A Blip . . . Or a Ripple?

These tire tracks in the snow bear a similarity to the ripples
radiating outward, created by a pebble thrown into a pond.

I’ve never been in an air traffic control tower, but have seen videos of how radar is used for tracking incoming airplanes. A line sweeps around the screen and blips briefly illuminate to reveal the presence of aircraft in the vicinity. These blips quickly disappear, usually to reappear with the next sweep of the radar screen.

Contrast that with pebbles thrown into a pond. After striking the pond surface, the pebbles disappear below the surface, but in their wake a series of ripples radiate from point of impact. Before it disappears, the pebble’s presence is “memorialized” as the ripples spread outward.

The latter, I believe, can represent the impact of our lives. Viewed within the context of many thousands of years of human existence – not to mention the scope of eternity – a single life may seem nothing more than a pebble falling into a pond, never to be seen again. But the ripples it causes show the impact of that life, one that could continue indefinitely.

Recently I wrote about my longtime friend Dave Stoddard, a larger-than-life individual whose time on earth ended unexpectedly at the age of 60. He spent much of his life investing in the lives of others – mentoring, coaching, teaching, encouraging, challenging, and sometimes chastising, all aimed at helping them to develop personally and professionally to reach their fullest potential. While Dave’s life might have appeared to some as a “blip” on a chronological radar screen, all who knew him realize his life was like the ripple that continues to radiate wider and wider.

At the visitation time and memorial service, several hundred men and women gathered to celebrate Dave’s life, share stories about him, and convey how he had touched their own lives. Many of them expressed their desire to have a similar impact on other people.

When Dave founded Leaders Legacy in 2000, he incorporated an image of ripples into the logo. This seems all the more appropriate today. He and I often talked about a leader’s true impact not being what happens while he or she is on the scene, but what happens after they leave. Will the leader’s impact look like a blip…or an ever-widening ripple?

The best possible example of this is Jesus Christ, who was the guiding force in Dave’s life. During His lifetime, Jesus was a novelty to many, a curiosity people followed just to see what He would do next. When His earthly days were over, Jesus left behind only a small, rag-tag band of men that hardly looked like world-changers. Yet 2,000 years later, Christ followers have multiplied, millions upon millions around the world.

God promises we, too, can have a profound, eternal impact on the lives of people around us. In Isaiah 43:4 the Lord states, “Since you are precious and honored in my sight, and because I love you, I will give men in exchange for you, and people in exchange for your life.” When we willingly and sacrificially give from our lives for the benefit of others, God will reward our faithfulness.

In John 15, Jesus used the analogy of a grapevine to explain the mission He had for His followers. As He concluded, Jesus explained, “You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit – fruit that remains” (John 15:16).

There are many endeavors and enterprises we can engage in and enjoy, but their impact will be brief. Even celebrated entertainers, athletes, business and civic leaders that receive much media attention are quickly forgotten when their day in the spotlight has ended. They may have achieved their 15 minutes of fame, but many had little long-lasting impact on the world around them.

They’re like shooting stars, sighted and then forgotten as they disappear in the evening sky. God’s desire for our lives, however, is to be more like the ripple in a pond, continuing to widen long after the pebble that started it has vanished from view.

If you were to assess your life to this point, would you say it’s more likely to produce a blip – or a long-lasting ripple? 

Change – Not Always a Good Thing

Change. For some of us, change is exhilarating and welcomed. For others, it’s terrifying. What’s wrong with status quo? But like it or not, whether you’ve initiated it or it’s been imposed on you, change is inescapable.

When we think about change, we need to look no farther than technology. I remember when televisions consisted of tubes with screens not much larger than your hand. Now TVs are flat, computerized and nearly as big as a wall. Does anyone remember eight-track tapes? They were the thing when I was in college, but they met extinction at the hands of cassette tapes, which deferred to CDs. You don’t even need those anymore – we can just download music, as well as books and periodicals onto our computers, smartphones, tablets and MP3 players.

