For Discussion

Everyday Mommy has called into question the veracity of statements made in a commercial for the United Methodist Church. She writes:

In the commercial two statements were made:

"None of us is qualified to judge others."

"When you truly embrace diversity you embrace God."

Are these statements Biblically accurate?

I have not seen the commercial, so my assessment of the accuracy of these statements is made by taking each one at face value and weighing it against what the Bible tells us. All scripture references here are links to the NIV at BibleGateway.com.

On judging others:

In the book of John, we are told that all judgement has been entrusted to the Son by the Father and that He reserves judgement until the last day. He did not come to judge the world, but to save it. Who is more righteous than Christ? Who then is qualified to judge anyone?
John 5:21-23, John 8:14-16, John 12:47-50


In Romans, we are told that we condemn ourselves when we pass judgement on someone else. There is no one righteous. We all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. We all will stand before God's judgement seat. So far, it seems to me that none of us is qualified to judge.
Romans 2:1-3, Romans 3:10, Romans 3:23, Romans 14:9-11


In 1 Corinthians, we are told to judge nothing before the appointed time. When the Lord comes He will expose the motives of men's hearts.
1 Corinthians 4:1-5

James tells us there is only one Lawgiver and Judge. How arrogant of us to think we have any right to judge our neighbor! James 4:11-12



But wait. What about 1 Corinthians 5:9-13? Doesn't it say that we are to judge those inside the church? Is the statement above rendered inaccurate by this passage? Who are the "others" in that statement? Church members or non-members?


On embracing diversity:

I have two thoughts on this concept. On the one hand, God is God of all people regardless of their color, race, height, weight, gender, education, age, etc. We are not all alike. We should not esteem ourselves higher than any other nor think ourselves more deserving of His gift of salvation by grace through faith. It is for ALL whom the Lord will call. We are to love one another. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God. When we love one another, He lives in us and His love is perfected in us.

Leviticus 19:33-34

John 17:1-3

Acts 2:38-39, Acts 3:24-26, Acts 10:27-28, Acts 10:34-35

Romans 3:29-30, Romans 5:18-19, Romans 10:11-13

Ephesians 2:11-22

1 John 4:7-12


On the other hand, diversity could refer to the exhortation to be different - not conformed to the world, but transformed by the renewing of our minds. It is not by human wisdom that we understand what God has given us, but by the Holy Spirit. We are to be set apart from the world as aliens and strangers.

Romans 12:1-3

1 Corinthians 2:11-13

1 Peter 2:10-12

Both statements, in my opinion, can be supported by scripture. However, if you assume that the statements are intended to broaden the path that leads to righteousness and to relax the standards of holiness we are to uphold, then they cannot be Biblically accurate. This was not my assumption.

Care for another opinion? Go here.

More than you wanted to know about beta

Please, before you read any further, pray for Amy.

For those of you who have had trouble leaving comments from beta blogger to blogger or vice versa, there is a solution.

At the bottom of the comment box, if the blog allows anyone to comment, you'll see "Choose an identity" - this gives you three options:

a) Google/Blogger, which is supposed to allow you to use either account. So far, it hasn't worked properly. Hopefully they'll get that fixed soon.

b) Other, which allows you to use your name and your webpage/blog url. (This is the one I use.) It's the same as leaving comments on Typepad or Wordpress blogs, except your email address is not required. I like this option, because when you mouse over someone's name, you can see their URL rather than their blog profile number.

c) Anonymous, which is, of course, anonymous. If you use this option, you'll need to remember to put your identifying information in the comment box (name, URL) with your comment, unless you wish to remain anonymous.

Hope that helps! Comment away!

Of Tea and Toilet Tissue and Beta Blogger Issues

This whole Beta Blogger business is just a wee bit flusterating. I can leave comments only on blogs that allow anonymous comments. For those of you who don't, just know that I am catching up on my reading, and if your email link is provided in your profile, I will let you know that I've visited.

Alrighty then. I've been tagged by Cheryl who's wondering just how much we southern women have in common. In the interest of satisfying her curiosity and keeping my readers informed, I will now reveal my deepest, darkest secrets. . . nah, maybe I'll just answer the following questions:

1. If you make sweet tea, or your favorite style, do you use Luzianne, Lipton or _______ (whatever your brand is)? I like a day that's not cloudy and a tea that's not cloudy. If it's good enough for Burl Ives, it's good enough for me. Luzianne, sweetened with a half cup of sugar per 2-quart pitcher.

