What a storm we had this afternoon. The lightning bolts were bright and seemed to pause, almost demanding our attention. The thunder was booming and the rain was falling. My wife and I sat on the back porch in amazement, as we watched one lightning bolt after another. The storm lasted for less than an hour and then it was over. The lightning ceased, the thunder silenced and the rain stopped. It was in that moment that my wife spoke these words of wisdom, “Storms don’t last forever.” I said, “That would make a great blog,” to which she replied, “I know,” and then chuckled.

Like thunderstorms, the storms of life seem to hit us out of nowhere. Life can be sunny and, before you know it, you are in the middle of a storm: Finances fall short, companies downsize, health fails, relationships end, careers close out, cars break down, miscarriages happen, we fail tests, miss promotions, and the poor choices of others often affect us. We can close our eyes, cover our ears and bury our head in a pillow; but the life-storm rages on.

It is no coincidence that the Bible records so many stories about storms. Probably the most familiar is found in Matthew 8:23-27 where a storm rose up while Jesus and the disciples were boating on the Sea of Galilee. The disciples were fearful and upset that Jesus was sleeping; but when they woke Him, He calmly said, “Peace, be still,” and the storm ended.

Listen to some of the promises in Scripture related to the storms of life. Psalm 57:1 tells us that we can take refuge under the shadow of God’s wings, until the storms of destruction pass by. Nahum 1:7 tells us that God is a stronghold and we can take refuge in Him. Psalm 91:1-2 calls God my (personal) refuge and my (personal) fortress. Isaiah 4:6 calls God a refuge and a shelter from the storm. Psalm 23 reminds us that God protected those travelers that navigated through the treacherous Valley of the Shadow of Death (a literal place). 2 Cor. 4:8-9 states, “We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed.” Just “Be still and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10).

You may remember the song “The Anchor Holds,” written by Lawrence Chewning and sung by Ray Boltz. I had the privilege of hearing those two men sing that song together. Just before they sang it, I heard Lawrence Chewning tell the story of writing that song in his year of sorrows after: his father died, his wife experienced her third miscarriage, the church he planted and pastored for 19 years split, and he was tired, burned-out and discouraged. It was during that time that God gave him the lyrics to “The Anchor Holds” and used it to comfort, encourage and renew his soul. Those words have also blessed countless thousands of other people, too!

Today, you may find yourself in the middle of a personal storm. In the words of my wife and a Bible full of promises, remember that storms do not last forever. “Weeping may last for a night, but joy comes in the morning” (Psalm 30:5). Hang in there!

Dr. Gary A. Colboch is Senior Pastor at Grace Church located at 501 NE 48 St. in Pompano Beach. For more information, call 954-421-0190 or pastor@gbcfl.org.

Bad choices, broken hearts, shattered dreams and irrevocable failures are all part of this thing we call life. Satan can use these things to paralyze us with guilt, but God can use these things to draw us closer to Him. He is willing to forgive our failures and to offer us a mulligan, a do-over or a second chance. Too often, people feel destitute after making one bad choice or experiencing a failure in life. I am so glad that God does not define us by our failures and is even willing to offer second chances. The Bible provides many examples of good people who were restored after making bad choices.

Moses is one of the great heroes of the Bible, but did you know that Moses failed in several areas? He was a murderer (Ex 2:11-12), he threw a righteous temper tantrum (Ex 32:19) and he directly disobeyed God (Num 20:8:12). In spite of Moses’ sin, God still used him to lead His chosen people to the edge of the Promised Land and to author several books of the Bible. God gave Moses a second chance and several more.

King David had an affair (2 Sam 11:4) and murdered the woman’s husband (2 Sam 11:15-17); but God still used David to lead the nation, to write many of the Psalms, to prepare for the building of the Temple, and to be in the bloodline of the Messiah. David’s broken and contrite spirit is recorded in Psalm 51 and God calls him a man after His own heart in Acts 13:22-23. God gave David a second chance and chose not to define him by his failures.

Scripture also records the story of a woman caught in adultery (John 8). According to Jewish Law, this sin was punishable by stoning; but Jesus stopped the religious hypocrites that were pointing out her sin and called attention to their own. The accusers left, Jesus forgave the woman and instructed her to go and sin no more. Again, we see a sinner, her repentance and God’s grace that extended to her a second chance.

