Me & My Big Mouth
Taming the Tongue
Pants on Fire
June 9, 2019 • Chris Edmondson • John 8:31–44, Proverbs 10:19, Proverbs 12:13–19, Proverbs 6:16–19, Ephesians 4:21–25
The average person lies four times a day. There’s one study done by the University of Massachusetts that says that 60% of people who meets a new person can’t have a 10-minute conversation without telling at least one lie. But hey, it’s just one little white lie, right? Wrong. Lying quickly erodes that trust, hurting both parties in the process. Whether it is keeping secrets or telling a little white lie, lying destroys one of the fundamental pillars of a healthy relationship — trust. Lying separates and destroys relationships. It harms our relationships with each other, and it harms our relationships with God. I guess the old preacher was right when he said, “You’re never more like the devil than when you’re telling lies.”
Untamable
May 26, 2019 • Chris Edmondson • James 3:1–12
Like a small spark that has the potential to scorch an entire green forest, our tongues are untamable, with the power to control our whole bodies. We have a tool that can be used to build up those around us or tear them down in just a few words. What do we do with that kind of power? We can’t lock it away. But we can, by God’s grace, learn to control it.
Quick to Listen
May 19, 2019 • Chris Edmondson • James 1:19–21
We all know what it’s like to be hurt by someone who just couldn’t listen long enough to understand us. Maybe in their attempt to be right, they damaged a relationship that could have been saved with a little patience and curiosity. You’ve probably been on the other side of that coin too. Taking the verbal offense may have won the argument, but you lost relationally. What if we didn’t settle for being right, but tried to make things right instead? The longer we listen, the more we learn, and the better chance we have of protecting ourselves from our own big mouths.