Being Found Blameless...

So often in Scripture, we are reminded that we should be found blameless... pretty easy to understand- being found without blame. Am I without blame?

"That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world;" Phil. 2:15

Blameless= free of guilt; not subject to blame; "has lived a blameless life"; "of irreproachable character"; "an unimpeachable reputation"

amemptos: the Greek word here for blameless is used various times in the NT:

Luke 1:6- "And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless." (speaking of Elisabeth and Zacharias)

Phil. 3:6- "Concerning zeal, persecuting the church; touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless." (Paul giving his credibility)

anegkletos, another Greek word used to mean faultless, blameless innocent is also found various times. One instance that we see it most commonly used is in 1 Timothy 3- the requirements of Pastors and deacons. Yes, we see that they should be found blameless, but more often than not- the passages referring to blamelessness are about ordinary people.

It was such a challenge to me as we discussed this in young adult Sunday School yesterday, because I am very VERY watched in our church! As a Sunday School teacher, as most of the church kid's piano teacher, as the eldest teen, as the Pastor's daughter- the list goes on! My actions are watched, and can I be found blameless? When I leave in July, will they wave farewell to someone they have seen Christ in, or to someone that has perhaps caused them to stumble here and there.

Being found blameless, not only before my friends and church family, but to the people of Rotorua... wow. Everything I do! Most importantly, and undoubtedly most difficult, am I found blameless before my Lord? He knows ALL that I do, think, say... and I know that I am not blameless before Him- no matter how good I may act around other people. I pray, that as I keep in His Word, continue to study and meditate, that I will gradually draw closer and closer to Him, and have the testimony as one who is "blameless, without fault, innocent". Your prayers for me as I endeavor to do this are priceless...

Welcome to NZ!

Welcome to MY NEW ZEALAND!
It's the land God has given me for the last 8 years, and the land that will hold my heart...
Here's a glimpse of the beauty- from the rugged South Island to the lovely beaches of the North, I cannot begin to describe God's amazing creation- so I'll let these pictures help you comprehend. I love being a photographer!

I am still unable to understand why people don't believe in God after living here in this most beautiful country in the world- but Satan has a big hold on the Kiwi hearts. Amidst the beauty and wonder of my home, we have a government that is rapidly lowering the standards and becoming more and more "tolerant". As the plans go forth to stop "smacking kids", I am scared to imagine raising my children here one day. God is in control, and that is a comfort- but it is heart-wrenching to watch this land go by the wayside so rapidly!

New Zealand is known for its Beauty, its Friendly PEOPLE, its easy going Lifestyle, its Adventure Tourism... to name a few things. Rotorua is the tourist centre for the North Island and I have LOVED living here the last two years! It's beautiful, and has been named
NZ's most Beautiful City four times in the last 7 years! (I agree with that wholeheartedly!) I often frequent the Luge/Gondola- www.skylineskyrides.co.nz/rotorua/ and the Zorb- www.zorb.co.nz. They are my favourite things to take friends to, but we also have free stuff like the Redwood Forests, World Mountain Biking Champs and tracks, lovely hikes around the surrounding lakes, tons of swimming places, streams all over town where you can fish to your heart's content (my little 10yr old bro goes as often as he can at the stream two minutes from our house- he gets decent trout- daily!). Oh yeah- people often say it stinks here because we have a TON of geothermal activity. Technically, Rotorua is completely in a crater, and the thermal heat is a main attraction as well! We have Stinky Park downtown- that's free! lol.. it's really called Kuirau Park- but I really doubt you could pronounce that correctly, so yeah- everyone knows what I mean when I call it stinky park. It has boiling mudpits and a boiling, steaming, very stinky lake. lol... so yeah- sure, it stinks downtown, but you do sorta get used to it. I love going to a stream about twenty minutes away- it's free- and has a two metre waterfall that is great for massaging your
back. :) Anyway, I know you're all getting jealous by now.. so I'll leave you with these photos of my land... Aotearoa- 'Land of the Long White Cloud"










Cape Reinga- North tip of North Island













Sunset on 90 mile beach- Valentine's Day 07

first post- how exciting!

hello whoever looks this blog up! My older blog-site is http://lydzpage.spaces.live.com/default.aspx?_c02_owner=1. I've been using that until now, and I'm trying this out to see if this will be easier to put pictures from Picasa onto. Here I go.. lets see how it is. :)