Happy Leap Day!

It's Leap Day.  February 29.  That extra day that gets added to February every four years. What's that all about anyway?

We've been taught since we were children that there are 365 days in a year, so why do we add an extra day every four years?  It's all because a complete orbit of the earth around the sun takes exactly 365.2422 days, so we add this extra day every fourth year to keep our clocks in sync with earth's orbit. 

That makes sense, doesn't it?  But why February?  All the other months on our calendar have either 30 or 31 days; why did poor February get stuck with 28?

Turns out that back in the day, the Roman Emperor Caesar Augustus had quite an ego.  His predecessor, Julius Caesar, had the month of July named after him, and July has 31 days.  At the time Caesar Augustus came to power, "his" month (August) only had 29 days, so he robbed some days from February and added them to August so "his" month would have the same number of days as July.  Never underestimate the ego of a politician!

There are a number of legends surrounding this leap day.  One such legend is that women can propose to men on Leap Day.  According to one of the legends, back in the 5th century, an Irish nun, Saint Bridget, complained to Saint Patrick that women were having to wait too long for their suitors to propose.  So, according to the legend, Saint Patrick then gave women the opportunity to pop the question every four years!

There is also  the theory that Queen Margaret of Scotland was behind the fabled Scottish law of 1288, which allowed unmarried women the freedom to propose during a leap year, and the man who refused was handed a fine. That seems a little questionable, to say the least, since Queen Margaret died when she was eight years old and scholars can find no record of such a law.

Do a Google search and you will find all sorts of interesting trivia about this day.  But what does that all really have to do with you and me, other than having an extra day in February this year?  Of course, if you were born on February 29, this is one of the years you celebrate your birthday on the actual day, rather than a day early or a day late.  Other than that, it really doesn't make all that much difference, does it?

We don't typically spend a lot of our time contemplating the inaccuracies of our calendar.  We might get excited at the thought of having an extra day to catch up, except that this Monday will likely be the same as all other Mondays.  We will get up and go to work, or we will get up and go about the usual tasks we do on Mondays.

What if we made this day different?  What if we took a "leap of faith" today?  What if, on this extra day we spent some extra time in prayer, interceding for others?

What if we spent extra time praying for our spouses?  Praying for our families?  Praying for our nation?  Praying for the lost?  And the homeless?  And the hurting?

What if?

What a difference that could make!

On this Leap Day, will you be a difference-maker?


"I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people.  Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them."  (1 Timothy 2:1 NLT)

Jesus: Understanding His Death and Resurrection

Despite what you might think as you walk through the malls and the discount stores, Easter is much more than jelly beans and chocolate bunnies.  Easter is about Jesus!  About His death and resurrection.  With all the commercialism that surrounds this day, sometimes we need to take a step back and refocus.

That's where Jesus: Understanding His Death and Resurrection comes in.  Written by Kay Arthur and David Arthur, this is a "40-minute, no-homework Bible study."  It is designed to be used by small groups over a six-week period, but is just as effective when used in personal devotions.  This study is the third in a 3-part series covering the Gospel of Mark, and focuses on the final three chapters of that Gospel.

Like all Kay Arthur Bible studies, this one is inductive, which means observing and marking the text.  There are questions to guide group discussion, or to stimulate your thinking if you are using this for personal study.

This is an excellent study for any time of year, and especially in these weeks leading up to the celebration of the resurrection.  I highly recommend it.

Blogging for Books provided me with a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Anyway

Inevitably there will be some disappointments in life.  Life, even at its best, can be challenging, and those challenges come in all shapes and sizes, in all areas of our lives.

In health.
In relationships.
In politics.
In the workplace.

Everywhere we turn, there are challenges to be faced and disappointments to be dealt with. Some days it seems there is a new crisis hiding around every corner.

How do we deal with all that?  How do we handle these challenges and crises and disappointments?  What do we do?

We trust God anyway.  Even when things aren't going our way.  Even when we have health issues or financial issues or relationship issues.  Even when we have been hurt or disappointed.  Even when our candidate isn't winning.  Even when those we love are suffering.  Even when we don't know how we will pay our bills.  Even when there aren't enough hours in the day.  Even when the pain is more than we think we can bear.

Even then.  Anyway.

Martina McBride expressed this well in a song she wrote and recorded a few years ago.  One verse of that song says, "God is great, But sometimes life ain't good, And when I pray it doesn't always turn out like I think it should. But I do it anyway, I do it anyway."

