We don't judge

Several years ago I had the pleasure of getting to mentor a great group of teenage girls.  They were so much fun, they kept me young, and always had a style tip to share with me. ("Mikel, why are you wearing those 'mom' shoes?")  They taught me so much and I can only hope that I taught them a little something too.  A running gag that developed with this group was the saying, "We don't judge!"  This particular adage became a joke used between us. "You only like movies starring Mandy Moore? It's okay, we don't judge!" "You ate a pan of brownies for breakfast? It's okay, we don't judge!" Ah, I miss those girls...

This week has been another trial for me as once again I hurt my back and have been trying to take it easy.  Yesterday I tried to be productive and was adamant about leaving the house only to reinjure my back to the point I wasn't able to walk without incurring severe pain.  These days where I am frustrated and unable to do what I really want to do lead me to peruse the Internet.  I have come across all sorts of things this week.  Most of them quite disturbing.  There seems to be a lesson that a lot of people have yet to learn so let me drop a knowledge bomb on you.  Wait for it....

Christians can have fun.  There it is. Oh, and Christians can have a sense of humor.  We can enjoy life.  And we can live into the business of Christ without judging others.

 "God alone, who gave the law, is the Judge. He alone has the power to save or to destroy. So what right do you have to judge your neighbor?" James 4:12

“Do not judge others, and you will not be judged.  For you will be treated as you treat others. The standard you use in judging is the standard by which you will be judged. And why worry about a speck in your friend’s eye when you have a log in your own?  How can you think of saying to your friend, ‘Let me help you get rid of that speck in your eye,’ when you can’t see past the log in your own eye?  Hypocrite! First get rid of the log in your own eye; then you will see well enough to deal with the speck in your friend’s eye." Matthew 7:1-5

How often have you seen this sentiment: "that's the problem with Christians, they're all hypocrites!" or "I could never be a part of a church because everyone who goes is so judgemental."


It's a shame that our own witness is keeping other's from discovering the great joy of living in Christ.  It's a terrible shame that our own actions are doing more harm than good.  Why is it so hard for us to just love? We can never hope to bring others into a relationship with Christ without first bringing them into a relationship with ourselves.  And newsflash people, no one wants to be around someone who is a judgemental hypocrite.

That's my rant for the day.  I pray that we can all look into ourselves and become the vessel that God calls us to be.

Blessings my friends!

Be Something

Be the Change.

There have been many moments that I have felt such a strong desire, a NEED, to make a difference.  I see something going on around me and think,"I have to do something about this!"  With all of my good intentions I look around and find no outlet for my efforts.  I want things to be better but I don't know what I can do to help.

This reality is most evident to me within the church.  I have been in situations where I really, really wanted to help, to be a part of something bigger than me, and just wasn't allowed in.  I have had conversations with pastors asking why the same people did everything.  I volunteered many times for many things, only to be overlooked for the veterans.

I have also seen people get burned out in the church because they were constantly doing everything.  These same people would become resentful of the church because they were the only ones asked to lead, provide, and instruct.

I want to be a part of the community.  I want the church to be bigger than itself.  I want to reach out to others.  I want to meet the needs of everyone.  Occasionally I think I even have good ideas.  I know there are other's like me, other's searching for a way to belong and assist, but they do not know where to begin.

If you are in leadership of an organization what do you do to reach out to those who may help you lead? 

If you want your organization to be successful, you must be willing to seek out ideas different from your own.  Be willing to listen to those who are searching for a way to make a difference. 

You also have to be willing to change things that need changing and help things that are in need of help.  We can't allow ourselves to be satisfied with mediocre.  We can't be okay with allowing things to fail because we were too afraid to speak up.

Don't be afraid to speak up, in a loving manner mind you, when you see something that could be handled differently.  We all have a purpose, and we are all worth listening to.

Be the change you desire in your world.  Be the difference your church needs.

Point the way...

Zach is away at his first Annual Conference this week and the kids and I are at home, trucking along as usual.  We are pretty used to him being gone from his days as a Youth Pastor.  I think everyone underestimates how busy a youth pastor can be in the summer, or any time for that matter.  I know there are people in our lives who believed, and still do, that Zach only works one or two days a work and feel inclined to put work in quotations.

We have been so blessed to be able to do what we do.  We have met some incredible people and have gotten to be a part of some incredible events, all things we would have missed out on if we had "regular" jobs.  Sure, the pay's not great and sometimes the hours aren't either, but I know neither one of us would trade what we have done for all the money in the world.

Zach's trip to AC is sure to be the first of many and this fact alone gets me so excited for our future.  You see, we have a purpose.  God has great things in store for us and I can't wait to see what's next.  I know without a doubt we are on the right path.

Where is God directing you?  Are you able to see His direction through your own wordly desires?


Blessings to you all, my friends...

Just ask...

If you know we well you should know that I love history and I love books.  I especially love books about history.  I love reading about things that took place way before my time and seeing parallels to my life.  It doesn't matter when you live, life is pretty much the same - hard.  You will always have problems, choices to make, and people to love.  Somethings never change.

This summer my Youth kids asked to study some stories from the Old Testament that they may have heard before but never really studied.  We are cruising through Genesis and last nights study was centered around Abraham when he was still Abram.  Here is a man that God chose to be the father of His people.  Abraham was chosen to bear a great responsibility and yet he was just a man.  He had choices to make and just like the rest of us, sometimes he took the wrong path.

