WORDS

“Quality of Life Series”

3/3/05

 

LEADER:  There are 800,000  words in the English language, 300,000 are technical terms. The average person knows 10,000 words and uses 5,000 in everyday speech. A journalist knows approximately 15,000 and uses around 10,000.

                                FROM:  http://www.bible.org/illus.asp?topic_id=1698

LEADER:  Of all those 5000 words you typically use, are there any you’d like to take back?

HAVE SOMEONE READ:  QUOTE #1

http://www.zaadz.com/quotes/topics/words/

"Words are, of course, the most powerful drug used by mankind."

Rudyard Kipling 1865-1936 English Writer/Poet

HAVE SOMEONE READ:  QUOTE #2

http://www.zaadz.com/quotes/topics/words/

"But words once spoke can never be recall'd."

Wentworth Dillon 1633-1685 Earl of Roscommon

HAVE SOMEONE READ:  QUOTE #3

http://www.zaadz.com/quotes/topics/words/

"Remember, every time you open your mouth to talk, your mind walks out and parades up and down the words."

Edwin H. Stuart, Author-subject Advertising

HAVE SOMEONE READ:  QUOTE #4

http://www.zaadz.com/quotes/topics/words/

"Man does not live by words alone, despite the fact that he sometimes has to eat them."

Adlai Stevenson 1900-1965 American Statesman/Dem. Candidate for President ’52 & ‘56/Ambassodor to UN  

HAVE SOMEONE READ:  QUOTE #5

http://www.zaadz.com/quotes/topics/words/

"Eating words has never given me indigestion."

Winston Churchill 1874-1965 British Prim Minister/Nobel Prize 1953

LEADER:  “What about angry words?”

HAVE SOMEONE READ:  QUOTE #6

http://www.zaadz.com/quotes/topics/words/

"It is easier to swallow angry words than to have to eat them."

                                    Unknown

HAVE SOMEONE READ:  QUOTE #7

http://www.zaadz.com/quotes/topics/words/

"Fools live to regret their words, wise men to regret their silence."

William Henry 1729-1786 American Pioneer of Steam Propulsion

HAVE SOMEONE READ:  QUOTE #8

http://www.zaadz.com/quotes/topics/words/

"An able man shows his spirit by gentle words and resolute actions. He is neither hot nor timid."

Lord Chesterfield Stanhope 1694-1773 English Statesman/Writer

HAVE SOMEONE READ:  QUOTE #9

http://www.zaadz.com/quotes/topics/words/

"A man should never be ashamed to own he has been in the wrong, which is but saying, in other words, that he is wiser today than he was yesterday."

Alexander Pope 1688-1744 English Poet

HAVE SOMEONE READ:  “Success, The Importance of Speech”#1

By Jim O'Connell  EXCERPT

http://netministries.org/see/devotion.exe/dd00579

An important step in successful speech is lifting our voice for understanding. Before any heated words come out of your mouth take a moment to pray. Ask God if the words that are forming in your mouth are words that would bring him glory and honor. As verse 6 points out, "For the Lord gives wisdom; from his mouth comes knowledge and understanding;" We need to make sure, at all times, that our words are a true reflection of who we are and who we want to be. Evil is seen here as typified by perverted speech. Words and our willingness to own them come with responsibility. We are either the master of our speech or our words will master us. I have seen may a confrontation escalate into blows because both parties were unwilling to seek first understanding and secondly were too proud to ask forgiveness for untimely or unkindly words spoken.

 LEADER:  Are you communicating in a way that is easy to understand….or  you a "Hyperpolysyllabicomaniac”- one who has a fondness for big words."

                   FROM:  http://www.zaadz.com/quotes/topics/words/ Unknown

HAVE SOMEONE READ:  QUOTE #18

http://www.zaadz.com/quotes/topics/words/

"Don't, Sir, accustom yourself to use big words for little matters."

Samuel Johnson 1709-1784

English Poet/Creator of 1st English Dictionary

HAVE SOMEONE READ:  QUOTE #19

http://www.zaadz.com/quotes/topics/words/

"If it takes a lot of words to say what you have in mind, give it more thought."

Dennis Roch - Author

HAVE SOMEONE READ:  QUOTE #20

http://www.zaadz.com/quotes/topics/words/

"An intellectual is a man who takes more words than necessary to tell more than he knows."

Dwight D. Eisenhower 1890-1969 34th US President

HAVE SOMEONE READ:  QUOTE #21

http://www.zaadz.com/quotes/topics/words/

"The Lord's Prayer is 66 words, the Gettysburg Address is 286 words, and there are 1,322 words in the Declaration of Independence. Yet, government regulations on the sale of cabbage total 26,911 words."

David McIntosh 1958- US Congressman-Indiana

HAVE SOMEONE READ:  QUOTE #22

http://www.zaadz.com/quotes/topics/words/

"What is required is not a lot words, but effectual ones."

Seneca 4BC-65AD Philosopher/Statesman/Tutor of Nero

HAVE SOMEONE READ:  QUOTE #23

http://www.zaadz.com/quotes/topics/words/

"Do not say a little in many words but a great deal in a few."

Pythagoras 582 BC- 507 BC Greek MathematicianPhilosopher
HAVE SOMEONE READ:  QUOTE #24

http://www.zaadz.com/quotes/topics/words/

"You can suffocate a thought by expressing it with too many words."

Frank A. Clark, Author

HAVE SOMEONE READ:  QUOTE #25

http://www.zaadz.com/quotes/topics/words/

"He can compress the most words into the smallest idea of any man I know."

