Tattlers, talebearers, slanderers, sowers of discord, gossipers ...

Dear women readers: Today I am going to be addressing a very important, life or death, eternal consequences issue. It is the issue of being a busybody, whisperer, or whatever other adjective fits.


Proverbs 6:16 These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him: 17 A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, 18 An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief, 19 A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren.

Notice that one who sows discord is part of this list. This word 'discord' (Hebrew mĕdan or מְדָן which is strong's #4090) is used a few other times in the Old Testament, one being 'strifes' in this verse:

Proverbs 10:12 Hatred stirreth up strifes: but love covereth all sins.

Apparently this kind of action stems from hatred, and that makes sense to me because I think you would have to have hatred in your heart if you go so far as to sow discord among brethren.

According to blueletterbible.org, this same Hebrew word stems from another word - Strong's #4066 madown or מָדוֹן
Here are some verses containing that Hebrew word (in ALL CAPS); most are found in Proverbs. You can read them all for yourself here on blueletterbible.

A wrathful man stirs up STRIFE
A froward man sows STRIFE
It is better to dwell in a corner of the housetop, than with a BRAWLING woman in a wide house.
It is better to dwell in the wilderness, than with a CONTENTIOUS and angry woman.
Cast out the scorner and CONTENTION shall go out; yea, strife and reproach shall cease.
Where no wood is, the fire goes out: so where there is no talebearer, the STRIFE ceases.
As coals are to burning coals, and wood to fire; so is a CONTENTIOUS man to kindle strife.
He that is of a proud heart stirs up STRIFE
An angry man stirs up STRIFE

From this I see that one who sows discord or strife or is contentious is also full of wrath, froward [perverse, foolish], angry, scornful, a talebearer, and proud. No wonder the Lord hates this!!

This all made me think of the verse in 1 Timothy where it warns about idle women who go about from house to house speaking things they should not be speaking. "Tattlers and busybodies." These kind of women are sowing discord among the brethren. Slanderers. This is corrupt. And I'm not sure right now where this all fits in, but Jeremiah 6 also came to mind.


Women: let us be very careful to choose our words wisely. Are we saying things we should not be saying? Are our words sowing discord? Causing strife and division? This is hatred and it is straight from Satan. Who are you serving?

I encourage us all to "open our mouths with wisdom" and be sure that "the law of kindness is in our tongues." Proverbs 31:26 If you have an issue, don't go around telling others about it, take it to your husband and let him deal with it. If you do not have a husband, take it to an elder or other trusted brother in your life. If you are young, take it to your father. If it's an issue with a sister, ask for counsel on how you should handle it. DO NOT go around telling others (especially other women) your issues with another sister. If you do this, you are sowing discord and God hates this. Instead of sowing discord, sow seeds of kindness and love. Pray for the sister and the situation. Look for ways to reach out and bless the sister. Also be sure to look at yourself: maybe you are part of the problem? Or maybe it's all just a matter of a misunderstanding that got blown way up for lack of resolving it sooner? Or maybe that sister just had a really bad day or some kind of trial she is going through and you caught her at the wrong time? A weak moment? (like you have never had a weak moment?!) Maybe she needed a silent prayer instead of a critical eye?

Let us build each other up, not tear each other down. Let us love and Christ loved; he is our example.

Updates coming soon ...

Just letting you all know ... when I have a few hours some day soon I plan to make my blog private and then re-post all the older posts that are in 'draft' status right now. I have already re-posted some older ones from 2007, however I noticed that whoever is on my email list gets a long list of 'new posts' ... but they are really not new. So, hopefully setting my blog to 'private' while I re-post all the old posts will eliminate a bunch of emails going on.

Does that make sense? Or maybe there's another way to do it?

Update: Ok, I just went through some posts from 2007 ... but still have more from that year to go! I am not sure I left the blog 'private' long enough or not so maybe you email subscribers will still get an email of old posts that have been re-posted? We'll see.

The Golden Rule - Do unto others ...

There has been something on my mind for quite some time - treating others as you would like them to treat you. This is commonly called 'the golden rule' and, in case you did not know, it is straight from Christ (see Luke 6). This also makes me think of the two greatest commandments - loving God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength, and loving our neighbour as ourselves. I believe we must do all we can to keep this in the front of our minds and in our hearts at all times.

This applies in all areas of our lives, but I just want to touch on one thing quickly that hits very close to home right now (mainly because of a current trial an old lady friend is going through, but really we see a lot of old people go through the same trial). If you were in a desperate state and crying out for your loved ones to help you, would you want them to help you? How would you feel if they chose to stay away and let you go through your very hard trials without their help? Betrayed? Abandoned? Sad? Desperate? Something else?

We will reap what we sow. Are we sowing seeds of selfishness or selflessness? What would Christ do?

