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Okay, so yesterday I went to the Fort Worth Museum of Modern Art with my husband and a couple of our friends. We were having a delightful day as we had lunch in the cafe (which is actually quite awesome because the glass windows are right on the water). Go check it out at www.themodern.org. So anyway, we were looking at art and having a good day and my friend Morgan and I decided to view the featured artwork. It was a unique piece-some was hanging from the ceiling and some was on the floor. Morgan and I were across the room from each other and we heard a loud, static-like noise that appeared to be coming from the hallway area. We both just stood there looking at each other for a moment when all of a sudden, we heard a raspy, male sounding, low-pitched voice that said “heeelp meeeeeeeee!!”. Frozen, we looked at each other and finally said in disbelief, “did you hear that?” Yes, we both heard it. When my legs finally decided to move, I ran into the hallway where no one was to be found. We continued throughout the museum where we observed neat and strange art and then visited “the area of the encounter” one last time. Nothing was heard or seen and the air had a much lighter feeling. I looked on the Internet trying to find out information and have inconclusively concluded that it was Rothko’s ghost. He was an artist that well, isn’t alive anymore. If you are really interested you should look him up-it is actually pretty interesting. So, what does this mean? Do you believe that encounters like this really happen? All I know is that I heard what I heard and without getting all into the forces around us that we don’t see, I’ll just say I heard what I heard. I leave that for another time-but I do have stories.

So anyone that has kids and has had them in sunday school has probably heard the song about “you can’t get to heaven on a pogo stick” or “in a rocket ship”, etc. My daughters and I sing that and try to make up new things all the time. My favorite just hit me one day though when we were singing about how “you can’t get to heaven in a washing machine.” I’m not sure if my hormonally challenged self went crazy or what but I actually got a little teary-eyed. At the top of our voices we were singing “you can’t get to heaven in a washing machine, ’cause God don’t care if your clothes are clean, all my sins are washed away I’ve been redeemed!” WOW! Maybe it is just the messed up hormones, but it became apparent to me how true that statement was-God surely doesn’t care if our clothes are clean–why do we care so much about appearances in church? How often do we go up to those who may be dirty or smell a bit and just put our arms around them and embrace them the way Jesus would? Why should they be treated as sub-human because they don’t look like a picture of the church that someone came up with (definately not the picture Jesus had). Who in your church fits this picture? Anyone? Maybe the church has surrounded them so wonderfully and shown such community that needs are being met or maybe there aren’t any at all because-well, maybe some churches just don’t welcome ALL of God’s children. But why? Why is it so difficult to love people that aren’t like ourselves? Is it because maybe the realization that we could be that person scares the daylights out of us? Or maybe if we acknowledge that poverty and homelessness really exist then we have an obligation to do something about it. Hmmm. So the Bible says that the poor will always be among us. So…does that free us from obligation? NO! Of course not. Sin is in the world but that is not a free ticket to do wrong because we are sinners. Of course we are sinners but the beauty of God comes from his saving redemption through Jesus Christ that washes our sins away when we repent and turn back to the mindset of God. So, yes, the poor will be among us-thankfully God just didn’t say, well sin is now in the world-good luck with that whole saving yourself thing-let me know how that works out for you. No, God gave us a choice. He provided the Way with Jesus.  So how far does our love for God’s children go? Is there a limit? Or should I ask why is there a limit? We limit ourselves by our insecurities. What would you do differently if you truly believed that all that mattered is how God saw your heart and not how others see you. But then again, isn’t that what matters?

So over and over I hear myself say to my kids “why won’t you listen to me?” My frustration level rises and rises. I tell them time and time again to “do this” or not to “do that” and yet my pleas are ignored; maybe they are just too busy doing their own thing to pay attention. As these words echo through my mind I now wonder-do I listen? What has God been saying to me that I have ignored? Maybe I have been too busy to pay attention. How many times does God say to me “why won’t you listen to Me?” Gulp- kind of hard to swallow. So now as I reflect on this, I realize that the obedience of my children that I desperately long for is the same obedience that the Father desperately longs for from us. If we are children of God, why don’t we act like it? I mean really, can you imagine if God was here on earth interacting with you every day as your parent-wouldn’t you act differently? Shouldn’t you? Well, I guess that excuse isn’t a good one because HE IS! God is alive and he longs to talk with us and to share life with us. Why do we make our life with God separate from the rest of our life? Shouldn’t it be one in the same? I also find myself saying to my children, “if you would just listen we could actually have more fun and be able to do more things.” Isn’t that the truth? If we listened to God and did what He says the first time, wouldn’t our lives be truly fulfilled and wouldn’t we be free of all the clutter that weighs us down and keeps us from being who we really are? Shouldn’t we live our lives in such communication with our Father that He should never have to ask, “why won’t you listen to me?”