Heart work?

(09.27.21– Works of the Heart –Luke 6: 43-45)

My friend, may I ask you a question? What happens when husbands and wives are sitting across from each other speaking two different languages?

My friend, Life’s a story, welcome to This Passing Day.

I'm M. Clifford Brunner.

In a Harvard study of 100 preschoolers, researchers discovered an interesting phenomenon. As they taped playground conversation, they realized that all the sounds coming from little girls' were recognizable words. However, only 60 per- cent of the sounds coming from little boys were recognizable. The other 40 percent were yells and sound effects! This difference persists into adulthood. Experts say that the average woman speaks over 25,000 words a day, while the aver- age man speaks only a little over 10,000. What does this mean in marital terms? On average a wife says she needs to spend 45 minutes each day in meaningful conversation with her husband while a husband says 15-20 minutes is enough. That's once or twice a week!

Faced with these statistics, it certainly doesn't appear that there is much hope for communication in our culture when husbands and wives are sitting across from each other speaking two different languages.

Here's a story: A middle-aged man who went to see his audiologist. All of his friends, even his wife, had told him that he couldn't hear any more. So, the doctor took out his watch and fob. Holding it in front of the man's face he asked, "Can you hear the ticking?" "Yes!" replied the man. "I can hear it distinctly." The doctor walked across the room, standing near the doorway he turned and said. "Can you hear it now?" The man strained for a moment and then reiterated. "Yes, I can hear it fairly well." Finally the doctor left the room and walked into the hallway. "How about now?" A smile arched across hiss face. "Why, yes! I can barely hear it but I do detect a faint ticking." The doctor walked confidently back into the room to his energized patient. "Hey!" The man shouted. "I guess I don't really have a problem after all." The doctor smiled and scratched his head. "Well, no. You can hear quite well. Problem is, you just don't listen as well as you hear."

Ultimately, the problem with what we do with our lips and our ears is not one of speaking or really hearing. It's more basic than that; it's called sin. Conflicts arise in speaking and listening because of what lies within our hearts. We can choose to fill our hearts with evil desires or the goodness of God. Whatever the choice, our words will be rooted there. If what lies within is sweet, fresh and godly, so too will be the flow from our lips. If it is bitterness, envy and lust, this will gush forth. Do you communicate well? Do understand others? Are there conflicts in your life that seem to stem from poor communication? If you have placed God's Word within your heart, you need not worry about how well you speak or how ably you listen. Conflicts arise not from these skills or the lack thereof. Conflicts arise when we allow sin to dwell within our hearts and this becomes the overflow of our lips and that which stops up our ears.

We pray. Heavenly Father, Lord, If what lies within is sweet, fresh and filled with Your Spirit, so too will be the flow from our lips. Help us Father to embrace Your Word and allow it to flow from heart hearts and over our lips. Forgive us when bitterness, envy and lust, invade our lives and mute Your testimony in us. Help us to communicate well. To understand others and put the conflicts in our life to react with words that flow from our hearts and You. In Jesus name we pray. Amen!

Therefore my friend, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry for itself; each day has enough trouble of its own. (Matt 6:34) This Passing Day. May this passing day honor our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and be a blessing to you and everyone you meet. Find a stranger and say hello. Don't let another day pass without your day blessing someone else.

If you have a special prayer request, please send your request to ”This Passing Day!”

<thispassingday@gmail.com> From Beech Springs, God bless you for Jesus sake.

Heart work?

(09.27.21– Works of the Heart –Luke 6: 43-45)

My friend, may I ask you a question? What happens when husbands and wives are sitting across from each other speaking two different languages?

My friend, Life’s a story, welcome to This Passing Day.

I'm M. Clifford Brunner.

In a Harvard study of 100 preschoolers, researchers discovered an interesting phenomenon. As they taped playground conversation, they realized that all the sounds coming from little girls' were recognizable words. However, only 60 per- cent of the sounds coming from little boys were recognizable. The other 40 percent were yells and sound effects! This difference persists into adulthood. Experts say that the average woman speaks over 25,000 words a day, while the aver- age man speaks only a little over 10,000. What does this mean in marital terms? On average a wife says she needs to spend 45 minutes each day in meaningful conversation with her husband while a husband says 15-20 minutes is enough. That's once or twice a week!

Faced with these statistics, it certainly doesn't appear that there is much hope for communication in our culture when husbands and wives are sitting across from each other speaking two different languages.

Here's a story: A middle-aged man who went to see his audiologist. All of his friends, even his wife, had told him that he couldn't hear any more. So, the doctor took out his watch and fob. Holding it in front of the man's face he asked, "Can you hear the ticking?" "Yes!" replied the man. "I can hear it distinctly." The doctor walked across the room, standing near the doorway he turned and said. "Can you hear it now?" The man strained for a moment and then reiterated. "Yes, I can hear it fairly well." Finally the doctor left the room and walked into the hallway. "How about now?" A smile arched across hiss face. "Why, yes! I can barely hear it but I do detect a faint ticking." The doctor walked confidently back into the room to his energized patient. "Hey!" The man shouted. "I guess I don't really have a problem after all." The doctor smiled and scratched his head. "Well, no. You can hear quite well. Problem is, you just don't listen as well as you hear."

Ultimately, the problem with what we do with our lips and our ears is not one of speaking or really hearing. It's more basic than that; it's called sin. Conflicts arise in speaking and listening because of what lies within our hearts. We can choose to fill our hearts with evil desires or the goodness of God. Whatever the choice, our words will be rooted there. If what lies within is sweet, fresh and godly, so too will be the flow from our lips. If it is bitterness, envy and lust, this will gush forth. Do you communicate well? Do understand others? Are there conflicts in your life that seem to stem from poor communication? If you have placed God's Word within your heart, you need not worry about how well you speak or how ably you listen. Conflicts arise not from these skills or the lack thereof. Conflicts arise when we allow sin to dwell within our hearts and this becomes the overflow of our lips and that which stops up our ears.

We pray. Heavenly Father, Lord, If what lies within is sweet, fresh and filled with Your Spirit, so too will be the flow from our lips. Help us Father to embrace Your Word and allow it to flow from heart hearts and over our lips. Forgive us when bitterness, envy and lust, invade our lives and mute Your testimony in us. Help us to communicate well. To understand others and put the conflicts in our life to react with words that flow from our hearts and You. In Jesus name we pray. Amen!

Therefore my friend, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry for itself; each day has enough trouble of its own. (Matt 6:34) This Passing Day. May this passing day honor our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and be a blessing to you and everyone you meet. Find a stranger and say hello. Don't let another day pass without your day blessing someone else.

If you have a special prayer request, please send your request to ”This Passing Day!”

<thispassingday@gmail.com> From Beech Springs, God bless you for Jesus sake.