Another beautiful day

It's days like this that make me glad I live in Colorado - November 3 and it's warm and not a cloud in the sky!

My day started with going to the basketball game at the YMCA to watch my grandchildren play.  They are both on the same team, and their daddy is the coach.  Carly is the only girl on the team, and there are no girls on the opposing team.  Most of the kids really get into it and put everything into the game.  Carly made two baskets; Joey almost made several baskets, but I consoled him by telling him that he's the fastest runner on the team - which he is.  He is also the shortest player on the team, but he puts his whole heart into playing.  He, Carly and Daddy practice in the backyard every evening.  I'm really proud of Carly that she plays in spite of being the only girl, and she does well.

After that we went to the house for awhile; Joey played a Christmas song for me on the piano - he had just been given the song at yesterday's lesson, and he did really well.

After that we all went to the Chinese Children's Adoption International office where they were having their annual sale of gift merchandise.  We go there every year, and it's always fun.  This is the agency that is responsible for giving us those two beautiful grandchildren. 

Well, I guess I'm dammed.....
Mike Huckabee, the former pastor who ran for president in 2008, recently said in a published article, that anyone who votes for Obama is dammed.
I wonder who made him judge and jury?  How is he going to explain that statement to Jesus some day when he appears before the judgment seat of Christ?

Which leads me to one of my favorite topics - the matter of judging.  Why do we as Christians think God gave us the responsibility to judge everybody?  Jesus said "the first and greatest commandment is to love the Lord your God, and the second is to love your neighbor as yourself."  He didn't say "the first and greatest commandment is to be judge of all those people around you who don't live by your standards."  In fact, in the Bible it says quite clearly "judge not lest you be judged". 

I grew up in an evironment where everyone was very judgmental, and I learned to also be judgmental.  I cringe now when I think of some of the things I have said through the years.  But I have come to realize that God put me on earth to love my neighbor instead of judging him or her.  I have a hard time being silent when I'm with a group of Christians and they are making such judgmental statements about people who have various types of what they classify as sin.  Our own sins are probably not so apparent to other people, but that doesn't give us any special kind of license to do the judging.  I remember the story in the Bible when someone was caught in sin and Jesus said "let him who is without sin, cast the first stone" and the crowd all dissipated when they heard those words.  It would take so much responsibility off our shoulders if we would just let God do the judging!