Communication

Wise vs. Wild Contrast #17: Speech

We’ve all heard the old saying, “flattery will get you nowhere.” But the truth is, flattery works, and works remarkably well. Call it what you will-apple-polishing, boot-licking, back-scratching, soft-soaping, currying favor, toadying, candy-talking, buttering-up, kissing-up, managing up, or a host of other more crass terms -smooth talk can and often does pay off. In the hands of someone who knows how to use it, it can be a dangerous manipulative weapon.

19Nov2009 | Mary Kassian | 0 comments | Continued

The Modesty of Personal Restraint

As the spring season blooms, talk about modesty heats up in Christian conversation as fast as the weather. Bloggers, radio hosts, and the rest of us lament the shorter hemlines, deeper necklines, exposed bellies, and bare bottoms in thong bikinis at the neighborhood swim club. But immodesty deals with a lot more than revealing too much skin. We are just as proneâ€”if not more soâ€”to overexpose whatâ€™s under our skin.

15Apr2009 | Guest Author | 0 comments | Continued

Only What is Helpful for Building

His mother was not home, but the young boy wanted to draw, so he got out the bottles of ink himself. His sister agreed to pose for him. In his eagerness and excitement, the young artist made an inky mess of his hands, clothes, table and floor. Just as he was finishing his work, his mother returned, and for a moment, stood in the door and silently took the scene in. Then, instead of scolding him, she picked up the portrait and declared, “What a beautiful picture of your sister!” and kissed him.

7Nov2008 | Mary Kassian | 1 comment | Continued

Gab, Blab and Gossip

I once saw an advertisement that enticed people to buy cell phones so they could engage in more “gab, blab, and gossip.” Are you a talker? Do you enjoy gabbing, blabbing, and gossiping? There’s nothing wrong with enjoying good conversation, but the Bible warns that excess speech is often accompanied by sin. “Where words are many, sin is not absent…” (Prov. 10:19, NIV)

5Nov2008 | Mary Kassian | 1 comment | Continued

How Does Your Garden Grow?

When I was young, grown-ups often greeted me with the sing-songy question: “Mary, Mary, quite contrary, How does your garden grow?” Since my name is Mary, they used this line (taken from a famous nursery rhyme) instead of the traditional “How are you?” I must admit it mildly irritated me. They no doubt thought they were being clever and cute, but I didn’t like being called “contrary.” And I didn’t really understand the meaning of the rhyme.

4Nov2008 | Mary Kassian | 0 comments | Continued

Love to Listen

Listening is an active process involving more than just the ears. The Chinese character for the verb “to listen” contains the symbols for ear, eyes, heart, and undivided attention. Active listening involves giving our undivided attention – hearing with our ears, observing carefully with our eyes, and understanding with our hearts.

3Nov2008 | Mary Kassian | 1 comment | Continued

Does Your Speech Make the Grade?

Take a moment to evaluate your speech habits. How good are they? If a grade of 100% represents perfection, what grade would you give yourself? If you don’t swear, and aren’t given to gossip or outbursts of anger, you might confidently give yourself 80% or perhaps even 90%. Compared to the people around you, your speech might deserve a pretty high mark. But what if you graded your speech according to God’s standards? Take this 20-Question Test to see what kind of mark you’d get…

2Nov2008 | Mary Kassian | 2 comments | Continued

Cool Down Your Hot Head (Part 2)

In the Rocky Mountains, hunters occasionally find pairs of interlocked deer horns. When the horns of fighting deer get jammed together and the animals cannot separate them, they die. Anger can cause us to lock horns with others. And the consequences can be just as disastrous. Paul knew that in order to properly manage their lives and relationships, the believers in Ephesus needed to recognize a few things about anger. This is the second of two articles outlining his advice.

29Oct2008 | Mary Kassian | 0 comments | Continued

Conversation Peace on DVD

You asked for it… Conversation PeaceÂ will soon be availableÂ on DVD!
Conversation Peace was one of the last of LifeWay’s resources to be released in VHS. It’s amazing how quickly technology has changed! Over the past couple of years, many of us have ditched our VHS playersÂ in favor of DVD.
Starting in December 2008, the Conversation Peace videos [...]

20Aug2008 | admin | 5 comments | Continued