The neighborhood where I grew up had a lot of kids. 

Randy Dykema - he lived right across the street and was my best friend (on a totally unrelated note, my parents planned to name me Randy until the neighbor's "stole" the name).   

 Sue Wells - she lived next door and she  played baseball with all the boys, and she was better than most of them.

Doug Kennedy - he and my brother were the world's biggest Tigers fans and listened to most of their games on the radio.

Fremont Utter - he turned up missing (isn't that an oxymoron?) one day.  The police found him asleep under his bed.

There were two girls who lived next door.  I don't actually remember their names, but they had the only pool in the neighborhood and never invited anyone to swim.  So maybe it's best if they remain nameless.

Tommy Hefran - Tommy might have just been remembered for his flaming red hair and freckles if it hadn't been for that one morning.   He rang our doorbell at 6:00 a.m. looking for my brother to come out and play.  My parents were not pleased.

But when I read today's proverbs I think of Tommy.

27:14

If a man loudly blesses his neighbor early in the morning, it will be taken as a curse.

So what exactly is the point?  Well, there is nothing wrong with blessing your neighbor.  We'd all like to have someone say something nice about us.  And speaking in a loud voice?  Maybe a little embarrassing, but forgiveable.  But what about early in the morning?  Ah, there's the problem.  It's not the right time for loud pronouncements.  Yes, the timing is off.

Read Proverbs 27

Life isn't just about doing the right thing.  It's about doing the right thing at the right time.  It's about doing the right thing in the right way.  It's about considering the how and the why and the when and the where - and not just the what.

Sometimes we call this tact.  It's knowing what is appropriate to say and when is the right time.  It means pausing first to make sure that what we are thinking or what we want to do really fits the situation.  It means thinking through how what we are planning will actually come across.  It means making sure the blessing you are intending to give doesn't end up feeling like a curse.

So for today's wisdom:

Don't do a good thing in a bad way.

Brent Wood