Remember the story (I Cor 5:1,11) of the man having an illicit relationship with his stepmother? Paul instructed the church to break fellowship with him until he repented; but, following his repentance, Paul told them to receive him back into the church family and restore him (2 Cor 2:6-11). This man was given a second chance.

Finally, for now, we find the story of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-25). The boy spent his inheritance on parties and prostitutes. When he hit rock bottom, he repented and returned to his father. The father welcomed his son and celebrated his return. The father lovingly gave his son a second chance.

The chorus to one of my favorite songs reads as follows: “I don’t know what a sinner you are, but I know what a Savior He is. I don’t know where your feet have taken you, but His climbed up Calvary’s hill. I don’t know what kind of words you’ve spoken, but His words were Father forgive. I don’t know what a sinner you are, but I know what a Savior He is.” That song reminds me that God is still offering mulligans, do-overs and second chances. According to 1 John 1:9, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

Dr. Gary A. Colboch is Lead Pastor at Grace Church located at 501 NE 48 St. in Pompano Beach. For more information, call 954-421-0190 or pastor@gbcfl.org.

A can of beans

Three guys are alone on a desert island: an engineer, a biologist and an economist. They are starving and don’t have a thing to eat, but somehow they find a can of beans on the shore.

The engineer says, “Let’s hit the can with a rock until it opens.”

The biologist has another idea, “No. We should wait for a while. Erosion will do the job.”

Finally, the economist says, “Let’s assume that we have a can opener.”

The Desert

What was the significance of the fact that Torah was given in a wilderness, in a barren and infertile desert, not in a civilized terrain, nor on soil conducive to human living and nature’s blessing. Why did G-d communicate His blueprint for life and enter into an eternal covenant with the Jewish people in the aridity and desolateness of a desert?

1. The Torah was given on soil not owned by any particular people or community, to signify that the Torah belongs to every single soul.

2. The giving of the Torah in the wilderness represents the idea that Torah is not a product of a particular culture and genre. It enriches all cultures, but transcends them. 

3. The function of Torah is to confront and refine the “barren wilderness” within the human psyche and the world.

The Bible relates that when Moses presented the covenant before the Israelites, they responded, “We will do and we will listen” (Exodus 24:7). This expression has always been a source of wonderment and surprise to rabbis and a refutation of the anti-Semitic portrayal of Jews as calculating and self-protective. “We will do and we will listen” implies a commitment to observe the covenant even before the Jews heard its details and understood its ramifications.

The Talmud tells a story about a Sadducee who once saw one of the great Talmudic sages, Rava, so engrossed in learning that he did not attend a wound in his own hand. The Sadducee exclaimed, “You rash people! You put your mouths ahead of your ears [by saying “we will do and we will listen”], and you still persist in your recklessness. First, you should have heard out [the covenant details]. If it is within your capacity, then accept it. If not, you should have rejected it!” 

His argument was logical. Imagine somebody offers you to invest a large sum of money in a developing company. To respond, “Sure, here is the money, and then, afterward, I will listen to the details” is ridiculous. If you do not know what the company is all about, why subject your money to possible loss? And, yet, in this case, the Jews declared that they were ready to embrace a life-altering covenant, even before they heard all the details and knew what Judaism was all about! Why? How?

Rava answered the Sadducee with these words, “We walked [into it] with our whole being.”

What Rava meant was this: By definition, a relationship with G-d cannot be created on our terms; it must be on His terms.

If there is something called Truth, if there is something called Reality, we cannot define it; it must define us. We cannot accept it on condition that it suits our senses and expectations. On the contrary, we must realign our condition to it. Once the Jewish people knew that G-d was communicating with them, they did not want to fit religion into their imagination; they had no pre- conditions for a relationship with truth. It was in the desert that the Jews can declare, “We will do and we will listen.”

 This process must occur each year anew. To receive Torah, we must have the courage to walk into a desert; we must strip ourselves from any pre-defined self-identity. We need to be ready to hear the sound beneath the sounds we are accustomed to. Torah is not merely a cute and endearing document filled with rituals, to satisfy nostalgia or tradition. Torah demands that we open ourselves up with our whole being and declare, “We shall do and we shall listen!”