We’ve seen much change – and incredible advances – in everything from car manufacturing to cooking to medical treatment. So change is good, right?

Yes – and not always. Take, for example, marriage. After memories of their “I do’s” have long faded, couples decide to part for a variety of reasons. And laws have made it very easy to sever marital bonds. So they divorce, expecting the return of happiness, but that’s not always the case. Years later, after too much time has passed, they wonder if they should have tried harder, made a greater effort to work things out. Or they remarry and, to their dismay, discover they selected a new mate all too-similar to the one they discarded.

During President Obama’s Presidential campaigns, a recurring theme he used was “change.” No question we’ve seen great changes, some of which would have been unimaginable just a few decades ago. But whether those changes have been good or not largely depends on where you fall on the political and ideological spectrum.

When we lose a beloved family member or friend to death, that “change” is heartbreaking. Even if we’re confident of their eternal destination, the relationship that has been severed in this life leaves a void that will never be filled.

And the pace of change isn’t slowing – it’s accelerating at an unprecedented rate. Futurist Dr. Richard Swenson has written, “Progress works by differentiation and proliferation, thus giving us more and more of everything, faster and faster.” In other words, mankind bore witness to more change in the past century than in all the rest of recorded history combined, and we’ll be seeing more change in the next 20 years than in the past 100.

For some, this seems like a very good thing. Even the Bible acknowledges the inevitability of change. Ecclesiastes 3:1 states, “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven.” The passage proceeds to identify various types of change – birth and death, planting and harvest, building and tearing down, weeping and laughing, mourning and dancing, war and peace, even times for speaking and times for keeping silent.

For followers of Christ, there is assurance of one constant, one thing they never need to fear will change: the presence, promises and character of the Lord they worship and serve. In the midst of life’s continual flux, Hebrews 13:8 emphatically declares, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.”

So as you’re dealing with change in the everyday fabric of life – whether it’s change you’re wanting or not – we can trust that Jesus will never be among those changes. He promised, “surely I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:20). We can count on that.

A Little of ‘Dis’ – and Something About Dat

We interrupt this program for an important announcement from our sponsor. Not really, but from time to time I like to divert into the fascinating (to me) world of words, especially since those are the tools of my trade.

Years ago I was in Hungary, the nation from which my grandparents immigrated. (I could have dangled a participle there, but chose not to – oops!) Possessing about 10 Hungarian words in my vocabulary, I commented to a new friend I’d been informed Hungarian is one of the most difficult languages in the world to learn. “Oh, it’s not very hard,” he replied. “All of my grandchildren speak it.” (Rim shot, please.) But in actuality, I can’t think of a harder language to learn than American English – unless you’re born in the United States and that’s all you’ve ever heard. Even then, someone from Maine speaking to someone in Louisiana might need a translator.

The problem is there are so many exceptions to the rules. There’s “i” before “e,” except after “c.” (Along with some other exceptions.) There are words spelled virtually the same, but pronounced totally differently – like rough, which rhymes with tough, but not with through, or cough, or bough. What's up with that?

And then there’s the suffix “dis.” In many instances, adding “dis” to a word makes it take on the opposite meaning. Like appear and disappear, or satisfaction and dissatisfaction. But sometimes if you remove the “dis” you end up with a word that doesn’t mean the opposite, or the letters remaining don’t even make up a word.

For instance, discombobulated means to be confused or bewildered. But we don’t describe clear thinkers as being “combobulated.” When we see someone poorly dressed or untidy, we might describe her as disheveled. But have you ever referred to a well-dressed individual as “heveled”?

We understand that a person that’s discouraged might be lacking in courage. We disassemble things that have been assembled, we disengage things that formerly were engaged (even though couples that were engaged to marry are not called "disengaged" when they call the whole thing off), and do a disservice when we fail to provide some type of needed service.

