In this interview, we delved a little deeper into the themes canvassed in the recent cover story of Christianity Today. What a privilege it is to try to make a helpful contribution to an important conversation!
Showing posts with label Gossip. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Gossip. Show all posts
Wednesday, June 09, 2021
Interview about "Resisting Gossip" on "His People" Program on Pilgrim Radio
Friday, May 28, 2021
"What Is Gossip?" at Desiring God
It was a real joy and privilege to get to contribute to a teaching ministry I have received so much from over the years.
Big thanks go to the LEFC family for giving me a writing week back in March to work on this short project based upon Resisting Gossip.
I hope it helps many people to better understand what gossip is (and isn't) and how the gospel of Christ gives us everything we need to reject gossip when we are tempted to give in.
Saturday, April 17, 2021
Interview with Bill Arnold at Faith Radio about "Resisting Gossip"
On Friday, I enjoyed talking about Resisting Gossip yesterday with Bill Arnold on Faith Radio out of Minneapolis.
Live radio can be kind of daunting--I had a few moments when I blanked out and I tripped over my words, but it was still fun to have a lively conversation about saying, "No" to the temptation to talk about people behind their backs.
Tuesday, March 05, 2019
"Resisting Gossip" Is Now An Audiobook!
Rejoice with me!
Resisting Gossip is now available as an audiobook at Audible!
It’s unabridged and read by yours truly, clocking in at 4 hours and 24 minutes.
I am especially thankful for this new development because it is a loooooong time in coming. I first recorded the chapters in the Fall of 2013 and Spring of 2014, but we never got it edited and produced into an audiobook until this last year. Five years later, we finally have an audiobook!
A big thank-you goes to Jim Pitman at CLC Publications for believing in and rebooting this project, finding a quality sound editor, and seeing it through to publication.
Thanks also to my friends Tim Sullivan and Kenneth Hawthorne for volunteering to listen to the raw recordings and find all of my verbal typos to be fixed in post-production.
And a great big special thanks to WTLR, our local Christian radio station, for giving me time in the studio to record Resisting Gossip. The quality of the audio is wonderful because of your generosity.
Now that we have an audiobook version, I can help people with requests like this one that came in a year or so ago:
I have a quick question for you. I have a mother I am counseling whose daughter is struggling with people gossiping about her at work. I gave the mother one of your books. The problem is, her daughter is legally blind. This brings me to my question. Have you put Resisting Gossip on audiobook yet? If not, are there any plans to do so in the near future?Yes, we have! I pray that this new version helps many people who need to or like to imbibe their books through their ears to win the war of the wagging tongue.
Friday, January 18, 2019
Don't Misuse "Resisting Gossip"
One of my worries when I was writing Resisting Gossip was that some unscrupulous church leaders would misuse it to silence dissent among their followers. I could foresee insecure and/or controlling pastors piously holding the book up to their people and subtly saying, "See! You shouldn't criticize or disagree with me. I'll decide what gets talked about around here and when. We're going to be a gossip-free church."
Pastors and other church leaders are often the target of a whispering campaign. But not all dissent is unloving or unhealthily pursued. In churches where the leaders seem to be hiding key things or putting a "spin" on all of the information that gets disseminated, it's often difficult for the rest of the church to discern what is going on. Followers should ask their questions openly with respect, care, and love, trusting their leaders as much as they possibly can, but leaders should also bend over backwards to extend grace to those who disagree with them or are concerned about questionable decisions and internal conflicts. If both groups are careful and loving, then the heaviest situations can be successfully navigated. But just because one side is handling things poorly doesn't give the other side a reason to take the lower road.
That's why, in the bonus chapter for church leaders, I included two points about protecting reputations of leaders both within and outside of the local church but also had a point about airing concerns:
8. Open Channels for Airing Concerns
The flip side to the last two points is that leaders must create and sustain open channels of communication in the church for those who have concerns. Sometimes when there is gossip within a church, it is actually the leaders’ fault. Those who are gossiping should not be doing it, but gossip flourishes when there is an oppressive regime and a tyrannical atmosphere of silence.
When was the last time you asked for constructive feedback? Paul told Timothy, “The Lord’s servant must not quarrel; instead, he must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful” (2 Tim. 2:24). That does not mean that a good church leader will agree with all the criticisms he receives or will budge on orthodoxy, but he will humble himself to solicit critique.
