Connecting Faith & Life with Mister Brown

In our world, certain hand motions mean certain things. Sometimes, they mean different things in different cultures. Our verse today relates to one certain hand motion that we should probably do more often: putting our hand over our mouths. Proverbs 30:31 says , “If you have been foolish exalting yourself, or have been devising evil, put your hand to your mouth.” This phrase is also mentioned in t...

As we read through the Proverbs, it’s important to remember that these sayings aren’t promises. God is not necessarily bound to these things, but they are truisms, things that typically come true. I really hope today’s verse comes true. It’s a good one. Our verse for today is Proverbs 29:17. It says, “Discipline your son and he will give you rest; he will give the light to your heart.” I hope this...

Recently, there was a story on the news about a guy who’s a graffiti artist. He went and vandalized someone else’s property; he went and put up his artwork on someone else’s building without asking. Then a magazine was looking for a place to do a photo shoot, and they decided to use the building with this man’s artwork. This made the graffiti artist upset, so he’s suing the magazine for using his...

Have you ever seen the show American Idol? If you haven’t, it’s a reality show with singers competing for the prize. When it first started, people would get up on stage and sing who could not sing, couldn’t even carry a tune. I know it’s all part of the show, and that reality television is not exactly reality, but when those people got all upset, I’m thinking either A) this is fake, or B) those pe...

As you may already know, I have the privilege of being a motivational speaker in public schools through Hello Mr. Brown and the Choose Well program. I get to do assemblies and classroom visits and sometimes some one-on-one mentoring, but my favorite is small group talks. I often end up talking with a group of boys about how to make good choices and have self-control. I often tell them this: if you...

In This Episode The book of Proverbs talks a lot about fools, foolishness, and folly. You’ll hear those words a lot as you go through this book. When a fool does something foolish, and then returns to his foolish ways over and over rather than learning from them…that’s folly! That’s foolishness! Our verse today talks about this.   Proverbs 26:11 says, “Like a dog that returns to his vomit is a foo...

Today, we have two verses of the day.  Proverbs 24:1-2 . They say, “Be not envious of evil men, nor desire to be with them; for their hearts devise violence, and their lips talk of trouble.” The idea is this: sometimes we find ourselves comparing ourselves to other people. I think that’s the start of envy , when we look at other people. Quote Andy Stanley once said, “There is no win in comparison....

Choices matter, so choose well. Let’s get some wisdom. One of the joys in my life is that I get to go speak to children at schools about making good choices. My ultimate message is this: when you make better choices, you will live a better life. If you want more information about this, visit hellomisterbrown.com. But this isn’t a selfish plug of mine. It’s the idea about our verse for today. This...

There is a lot of division in our world today. People have difference—we are different—but sometimes I think we focus too much on the differences instead of on what we have in common. We will continue to be divided as long as we ignore the value we have in how much we have in common . Today’s verse talks about this in light of the rich and the poor. What they have in common is greater than how the...

Ooooooh, you in trouble. If you hadn’t said that, you probably wouldn’t be in trouble, but you said it. You’re in trouble. You might want to get some wisdom. Today’s verse is kind of repetitive. But the truth is, it’s good to review things. The Bible repeats itself a lot, and I think it’s because we don’t listen the first time. We can be kind of hard headed. Our verse today talks about our tongue,...

“When you choose to sin, you choose to suffer.” – James MacDonald. Let’s talk about this. Our verse for today is Proverbs 20:17. It says, “Bread gained by deceit is sweet to a man, but afterword his mouth will be full of gravel.” This goes along with that quote I shared. When we choose to sin, it only leads to suffering. Even if it doesn’t seem like it, there are always consequences for going agai...

I’m a pretty competitive person, and I like to play games. And I really like to win. But there’s a game we should never play, because we will never win: the “Blame Game.” Don’t play the “Blame Game.” Instead, get wisdom. Here’s how the “Blame Game” works: you make a mistake or a bad choice, and there’s a consequence that comes as a result. Instead of owning up to your actions, you blame everybody...

We live in a world full of short messages: Tweets, video clips, Instagram and Facebook posts. We also live in a world full of different opinions. We’re opinionated people. We have our thoughts on something, and we don’t usually want to open our minds to hear other people out. Sometimes we make up our minds before even giving the other side a chance to explain where they’re coming from. Our verse f...

