Hey, instead of writing on this blog, I’ve been poking around the internet reading things like what not to say or write. Here’s a couple of the best ones I’ve read recently.

Catharsis: 13 words to STOP saying in 2013.
I’d like to add “axe” (when you really mean “ask”), “Sweet!” (it just sounds silly) and “Yo!” It’s time to stop saying yo. Please stop the yo-ing.

In Good Faith: Ten clichés Christians Should Stop Saying.  
While I don’t agree with everything in this post, there is a lot of truth here. “Everything happens for a reason” is one cliché that rubs me the wrong way. I know the non-sufferer wants to say something meaningful to the person suffering, but asking them to focus on a reason is painful. During terrible times, no reason seems good enough. Like the article says, “Better to be quiet, listen and if appropriate, mourn alongside them.”

Reluctant Xtian: 5 Phrases I Think Christians Should Stop Saying. 
Again, I don’t agree with everything here, but decide for yourself. “It’s all in God’s plan…” is a particularly cruel thing to say when something tragic has happened. It is never in God’s plan that babies die, people are raped, or any of the other horrible things that happen in our world. God hates sin and misery and death. God mourns with us. He never wants bad things to happen to any of us.

Huffington Post: Five Things NOT To Say And Five Things To Say In A Trauma Involving Children. 
“God doesn’t give you more than you can handle.” This is a phrase I’ve heard many times throughout my life, and it always upsets me.  First, God doesn’t hand out painful experiences like immunizations. Second, this is a psychological trick: if you truly believe this, you’ll keep on slogging through bad situations rather than looking for a way out of it. Third, some people get way more than they can handle. Our mental hospitals and the country’s suicide rate are proof of that.

Lake Superior State University  2013 List of Banished Words.
This is official, folks. The scholars have spoken, and I for one am glad to see the end of YOLO and job creators (who haven’t created me a job, by the way).