God is so good. I really appreciated Bill's sermon last weekend on speech. I feel like a staggering area in my life that has needed some attention and work is my mouth.

I say things that are just the dumbest thoughts. I pronounce the idiocy that my sinful heart vomits about. I swear because it's easy. And to think that I am to proclaim the truth of GOD through these same lips.

R.C. Sproul also has a wonderful sermon, which he hits on this particular area, and it's seriously convicting me. He said a simple yet necessary truth, "If we love life and want to see good days, we have to restrain our tongues and our lips", speaking toward living the good life as a Christian.

On the flip side, I do think that God has given me increasing victory in not saying certain things, not laughing at crude jokes, or creating mindless chatter.

There are certain things that I am going to open my mouth to, soon. Very soon. God has given me footing. I have now a traction I've not had before, and things are in place to move forward. Glory to God for whichever of two places I end up, I've been relatively silent for far too long and thirty one months is quite long enough. I've been refined to a place of being ready for more refinement. Which, you should know, brings up the point that even though I've had terrible timing, God has perfect timing, orchestration, design and meaning purposed for our lives to merge and move forward.

I want to do good for the Lord. Seek peace and pursue it. Speak truth, live truth, laugh, love, share, give, adore, and bring glory to God in all things [my] life. It seems as a "cookie-cutter Christian" lofty goal, but I am most sincere. I know things are hard, and have been very hard, but I want to surrender to God all I've got.