Abraham Lincoln 1809-1865 16th US President

HAVE SOMEONE READ:  QUOTE #26

http://www.zaadz.com/quotes/topics/words/

"The finest language is mostly made up of simple unimposing words."

George Eliot 1819-1880 English Novelist

HAVE SOMEONE READ:  QUOTE #27

http://www.zaadz.com/quotes/topics/words/

"A word to the wise is enough, and many words won't fill a bushel."

Benjamin Franklin 1706-1790  Entrepreneur/Statesman/Scientist

HAVE SOMEONE READ:  QUOTE #28

http://www.zaadz.com/quotes/topics/words/

"Think all you speak, but speak not all you think. Thoughts are your own; your words are so no more."

Patrick Delany 1853-1926 Archbishop Australia

HAVE SOMEONE READ:  QUOTE #29

http://www.zaadz.com/quotes/topics/words/

"It is more fun to talk with someone who doesn't use long, difficult words but rather short, easy words like "What about lunch?""

Alan Alexander Milne 1882-1956 

British Author/Creator Winnie the Pooh

LEADER:  What about exageration?

HAVE SOMEONE READ:  QUOTE #10

http://www.zaadz.com/quotes/topics/words/

"Always and never are two words you should always remember never to use."

Wendell Johnson, Author/Speech Pathologist

HAVE SOMEONE READ:  QUOTE #11

http://www.zaadz.com/quotes/topics/words/

"Proper words in proper places, make the true definition of style."

 Jonathan Swift 1667-1745 Satirist/Dean of St.Patricks in Dublin

LEADER:  What about gossip?

HAVE SOMEONE READ:  QUOTE #12

http://www.zaadz.com/quotes/topics/words/

 "Be generous with kindly words,especially about those who are absent."

Johann Wolfgang Von Goeth 1749-1832

 German Philospher/Scientist/ Writer

HAVE SOMEONE READ:  “The Triple Filter Test”

http://www.sermonillustrator.org/illustrator/sermon6/triple_filter_test.htm

In ancient Greece, Socrates was reputed to hold knowledge in high esteem. One day an acquaintance met the great philosopher and said, “Do you know what I just heard about your friend?”
“Hold on a minute,” Socrates replied. “Before telling me anything, I'd like you to pass a little test. It's called the Triple Filter Test.”
“Triple filter?”
“That's right,” Socrates continued. “Before you talk to me about my friend, it might be a good idea to take a moment and filter what you're going to say. That's why I call it the triple filter test. The first filter is Truth. Have you made absolutely sure that what you are about to tell me is true?”
“No,” the man said, “actually I just heard about it and...”
“All right,” said Socrates. “So you don't really know if it's true or not. Now let's try the second filter, the filter of Goodness. Is what you are about to tell me about my friend something good?”
“No, on the contrary...”
“So,” Socrates continued, “You want to tell me something bad about him, but you're not certain it's true. You may still pass the test though, because there's one filter left: the filter of Usefulness. Is what you want to tell me about my friend going to be useful to me?”
“No, not really.”
“Well,” concluded Socrates, “If what you want to tell me is neither true nor good nor even useful, why tell it to me at all?”
This is why Socrates was a great philosopher and held in such high esteem.

HAVE SOMEONE READ:  James 3:2-18

2For we all stumble in many ways If anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to bridle the whole body as well.
   3Now if we put the bits into the horses' mouths so that they will obey us, we direct their entire body as well.
   4Look at the ships also, though they are so great and are driven by strong winds, are still directed by a very small rudder wherever the inclination of the pilot desires.
   5So also the tongue is a small part of the body, and yet it boasts of great things See how great a forest is set aflame by such a small fire!
   6And the tongue is a fire, the very world of iniquity; the tongue is set among our members as that which defiles the entire body, and sets on fire the course of our life, and is set on fire by hell.
   7For every species of beasts and birds, of reptiles and creatures of the sea, is tamed and has been tamed by the human race.
   8But no one can tame the tongue; it is a restless evil and full of deadly poison.
   9With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the likeness of God;
   10from the same mouth come both blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be this way.
   11Does a fountain send out from the same opening both fresh and bitter water?  
   12Can a fig tree, my brethren, produce olives, or a vine produce figs? Nor can salt water produce fresh.
   13Who among you is wise and understanding? Let him show by his good behavior his deeds in the gentleness of wisdom.

   14But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your heart, do not be arrogant and so lie against the truth.
   15This wisdom is not that which comes down from above, but is earthly, natural, demonic.
   16For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there is disorder and every evil thing.
   17But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, without hypocrisy.
   18And the seed whose fruit is righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.

HAVE SOMEONE READ:  “The power of Words”#1  By Jeffery Smith  EXERPT

http://www.sermoncentral.com/sermon.asp?SermonID=49172&ContributorID=8224

OUR WORDS CAN DIRECT US AND OTHERS IN LIFE:
Many people think, if the tongue has such influence maybe it’s best to say nothing. Not talk at all, be silent. [A guy joined the Trapist monastery. For three years he was given a probation period where he was not to speak at all, but at the end of each year he could say two words. The first year at the end he said, "Bed hard." At end of the second year he said, "Food cold." At the end of the third year he’s about had it. He comes in and says, "I quit". The head priest says, "That doesn’t surprise me. All you’ve done is complain since you got here."]