Being approachable is easier said than done. I know I have failed to listen more than I have succeeded, but I often quote Proverbs 27:6 to my people: “Wounds from a friend can be trusted, but an enemy multiplies kisses.” Hurt me, friend, if I need it. That is love. (Resisting Gossip, pg. 168).I have no way of telling if my worries have come true and if unhealthy pastors are using my book to shield themselves from accountability. I hope not, but I'm not naive enough to believe it will never happen.
I certainly didn't write it to insulate bad leaders. I wrote it to combat the real sin of gossip which can tear a church from limb to limb. I wrote it in the way I did hoping that unhealthy church leaders would not have another tool in their toolbox for mis-shepherding the flock under their care. May the Chief Shepherd protect His people from both errors and dangers (1 Peter 5:1-4).
Monday, December 17, 2018
Gossip Potato Heads
(I never thought I'd title a post like that!)
Check this out! This pastor from down-under has created a set of potato heads to represent the 5 gossips from chapter 3 of Resisting Gossip.
This one takes the cake as the most creative use of my book so far!
Monday, September 03, 2018
5 Years of Resisting Gossip
Rejoice with me!
To name just a few:
- Resisting Gossip is now translated into 5 other languages around the world: Spanish (including an e-book), French [in both Canada and France], Russian, Romanian, and Korean. I’m excited to think that I’m getting to teach people God’s Word that I would never meet nor ever be able to converse with all over the globe.
- Resisting Gossip has been a bestseller for CLC Publications every single quarter since its release. For me, those sales translate into real people I hope have been helped to win the war of the wagging tongue in their own lives.
- Resisting Gossip has been recognized by many readers and leaders as helpful in the fight for holiness and love. The gracious words of folks like Kevin DeYoung (and on video), Tim Challies (once, twice, and then thrice at World Magazine!), Joe Valenti, Deb Welch, Monergism.com, Andy Naselli, Alex Chediak, Steve Kemp at BILD, Greg Strand, Bob Kelleman, Daniel Holmquist, Todd Hardin at the Biblical Counseling Coalition, Marci Ferrell at the Thankful Homemaker, Benjamin Vrbicek at Fan and Flame, Will Turner, and Mark Lauterbach at TGC have encouraged me to no end. It’s got 67 reviews on Amazon, and all but 1 of them are very positive. I'm also very thankful for the heartening support that WTSBooks has always shown for the book, as well.
- The message of Resisting Gossip and Resisting Gossip Together continues to resonate with people through online videos [Vimeo, YouTube], live seminars, podcasts, articles, and personal interactions. I love getting to share at conferences like CCEF and Challenge, teach at retreats, camps, and schools like Miracle Mountain Ranch, and speak in local churches such as the upcoming event at Hope EFC in Fertile, Minnesota. I feel so grateful to get to be used in this way.
Into the future:
Unfortunately, the global gossip plague continues to rage on unabated. My little book is just a drop in the bucket of what is needed to effect large scale change. I knew that going in (see the “final word” “The End of Gossip” on pg. 151). But hopefully it’s a drop in the right bucket and continues to be used by the Lord to move the right people in the right direction. That’s my prayer.
Wednesday, November 29, 2017
Resisting Gossip Teaching Series Now on Vimeo
Rejoice with me!
The videos we created a few years ago to go with Resisting Gossip Together have now been uploaded to my Vimeo channel and arranged into an album. [They are already available on YouTube.]
So if Vimeo is your preferred site for watching and sharing video, you can now watch and share the 10 teaching videos, an introduction/trailer, and the blooper reel. Enjoy!
The videos we created a few years ago to go with Resisting Gossip Together have now been uploaded to my Vimeo channel and arranged into an album. [They are already available on YouTube.]
So if Vimeo is your preferred site for watching and sharing video, you can now watch and share the 10 teaching videos, an introduction/trailer, and the blooper reel. Enjoy!
And one of the great things about Vimeo is that in addition to being watchable and shareable, they are also downloadable from this site so you can take them places with no internet!
Thank you again to Spencer Folmar of Third Brother Films for creating them and, especially, to CLC Publications for making these available free to the public!
