Category Archives: blogging

by | March 15, 2019 · 6:30 am

Pricey Tongue, Worthless Heart

Let’s take a look at the following verse from the tenth chapter of Proverbs.

The tongue of the just is as choice silver: the heart of the wicked is little worth. – Proverbs 10:20

Contrast

When we look at this verse, it is important for us to remember that there is a comparison/contrast being made. An “opposite parallelism” is being used to make a point that one thing is valuable, while another is worthless.

In this case, it is easy to notice that Solomon is contrasting “the tongue of the just” with “the heart of the wicked.” The tongue of the just person (the words that he speaks) is something beautiful and of great value, while the wicked man’s heart is just the opposite. But if we were to look a little deeper, there is more than meets the eye, or first impressions.

The Heart

What is really being contrasted are the hearts of both the wicked and the just. You see, what comes out of a person’s mouth is directly related to what’s in his heart. Proverbs 16:23 says, “The heart of the wise teacheth his mouth, and addeth learning to his lips.” In the book of James (3:11) we read, “Doth a fountain send forth at the same place sweet water and bitter?”

Essentially, you can tell what is in a person’s heart by what comes out of his mouth. Jesus said, “It’s not what goes into your mouth that defiles you; you are defiled by the words that come out of your mouth.” – Matthew 15:11 (NLT)

Do you like to tell dirty jokes? Then there must be lust in your heart. Do you always talk hateful? Then there is hatred (and maybe murder – see Matthew 5:21-22) in your heart.

Do you ever talk about God? About Jesus? About your love for Him? If not, maybe He’s not in there.

On Display

Do you realize that your heart is on display? No, I don’t mean that your chest cavity is transparent, nor do I mean that everyone can see your bloody, beating heart muscle. That’s sick!

What I do mean to say is that there is no hiding what is in your heart; because your words, the words from your mouth, tell the whole story.

Maybe we should listen to ourselves. Maybe we should ask others to tell us what they hear. Maybe we should be like King David and pray this prayer…

“Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer.”– Psalm 19:14

 

The above commentary was first published in my other blog, Proverbial Thought. It can also be found in Proverbial Thought: Your Daily Word of Wisdom from Proverbs (Parson’s Porch, 2014).

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by | January 2, 2019 · 1:12 pm

Planning for 30,000!

I published my first posts on WordPress back in September of 2009 – all 4 of them. It was not until July of 2010 that I began to post more often.

But what bothers me is that I have yet to reach the 30,000-view mark. As a matter of fact, this year’s stats saw a dramatic drop, even though the number of posts I published were essentially the same (42 less than last year, and 9 more than in 2017).

So, being that this September will be my 10th anniversary with WordPress, it’s about time I break the 30K glass ceiling.

The following are my plans to accomplish the 30,000 mark:

  1. Pray before each post.
  2. Publish posts that are beneficial, not superficial nonsense meant only to score a few views.
  3. Focus on more in-depth series, like the 10-part one I’m about to do based on a sermon outline.
  4. Re-blog (share) posts from other bloggers on a regular basis.
  5. Read and comment more on other sites.
  6. Explore the “tags” and find new people to meet.
  7. Publish more than one post a day, even if the posts are shared posts or quick, encouraging thoughts, memes, or verses.
  8. Make myself available for doing guest posts.
  9. Keep a sense of humor and sanctified sarcasm 😉

If you have any other suggestions, I’d love for you to share them.

Blessings to you all!

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by | December 20, 2018 · 9:49 am

When Life Doesn’t Match Up With the Postcard

As I was composing the title for this post, the thought came to mind, “Maybe I should write about that.”

However, this post is not about me; it’s about my Christian sister, The Sister Christian (a.k.a. Karen).

I noticed that Karen didn’t include a button to “reblog” her post, so what I’m doing here is simply sharing a link to her original post. I would encourage you to click it and give it a read.

What I found encouraging – as I’m sure you will, too – is that when life doesn’t seem to match up with the stereotypical example, the kind that drives the commercial aspect of Christmas, getting back to the true meaning of Christmas puts everything in their proper perspective.

So, continue to “like” and “share,” and go tell The Sister Christian I said “hello.”

Blessings!

“This Is What Christmas Is Really About”

This photo is from The Sister Christian’s post.