2. What brand of toilet paper do you buy, and is it the larger rolls or regular? (What is it about toilet paper?) White Cloud 9 BIG rolls or Angel Soft 12 Mega rolls

3. Which brand of bath soap do you use? Is it body wash or bar style? Safeguard beige bars, Tone body wash, and Softsoap antibacterial liquid soap

4. Which cereal do you buy for yourself? Golden Grahams and MultiGrain Cheerios

5. What brand of dishwasher detergent do you use and is it liquid or tablets? Cascade liquid

6. What is your favorite fruit to eat? strawberries, melons, grapes, oranges, bananas

7. Which brand of clothes detergent do you use? Arm & Hammer Tropical Burst liquid

8. Do you like chocolate? Only on days ending in y. Hershey's mini Special Dark is my fave.

9. Are you right-handed or left-handed? Right, but I can use my left if necessary.

10. Do you still write checks or use a debit card? Debit card mostly, but I write checks (with my right hand) for tithing, mortgage payments, water bill, and car insurance.

If you haven't been tagged for this one, then you haven't been reading BooMama. Let me know if you have, and I'll stop by and visit.

Some Good News and Some Bad News

I'm ba-ack! Thank you all for your prayers concerning our trip. And you were right - God did surprise us. Even before I saw any of your comments, I knew that we were covered in prayer. We arrived Saturday morning to find out that we were all invited to a birthday celebration for my aunt and my granddaddy that evening. We got to visit with my grandparents, my aunt and uncle, my cousin and his wife and kids while enjoying a seafood buffet at a restaurant on the banks of the White River in Des Arc, Arkansas. It was good to catch up with them. My aunt reads my blog, y'all!

My dad and brother-in-law stayed home to watch the Razorbacks lose to USC. We got back in time for the 4th quarter, so we all gathered in the living room to watch. I'm not a big football fan, but I gotta root for the home team. How 'bout them Hogs?

Sunday we went to the Little Rock Zoo for a behind-the-scenes tour with a keeper of the large animals. The kids got to feed and pet the giraffes, rhinos, and elephants. I can't wait to get the pictures developed.

All in all, it was an enjoyable trip, and much less painful than I expected. That's the good news.

The bad news is this message I received from blogger beta when trying to post a comment on my blogger friend's blog:
"Unfortunately, you cannot post a comment on a non-beta blog or claim a mobile blog using your Google Account. These features are coming soon." Bummer beta.

Hope your holiday is grand!

Long Weekend

I used to love 3-day weekends, but these days all my long weekends are spent on the road traveling to visit my daughters. Now I do love to travel, and I am longing to go somewhere peaceful - camping in the mountains or relaxing on the beach - anywhere but Arkansas. It's not that I don't like Arkansas, it's just that we go to the same place every time. Yes, most of my family is there, and I enjoy visiting with them; however, I don't get to visit with them when we go because I'm always playing catch-up with my kids. I have so little time with them as it is, and there isn't much parenting that can be done in a weekend.

Lindsey and I were again discussing our living arrangements a few days ago. She insisted that I should move back there because the only reason I'm here is my husband. Otherwise I would have moved long ago. She remembers hearing me and her dad talking lots of times about moving. What she doesn't remember is that I wanted to move closer to the bars he frequented so he could crawl home rather than getting another DWI. Can't very well tell her that, now, can I? He did talk about moving to Florida after he retires, but that's still a few years away.

Once again, I explained to her how I came to be here, how God has given me confirmation in so many ways that I am finally on the right path, and that NO ONE is going to dissuade me from following His lead EVER AGAIN. I have been down that dark, lonely road, and let me tell you, it ain't pretty. Her response? "Mom, that's crap." (Um, yeah, that smell? That's smoke. I do believe somebody's playing with fire.)

Seriously, I hope she's just trying to make me angry and/or hurt my feelings. I pray that she hasn't forgotten to Whom she belongs. A couple of days later, she called to ask if she could have her SIM card for her cell phone back. Right. I just paid off the $400 bill she racked up. It ain't happening.

So we'll be on our way in a few hours, and although I do want to see my girls and spend time with them, I'm not really excited about the trip. We'll be staying with my parents in their huge house on the lake, just like we always do. My dad will sit in the living room in front of the television, channel surfing, and my mom will be reading the newspaper aloud to him from the adjoining dining room. This annoys him. I'm pretty sure she knows it, but she does it anyway.

We'll join my dad in the living room, and as soon as we get interested in whatever show he selects from the plethora of satellite channels available, he'll start clicking again. Then we'll watch the polka channel. Woo Hoo! Or a Hee Haw marathon. Or both, you know, clicking back and forth between them during commercials. Oh there is never a shortage of entertainment with my folks. It's almost comical, and probably would be if it were someone else's family, like the Barones of Everybody Loves Raymond.

They do have internet access, but I won't be blogging. I may get a chance to visit some of you, without leaving comments, of course. I'll catch up with all of you when I get back.

Y'all have a safe and enjoyable weekend! You will be in my prayers.