Learning to Speak

Learning to Speak

The teacher sought to find just the right words,

and what he wrote was upright and true”

Ecclesiastes 12:10

The past few months have been filled with a special anticipation as we’ve waited day by day to see what new words our 18-month-old granddaughter Hope would say each time we saw her. Words like grandma, church, and uncle would bring a smile and a joy that far exceeded what could ever be expected. From two letter words like pa to trying longer and longer words seemingly every day, the process of learning to speak is incredible and a wonder to behold. And as family members, we do our best to encourage and reward every new word and Hope’s every attempt at expanding her vocabulary. And words strung together, her beginning to speak in sentences; we still have a whole lot more to look forward to as she continues to grow.

But there is also the other end of the spectrum, and that is the much more difficult task of learning not to speak. From students in English class to adults with a story they would love to share with others, learning to hold our tongue, to refrain from saying anything, to keep our mouths closed tight, even biting our tongue when necessary, it not always an easy thing to do. Job’s friends didn’t say a word to him for a whole week in the face of someone going through incredible suffering. If only they could have kept from talking a little longer, how much better off Job would have been. And we all know from experience what it means to stick our foot in our mouth, having said the wrong thing at the wrong time to the wrong person. In fact, learning when not to speak just might be harder than learning to speak.

There’s also knowing what to say and saying the right thing. Our words have incredible power, “life and death are in the power of our words” as Proverbs says. That’s why, in the verse above, we’re told that Solomon “sought to find just the right words.” It is a lifelong quest to find just the right words to say to someone going through pain and difficulty, someone who may have lost a loved one or experienced a setback in life where mere words never seem to do the situation justice. Just as the wrong words can bring so much pain and cause such division, the right words can minister healing, comfort, and hope in a way that nothing else can. Our search for acceptable, purposeful words is one that can really make a difference.

Learning first to speak and then learning when not to speak, we come full circle in some ways. Learning to speak and then learning what to speak, the process continues on throughout our lives. David’s prayer in Psalm 19:14 still fits today; “May the words of my mouth be pleasing in your sight, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.”

God Bless,

Pastor Joe

Gateway Church

20/20

20/20

“Blessed are the eyes that see what you see. For I tell you that many

prophets and kings wanted to see what you see but did not see it.”

Luke 10:24

If you’ve never gotten on your hands and knees to search for glasses that slipped off when you fell asleep, or never had to stop to clean off fogged up glasses on a below freezing day, you might not understand having a genuine appreciation for the gift of good eyesight. Those who need corrective lenses, who wear glasses or contacts every day and not just for reading, often have a very different perspective on their vision; a perspective that is eye-opening and enlightening.

For me it was the beginning of 5^th grade when the blackboard was no longer close enough to see. And it was only a few years later, before the days of thinner, tempered lenses, when I was wearing genuine coke bottle sized glasses to be able to see clearly. Their importance and my dependence on them was never as clear as when a wave knocked my glasses off in the ocean off Atlantic Ocean several years ago. The panic that set in was incredible; not being able to see anything until a new pair could be made, not being able to drive at all, all brought about a tremendous sense of insecurity. And when Nancy miraculously stepped on them as we frantically searched the sandy bottom, my relief and thankfulness have never been greater.

We should be equally grateful for all the things we are able to see in the Lord. The Old Testament saints never had the cross to look to as a constant reminder of God’s love for them. How often do we see the cross as the ultimate indication of just how much God loves each one of us? How often, in the moments of discouragement and doubt, does a vision of the cross and its message of sacrificial love minister life to our souls. It is with that in mind that Jesus wrote “blessed are the eyes that see what you see.”

How about seeing the fruit of your labor in your children’s lives as they grow and mature? And what about seeing a changed life, a man or woman who came to Christ with baggage of every possible kind but has allowed the love of Christ and the power of God to totally transform and free them? Seeing someone being water baptized who we shared the gospel with, watching as a couple we know dedicate their baby to the Lord, and seeing the joy on the faces of the bride and groom only represent a few of the things that we are so privileged to see. All that we are graced to see, more than words can describe, is a reason to pause and say thank you Lord for eyes that are able to see and for vision that allows me to perceive your great love.

God Bless

Pastor Joe

Gateway Church

Short-Changed

Short-Changed

“Give unto the Lord glory and strength,

give to the Lord the glory due His name.”