Thank you again to Spencer Folmar of Third Brother Films for creating them and, especially, to CLC Publications for making these available free to the public!
Tuesday, November 21, 2017
Resisting Gossip Teaching Series Now on YouTube
Good news! The videos we created a few years ago to go with Resisting Gossip Together have now been uploaded to my YouTube channel and arranged into a playlist.
Anyone anywhere with YouTube can now watch and share the 10 teaching videos, an introduction/trailer, and the blooper reel. Enjoy!
Thank you to Spencer Folmar of Third Brother Films for creating them and, especially, to CLC Publications for making these available free to the public!
Monday, November 06, 2017
Vintage Resisting Gossip Live Seminar at Miracle Mountain Ranch
The videos were recorded and 10 snippets have been published on YouTube as a playlist.
It's fun to see how the seminar has changed yet stayed the same all these years.
Friday, September 08, 2017
Four Years of "Resisting Gossip"
Rejoice with me!
This week marked the fourth anniversary of the publishing of Resisting Gossip: Winning the War of the Wagging Tongue. What a joy it has been to be see it continue to be read by people all around the world.
Here are eight important milestones from the last 12 months:
1. I got to speak about resisting gossip and using our words for good at the 2016 Deep and Wide Conference at Faith EFC in Mountain Lake Park Maryland.
2. The Spanish version, Resistiendo el Chisme, is now available as an e-book in multiple formats.
3. The Korean version,험담을 멈추라, was released by CLC Korea.
4. CareLeader republished my article on Keeping Gossip Out of Prayer Requests.
5. The Russian version, Противостоять сплетням, was released by CLC Belarus and (another first!) they produced a Russian version of the original book trailer.
6. The Romanian version, Lupta împotriva bârfei, was released by CLC Romania (doesn't "bârfei" look like a great word for gossip?!).
That brings the total number of languages up to 6 (including the original English, the only one that I actually understand)!
7. Resisting Gossip was included among a group of terrific books in a new free guide for discipling youth by Reformed Youth Online.
8. I was interviewed by two pastors for their curiously named "Walrus and Carpenter Podcast" about the 4th anniversary of the book.
Thank you to those who have helped with this and prayed for the influence of our little book. I'm thankful to my Lord for the blessing of being involved in this ministry and grateful for stories of people who are learning to win the war of the wagging tongue.
Thursday, August 31, 2017
The Walrus and the Carpenter Podcast
They asked me questions about the 4 year anniversary of the release of Resisting Gossip and about how its teaching relates to prayer requests, pastoral ministry, and a bunch of other things. It was fun to hang out with a couple curious pastors who are passionate about ministry.
They are currently running a contest to win a free copy of Resisting Gossip provided by CLC Publications. Listen to the podcast to find out how to win.
Saturday, June 17, 2017
"Resisting Gossip" Now Available in Russian! Противостоять сплетням.
Rejoice with me!
The good folks from CLC Belarus have translated our little book into the Russian language and made it available to the Russian-speaking world.
It's so exciting to see it in yet another script and yet another language. I can't hardly wait to hold a copy in my own hands.
May the Lord use Противостоять сплетням to further His kingdom and help followers of Christ to win the war of the wagging tongue.
And here's yet another "first." CLC Belarus has dubbed and subtitled the original trailer into Russian, as well. Thanks to Third Brother Films for creating the short film in the first place and giving CLC permission to translate it across the globe.
Friday, April 28, 2017
Rejoice with me! 험담을 멈추라 is here.
I can't say it or even read it, but I know it's the Korean version of Resisting Gossip: Winning the War of the Wagging Tongue!
This translation is almost 3 years in the making, so it's a real treat to hold in my hands. I can tell that the good folks from CLC Korea put a lot of time and effort into producing this paperback. It has great layout, graphics, and design and has a high quality cover.
Rejoice with me!
Friday, April 21, 2017
Keeping Gossip Out of Prayer Requests - CareLeader
The good folks at CareLeader have republished my article on gossip and prayer ministry. May the Lord use it to help praying folks be more vigilant, discerning, and loving.
Check out their website for lots of helpful articles and other resources for providing care for the people in your church. I've been especially helped by their GriefShare resources including the book Grieving with Hope.
