As the holidays approach I need to remind myself that when entertaining family and friends it is not always necessary to fill the awkward silences with outrageous judgements or too much information. Maybe we all need a little reminder 😉
TAMING THE TONGUE
2We all stumble in many ways. Anyone who is never at fault in what they say is perfect, able to keep their whole body in check.
3 When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can turn the whole animal.
4 Or take ships as an example. Although they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go.
5 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.
6 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.
7 All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and sea creatures are being tamed and have been tamed by mankind,
8 but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.
9 With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness.
10 Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be.
11 Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring?
12 My brothers and sisters, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water. James 3:1-12
I don’t know about you but I have my work cut out for me!
As it is Sunday, I hope my peaceful dogs will remind you to take some time to relax this week.
Author Adrienne Morris 
17 responses to “Sunday at Middlemay Farm”
Adrienne, thank you for your wise post. Indeed the tongue can often be
the instrument of fire, a twoedged sword. May we all learn honesty of
heart so that our words are wise and caring.
Miriam
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James is a pretty hardcore read. No excuses for him — maybe that’s why I avoid him. LOL. But my mother and husband love his challenging words. The worst is when you know you shouldn’t say something but you keep going!
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Wonderful reminder, Adrienne. Have a relaxing Sunday.
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You too, Jill. I will have to really discipline myself today not to start preparing for Thanksgiving…
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I totally relate. Sometimes it’s easier to revert to gossip than to embrace silence or have a not superficial conversation. Good reminder!
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We are a family of gossips (about other family members). We always rationalize — “this isn’t really gossip, is it?” Of course it always is. The struggle is definitely real. LOL.
My daughter and I bond over making fun of celebrities. Ugh. It’s fun but obviously not a nice thing to do. As I said, there’s plenty of work to do on my part.
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I wish I was one of your dogs. I would be kindly and wisely treated. Greetings from a sad, muddled, misty island.
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Yet what a wonderful island it is! Here’s hoping the sun begins to shine again for you, Pippa.
PS~ You probably need a Cavalier puppy to cheer you up. 🙂
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😮 Well the ending was a surprise! I honestly hadn’t expected 2-12 to be verses taken from the Bible, (I’m a lapsed Churchgoer!)
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LOL. before I read the Bible through I thought the snippets I got at church were really boring and disjointed. AFTER reading it as a whole I discovered what so many people throughout history have: it’s revolutionary, poetic, challenging and thoroughly entertaining as well. It shaped world history in so many interesting ways as well — art, literature, politics…
Obviously some people have used it to further their own flawed logic but the book itself turned my life upside down — in a good way. 😉
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We teach avoiding “lashon hara” – evil speech for the purpose of harming others. Sadly, I’m often guilty.
Is this your Thanksgiving table? What a beautiful place for a family meal. Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours, Adrienne.
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Nope. Those beautiful dishes live at Almanzo Wilder’s Farm. 🙂
Our holiday is more a mismatched affair with folding tables and chairs, dogs barking in the background and sibling rivalry. LOL.
I’m pretty reserved until you get me going then all hell breaks loose! But I’m not alone in my family — we’re all closet firebrands.
I hope you have a peaceful Thanksgiving. do you spend it with family or go low key?
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We celebrate with an extended family – this year with both our sons and their families as well as my sister-in-law and other family and friends. Our older son lives walking distance from us. I only found out last night that our younger son, his wife, their two children, and au pair are arriving Wednesday morning. Younger son will make a late night 350 mile drive down here. Seems the rest of the family already knew, so someone may have revealed the surprise early. But now I have several delicious days of anticipation to enjoy – and time to really clean the house!
I suspect your Thanksgiving this year will be high key wonderful. Enjoy, enjoy.
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You too! Great to have all of your family come in as a surprise. Also great to have a son living so nearby!
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Wonderful doggies !!!!!
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yeah, they’re pretty great. 🙂
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A great reminder!
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