I don’t remember exactly when I met Darla for the first time, but I think it was about twenty-five years ago when we lived in Atlanta, GA, in 1987-1989. At any rate both of us had young children at home, and when God brought us together, something just “clicked”, and we became friends for life. When Darla sent this article, she signed the email with these words, “Darla, your forever friend.” I love that, because Darla is my forever friend both in this life and in the life to come. For some reason the Lord tends to send me friends who live on the other side of the world, literally. Darla and her husband Bill serve as missionaries in the Philippines, so our visits are few and far between. But when we do see each other on those rare occasions, our conversations begin right where we left off. You would think we had spoken only hours or days ago. One day when we get to heaven, I expect that Darla and I will really do some catching up. It will probably last a few hundred years, since we will have eternity to talk. I am so thankful for this precious friendship, and I pray that you will find a friend like Darla. She is a humble, godly wife, mother, and grandmother, who is not only fun and funny, but exhibits patience, a life of prayer and spirit of love. Darla is a gifted women’s speaker and writer. If you are blessed to get her e-mail “epistles”, she will have you laughing and crying and rejoicing every time!
Proverbs thoughts by Darla Ebert:
“Wisdom rests in the heart of a man of understanding, but it makes itself known even in the midst of fools.” Proverbs 14:33
“The heart of him who has understanding seeks knowledge, but the mouths of fools feed on folly.” Proverbs 15:14
The Book of Proverbs hits us “where we live” and no book of the Bible, as a whole book, has brought more conviction into my own life than has Proverbs. The three areas I am most alerted to and brought up short by are to be found in abundance in Proverbs. They are: wisdom, guarding the tongue, and prayer. While guarding the tongue is a command that is encapsulated by or within wisdom, still it stands apart and alone, in a very unique way, when the heart is convicted. And my heart has been convicted over and over again. In fact, as applies to the tongue, I can well remember the day when the Lord spoke to me in particular about my words when He pointed out, almost in an audible voice, “This command is not to rob you of the joy you THINK you get by gossiping or ridiculing or criticizing. It is to spare you something worse later.” And how true I have found that reminder to be, over and over again. I have very often wished I could take back words or unsay something but have NEVER been sorry over having kept silence. And so the best way to evidence wisdom to others is to keep quiet. Keep quiet and listen and pray. I like so much the above mentioned verse that “wisdom rests in the heart of a man of understanding”. Resting is peace and quietness, it is healthy and encourages growth in the spirit. Our hearts flourish and grow rich with wisdom as we are quiet in the Lord, quiet and meditative.
But nothing brings out wrong words more than anger itself, it is the root of wrong speech in my own life and it can take many forms, one of which is ruminating on our hurts which comes out in wrong speech. I think of the words of Frederick Buechner: “Of the seven deadly sins, (Proverbs 6:16-19) anger is possibly the most fun, to lick your wounds, to smack your lips over grievances long past, to savor to the last toothsome morsel both the pain you are given and the pain you are giving back –in many ways it is a feast for a king. The chief drawback is that what you are wolfing down is yourself. The skeleton at the feast is you.” Of course wrong words are not only the outcome of anger alone but are borne of jealousy, envy , spite and hatred which sins are covered at length in the book of Proverbs.
The second verse mentioned at top, Proverbs 15:14 speaks of fools and their habit of “feeding on folly”. Nothing better proves the saying, “we are what we eat” than the dynamite thought inferred by this one verse regarding the outcome of feeding on folly (looking for it, delighting in it, cultivating it). And worse, foolishness begets foolishness. In the same way we can honestly acknowledge that wisdom increases exponentially as we feed on IT, on wisdom.
Prayer is mentioned only three times in the book of Proverbs: Proverbs 15:8; 15:29; 29:9 though prayer is alluded to throughout the book in one way or another. In the first two verses the lot of the wicked is highlighted against the blessing of the righteous as applies to prayer: “The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the LORD”, “The LORD is far from the wicked”; and: “The prayer of the upright is acceptable to Him”, “He (God) hears the prayer of the righteous”. While the last verse in Proverbs 28:9 bluntly says the prayer of the one who turns away from hearing God’s word is “an abomination”.
Because God convicted me many years ago to LEARN to pray and pray thoroughly, often and well, I have been intrigued by its being mentioned specifically in the book of Proverbs.
There is so much more than could be said regarding the personification of Wisdom and Folly in the book of Proverbs , both manifesting themselves as women, ironically. In Proverbs 3, 8,9 Wisdom is illustrated as a woman and in Proverbs 5,6,7 a woman also represents Folly. This would make a study all by itself.
Concluding with a thought-provoking quote from Harold Cooke Phillips:
“This coming to know Christ is what makes Christian Truth redemptive Truth, the truth that transforms, not just the truth that informs.”
Darla and her husband, Bill Ebert, are missionaries in the Philippines, where Bill serves as Dean of Students at the 
Center for Biblical Studies Institute and Seminary. Bill is a second generation missionary who has followed in his parents footsteps, and Bill and Darla now have a third generation of family serving with them, their daughter, Teri and her husband. Steve. Darla grew up in Salem, VA, and then attended Tennessee Temple University in Chattanooga, TN. After graduation, Darla and Bill were married in 1977 and then moved to Quezon City, Philippines in 1980. They now serve in Antipolo, Philippines. Darla is actively involved in the school teaching women, leading ladies Bible studies, and serving in the church. Bill and Darla have three adult children and five grandchildren.