Atlanta residents better know hedera helix by its more common name: English ivy. The green flame rivals kudzu’s ability to spread like fire. The vines can quickly cover trees, abandoned buildings, and slow moving children.

Some gardeners plant English ivy to stabilize steep banks. The ivy controls soil erosion in yards like General Sherman eliminated urban sprawl in Atlanta.

In addition, the lush ground cover provides an ideal habitat for insects, rodents, and snakes. When we first moved to Buckhead, neighbors warned us that copperheads love the dense vegetation.

Joy.

Sin is the English ivy of the spiritual life.

Evil begins as a small sprout but spreads quickly. Sin always proves deadly and destructive. Left unattended, it can overwhelm our lives and choke our souls.

Paul understood this reality when he wrote: The wages of sin is death.

Hedera helix sounds and looks beautiful. However, the invasive vine can run amok, and it’s difficult to eradicate. The BEST way to control English ivy is to never allow it to take root.

Turns out the same principle applies to sin.

Creating comparisons in the English language confuses many would-be linguists. Comparisons are typically—but not always—made in one of two ways.

Words with less than three syllables use the suffix –er for comparisions and –est for superlatives. Examples: “John is taller than Juan” or “Susie is the fastest person in her class.”

Words with three or more syllables are preceded by the modifiers “more” or “most.” Examples: “Sean is more effective than Jean” or “Katie is the most productive employee.”

Back in the day, our teachers insisted on these sacrosanct rules. However, today’s grammaticians are a more wishy-washy group who ambiguously mumble that words with two syllables can go either way.

One site advised that –er or –est should be used UNLESS the newly created words sound “awkward.” Well, THAT clears things up.

I confess to being a grammar geek, and one of my pet peeves is the incorrect use of comparisons. A recent commercial by a public utility invited people to become “More Cool.” Memo to the advertisers: it should read “Cooler.”

Others creatively combine comparisons. One meteorologist warned an approaching front might be “more stormier.” Sigh.

English is such a complicated language that exceptions always prove the rules. Comparisons have a subgroup of irregular words that march to the beat of their own drummers. Examples include: good (better and best), many (more and most), and bad (worse and worst).

Another group called “absolute adjectives” supersede any comparison. Consider words like “perfect” or “unique.” Nothing can exceed perfection. By definition, unique describes something that is beyond compare.

So be righter in your comparisons and most carefulest in your grammar. Otherwise, you might just end up looking like the most foolishest one of aller.

When this weekly blog began in 2015, I searched for an appropriate Scripture theme. I eventually chose Paul’s words in 2 Corinthians 4:6-7:

For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ. But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.

Christians are jars of clay filled with God’s glory. It is a weighty responsibility to proclaim the gospel to others, but it is also a tremendous privilege. The Holy Spirit graces believers with the chance to be the one to make an eternal difference in others’ lives.

I am who I am today because of the examples of others yesterday. God has graced my life with wonderful saints who shared the gospel of Jesus Christ through word and deed.

Who served as midwives of faith in your life? See their faces. Speak their names. Recall their faithfulness. Give thanks to God.

AND be reminded by their example that we have the opportunity to be the one in someone else’s life.

Paul described the church as the body of Christ. We are Christ’s incarnate presence in the world. If God’s work gets done, it is because people like us are faithful to the task. One person can make an eternal difference; and WE can be the one.

Are you the one?

Be the one.

In many ways, clergy can be categorized as religious professionals. The church sets apart ordained ministers for specialized ministry. Worship, Bible study, prayer, fellowship, and mission form our job description. We are PAID to do the very things that all Christians are CALLED to do.

If pastors do not exercise great care, then church work can become a job rather than a vocation and a career rather than a calling.

Temptation constantly beckons to plan worship rather than worship; to lead prayer rather than pray; to practice sermon preparation rather than spiritual devotions; to prepare Bible study rather than study the Bible; to chair committees rather than provide leadership; to attend meetings rather than perform ministry; to preach sermons rather than practice what we preach.

Then again, maybe ministers aren’t so different from church members. There are times when we all act like professional Christians. Temptation constantly beckons us to go through the motions rather than experience the emotions; to keep the letter of the law rather than the spirit; to do church work rather than be the church. We begin looking for the minimum amount required rather than the maximum effort necessary.

Approaching our faith, do we possess a “HAVE TO,” “OUGHT TO,” or “GET TO” attitude? Choose carefully—the answer shapes our entire relationship with God.