Ten Commandments will be read at services Sunday at 11 a.m. Feel free to join our services.

Happy Shavuot 

Rabbi Tzvi Dechter is the director of Chabad of North Broward Beaches, located in the Venetian Isle Shopping Center at 2025 E. Sample Rd. in Lighthouse Point. For all upcoming events, please visit www.JewishLHP.com.

The American painter, John Sargent, once painted a panel of roses that was highly praised by critics. It was a small picture, but it approached perfection. Although offered a high price for it on many occasions, Sargent refused to sell it. He considered it his best work and was very proud of it. Whenever he was deeply discouraged and doubtful of his abilities as an artist, he would look at it and remind himself, “I painted that.” Then his confidence and ability would come back to him.

All of us will experience times when we may feel doubtful and discouraged by the adversities we face. James 1:2-4 ought to serve us like the painting of John Sargent. Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. So don’t try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well developed, not deficient in any way (MSG). As believers, we can find hope, encouragement, and motivation to go on, knowing that God has a plan in every state and stage of our lives. Troubles and trials are part and parcel of living in this fallen world. James’ advice provides an advantage in the knowledge that trials can be used to help us instead of hindering us. He causes us to consider the perspective, process and product of trials.

Our perspective influences our attitude towards our experiences. By viewing struggles not as mere annoyances but as potential advantages, we can be better positioned to endure and overcome them. James urges us to consider trials as gifts and to embrace them joyfully. Then, there is a process at work in that times of testing enable us to develop and progress. What may be stressful may also be awakening our creativity and stirring our productivity. Without the struggle, we may not know what we’re capable of doing or becoming. As muscles are strengthened under pressure, we too can benefit from the process of pain and difficulty. The product or result of testing, according to James, is maturity and a well-balanced person. In the NKJV of the passage, it relates that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. Just as the passage of time makes adults out of children, so we are designed to develop and become complete as a result of seasons of struggle.

Oyster pearls are produced as a result of grains of sand becoming trapped in the flesh of the oyster. Like dust irritates us when trapped between our eyelids and eyeball, the oyster become stressed by the experience. It secretes a substance through this distress that eventually hardens and becomes the precious pearl that we use for jewelry. Without the discomfort and struggle, the oyster would never produce the pearl and women would not have such beautiful necklaces. Perhaps we should take another look at our struggles and challenges. Seeing them differently may cause us to experience a different outcome than what initially appears to be inevitable.

God in His wisdom has given us the ability to progress despite the troubles of life. He turns our obstacles into opportunities and our stumbling blocks into stepping-stones. What may even be intended for evil, God can turn around for our good! The thing meant to break us down can actually enable us to break through. In the face of trials, sigh if you will, cry if you must, but then hold your head up, square your shoulders and keep on going. Things may not go the way you expect but be patient, hold on, hang in there! God is doing something inside of you. He’s building you, perfecting you, establishing you. You’re probably stronger today than you were on yesterday, and tomorrow you’ll be stronger than you are today. Take another look.

Bishop Patrick L. Kelly is the pastor of Cathedral Church of God, 365 S. Dixie Hwy., Deerfield Beach, FL 33441. 954-427-0302.

A portion of text written By Tzvi Freeman for Chabad.org in memory of the tragic events at the Chabad in Poway. Submitted by Rabbi Tzvi Dechter

If you’re a Jew in America today, there’s a good chance you’re concerned. First, the largest hate-driven massacre of Jews in American history occurred in Pittsburgh. Then, precisely six months later, with an almost identical fingerprint of hatred, was a deadly attack on a synagogue in Poway, California.

Whose problem is this?

The Jewish people are no weaker for these attacks. Synagogues are not about to empty out because of a handful of disturbed, poisoned minds and much to the contrary. As for those whose lives were taken, all very special Jews, all missed terribly: Don’t call them victims. There’s an honored title in Jewish tradition for any Jew who lost his or her life simply for being a Jew: a Kadosh, a holy Jew. Jews don’t die as victims; we die with dignity. That is why we are still alive.