But although we dispense things like prescriptions, not handing them out does not mean to “pense” them. When we ease people’s concerns we say we dispel their fears, but if we cause people to feel afraid that doesn’t mean we “pel” them. And hunters may disembowel internal organs from animals they have killed, but putting organs into something or someone doesn’t mean to “embowel” them.

When we become disoriented, it may take time for us to “orient” ourselves to our environment (even if we're not in Asia), and if we encounter someone that’s become disheartened, we try to encourage or “hearten” them. But while dissension means to cause conflict or division, we don’t refer to reaching consensus or agreement as “sension.” When we tell a crowd of people to disperse, we don’t ask them to “perse” when we want them to assemble or come together, and we dismiss people when they are permitted to leave, but we don't "miss" them if we want them to stay. You could probably think of many other curious examples.

Sorry if this sounds like I’m “dissing” American English, but as a professional wordsmith I would urge you – the next time you encounter someone from another country wrestling to master our native tongue – to realize, it ain’t so simple as we think!

Our brand of English doesn’t make sense, sometimes even to us. But, returning to my usual subject material, that’s why I became so excited years ago when I was introduced to a contemporary translation of the Bible. The King James Version’s “begats” and “spakeths” and “whosoevers” and “quickens” and “thous” had me over a linguistic barrel. When I discovered God speaks modern, everyday language, it was one of the great “aha” experiences of my life.

When the young prophet Samuel said to God, “Speak, for your servant is listening” (1 Samuel 3:10), he didn’t worry about the Lord talking to him in Elizabethan English. God spoke to him in words he could understand – and that made sense. And He speaks to us today in the same way.

And dis is all I have to say about dat.

When Role Models Roll Wrong

The phrase may have become passé, but for quite a while we used to hear people proclaim, “That’s how I roll.” In other words, “That’s how I am,” or “That’s the way I do things.” But sometimes how you “roll” can cause problems – especially if you’re a role model.

We saw contrasting examples of this recently, leading up to and immediately after the Super Bowl. After his team defeated the San Francisco 49ers to earn the right to play in the Super Bowl, Richard Sherman, a talented defensive back for the Seattle Seahawks, went on a post-game rant that prompted extensive debate over the following days.

The only problem with putting people
on pedestals is gravity: They have an
annoying habit of falling off.

Sherman used no profanity, but his contentious comments reminded some viewers of the antics of professional wrestlers. Frankly, my first thought was the NFL had merged with the WWE. Apparently his competitive juices were still flowing after the final seconds had ticked away. The problem was, prior to his game-clinching defensive play and subsequent in-your-face commentary, many watching the game outside of Seattle hardly knew him. And as they say, first impressions are lasting.

Then there were the measured, sportsmanlike reactions of Denver Broncos’ quarterback Peyton Manning after his team was soundly thrashed by Sherman’s Seahawks in the Super Bowl, 43-8. Although clearly disappointed, his demeanor reflected the image Manning has cultivated as one of the NFL’s top quarterbacks.

So is Manning a better role model than Sherman? Who knows? Whether it’s right or not, we build pedestals for people – entertainers, athletes, politicians, even spiritual leaders – who seem larger than life. But is their public persona real or fabricated? Genuine – or the product of crafty marketing and packaging? Do we really know “how they roll”?

Even the best, most appealing role models stumble. No one’s perfect, right? Whether it’s someone whose name rates front-page or evening news coverage, or some lesser known person we admire at work, church or in our community, if we probe deeply enough, we’ll find feet of clay. So what are we to do when our role models decide to roll wrongly?

In the Bible, Jesus instructed His followers, “Judge not, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you” (Matthew 7:1-2). This might seem hard to apply, especially when considering persons like the reigning queen and king of chaos, Miley Cyrus and Justin Bieber, but it’s true – we really don’t know them, or what makes them do the crazy things they do.

We also need to realize, whether we asked for the assignment or not, we’re probably someone else’s role model. It might be a colleague or coworker, child or grandchild, or someone you interact with at church or a volunteer organization where you serve. People are watching, and unwittingly we can become examples for good or ill.

