Stop Everything and Listen
A 1970s TV Commercial features a couple of men in a busy restaurant. At the surrounding tables, people are noisily chattering away and two waiters are putting food on the table. The men are talking about finding good stocks and one says, "My broker is E.F. Hutton and Hutton says ..." In that instant, everything stops and everyone leans in to hear what might be said. Silent seconds pass. Then a narrator says, When EF Hutton speaks, people listen."
There is more noise and distractions in the world than ever before; more voices; more options; more to do and to say; and more that demands our attention. Nevertheless, God speaks. We need only to want to heed his voice and do His will.
A good stock tip might swell your bank account but the Word of God will fill your heart and guarantee you treasure in heaven.
"But the LORD is in His holy temple. Let all the earth keep silence before Him." (Habbukuk 2:20)
CrazyJewishMom An Instagram Hit
“Your nagging mom has nothing on this Brooklyn woman’s crazy Jewish mom,” reports the NY DAILY NEWS.
Kate Siegel, a 26-year-old video producer, is chronicling her “crazy” mom’s comically intrusive rants via a dedicated Instagram account which she has aptly named CrazyJewishMom. “She first started posting screenshots of texts from her mom after she dramatically read some at a friend's party, much to her audience’s delight,” she told the Daily News. They were such a hit, she decided to go public. In addition to her nearly half million Instagram followers, she now also hosts a dedicated FaceBook page by the same name.
“I think a lot of people see a piece of their own mother in mine,” she said.
Siegel says she receives anywhere from 50 to 60 texts from her mom each day. They smack of both levity and maternal license. Here’s just a few:
“Kate, really upset that u didn’t go to the gym today. Unless you are carrying my Grandchild, go to the gym and stop eating garbage.”
“Kate I sat next to the nicest young man at Starbucks today. Yale. Lawyer. I showed him your Facebook picture and gave him your number.”
“Happy Birthday spawn. Welcome to the wrong side of 25. The expiration date on your eggs is officially in sight. Tick Tock.”
“You WILL give me grandchildren!”??
ABC’s NIGHTLINE followed the mother-daughter duo for a day and sat down with them for an interview.* The two are obviously very close. Mom’s intrusive rants are given as much tongue-in-cheek as they are received. But it’s not all fun and games. Mom, former TV producer Kim Friedman, really does want her daughter to marry “well” (and soon! Tick tock!). She really does want her to eat right, exercise often, and dress to “catch the catch.”
While many see her texts as overbearing and nagging, NIGHTLINE’s guest anchor simply says, “What I see is love.”
*Click the link to source above to view the interview in its entirety.
Moms, let’s not smother-love our children (unless of course you want to become the fodder of social media maligning!). Friedman’s daughter may take it all in stride, but yours might not.
“Fathers and mothers!, do not provoke your children to anger by the way you treat them. Rather, bring them up with the discipline and instruction that comes from the Lord” (Ephesians 6:4, NLT).
Encouragement Can Make A President
That is the power of encouragement. A kind word, a gracious letter, or an unexpected hug can help someone who is having a difficult time find the courage to continue on.
When you want a leader, a child, or someone else to change - why not encourage them?
"A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in a setting of silver" (Proverbs 25:11).