{"id":303724,"date":"2015-10-29T11:00:00","date_gmt":"2015-10-29T15:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast\/%series%\/cursing-and-profanity\/"},"modified":"2025-01-09T13:33:35","modified_gmt":"2025-01-09T18:33:35","slug":"cursing-and-profanity","status":"publish","type":"podcast","link":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast\/familylife-today\/cursing-and-profanity\/","title":{"rendered":"Cursing and Profanity"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Pastor Nelson Searcy encourages listeners to steward their speech as disciples of Christ. Searcy tells how he broke the habit of cursing by putting himself on a 30-day no-cursing challenge.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Pastor Nelson Searcy encourages listeners to steward their speech as disciples of Christ. Searcy tells how he broke the habit of cursing by putting himself on a 30-day no-cursing challenge.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":91,"featured_media":294104,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","inline_featured_image":false,"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","episode_type":"audio","audio_file":"https:\/\/web.familylifetoday.com\/fl2015-10-29.mp3","podmotor_file_id":"","podmotor_episode_id":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"00:","filesize":"22.79M","filesize_raw":"23896046","date_recorded":"2015-10-29 11:00:00","explicit":"","block":""},"categories":[2827,2866],"tags":[4726,5850],"podcast_series":[8108],"cwp_profile":[3327],"series":[2101],"class_list":["post-303724","podcast","type-podcast","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-repentance","category-spiritual-disciplines-essentials-faith","tag-cursing","tag-how-to-stop-cursing","podcast_series-tongue-pierced","cwp_profile-nelson-searcy","series-familylife-today"],"acf":[],"episode_featured_image":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1001\/2024\/09\/FLT-Podcast-Cover-2-508x508-3.jpg?w=508","episode_player_image":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1001\/2023\/02\/image-scaled.jpg","download_link":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast-download\/303724\/cursing-and-profanity","player_link":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast-player\/303724\/cursing-and-profanity","audio_player":null,"episode_data":{"playerMode":"light","subscribeUrls":{"apple_podcasts":{"key":"apple_podcasts","url":"https:\/\/podcasts.apple.com\/us\/podcast\/familylife-today\/id212174303?mt=2&app=podcast","label":"Apple Podcasts","class":"apple_podcasts","icon":"apple-podcasts.png"},"google_podcasts":{"key":"google_podcasts","url":"","label":"Google Podcasts","class":"google_podcasts","icon":"google-podcasts.png"},"spotify":{"key":"spotify","url":"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/show\/0j5UaKdQOHQCuo1bt0ebEm","label":"Spotify","class":"spotify","icon":"spotify.png"},"youtube":{"key":"youtube","url":"","label":"YouTube","class":"youtube","icon":"youtube.png"}},"rssFeedUrl":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/feed\/podcast\/familylife-today","embedCode":"<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"CX4GONNpNm\"><a href=\"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast\/familylife-today\/cursing-and-profanity\/\">Cursing and Profanity<\/a><\/blockquote><iframe sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast\/familylife-today\/cursing-and-profanity\/embed\/#?secret=CX4GONNpNm\" width=\"500\" height=\"350\" title=\"&#8220;Cursing and Profanity&#8221; &#8212; FamilyLife\u00ae - A Cru Ministry\" data-secret=\"CX4GONNpNm\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" class=\"wp-embedded-content\"><\/iframe><script>\n\/*! This file is auto-generated *\/\n!function(d,l){\"use strict\";l.querySelector&&d.addEventListener&&\"undefined\"!=typeof URL&&(d.wp=d.wp||{},d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage||(d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage=function(e){var t=e.data;if((t||t.secret||t.message||t.value)&&!\/[^a-zA-Z0-9]\/.test(t.secret)){for(var s,r,n,a=l.querySelectorAll('iframe[data-secret=\"'+t.secret+'\"]'),o=l.querySelectorAll('blockquote[data-secret=\"'+t.secret+'\"]'),c=new RegExp(\"^https?:$\",\"i\"),i=0;i<o.length;i++)o[i].style.display=\"none\";for(i=0;i<a.length;i++)s=a[i],e.source===s.contentWindow&&(s.removeAttribute(\"style\"),\"height\"===t.message?