HAVE SOMEONE READ:  “The power of Words” #2 By Jeffery Smith  EXERPT

http://www.sermoncentral.com/sermon.asp?SermonID=49172&ContributorID=8224 

OUR WORDS CAN DESTROY US AND OTHERS:
· Our words can be devastating to others:
· Once the word is gone forth from your mouth It is to late.
· I believe that is why James say’s That we are to be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger.
· In other words engage your mind before you engage your mouth
· Warning: Watch Your Words. The tongue is in a wet place and it can easily slip.

HAVE SOMEONE READ:  “The power of Words” #3 By Jeffery Smith  EXERPT

http://www.sermoncentral.com/sermon.asp?SermonID=49172&ContributorID=8224 
There is a story of a woman in an Indian village who maliciously gossiped about another lady and her family in the village. One day she found out that she was wrong about this lady and her family and had a change of heart. She went to the village’s wise man and asked how she could take back all the wrong she had done. The wise man told her to go home and kill her chickens and pluck there feathers and put them into a bag. After this she was to go back and see the wise man again, but on her way back she was to scatter all the feathers she had plucked from the chickens.
The lady did as she was told. When she got back to the man, he told her, " now go back and pick up all the feathers that you have scattered. " The woman was astonished at such a command and said, " By now the wind has carried the feathers through out the village and beyond." The wise man then told Her, And so it is with your careless words. They are like the feathers scattered in the wind. You can not retrieve them. " With that the woman with a broken heart because of the words she had spoken went her way, determined from that day forward to Watch her words.

LEADER:  Do you remember a time in your past that someone hurt you with their words?

HAVE SOMEONE READ:  “Think, Then Speak”  The Upper Room 9/20/02

By Bernice Karnop (Montana)

http://www.upperroom.org/devotional/default.asp?start_pos=1&item_id=90141

                   Encourage one another daily.                                     Hebrews 3:13

"MR. Mac believed I was good at math," said Dave, at a class reunion last summer. "It didn't matter whether I was or not. That he thought I was good made a big difference in my life." Dave also spoke of a music teacher who asked him to step out of boys' chorus, and then after listening to the group sing without him said, "That sounds better."

"I don't like that man to this day," said Dave.

If you think words are not important, stop and listen to people recalling their youth. Most of us can remember destructive criticism from decades past. The Bible warns us about the harm words can do. The writer James tells us that the tongue "corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell."

On the other hand, God's word also reminds us again and again that by our words we can build up each other and the church. We don't always express ourselves in a Christlike way. But we can pray for God's help and practice using words that build up rather than tear down.

HAVE SOMEONE READ:  Proverbs 18:21

21Death and life are in the power of the tongue,
            And those who love it will eat its fruit.

HAVE SOMEONE READ:  QUOTE #13

http://www.zaadz.com/quotes/topics/words/

"False words are not only evil in themselves, but they infect the soul with evil."

Plato 427 BC-347 BC

Greek Philosopher/Student of Socrates/Teacher of Aristotle

HAVE SOMEONE READ:  QUOTE #14

http://www.zaadz.com/quotes/topics/words/

"Kind words cost no more than unkind ones . . . and we may scatter the seeds of courtesy and kindliness around us at so little expense. If you would fall into any extreme let it be on the side of gentleness. The human mind is so constructed that it resists vigor and yields to softness."

Jeremy Bentham 1748-1832 English Philosopher/Political Theorist

HAVE SOMEONE READ:  “Think First” Our Daily Bread 5/18/01

http://www.gospelcom.net/rbc/odb/odb-05-18-01.shtml

For every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment.                                                            Matthew 12:36

In 1980, Lee Atwater, a political campaign manager, inflicted terrible pain with his words. His staff learned that an opposing congressional candidate from South Carolina had once experienced severe depression and undergone electric shock therapy. When Atwater released the information to the press, it humiliated the candidate and cast doubt on his ability. In anguish, the man questioned Atwater's campaign ethics. Atwater responded by saying that he had no intention of responding to a man "hooked up to a jumper cable."

Ten years later, Atwater was afflicted with an incurable brain tumor. He was confined to bed, attached to machines and tubes and wires. Before he died, he wrote the candidate a letter and asked to be forgiven. He saw how cruel and heartless his words had been.

Our words can be just as devastating. And it seems that it's our children or family or fellow believers whom we hurt the most. As believers in Christ, we have an obligation before God to evaluate the impact of our words. Idle, angry, hateful words can inflict great harm, for which we will be held accountable (Matthew 12:36-37).

Ask God for help. Before hurtful words come pouring out of your mouth, think first—then leave them unsaid. —DCE

Use words of kindness, filled with love,
That heal and nourish life
Instead of hurling angry words
That wound and stir up strife. —Sper

Think before you act; think twice before you speak.

LEADER:  How do unkind words effect a relationship?

HAVE SOMEONE READ:   “The Power of Words” #4 Our Daily Bread 12/30/98

Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification. --Ephesians 4:29

One major area of breakdown in marriages and families today is communication. The apostle Paul used the word corrupt to describe speech that has the power to tear people down, adults and children alike (Eph. 4:29). He also stated that good communication is "necessary edification," for it has the power to build people up.

Here are examples of corrupt communication we often aim at our children: "Can't you do anything right?" "What's wrong with you?" "You'll never learn." "You're always breaking something." "Oh, let me do it." The list is endless. But so are examples of edifying communication. A list called "99 Ways To Say 'Very Good'" offers these encouraging words: "That's it!" "You're really working hard today." "I'm very proud of you." "Now you've figured it out." "You are very good at that." "That's the way!" "Now that's what I call a fine job." "Good thinking."

