7 more weeks

Only 7 more weeks until Joe's home for good. I can't wait, and I'm counting down the days. The time has gone quickly though, and we're grateful for that. I'm going to drive to Artesia this weekend, instead of him driving back to Lubbock. I'm curious to see the town, or lack thereof, and where he spends his time. We're probably going to head over to Cloudcroft on Saturday. Cloudcroft is a little mountain town similar to Ruidoso, but not as touristy.

So far, I have only accomplished one of the many projects I thought I would work on this summer with all my "free" time, which is the kitchen curtains. I had some material left over from the dining room curtains, and made up two valances for the kitchen windows above the sink. I'm hoping to start painting soon with the wonderful paint/easel set that Joe got me for Christmas.

I began a new Beth Moore study this past week titled: When Godly People Do Ungodly Things. I really enjoyed the Daniel study that we did through the winter, so I wanted to immediately start a new one. Thankfully, other people at our church felt the same way, and started a new study. This one is co-ed and there are a lot of couples attending. I know Joe would be there in a heartbeat if he wasn't in Artesia. Maybe we can do one together this fall. I'm really excited about this study, and hope to share my thoughts regarding the lessons through posts over the next several weeks.

Last night's lesson was about who can be tempted and seduced to do ungodly/sinful acts. Specifically, can Christians be tempted to do so. I believe that all people are sinful, and it is in our nature to sin, regardless of whether we have become Christians. Therefore, yes, Christians can be tempted to sin. However, I have been operating under the assumption that when Christians sin scandalously (meaning something that's really "big" or gains a lot of attention), that those people were probably slackers to begin with, and not really that devoted to following Christ. Let me put in a disclaimer here: I believe that all sins are equal, and no individual sin is greater than another. When I say sin scandalously, I mean high-profile, that gains a lot of attention, and causes outsiders to analyze what happened in that person's life to cause such a downfall. However, what I found after reading the Bible is that even those with a "sincere and pure devotion to Christ" can be led astray (II Corinthians 11:3). That's not talking about slackers, that's talking about those who are actively pursuing a relationship with Christ. What I learned from this is that there's no room for pride for anyone. No one can feel that they are above the temptations that the devil puts in our paths. All of us must rely on the Holy Spirit for strength to withstand temptation to sin. And we must also recognize that when we fall, or our fellow believer falls, we must, with humility, help him back up and restore the relationship. (Galatians 6:1)

I think the church as a whole, does a poor job at this. We believe that all sins are equal, however, when it comes to restoring a believer after sin, we really only extend that to those we feel didn't sin too bad... or at least this is how it appears to me. This is not Biblical, nor do I believe it is how Jesus would have wanted us to be. For instance, look at how he extended forgiveness and restoration to the adulterous woman about to be stoned by her peers. He immediately assumes humility (though he was blameless) and tells the crowd that he who has never sinned can throw the first stone. The mob realizes that they are not blameless, and therefore can not condemn her. In this way, Jesus shows the woman that her sin is not greater, or more punishable, than anyone else's. And then the best part: he tells her that neither does He condemn her. He who would have had a right to condemn because He was blameless, shows us all how to restore a person's soul by not condemning them, but instead encouraging them to go and sin no more, get back on the right track.(John 8:2-11)

I believe that if the church today, would extend restoration like Jesus did, there would be no limit to how that love would change the world. We must learn to take on humility, and help our brothers get back on the right track. We need to stop "stoning" them with judgement about how wrong their sin was. As soon as we realize that we are all capable of sin, and none of us is above the temptation, then we can truly humble ourselves to walk through life with others holding them up in times of trouble, and bringing them to a closer relationship with Christ.

Even Christ during the crucifixion, did not use the moment to condemn us, but rather asked the Father to forgive us. It would have been a perfect moment for Jesus to explain that he was being crucified because of our sin, however, he used his last breaths to ask the Father to forgive us instead. What an ultimate show of love, even while accepting the punishment for our sin! To follow Christ is to learn from His example. Therefore we must show love and forgiveness to those who have sinned, even ourselves, and not be stuck in the mud of the sin committed. Christ did not extend forgiveness to us so that we could spend weeks analyzing every wrong action. He extended forgiveness that we might have LIFE, and live. Living is moving forward, not staying in our weak moment focusing on how we or others have screwed up. We must repent, and move forward into the life and new mercies that He offers us everyday.

On the road again.

Ok, so it's been kinda busy, which is why it's been so long since my last post. Here's the quick update on what has happened since our trip to Dallas...

First of all, Joseph found a place to rent while he's in Artesia, which is a real answer to prayer, if not all that comfortable. :) His boss has a travel trailer that he's letting Joseph rent quite affordably, and much cheaper than staying in a hotel. It certainly does the job, and we only get worried when those big summer thunderstorms come through, not to mention tornado warnings! Luckily he's close to shelter and can make it to the shower house if the weather gets too hairy. But let me tell ya, I'll sleep better when he gets to be back in Lubbock full time.

I flew up to Salt Lake City at the end of May for a client training for two days. It was good as business trips go, and I was really amazed at the beauty of SLC. I had no idea that it was such a pretty place to live. Guess I've only ever thought about deserts and the Mormon temple. Turns out there's a very large lake there, and really impressive snow-covered mountains. (If I'd been paying more attention in geography, I would have known that.) From SLC, I flew down to Albuquerque to meet up with Joseph and some of our other friends for a wedding over Memorial Day weekend. We had a good time, and I was also impressed with the scenery there, but in a different way. Albuquerque has some really great views of the mesa and Sandia mountain range bordering the city. The weather is arid, as expected, but slightly cooler than west Texas because of the higher elevation. I wouldn't mind living there either. Basically, I'm a big fan of arid weather, so anywhere in the west/southwest region of the U.S. works great with me. It was kind of strange to meet up with Joe in another city, and then go our separate ways, but I'm trying to get used to this summer arrangement of him working in another state. Of course it was wonderful to have the time together again.

I got back from Albuquerque, and immediately began preparing for my parents to come visit. They arrived late on Wednesday night that week, and stayed through late Friday night when they had to leave for Denver to catch their flight back home. (They were in Denver earlier in the week for a friend's graduation from the Air Force Academy.) We had a nice visit with them, and it was good to be able to show them around the area. We had a good time planting more flowers on the patio, and adding to the potted herb garden I've started. Joseph was able to get off work on that Friday, so he was able to spend time with them as well, for which I was very grateful.

The following week, we had VBS at our church, and I volunteered to lead a group of 9 children (ages 4-6) through the "water park", which was our VBS theme. I really like that age group, but things can get a little out of control when there's 9 of them at the same time. Good thing this is only one week in the summer...

...Which brings us up to this week. I'm in Midland this week, which is about 2 hours south of Lubbock. Joseph's company is holding a new hire training for him here at a hotel for the whole week. Since the hotel has direct internet access in each room, my boss graciously allowed me to come to Midland with Joseph and work from here, instead of home. I'm so very glad that we get to be together this week. Due to technology, I'm able to do all the same functions here for my job as I can back at home, even the phone! gotta love that VOIP.

Well, that's the update for the Pattersons. Hope you're all doing well.