(1e3<(r=parseInt(t.value,10))?r=1e3:~~r<200&&(r=200),s.height=r):\"link\"===t.message&&(r=new URL(s.getAttribute(\"src\")),n=new URL(t.value),c.test(n.protocol))&&n.host===r.host&&l.activeElement===s&&(d.top.location.href=t.value))}},d.addEventListener(\"message\",d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage,!1),l.addEventListener(\"DOMContentLoaded\",function(){for(var e,t,s=l.querySelectorAll(\"iframe.wp-embedded-content\"),r=0;r<s.length;r++)(t=(e=s[r]).getAttribute(\"data-secret\"))||(t=Math.random().toString(36).substring(2,12),e.src+=\"#?secret=\"+t,e.setAttribute(\"data-secret\",t)),e.contentWindow.postMessage({message:\"ready\",secret:t},\"*\")},!1)))}(window,document);\n\/\/# sourceURL=https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-includes\/js\/wp-embed.min.js\n<\/script>\n"},"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1001\/2024\/09\/FLT-Podcast-Cover-2-508x508-3.jpg",508,508,false]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"kfairris@familylife.com","author_link":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/author\/kfairrisfamilylife-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"Pastor Nelson Searcy encourages listeners to steward their speech as disciples of Christ. Searcy tells how he broke the habit of cursing by putting himself on a 30-day no-cursing challenge.","meta_box":{"show_notes":"","transcript_url":"https:\/\/transcript.familylifetoday.com\/fl2015-10-29.pdf","transcript_content":"<p><strong>Bob: <\/strong>The Bible says that what comes out of our mouths show us what\u2019s really in our hearts. Pastor Nelson Searcy says, \u201cFor some of us, there\u2019s a lot of cursing locked inside of us.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>Nelson: <\/strong>So, you think about\u2014we\u2019re hanging a frame \/ a picture frame on the wall, and we hit our thumb with the proverbial hammer. The word that is most appropriate is not the word that most of us would say\u2014we would let out a curse word. The more appropriate word is: \u201cOuch! Why did I do that?!\u201d\u00a0 So, in essence, removing curse words is really about being wise with your words and taking these unwise words and using better words.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Bob: <\/strong>This is <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em> for Thursday, October 29<sup>th<\/sup>. Our host is the President of FamilyLife<sup>\u00ae<\/sup>, Dennis Rainey, and I\u2019m Bob Lepine. We\u2019re going to teach you how you can learn to say, \u201cOuch,\u201d more often as we talk about cursing today. Stay tuned.<\/p>\n<p><strong>1:00<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>And welcome to <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em>. Thanks for joining us. I was just sitting here thinking about a conversation I had with my sons. This was a number of years ago. They were in high school, and we were talking about\u2014talking about cuss words \/ we were talking about profanity. They were trying to make the argument to me that words are just words\u2014you know, that, basically, certain words\u2014[Laughter] \u2014Why are you laughing?<\/p>\n<p><strong>Dennis: <\/strong>That is adolescent rationale. I mean, it\u2019s\u2014it\u2019s\u2014they can\u2019t be wrong. I mean, you know. [Laughter]<\/p>\n<p><strong>Bob: <\/strong>So, the whole point of what they were saying was: \u201cWords aren\u2019t right or wrong. They are just words. It\u2019s whatever meaning you ascribe to them, and that it really didn\u2019t matter.\u201d\u00a0 That didn\u2019t mean that we were going to start cussing around their mom. But in their peer-to-peer communication, they felt a certain amount of freedom to use particular words.<\/p>\n<p><strong>2:00<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>I was saying, \u201cI\u2019m not sure that\u2019s honoring to the Lord.\u201d\u00a0 They were going: \u201cIt\u2019s just words. It\u2019s just letters put together, Dad.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>Dennis: <\/strong>I\u2019m glad I had a father\u2014<\/p>\n<p><strong>Bob: <\/strong>Yes.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Dennis: <\/strong>\u2014who modeled what you\u2019re talking about. In fact, when my dad used a word that was inappropriate\u2014a cuss word\u2014I remember laughing because it was so out of character for my father. Even the way he pronounced the word was poor. He didn\u2019t do a good job of even pronouncing the word. [Laughter]<\/p>\n<p>I just remember, thinking of my dad, going, \u201cI\u2019m really glad, as I went through adolescence, that I had a dad who was a\u2014kind of like a rail on a mountain road that keeps you off the edge \/ away from the edge.\u201d\u00a0 In the locker room, it was pretty profane.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Bob: <\/strong>Well, think about the culture we live in today because this is a culture where people think more like my sons did in adolescence than they think like I do in terms of words.<\/p>\n<p><strong>3:00<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>It has become a coarse culture in terms of the language we hear in the grocery store or language we hear on the street corner.