What's So Bad About Cussing?

Recently, in a correspondence with an atheist nephew, the question came up about the use of profanity in our exchange. Then, a few days later, I watched a movie, "Chef" that was very well done, almost inspirational in its treatment of passion. But, the movie was filled with profanity. So, I have been thinking about the matter, and here is my take. What is the big deal about profanity?
So, what makes a word profane. If you think about it, most cuss words are one of three categories; sexual (acts or body parts), body wastes, and of or relating to God. In the olden days, (when I was a kid) cursing was usually used in a situation of anger, pain, or extreme emphasis. My dad was not one who cussed, but I remember one time in high school when a friend of mine was staying with us when his parents were out of town. We sneaked out of the house about 11:00 pm, and were gone for a couple of hours. Upon our return, we opened a door to a very angry and upset father who only used the one word "Damn..." for emphasis as to the severity in his mind of the wrong we committed. I never forgot it.
Sadly, today, profanity laced speech is considered normal. It no longer emphasizes a point, expresses extreme anger, or anything like it used to. It is generally used as any part of speech that it can be used, happy, sad, or neutral. Television reality shows, still bleep most of the words, but it is obvious that that will not continue for long, as the normal speech among the hip is laced with words that used to be considered crude and vulgar. The problem is, there are many who still consider them crude and vulgar.
So, is cussing really no big deal? Our culture has shifted away from one of respect, courtesy, honor. We now do what we want, when we want, because that is what we want. The problem goes way beyond what words we use to express ourselves. The problem begins in our heart. The words that pour from our mouths are only the overflow of a human, generally selfish, self-centered heart. I really cannot blame the natural ones for the way they express themselves; they have no choice. The evil that dwells in us all will come out one way or another.
But, I figure Jesus heard the coarse language of His day as well. When He heard the words, he saw the heart that needed what He was bringing.
Young men and women of today's generation, if you really have His life in you, think about it when you lower your level of speech to the common, unregenerate level. You carry a treasure in you. When the treasure flows out, your Father is pleased, and when you feel His pleasure, you find Joy.

Stones in My Sandals

    Bruce Williams "loaned" me a copy of the one book on prayer that he would read while at camp last week. ( he didn't think we need to read about prayer, we just needed to pray) I discovered it in my briefcase when I arrived home, told Bruce I might mail it back, and he said he found another, I should keep it.

So I started it this morning, reading only the introduction. ( Bruce said he found it helpful to read it really slowly.) Now understand, I have gone through seasons in my life when my conversations with God were rich, rewarding, and seriously regular, but like most of you I find myself beginning the days in a state of distraction, getting ready for work, checking bank statements, updating Words with Friends ;-), checking facebook, emails, twitter,....

The introduction inspired me this Saturday morn to start fresh, to reconnect with the God that I love, and see what He may have in store for me now that camp is over. So I put on my favorite Skecher sandals, and began my morning prayer walk. Well, within the first fifty feet, I got a rock in my sandal, and I could not shake it out. So I had to stop, remove the sandal, dump the rock, tiny little thing that it was, put my sandal back on, and resume my prayer walk.

Now, I do enjoy walking with my Father, and He always brings scriptures to mind and kinda helps me think more clearly about them. This morning, it was Psalm 37 ( one of my all-time favorites), and we discussed the first 5 verses. ( You really should read them for yourself.)

In a little while, my sandal picked up another little stone, even smaller than the first. It wouldn't shake out, I couldn't ignore it, so I had to stop, again, take off my sandal, dump the little offender, restore my sandal to my foot, and finish my walk.

You know how Jesus so often told stories (parables) to His followers. He still does that. He said, " You notice how we can be walking along together, having a good time, and all of a sudden, some little thing going on with some little part of your body interrupts everything, demanding your immediate attention, refusing to leave you alone until you use another part of your body to help it?"

Yeah?

I started to think. His body is like that. I get wrapped up in what I think I am supposed to do, and sometimes, some other part of the body demands my attention, and I have to stop and take care of him first, before I do the next thing. If I ignore the other one, eventually I will be walking with a limp, possibly get a stone bruise, and it will take some time to get back to what He planned for me. 

Or maybe this was His plan all along.

The X-Man Dilemma

June 5, 2011
Last night, Wendy and I went to a movie together, (don’t go alone too much, usually have a 15 year old along) and I was fairly shocked when she suggested the new X-men movie. On vacation, I was underwhelmed with Thor, so I wasn’t overly thrilled with the idea of X-Men, but I was so tickled that Wendy chose it, I said ok. Growing up, I was more a Justice League of America kind of guy, Superman, Batman, Flash, Green Lantern,…. So I never knew too much about the X-men.
So we go to the movies on a Saturday night to see a fairly new, popular movie breaking all of our rules about movie viewing in theater- Tuesday matinees while school is still in session- (we are not big crowd people) and there is a crowd so we don’t get our traditional back row seats and have to sit on the fifth row.
Wendy tells me that we have seen some of the X-men movies at home, but apparently I slept, because I have no memory of them, except something about Jean Luc Piccard, and that guy with razor knives shooting out of his knuckles (I know, now, Wolverine) but it seemed like pretty new stuff to me.
So the movie starts, and I am hypnotized from the beginning, and I am genuinely sorry when it ends, two hours later, thinking, I really enjoyed that! Why? Obviously, I cannot accept the evolutionary worldview, but it seems that what grabbed me the most was the difficulty each of the X-men had in dealing with his “differences” in the eyes of the “normal” humans. Generally each resolves his conflict in one of two ways: use his difference for good in spite of the “normal” opinion, or use his power to punish those who ostracize him.
In chapter 3 of the book of John, Jesus speaks of a people who can see the invisible, ones who can hear the voice that the world cannot hear, ones who have a life that is not of this world. He says that they will be ostracized, criticized, persecuted and even killed. He says that they will not die. He also says that they will know the Father.
I notice around me today that it is popular to mock and ridicule those that choose to accept the words of the Bible as true, even to call them backward and “unscientific” and close minded and unenlightened. So our struggle today, as believers, is really a struggle against the pull of what is considered “normal”. We usually have two choices as believers: try to fit in, not rock the world’s boat and keep our beliefs to ourselves so as not to offend, or realize that we were really created to be a container to carry around a supernatural life inside this fragile body, and to spill it into the world around us.
As we begin to spill, we discover powers and strengths, heights of joy never before known, and that one Presence we long for, carrying us down roads we would never have chosen for ourselves, on a ride more thrilling than we could ever have known.
The ones that can see the invisible are few, compared to the ones that cannot. If you are one of these, you know it. Would you choose “normal”, or do you want to LIVE?
Enjoy the Ride!