Houston is where I was born and raised. My first 15 years of life took place in that incredible city. More importantly, my parents were saved through the preaching of one of Houston’s largest churches, 2nd Baptist, where Ed Young Sr. unabashedly preaches the good news of the gospel. Because of God’s voice through him, my parents began their spiritual journey of growth and sanctification, which they then imparted to my older brother and I.
Houston is where abundant life started for my family. And the intrinsic worth and divine purpose of more lives is now being attacked. Please watch the following video and join me in praying for the protection of unborn children in this city.
Howdy y’all. It’ me, the author and owner of this blog about…. not a whole lot.
I thought I’d post something with a little substance–something that has been rocking my world and changing my heart lately. I have mentioned the power and impact that music has on me and the way that God uses certain artists speak or shout to me. One such artist is Bebo Norman.
His latest album, my new favorite, is the only thing I have listened to for the past month. I play in the morning on my computer as I get ready, in my car on the way to work, on my iPod as I work out, etc. It’s always ringing in my ears. I know every lyric to every song. And every song, in some way or another, has hit home deeper than I anticipated.
I won’t introduce this song because Mr. Norman does the honors below… take a listen.
I think compliments are underrated. It’s as if people have become frightened to tell people something nice for fear of feeling silly or even being thought of as deceptive or strange. Why? When did that become the trend?
The reason that I wonder is because today I received one of the best compliments that I have gotten in long time. At it’s core, it was simple; nothing necessarily that was overly ornate or elaborate. But that was the beauty of it. It was simple, straight forward, and honest.
And that combination of kindness, truth, and sentimentality resulted in the greatest form of encouragement–it was a natural overflow of a genuine heart; an outpouring of edification and affirmation from one believer to another that the Lord used to remind me of how much He loves when my heart desperately needed reminding.
All because of a compliment. All because someone took a chance and told me something that (a) I didn’t know that they thought and (b) I have struggled to accept.
I don’t know if this registers with you at all, but it’s a big deal. Why? Because I don’t think that what this person did was as extraordinary as it was simply obedient. Is this not what we’re called to? According to Ephesians 4:29 it would appear that we are:
29Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.
Proverbs 18:21 also says that
The tongue has the power of life and death
That is to say, you have the ability to share the life, power, and freedom of Christ with someone simply by what it is that you say. You also have the ability to destroy that same life, power, and freedom by not speaking in truth and love.
Moral of the story–if you admire, respect, or simply feel the need to let someone know why you think they are “spectacular,” please take it. Please tell them how you feel and what you think because… what if no one else ever does?