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Dennis: <\/strong>And I\u2019m going to tell the story about New York City; but before I do that, I want to introduce Nelson Searcy to our radio audience. Nelson, welcome back.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Nelson: <\/strong>Great to be back.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Dennis: <\/strong>Nelson is a pastor, currently, in Boca Raton; right?<\/p>\n<p><strong>Nelson: <\/strong>That\u2019s right.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Dennis: <\/strong>You\u2019re not truly <em>the<\/em> pastor. You\u2019re the <em>founding<\/em> pastor of the Journey Church in New York City; but you are currently pastoring in Boca Raton.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Nelson: <\/strong>Well, I serve as an overseer for all our Journey locations. Each of those has their own campus pastors. I serve as the founding pastor\u2014the lead pastor, teaching pastor, vision pastor\u2014whatever it is they need me to do on any given day; but the one I originally started is in New York City. A few years ago, we started one in Boca Raton. I thought South Florida might be fun to live in for a while. [Laughter]<\/p>\n<p><strong>Dennis: <\/strong>Yes, and get out of the snow.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Nelson: <\/strong>Yes, I got away from the wind.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Dennis: <\/strong>Yes, no doubt about it. Well, he and his wife Kelley have been married 21 years. They have one son, Alexander.<\/p>\n<p><strong>4:00<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>He\u2019s written a book called <em>Tongue Pierced<\/em>. If you didn\u2019t listen to the earlier broadcast, you\u2019ll have to go back and hear the story kind of where this came from. We\u2019ll get to that subject in just a moment.<\/p>\n<p>But I was in\u2014I believe it was Grand Central Station; okay?\u00a0 There were some shops there, and I wandered into one of the shops. We got there before we had to leave\u2014so we were wandering around. We walked into a store, and there was a book that had a vulgar term on the cover. It was right at eye-level for kids, who were five and six years of age, to able to see.<\/p>\n<p>I\u2019m not on a personal crusade in every store I walk into to find something wrong, but something hit me about that. I said, \u201cI\u2019d like to speak with the store manager.\u201d\u00a0 So, I took the book over, and he was there. I said: \u201cI just have to tell you. I was enjoying your store.<\/p>\n<p><strong>5:00<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s a beautiful store\u2014getting ready to buy some stuff here\u2014and I just have to tell you\u2014this book doesn\u2019t fit here. This is vulgar.\u201d\u00a0 And he looked at me and was like, \u201cWhat are you talking about?\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>Bob: <\/strong>\u201cWhat planet are you from?!\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>Dennis: <\/strong>Exactly\u2014exactly. I said, \u201cYou know, I\u2019m not personally trying to trash you or your store. I would just like to call you up because there are little kids walking around your store who can read. They don\u2019t need to see that term.\u201d\u00a0 I didn\u2019t thump him with the Bible. I didn\u2019t pull out my witnessing tract and give it to him at that point. I just feel like, at points, we need to push back against the crassness of our culture and how it\u2019s just spiraling down without anybody pressing back against vulgarity in our culture.<\/p>\n<p>And frankly, that\u2019s a piece of what this book is doing; but you\u2019re beginning with the household of faith, first of all\u2014those who profess to follow Christ\u2014and you\u2019re saying that our tongues need to be pierced by the cross of Jesus Christ.<\/p>\n<p><strong>6:00<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Explain what you mean.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Nelson: <\/strong>Yes. Well, the idea of the tongue-pierced lifestyle\u2014how the words you speak transform the life you live\u2014that God has given us this unique ability to use words to build people up and to tear people down. \u201cLife and death is in the power of the tongue [Proverbs 18:21],\u201d as King David reminded us. Part of our issue, as disciples \/ as followers of Jesus, is to steward our language\u2014to be good stewards of our language. As I\u2019ve talked about this book, a lot of pastors, especially, have been surprised that I would propose that cursing is a problem, even in the Christian world. So, certainly, in Grand Central Station in a bookstore, we might expect to find that kind of language\u2014<\/p>\n<p><strong>Dennis: <\/strong>Right.