Finally, we need to recognize there is only one role model truly worthy of following, only one that will never disappoint or disillusion us with bad behavior: Jesus Christ. The Bible tells us, “Jesus Christ the same yesterday and today and forever” (Hebrews 13:8). Earlier in the same book we’re told to be “looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God” (Hebrews 12:2).

And the apostle Paul, whose writings were known for profound theology, summed it up when he stated: “I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified” (1 Corinthians 2:2).

There’s nothing wrong with appreciating and admiring someone’s skills and talents, whatever they might be. But there’s a danger of turning role models into idols – little gods. And God clearly declared, “You shall have no other gods before me” (Exodus 20:3). At those times when we don’t like how our role models “roll,” we need to maintain our focus on the One that never fails.

Your Finish Is What Counts

In a NASCAR race, there are starts and stops, and cars take turns
being in the lead. But at the end, only one finishes in front to win.

Ready or not, NASCAR’s 2014 season gets underway with preliminary events this weekend and the Daytona 500 Feb. 23. If you’re not a NASCAR fan, fear not. My goal isn’t to discuss “stock car auto racing.” (Doesn’t that sound redundant?) I want to comment on a fundamental principle that guides the sport – and most other sports: It’s not how you start, but how you finish.

Before every race, drivers boast about what great cars they have. “We’ve really got sump’n for ‘em today,” they promise faithful fans. But by race’s end, only one team gets to celebrate, having proved they really did have “sump’n.”

During the race different cars take the lead. But then they crash, have miscues in the pits, experience mechanical failure, or fall behind faster cars. They looked good midway through the race, but only one car reaches the finish line first. What’s true for NASCAR is also true for life: It’s not how you start, but how you finish.

Recently I received a card and photo from a long-time friend, Bob. He just turned 94, and is doing something not many nonagenarians do – taking a mission trip to China. At age 94! He committed his life to Jesus Christ as a young man, and for more than seven decades his passion has been singular: To tell others about the Jesus who radically transformed his life, and lives of countless other people he’s known throughout his lifetime.

You might disagree, but in my view, that’s what finishing well looks like. Rather than devoting his hours to a favorite rocking chair, Bob’s still finding ways to talk to people about Christ. No matter where they are.

Finishing well, however, isn’t confined to ending your time on earth without making a fool of yourself. Finishing well is equally important in your teens, 20’s or even middle years. For instance, many people begin college and start well, but lose interest, decide goofing off is more fun than studying, or get caught up in destructive pursuits. Promising lives derailed into disappointment. High school’s “most likely to succeed” becoming failures.

Couples exchange wedding vows with bright smiles and high expectations. But they discover the challenge of “two becoming one” is harder than they thought, or think the grass looks greener on the other side of the fence, or decide their spouse isn’t as much fun as he or she used to be. So they divorce, another marriage piled on the social scrap heap, often with children suffering collateral damage.

Sales executives start strong, ticketed for corporate stardom. But for one reason or another, their determination, energy, drive and enthusiasm fade and eventually they’re just hanging on.

Years ago I was changing jobs. My boss, not pleased I was leaving, changed the employment terms for my final weeks before I moved to my new position. I wasn’t happy with the changes and was tempted to stop working on the projects I hadn’t completed. “If he doesn’t appreciate me,” I thought, “I’ll show him.”

Coincidentally, I’d started working on an article about NASCAR titled, “It’s Not How You Start, But How You Finish.” Driving to a spiritual retreat, I grumbled and complained to God. “It’s not fair,” I thought, knowing He was listening. After a few moments, I heard a still, small voice in my mind. God, apparently tired of my muttering, asked, “What’s the name of that NASCAR article you’ve been writing?” Oh, right.

Humbled, I doused my anger, decided to forget “my rights,” and resolved to conclude my employment by finishing what I had started as well as I could. And I never regretted it for a moment. If I’d failed to fulfill my obligations with my former employer, I might still regret it today.

