Leap Day — Sorrow & Hope

Leap Day is actually a pretty sad reminder for me. It is not one of my most favorite days. I remember as a child it was considered a fun day, after all it only came around every four years. That little bit of excitement melted away 16 years ago. It is hard to believe that it has been that long. I thought that I would share what happened on Leap Day those many years ago to turn my enthusiasm for the day to one of sorrow, melancholy, but also one of hope.

I was 20 years old and expecting our second child. I developed pre-eclampsia with her and delivered her prematurely. It was severe and we both were at risk of loosing our lives. The doctor’s said there is no known cause for this condition. I was an even more peculiar case because this is typically a first pregnancy condition. This was my second pregnancy and I had not had the condition in my previous one. They said many factors could have caused this condition, one of them being stress. I personally think that what occurred on that Leap Day past and the stress that accompanied it contributed to this situation with our daughter. She is a very healthy girl and always has been, the Lord has indeed blessed us!

So what happened, you ask?? I received a phone call from my mother. SIDE NOTE HERE: If you are calling someone with bad news (especially someone who has anxiety) DO NOT begin like this….. “Is your husband there? You need to sit down and have him right next to you before I tell you what is going on. We have some really bad news.” Just tell me already! I was severely stressed out just getting ready for the news!

She tells me that they found my uncle. I am thinking, “ok, I didn’t know he was missing.” I ask if he is ok. The reply was no. ANOTHER SIDE NOTE: per my hubby’s professional experience, ministerally and clinically, if someone is dead, say they are dead. It is concrete and doesn’t leave people hanging or interpreting.

My favorite uncle had been shot in the back of the head while sleeping and drug to his basement and left there. He had been there a few days before they found him; it was rather gruesome. The time of death was determined by the coroner to be Leap Day, February 29. Pretty much the whole family blamed his teenage son from the very beginning. My husband and I were more gentle. We gave him the benefit of the doubt realizing he had just lost his father. Our graciousness was indeed given to a murdered. They found the gun wrapped in his blue jeans stashed away in his room. My cousin was actually still living in the house with his father in the basement. He was convicted and sent to jail. Just in the last couple of years, he was released on parole.

I have struggled with this greatly over the years for many different reasons. There have been many things about this cousin come to light. Some very heinous things that I do not need to share, but they bring grief upon grief. We seek to explain why things happen, but sometimes we just cannot find the answers. Maybe though the meaning of this is not to seek answers but to seek the Lord instead. He is the answer to our grieving, our heartache, and death.

ANOTHER AMAZING SIDENOTE: As I sit here typing those last lines, the lyrics to the song I am listening to are these.

Give Me Jesus, Give Me Jesus
You can have all this world
But give me Jesus

And when I come to die
oh when I come to die
and when I come to die
Give Me Jesus!

Give Me Jesus, Give Me Jesus
You can have all this world
But give me Jesus

I have been to more funerals in my lifetime than I care to really remember. I can say that there is a stark difference between those who know Jesus and those who do not. The difference is HOPE. Those who are not Christians have no hope or they try to cling to false hope which fails them in their time of need. Those who have Jesus as their hope find he never fails them. It is by having this hope in the Lord that we endure and come out stronger. We still must grieve and sorrow still comes but we can rest in knowing that the Creator of all gives comfort, strength, and salvation to those who believe.

Psalm 33:18 Behold, the eye of the is on those who fear him,on those who hope in his steadfast love.

Psalm 31:22 Be strong and take heart, all you who hope in the LORD.

Psalm 33:20-22 We wait in hope for the LORD; he is our help and our shield. In him our hearts rejoice,for we trust in his holy name. May your unfailing love rest upon us, O LORD, even as we put our hope in you.

Psalm 130: 4-6 But with you there is forgiveness;therefore you are feared. I wait for the LORD, my soul waits,and in his word I put my hope. My soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen wait for the morning, more than watchmen wait for the morning.

Acts 16:31 And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.”

Where Are We Moving This Time??

Can you guess where we are moving this time? We just moved to where we are last summer and we are moving again this summer. It will be a much longer stay this time though! I thought I would give you 13 facts about where we are moving and you can comment with your guesses. It really should not be that difficult! Just as a side note, we are all very excited and doing the happy dance about this move!!! Dance along with us as we rejoice!

1. There are more than 3,000 rivers and over 3 million lakes.
2. There are more than 5000 glaciers.
3. About 5000 earthquakes occur each year.
4. Three of the world’s ten strongest recorded earthquakes occurred here.
5. The coldest temperature ever recorded in was -80 degrees F.
6. Its name comes from a Russian version of an Aleut word meaning “great lands.”
7. The place’s motto is “North to the Future.”
8. The actual city has an annual snow fall on 70.6 inches. Good thing we love snow!
9. The actual city temperatures are: January, 20° F; July, 65° F; annual average, 35.8° F.
10. The city is embraced by six mountain ranges and warmed by a maritime climate.
11. You can see the “aurora borealis”.
12. Be careful, you might have a moose on your front steps because more than 1,600 moose live in the city.
13. Did you ever want to see The Last Great Race, the Iditarod?

