Quotes from Karen Ehman

Gracious words promote instruction" (16:21).

What is the result of intentionally speaking graciously to our family, friends, and other necessary people? Of loving them without stopping? Of containing our anger when we speak and dealing with them in a patient and faithful way? When we choose to lace our words with grace, healing happens: "Gracious words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones" (Proverbs 16:24). Yes

When we read the Bible, we learn. However, when we write out biblical commands in a way that is personal to us, we allow the Word to take root deep within our hearts.

When we have trained our brain to recall and apply biblical nonnegotiables, we are equipped to speak, act, and react in ways that honor God.

Do you really need to say everything that is on your mind?

He is the One who redirects our plans, frustrates our efforts, and shows us there is something better if we would only trust Him.

When we make time to respond to Jesus' invitation to go away with him to a quiet place, we can crack-proof our spirits, making them strong and rendering us ready to handle life.

Don't say something permanently painful just because you are temporarily ticked off. Will

The truth is, words are never accidental. To be sure, there are times we utter careless words, but even then those words are first formed in our minds, filtered to our hearts, and then given permission to come out of our lips. So in our quest to use our words in ways that are good and honor God, we must first consider the heart and mind from which they come.

1. Don't speak too much. 2. Don't speak too soon. 3. Don't speak without first listening. And then the advice? Don't speak at all.

But better a bleeding tongue than a family member's wounded heart. We might have to choose to let go of the need to prove our point, choosing instead to do the right thing: to impart grace and deal with the other person in love and with utmost patience.

Lord, I give my mouth to you today. May what comes forth be sweet and not bitter. May the journey each word takes from my mind to my heart to my lips be guided by your hand. May what comes out be life-giving rather than causing death. May my words make you proud and bring you glory. In Jesus' name, Amen.

the longer you stew, the more likely you are to strike.

Psychiatrist Louann Brizendine states in The Female Brain, "Men use about seven thousand words per day. Women use about twenty thousand.

I have often regretted my speech, never my silence.

Likewise, the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole body, sets the whole course of one's life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell" (James 3:5 – 6).

Our words are powerful, and they have consequences. Whether it is a string of words screamed out in anger during the height of a marital spat, or a politician who chooses to lie in order to win votes, or even just a middle schooler trying to impress a group of boys. Our words are powerful, and our words have consequences.

In the afternoon we can't forget what God told us in the morning.

But wait. Have you prayed about it?" We are better poised to process life's troubles after petitioning God first. I'm still learning this lesson, but the calm I feel when I get the order straight encourages me to keep on trying.

As you grow in living life on purpose and saying no to the wrong things, you will better invest your time and gifts where they count the most. In your effort to live wisely with your time, be careful that you don't see time as just yours. God has gifted you with time. Our time is not really our time. God gives it to us to steward well for his purpose. So be careful of becoming too stingy with your time! There has to be a balance.

My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires" (James 1:19 – 20).

Let our words be like tools in the hands of a skilled carpenter. With God's help, let's build something beautiful, intimate, and renewing in our relationships using our words. Let our lives be a place where we invite true friendship to happen.

bound to experience frustration, anger, and at times, wounded feelings. People who are not wired as we are, who don't think like we do, and who make decisions and carry out actions we would never dream of, are going to rub us the wrong way. That's a fact.

We go to God in our neediness and poverty because we know that—in His abundance—He has all that we need. Teaching our children to pray is showing them how to do life with God instead of doing it alone.