Week 3: Friday

Well....Here we are at another Friday!  As you go off to enjoy the weekend and to probably post on social media,  I want to give you some statements for self evaluation.

Read the statement below and then evaluate yourself based on the following scale.

"Never Ever"    "Once in a great while"    "Okay, I do this sometimes"    Yep, This describes me often."   "Yikes! I do that often."

I spend time each day on the Internet or social media sites.

I enjoy "liking" posts, leaving comments on blogs, or replying to what others have written online.

I enjoy posting and sharing my own thoughts online or on my social media accounts.

I say things privately online to someone that I probably would not say in person.

I type words publicly online that I probably would not say to someone's face.

I type a comment or thought online but then delete it before actually posting it because I am convicted it is wrong, or I am afraid it might look unkind.

I have had to delete Facebook comments, tweets, or other content I have put up online because I become convinced I shouldn't have said it in the first place.

I participate in online "fights" where people are commenting back and forth about an issue, opinion, or person.

*Not an online poster?  Think this doesn't apply to you?  Click here for an alternative self evaluation.

Enjoy your weekend!

Week 3: Wednesday

Let's continue on with chapter 5.

In the video, Karen said, "Our human default setting is to have hard hearts and thin skins.  We need to flip that script and be tenderhearted and thick-skinned."

While we should be careful to examine our motives carefully- making sure we aren't trying to poke a hole in someone's happiness or make another person feel bad-  we shouldn't always jump to conclusions about the motives of others.

Can you think of an example from your life when you were thin-skinned (let an offense rattle you)  and it hardened your heart?

How might possessing thick skin in that situation instead have led to a tender heart?  Share your thoughts in the comments below.

Enjoy a midweek musical break below....

Week 3: Tuesday

So hopefully you have read chapter 5 of Keep It Shut.  If you have not,  you may want to go back and read it before continuing.

In chapter 5,  Karen shared a story of her unkind words delivered with wrong motives to a woman who was at her home.  Did this story spark a memory of when you may have said something that was technically true, but you said it with a wrong motive--in order to make someone else feel bad or guilty?

Food for thought....

Read Proverbs 16:2 in as many Bible versions as you can find. (You may want to use an online source such as BibleGateway.com)  Then in the comment box below, summarize this verse in a sentence that is applicable and memorable to you.

"If we want to become people who not only utter words that are true but also say them for the right reasons, what are we to do?  How do we train our brains and tame our tongues in order to make sure that our motives and manners line up with God's Word?  Whenever I need practical wisdom like this, one of the first places I look for answers is the book of Proverbs."

Keep It Shut, page 81

Week 3: Monday

As you watch the video below,  record or make a mental note of any thoughts or concepts that stand out to you in the outline that follows:

There is a new national pastime these days: online opinion-slinging!

"I used to wish I could read minds.  And then I got Facebook!"

Sometimes instead of being "friends" on social media, we have frenemies:  someone who appears on the surface to be our friend, but stealthily, they are really an enemy.

Colossians 4: 5-6 serves as a grid to run our words through before speaking them, especially online:

• Is this comment wise?
• Will writing this comment help me display God's love to outsiders?
• Is this comment full of grace?
• Is this comment seasoned with salt?
• Have I asked God if this is the best response?

In Matthew 5:13 Jesus tells believers that we are "the salt of the earth."    What might this mean?  Here are some facts about salt:

1. Salt enhances flavor
2. Salt preserves.
3. Salt is valuable.
4. Salt purifies and softens.
5. Salt melts hard ice.

When dealing with other people and wondering about their motives, believe the best before you assume the worst.

Our human default setting is to have hard hearts and thin skins.  We need to flip that script and be tenderhearted and thick skinned.

Enjoy the video and when you are done,  Share in the comments box about what part of the video had the most impact on you!

Having trouble viewing the video in your email?  Click here to visit the blog.

Week 3: Opinion-Slinging and Salty Speech: Assessing our Digital Tongues

Welcome Back Everyone!  Ready to start with Week 3?

This week we will be focusing on Chapters 5 & 6 of the Keep It Shut book.

Monday: We will watch a video and respond to some questions.
Tuesday: We will dive into chapter 5 of the book and engage in some discussion
Wednesday: We will continue on chapter 5 and further our learning responding to some questions
Thursday: Chapter 6 and some questions to go with it.
Friday: Time to do some self evaluation:  I will pose some statements and you will reflect upon them and evaluate yourself.

Memory verse for the week: