What Language is That????

So, my family finally talked me in to going to the doctor.  I had been miserable and in pain for so long, that even I started to wonder if this extended beyond being a simple fibro flare.  I came through with a clean bill of health:  no sickness, no high blood pressure, nothing out of whack.  All of my symptoms could be directly linked to a severe fibromyalgia flare.  The doctor on duty, spoke clearly and plainly about what I was experiencing and the fact that lack of good sleep was probably contributing to the extended flare up, which is why she wrote a prescription for muscle relaxants.  She felt that if I could get the muscles to relax, I could get deeper, uninterrupted sleep, which would then break the cycle and allow the flare to subside.  She understood my family's concern but she also understood my need to keep going, in order to care for my family.  I admit, when it comes to seeing a doctor I am a reluctant patient because sometimes their conversations with me end up being more like listening to a person speak a foreign language!  Her clear explanation and candor was utterly refreshing!

Contrast this to the letter that came in the mail over the weekend from our school district.  I have read the letter four or five times and I still do not fully get what they are trying to tell me, as a parent.  From what I can glean, it seems that the district failed to meet certain testing standards in regards to "No Child Left Behind".  This is the fourth year it has happened and that puts the district at level 3.  There is no explanation of what this means or how it impacts my child.  And as far as how they intend to address the problem it mentions evaluating and updating the district plan, and that they "collaboratively establish action plans and implement strategies that improve teaching and learning."  Huh?  I even went to the state website to see if I could find an explanation of what exactly this means.  It was no better than the gibberish letter that the district sent out!  It's like they are speaking their own language, which they fully understand, but leaves the rest of us scratching our heads!

This got me thinking about the church and how we communicate with others.  Do we speak clearly and simply enough so that someone who doesn't attend church understands what we are saying?  Or do we use our church-speak and assume that everybody must know what these terms mean?  How different is Call to Action from No Child Left Behind?  Lots of warm and fuzzy gibberish that makes it sound important bu,t in the scheme of things, means absolutely nothing to someone who is not familiar with the terminology!  Even some individuals who do understand the wording, feel that it is an exercise in futility.

Are we afraid to speak plainly?  Do we prefer not to speak plainly because it gives us an edge of superiority, or, are we unaware that we are speaking in a way that has no meaning to someone else?  My guess is that it is a little bit of all of the above.  That mix is something that we should examine carefully if we want to get our message across clearly.

I was reading this morning about King Josiah in Second Chronicles 34.  In the chapter it tells how Hilkiah the high priest found a copy of the Revelation  of Moses.  He gave the book to the King's assistant, Shaphan, who then read it to King Josiah.  King Josiah was so shocked by what he heard, that he ripped his robes in dismay.  He understood what was contained in the book and he understood that God clearly must be angry with Israel because they had not followed what had been laid out in the book.  The book had been "lost" for generations yet it was laid out clearly enough that even someone who was unfamiliar with it, could understand what it contained and what it meant!

Can we say that our message is so clear that it can be understood by someone who is not familiar with it?  Can we say that we are clearly and effectively communicating with the world at large?  Could our lack of clear communication be our problem?  Do people who hear our message think to themselves "what language is that???"  Are we, in essence, setting up stumbling blocks for people who are "outside" of our circle?

What is that language that we speak?  Can we find ways to communicate our message more clearly?

May God in his wisdom help us all to speak more plainly!

A Word Out of Your Mouth

Have you ever seen something that just made you shake your head?  It's like watching a train wreck about to happen-you can see it coming but you're not sure you can do anything about it.  Do you try to say something or do you keep your mouth shut, hoping that the tragedy will be averted?  Do you say something even if it falls on deaf  ears?

James chapter 3 in The Message Paraphrase says this:

"A word out of your mouth may seem of no account, but it can accomplish nearly anything-or destroy it!"

One might conclude that this is the "permission" to speak clause.  But, he goes on and says this later on in the same chapter:

"Real wisdom, God's wisdom, begins with a holy life and is characterized by getting along with others.  It is gentle and reasonable, overflowing with mercy and blessings, not hot one day and cold the next, not two-faced.  You can develop a healthy, robust community that lives right with God and enjoy its results only if you do the hard work of getting along with each other, treating each other with dignity and honor."

On the one hand, if you say something, even if it is true, someone's feelings are going to get hurt.   If you say something because you see others being disrespected and taken for granted does that change the situation?

