"Just the Right Amount of Wrong" -- Is that possible?

Giant Christmas ornaments shaped like Vegas showgirls?? Are you kidding me?

Acres upon acres of slot machines and gaming tables?

Hour after hour of putting money in and waiting for the bells and sirens signaling a big win . . . that never really comes.

Much to my consternation, I find myself this morning in a place I would have preferred to spend my entire life without ever visiting -- Las Vegas, Nevada, a city that is proudly nicknamed "Sin City." Steve is here for a state-of-the-art veterinary symposium. He is being taught by the best in his profession. He likes it when I travel with him, so here I am, the week before Christmas, when I should be home baking, finishing all the shopping, watching Hallmark holiday specials, and making sure the pipes don't freeze. There are several good newses in all of this. One is that the weather here is warm and sunny, whereas back home folks are facing record low temperatures. The natural scenery of mountains, desert sand, and cacti is beautiful and very different from North Alabama. Another piece of good news is that I'm known for being able to entertain myself. I refuse to be bored, and I love "scaring up a plan," as my oldest child likes to describe it. Steve is having all of his meals with colleagues at this symposium, except for tonight when we'll have a date. I've been researching shuttle schedules and good restaurants within walking distance of their stops and have a fun route planned for this evening. We should be able to get some exercise AND enjoy a delicious dinner.

The big bad news, of course, is the whole atmosphere, attitude and focus of this lavish, sensual, and yes, sinful city. My purpose today is not to debate the pros and cons of gambling. My worldview has been heavily influenced by an almost 40-year marriage to The World's Most Conservative Man and the belief that God desires that we be good stewards of all He has given us. My mind just doesn't work this way. The reasoning escapes me. I keep wondering which is more disturbing -- the young couples quickly getting off the plane shouting, "All right! Let's do Vegas!" or the elderly people with their walkers and wheelchairs maneuvered beside the slot machines? And the alcohol consumption. It matches the sign in the lobby -- "Let it flow, let it flow, let it flow."

The retail stores don't have much in common with my financial reality either. Yesterday as I was strolling one of the huge malls, I picked up a purse on one of the sale racks to get a closer look. Price tag? $995.00!!!!! And, I'm sure it wasn't the most expensive one. Give ME the money to go INSIDE the purse instead, please.

A billboard slogan we passed on the way from the airport a couple of days ago has stayed on my mind. As is true in many cases, the picture was suggestive, but the words were what grabbed my attention. "JUST THE RIGHT AMOUNT OF WRONG" How could anything be further from the truth of God's Word? How could any words be more contradictory to what I tried to teach our children? Could there ever be "just the right amount of wrong" in ANYTHING? Doesn't the word "wrong" here mean sin? Does a perfectly-adjusted degree of sinfulness exist, according to God's standards?

I have been convicted this week about holiness. God's perfect holiness, yes, but also His instructions that we, too, are to be holy.

Leviticus 19:1-2 "Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 'Speak to all the congregation of the sons of Israel and say to them, 'You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy.' "

1 Peter 1:15 "But like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior."

What does it mean to be holy? The definitions given include the phrases "to be separate," "set apart," and "consecrated to God." A quote from Lynne Chapman, an editor for Christian Living, says it this way: "We have never been holy, perfect or pure on our own and we cannot work hard enough to be deemed holy. We are sinful. God's mercy was extended to us when Jesus Christ died on the cross as payment for our sins. He took our sins and we received His holiness. In view of that mercy we are holy -- set apart for God's purpose."

My prayer for today and for the rest of our time here is that God will guard my heart, that He would give me the strength to resist sinful temptation, and that He would allow me to be salt and light in this very dark place. Already, my clothes and manner of dress stick out somewhat, and my prissy Southern-ness is obvious to everyone with whom I speak. Now, "let the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be acceptable in Thy sight, O Lord, my strength and my Redeemer."