Friday, April 07, 2017
"Resisting Gossip" Now Available in Korean! 험담을 멈추라
Our little book has made it safely across the ocean and been translated into the Korean language.
Thank you, CLC Korea, for making it available to readers!
At least, I think that's what this is. I can't read a word of Korean. 😀 I can't even tell if my Google Translate guess from 2014 was even close.
Yet even though I can't read it, I look forward to holding a copy in my own hands soon.
Monday, December 05, 2016
E-Book Versions of "Resistiendo el Chisme"
Resistiendo el Chisme, the Spanish version of Resisting Gossip, is now available as an e-book in multiple formats:
Kindle
Nook
Kobo
iTunes (iOS devices)
Google Play
This is so encouraging to me, especially because I know it's already being used in online classes for Christian leaders by educators like Dr. Tim McIntosh. Tim had asked for a digital version for his students, and the good folks at CLC Colombia and CLC Publications made it happen!
When it first came out, Resistiendo el Chisme was featured in a 18 minute segment on the morning show of Channel One television in Colombia (see YouTube Video below). When I wrote the original book, I never expected it to be used by people all around the world. Praise the Lord!
Saturday, September 03, 2016
Three Years of "Resisting Gossip"
It's hard to believe, but Resisting Gossip: Winning the War of the Wagging Tongue was released on September 3, 2013.
Yesterday, I went through all of the posts on this blog marked Resisting Gossip, and reviewed what a wonderful adventure it has been over the last twelve months.
This year has definitely been a quieter year than the previous one when we had the release of Resisting Gossip Together, the ten-part Resisting Gossip Video Teaching Series (free online!), and the Spanish translation Resistiendo El Chisme (remember that time it was on Colombian national television?!?!).
But even though it hasn't been as busy, I am still amazed at how far Resisting Gossip has traveled and thankful for how it continues to have an effect on people's lives.
En français!
A year ago, the French version, Résister à la médisance was released in both France and Canada.
I got to actually be present for the Canadian release. Dave Almack of CLC Ministries and I traveled up to the beautiful city of Montreal where I got to meet Antoine Roberge and the rest of the CLC Canada team and share the message of my book through a translator.In a word, this experience was "Merveilleux!"
In Wales, Too
The next international stop was an article in the Welsh magazine originally titled, "Y Cylchgrawn Efengylaidd," or in English, "The Evangelical Magazine." They published an adapted form of chapter 6, "Instead of Gossip: Listening." Thank you to CLC Publications for giving them permission to share this with their readers.CCEF National Conference
In between those two international events, I had the privilege of presenting a breakout seminar at the CCEF National Conference entitled, "Behind the Back: When Gossip Distorts Side-by-Side Ministry."
Speaking at CCEF was a "bucket list" level event for me and brought Resisting Gossip full circle as it started its life as a doctoral project encouraged by Ed Welch. I spoke to a room full of highly-engaged listeners who asked great questions to interact with what I had to share. I would do it again in a heartbeat.
Hope Church
In January, I had the opportunity to present the Resisting Gossip Seminar and preach at Hope Church in Spenser, Iowa which is pastored by my friend Russell Muilenburg. Russell wove the seminar into a sermon series he was doing on "Taming the Tongue" for which he interviewed me.
Still Being Read
I'm encouraged that Resisting Gossip continues to be a bestseller for CLC Publications, and I still get emails and mail from readers who are being helped to fight the good fight against this pernicious temptation.I'm so glad that we went with CLC as our publisher, especially because of their international missions outreach. In April, I was invited to be the speaker for their special 75th Anniversary Celebration at their annual conference in Philadelphia. What a joy to be with those precious people who pour out their lives to get solid evangelical literature into the hands of the nations!
More Still To Come
The good folks at CLC tell me that the Russian translation has been completed, and they hope to release it this Fall and that the Korean translation is in the final stages of translation and may even be out this month. How exciting to think about the impact of our little book on people around the world.
Tuesday, August 30, 2016
Blaise Pascal on Gossip
(Quoted in "Do Your Friendships Live Out the Gospel?" by Jonathan Holmes in the newest issue of the Journal of Biblical Counseling. Holmes says, "Though gossip and slander can (and should) be forgiven like any other sin, it can take considerable time for trust to be rebuilt, and the hard truth is that many friendships never recover fully" (pg.37)).