My contention is that this is not a Jewish problem. It’s the world’s problem. Both these attacks, along with many other violent crimes of hatred in recent years are symptoms of a malicious disease spreading unabated in America, in Europe, and in the world at large. But that’s a problem that we, as Jews, are going to have to assist in healing, for our own best interest, as well as for the interest of this country and for the entire world.

America is suffering. According to FBI figures, hate crimes rose 17 percent last year, with similar increases over the previous two years — all this while other forms of violent crime continue to decrease. Something’s wrong.

Jews are an obvious target. Like the canary in the coal mine, we tend to get hit the hardest. And, yes, these are acts of rabid Anti-Semitism. But, if we want to solve anything, we need to take a broader perspective. Muslims, Christians and others have been under siege as well. Just a few days before the Poway shooting, a young war veteran plowed into a crowd crossing the street in Sunnyvale, CA. He told police he thought they were Muslims. Is there a medicine for this plague?

In the 60s, 70s and 80s, violence was increasingly on the rampage in America in a way not seen since the days of the Wild West. Ideas for quick fixes and long-term solutions abounded. The Rebbe’s prescription, unique and counterintuitive, was this: Fix the education system. How? Introduce a moment of silence every day into the school curriculum and take it seriously.

Why do I think that’s a good fit for today’s plague of hate-driven violence?

Think about it: America is divided over gun law restrictions, yet there is one point that enjoys universal consensus: Gun restrictions alone are not enough because the problem is not the gun. The problem is the mind of the person that holds the gun.

What has the American school done for the mind of that criminal?

We taught him how human beings first appeared on the planet. Did we teach him to be a human being [or] to respect another human being?

We taught him to use his mind to solve problems with numbers. Did we teach him to apply his mind — rather than his fists to solve problems with people?

We taught him anatomy. Did we teach him that a human life is more than the sum of blood, guts and bones? Or did we, perhaps, inadvertently, teach him that the notion of a human soul has no place in the educated mind?

We taught him about laws and prisons. Did we teach him that even if you’re so smart that you don’t get caught, you’re still wrong? Did we give him a conscience?

Did we ever demonstrate to him that these are the things that really matter in life — more than math, more than science, even more than the niftiest technology? Did we ever give him a chance to stop and think about himself, about his life, about his family, about everything that bothers him in life? Is there a space and time for thinking about life in his school?

That’s all that a moment of silence in school is about. And, yes, it works wonders. Ask those who work in schools where it’s been implemented.

They will tell you that a moment of silence means that a child will go home and ask [parents] what he should think about. It means that a child will share with his teacher the troubles he’s going through. It means the school becomes a place not just for the child’s mind, but for his heart and his soul.

Jews have to adapt to the times. The knee-jerk reaction, reinforced through thousands of years of history, has been to huddle down and strengthen the internal steel grid when under attack. But America in 2019 is not Shushan, not Rome, not medieval Spain, not Poland.

It’s that attitude that prompted some Jews to believe that if Judaism were to be safe in America, G d had to be kicked out of public school. They failed to realize that, in the times we live in, the opposite is true. A moral society demands a notion of an objective, supreme judge, an “eye that sees and an ear that hears”—even if you don’t get caught by the police or the media. When that notion is lost, so is America’s soul, and that’s when the madness begins.

A moment of silence doesn’t impose prayer or belief in a Creator on anyone. But it opens the child’s mind to search for meaning, and, hopefully, for G d’s presence in the world. And there’s a good chance the child will talk to parents and grandparents, and discover that they once had faith in their lives.

True, Anti-Semitism never died, even in America, but here we have a voice, a well-respected voice, and, therefore, a responsibility to our host country. Isn’t this why we were given a Torah? Isn’t this the core mission of our people here in this world — to be a light to the nations, who will finally come to realize that the world has a Creator who cares about how we treat His world?

We can use our voices to heal America. Let America’s schools nurture the humanness of America’s children. Let children know the meaning of silence, just enough silence that they can hear their own hearts pounding inside. Let America have a soul again.

This Saturday, join us in solidarity with the call of the Chabbad emissary, R Yisroel Goldstein of Poway; Jewish communities are filling the synagogues with pride, strengh and joy!

