First Language

Chronicles 16: 8-9  Oh give thanks to the Lord, call upon His    
                                 Name.
                                 Make known His deeds among the peoples.
                                 Sing to Him, sing praises to Him;
                                 Speak of all His wonders. 


God gave us a gift he didn't give the animals--communication.

(Some of you are thinking you CAN understand your pets..., I know). 

Man created language, then symbols that eventually turned into an alphabet. Most people in the world speak more than one language.

According to Google: "There are roughly 6,500 spoken languages in the world today. However, about 2,000 of those languages have fewer than 1,000 speakers. The most popular language in the world is Mandarin Chinese. There are 1,213,000,000 people in the world that speak that language.

God and Adam had PERFECT communication in the Garden, but then...well, tempting WORDS messed it all up for everyone.

I can understand some Spanish, but not as well as I used to. 

My husband understands dutch, but he has a hard time putting sentences together. So far, he hasn't had the need to revert to his "native" tongue.

My son experienced...learned a big lesson in the art of communication this week.
Curious? It seems commonsensical.  (did I just invent a word?)

TALK ABOUT THINGS.
DON'T ASSUME.

It almost cost him a friendship.
It did cost him in other ways.

Do you practice, know the language of PRAISE?

It's simple really. You turn your sentence around and make it a positive, thanking God in the  beginning, middle and the end.

The Psalmist does it. The last few chapters are filled with the language of PRAISE for everything around him, everything he sees, what he knows of the character of God and His sovereignty over us.

Jesus taught us to pray that way: "Our Father who art in Heaven, hallowed be Thy Name...For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever." Amen. 

What would this world look like if everyone spoke the language of praise out loud within their everyday communications?

Barrista: "Hi, I am so thankful to see you today. God is good. What can we make you?"
Customer: "Yes, He is! I am thankful to Him this morning for getting me here safely in this storm. I'll have a venti vanilla please." 
Barrista: "I praise Him for my new tires, just in time for the rain." 
Customer: "Great! He provides! Thanks, see you tomorrow."

Employer to crew: "I thank God for each and every one of you. You all work hard and this success is for His glory. God has a plan for a hope and a great future for all of us."
Employees: "We praise God for our great boss and for all we have endured, the good times and the hard times."

Policeman: "Hi Sir, license and registration please. Sir, this is a good day. Our merciful Father in Heaven has put it upon my heart to just give you a warning today. I know that I have received an abundance of mercy from Him when I don't deserve it, so, ...thought I'd give some back today. Oh--and fix that tail light too."
Driver: "Wow, thank you Mr. Policeman. Father God, You guide and protect me as you do my family. I am in awe. I needed mercy today. I'm on the way to the hospital...my wife, she's in labor, the neighbor took her..."
Policeman:" Lord, You are so good! You directed me to this young man so that I can escort him straight to the hospital with sirens blazing. Let's go, you're about to be a dad! Lord, go before us. Thank You for Your direction and using me in this place."

Can you imagine the political dialogue?

A different world indeed. 

Everyone needs to plant sunflowers out their window and stare at them like I do. They are all about praising their Maker. ( well, just a suggestion). 

Seems I need to continue to model everything I just wrote and practice the language of praise, around my son, around everyone. The more I use it, the more it will be my first language. 

I thought of this when my two close friends and I sat in a Starbucks yesterday and talked for several hours about life and God and His Goodness, some hard stuff and God's faithfulness. We weren't exactly quite. We weren't exactly speaking "politically correct." What we were doing was figuring out life with God in the mix and giving Him praise, coming to conclusions about forgiveness and grace and THANKFUL for his divine interventions in our lives and our friendship. It really does do a good thing to your soul--even more so than the coffee!

We did a group hug in the middle of the parking lot. I hope all the customers saw that--what it communicated. 


Christ came with Words and Actions of Love and Grace to heal the language barrier created in Eden. 

Father God, I praise you for friendships that are deep and everlasting. I honor You for all that You are doing in my life, teaching me to trust You in everything. I exalt You for who You are, The Lord of Lords, The God of the Universe, Creator, Yahweh, the Great I Am, the Alpha and Omega. I give thanks and seek Your face and heart of mercy in all my own communications, both difficult ones I hear and ones that don't come out of my own mouth so well. Help me Lord, all-hearing God, to give You praise in all my circumstances and may these same words become good thoughts, pleasing to You, King of Kings, giver of all that is good. Amen.

