Whitewashed Walls

The Apostle Paul called a high priest a "whitewashed wall" because of his contradictory statements and condemning attitude. Jesus also called a group of people "whitewashed" meaning that their outward appearance seemd true and right but inwardly, they had much to be desired. 

Has the church today become "whitewashed"? Do our outward attitudes and ways reflect the love of God and the people that He calls us to be?

Too many times we get in our own circles and lives, and fail to be what Jesus has called us to be. Do we reach out to others? Do we really care about them and the struggles or issues that they may be dealing with, or are we quick to eliminate anyone who doesn't talk, act or think like we do. How many people cross our paths that we ignore because they don't fit the description we have about who we should hang out with, or because they don't have perfect lives? Are we sending the message that they should "fix" themselves and then (maybe) they could become our friend?

People are hurting. This world now more than ever needs for us, CHRISTIANS, to reach out to them, to offer them hope. Too many times I have heard about people being turned away because the council that they sought in church said, "I don't want to get involved". If it is not the Pastors', Elders', church members place to get involved when the lost, hurting, sometimes desperate are seeking help, then whose is it?

What about our friends and family? Can they open up to us and talk about probems and struggles without fear of rejection or do they have to keep a certain facade to remain in our groups?

Jesus came into this world to save us, not condemn us. Let us not condemn others by not reaching out to them.

Father, I thank you for opportunities to reach out to others. I pray that we would indeed, not live in this world to condemn, but that we would offer the light and hope that is found in Your Son, Jesus. Let us check ourselves that we will not become like whitewashed walls. That our outward "appearance" will reflect Your inward love. In Jesus' merciful name, Amen.

Scripture References:
John 3:17
Matthew 23: 27-28
Acts 23:3
Romans 8:1

Court Tomorrow

Well, our new court date has arrived. I called Friday to make sure that it wasn't recheduled again but had to leave a message. I did not hear back from them, so, I will show up at 8:30 in the morning and hope it goes smoothly. I have been thinking a lot about what it might be like after our hearing...probably not much different than it has been except I will be single...I haven't worn a wedding band in over a year so I don't have to get used to that not being there. Although, sometimes there feels like an empty space on that hand. It is a little surreal, but I know that I have to make this change....maybe for some wrong reasons but mostly because I know that I absolutely did everything that I was supposed to for my marriage. Please say a prayer for both of us. I will let you know how it goes.

Children

Psalm 127:3 "Children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb is a reward".

Tonight as I was trying to get in a walk on my treadmill the boys seemed to go wild. Joseph was sitting at his desk working on a project and Zach was sitting at the table supposed to be writing a couple of his sight words. But all they could do was aggravate each other...I kept pulling my headphones off and stopping the treadmill to tell them to cut it out! Finally after 20 minutes I gave up walking and turned everything off. There are more events to the night but I am going to stop there (mostly because it got a little ugly before it got better..lol) because the verse above came to mind. I immediately thought about writing a post on this verse.

Our children are a gift, a heritage, that we must cherish and take care of. Even  when they are driving us crazy and we are yelling just as loud as they are. There are times when I am completely overwhelmed by work, school and being a mom. But, just as the Lord reminded me tonight, these boys are gifts to me.

As we were settling down I felt like I should talk to them about how this night had gone. I pulled out a children's devotional book and you would never believe what I opened it up to....a devotion titled, "Is it OK to slam the door when I'm mad". It was about controlling our emotions and how we should act when we get angry about something. Very appropriate, and not by accident (although I did not deliberately open it to this passage). God knows what we need to hear and when we need to hear it.

Just as one more confirmation for the night....when I sat down to write this I wanted to look Psalm 127:3 up in two different translations of the Bible to see if they used different wording. When I opened my NIV Bible, it was on a page with a side note entitled, "Our Children". It talks about how David prayed for children in this passage of scripture: "Then our sons in their youth will be like well-nurtured plants, and our daughters will be like pillars carved to adorn a palace" Psalm 144:12.

God was giving me lessons tonight, just like I was trying to give my boys. I am so very thankful for Joseph and Zach, and also for a Father who speaks to my heart and knows just what I need. After all, I am His heritage.

Vacation 2010

Last week went on vacation to Florida. We spent a couple of days in Daytona and a couple of days in Orlando. We had a really good time hanging out on the beach, at Seaworld, and visiting my friend, Danita, who I haven't seen in about 11 years! We spent a little time in SC, too, where we got to visit with family and friends. The boys also got to fly for the first time during this trip. Zach looked like a pro pulling his suit case (Toy Story desgin of course) through the airport. Joy, I didn't know these pictures of Nate and Henry were on my phone :o) I think they must have taken them when they were playing with the face change app...LOL

Galatians 6:9 - Do Not Grow Weary..in Baseball

This is going to seem like an odd post, and I actually wanted to write it a few weeks ago, but life happens and I am easliy distracted!!

Galatians 6:9 says, "Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up".

I guess you are wondering what this has to do with baseball? Well, both of my boys teams faced obstacles that seemed like were never going to end. Joseph's team was the last to get picked, they got a late start practicing, and their coach was inexperienced. Zach's team (you wouldn't believe the politics of T-ball) started out strong, but we soon found out that certain coaches can change the rules to accomodate their teams depending on who they are playing, and make assumed that they would win because of their status.

It was very frustrating to start with because both teams knew that we were doing what was right. Not that we always had the right attitudes or played the best. But, at the end of the day the boys worked hard, played hard and followed the rules.

Both teams ended up in second place (in their age group) in the league for the season. This is a miracle of sorts because the odds were stacked (like some of the teams) against us. But it was a real lesson for the boys...when you do what's right, you will come out on top.

Cheating, having a bad attitude, or being full of pride can sometimes cloud our vision and make it seem like nothing can stop us. But it will never get us in the "first place" that we want to go. Proof of this Bible verse happened this baseball season. I was very thankful that God gave us that lesson. 

And, the teams that cheated or that had coaches with bad attitudes, came in last.

T-Ball Tournament

Zach's team, the Lugnuts (lol) played their first tournament game last night. It is a single elimination tournament and this game was quite an ordeal. Our games normally last for an hour and fifteen minutes (usually 4 innings) but since it was a tournament game and someone had to win last night, we played 8 innings which took us two hours! Each inning, both teams would score but just enough to keep us at a tie. Finally, we got ahead by one and won the game! It was very stressful :o). Now we have to play again on Monday night. I may need anxiety medication before this season is over, and might not have any finger nails left!!

Hurry Up and Wait....

Well, we went to the court house Friday only to find out that court had been cancelled for that day. So, no divorce for me. I called an left a message today to reschedule. I firmly believe that everything happens for a reason, just not sure what the reason for the delay could be. I am praying for God to show me. I appreciate the support and prayers from my friends through this process...please keep praying for us.