Rabbi Tzvi Dechter is the director of Chabad of North Broward Beaches, located in the Venetian Isle Shopping Center at 2025 E. Sample Rd. in Lighthouse Point. For all upcoming events, please visit www.JewishLHP.com.

It seems strange to begin an article about Easter talking about Christmas. However, I do begin most of my Christmas sermons talking about Easter. Usually, I start my Christmas sermon by saying something like “Today, we celebrate the second most important Christian holiday.” You should see the looks of confusion I get. Then, I say “Without Easter, today would just be another birthday.”

It is true. Without the Crucifixion and Resurrection; without Good Friday and Easter Sunday, we would be left with words and miracles from the greatest man who ever lived. But because of Easter, we celebrate his words, his miracles, his death and resurrection, and the promise that awaits us in God’s glorious kingdom.

In our culture, my statement is still quite jarring. We like Christmas, regardless of who we are, believer and non-believer alike loves presents, Santa, Christmas trees, cookies. Christmas has become so secularized that you can listen to hours of Christmas music and never hear of the birth of Jesus. Some people even avoid the word “Christmas” altogether.

You really can’t do that with Easter. Sure, there is a bunny and chocolate eggs and a couple of Peter Cottontail songs. But Easter doesn’t get the same attention as Christmas. I think this is good. Without the Resurrection, Easter would be all chocolate and jelly beans. Easter gives meaning to Easter.

I think about the years that I have served as a pastor, 25 years this coming September. I think about the privilege and joy that I have had meeting wonderful, wise, generous, lively and loving people. I think about how much better my life is because of the people I served, knew and loved. Many have died and their legacy lives in my heart.

Easter is the promise that I will see them again. Easter is the joyful reminder that they are with the Lord. This blessed assurance gives me the consolation that helps me go from day to day. Easter reminds me that the friends who I know and love now will be my friends forever.

Dear people of Deerfield Beach (and beyond), this will be my last Easter at Zion Lutheran Church. I am returning to my home with my family. Zion has been a wonderful congregation to serve and I have made lifelong friends not only at Zion, but in this community that I love so dearly. It is going to be an emotional Easter for me, but, because of Easter, I know that I never really have to say goodbye. Because of Easter, I can simply say “Until we meet again.”

So, Deerfield Beach and surrounding communities, I say on behalf of Zion and myself “Blessed Easter.” And, Because of Easter, I can say “Until we meet again.”

Pastor Gross is a pastor of Zion Lutheran Church, located at 959 SE 6 Ave., Deerfield Beach, FL 33441. For more information, call 954-421-3146 or visit www.zion-lutheran.org.

It’s been many years since I first heard Andy Stanley make the statement, “Today’s teenagers are over entertained and under challenged.” His sermon, preached at First Baptist Church of Atlanta, was addressing the way so many churches were approaching student ministry and measuring success by the numbers. His observation was correct back then, and it is still correct today.

In a church culture that measures success almost solely by numbers, it only makes sense that youth pastors are prone to entertaining students and striving to gather the masses in order to be viewed as successful. Sadly, the same entertainment mentality is true with adults. Too many adults choose a church based on the length of the services, whether the church has a softball team, how humorous the pastor is, and whether or not they like the music. These superficial factors show the shallowness plaguing the Christian church today.

The long-term effects of the entertainment focus in ministry can be seen in the spiritual adolescence prevalent among today’s believers. We are in dire need of discipleship. The effectiveness of discipleship can be measured by whether or not those who call themselves disciples begin to disciple others. In essence, the student should eventually become the teacher. But, how is someone who has been over entertained and under challenged supposed to gain the knowledge necessary to teach? The Apostle Paul describes this dilemma in Hebrews 5:12-14 NIV – “ In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! 13 Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. 14 But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.”

Not only has the focus on entertainment in ministry caused a shallowness of knowledge, but it has also resulted in fewer people being exposed to real ministry opportunities. Churches used to “do“ ministry, go on mission trips, serve their communities, and impact their world. That exposure to ministry often resulted in growing churches and people surrendering to become vocational ministers. Today, fewer people are entering vocational ministry, seminary enrollment has declined nationally, as well as church attendance across denominational lines. The common denominator is that too many church-goers have been and continue to be over entertained and under challenged.