The apostle Paul knew nothing about NASCAR, unless the C stood for “Chariots” in those days. But he knew about finishing well. Encouraging believers in the city of Philippi, Paul wrote, “Not that I have obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me…. Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:12-14).

And in his final letter to Timothy, a young man he’d mentored for years, Paul stated, “For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time has come for my departure. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith…” (2 Timothy 4:6-7).

In reality, the apostle’s start hadn’t been good. He’d zealously persecuted the same people – followers of Christ – that one day he would become. But his poor beginning was more than overcome by his unwavering faith and determination to finish well.

Here’s the question facing us: How are we finishing our own race?

When the Phone Rings . . .

You’ve probably received the call. It’s usually in the dead of night, or in the morning’s wee hours, but when the phone rings you know it’s one of two things – either a drunk on the other end of the line, or someone calling to inform you of news you don’t want to hear.

Dave Stoddard (second from left), his family and friends.

I received one of those last week, except in the mid-afternoon when heart-wrenching phone calls aren’t expected. My longtime friend, Dave Stoddard, president and founder of the non-profit I work with, had passed away very unexpectedly during a business trip in Denver. One of his sons, Aaron, maintained his composure enough to share with me some sketchy details. Dave had died apparently of natural causes, even though he’d not expressed feeling ill.

What do you say at a time like that? I’m a wordsmith, but the best I could muster was, “Oh, man. I’m so sorry.” The loss for Dave’s wife, Anne, their two sons and daughter were paramount, but the void suddenly slicing into my own heart was beyond expression.

He was one of my best friends, virtually like a brother – in the best sense of the word. In fact, the Bible says, “There is a friend who sticks closer than a brother” (Proverbs 18:24). Dave was like that. We had spent many hours together, at meetings and conferences, traveling, in his home, sometimes engaging in deep, serious discussions – other times being as crazy as two grown men can be.

We could go weeks without talking to each other, and the next time we got together or connected by phone seemed like there had been no lapse. We both were Army brats and grew up in New Jersey, but what linked us most closely was our passion for Christ and desire to help others fall in love with Him, too.

But when I received that phone call, I knew I’d never talk to my friend again on this side of eternity. Even though I knew Dave was with his Lord, the gaping hole left in this life, for family and friends, was unfathomable. It was one of those proverbial pinch-yourself moments, hoping to wake up and be relieved to discover it was only a dream. Problem is, I wasn’t sleeping.

Dave and I go back about 30 years, soon after I joined the staff of Christian Business Men’s Committee (CBMC). I had interviewed him for a couple of articles in the CBMC magazine while he was a rising star in the medical supplies industry, and later worked with him on the CBMC executive staff team. Dave could have become president of his company within a few years, but he and his wife wanted to give their lives to something more enduring than selling high-quality medical equipment.

Dave Stoddard, stellar athlete and competitor
that he always was, truly finished well.

Without question he was a devoted follower of Jesus Christ, but never fit Christian stereotypes. He hung out with ease among non-believers, never forgetting his own days as a skeptic of Christianity, exploring various avenues of spirituality, including Transcendental Meditation, before realizing Jesus wasn’t kidding when He declared, “I am the way and the truth and the life” (John 14:6). And Dave understood the difference between religion (with its rules, rituals, organization and dogma) and spirituality – the desire to know the God of the universe and discover how to have a growing relationship with Him.

He founded Leaders Legacy to leverage his professional expertise and assist business owners and top executives for companies large and small through mentoring, executive coaching, leadership development and team building. In the process, he hoped and prayed for opportunities to talk with leaders about matters beyond the workplace – matters of faith and the heart.

In 2001 he offered me an opportunity to join his team after learning I was sensing it was time to leave CBMC after 20 years. I’ll always remember his words: “Bob, I’ve always felt you were underappreciated and underutilized in your role. If you ever need a place, somewhere you can flourish and become all God wants you to be, we have a place for you.” Wow! Are those affirming, encouraging words or what?

