Rumor Has It

Rumor has it I've gotten old, bald, fat, and ugly. Well...in fairness that's more truth than rumor. A "Rumor" is actually defined as "a currently circulating story or report of uncertain or doubtful truth." A rumor can also be characterized by, "Talk or opinion widely disseminated with no discernible source." See, that's the beauty of rumors, they are baseless words, originated by faceless people. It's untraceable hate at its finest, and we as a society are great at it. Are you personally guilty of gossip? I am. Have you ever perpetuated a rumor you've heard? I have.

 Rumors are spread for many reasons, I guess. Most notably rumors are ignited by and further flamed by the envious, with the main purpose/objective of causing pain and harm against their target. Rumors are a nasty business. As the childhood saying goes, "Rumors rumors are no fun, rumors rumors hurt someone."  If you've ever been on the wrong side of a rumor, you can attest to the hurt. Most of us at some point in our lives have been the subject of rumors, and we are in good company, because...

During Jesus' early ministry, stories of Jesus and his miracles were spreading like wildfire. Pharisees (the religious elite) stated the origin of Christ’s power must be evil. That was the only explanation for what was happening, right? Of course not. Truth be told, they were jealous. Jealous of Jesus. Jealous of a man that was shaking their foundation. He was teaching against the practices and the authority they had perverted across the years. Jesus was gaining affection and attention, and they didn't like it.

It's interesting how certain topics get more air time in the bible than others. "Money." "Fear." "Worry." "Love." "Gossip." It's almost like God knew what we'd struggle with. Some things we no doubt do too much, and some things we don't do nearly enough. So, let's gossip less and love more. Rumor has it, that's exactly what our world needs right now.

Much Love, Adam
_________________________________________________________________________________

Ephesians 4:29
"Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen."
Proverbs 26:20
“Without wood a fire goes out; without a gossip a quarrel dies down.”
Psalm 41:6
"When one of them comes to see me, he speaks falsely, while his heart gathers slander; then he goes out and spreads it around."
Proverbs 17:4
"A wicked person listens to deceitful lips; a liar pays attention to a destructive tongues."
Proverbs 18:7-8
"The mouths of fools are their undoing, and their lips are a snare to their very lives. The words of gossip are like choice morsels; they go down to the inmost parts."
Exodus 23:1
“Do not spread false reports. Do not help a guilty person by being a malicious witness."
Leviticus 19:16
"Do not go about spreading slander among your people. Do not do anything that endangers your neighbor's life. I am the Lord."
Proverbs 16:27
"A scoundrel plots evil, and on their lips it is like a scorching fire."
Proverbs 20:19
“A gossip betrays a confidence; so avoid anyone who talks too much.”
Romans 1:29
"They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed, and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, and malice. They are gossips."

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

I once was lost, but now I’m found

Image
Two old men were lost driving together through Kentucky. When they finally saw a sign on the side of the interstate for the approaching town, the old man driving said, “We're almost to “Lewis-ville.” The old man sitting beside him in the passenger seat said, “It’s “Louie-ville.”" They argued back and forth about the pronunciation for a few minutes before the driver suggested, “let’s take the next exit, go into town and ask a local, then we will listen to them carefully as they tell us the name of the town, and we will have our answer.” The old man in the passenger seat agreed that would be a fair resolution to their dispute. So the driver pulled off the interstate, and into the parking lot of a local store, and the two old men went inside. The driver pleaded with the worker inside, “Sir, help my friend and me, please. Tell us very slowly and very clearly, where are we right this minute?" The worker leans forward over the counter and tells the two older gentleman, “Bur-G
Read more

My Favorite Floaties

Image
"I'm drowning, Amber. I can't do it. I can't keep my head above water." My voice cracked and I tried not to cry on the phone. How humiliating would that be? A grown man breaking down like a child talking to his fiancé. I was nearing the end of my first semester of law school. I was living alone in a small one bedroom apartment, and my closest family member lived four hours, and one state away. I didn't attend the most prestigious law school in the country, not even by a long shot, which made my struggles with the curriculum all the more frustrating. To give myself some credit, it wasn't really the curriculum, as much as the volume of the curriculum. The reading assignments never let up. Never. In undergrad, I could "buckle down," read ahead a little, and be just fine. In law school I felt like "Johnny 5" from the 1986 movie, "Short Circuit," and I still couldn't keep up. See the video below if you've not seen that c
Read more

The Love of a Teacher

Image
I still remember the nervous excitement as I walked into the kindergarten wing of Woodland Elementary School for the first time. We were the "mustangs" then, apparently they are the "hawks" now. Sadly, I must have missed the vote for the mascot change. At any rate, getting back to kindergarten, my socks were pulled up to my knees, and my empty backpack was strapped loosely around my shoulders. I had a fresh haircut from Ross the Boss and I sported a buck toothed smile. The same goofy smile my 9 year old son now flashes at me from time to time (Sorry about the big teeth, J.B.)  When I learned during the summer before kindergarten that my teacher's name was Ms. Thompson, I remember lying in my water bed (Don't you judge me, you had one too) and wondering what kind of teacher Ms. Thompson would be. Would she be strict? Would she be fun? Would she be kind? Would she like me? It turns out, she was a wonderful lady, who had the keen ability to ma
Read more