Psalm 147:1

"Praise the Lord. How good it is to sing praises to our God, how pleasant and fitting to praise him!"

Thursday, October 27, 2011

Encouragement is oxygen to the soul....

Encouragement is oxygen to the soul. 
- George Matthew Adams
I've been reading this book mostly because I am 
vividly aware that death and life come in the form of words.

It is a fabulous read. 
I would recommend it for all woman seeking to use our words for good and not evil. 

"A word is dead when it is said, some say. 
I say it just begins to live that day."
- Emily Dickinson

"With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, 
who have been made in God's likeness. 
Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. 
My brothers and sisters, this should not be. 
Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? 
My brothers and sisters, 
can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? 
Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water." 
James 3:9-12

God has given us incredible power in our sphere of influence, 
and it begins with the words we speak. 
- Sharon Janynes in The Power of a Woman's Words

A careless word may kindle strife;
A cruel word may wreck a life. 
A bitter word may hate instill;
A brutal word may smite and kill.
A gracious word may smooth the way;
A joyous word may light the day.
A timely word may lessen stress;
A loving word may heal and bless.
-Author Unknown

That's just a few snippets on the topic of the tongue. 
I decided to pick this particular book up after using an ugly tone of voice with my 
son last week. (See previous post.) :-)

I was actually on the chapter about how much of a blessing that we can be to 
those around us with our words when I checked my email and
was pleasantly surprised to see an email from a former teacher!
(Hi...:-)
The words that she said were such a blessing. 
So refreshing. 
Such a GIFT. 
She said that she still prays for my family by name after 12 years - priceless!
The gift of words to encourage others was right there in front of me. 

Have you encouraged someone today? 
Would you take a challenge with me? 
  1. Say an encouraging word to each close family member every day!
  2. Write an email, card, e-card, fb message, etc to someone that you no longer see                              but still value once per week.
Let's be a blessing with our words!

"The Bible has a lot to say about our mouths, 
our lips, our tongues, for our speech betrays us. 
What is down in the well will come up in the bucket."
- Vance Havner 






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