I Chronicles 16:29

As she handed me my change from the $20 bill I had given her to pay for my morning diet coke, I faced a familiar quandary – do I check the change right in front of her as they encourage you to do or do I pull away trusting her math and memory skills to have given me the right change. Having always thought that it was a little insulting to count the change with the cashier watching, I chose the smile, thank you, “I’ll check the change later” option. And unfortunately, it wasn’t until I pulled out onto the main street that I realized that I had been short-changed by $10, making for one very expensive diet coke unless I wanted to make two Michigan lefts, park the car knowing it would make me late for work, go in and explain my not checking my change philosophy to a doubting, overworked, and underpaid cashier.

While getting short-changed is never pleasant, think of this – it happens to God all the time, every hour of every day, and by some of those who are closest to Him. And if you think my $10 was bad, God’s getting hit even worse, short-changed in His love for us, in how much He understands what we’re going through, and in His commitment to help us through life’s difficulties. Every time we doubt Him, every time we give up on Him coming through for us, every time we question what He is doing in our lives, we short-change the God who is the very source of our lives. We want to be among those who give Him the glory and honor that He is due.

But the problem goes beyond God: we have to stop short-changing other people. I’d be willing to bet a lot of people short-changed Abraham Lincoln after he lost 8 elections, but he persevered and became one of our greatest, most courageous presidents. Looking back at the courage and determination needed in the face of the challenges our nation faced during the Civil War, those who short-changed his ability made a mistake far worse than the $10 loss I suffered. We have to be those who give people credit for their unique gifts and talents, who believe and show faith in their character and heart, and who encourage them in their life’s journey.

Lastly, in what might seem like an oxymoron, we short-change ourselves. We allow the circumstances we are facing, and the constant comparisons with others, to cause us to doubt our future, our ability, our unique gifts and talents, and God’s plans and purposes for our lives. Yes, it is possible to short-change ourselves; to give ourselves less credit than we deserve, and to paint the future in colors that do not even begin to portray how great God’s plans are for our lives. The time to stop all the short-changing is now!

God Bless

Pastor Joe

Gateway Church

Three-Way Bulbs

Three-Way Bulbs

“Let your light shine before men, that they may see
your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.”
Matthew 5:16

Our dependence on electricity and light bulbs was never as evident as it was during the Blackout of 2003, when much of the Northeast lost power in the late afternoon hours of August 14th. That memorable summer evening was spent with only the illumination of candles and flashlights to guide our way. Nightlights, outdoor lights, and light bulbs of every size, shape, and wattage stood dark and functionless until power was restored.


The night light left on in our kitchen has saved us from a myriad of problems from stepping in the dog’s water dish at 3:00 am when a Double Stuffed Oreo is desperately needed as a sleep aid to walking into furniture moved because of carpet cleaning. The night light we leave on in the garage saves our dog Dief from similar woes when he leaves his cage during a summer thunderstorm to come and hide in our closet. Our outdoor light in back helps us to see the deer in our backyard in fall and to watch the snow fly in winter, especially on the nights when a snow day is a distinct possibility.


But my personal favorite is the three way bulb, the 50/100/150 watt bulb that we use in our living room, the light bulb that gives you options. The 50 watt setting provides a nice soft light for relaxing and watching television while the 100 watt setting meets the need for talking to family and entertaining others. And the 150 watt setting, the strongest of the three, gets clicked on for everything from vacuuming and folding laundry to reading a good book, or The Good Book, the Bible. Whatever the case, lights of all degrees of brightness provide us a lesson on our role as lights in a dark world.


Jesus' words to believers that “you are the light of the world” carry with them a responsibility that cannot be taken lightly or easily dismissed. In a world being increasingly swallowed up in darkness, our light shining, our testimony that living for God brings peace, freedom, and fulfillment, our living holy and godly lives with joy and our acknowledging our Creator is indispensible. Our being “night lights” or our shining forth as 50 watt bulbs will not get the job done. In a world where Isaiah’s prophecy of” thick darkness covering the people” is being fulfilled before our eyes, the call for our lights to shine, a word that means “to beam or to radiate brilliancy”, has never been more urgent. People are desperate for lights that shine brightly, illuminating the path that leads to life. People are desperate for you to be a light in the world around you, a light clicked on to full strength, a light that points the way to God. Today, take up the call to be that light and to shine brightly for your God!



God Bless,
Pastor Joe
Gateway Church