Thoughts from Mark "Hat" Rackley

Hide me from the conspiracy of the wicked,
    from the plots of evildoers.
They sharpen their tongues like swords
    and aim cruel words like deadly arrows.
They shoot from ambush at the innocent;
    they shoot suddenly, without fear.

• Psalm 64:2-4

Not many of you should become teachers, my fellow believers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly. We 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.
When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can turn the whole animal. 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. 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. 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.
All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and sea creatures are being tamed and have been tamed by mankind, but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.
With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be. Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? 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

A few weeks ago, I asked the associate pastor if she had said Barnabas with regard to Paul’s friend, when it should have been Silas?  In ages past, my wife would have already kicked me in the shin and told me to keep my mouth shut.  My wife has now passed on and is with Jesus.  I miss her being my referee or umpire, depending on the sports season.

To the pastor’s credit, her point was well-made and the reference to “friend” could have been one who was there at the moment or not, as in “friends like Barnabas.”  But then I was not even sure if I had heard her correctly.  But, I do not want to be “THAT GUY.”  I know that I am often wrong.  I do not wish to be the guy who points out the mistakes of others.

If it had been a theological mistake or a mistake that might lead to heresy, sure, I should say something, but I did not slow down.  I opened my mouth and inserted my foot.

Since Sunday School has already been restarted after the summer break, the James Scripture haunts me.  My wife had a variety of ways to change the subject.  She might kick my shin under the table.  She might fake a sneeze and then when I looked she would give me hand signals.  She might clear her throat.  We are not talking about a little tickle in her throat.  She might pull off pretending she had a Yorkie caught in her throat.  Sorry, I heard a Ken Davis comedy routine a few days ago.  He asked the audience if any of them had a dog.  When one person said that they had a Yorkie, he quickly responded that was not a dog.  Finally, someone said German Shepherd.  Ken Davis admitted that was a dog, but they had found that a Yorkie could kill a German Shepherd.  After a few murmurs from the audience, Ken Davis said, “Yeah, it gets caught in their throat!”

But now without my safety net, I am more likely to do what James argues against.  Some of you may wonder if I ever read what I wrote.  You know, for editing purposes.  But I do, several times.  I find the “Read Aloud” feature in MSWord reviews to be very helpful.  If a sentence sound bad out loud, I probably screwed something up.  But teaching a Sunday School class does not give me the chance to edit what I just said, and sometimes, I wonder if my brain was in gear when I said what I said.

But then, we have Hoof and Mouth disease.  While it can be contracted by humans, it is named for the disease in cattle.  The sores are not always deadly, but the cattle that recover may be weakened for the rest of their lives.  Hoof and Mouth disease is caused by a virus that can be contracted by humans, very contagious among small children.  In humans, it is called HFMD (Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease).  It is rarely very serious other than being a rapid contagion if introduced in a school.

So, my question here is which is more deadly?  Hoof and Mouth disease can be deadly among livestock, and, in some cases, they have killed the affected livestock to prevent the spread.  HFMD is rarely fatal.  But Foot in Mouth disease can ruin people’s reputation.  It can introduce heresies.  It can, when a world leader is infected, start wars.

Pray for Sunday school teachers.  They are people who are not as well versed in the Scriptures as the pastors (at least in most cases).  They teach because they love the Lord, and they want others to grow in the faith.  At least, I hope so.  But Foot in Mouth disease can trip up any of us, and teachers are held accountable, as James states in the Scripture above.

Soli Deo Gloria.  Only to God be the Glory.