The Plumbline

Ever think of your words as a lighted fuse?  Or perhaps the detonator within a time-bomb?  Well, if we were honest, we all could say a resounding "yes" to this one.  Sometimes we possess the right words to stop the fuse from igniting the "explosive" it is dangerously close to releasing.  At others, we just watch foolishly as the fuse grows smaller and smaller until it culminates in a huge "boom".  What is left in the wake of the explosion is sometimes quite difficult to put back together.  Sure, all the pieces may be there, but some of them are almost unrecognizable because of the significance of the "blast" which caused them to break apart in the first place.  We find ourselves as the "bomb squad", tasked with the responsibility of going about defusing the bombs set to explode at any moment.  This is a huge skill to learn and one wrong move can result in devastating consequences.  So, if we are to learn the skill well, we need to pract...

Who do you "hang out" with?  You probably have a pretty "routine" group of acquaintances who you associate with more than others.  Sometimes, we have groups at work or school, others at home and at church.  They can overlap a little, but seldom are they all the same.  When we have all these groups in which we associate, it is easier to be one with one group and quite another with the other, isn't it?  There is not a great deal of consistency between the members of the groups, so being a little different with each group usually doesn't present a problem.  Until....one day, you find a member of one of your "groups" crossing-over into another!  Perhaps you find yourself a little conflicted because you "act" one way with the present group, but quite a different way with the other.  The truth about associations is the tendency we have to "blend" to their way of acting.  We become like those we hang out with, don't we?  Yeah, we h...