The other night I got together with a dear friend. The main thinking of the night was going to be business oriented. And while we were getting together on it, I said something and he excitedly said “write that down”. I did. Here it is.
The things that made us great can connect us. Continue reading Things That Make Us Great
The man stood at the front of the second floor church assembly. I noticed that the wall had been removed to make more room. I was putting additional chairs in the room, making more room for people. There was a part of me that was feeling an undercurrent of something was “wrong” but honestly I was finding myself too busy taking care of getting people seated and everything squared away. Finally the last chair was in place. People were coming in and I sat to the side. Continue reading The Word Is a Lamp Unto My Feet
Many years ago my wife and I were traveling through Toronto. Toronto is a very large city. My wife had the map on her lap and I was driving. As the road turned into 8 lanes, I said “hurry up, I am not sure where we are”. This created instant panic and I had to apologize because I really did know where we were, but was kidding around. Okay, so that was not very nice or funny. (Did I ever tell you…) Continue reading Udderstanding – Get Off The Milk!
Wisdom and revelation
I sat here this morning and read the news. Ferguson, Cosby and Gruber. At first, I thought what is in a name. (A whole path in itself.) But because I had been up early thinking about a particular topic I thought I had a glimmer of where I might head. Reading the news just convinced me “why let facts get in the way”. A former publisher, I had witnessed one too many “why let truth get in the way of a good story”. Continue reading Stop, Look And Listen… It’s Coming!
This past weekend I had the privilege to speak in our local fellowship, The Village Church. But whether I preached or not, I would not change the fact that I believe people can live better, freer and wiser in their lives just by changing their “dependency”. Their dependency? Yes. Where their dependency is on is where they receive advice, counsel and understanding.
Proverbs 3:5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding. Continue reading Which Way Do You Lean?
Two dream settings
One was a school room for a get together of friends from a church I was involved in. In the dream people were invited to the gathering with the concept that our “agenda” was to love people. The difficulty came as we sat at tables to talk. After a while people began to walk out. They wanted teaching!
People went outside and finally returned after being upset that there was no “agenda”. Even in the re-announcement of what the purpose was people were disappointed that not more revelation was going to be given. (Funny they went outside to be “friends” with one another.)
The second dream was like a very large school. Huge areas, lots of students. But while I was walking around I sensed this shift. A very clear division had begun to arise. What was supposed to be two sides of playing together began to turn very ugly. As I headed towards the stairs a young man with a rifle appeared and began to cut off my entrance to the open stairway. He came right at me and ran into me pushing me to the side. Others began to fight. Continue reading A Move Of God Is A Move Of Love
Anyone who has recollection of the newly married phase or perhaps had or has a teenager has an understanding of the language barrier. The words and their meaning you believe they have is not always what your spouse or teenage son is talking about. I understand, as I have been there on both counts. I came upon another language barrier rather quickly when I became a believer, a follower of Christ. I saw a language, even words I knew, with entirely new meaning, new thought process.
I do remember thinking, whatever happened to English?
My mom was an educator. For 35 years she taught English and history. I learned to play scrabble and do crosswords at an early age. I read dictionaries and encyclopedias (I know, what the heck are they?) in my quest for word knowledge.. But let me say, that words help, language studies help, but communication is the winning game.
If I do not understand your occasional word, I am able to look it up. But if I do not understand your language or your message, your communication is wasted on me. (I will not bemoan the language of text or some of the most awful hieroglyphic messages I have received.)
The other day one of the points I shared is the need for communication and the relevancy of speech. A manual on how to repair a cassette tape is wonderful history (Usually by using a pencil.) but it has no impact on the generation before us. My best efforts at sharing a message or a thought process can be lost if my listener or audience has no clue about what I am speaking about.
At the end of the day, I suspect it will be less about language and more about heart. I believe it will be more about understanding and communication. Not all communication is verbal, but for most people it is helpful.
So, the question belies itself. Do people know what you are talking about? We frequently hear communication is a two way street. I agree with that, but if you are the initiator of a conversation or the speaker to an audience and they have no clue about what you are talking about, you have lost an important opportunity.
I encourage you to give credence to the question, what language are you speaking? Be willing to accept the fact that not everyone “gets what you are saying.” It is less of a problem in the world while more of a problem at home or with friends. Be willing to make the change if necessary.
Proverbs 12:18 There is one whose rash words are like sword thrusts, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.
Failure to communicate is a fact of everyday life. “Nobody told me.” “I couldn’t open my e-mail.” “I didn’t get the message.”
I need to talk about something people do not realize. Facebook is not the ultimate communication.
“But it is Facebook, people place a lot of reliance on it.” Can I say something? DON’T!
So many of us use Facebook, we often ask “what did we do before?” As someone who uses Facebook for both personal, ministry related and business, I think on some levels I am qualified to speak about some discoveries. (Plus being on the internet since 1995. Yes, there was an internet, not invented by Al Gore!) Continue reading A Failure To Communicate!
Lots of people seek revelation. The difficulty is where do we get our answers. Revelation is the revealing of Christ in something…scripture, situation, etc… Someone else’s revelation is not necessarily for me, or to be used by me. Even if they are good writers, speakers, etc… (I love some great men and women of God, but not everything they share helps me. Continue reading Revelation- Is It For You?