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Nelson: <\/strong>\u2014or we might expect to hear it out in society.<\/p>\n<p>I was teaching, one day, at the church. I often mention my faults, which means I never lack sermon material as long as I can teach on my faults. [Laughter]<\/p>\n<p><strong>7:00<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>I mentioned how I grew up in a family\u2014not so much my mom and dad \/ they were a bit cautious with their words\u2014but the extended family, especially\u2014they made cursing an art. They were really good at it. So, I learned very quickly how to use curse words as a verb and how to speak this language and gain respect in my non-Christian family. I mentioned that that was something I was working on.<\/p>\n<p>It hit me that this idea of avoiding foul and offensive language\u2014that\u2019s actually a <em>command<\/em> that the Bible gives us. So, the Apostle Paul, writing in Ephesians\u2014he says very plainly: \u201cDon\u2019t use foul and abusive language. Instead, let everything you say be good and helpful so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them [Ephesians 4:29].\u201d\u00a0 This led me to think: \u201cWhat would it look like if Christians started the language revolution, and we eliminated the use of curse words?\u00a0 How would that allow us to be a better witness in the workplace if we opted out of these words that are foul and abusive?<\/p>\n<p><strong>8:00<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cBut then, more so, let\u2019s start with the home. Let\u2019s just insure that, as Christian fathers and Christian mothers, we eliminate that.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>Bob: <\/strong>You introduced a 30-day challenge that you and others went on.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Nelson: <\/strong>Well, that eventually led to me doing more study about the power of language\u2014about cursing\u2014led to a very interesting research project where I thought I would try to figure out what was behind some of our more common curse words. The first clue to the problem is actually in the word we use. Now, I think, where I grew up, they called it cussing\u2014they dropped the \u201cr\u201d out of that\u2014but the idea of curse words is literally a Bible term because the first curse in the Bible happens when God puts the curse on the devil \/ on the serpent, there in the Garden with Adam and Eve. That curse that God put on the serpent is actually the same word that we use to refer to curse words.<\/p>\n<p><strong>9:00<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>I found that connection to be very interesting. I began to realize that, when I speak a curse word, I\u2019m trying to do something that only God has the power to do. Only God can legitimately condemn someone for eternity; but if I use a \u201cGD\u201d-type word, I\u2019m trying to become God. I\u2019m trying to take that God-like power. If I tell someone to \u201cGo to\u2026\u201d\u2014and I use a curse word there\u2014I don\u2019t have the power to do that. Only God has the power.<\/p>\n<p>Then, I thought, \u201cIf I\u2019m trying to be like God, maybe, I should try to eliminate that from my language altogether.\u201d\u00a0 So, at first, I put myself under a 30-Day No Cursing Challenge. Then, the idea was, \u201cCould I go 30 days without using a curse word?\u201d\u00a0 I think that was about ten years ago. I instituted another rule, which is: \u201cIf I violate the 30-day challenge, I have to start over.\u201d I think, right now, ten years later, I\u2019m on a\u2014maybe, I\u2019m seven or eight days into my most recent 30-day no curse challenge.<\/p>\n<p><strong>10:00<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>[Laughter]\u00a0 But I\u2019ve begun to challenge people in the church to take a 30-Day No Cursing Challenge. I would preach on it. I would sign people up to take the challenge\u2014I would check in with them.<\/p>\n<p>Many people told me\u2014young professionals in Manhattan, like we have in our church \/ multicultural church, various backgrounds, various jobs\u2014many of them told me\u2014of all the challenges that I had offered over the years \/ there were challenges to tithe, or challenges to share their faith, or challenges to fast for Lent\u2014these other challenges that we do as part of our church\u2014this one was the most difficult, but it was also the one that caused them to draw closer to God. I thought, \u201cMay be onto something here\u201d; and I put that in the book.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Bob: <\/strong>Well, that\u2019s an interesting insight. They were saying that somehow the language\u2014the coarse language they were using \/ the curse language\u2014was keeping them separated from God in some way. What\u2019s up with that?