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Quote

Thus you shall say to the worried…….

Good Monday morning!

This morning I am sharing a post from a blogger I don’t know. I don’t even know his or her name. All I know is that this blogger left a comment this morning on my blog, then I followed up by checking out theirs.
What I found was a lot of simple, quick-to-read posts meant to encourage. And being that it’s Monday, and considering what I’m currently struggling with, this post from Bible Blogger hits the spot.

Check it out!

via Thus you shall say to the worried…….

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by | December 17, 2018 · 8:34 am
by | December 15, 2018 · 12:29 pm

Sharing (Re-blogging, Social Media) Is Caring

    Starting this Monday (Dec. 17, 2018) through Christmas (do I have to tell you the date?), I encourage all of you to accept the following challenge: “Like” and Share our fellow bloggers’ posts.

    Sure, go ahead and write your own stuff, but try to share another blogger’s work at least once a day, either by re-blogging on your own site, or by forwarding it on other media platforms. If possible, try to find a different blogger to repost for each day. 

    By the way, is it “reblogging” or “re-blogging”? Or either?

    Anyway, sharing the posts from other bloggers is a way to increase their readership, along with yours. But mostly, it’s a way to show how much you appreciate what others in our blogging family contribute to the Kingdom. 

    Build our community through sharing and edification.

Sharing is caring. 

Are YOU up for the challenge?

 

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by | November 18, 2018 · 1:26 pm

Deleting Older Posts

Now that we are closing in on the end of another year, I’ve decided to purge my blog of irrelevant, dated, and potentially embarrassing posts.

Have you ever done such a thing?

One thing that makes this difficult to do is my desire to keep a record, a desire document my past in order to remember it, or at least pass it on to my kids and grand kids (if I ever have any).

But at some point I need to accept the fact that filling up my WordPress memory with posts that are never read or not worth reading is nothing short of hoarding. There is only so much memory, and I’m not paying for extra.

So, if you have ever purged your posts, what criteria did you use?

Leave a comment and let’s talk about it.

Blessings to you all!

 

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by | October 30, 2018 · 9:37 am

Away from the Desk

I would love to be writing more, but I’m too busy, spread a little too thin.

But don’t worry, I’m gathering thoughts along the way. It won’t be long before I’ll have a few things to share…

a few items to discuss…

a few observations to unpack…

Hint words: hotels, packing, hospitals, local food, ear plugs, strangers, Air Force One, Jesus, the ark, creation, family, rock ‘n roll…etc

Looking forward to it 🙂

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by | October 5, 2018 · 1:11 am

Just Hupomenō

Writer’s Laziness

I don’t know that I would call it “writer’s block”; it’s more like “writer’s laziness.” You see, I have plenty of things to write about, but very little energy to attack them with the literary fervor each one deserves. Therefore, I am going to cut and paste something from a few years ago into a post for today.

A couple of years ago I told my daughter Katie (the one in college) that I was having a “form of writer’s block.” She asked, “Do you want me to give you a random suggestion?” I said, “sure.”

hupomenoTwo minutes later she comes to me with a picture and a word: hupomenō (ὑπομένω). “Write about this,” she said.

Hupomenō?

The word is a Greek word which means “to remain under,” or, “to remain under the test in a God-honoring manner, not seeking to escape it but eager to learn the lessons it was sent to teach.”*

But it could also mean standing firm by holding one’s ground (Mt 10:22; 24:13; Mk 13:13) and persevering in spite of difficulty (2 Tim 2:10).** The words that  hupomenō is most commonly translated into are “patience,” and “endure.”

Katie’s a godly young girl, so she wrote Hupomeno on her hand as a reminder to be patient and to “endure.”

Patiently Enduring

So how are you holding up? How are you enduring? Sometimes that’s all we can do, isn’t it? Sometimes all we can do when the winds are blowing, when the waves are crashing against us, and when the sand is shifting beneath our feet is to just endure the tempest while holding on for dear life to something…or Someone…unmovable and secure.

Whatever you are under right now, don’t give up – honor God with your faithfulness. Whatever you are fighting against, just hold your ground. Whatever road your traveling, even if it seems like it’s never going to end, persevere – don’t give up till you’re home.