Each morning I wake up to an alarm that reminds me to help others who are in need. I only recently began this 'tradition' and I think I'm going to keep it going because I am so encouraged and blessed to have this reminder each day. It is a song called "A Beautiful Life" and it goes like this:

1. Each day I’ll do a golden deed,
   By helping those who are in need;
   My life on earth is but a span,
   And so I’ll do the best I can.
   • Refrain:
     Life’s evening sun is sinking low,
     A few more days, and I must go
     To meet the deeds that I have done,
     Where there will be no setting sun.
2. To be a child of God each day,
   My light must shine along the way;
   I’ll sing His praise while ages roll,
   And strive to help some troubled soul.
3. The only life that will endure,
   Is one that’s kind and good and pure;
   And so for God I’ll take my stand,
   Each day I’ll lend a helping hand.
4. I’ll help someone in time of need,
   And journey on with rapid speed;
   I’ll help the sick and poor and weak,
   And words of kindness to them speak.
5. While going down life’s weary road,
   I’ll try to lift some trav’ler’s load;
   I’ll try to turn the night to day,
   Make flowers bloom along the way.

One small thing we can do to help someone in need is to visit the nursing home in our community. It does not matter if we know the people in the nursing home or not; there are plenty of people in there who do not have anyone visiting them and would LOVE for someone to visit even if they do not know them (yet!). Commit to visiting these homes weekly and see where you are needed. If you don't know where to start, ask a nurse which resident would be a good person to visit - there has yet to be a nurse who has not had a quick answer for us. If you have little ones, GREAT! Old people LOVE little ones and often times they can be good 'ice breakers'. Bring a book to share (they love picture books and little ones can share it with them). Bring some photos. Bring a songbook and sing. Play a game of checkers. Ask about their past. Whatever. Just do something.

I was thinking about all those '30 day' challenges I have seen floating around on various blogs and what not. 3o days of real food. 30 days of crockpot meals. 30 days of exercise. Or whatever. You get the point. How about committing to visiting the nursing home one day a week for a month? I don't think God really cares if you eat crock pot meals or whole foods or white bread or whatever (gluttony aside) but he DOES care if you are doing to others as you would have them do to you.

When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory: And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats: And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left. Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me. Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me. Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels: For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not. Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee? Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me. And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.

Hello again.

After over 3 months of being quiet I have decided to open my blog back up. I still have most of the posts in 'draft' stage but when I have time I plan to go through them and see if I want to delete them or re-publish them. This is not a priority for me though, so it might take a long time to go through them all.

In the mean time, hello again to all. I appreciate the encouragement I have been getting to open this blog back up ... if this was you, "thank you." I have a post brewing in my mind but not much time to sit down and get it out. We'll see what the day or weekend ... or next week ... brings.

Looking back at 2012

Another year has gone. Looking back at all I have learned in 2012, there are a few things that really stick out to me.

~ I put unrealistic expectations on myself. This is always unintentional and I am so thankful a few brothers helped me see the light in this area. Peace comes when we are doing the Lord's will.

~ This past year I've been learning more fully about being quiet. I don't have to win. I don't have to be right. I don't even have to be heard. It does not matter. I just need to be quiet. There are times to share, but we must be careful. The Proverbs 31 woman always opens her mouth with wisdom ... and as I like to say, she keeps it shut with wisdom too.

~ Love. The Lord has put me in the middle of some hard trials over the past year; I've had a lot of opportunities to really practice loving others. It's not about justice. It's about being gentle, longsuffering, and filled with unconditional love for others. Let all that we say or do be a reflection of Christ. We may not be able to stop evil, but we can overcome it with good.

~ (edited to add this in) You cannot please everyone. Just do the best you can and aim to please the Lord.

A final thought. The Lord has a way of bringing growth and it's usually not in ways we would expect. That is why I believe it is so important to give thanks to him in EVERYTHING. Trials in our lives usually come because the Lord is trying to help us grow in one area or another. The past few weeks I've heard a brother say a few times how iron sharpens iron ... and that takes quite a bit of friction, can be uncomfortable, can cause some pain, etc.

Is Mother Teresa going to hell?

“At the end of life we will not be judged by how many diplomas we have received, how much money we have made, how many great things we have done.
We will be judged by "I was hungry, and you gave me something to eat, I was naked and you clothed me. I was homeless, and you took me in."”

"We try to pray through our work by doing it with Jesus, for Jesus, to Jesus. That helps us to put our whole heart and soul into doing it. The dying, the cripple, the mental, the unwanted, the unloved they are Jesus in disguise."

- Mother Teresa

Some believe that Mother Teresa is in hell because she was Catholic. I believe it's not about a denomination or a religion or doctrine or theology. It's about putting Christ's teachings into practice. It's about loving God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength, and loving your neighbor (including your enemies) as yourself. It's about giving your absolute best, all the time - with a pure heart.

Mother Teresa lived a simple life totally dedicated to serving others: The poorest of the poor. The sickest of the sick. The neediest of the needy. The most rejected of the rejects. The untouchables of society. Some would call this "works-based salvation." I call it being clothed with Christ.

One thing she believed that really blessed me - it is NORMAL for Christians to be holy in all manner of living. Not just the people whom the Catholic church give the title "Saint," but EVERYONE who professes to follow Christ.

She is a source of great encouragement in inspiration for me ... and any woman of God can walk in her steps. We must have a single eye, totally focused on the Lord and his kingdom here on earth; leaving all behind to follow Christ, come what may.

Peeling off the layers

Just when you think you are doing pretty good in one area or another, God seems to have a way of shining more light and showing you loud and clear that you need more work.

It seems the hardest times in life are the best times for learning and growing. Sharpening and strengthening.

Trials are a blessing. Embrace them. Ask yourself, "What is the Lord trying to teach me here?" Praise God!