Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you. – Ephesians 4:31 – 32 Forgiveness is such a fundamental requirement of our Christian faith and one of the most difficult things we are charged with. It is absolutely clear in scripture and in Jesus’ teaching that forgiveness…
“Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers.” – Ephesians 4:29 Over the past year I have run across these words, on a few separate occasions, as suggested guidance for how we think about what we are going to say before we say it. When you look them up there are all sorts of variations on…
My mother grew up speaking Russian. Although she moved here at age 7 and speaks flawless English she still says some of her prayers in Russian. As with many other languages, Russian uses the diminutive a lot – an ending that makes the word “little” in an affectionate way. She has often shared how she grew up using the diminutive of God – Bozhenka (little God) – when addressing God in prayer.…