I am not big on camping: mosquitoes, bugs, animals, and the worst of all, bears. I don’t want to meet one. Our verse today talks about meeting something worse than a bear robbed of its cubs. Stick with us to find out what! Our verse today is Proverbs 17:12, which says, “Let a man meet a she-bear robbed of her cubs rather than a fool in his folly.” It’s better to meet a she-bear robbed of her cubs...

Did you know you cannot make everybody happy all the time? You just can’t do it. Our goal should be to please One. According to our verse today, that might even please our enemies. Thanks for joining us for Day 16 of our series #GetWisdom! I must admit, I’ve been trying to make these videos shorter, but I feel like I’m failing. Anyway, I hope you’re enjoying them, and learning from them. Hopefully...

When people say crazy things to you, do you respond or react ? There’s a huge difference between responding and reacting. Responding is a more thoughtful process where you took a minute to think about your words or actions. Reacting, on the other hand, is just immediately saying or doing whatever comes to mind. Our verse today talks about the difference between responding and reacting, especially...

Are you the type of person that talks about what you’re going to do more than you actually do it? Or do you know people like this? I sometimes fall into this category, so today’s verse really made me think. Today’s verse is Proverbs 14:23. It says, “In all toil there is profit, but mere talk tends only to poverty.” Sometimes we talk about doing something and treat it as if it’s the same as actuall...

Duct tape – it comes in all kinds of colors these days. It’s best use? Taping your mouth shut. It could help you get wisdom. Although…it might hurt coming off. Verse of the Day Proverbs 13:3, “Whoever guards his mouth preserves his life. He who opens wide his lips comes to ruin.” So basically, shut up. It’s important that we learn that sometimes we need to keep our mouths shut . This might be wise...

I got a lot of discipline as a child. I never liked it or loved my mom or grandparents for doing it as a child, but now I appreciate it . They were helping me to get wisdom. They weren’t out to hurt me; they were out to help me. Some kids that I grew up with didn’t receive discipline from their parents. Many of them ended up in bad places. Verse of the day Proverbs 12:1, “Whoever loves discipline...

The Bible tells us to “consider others better than ourselves,” and to put their needs above our own. This can be difficult. Sometimes being kind makes us feel like we’re losing out…but are we? Verse of the day- Proverbs 11:17, “A man who is kind benefits himself, but a cruel man hurts himself.” “Nice guys finish last.” “See a fool, use a fool.” These phrases make us wary of being kind, lest others...

Poverty: is it more than just a lack of money? The Bible says yes. Wealth and poverty go much deeper than our finances, and Wisdom says there are different consequences for slacking off or choosing to be diligent. Growing up, my mother made me and my siblings do chores and housework. She taught us its value. This time, in Proverbs chapter 10, we’ll learn about the value of hard work . Verse of the...

Have you ever taken something that wasn't for you? Did it feel sweet, knowing you had something you weren't supposed to have? Well, sometimes sweet things have bitter consequences.     Last time, we talked about Lady Wisdom (Proverbs 8). This time, in Proverbs chapter 9, we’ll meet Lady Folly. Verse of the day- Proverbs 9:17, “Stolen water is sweet, and bread eaten in secret is pleasant....

Have you ever called someone and they didn’t pick up the phone? You had something good to say, and they just didn’t answer the phone! This can be so frustrating. Let’s continue our treasure hunt through Proverbs to get wisdom. Proverbs 8:1 says this: “Does not wisdom call? Does not understanding raise her voice?” When I think about that, it’s like Wisdom is calling you on the phone. Wisdom is call...

In chapters 1-9 of Proverbs, we hear the words “My son,” over and over. Solomon is going after his son, repeatedly telling him this one thing: get wisdom . Our verse for the day is Proverbs 7:2, which says, “Keep my commandments and live; keep my teaching as the apple of your eye.” If you read this at face value, you might think that God is speaking, but this is actually Solomon speaking to his so...

Why does Proverbs keep talking about sex? Well, we probably need some wisdom when it comes to sex. When I look at the headings in my Bible in Proverbs 6, I see “Warnings Against Adultery.” Our verse for today is Proverbs 6:27, which says, “Can a man carry fire next to his chest and his clothes not be burned?” But to get some context for this verse, let’s go back and start in chapter 6, verse 20. W...