So, which word best describes the church you attend – “entertainment” or “discipleship?” It’s never too late to start challenging others to grow spiritually. Jesus challenged 12 men, and in just three years He prepared them to impact eternity! Think how different the world would have been if He only entertained them. Think how different our world could be, if today’s churches will rise up and challenge those who God has entrusted to us!

Dr. Gary A. Colboch is Lead Pastor at Grace Church (501 NE 48 St. in Pompano Beach). Contact info: 954-421-0190 or
pastor@gbcfl.org.

The three most important ingredients at the seder table [for Passover] are the wine, matzah and maror (bitter herbs) for these three items capture the three foundational ideas that can allow us to set ourselves free.

A) The first step is wine. Wine possesses deep potency.

“When wine enters, secrets come out,” says the Talmud. 

Wine represents the “secrets” in us — for wine itself is a “secret:” It is initially hidden and concealed within the grape, and it takes much labor to extract it from the source; the grapes have to be crushed and the wine to ferment. Wine, an intoxicating beverage, represents the deeply concealed powerful forces lingering within the human psyche.

The first step in setting yourself free is realizing how much more there is to you than what meets the eye. You must recognize your potential — what you were really meant to be, what you are capable of becoming — for you to break out of the chains.

B) This comes together with step two — maror, which represents the bitterness caused by slavery. In order to set yourself free, you have to be able to stare the pain you endured in the face. Repressing pain and making believe it does not exist, only buries it deeper into our psyche. On the night of our freedom, we have to return to the “maror.” We must gaze into our pain, feel it, sense it, grieve for our hurt and, then, as we are staring into the pain, we will find the inner, secret spark of hope and light buried within it.

If we avoid the pain, we can’t discover its inner light. Only when we gaze at it, can we extract the ember hidden within the ashes.

C) Then we have the critical step of matzah. We eat the matzah, says the Haggadah, because the Jews did not have time to wait until the dough had risen; they rushed out of Egypt. I want to ask you … They waited for 210 years… They could not wait another few hours? What was the rush? And even if they were in a rush, why is that such a central theme in the narrative that for thousands of years we are eating only matzah and avoiding all leavened bread? What happened to the virtue of patience?

Answer: The greatest enemy to setting yourself free is delaying things: tough decisions and bold moves. The message of matzah is when it comes to setting yourself free, you have no time to wait even an extra 18 minutes. Do it now! Make that call now. Send that e-mail now. Make that move now. Set up that meeting now. Make that decision now. Start the new behavior now. Confront the situation now. Start doing it now. If it is worth doing, then do it now. Because, as my Rebbe would say, “We want Moshiach NOW.” We want redemption now.

Community Passover Seder — R.S.V.P. at www.JewishLHP.com.

Rabbi Tzvi Dechter is the director of Chabad of North Broward Beaches, located in the Venetian Isle Shopping Center at 2025 E. Sample Rd. in Lighthouse Point. For all upcoming events, please visit www.JewishLHP.com.

President Calvin Coolidge was known to be a man of very few words. He was nicknamed “Silent Cal” because of this propensity. His wife, Grace, once related the story of a young woman who happened to be seated next to her husband at a dinner party. The young woman told the president that she had made a bet with a friend that she could get at least three words of conversation from him. President Coolidge quietly responded, “You lose.” He had learned and mastered the art of carefully selecting words that kept his responses brief and to the point. It is a skill that we would do well to develop for use in our conversations and communications with each other. Mature people have learned not to utter everything that comes to their minds, especially in heated and emotional conversations. They have realized that there is a responsibility that comes with speech and thereby they choose their words carefully.

In a world where passions are easily inflamed by the words that we use, James 3:5 reminds us just how dangerous loose lips and an unrestrained tongue can be. It only takes a spark, remember, to set off a forest fire. A careless or wrongly placed word out of your mouth can do that (MSG).

In recent months, we’ve seen images of the awesome devastation caused by fires in California. Thousands of acres burned up, numerous homes and neighborhoods devastated, and the heartbreak of families that have lost everything. It is reported that the 2018 wildfire season was the deadliest and has caused the greatest destruction on record in California. When you consider that a tiny spark can produce a raging inferno in nature you can begin to understand the destructive power of the tongue.

