Say the Right Thing

Jen Oshman

Carolyn Lacey prioritizes the goodness we see in God’s word and in God himself, and then she helps us to ponder how our own words might reflect that goodness in all kinds of situations. If you struggle with what to say or how to say it, this book will strengthen you!

Paul Mallard

In this inspiring book, Carolyn Lacey helps us to appreciate just how important words are—helping us to see how our words can become channels of blessing into the lives of others. It is not just a matter of avoiding toxic words.

“So helpful!”

Carolyn Lacey has written so helpfully and clearly on a topic that can seem pretty daunting - how we use our words. Sometimes it’s easy to think that being Godly with our speech is about not saying very much at all, but ‘Say the right thing’ challenges and encourages us to see that we can and should use our words to the glory of God, and this book gives us the tools to help. It’s also packed full of scripture and helpful application, I definitely recommend giving it a read!

“Biblical and practical help for using our words well”

I loved 'Say the Right Thing'! Each chapter is Biblical and points to Christ, the one who always said the right thing. It was challenging to think through the way I use words to bring comfort, kindness and hope, but also how I could expand the way I use words to praise others and speak words of beauty. Carolyn Lacey is honest and realistic in her writing so that when I'd finished the book I felt there was hope for me to grow more like the Lord Jesus in how I speak. I pray that 'Say the Right Thing' will have a lasting impact in shaping the way I speak as the Holy Spirit works in me.

“Quick & Encouraging”

This quick, encouraging read is a good reminder and a focus on our words! What is the most right thing to say? He is worthy!! But so many practical tips with Biblical Truth and personal stories! I was convicted in the words I use in my mothering and encouraged to not just try to "say the right thing" but keep my eyes on Christ and have Him change my heart. And to also always have an answer for the hope I have!

“A Positive Case for Using Our Speech Well”

Having read a number of Christian books about this sort of theme in the past, the standard way to deal with our speech has seemed to be a strong warning to be careful with your words, listing all of the bad ways we can use our speech and telling us to be very careful to avoid those. Lacey takes a very different, much more positive approach, showing us how our words don't only have the power to harm, which we must avoid, but the power to glorify God and encourage others, building people up and pointing them towards God. It's a much more winsome way to pastor someone in the area of speech and definitely worth a read

“The Way God Uses Words”

Can we really tame our tongue? In Say the Right Thing, Carolyn Lacey shares how your words can glorify God and encourage others.

Biblical Wisdom and Strategies for Speaking

This short book is full of biblical wisdom and strategies to help us with what we say. Lacey means to show us that our words matter, and our speech should be fashioned by our faith.

I was most interested to see how we can instill beauty in our words when we are surrounded by a sinful and suffering world. Lacey calls us to look beyond this world, and to focus our gaze on Christ. We will find God’s beauty “chasing” us (Psalm 23:6) and we can use our words to point others to him.

The Way God Uses Words

Using Isaiah 40, Lacey shares that we can speak comfort into suffering by focusing on God’s character - not our own experiences. I was most challenged to see that we may be tempted to be irritable or impatient with certain people - and that we should pay special attention to our words with them. Speaking to them as kin can help us be more kind and compassionate.

The book closes with challenges to share the gospel with others and to praise God in your everyday life. After reading this book, I am amazed at the way God uses words in our lives. I feel sharpened in my ability to speak, and softened in my heart to better share the words of Christ.

I received a media copy of Say the Right Thing and this is my honest review.

“A look at our words from a Biblical perspective”

James says our tongue is sharper than any two-edged sword. I can think of times where words have hurt me greatly. I imagine you can too. Say the Right Thing by Carolyn Lacey invites Christians to use their words to glorify God and encourage others.

Say the Right Thing is a short but meaty book. It is hard for me to read these types of books quickly. There is a lot of information in each chapter with questions at the ends of the chapter. I think this would be a good book to use in a Sunday School group or book club.