“Consider it a great joy, my brothers, whenever you experience various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. But endurance must do its complete work, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking nothing.” – James 1:2-4 HCSB

Just hang in there; God is still God.

*Kenneth S. Wuest, Wuest’s Word Studies from the Greek New Testament: For the English Reader (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1997), Ro 12:9.

**James Swanson, Dictionary of Biblical Languages with Semantic Domains: Greek (New Testament) (Oak Harbor: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 1997).

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by | September 6, 2018 · 4:30 am

A Tiny Fundraiser

…You do not have because you do not ask. – James 4:2 CSB

If the above verse doesn’t sound familiar, the last part from the KJV may ring a bell:

“…ye have not, because ye ask not.”

Regardless, I just want you to know what is going on…you might be able to help.

I’m asking.

In just a week I need to pay WordPress again. The annual charge for the domain name and stuff is coming due. It’s not a lot – less than $30 – but it’s money I don’t have to spare right now.

(Any additional funds will go to pay the cell phone and internet bill. Just saying.)

So, should you want to contribute to the continuing ease of access to this blog, your donation via the Paypal tab on the right side of the main page would be most appreciated.

After all, just think about how much good you are doing! This blog has readers in nearly 130 countries! You would be contributing to a ministry that preaches grace, biblical transparency, and freedom from legalism, all with a sense of humor and a deep respect for the Word of God.

Isn’t that worth it? 

PS: If you happen to have any Chick-fil-A gift certificates lying around… 😉

Starving Blogger

The Christian blogger will do anything to keep changing the world – one post at a time.

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by | September 5, 2018 · 9:14 am

Nine Years of Blogging

I Missed It

It is now September 5, and the only thing truly special about this day is that I’m writing this post while in a waiting room – a dreary one at that. My wife is having a scope done of her esophagus, and so I have nothing else to do but wait…I’ve already prayed, so I’ll write.

Anyway, I missed my WordPress anniversary on the 27th! 9 years ago last week I wrote my first blog post, and I still have those same Crocs! I have, however, retired them.

I Mused It

Looking back over the years, I’ve used this blog to share a lot of my thoughts about different things. Some of those things were current events which are no longer relevant, while others were topic of interest which will continue to be discussed – if not reposted.

But I’ve also used this blog to formulate my thoughts. I’ve used it as a test bed for my ideas, in the preparation of sermons, and as a way to hone my speech before it’s spoken.

Overall, blogging has probably helped me more than anyone else.

I Misused It

Right now I’m reading Dale Carnegie’s classic How to Win Friends and Influence People. If you haven’t read it, you should; the practical wisdom is invaluable.

In the first chapter Carnegie addresses the dangers of being critical of others and cites multiple examples. Towards the end of the chapter he says:

“If you and I want to stir up resentment tomorrow that may rankle across the decades and endure until death, just let us indulge in a little stinging criticism – no matter how certain we are that it is justified.”

Even though I’ve been convinced I was right, I may have been too critical of others at times, priding myself on the “stinging” part. Granted, much of that would have appeared while debating within the comment sections, but I’m sure I could have been more gracious at times. I apologize.

I’ll Make It

So, now that I’m into my tenth year of blogging, I look forward to writing even more about subjects that interest me and may interest others. In doing so, I hope that my transparency will not hurt my own reputation, but encourage others in their own walk of faith with grace.

Life is tough at times. Like I’ve mentioned before, I know full well the dangers of depression and an outlook that forgets Who is in control. Maybe more posts in the future will help others see and understand how good and faithful our God is. Maybe they’ll be less critical, less controversial, and more encouraging as the days get darker.

Sure, some things will have to be addressed or I’ll just explode – like how now that the mayor of Chicago and a black preacher at Aretha Franklin’s funeral said what needed to be said, but the culture is too far gone to accept it…and who’s fault is that? But, when all is said and done, the command of Philippians 4:8 must rule the day – we must think on those things.

In the end, Lord willing, I’ll make it safe and sound of mine to our 10th anniversary at The Recovering Legalist. If you’ll stick with me we’ll make it a celebration to remember!

Thank you for your friendships!

Anthony

PS, My wife is not yet out of surgery, and this waiting room is sadly depressing. No coffee!

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