We see other great men in the Bible who were chosen for great things and yet they really screwed up (see David and Solomon).  They were given everything they needed, anything they asked God for, He provided.  It was when they tried to do things on their own, without seeking God, that disaster ensued. 

We are human. We make mistakes.  We get caught up in our own lives and we forget to seek God's will in what we are doing.  When a problem arises, so often we try and fix it ourselves, instead of going to God in prayer or delving into His word to discern what path we should choose.

God gives us all we need.  All we need to do is ask...

"If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking." James 1:5
Thanks be to God.

Wisdom from Abe...

The other day my wonderful husband brought me home Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter which I have been wanting to read for a very long time.  Just for the record, I'm not quite half way through and I LOVE it.  It's quite enjoyable.  Last night I was reading and came upon this jewel: "Judge us not equally." Now in the book this quote is referencing Vampires and slaves, but how relevant is it to us normal folk?

Yesterday I read a blog written by my cousin who told the story about an experience he had on a recent flight.  I won't link you there because I haven't asked for his permission, but to sum up it was about a young man of middle eastern decent who was shown disdain and prejudice by an older woman based solely on his appearance.  My cousin shared how even after the young man jumped up to offer this woman assistance with her luggage, she still glared at him with judgment.  Now, there was more to the story but I was struck by the thought of how often we judge something or someone based on something else entirely.

For instance it seems that in our society Christianity has become somewhat taboo.  I've become even more aware of this now that I've moved out of the Bible Belt.  Christians are judged as being judgemental, hypocritical, and ultra-conservative.  We are being judged that way based on the actions of a few.

Judge us not equally.

It is unfortunate that there are "Christians" who are quite vocal about their lack of love for their brothers.  Can we not make it our mission to change this image being touted about this nation? 

I know that lately I have been blogging a lot about love.  I feel transformed.  There's no other way to say it.  It's a hard thing to love, really hard, but lately I find it just a little bit easier.  What was once a struggle to see the good in every situation has become closer to being a part of my nature.  There are certain parts of my life that I still hold a prejudice for, certainly, but those things are few.  I am a different person.  I love more, I judge less, and I feel a need to be a difference in our world.

Join me on this mission won't you please?

Blessings to you this day.

Whatcha Gonna Do?

Hello all!  Did you guys get the memo? It's summer time!! Yesterday was Zoe's last day of preschool.  It was a day of fun in the sun and wind for water day!

Ready to go! 

Noah hops in for the photo op.

Noah's last day was the day before.  I love these kids.  I can't believe how much they have grown and learned over these months.

Last night after the kids were put to bed Zach and I went to our room and watched some Baseball Tonight.  After a while I went to check on the kids and found Noah awake and very happy about it.  I picked him up and took him to our room and Zach and I spent a while just enjoying our son.  It was blissful.  We had tickle wars, we laid together and watched "b-ball", and we laughed a lot.  I have a great family.

This late night experience reminds me that enjoying time together as a family doesn't have to be some grand gesture.  As we are getting geared up for the summer and I am wondering how to keep my sanity with trying to keep the kids entertained until school starts up, it's good to remember that we can have fun and not spend any money or plan huge activities.

On that note, I would love to hear any ideas or tips for summer activities.  What are your plans for the vacation months?

May you all see your blessings in everything you do.



Sometimes Life is hard...

This is Zoe's last week of preschool.  Wednesday is her last day and she is very ready to begin Kindergarten.  She is having a problem dealing with the fact that she will no longer be going to Bright Beginnings.   She came home from school today already in trouble from her father.  Apparently she didn't want to leave school and shared this feeling quite forcefully with Zach.  He did not appreciate that so much and punished her to her room as soon as they got home.

Knowing she was upset and guessing at the reason, I went in to talk to her.  I pulled her in my lap and she immediately began crying.  "I'm going to miss my friends so much! I'm never going to see them again!" she wailed.  I know her pain.  I sympathize with her.  Smoothing her sweaty hair back and wiping away her tears I told her,"People enter our lives for a reason.  If people are supposed to be in our lives we must trust in God that He will find a way to make it happen."

People have entered my life and left my life.  I have moved miles away from the people I care about.  I have to have faith that God has a plan for me and knows what people are meant for that plan.  Regardless of where I am I must believe that He has a way to ensure the right people are in my life.

As I stated in my previous post I have been giving a lot of thought to my ministry.  Anyone can have a ministry in my opinion, you don't have to have a job at a church or be a Minister.  People think that if they have a desire to serve God then they must go to seminary.  That's simply not true and if more people realized this then I think the state of our churches would be better.  We would have less ineffective pastors and more involved congregants, but I digress.  

We never know when we will depart this world, when today will be our last.  Can you feel comfortable with saying,"If I die tomorrow, I know that I leave this world a better place for having been in it."

St. Francis of Assisi is quoted as saying: "Remember that when you leave this earth, you can take with you nothing that have received--only what you have given."

I hope and pray that when I leave this place at least one person can say I had a positive impact on them.  Shouldn't that be what we all strive for? 

I will not be on Facebook much for a while.  If you need to contact me please message me or send me a text.  Peace be to you.