<\/p>\n<p><strong>Nelson: <\/strong>Yes. Well, words can bring life \/ words can bring death.<\/p>\n<p><strong>11:00<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>We think about that in relationship with one another; but the words that we say can also bring life to our relationship with God. So, here\u2019s someone, seeking God\u2014seeking to grow as a Christian \/ seeking to become more and more like Christ\u2014but every time we take two steps forward, then, our language interrupts that\u2014and maybe, in a sense\u2014forces us to take a step back.<\/p>\n<p>What if we could remove that negative language and talk to other people in much the same way that we would talk to God?\u2014and eliminate those curse words from our lives\u2014quit trying to be God and put these curses on others. What would that do to our heart?\u2014because, if out of our heart is coming these curse words\u2014we fix the curse words, then, what would that do to the purity of our heart; and how would that draw us closer to God?<\/p>\n<p><strong>Bob: <\/strong>Okay, you might be able to guess this; but my sons, who knew their Bible, knew that Paul had used a scatological term in one of his epistles, where he said that his good works could be compared to dung.<\/p>\n<p><strong>12:00<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>They said: \u201cThere you go. <em>See<\/em>, the Bible even uses some of those words.\u201d\u00a0 And I told them, \u201cIf they wanted to use, \u2018dung,\u2019 as their curse word, that that was okay.\u201d\u00a0 [Laughter]\u00a0 They could get by with that.<\/p>\n<p>But some folks would say, \u201cYou know, the Bible uses\u2014Jesus spoke very harshly and spoke to the Pharisees with some hard words.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>Nelson: <\/strong>Yes, I understand that. I\u2019m not trying to be legalistic in this idea; but I think, oftentimes, we use curse words almost as a cheap way to say something. So, you think about\u2014we\u2019re hanging a frame \/ a picture frame on the wall; and we hit our thumb with the proverbial hammer. The word that is most appropriate is not the word that most of us would say\u2014we would let out a curse word. The more appropriate word is the word: \u201cOuch!\u00a0 Why did I do that?!\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>Dennis: <\/strong>Right.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Nelson: <\/strong>Well, in a small way, that\u2019s what we do with language.<\/p>\n<p><strong>13:00<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>We cheapen our language by using curse words so frequently that they actually become poor words that need to be chosen more wisely. In essence, removing curse words is really about being wise with your words and taking these unwise words and using better words\u2014better words in our home \/ better words with our children.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Bob: <\/strong>Okay. So, let me tell you what happened the other day. You tell me if\u2014I think this was a better word, but I\u2019m just trying to get the principle here. I was travelling\u2014we were with some friends.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Dennis: <\/strong>I\u2019ve worked with you too long, Bob. I know exactly\u2014<\/p>\n<p><strong>Bob: <\/strong>You know where this is going?<\/p>\n<p><strong>Dennis: <\/strong>I do.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Bob: <\/strong>So, we were having lunch together\u2014had a nice lunch. We were in Fresno, California. Where do you think I went for lunch in Fresno, California?<\/p>\n<p><strong>Dennis: <\/strong>Cheesecake Factory.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Bob: <\/strong>Exactly\u2014had a wonderful lunch!<\/p>\n<p><strong>Dennis: <\/strong>At number 80\u2014what?<\/p>\n<p><strong>Bob: <\/strong>Eighty-\u2014I\u2019d been there before. So, it didn\u2019t\u2014but this was 83; okay\u2014location number 83. [Laughter] At the end of lunch, we pay. We get in the rental car. We drive to the airport.<\/p>\n<p><strong>14:00<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>At the rental car place, I go to get out my credit card\u2014I\u2019d left it back at the restaurant\u2014catching a plane \/ got to turn in the rental car\u2014the credit card is back\u2014as soon as I opened my wallet and see that the credit card is not there, I said, \u201cStink!\u201d\u2014that\u2019s what I said. Now, I picked that up from our mutual friend\u2014you know, our friend, Dave Daggett, used to say, \u201cStink,\u201d all the time.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Dennis: <\/strong>Oh, you\u2019re going to blame him with it. [Laughter]<\/p>\n<p><strong>Bob: <\/strong>He was the one who introduced me to \u201cStink!