Paul said that when we edify others through our speech, we impart grace, or spiritual benefit, to their lives (v.29). Let's examine our speech habits for careless words, and then resolve to build up every person we meet, especially children. Remember, people need encouragers more than they need critics. Which one are you? --JEY

Button up your lip securely
'Gainst the words that bring a tear,
But be swift with words of comfort,
Words of praise, and words of cheer. --Loucks

A word of encouragement can make the difference between giving up and going on.

HAVE SOMEONE READ:   “Unremitting Negativity”

                   U.S. News & World Report, February 21, 1994, p. 67

http://www.bible.org/illus.asp?topic_id=1698

In order to uncover the processes that destroy unions, marital researchers study couples over the course of years, and even decades, and retrace the star-crossed steps of those who have split up back to their wedding day. What they are discovering is unsettling. None of the factors one would guess might predict a couple’s durability actually does: not how in love a newlywed couple say they are; how much affection they exchange; how much they fight or what they fight about. In fact, couples who will endure and those who won’t look remarkably similar in the early days. Yet when psychologists Cliff Notarius of Catholic University and Howard Markman of the University of Denver studied newlyweds over the first decade of marriage, they found a very subtle but telling difference at the beginning of the relationships.

Among couples who would ultimately stay together, 5 out of every 100 comments made about each other were put-downs. Among couples who would later split, 10 of every 100 comments were insults. That gap magnified over the following decade, until couples heading downhill were flinging five times as many cruel and invalidating comments at each other as happy couples. “Hostile put-downs act as cancerous cells that, if unchecked, erode the relationship over time,” says Notarius, who with Markman co-authored the new book We Can Work It Out. “In the end, relentless unremitting negativity takes control and the couple can’t get through a week without major blowups.”

HAVE SOMEONE READ:  QUOTE #15

http://www.zaadz.com/quotes/topics/words/

"Some words are like rays of sunshine, others like barbed arrows or the bite of a serpent. And if hard words cut so deep, how much pleasure can kind ones give?"

Sir John Lubbock 1834-1916

Lord of Averbury/Banker/Scientist/Author

 HAVE SOMEONE READ:  QUOTE #16

http://www.zaadz.com/quotes/topics/words/

"Words — so innocent and powerless as they are, as standing in a dictionary, how potent for good and evil they become in the hands of one who knows how to combine them."

Nathaniel Hawthorne 1804-1864

American Novelist/Shortstory Writer

HAVE SOMEONE READ:  QUOTE #17

http://www.zaadz.com/quotes/topics/words/

"Kind words can be short and easy to speak, but their echoes are truly endless."

Mother Teresa 1910-1998 Macedonian Catholic Nun/

Founder of Missionaries of Charity in Calcutta 1950

LEADER:  How should we use our 5000 words?

HAVE SOMEONE READ:  QUOTE #30

http://www.zaadz.com/quotes/topics/words/

"The two words "information" and "communication" are often used interchangeably, but they signify quite different things. Information is giving out; communication is getting through."

Sydney J. Harris 1917-1986 American Journalist/Writer

HAVE SOMEONE READ:  QUOTE #31

http://www.zaadz.com/quotes/topics/words/

"A powerful agent is the right word. Whenever we come upon one of those intensely right words in a book or newspaper the resulting effect is physical as well as spiritual, and electrically prompt."

Mark Twain 1835-1910  American Writer

HAVE SOMEONE READ:  QUOTE #32

http://www.zaadz.com/quotes/topics/words/

"Watch your thoughts; they become words. Watch your words; they become actions. Watch your actions; they become habits. Watch your habits; they become character. Watch your character; it becomes your destiny."

Frank Outlaw-Actor/Artist

HAVE SOMEONE READ:  QUOTE #33

http://www.zaadz.com/quotes/topics/words/

"How you speak and the words you use tell much about the image you choose to portray. Use language to build and uplift those around you. Profane, vulgar, or crude language and inappropriate or off-color jokes are offensive to the Lord. Never misuse the name of God or Jesus Christ. The Lord said, "Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain" (Ex. 20:7)."

Thomas S. Monson 1927-

American Religious Leader/Business Executive 

HAVE SOMEONE READ:  QUOTE #34

http://www.zaadz.com/quotes/topics/words/

"The Savior's constant desire and effort were to implant in the mind right thoughts, pure motives, noble ideals, knowing full well that right words and actions would inevitably follow."

David McKay 1873-1970 American Religious Leader

HAVE SOMEONE READ:  QUOTE #35

http://www.zaadz.com/quotes/topics/words/

"I believe that words can help us move or keep us paralysed, and that our choices of language and verbal tone have something — a great deal — to do with how we live our lives and whom we end up speaking with and hearing; and that we can deflect words by trivialization, of course, but also by ritualized respect, or we can let them enter our souls and mix with the juices of our minds."

Adrienne Cecile Rich 1929-  US Author/Poet

HAVE SOMEONE READ:  QUOTE #36

http://www.zaadz.com/quotes/topics/words/

"Use the big thinker's vocabulary. Use big, bright, cheerful words. Use words that promise victory, hope, happiness, pleasure, avoid words that create unpleasant images of failure, defeat, grief."

David J.Schwartz – American Professor/Expert on Motivation

HAVE SOMEONE READ:  QUOTE #37

http://www.zaadz.com/quotes/topics/words/

                        "Good words are worth much and cost little."

