This is one to keep an eye out for – if you enjoy satire. Reminiscent of C S Lewis’ Screwtape Letters, Natalie Brand has cleverly written a series of letters from the Heart to the Tongue. The Heart strongly berates the Tongue for all manner of sly and malicious dealings demonstrating the many references in Scripture to this ‘little member’ and the havoc it can wreak. Words of gossip, wild intemperate words, flattering words, foolish words, poisonous words, cutting words, boasting words, and even ‘silent’ online words are condemned by the Heart. Helpfully, in each letter, the Heart quotes scripture to the Tongue and often gives examples of characters and incidences in the Bible when words were similarly used and condemned.

Then, in an interesting twist, an Internal Investigation of all the words and subsequent haranguing, concludes that actually the Heart is the one at fault and suggests that each letter to the Tongue should be returned to the sender. ‘But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man’. Matthew 15:18.

What follows are much milder letters from the Heart to the Tongue, a description of a change, a heart transformation, a confession of hypocrisy and a desire for healthy words: ‘Pleasant words are as an honeycomb, sweet to the soul, and health to the bones’ Proverbs 16:24. The Heart now leads the Tongue in words of doxology and praise.

Those who know their hearts to be ‘deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked’ (Jeremiah 17:9) will also know that ‘the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity’ (James 3:6). The use of satire highlights the foolishness (and sinfulness) of our thinking and our words – everything is brought to light and mocked. Beware, there may be some squirming involved!

The Scuttlebutt Letters by Natalie Brand, published by Christian Focus Publications, due for publication in May (available for pre-order).