Speak up? ...or SHUTTY! ?

I've got a lot of life experience under my belt (as well as more adipose tissue than I would like) and as the years go by, I often find myself amazed at how my perspective on so many things has changed. 

Like what is and isn't appropriate to be spoken out loud.

When I graduated from college I did not attend the large gathering of the entire university... instead I chose to attend only the smaller group from the college of dentistry... it was more personal.  It was so personal that after the official walk across stage and conferring of the degree, my class had a program and dinner together.
Awards were handed out...  awards and "awards". 
I won the "Miss Tell it Like it Is"  "award".  A fairly accurate assessment on what came out of my mouth back then.

I'm still a staunch of supporter of "telling it like it is"  only these days my sincere desire is to "tell the truth in love". 
Sometimes that means keeping my mouth closed.
Sometimes that means having a difficult conversation.

I always ask myself a question before I speak if what I have to say falls under the category of "difficult".
Do I want to say it because it is going to be for the benefit of the person who is going to hear it?  
Or do I want to say it because it's going to make me feel better to get it off my chest? This has been a very good gauge for me to determine whether I should speak what's on my mind concerning another person.

"Don't use foul or abusive language.  Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them."  Ephesians 4:29 (NLT)  

I like the NIV translation of this verse too... because it emphasizes someone elses benefit, not my own. 
"Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen."

A book I read a few years ago, "Fierce Conversations" by Susan Scott,  was very helpful to me.   In it she says  "While no single conversation is guaranteed to change the trajectory of a career, a business, a marriage, or a life, any single conversation can."
One truly does not know how specific words and conversations will affect someones thinking and in turn, their life... words are powerful. 

The old saying  "Sticks and stones can break my bones, but words will never hurt me"  is a big load of crap, straight from the pit of hell.  Careless words hurt people. 

Change?

This is going to sound silly, but it's true.  I've been thinking about my blog almost every day, several times a day, for the past couple of months.  I am shocked to see that it has been seven months since I posted anything new.  Self-discipline has never been one of my strong points.  I do a lot of journaling and that may be part of the reason I don't write on my blog very often.
God gave me a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline. It's time I believed and accepted.  With Gods grace, I intend on changing some things.
Changing the frequency with which I blog is a small thing.  But when you can be successful at changing small things, it's encouragement and motivation for changing bigger things.
 
I don't think that blogging is as popular as it once was, but there are still a lot of bloggers out there, and I enjoy reading/commenting on a few.  I especially enjoy the blogs that my daughter and my daughter-in-law write.  I think that sometimes we can be more precise and more clear and more personal when we write, at least that's the case with me, and so I enjoy reading others thoughts and writing my own down.  I hope that when I begin to blog more frequently, more of my friends and family, and maybe even people I don't know will follow my blog... and make some comments. 
I do love a good discussion... or even a good argue-scussions, as my brother-in-law calls them!

I've been thinking about the name of my blog.  I admit it seems a very strange title, perhaps offensive to some, and seemingly having nothing to do with anything I've written, or might write.  I smile or chuckle nearly everytime I look at the title, and the picture that is posted up there near it is greatly amusing to me. 
Is it too silly?  Is it offensive?  Should I change it? 
Most of all, I want words I say (or write) to be pleasing to God, and so I've been praying, asking God... and listening to what He might have to say about it...  is the title of my blog offensive to you Lord? 
Honestly, I haven't been convicted one way or another.  A couple of years ago, when I first decided to start a blog, this is the title that came to my mind.  At that time I prayed about it too.  I have a vivid memory of getting the go-ahead from the Lord.  :)   I am not a fan of cuss words and there are many words that lots of people use as part of their everyday language that I find highly offensive.  However "ass" is not one of them.  I imagine some people find the word offensive.
Also, the reference to one's weight, and obsession with how one looks could be deemed insensitive.  I've never been all that concerned about my weight and I've not been bothered greatly by how my ass looks, fat or not.  When it concerns myself, I tend to call a spade a spade, and I sometimes forget that one's weight is a very painful subject for some.  I really don't want to make light of it, regardless of my own personal thoughts on my own personal ass.
One of my most favorite things are typos, play on word type of jokes, mixed up words, and speaking/writing one thing when you actually mean another.  This title employs all of those entertaining tidbits.
So... should I change the title of my blog?

I have no idea, right now, if I should or if I shouldn't.  And I also think that right now, it doesn't matter... it may never.  Until I am convicted one way or another, I'll leave it.

As always, I'm amazed at my ability to talk a lot about nothing!  Imagine how it will be when I talk about something!  And I will!  I hope that others will join me here.