Casting Crowns ~ Lifesong

Commencement Speech

James 3:17 "But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceful, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, without hypocrisy."

Can you hear it? Pomp and Circumstance, learned and practiced for many years by orchestras everywhere, bellows itself out into anticipatory crowds of anxious and somewhat relieved parents. They sit, with all the extended family, awaiting their offspring's march to the stage and listening for the calling out of their full and complete name --on the receiving end, a high school diploma.

But it's not the end,  as we know so well.  It is the beginning of dreams and goals, of adulthood and  responsibility, of passion and heartbreak, of moving out and breaking off, of signing up and heading out, traveling, exploring and innovating.

What is it we wish most for this new batch of young idealists?

Purity. Culture bombards us every nano-second. The flat screens decorate almost every social gathering place. The ear buds hang from anatomy, the smart phone and social media... well, you know. Every one's opinion is broadcast, twittered, posted. Freedom of speech is an awesome privilege, don't misunderstand me. Are we so engaged in other's views that time is not spent in hearing and knowing our own thoughts?  Nothing seems private any more. How does one keep themselves pure,  uncompromised, steadfast and grounded?

 Wisdom desires Discipline. Wisdom honors Righteousness. 

Wisdom knows Grace. 

Peaceful. To be full of peace, one must not dwell on controversy, on decisions, on pet peeves and unmet expectations, on hypotheticals and tomorrow's issues. Definitely, don't watch the evening news or get involved in politics. How can we keep the peace, live in the world but not be of the world and strive to make a difference? Seems impossible, for planning ahead is a part of wise decisions. God did not create us to stay inside the cocoon. Peace comes from confidence and knowing what we believe in is greater and sovereign. With God, nothing is impossible. It is a learning lifestyle captured with continous prayer, and celebrating the Giver of Peace.

Wisdom seeks Trust. 

Gentle. Words sometimes are brash, harsh, wounding. The lack of words hurts deep as well. Gentleness is polite, respectful of self and others. Gentlemen and Gentlewomen smooth out the wrinkles, blot away at the stains, and clear the rubble with their smile, helping hands and controlled speech. Gentleness has others, their neighbors on their mind.

Wisdom covets Compassion.

Reasonable. To be reasonable is to be selfless, to know our agenda doesn't have to win out always. Reason has perspective and willingness to look at all sides. Reason does the research. Reason listens. Reason is why;  it's the times we just don't know. Reason is patient. Reason waits. We are the Reason.

Wisdom uses Understanding. 

Full of Mercy and Good Fruits. What is left in the wake? Encouragement and empathy comes alongside another and bolsters one up. Passion produces productivity towards positive change where before, hope had no meaning. A branch is pruned and the buds of spring produce fruit that feeds a village. Leaders develop new leaders, seeds of a lasting legacy.

Wisdom creates Inspiration.

Unwavering, without hypocrisy. No one is perfect. without mistakes, without some regrets, how can we learn? Forgiveness, front and center, the Lord above is full of Grace. Trustworthiness, Compassion, Understanding and Inspiration; may His Light become bright and shine upon the roads ahead. What do we want for our graduates? To be true to themselves and true to one another, to find Grace, find their own Spark in His Plan.  

Wisdom reflects Integrity.  

Solomon, the most wise among wise men wrote in the Book of Proverbs (9:10), "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding." For this senior class, my hope for you is Godly wisdom and in that you may receive, grace, trust, compassion for others, understanding, inspiration and a life full of integrity. Whatever your path, with these traits, your legacy will make an ETERNAL difference and I am celebrating all the possibilities God places now before you.

Dear Lord, lead these young adults through the desert of uncertainty and into the promised land of your sovereign grace and will. May new leadership with a heart towards Your plan rise above and make You known. Keep them grounded in Your Word, surrounded by accountability by their peers and prayer warriors of the faith of their fathers as they develop their own story, chapters of Your wise counsel. Thank you Lord for the energy of our youth and the big world you've put before them. Help us not to give up when we see the deterioration of culture, but pray for these dear ones that seek to do Your Will, to make a positive difference in this world. May integrity of heart and soul give them strength for all their days ahead. Thank you Lord, Amen.