The Scuttlebutt Letters

In the style of the Screwtape Letters, Natalie Brand shows the havoc words can create, and how a change of heart can lead to peace.

Scuttlebutt (naval slang for the ship's gossip) is the affectionate nickname given to the tongue by his correspondent in these letters. The letter-writer, who is the heart, reprimands the tongue for steering the whole person into catastrophe, for enjoying little morsels of gossip, for creating smokescreens of lies. We see the vast array of damage that words can do.

But it turns out that you can't change the tongue without changing the heart. And once the heart encounters the true Word, the tongue's words becomes even more important, as it becomes praisemaker, doxologist and theologian.

An encouraging short book for anyone who struggles to keep their words under control.