\u201d as an expression that I could use out of frustration or in a frustrating moment. Now, I\u2019m back to my teenage sons, who would say: \u201cDad, it\u2019s the same thing, whether you say \u2018stink,\u2019 or you say something else. It\u2019s\u2014it\u2019s\u2014you\u2019re just cursing. You just picked a different\u2014a few different letters.\u201d\u00a0 So, is \u201cStink!\u201d as bad as something else I might have said?<\/p>\n<p><strong>Nelson: <\/strong>Well, I\u2019ve had this question before about these Christian replacements that we have for curse words.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Bob: <\/strong>\u201cDagnabbit!\u201d\u2014yes.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Nelson: <\/strong>Yes.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Bob: <\/strong>Yes.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Dennis: <\/strong>Christian replacements?<\/p>\n<p><strong>15:00<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Nelson: <\/strong>Oh, sure.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Dennis: <\/strong>I\u2019ve never heard them called that.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Nelson: <\/strong>Well\u2014<\/p>\n<p><strong>Dennis: <\/strong>I understand what you\u2019re talking about. [Laughter] I\u2019ve never heard them called that, though.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Nelson: <\/strong>Some are better than others, of course. I would say, given the choice\u2014you were much better to use your word, \u201cstink, stank, or stunk,\u201d [Laughter] than any of the other words that might come to mind, if for no other reason than the witness that that might give to those around you.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Bob: <\/strong>Yes.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Nelson: <\/strong>But I think, as always, we have to hold our lives up to the mirror of Scripture. I think of Psalm 19:14, where\u2014we often think of it as a prayer, but it\u2019s also an evaluation verse: \u201cMay the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing to You, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>So, in that moment, you made a human mistake\u2014it is part of our fallen nature. We forget things. We are imperfect. So, could you have given praise to the Lord?\u00a0 It might seem a little unusual if you had done that; but in a way: \u201cPraise the Lord that I am saved because He overcomes my imperfections. I\u2019m the imperfect person who leaves my credit card back at the store\u2014<\/p>\n<p><strong>16:00<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u2014trying to catch my flight\u2014but God has forgiven me. With that in mind, I can press on; and we can solve this problem together.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>Dennis: <\/strong>That would be the way I would view it. I would think, \u201cYou know, God in heaven did not move forward on the edge of the throne, reach over to His left and find a fly-swatter, and go, \u2018I\u2019m going to club that Lepine guy\u2014<\/p>\n<p><strong>Bob: <\/strong>\u2014\u201c\u2019for saying, \u201cStink!\u201d\u2019\u201d\u00a0 [Laughter]<\/p>\n<p><strong>Dennis: <\/strong>You know what?\u00a0 I think there are bigger issues in our life. I understand the question, Bob, because I think we are too casual sometimes with these things; but I think God relates to us, understanding who we are in our broken state. He does call us to holiness. I\u2019m not minimizing that in anyway whatsoever; but I think He may have bigger issues in our lives and in our hearts that He may be dealing with.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Bob: <\/strong>At the same time, this issue of cussing is something that you\u2019ve addressed on <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em> as an area for parents of teenagers \/ as an area for all of us to be on guard against the language we use.<\/p>\n<p><strong>17:00<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Dennis: <\/strong>And dads, to be sure. I don\u2019t remember if it was a peer, as in another dad, or one of my sons I had this conversation with\u2014but it caused me to do some thinking of: \u201cWhat is the root of this?\u00a0 What\u2019s taking place when we take a word and we twist and turn it into a curse word?\u201d I think it was my son I was explaining this to\u2014I said: \u201cYou know, God made certain acts that a husband and wife have in marriage to be holy \/ to be blessed by Him, and it\u2019s good. It\u2019s absolutely good. But when people take that act and they put vulgar terms around it\u2014that wrap anger around it \/ that wrap hatred around it\u2014in essence, they are almost shaking their fist at God and what God designed, wanting to take His place as we curse, and wanting to <em>redefine<\/em> what He called good.