How many friendships have been ruined, lives irreparably damaged, marriages broken, fights erupted and wars declared because of the negative potential of the tongue? It may be small in comparison to other parts of the human body, but the tongue can be lethal. It is our chief means of communication and expression and is the first skill that we master after birth. Consider that, even before forming words and coherent speech, babies announce their presence, demand attention and have their needs tended to by crying out loudly, and making noises with their mouths. Mastery of speech and language enables us to communicate clearly as we grow. Consequently, we’re conditioned in our relationships to respond to what people say in our conversations. Maturity is revealed in using the right words at the appropriate times.

But no man can tame the tongue. It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison (James 3:8 NKJV). Ouch! With a direct and blunt comment James further reminds us of the attention we need to pay to our words. Thoughtless or emotionally charged speech can get out of control very quickly and change the mood of a conversation. Some people pride themselves on speaking their minds and have no qualms about making their points in a direct manner, but caution is required to avoid escalating the dialogue into an argument.

Washington Irving, who wrote Rip Van Winkle, once said, “A sharp tongue is the only edged tool that grows keener with constant use.” James suggests putting a bridle on our tongues (James 1:26)to keep our words and conversations in check. In other words, exercise some restraint when you speak.

William Norris, an American journalist, once wrote great advice for tongue control: “If your lips would keep from slips, five things observe with care: To whom you speak; of whom you speak; and how, and when, and where.”

Perhaps if we simply listened to what our parents, teachers and elders told us growing up, we would have better control over our unruly tongues — “Think before you speak, choose your words carefully, and watch your mouth!”

Bishop Patrick L. Kelly is the pastor of Cathedral Church of God, 365 S. Dixie Hwy., Deerfield Beach, FL 33441. 954-427-0302.

⁶ “Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. ⁷ And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” — Philippians 4:6-7

You never forget the first time you move away from home for an extended period of time. In my case, I lived in California for a year leaving my home state (Minnesota) behind. Obviously, this wasn’t the last time I left home for an extended period of time, hence I am writing from sunny Florida, my home for the last 22 years.

When you move away from home, you gravitate toward people who serve as surrogate family members. One particular woman was my adopted Grandma and, like my grandmas back home, she was a person of deep and profound faith. Her name was Margaret.

When I went to Margaret’s small apartment, I noticed a few things that left an impression with me. The first thing I noticed was a map of the world with push pins denoting the location of missionaries. Every day, Margaret would pray for each missionary, send and receive correspondence, and share their stories. She was elderly and dependent upon others for transportation but she felt that she was playing an important role in mission. Indeed, she was.

But it was the prayer journal that I remember the best. She followed the advice of a friend and wrote down her prayer requests, prayers of supplication. And, then, in another part of her journal, she wrote the answers for the purpose of giving thanks.

When Margaret began her journey of prayer with her prayer journal, her prayers of supplication outnumbered her prayers of thanksgiving. That soon changed.

As she kept journaling, she found it easier to have two separate journals, one for supplication and one for thanksgiving. There simply was not enough room for one journal.

Pretty soon, she discovered that she was spending more time praying prayers of thanksgiving as opposed to prayers of supplication. She told me: “Sometimes, I just spend hours giving thanks.”

When I consider the words of St. Paul in his letter to the Philippians: “supplication with thanksgiving,”
I am reminded of the importance of paying attention to the answers. God answers prayers before we even have a chance to ask. We must be alert, aware and grateful.

But I also consider this saintly woman of faith who really didn’t have a lot of possessions. She didn’t have transportation. She was dependent upon church members to get to worship. What she had was faith and what she could do was pray.

Missionaries benefited from her prayers all around the world. Church members were blessed by her pleasant demeanor and her genuine kindness. I was blessed by her profound wisdom and the strength of her faith, not to mention that I felt I had a Grandma nearby when I needed it. I think Margaret gave more than she ever realized, but I know one thing for sure — Margaret would want to remind my readers that God gave her even more than she ever asked.

Pastor Gross is a pastor of Zion Lutheran Church, located at 959 SE 6 Ave., Deerfield Beach, FL 33441. For more information, call 954-421-3146 or visit www.zion-lutheran.org.