{"type":"rich","version":"1.0","provider_name":"Transistor","provider_url":"https://transistor.fm","author_name":"You Can Mentor: A Christian Youth Mentoring Podcast","title":"229. Words Matter // Mentoring Minute","html":"","width":"100%","height":180,"duration":524,"description":"We’ve all done it. We have said something like “Wow, Brian is the best. He is such a good kid.” You may think there’s not a thing wrong with that statement. But what about this one, “Geez. Brian is the worst. He is such a bad kid.” While we wouldn’t think to say that about or to a kid, we should at least recognize that both statements exist on the same spectrum of thought and action.\n\nBut what’s the worst part of thinking about someone (or something) as being bad? Well, bad things don’t go back to being good! Nothing in your refrigerator that goes bad gets good again, no matter how many Bible studies those cartons of milk attend!\n\nThere is a permanence to our thinking and words that we need to be extra careful of when it comes to how we speak to and about our mentees!\n\nWe know there is a lot at stake when we read James 3: “We all stumble in many ways. Anyone who is never at fault in what they say is perfect, able to keep their whole body in check. When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can turn the whole animal. Or take ships as an example. Although they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go. Likewise, the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark.\n\nHere are three things to remember that will help us shore up the intentionality and shore up the effects of our words:\n--\nChoose Your Words Wisely. Think before you speak. Remember that in some ways, your mentee is like a court reporter – remembering every word you say on the recorder in their brain. In other words: Know your audience! Realize the context! Read the room!\nYour Intent is Hard to Measure. How many times have you had to say, “that wasn’t what I meant!” or “I was just joking.” Speaking of the courtroom once more, our intent is a very weak defense. It doesn’t matter what we meant to say, it only matters what our mentee...","thumbnail_url":"https://img.transistorcdn.com/1Xka3zDiBlBt17bxGFKaPNKtfL4x0Qw6Yce8LqvHcjw/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:400/h:400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS8wMTU4/YTYzZjc5Y2M5NjY4/MTFkZmY0NjExMzM2/Njc1MC5qcGVn.webp","thumbnail_width":300,"thumbnail_height":300}