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>18:00<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>I just think for that very reason, those words have no place in our vocabulary.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Bob: <\/strong>So, let\u2019s take the person, who is listening, who would say: \u201cOkay, I let a few of these words loose more often than I would like. I get angry. I get frustrated. I just\u2014it\u2019s engrained in my habit patterns. What would you suggest I do?\u00a0 How do I back away from\u2014because I want my words to be pleasing and edifying?\u00a0 What do I do?\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>Dennis: <\/strong>I\u2019m going to give you a spectrum here. Let\u2019s use Bob\u2014what he\u2019s talking about as one end of the spectrum, and maybe, me as a middle part of the spectrum, where the other night, I got an email at 10:30 at night. The word that came out of my mouth surprised me and surprised Barbara, and I was not aiming it at my wife. It was just not a good word.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Bob: <\/strong>You didn\u2019t say, \u201cStink\u201d?<\/p>\n<p><strong>Dennis: <\/strong>I didn\u2019t say, \u201cStink.\u201d\u00a0 I would have been better informed to have gone with your sanctified\u2014<\/p>\n<p><strong>19:00<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u2014what did you call it, again?<\/p>\n<p><strong>Bob: <\/strong>Christian replacement.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Nelson: <\/strong>Christian replacement.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Dennis: <\/strong>Christian replacement. Immediately, after I said the word, I said: \u201cSweetheart, forgive me. That was inappropriate. That was not the right response\u201d; and \u201cGod, forgive me.\u201d\u00a0 Move on, at that point.<\/p>\n<p>Now, in that spectrum\u2014and I\u2019m just telling you\u2014I don\u2019t remember the last curse word I said before that. Now, that one\u2019s fresh because that didn\u2019t happen too many days ago; but you\u2019ve got people, who are all over the spectrum on this\u2014people who grew up like you did, hearing the words all the time\u2014and others, kind of like me, who had a dad who\u2014he pretty much walked the talk.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Nelson: <\/strong>Well, first of all, everything that has been said, just in this conversation to bring awareness to our words\u2014the person who is sitting out there, no matter where they fall on that spectrum\u2014if they just <em>desire<\/em> to be more aware of their words, it will do something in their relationship with God. Talking to Christians, in particular:<\/p>\n<p><strong>20:00<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen a Christian curses, it is not that God judges them; and it\u2019s not that they are loved less or that\u2019s an unpardonable, unforgiveable sin. Just like you said\u2014you asked your spouse to forgive you \/ you asked God to forgive you\u2014you are <em>forgiven<\/em> in the midst of that.<\/p>\n<p>I think awareness is a big piece of the puzzle. That\u2019s really what I\u2019m trying to do\u2014instead of being <em>casual<\/em> with our language \/ instead of being <em>loose<\/em> with our lips or speaking cheap words\u2014we say: \u201cWords are cheap,\u201d \/ \u201cTalk is cheap,\u201d\u2014I\u2019m trying to bring awareness. What I\u2019m saying to the Christian is: \u201cIf you give something a try, like a 30-Day No Cursing Challenge\u2014you do it with the right heart, you do it with grace, you do it in the spirit of, \u201cGod, use this to draw me closer to You,\u201d\u2014you may be amazed at how that new awareness and this new discipline in your life can bring about growth in <em>all<\/em> the spiritual disciplines in your life. You may just find, at the end of a 30-Day No Cursing Challenge\u2014or if you\u2019re like me and you can\u2019t get 30 consecutive days in a row\u2014you may just find that that is a spiritual-growth practice that can lead you into a deeper walk with God.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Bob: <\/strong>And the person who says, \u201cI want to take that challenge,\u201d would you encourage them to come up with some replacements words; or do they just bite their tongue?<\/p>\n<p><strong>21:00<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>What do they do?<\/p>\n<p><strong>Nelson: <\/strong>Well, actually\u2014and I don\u2019t know if this is appropriate\u2014but I wrote 30 devotions that\u2014if someone goes to the book\u2019s website, they can sign up to take the 30-Day No Cursing Challenge. I address that and other issues that may come along, including the fact that most people stumble about Day 3. I address that in these devotions to help people get a proper perspective on this challenge because it\u2019s not about legalism\u2014it\u2019s about us becoming more like Christ.