Tough call to make sometimes.  It's an even tougher call to make when you are dealing with the people closest to you.  Hard truths are tough to hear sometimes.  They're even tougher to deliver!  But before delivering that "hard truth" we have to stop and ask ourselves what is our motive behind saying something?  Is it simply because we don't agree?  Is there a bit of ego behind what is driving us to feel that we have to say something?  The motivation matters.  Can we say what we have to say while still treating the other person with honor and dignity?

I don't think that James was implying that we should never speak up.  I do think he was warning us to carefully think it through BEFORE we open our mouths.  What we may think is insignificant, others may see it as a way to build them up or tear them down.  Our words should be chosen carefully.

The bottom line to this really comes back to loving our neighbor as ourselves.  If we treat other people with honor, dignity and respect.  If we think before we speak or act-well there would be a lot less train wrecks waiting to happen!  Speak the truth, but do it to build people up, not tear them down.  If you have to bring something up in order to correct them, do it in as loving a way as possible.  Hopefully, when you or I stick our feet in our mouths, others will be kind enough to do the same.

Words really do matter!

See Your Vision and Make it Plain

Why is it that I can understand Wesley's sermons more easily than I can understand some of the sermons delivered by modern ministers?  Wesley uses terms like "thee" and "thou" and words that you don't even hear anymore like concord (who knew it was more than a grape or a plane!  It means harmony.)  How many of us who sit in the pews get asked "well what did your minister talk about?"  How many of us are unable to come up with a good answer?

I think the first problem may be what some would refer to as "churchese" or "religionese"-the words that get used that sound warm and fuzzy but unless you are within a select circle you have no idea what they really mean.  Every profession has their own unique language-teachers, doctors, lawyers, for example, and it is to be expected but when you are trying to communicate an idea to a lay person, you have to speak in plain language.   

I think a second issue is that we try to take something simple and make it sound more sophisticated or complex than it really needs to be!  Some of it may have to do with ego (see my education paid off, I really do know something) but I think actually it has more to do with this desire to come up with the coolest spin for the latest ad campaign.  Somehow what we have is not cool enough or flashy enough or catchy enough so we have to re-invent it in some way.  The result is a failure to communicate. 

Let me give you an example.  Our church had a workshop where a consultant from the conference came in and gave his presentation.  One of the points that he consistently hammered on was the need to bring in more children, youth and young adults.  But every "contemporary" example that he used came from the Boomer generation.  Being a Gen-X'er I understood his points but I couldn't relate to them.  I (like an idiot) mentioned this at the end during the comments time and he looked at me like I had grown three heads!  (Thanks for listening...not!)  Look folks, I understand the assassination of JFK was a big deal but I didn't experience it personally.  It is modern history but for me it is still history!  The Challenger explosion, I can relate to, but the Millennium generation can't because they didn't experience it as it happened.  September 11th, that is a point in time that the older Millennium generation can understand and relate to because they experienced it happening.  I share this because at this workshop there were young adults (those individuals that the church is trying to involve) and what they got out of it amounted to very little that they could relate to or apply.  And we wonder why our message isn't getting through...

I could give you more examples but I hope you get my point!  I have read enough of the Wesley sermons now that I can see a pattern and even though the wording is archaic I still get the point of his messages.  Wesley takes scripture and if it is Old Testament relates it to New Testament and vice versa.  He explains how it has been understood in the historical context, how traditionally it has been interpreted.  He then follows it up with why it is important to the here and now today!  People may not have agreed or embraced his message but dollars to donuts, they understood what he said to them! 

So I am paraphrasing Habakkuk 2:2 here when I say see your vision and make it plain.  What is the scripture that you want to talk about?  Where is the connection between Old Testament and New Testament?  How has it been historically interpreted?  How do I take this and use it in my life today?  Ask some questions so I have something to mull over during the week!  Point me towards figuring out how I can apply this in a practical way! 

Now this doesn't mean that you have to spill some deep dark secret or that you have to use vulgar language for shock value, which seems to be the latest greatest trend.  What it means is that simple is better!  If you are going to use "churchese" then explain what that warm and fuzzy term really means in plain English! 

If you want members to run with the message, if you want them to "go out and make disciples" then put the message out in a way that is concise and clear so they can understand!  Honest to goodness it really is that simple!  Discipleship in its simplest form means apprenticeship or training someone so they can do the job.  Trust me, there are people sitting in your pews starving for that sort of message!  And when you light that fire, look out cause it's gonna burn!   Ah, what a vision!