Together we co-authored a book, The Heart of Mentoring: Ten Proven Principles for Developing People to Their Fullest Potential. It’s about Dave’s experiences in a unique approach to one-to-one, relational mentoring, based on simple, straight-forward principles. It’s sold more than 26,000 copies – not exactly a runaway bestseller, but far more successful than most books. And from various accounts, it’s touched many lives.

Over the past 12 years, he probably taught me as much as any single person in my life. And I’d like to think he learned a few things of value from me as well.

When you spend a lot of time with someone there’s so much you could say and write. But I think I can wrap this up with a few thoughts. Dave loved his Lord, first and foremost. He truly loved his wife and children. I never heard him conclude a phone call with any of them without saying, “Love you (and then saying their name).” And he loved people, regardless of status, age, ethnicity, gender or political persuasion. Because he could love them through the eyes of Jesus.

As my thoughts and memories (and some tears) flowed in the hours after I learned of Dave’s death, one passage impressed itself on my mind.

Opening his letter to followers of Jesus in the city of Philippi, the apostle Paul had assured them, “Now I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel” (Philippians 1:12). Verses later the apostle wrote, “I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death.” Then he concluded, “for to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain” (Philippians 1:20-21).

Even though the sting of loss is so real for his family – and his many friends – I’m certain to the last Dave held to the conviction, “for to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.”

The organization he founded is aptly called Leaders Legacy, because he indeed left a wonderful legacy. I suspect in the coming days, weeks, months and years, it’s a legacy that will flourish and continue bringing much glory to God.

We miss you, Dave. See you soon!

The Bible: Cure or Vaccination?

My hometown, Chattanooga, Tennessee, recently was named America’s most “Bible-minded” city, based on a survey conducted by the American Bible Society with The Barna Group, a research organization that tracks spiritual trends across the nation and around the world.

The researchers defined “Bible-minded” people as “respondents who report reading the Bible within the past seven days and who agree strongly in the accuracy of the Bible.” Having lived here for more than 30 years – and dearly loving this unique community where we raised three daughters – I find this study’s results very interesting. Seems like the good news vs. bad news kind of deal.

For many of us, the Bible is merely a reference book for
occasional use, or a space-eater on a bookshelf.

Being one who regularly reads the Bible, almost daily, and strongly believes in the accuracy and validity of the Scriptures, this sounds like good news. However, experience has taught me just reading the Bible – and even affirming the accuracy of what it says – doesn’t necessarily or automatically correlate to a changed life.

For instance, if you surveyed thousands of people and asked if they thought drunk driving was a bad idea, everyone would agree. And yet every day people drive drunk. If you inquired about whether people thought spending less than you earn is wise financial management, you wouldn’t find many in disagreement. Yet the vast majority of people live beyond their means, using credit cards and other forms of indebtedness to satisfy both needs and wants.

The same applies when people wholeheartedly affirm their confidence in the Bible. Take the 10 Commandments, for example: How many people would declare we should steal, should kill, should covet our neighbor’s spouse or possessions, should commit adultery, or should lie? Hardly any – but many of us do some of these things just the same.

And it’s the other commandments that trouble us the most – things like not worshipping any gods other than the God of the Bible; taking the name of God in vain, or observing the Sabbath as a true day of rest.

Sadly, the majority of people who profess to be followers of Jesus – including myself at times – treat the Bible as a general guideline, kind of like the out-of-bounds lines on a football field or basketball court. But sometimes, we think, it’s okay to step out of bounds – for the sake of convenience or expediency.

Other studies have shown so-called “Bible-minded” people might attend worship services more frequently, and they might have a different vocabulary than non-believing friends and neighbors, but in their everyday lives they don’t look much different. We divorce at almost the same rate as non-believers, seem equally seduced by materialism, we conduct business in like manner, and our charitable giving typically doesn’t amount to much more than those who never darken a church’s doors.

As someone has said, many of us are “so heavenly minded we’re no earthly good.”

