We wish you all our

October 2003 Banquet in Pictures   Thank you friends for coming, for your support and you encouragement. And we thank the friends and partners who were not able to come to the dinner but sent their contributions. God's blessing to you all as you continue making a difference

I am almost halfway through writing my eleventh book, entitled “Stick Out Your Tongue.” The purpose of this book is twofold: First, to show how our tongue serves as a mirror to reveal the condition of our soul. Karen Burton Mains writes in her book, “You are What You Say,”“We are literally what we say, even when we think we have fooled people by our carefully chosen words.”  According to her writing a word is not only a word, but it is a window to the soul.  Jesus also said, “A good person produces good words from a good heart, and an evil person produces evil words from an evil heart” (Matt. 12:35 NLT).  Second, the book encourages Christians to use their tongues to give hope and comfort to others. Though the tongue is a small organ, it has a tremendous power to build and as well as to destroy. The Apostle James compares it to a wild horse, a raging fire and a rudder that can control a wandering ship. To show the difference between a good and a bad word, an unknown author writes, “A careless word may kindle strife.  A cruel word may wreck a life.  A bitter word may hate instill;  A brutal word may smite and kill.  A gracious word may smooth the way; A joyous word may light the day.  A timely word may lessen stress; A loving word may heal and bless.”  The choice is ours.

Do you know how much time you and I spend talking?  We are told that one-fifth of our life will be spent talking.  An average person during a normal day speaks 18,000 words, which is the equivalent of fifty-four pages.  It is not hard to figure out how much it would be in one year and in our lifetime.  The important thing is not to know how much we say, but to make sure that what we say is worth saying. Surprisingly God records all of them, the positive as well as the negative words.  Jesus said, “I tell you that men will have to give account on the Day of Judgment for every careless word they have spoken.  For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned” (Matt. 12:36-37). 

We, here at EOM are eternally grateful to so many Ethiopians around the world who shower us with their kind words through letters, e-mails and phone calls. Though we do not need the praise of men to do what God has called us to do, it is human nature to sometimes seek the encouraging words of people. One day a young man went to a restaurant for breakfast and said to the waitress, “I am both hungry and tired.  Get me two scrambled eggs, home fries, coffee and a few kind words.”  As the waitress brought what he ordered, the young man said, “I have the eggs, the home fries, and a cup of coffee, what about the kind words?”  In a quiet voice the waitress replied, “Don’t eat the eggs.”  Yes, we all desire good words—the word of truth, the word of kindness, and the word of hope.  On the other hand we dislike intensely complaining, criticizing and condemning words.  A young man told his pastor that he has only one talent and felt useless to the church and as well as to the world. Trying to comfort the young man the pastor asked him, “What is your talent?” The young man hesitantly replied, “The talent of criticism.”  The pastor said, “If that is so, I advise you to do with it what the man of one talent in the parable did with his.”

James writes how some of us have “The Double-trouble Tongue”.  “With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God's likeness.  Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing.  My brothers, this should not be.  Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? My brothers, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water?” (James 3:9-12).  Dr. Joseph Stowell in his well written book, “Tongue in Check” gives us helpful advice: “Sins like beguilement, deceit, lying, and false witness need to be understood from God's point of view.  Social sins of the tongue, such as gossip and slander, must be checked.  Verbal ego trips, such as boasting, flattery, and exaggeration, are clearly out of bounds.  The cancer of a murmuring, contentious tongue needs to be removed.  Expletives that violate the dignity of God's name and our sensitivity to moral purity must be deleted.” 

What do we do to speak graciously?  Is it helpful to take a speech class? Real words do not stand alone, but come out of who we really are. Our hearts anchors our words.  Jesus said, “For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks” (Matt. 12:34).  Proverbs also uncovers the roots of positive and negative words: “A wise man's heart guides his mouth” (Proverbs 16:23 NIV).  Proverbs 23:15 declare, “If your heart is wise…your lips speak what is right.”  Therefore, to speak graciously, we need to have a gracious heart. A gracious heart is based in our relationship with God, and depends on how much we are willing to give our hearts to Him and open up to His influence.  May the Lord help us to open up our hearts and minds to Him so that He can direct the thoughts and words that come out of our mouths. 

Melese Wogu