George Herbert 1593-1633 English Clergyman/writer/metaphysicalpoet

HAVE SOMEONE READ:  QUOTE #38

http://www.zaadz.com/quotes/topics/words/

"There are tones of voice that mean more than words."

 Robert Frost -  4 time Pultizer Prize winning American Poet

Wentworth Dillon 1633-1685 Earl of Roscommon

HAVE SOMEONE READ:  QUOTE #39

http://www.zaadz.com/quotes/topics/words/

"I did not hear the words you said, instead I heard the love."

Unknown

HAVE SOMEONE READ:  QUOTE #40

http://www.zaadz.com/quotes/topics/sense%5Fof%5Fhumor/

"No mind is thoroughly well-organized that is deficient in a sense of humor."

Samuel Taylor Coleridge 1772-1834 English Romantic Poet/Critic

HAVE SOMEONE READ:  QUOTE #41

http://www.zaadz.com/quotes/topics/words/

"Kind words toward those you daily meet, Kind words and actions right, Will make this life of ours most sweet, Turn darkness into night."

Isaac Watts 1674-1748 English Hymn Writer

HAVE SOMEONE READ:  QUOTE #42

http://www.zaadz.com/quotes/topics/words/

"Words . . . present a picture of the inward man."

John Raleith Mott 1865-1955 US Evangelist

HAVE SOMEONE READ:  QUOTE #43

http://www.zaadz.com/quotes/topics/words/

"In words are seen the state of mind and character and disposition of the speaker."

Plutarch 46 BC-120 BC Greek Essayist/Biographer

HAVE SOMEONE READ:  “Tongue Tips”  EXCERPT

http://www.gospelcom.net/rbc/cj/cj-04-03-96.html

One hundred business executives were asked what qualities they like to see in their employees. Here's their Top Five list of things that are characteristic of good workers.

·  They are on time for work and all appointments.

·  They don't tell off-color jokes or make inappropriate remarks.

·  They listen more than they talk.

·  They don't criticize another employee openly.

·  They avoid gossip.

Notice that four of the five traits suggest being careful in communicating with others. That's good advice that goes beyond how we act when carrying out groceries or waiting tables at Pizza Hut. It's how we should be in all the relationships of life.

God's Word says much the same thing as those execs. Look at these verses:

"Do not let any unwholesome talk [off-color jokes; inappropriate remarks] come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful

Ephesians 4:29.

"Do you see a man who speaks in haste? [talks more than listens]. There is more hope for a fool than for him"              Proverbs 29:20.

"A man who lacks judgment derides [criticizes] his neighbor, but a man of understanding holds his tongue"                                    Proverbs 11:12.

"Do not go about spreading slander [gossip] among your people"    

                                                                                   Leviticus 19:16.

The lesson is clear. These aren't just tips for holding a job. They are inspired guidelines for living in a way that pleases God. Decide now to be a person who knows how to control your tongue. --DB

HAVE SOMEONE READ:  “Why Does It Matter?”  Our Daily Bread 12/21/96

http://www.gospelcom.net/rbc/odb/odb-12-21-96.shtml

I said, "I will guard my ways, lest I sin with my tongue."   Psalm 39:1

As I watched a network TV news magazine explore the growing use of foul language in America, I was pleased to see that someone had noticed the problem. With TV itself contributing to the growing use of swearing and profanity, it was surprising to see the subject addressed. But when the newsman finished his report, his comments revealed a common opinion. He concluded, "It's just words. What does it hurt?"

If we base what we do in this world on personal opinions, that conclusion is as good as any other. But we can't do that. We must use a standard greater than ourselves. For believers in Jesus Christ, that standard is the Bible.

According to God's Word, and out of love for Him, the words we use should be chosen carefully. First, we must never use God's name in any way that irreverently addresses Him or disrespectfully speaks of Him (Ex. 20:7). Second, our tongue should be used for blessing others, not cursing them (Jas. 3:10). And third, no corrupt language should pass through our lips (Eph. 4:29).

Why should we avoid bad language? Because God says we should keep our words pure. And it pleases Him when we obey. --JDB

Lord, help us to control our tongues,
To clean up what we say,
To use words that will edify,
To honor You today. --Sper

Children of the King
should use the language of the court.

HAVE SOMEONE READ:  “Success, The importance of Speech” #2

                                By Jim O'Connell  EXCERPT

http://netministries.org/see/devotion.exe/dd00581

With the tongue we can soothe, comfort and encourage or it can ignite a fire, cause a riot, or destroy the hopes and dreams of the meek. We train our minds with education and fine books. We train our souls with prayer and worship. We train our bodies with exercise and diet. The tongue has little training. James points out that the tongue like the rudder of a ship or the bridle of a horse controls the direction of the larger body. One of the best tongue exercises I know is just holding it. In the movie "Bambi" a little rabbit named Thumper is reminded of a lesson, "If you don't have anything good to say, don't say anything at all." Within these words there is a great truth about our speech. Before we say something ask, "will this be a blessing of truth or will it create confusion and troubles?" We should not shy away from speaking truth. We should avoid using truth as a vehicle for causing pain. Perhaps we should visualize our teeth clenching a cross before we speak. Communication is far too important to be wasted in falsehood, curses, or gossip.

HAVE SOMEONE READ:  “Words From the Heart”  EXCERPT

http://www.gospelcom.net/rbc/cj/cj-09-20-00.shtml

For Christians, the role-model argument carries particular relevance. We function as role models too--representing Jesus Christ to those around us. One real responsibility is the use of our words.

