Therefore it is of the utmost importance that we pay attention to our words. Stafford advocates taking an inventory of the words used in daily conversation. By means of a small notebook and possibly a tape recorder, he favors focusing on one or two people and the interactions with them. Analyzing the inventory is the next step. Bragging pushes people away into the outer orbit of your life.
Gossip stirs up quarrels and make the most of differences.
Stafford acknowledges there will be times of trouble and confrontation. Life isn t all roses. Stafford includes an appendix of selected Scriptures on words, organized by subject with a brief commentary on each subject. Tim Stafford , a noted freelance writer and journalist, cowrote the bestseller Comeback with Dave Dravecky, and was coeditor with Philip Yancey of The Student Bible . He is a contributing editor for Christianity Today .