more about how Christ brings us to God you can click here to take the Life Hound 8 Minute Challenge

The Lost Art of Listening

"What miserable comforters all of you are. Won't you ever stop your flow of foolish words? What have I said that makes you speak so endlessly?" The words of Job as recorded in Job 16: 2 - 3

The book of Job in the Old Testament records the travails of a man named Job, the ineffective assistance provided by his friends, and God's perspective in the whole matter. When Job first loses his wealth and family and then comes down with a painful illness, three of his friends arrive to provide encouragement. They start off well. The Bible records that they sat in silence with Job for seven days. Once they opened their mouths, in an attempt to diagnose Job's sin, their attempt at assistance went down hill.

Job's friends did well initially. They sat in silence with Job, showing their empathy. But when they stopped listening, they became a discouragement to Job.

I am a church goer and have greatly benefited from spending time with believers in fellowship. But the church, being an institution made up of fallen people, is not always exactly what God intended. I think that some churches are plagued by leadership and congregants who don't listen. In fact, in some cases 'listening' is not a discipline that is valued in the church.

I remember when a Catholic friend of mine told me about a trip that her church took to South America (El Salvador I think). I asked her what the purpose of the trip was and was shocked to learn that she had gone on a 'fact finding trip'. Us Protestants don't go on fact finding trips, that requires listening!

Back in college I spent the summer as a counselor and basketball instructor at a camp. The camp also employed high school students as maintenance workers and kitchen help. One night, before the campers arrived at the beginning of the summer, one of these high school guys came into my room and poured out his heart about an unhappy ending to his relationship with his girlfriend. He went on for about 20 minutes and I didn't say anything. I prodded him with a few open ended questions, but that was about it. Suddenly, he stopped, looked at me, and said 'Thanks a lot for your advice! It really helped me.' I hadn't said a thing.

Listening is a critical skill for knowing God. We have to listen to His word (the Bible) in order to grow close to Him in relationship. Listening is also a critical skill for human relationships. The church desperately needs listeners!