We cannot use the excuse "I was speaking my mind," while ignoring the fact that we are expected to have the mind of Christ (1 Corinthians 2:16). That mind only thinks thoughts that build others up (Ephesians 4:29). Racist stereotypes and cruel humor have no place.

When Christ told His disciples that our thoughts flow out through our words, it wasn't all bad news. When we yield to the control of the Holy Spirit, our words become streams of living water, refreshing those around us.

Are you tempted to speak your mind today, to tell a few people what you really think about them? Before you do, let the Holy Spirit renew that mind of yours. Then you will be thinking Christ's thoughts.

And what does He really think of people? He loved us enough to die on the cross so that our sins could be forgiven. Imagine the words those kinds of thoughts would produce. --JC

HAVE SOMEONE READ:  “Success, The Importance of Speech” #3

By Jim O'Connell  EXCERPT

http://netministries.org/see/devotion.exe/dd00583

What we say as believers has power to affect how others see God and us. We are not speaking on behalf of ourselves any longer. With a faith that God is in us through Jesus Christ's death and resurrection we are his mouth. Our words will reflect if we are ashamed of him or not. We are called to bless the cross of Christ with our lives and our words. The success of the body of Christ, in part, is put into our mouth. We need to use our words wisely.

HAVE SOMEONE READ:  QUOTE #44

http://www.zaadz.com/quotes/topics/words/

"Words can sometimes, in moments of grace, attain the quality of deeds."

Elie Wiesel 1928-  Holocaust Author/Nobel Peace Prize

HAVE SOMEONE READ:  QUOTE #45

http://www.zaadz.com/quotes/topics/words/

"Words of comfort, skillfully administered, are the oldest therapy known to man."

Louis Nizer 1902-1994  American Lawyer/Author/Speaker  

HAVE SOMEONE READ:  QUOTE #46

http://www.zaadz.com/quotes/topics/words/

"Never part without loving words to think of during your absence. It may be that you will not meet again in life."

Jean Paul Richter 1763-1825 German Writer

HAVE SOMEONE READ:  QUOTE #47

http://www.zaadz.com/quotes/topics/words/

"Do not keep the alabaster boxes of your love and tenderness sealed up until your friends are dead. Fill their lives with sweetness. Speak approving, cheering words while their ears can hear them and while their hearts can be thrilled by them."

Henry Ward Beecher 1813- 1887

American Preacher/Speaker/Writer

HAVE SOMEONE READ:  QUOTE #48

http://www.zaadz.com/quotes/topics/words/

"Value your words. Each one may be the last."

Stanislaw Lec 199-1966  Polish Author

HAVE SOMEONE READ:  QUOTE #49

http://www.zaadz.com/quotes/topics/words/

"I think of the words of the prophet . . . : And now, after the many testimonies which have been given of Him, this is the testimony, last of all, that we give of Him: That He lives."

Loren C. Dunn 1930- American Religious Leader Boston

LEADER:  We should use every opportunity to use our words for our Lord.

LEADER:  (HAVE EVERYONE REPEAT AFTER YOU)

“Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart , be acceptable it thy sight, oh Lord, my Strength and my Redeemer.                                                   Psalm 19:14

LEADER:  QUOTE #50

http://www.zaadz.com/quotes/topics/words/

"If we are to know God, we must read HIS words, for therein He stands revealed to the honest in heart."

J. Richard Clarke 1927-  American Religious Leader

 

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QUOTE #1

"Words are, of course, the most powerful drug used by mankind."

Rudyard Kipling 1865-1936 English Writer/Poet

 

QUOTE #2

"But words once spoke can never be recall'd."

Wentworth Dillon 1633-1685 Earl of Roscommon

 

QUOTE #3

"Remember, every time you open your mouth to talk, your mind walks out and parades up and down the words."

Edwin H. Stuart, Author-subject Advertising

 

QUOTE #4

"Man does not live by words alone, despite the fact that he sometimes has to eat them."

Adlai Stevenson 1900-1965 American Statesman/Dem. Candidate for President ’52 & ‘56/Ambassodor to UN  

 

QUOTE #5

"Eating words has never given me indigestion."

Winston Churchill 1874-1965 British Prim Minister/Nobel Prize 1953

 

QUOTE #6

"It is easier to swallow angry words than to have to eat them."

                                    Unknown

 

QUOTE #7

"Fools live to regret their words, wise men to regret their silence."

William Henry 1729-1786 American Pioneer of Steam Propulsion

 

QUOTE #8

"An able man shows his spirit by gentle words and resolute actions. He is neither hot nor timid."

Lord Chesterfield Stanhope 1694-1773 English Statesman/Writer

 

 

 

 

QUOTE #9

"A man should never be ashamed to own he has been in the wrong, which is but saying, in other words, that he is wiser today than he was yesterday."

Alexander Pope 1688-1744 English Poet

 

“Success, The Importance of Speech”#1

An important step in successful speech is lifting our voice for understanding. Before any heated words come out of your mouth take a moment to pray. Ask God if the words that are forming in your mouth are words that would bring him glory and honor. As verse 6 points out, "For the Lord gives wisdom; from his mouth comes knowledge and understanding;" We need to make sure, at all times, that our words are a true reflection of who we are and who we want to be. Evil is seen here as typified by perverted speech. Words and our willingness to own them come with responsibility. We are either the master of our speech or our words will master us. I have seen may a confrontation escalate into blows because both parties were unwilling to seek first understanding and secondly were too proud to ask forgiveness for untimely or unkindly words spoken.

