Seasoned Talk
There are a lot of "seasoning salts," but there is only one "Seasoned Salt": Lawry’s!
The history of Lawry’s Seasoned Salt goes back over 80 yrs to 1938 when the famous restaurant, Lawry’s The Prime Rib, opened in Beverly Hills, Los Angeles. Lawrence Frank, the inventor, developed the blend initially for prime rib, but his family was pleased to find that the salt didn’t only season prime rib to perfection, but enhanced the taste of many other foods as well. The blend contains salt, sugar, paprika, turmeric, onion, and garlic.
Once the blend was perfected, they put Lawry’s Seasoned Salt on the table right next to the salt and pepper. The new seasoning was so popular that guests took to stealing it and bringing it home with them. People just couldn't get enough of this stuff.
"Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone" (Colossians 4:6, NIV).
Are the words we speak, especially in our witnessing, so appealing that others just can't get enough? Are others so blessed by their interactions with us that they just keep coming back for more? Or do our words repulse and repel others, like spoiled milk, or maybe just leave them "meh" and unchallenged, like tasteless porridge?
The Apostle Paul thought our words should be well seasoned! As one commentator put it, "our words should be tasty and delightful," having a positive influence on all who hear them, that they might even keep coming back for more!
This can only come from preparation. Just as the folks at Lawry's worked hard to perfect their blend of spices, we must work to prepare ourselves to be ready to share the Gospel message in a way that challenges and entices the hearer. "Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect" (1 Peter 3:15, NIV).
As we share God's Word with a spiritually hungry world, let's challenge them, as did the Psalmist, saying, "Oh taste and see that the Lord is good!" (Psalm 34:8, NIV).
Puppy Adds To Soft Answer
Sophie Roberts, with The Sun, reports:
THE power of the windscreen note strikes again, as an angry resident shames a careless parker in the most passive-aggressive way possible.
It turns out that using an illustration of an adorable dog could be the best method of ridding your road of parking hogs.
The printed message, which was left on the car windscreen, reads: “I am giving you this dog, his name is Spot.
“I thought you might want him, as you seem to be trying to take as many spots as possible.
“I hope this helps.”
. . . Many commenters commended the resident for their way of handling the irritating situation.
One Reddit user remarked: “That’s a cute, non-threatening note. It also gets the message across.”
When you have a difficult point to make, and you fear that it won't be well received, it’s important to take a gentle approach. For one thing, an angry, accusatory attack is not only demeaning, it communicates that you’re taking yourself too seriously.
“A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger” (Proverbs 15:1).
Study Shows Dads and Moms Speak Differently
Scientists at Washington State University analyzed hundreds of hours of family speech, including mothers, fathers and their pre-school children in an effort to determine the differences, if any, between the way mothers and fathers relate to their babies and toddlers. To do so, they had families wear microphones to capture their interactions throughout the course of their normal daily routines. Researchers then used voice recognition software to analyze differences in their speech patterns.
What they determined: There were distinct differences between the ways mothers and fathers spoke to their pre-school children:
Mothers used a voice that was higher and more varied in pitch than the tone they used when addressing other adults.
"Baby talk," sometimes referred to as "Motherese," has exaggerated, attention-catching cadences, which are attractive to babies and young children.
Fathers, by contrast, used intonation patterns more similar to those they used when speaking to adult friends and colleagues.
While mothers’ “baby talk” is thought to promote bonding, lead researcher Mark VanDam wanted to be clear that the study results did not imply that fathers were “failing” their children by not engaging in “baby talk.” In fact, quite the contrary, "We think that maybe fathers are doing things that are conducive to their childre's learning but in a different way," said Prof VanDam, suggesting that fathers’ speech patterns are helping their children to grow and expand the way they perceive and understand the world, as well as helping them to grapple with unfamiliar speech patterns and develop their linguistic skills.
Though the study was touted as the first of its kind, examining fathers' verbal interactions with their children in a real-world setting, it shouldn’t take a scientific study to recognize and understand the obvious: fathers relate to their children differently than mothers. And the fact that God ordained the roles of both fathers and mothers should be testament enough to the necessity of the differing input each parent provides.
We are meant to provide complimentary roles in the lives of our children. The child who lacks the input of either gender parent faces unnecessary burden in attaining maturity.
“Listen, my son, to your father's instruction and do not forsake your mother's teaching” (Proverbs 1:8).