What’s the solution? First, we need to dispense with our Western way of thinking – the mindset that says we can believe one way, but act quite differently. To truly believe is to act accordingly.

Second, we need to heed James 1:22-25, which admonishes, “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it – he will be blessed in what he does.”

My intent is not to sound judgmental, because apart from the power of Jesus Christ we’re all imperfect and flawed, certain to betray our convictions from time to time. But as the apostle James wrote, it’s not enough to read the Bible and listen to it being taught from a pulpit. We need to do what it says.

Otherwise, instead of serving as the cure for ungodly thinking and behavior, it becomes merely a vaccination – giving us just enough so that we don’t catch, and exhibit, the real thing.

The Megaphone Effect

We don’t see them as much anymore, but over the years cheerleaders have often used megaphones to amplify their voices for cheering on the home team. Megaphones are still employed today for various purposes, including crowd control and mass communication. Most are now portable and electronic to enhance vocal amplification, but their purpose remains the same – to ensure the message can be heard, loud and clear, for the desired effect.

There’s another kind of “megaphone effect” going on today, although it has nothing to do with hand-held, cone-shaped voice magnifiers. It’s the megaphone of mass media.

Recent weeks have provided a good example. As cold weather swept across most of the country, especially the Midwest and Northeast, phrases like “Polar Vortex” and “Arctic Express” echoed from every news source. We heard from nearly everyone, except maybe Chicken Little proclaiming the sky is falling. A visitor from another planet could easily have concluded it’s never snowed before.

Of course it has, and extreme low temperatures have been recorded before, but not trumpeted to the tune of today’s mass media megaphone. For instance, some of us can remember winter 1979, when multiple blizzards afflicted many Northern states and much of the nation was in deep freeze. Living in Ohio, I recall the temperature remained far below the freezing mark for at least 30 days straight. Heating our homes became a concern. Natural gas shortages were predicted, causing parents of young families – as were my wife and I at the time – to fret over how to keep our children warm.

That was the year – coincidentally also in January – when the acclaimed mini-series “Roots” was aired over eight successive evenings. One reason that excellent show had such high viewership, ranked for many years at the top all-time for a mini-series, was it was so cold in much of the United States millions of people had nothing else to do but watch it.

The difference between that winter 35 years ago and today? We didn’t have incessant, 24/7 news media coverage and the Internet. All we knew was it was very cold, very snowy, and someday – as always – it would start getting warmer again as spring followed winter. We didn’t have CNN, Al Roker and the Weather Channel to make us worry about surviving to see the thaw.

This mass media megaphone isn’t confined only to weather reporting. If there’s ever a scandal, whether it be the politically motivated closing of a major commuter bridge; a professional athlete making ill-advised, outlandish comments immediately after a game; or some pseudo-celebrity offering personal opinions that grate against sensibilities of the self-appointed thought police, we never hear the end of it.

News is shouted, reiterated, shouted again, repeated and rehashed until the intended message reverberates in our sleep. Even if what’s said isn’t true, we hear it so much it starts sounding that way. And, I believe, that’s not by accident. Megaphones cut through the noise with volume and clarity. They’re used for a reason.

So what do we do, shout back? Do we use bigger, more sophisticated megaphones? I think just the opposite. The book of Proverbs has much to say about how we communicate, and advises being careful and economical with the words we express:

“Put away perversity from your mouth; keep corrupt talk far from your lips” (Proverbs 4:24).

“When there are many words, transgression is not avoidable, but he who restrains his lips is wise” (Proverbs 10:19).

“A prudent man keeps his knowledge to himself, but the heart of fools blurts out folly” (Proverbs 12:23).

“A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger” (Proverbs 15:1).

“Even a fool is thought wise if he keeps silent, and discerning if he holds his tongue” (Proverbs 17:28).

“A fool finds no pleasure in understanding but delights in airing his own opinions” (Proverbs 18:2).

There are many other examples, but you get the idea. It’s good advice, well worth following, whether you’re in the media or not.