 

QUOTE #18

"Don't, Sir, accustom yourself to use big words for little matters."

Samuel Johnson 1709-1784 English Poet/Creator of 1st English Dictionary

 

QUOTE #19

"If it takes a lot of words to say what you have in mind, give it more thought."

Dennis Roch - Author

 

QUOTE #20

"An intellectual is a man who takes more words than necessary to tell more than he knows."

Dwight D. Eisenhower 1890-1969 34th US President

 

QUOTE #21

"The Lord's Prayer is 66 words, the Gettysburg Address is 286 words, and there are 1,322 words in the Declaration of Independence. Yet, government regulations on the sale of cabbage total 26,911 words."

David McIntosh 1958- US Congressman-Indiana

 

 

 

QUOTE #22

"What is required is not a lot words, but effectual ones."

Seneca 4BC-65AD Philosopher/Statesman/Tutor of Nero

 

QUOTE #23

"Do not say a little in many words but a great deal in a few."

Pythagoras 582 BC- 507 BC Greek MathematicianPhilosopher

 

QUOTE #24

"You can suffocate a thought by expressing it with too many words."

Frank A. Clark, Author

 

QUOTE #25

"He can compress the most words into the smallest idea of any man I know."

Abraham Lincoln 1809-1865 16th US President

 

QUOTE #26

"The finest language is mostly made up of simple unimposing words."

George Eliot 1819-1880 English Novelist

 

QUOTE #27

"A word to the wise is enough, and many words won't fill a bushel."

Benjamin Franklin 1706-1790  Entrepreneur/Statesman/Scientist

 

QUOTE #28

"Think all you speak, but speak not all you think. Thoughts are your own; your words are so no more."

Patrick Delany 1853-1926 Archbishop Australia

 

QUOTE #29

"It is more fun to talk with someone who doesn't use long, difficult words but rather short, easy words like "What about lunch?""

Alan Alexander Milne 1882-1956  British Author/Creator Winnie the Pooh

 

QUOTE #10

"Always and never are two words you should always remember never to use."

Wendell Johnson, Author/Speech Pathologist

 

QUOTE #11

"Proper words in proper places, make the true definition of style."

 Jonathan Swift 1667-1745 Satirist/Dean of St.Patricks in Dublin

 

QUOTE #12

"Be generous with kindly words,especially about those who are absent."

Johann Wolfgang Von Goeth 1749-1832 German Philospher/Scientist/ Writer

 

“The Triple Filter Test”

In ancient Greece, Socrates was reputed to hold knowledge in high esteem. One day an acquaintance met the great philosopher and said, “Do you know what I just heard about your friend?”
“Hold on a minute,” Socrates replied. “Before telling me anything, I'd like you to pass a little test. It's called the Triple Filter Test.”
“Triple filter?”
“That's right,” Socrates continued. “Before you talk to me about my friend, it might be a good idea to take a moment and filter what you're going to say. That's why I call it the triple filter test. The first filter is Truth. Have you made absolutely sure that what you are about to tell me is true?”
“No,” the man said, “actually I just heard about it and...”
“All right,” said Socrates. “So you don't really know if it's true or not. Now let's try the second filter, the filter of Goodness. Is what you are about to tell me about my friend something good?”
“No, on the contrary...”
“So,” Socrates continued, “You want to tell me something bad about him, but you're not certain it's true. You may still pass the test though, because there's one filter left: the filter of Usefulness. Is what you want to tell me about my friend going to be useful to me?”
“No, not really.”
“Well,” concluded Socrates, “If what you want to tell me is neither true nor good nor even useful, why tell it to me at all?”
This is why Socrates was a great philosopher and held in such high esteem.

 

James 3:2-18

 

“The power of Words”#1 

OUR WORDS CAN DIRECT US AND OTHERS IN LIFE:
Many people think, if the tongue has such influence maybe it’s best to say nothing. Not talk at all, be silent. [A guy joined the Trapist monastery. For three years he was given a probation period where he was not to speak at all, but at the end of each year he could say two words. The first year at the end he said, "Bed hard." At end of the second year he said, "Food cold." At the end of the third year he’s about had it. He comes in and says, "I quit". The head priest says, "That doesn’t surprise me. All you’ve done is complain since you got here."]

 

 “The power of Words” #2

OUR WORDS CAN DESTROY US AND OTHERS:
· Our words can be devastating to others:
· Once the word is gone forth from your mouth It is to late.
· I believe that is why James say’s That we are to be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger.
· In other words engage your mind before you engage your mouth
· Warning: Watch Your Words. The tongue is in a wet place and it can easily slip.

 

“The power of Words” #3

There is a story of a woman in an Indian village who maliciously gossiped about another lady and her family in the village. One day she found out that she was wrong about this lady and her family and had a change of heart. She went to the village’s wise man and asked how she could take back all the wrong she had done. The wise man told her to go home and kill her chickens and pluck there feathers and put them into a bag. After this she was to go back and see the wise man again, but on her way back she was to scatter all the feathers she had plucked from the chickens.
The lady did as she was told. When she got back to the man, he told her, " now go back and pick up all the feathers that you have scattered. " The woman was astonished at such a command and said, " By now the wind has carried the feathers through out the village and beyond." The wise man then told Her, And so it is with your careless words. They are like the feathers scattered in the wind. You can not retrieve them. " With that the woman with a broken heart because of the words she had spoken went her way, determined from that day forward to Watch her words.

