2.12.09 Airheads, Proverbs 12

"A person who talks sense is honored; airheads are held in contempt."

Proverbs 12:8
There seems to be a lot of talking heads, but people don't seem to be saying anything really important. However, many think they are making sense. It is rampant (myself included). There is an interesting dynamic when God gives wisdom in a matter. It seems to resonate with people. When we listen to God through prayer, we learn something about ourselves and others. Communicate God's love and if necessary use words.

This example happened to our family. I was at evening business meeting when my wife frantically called to tell me the house was flooding in the kitchen. A faucet hose had broken and she didn't know how to shut the water off and she and my girls were panicking. She could get under the sink, but the hot water was too hot to grant her access to the turn knob to shut off the water. When she called me, I really didn't know what to do until I remembered that we have a shutoff valve outside the house that controls the water flow to our entire home. Within minutes, she had the situation under control and the girls (who had been praying) were relieved to have avoided the impending flood and damage to our home (me too).

Here is the real message. The only reason I knew about this valve was because some of the neighbor kids, playing a practical joke had shut off the water years before. After calling the water district, the repairman diagnosed the problem. What we the thought was an evil prank years before helped us to avoid major damage to our entire house. Because I make it a point to answer my wife's call anytime she calls, we were able to stop the damage immediately and fortunately she was home to catch this situation in time. I pray over our home daily and it is amazing to me that God provides answers, years in advance. He said nothing, but we clearly understand how much he loves our family.


"Talking Heads"

Proverbs 12:16 - "Fools have short fuses and explode all too quickly; the prudent quietly shrug off insults."

I have been guilty of having a short fuse. I am a Marine afterall. I have experienced the wrath of a drill instructors who have a short tolerance for mistakes and boneheaded moves. Unfortunately, I developed that habit as well when it came to the mistakes of other people. In the military, the mission mindset is critical. In daily civilian life it may not be so critical. So, I have learned to be a little more gracious and forgive where needed. We should be slow to anger, but we must also realize that it is okay to have a holy anger and moral outrage when it comes to the things that must change.

On Mission, On Assignment, and in the ZONE!

Andy Valadez
e-mail: Andy@TeamMarketingDynamics.com

Wisdom Feast, Proverbs 17

"Better a dry crust with peace and quiet than a house full of feasting, with strife."

Proverbs 17:1

Thanksgiving is fast approaching (one of my favorite holidays). I have had many great memories of feasts and thanks given over the years. I love sitting at big tables with lot's of people, each engaged in pleasant conversation and joyful to participate at the banqueting table. It is hard for me to imagine a table full of strife on this special day, but I imagine it must happen.

Now it is easy to be celebratory on special occasions. The day to day life is much harder. I have been at a table of strife on the journey to get through the day. I'm tired, my wife is tired, and the kids are cranky. We rush to put a meal on the table. Life is give and take and strife can emerge when we are only interested in taking (and we do have those days).

My girls are curious about why we pray over every meal. I love my youngest's answer "We want to pray over our meal, in case it got poisoned." That is one way to ensure that many of your meals are peaceful. It is a subtle reminder that God is in control and he has supplied our natural needs as well as our spiritual.


"Fresh Air for Christ" a narration by John Greene

Proverbs 17:14 - "Starting a quarrel is like breaching a dam; so drop the matter before a dispute breaks out."

I once took my family for a little dock fishing trip. While we were there, a man accidently knocked another man's fishing pole in the water while he was docking his boat. The other man took offense and began to get upset and was starting to insult the other. Rather than drop the matter and resolve it, the two began to get into shouting match, which upset my wife and scared my two girls. We packed up and left as the two guys continued to threaten each other. I hope they didn't take it further, but we didn't stick around to find out.

I got the feeling that the guy who started the squabble had been in other skirmishes in his life. He had a chip on his shoulder. He felt wronged and wanted to take it out on somebody. His wife who was trying to console him, had been down this path before. I felt sorry for their family as we left, his daughter was crying and the whole family was trying to talk this man out of his anger.

On Mission, On Assignment, and in the ZONE!

Andy Valadez
e-mail: andy@marketingdynamics.org