The tongue is a fire

Do you ever get hoof-in-mouth disease? That's when you say something you later regret. I do it more often than I'd like to admit. When I see it in others it serves to remind me of my own weaknesses. You see, I get defensive very easily. And what do you do when you get defensive? You lash out with cheap shots. Even if the shot has a little or a lot of truth, it is usually uncalled for. Cheap shots and fast reactions designed to get back at someone usually either backfire on us or wound the other person.
The Book of James says: "Look 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. So 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!" and "For judgment will be merciless to one who has shown no mercy; mercy triumphs over judgment."
What does this mean? Our words can get us in trouble very easily, and if I lash out against someone else, I can expect to get the same in return. If I do it regulary, I should expect it to fly back in my face regularly.
Even if what we want to slam someone with is true, it doesn't give us the right to use that truth to crush them. Unless we want others to treat us with the same severity. I know I don't want to be called out for my many faults. That means I need to show mercy when I see the faults (whether genuine or perceived) of others. If I feel I need to confront someone with something, there is a way to do it without humiliating them in front of others.
Jesus forgave sinners of every variety and told them to stop what they were doing, but the only people he ever jumped on were those who were extremely religious and held themselves up as being better than anyone else.
Go in peace, and pray for me, a sinner.

thoughts on Katrina - pt. 2

It's clear that it will take years for New Orleans to recover from Katrina. The population will probably never again be what is was only two weeks ago. Some have suggested that Katrina was God's judgment on the area for the evils that have gone rampant in the area for years - everything from the days that slaves were sold there to the voodoo practiced in the area to drunkenness, carousing, and every sort of vice known to man. It wasn't referred to as "Sin City" for no reason. Yes, I know that Las Vegas also bears that title but New Orleans held it first.
I don't think Katrina was God's judgment, though. Several reasons. First of all, there were a lot of godly people in New Orleans. Sodom and Gomorrah would have been spared if only 10 righteous people could have been found. There were, and still are, many more than that in New Orleans. Also, if God was going to judge a city, there's a good chance he would start with Vegas. I haven't heard of daily F5 tornadoes or earthquakes in that area so I'll assume it's still standing. Finally, the Bible says that judgment begins in the house of God. When the Lord comes to set things straight He invariably begins the process by doing house-cleaning in the church.
I believe that the Jim Bakker and Jimmy Swaggart fiascos several years ago, as well as many of the things currently being exposed in the Roman Catholic Church, may well be God's judgment. Katrina is simply a result of sin being in the world. Romans tells us that through Adam's sin, death spread to all men and even nature itself. Nature groans for its redemption which will occur at the consumation of all things.
Until the end of time, we will have hurricanes, tornadoes, and earthquakes. I've got a feeling that if God ever decides to destroy a city, though, there will be no doubt in anyone's mind what happened.
Where sin abounds, grace much more abounds. Pray for the ones in Louisiana, Mississippi, and my home state of Alabama whose lives have been ravaged by Katrina.

thoughts on Katrina - pt. 1

Hurricane Katrina and her affects on the Gulf Coast have dominated the news since last Sunday. It's football season, but football doesn't seem very important when hundreds of thousands of people have been forced to leave their homes, or places that used to be their homes.
The democrats blame the republicans, the republicans blame the democrats. There is blame enough for every political group to share,but the main thing that needs to be going on at this point is taking care of the people who have been displaced. Let the blame be put off for a while until everyone has a decent place to sleep, food, water, and medical care.
Did the local and state governments in Louisiana miss their chance to help in a timely manner? Absolutely. At the same time, was the federal government slow in responding? Absolutely. I've heard federal officials say that they had help on the way before the storm even hit, which I'm sure is true. I also saw pictures of people living on overpasses for four or five days with no water or food. How hard is it to get relief to people who are on live TV saying "We need help"?
This disaster has brought out the best in some people and the worst in others. Let's hope to see more of the best of us all in the future. Mercy is one of the attributes that the Lord most highly commends. Help in anyway possible. Have mercy on those whose lives have been devestated.