I have a plank in my eye...

There is a sizable plank in my eye, and do you know what word is engraved on it? Gossip.

I was talking with a friend of mine today, and it was great fun. We caught up on some details of each other's lives, reminisced about old times, and slowly but surely, the old "did you hear about so-and-so?" stuff started. After a few minutes, though, my friend stopped midsentence. She had just started to say something about a common friend, and how we should pray for her, and suddenly, there was silence on the other end. She then told me that we needed to talk about something else, because this was going down a nasty path...Gossip. She has been working on that particular plank-in-the-eye within herself, and it got me to thinking...do I gossip too much? I found this in an old InterVarsity book of mine, and it put things into a bright light for me:

"'Of all the gossiping,' John Wesley once said, 'religious gossiping is the worst. It adds hypocrisy to uncharitableness and effectually does the work of the devil in the name of the Lord.'

Wesley's judgment of gossip, though severe, simply echoes the biblical one. The Apostle Paul feared the power of gossip to destroy the Church (2 Corinthians 12:20), and he didn't hesitate to list gossips right alongside God-haters, murderers, and others who deserved death for their wickedness (Romans 1:29-32).

Yet even though the Bible's condemnation of the habit is plain, gossip tends to be a perennial sin in Christian small groups. Why is this so? The problem seems to crop up, of course, whenever folks get together for any reason. But the close relationships, intimate atmosphere, and abundant conversation of small groups provide an especially fertile ground for discussion of those who aren't present. Add to that setting the typical excuse of "Christian concern," and you have the potential to kill the atmosphere of trust in a group and hurt someone deeply. "

It seems to me that gossip is a slippery slope, and I want to work on getting to some solid ground.

Thanks, Stacey, for giving me that kick in the pants. Love you!

The birthday boy! 

Sleepy... 

Hey look, it's a doodle! 

Happy Birthday, Isaiah!