 

 “Think, Then Speak” 

Encourage one another daily.                                     Hebrews 3:13

"MR. Mac believed I was good at math," said Dave, at a class reunion last summer. "It didn't matter whether I was or not. That he thought I was good made a big difference in my life." Dave also spoke of a music teacher who asked him to step out of boys' chorus, and then after listening to the group sing without him said, "That sounds better."

"I don't like that man to this day," said Dave.

If you think words are not important, stop and listen to people recalling their youth. Most of us can remember destructive criticism from decades past. The Bible warns us about the harm words can do. The writer James tells us that the tongue "corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell."

On the other hand, God's word also reminds us again and again that by our words we can build up each other and the church. We don't always express ourselves in a Christlike way. But we can pray for God's help and practice using words that build up rather than tear down.

 

Proverbs 18:21

 

 

 

QUOTE #13

"False words are not only evil in themselves, but they infect the soul with evil."

Plato 427 BC-347 BC Greek Philosopher/Student of Socrates/Teacher of Aristotle

 

QUOTE #14

"Kind words cost no more than unkind ones . . . and we may scatter the seeds of courtesy and kindliness around us at so little expense. If you would fall into any extreme let it be on the side of gentleness. The human mind is so constructed that it resists vigor and yields to softness."

Jeremy Bentham 1748-1832 English Philosopher/Political Theorist

 

“Think First”

For every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment.                                                            Matthew 12:36

In 1980, Lee Atwater, a political campaign manager, inflicted terrible pain with his words. His staff learned that an opposing congressional candidate from South Carolina had once experienced severe depression and undergone electric shock therapy. When Atwater released the information to the press, it humiliated the candidate and cast doubt on his ability. In anguish, the man questioned Atwater's campaign ethics. Atwater responded by saying that he had no intention of responding to a man "hooked up to a jumper cable."

Ten years later, Atwater was afflicted with an incurable brain tumor. He was confined to bed, attached to machines and tubes and wires. Before he died, he wrote the candidate a letter and asked to be forgiven. He saw how cruel and heartless his words had been.

Our words can be just as devastating. And it seems that it's our children or family or fellow believers whom we hurt the most. As believers in Christ, we have an obligation before God to evaluate the impact of our words. Idle, angry, hateful words can inflict great harm, for which we will be held accountable (Matthew 12:36-37).

Ask God for help. Before hurtful words come pouring out of your mouth, think first—then leave them unsaid.

Use words of kindness, filled with love,
That heal and nourish life
Instead of hurling angry words
That wound and stir up strife.

Think before you act; think twice before you speak.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“The Power of Words” #4

Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification. --Ephesians 4:29

One major area of breakdown in marriages and families today is communication. The apostle Paul used the word corrupt to describe speech that has the power to tear people down, adults and children alike (Eph. 4:29). He also stated that good communication is "necessary edification," for it has the power to build people up.

Here are examples of corrupt communication we often aim at our children: "Can't you do anything right?" "What's wrong with you?" "You'll never learn." "You're always breaking something." "Oh, let me do it." The list is endless. But so are examples of edifying communication. A list called "99 Ways To Say 'Very Good'" offers these encouraging words: "That's it!" "You're really working hard today." "I'm very proud of you." "Now you've figured it out." "You are very good at that." "That's the way!" "Now that's what I call a fine job." "Good thinking."

Paul said that when we edify others through our speech, we impart grace, or spiritual benefit, to their lives (v.29). Let's examine our speech habits for careless words, and then resolve to build up every person we meet, especially children. Remember, people need encouragers more than they need critics. Which one are you? --JEY

Button up your lip securely
'Gainst the words that bring a tear,
But be swift with words of comfort,
Words of praise, and words of cheer. --Loucks

A word of encouragement can make the difference between giving up and going on.

 

“Unremitting Negativity”

In order to uncover the processes that destroy unions, marital researchers study couples over the course of years, and even decades, and retrace the star-crossed steps of those who have split up back to their wedding day. What they are discovering is unsettling. None of the factors one would guess might predict a couple’s durability actually does: not how in love a newlywed couple say they are; how much affection they exchange; how much they fight or what they fight about. In fact, couples who will endure and those who won’t look remarkably similar in the early days. Yet when psychologists Cliff Notarius of Catholic University and Howard Markman of the University of Denver studied newlyweds over the first decade of marriage, they found a very subtle but telling difference at the beginning of the relationships.

Among couples who would ultimately stay together, 5 out of every 100 comments made about each other were put-downs. Among couples who would later split, 10 of every 100 comments were insults. That gap magnified over the following decade, until couples heading downhill were flinging five times as many cruel and invalidating comments at each other as happy couples. “Hostile put-downs act as cancerous cells that, if unchecked, erode the relationship over time,” says Notarius, who with Markman co-authored the new book We Can Work It Out. “In the end, relentless unremitting negativity takes control and the couple can’t get through a week without major blowups.”

 

QUOTE #15

"Some words are like rays of sunshine, others like barbed arrows or the bite of a serpent. And if hard words cut so deep, how much pleasure can kind ones give?"

Sir John Lubbock 1834-1916 Lord of Averbury/Banker/Scientist/Author

 

QUOTE #16

"Words — so innocent and powerless as they are, as standing in a dictionary, how potent for good and evil they become in the hands of one who knows how to combine them."

Nathaniel Hawthorne 1804-1864 American Novelist/Shortstory Writer