Chapters are included on speaking wisdom, speaking truth, speaking beauty, speaking comfort, speaking kindness, speaking hope, and speaking praise. All of them are based on the Bible. This book is written by a pastor's wife in Great Britain. From a Scriptural perspective, it is helpful. I do wish there was a bit more information on boundaries and some of the things that trained counselors include as sometimes I can take things too far if I don't acknowledge boundaries. Others may have similar issues. All in all, Say the Right Thing is a good book though.

I received a copy of this book from the Good Book Company. All opinions within this review are my own

“Challenging and convicting”

In a day and age where so many folks tend to be reckless with their words, Say the Right Thing is a book that’s sorely needed. In seven short chapters, Carolyn Lacey spells out seven different ways that we can reflect God and honor Him (and others) with the words that we speak:

Speaking Wisdom
Speaking Truth
Speaking Beauty
Speaking Comfort
Speaking Kindness
Speaking Hope
Speaking Praise

I was challenged and convicted by the author’s words and the topics. Also, each chapter ended with some reflection questions to really think through what I learned and ways that I can grow in each area. I was grateful for this!

There were times that I wished the author had gone deeper into some of the topics and provided more practical counsel—especially when it comes to putting some of these into practice with unbelievers. I also would have really loved if the book featured a resource guide in back that listed book recommendations for doing deeper dives into each of the chapter topics.

Overall, I enjoyed the book and found it beneficial. It was a 4 solid star read for me!

I received a copy of this book for free from The Good Book Company in exchange for this honest review.

“Really Helpful”

Subtitled “How Your Words Can Glorify God and Encourage Others”, this title grabbed me. I think I am an encourager by nature, so coupled with being an author I was especially interested in this one.
As a writer, when sometimes we can agonise for days over selecting the right word for a particular place in a story, we know the importance of language and the difference it can make.
But the teaching in this book takes it a step further than simply choosing the right words. It highlights how wisdom can and should be the driving force behind the words we use. How, when we are speaking to anyone, we can see ourselves as speaking as Christ to them. Thinking like this can create a whole different way of behaving and expressing the love of God.
Carolyn is quick to point out that we all get it wrong, quite often, but an intentional attitude of kindness, truth, love and (interestingly) praise in our conversations, will make an enormous difference to us and to all those we communicate with.
This book makes a point of highlighting what the Bible has to say on the topic, unpacks it and presents it with empathy and encouragement.
It is the sort of book that after you have read it, you come away with a feeling that your behaviours will never quite be the same again, to the benefit of everyone.

“Short and Sweet”

Carolyn Lacey begins this book by acknowledging how often we all, herself included, struggle to say the right thing. She reflects that when she was growing up in church, teachings about the tongue tended to focus on what you shouldn't say, without also training people to use their words in positive ways. This book provides a different perspective, focusing on different categories of speech that Christians can use to glorify God and build others up.

"Say the Right Thing" is short and highly readable. The chapters focus on the importance of wisdom, truth, beauty, comfort, kindness, hope, and praise in our speech, and Lacey shares stories and examples from the Bible and from modern life. She also includes direct examples of how people can use their speech to help and encourage others, and the chapter about offering comfort is particularly helpful, suggesting ways that Christians can connect with grieving and suffering people without relying on platitudes. Each chapter concludes with reflection questions that are appropriate for both individual processing and group discussion.

"Say the Right Thing" is a short, helpful book for Christians who want to use words in positive, restorative ways, although I wish it had gone deeper. A single book can't possibly address every topic or situation regarding communication, but I wish that Lacey had included more principles about how to deal with high-stakes conversations, since people's attempts at wise communication most often fall apart when they're dealing with relational tensions, intense emotions, and difficult issues. Lacey doesn't ignore this reality, but her treatment of it is fairly surface-level. This book is mainly about blessing and encouraging others, which is good, but I wish that it had gone further and deeper.

Disclaimer: I received a free copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.