I couldn’t resist…
Here are a few pictures of downtown in the city where we are going, isn’t it beautiful???

Lord of the Dorks

I stumbled across this earlier in the week and laughed so hard! I am in total disagreement with my husband when it comes to liking the movie Napoleon Dynamite. Hubby thought it was funny and I HATED it!! The Lord of the Rings is a favorite around our house though. We both agreed that this poster was hilarious! Brian over at My Fake Posters did a great job on this one, we are still laughing! What do you think???

Homeschooling Forms

Here are today’s homeschooling links.

Music Forms

Art Forms
Bible Forms
Award & Certificate Forms

To find some more great homeschooling resources just follow the geese by clicking on the graphic.

True Wisdom — Law & Grace

True wisdom manifests itself in the observance of the law.–John Calvin

Now for those of you who are screaming legalism, please bear with me. There are many who focus so much on the grace of God that they try to bury the law; those who do this fail to see God within the law. The law was given to point out sin and to show us that we could never be good enough for a holy and just God. It showed us our need for a savior. The law did more than that though. The law is also a revelation of who God is. Take the 10 Commandments as an example. In every commandment we see our inadequacy and we see the character of God. We see that we are sinful and cannot keep the law; this shows us the holy nature of God. Let us just name a few examples. The law points out our idolatry, dishonesty, adulterous nature, and murderous hearts. By contrast, knowing that the law is what is required of a holy God, the law shows us who God is; He is the One True God, He is honest, He is faithful, and He is life! Oh, May God be glorified!!

We cannot keep the law, we cannot present ourselves holy before a holy God. Oh, but the power of Jesus can! God sent His son to die in the place of sinners. Oh, May God be glorified!!

Many hold so tightly to that grace that they dismiss the law. After all, Jesus fulfilled the law. This is true but simply because it was fulfilled does not mean it was done away with completely. It was made full and complete, not discarded. The moral law remains in effect and we are to live in obedience to it.

“If you love me, you will keep my commandments. John 14:15

If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. John 15:10

But what of those who cry legalism anytime the law is mentioned?

What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? Romans 6:1-2

Many simply use the cry against legalism as a way to avoid biblical obedience. I have seen several who use freedom in Christ as a way to avoid the truth of the scripture. Many are simply immature in their Christian faith and do not comprehend how the two work together.

So what is legalism? I submit to you that legalism is not the living out the law of God by the power of the Spirit. We are commanded to do so. Legalism is when the law of God becomes our means of salvation and our means of merit. Salvation and merit is the job of grace in Christ Jesus. Yet, we need not remove the law for grace to abound. They work together.

The next time you see someone who lives according to the law of God, maybe even more so than yourself, I would submit an evaluation is in order. Before exclaiming legalism or pharisee and dismissing them; perhaps one should consider that individual’s heart or more importantly their own heart. The resistance toward another may in reality not be the other individual’s problem of legalism but one’s own sin of resisting the conviction of the Spirit upon their own life.

May we all exclaim, “Oh, May God be glorified!!“

Exercise Challenge Week #2

I started this Moms of Many Exercise Challenge last week. We are supposed to post on our progress every Monday for accountability. So first……

• I exercised my brain by trying to figure out how to get out of this.
• When I started this, I came kicking and screaming! Kicking is exercise right??
• I thought that maybe I could just sit here blogging and use the thigh master! Oh wait, I gave that stupid thing to Goodwill!!
• Blogging is exercise right? Lots of exercise for the fingers, but I figured that didn’t count either.
• I thought about uncovering that elliptical in the garage, but I do not want it in the kitchen area and it is too much of a workout for hubby to carry it upstairs which is the only place I would want to put it.

So what did I end up actually doing this past week for exercise?? Well…… it is not as much as some of the ladies I am sure but I still hurt so it must be doing some good. Let me share with you.

The Lord brought a verse to mind as I was contemplating how to begin with this exercise challenge. The verse is Proverbs 31:17.

Proverbs 31:17 She girds herself with strength And makes her arms strong.

Since this verse was brought to mind over and over again, I decided this would be a good place to start. My main focus is on strengthening my arms. So this is what I did last week.

• Lifting weights with dumbbells using four different exercises/positions to work the different parts of the arms.
• Squats
• Sit-ups
• I am also making a point of going upstairs myself for things that I need rather than sending a child to do it. More stair climbing.

Ok, so I told you it wasn’t much. But at least I am doing something which is more than I was before. I do have sore muscles so I can tell it is beneficial. Right now I need to get back into the habit of exercising and I can add to it as I go. But for now this is what I am doing.

Leave me a comment and tell me about your exercise regime!