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Dennis: <\/strong>And go to Bob\u2019s website to find out his sanctified\u2014<\/p>\n<p><strong>Bob: <\/strong>My list of words. [Laughter]<\/p>\n<p><strong>Dennis: <\/strong>\u2014Christian replacements for \u201cStink.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>Nelson: <\/strong>Well, I could put those on the website as well.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Dennis: <\/strong>And yes!\u00a0 [Laughter]<\/p>\n<p><strong>Bob: <\/strong>We\u2019ve got a link on our website, at FamilyLifeToday.com, to the devotions that you\u2019ve put together. So, if a listener wants to get a copy of the book and work through the 30-day challenge, they can go to FamilyLifeToday.com, click the link in the upper left-hand corner of the screen that says, \u201cGO DEEPER,\u201d and they can order your book from us, online; or they can download the devotions from us.<\/p>\n<p><strong>22:00<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Again, the website, FamilyLifeToday.com; or you can call if you\u2019d like to order a copy of the book, <em>Tongue Pierced<\/em>, by Pastor Nelson Searcy. Our toll-free number is 1-800-FL-TODAY. That\u2019s 1-800-358-6329. Or again, you can order the book from us, online, at FamilyLifeToday.com.<\/p>\n<p>And we need to take just a minute here, before we wrap things up, and just say how grateful we are for the listeners who make programs like today\u2019s program possible. You know <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em> would not exist if it weren\u2019t for a handful of folks, in every community across the country, who say: \u201cThis program matters to our family, and we think it\u2019s important for our community. We think this program is building into the lives of young couples and young families, and we want to be a part of bringing it to our community.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>23:00<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Those of you who feel that way and make an online donation in support of this ministry or who are Legacy Partners, supporting us each month\u2014we\u2019re grateful that we are linked together in this kind of partnership.<\/p>\n<p>If you\u2019d like to help with a donation to make sure <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em> continues in your community, we\u2019d love to hear from you. You can go to FamilyLifeToday.com. Click the link in the upper right-hand corner of screen that says, \u201cI care,\u201d\u2014make an online donation. Or you can call 1-800-FL-TODAY\u2014make your donation over the phone. Or you can mail your donation to us at <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em> at PO Box 7111, Little Rock, AR; our zip code is 72223.<\/p>\n<p>By the way, when you get in touch with us to make a donation, you can request a thank-you resource from us. It\u2019s Barbara Rainey\u2019s brand-new updated resource called \u201cUntie Your Story\u201d\u2014questions that can be asked at the dinner table, designed to take the conversation a little deeper than normal. The cool thing is that the questions are on napkin ties. So, it helps the table look a little more festive as well.<\/p>\n<p><strong>24:00<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Again, this is our thank-you gift when you help with a donation right now. We do appreciate your support of this ministry.<\/p>\n<p>And we hope you can be back with us tomorrow. We\u2019re going to talk about gossip. We\u2019re going to talk about expressing gratitude and praising another person. We\u2019re going to talk about the good things and the bad things you can do with your tongue. So, I hope you can tune in for that.<\/p>\n<p>I want to thank our engineer today, Keith Lynch, and our entire broadcast production team. On behalf of our host, Dennis Rainey, I\u2019m Bob Lepine. We will see you back next time for another edition of <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p><em>FamilyLife Today<\/em> is a production of FamilyLife of Little Rock, Arkansas.<\/p>\n<p>Help for today. Hope for tomorrow.<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>We are so happy to provide these transcripts to you. However, there is a cost to produce them for our website. If you\u2019ve benefited from the broadcast transcripts, would you consider <a href=\"http:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/donate\">donating today<\/a> to help defray the costs?<\/p>\n<p>Copyright <sup>\u00a9<\/sup> 2015 FamilyLife. 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