Anyway.

That's what faith is all about.  Faith is not dependent on circumstances.  Faith is faith in spite of circumstances.

Trust God anyway.

Obey God anyway.

Believe God anyway.

Let your light shine anyway.



"Even though the fig trees have no blossoms, and there are no grapes on the vines; even though the olive crop fails, and the fields lie empty and barren, and the cattle barns are empty, yet I will rejoice in the LORD!  I will be joyful in the God of my salvation!  The Sovereign LORD is my strength!  (Habakkuk 3:17-19a NLT, emphasis mine)

A Good Role Model

When I was a child, one of my favorite Bible characters was Samuel.  I always looked forward to those times when the Sunday School Bible story was about the boy Samuel who served in the temple with the priest Eli.

As I have grown older, Samuel continues to be one of my favorites.  Perhaps it's because the story of his mother Hannah, and Samuel's birth, so closely parallel my own life story.

Perhaps it has something to do with the name.  My daddy's name was John Samuel, and that's my brother's name as well.  My grandfather's name was Samuel, and before him, Samuel was the name of my great-great-grandfather.  Samuel C. Austin was the first of that line of my family to come to these United States, back in 1840.

While those are interesting facts, it is Samuel himself who continues to hold my attention.

Just as when I was a child, I am drawn to the story of the little boy Samuel, serving in the temple, who hears the voice of the Lord and says, "Speak, LORD, your servant is listening."  (I Samuel 3:10).

I want to be like Samuel.  I want to be a good listener.  I want to answer when God speaks to me.  I want to hear what He has to say.

One of the great blessings of our cruise last week was gathering each evening in Conference Room A on Deck 2 for a time of worship and a timely word from our pastor.  On one of those evenings he drew our attention to 1 Samuel 12.  In this passage, Samuel is no longer a little boy, but an old man, with some good advice:

"Do not turn aside from following the LORD, but serve the LORD with all your
heart." (1 Samuel 12:20 NASB)

That was good advice then, and it's good advice now.  It's the way Samuel lived his life.  Samuel was one who didn't just talk the talk; he walked the walk.

Then Samuel says this:  "As for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the LORD by ceasing to pray for you."  (1 Samuel 12:23 NASB)

Samuel is a good role model.  For me.  For you.  For all of us who are followers of Christ.  This verse tells us that Samuel was a prayer warrior, and we certainly are in need of those in our world today!

Because of all the conflict in our world.  Because of terrorism and ISIS.  Because of conflict between political ideologies.  Because of bitterness.  Because of sin. Because our country is in trouble on so many levels.  Because there are people who need to know Jesus.

For all these reasons and more, we need to be praying as we have never prayed before. We need to be Samuels who will not sin against the Lord by ceasing to pray.

May God forgive our prayerlessness and may He raise up a generation of Samuels who will pray without ceasing!


"I call upon all in this beloved nation who know Jesus Christ as personal Savior and Lord to pray like we’ve never prayed before." –Don Wilton

Thankful Tuesday: Reflections on Re-Entry

Inevitably, after a week of vacation there comes the process of re-entry into normal life.  There's the unpacking and the laundry, catching up with mail and missed phone calls, getting back to regular routines.  It happens every time, whether we are away for a few days or for a week or for longer.  And it seems that, the older I get, the longer the process can take.  Perhaps that's a function of getting older, or of health, or of lack of discipline.  Whatever the reason, I'm still in re-entry mode, trying to get things back in order after a week in the Caribbean.

As I'm doing laundry and putting things away and sorting through mail, I find my mind wandering back to last week.  Remembering.  Reflecting.  And, on this Thankful Tuesday, doing so with great thankfulness in my heart.  Last week was wonderfully relaxing and refreshing.

 

 

We had a great time exploring the islands with friends.

 



 

There was a lot of good food, like this snapper with mango salsa.

 

 

We experienced some of the beauty of God's creation.

 

 

It was a wonderful week.  What could be better than time with friends spent in  such a beautiful part of the world? 

Friendship.  Good food.  Beautiful scenery.  Rest and relaxation.  Just a few of the blessings of last week that I am so thankful for.

You may not have had the opportunity to spend last week in the Caribbean.  You may not have seen the beauty of Grand Cayman or the glory of a sunrise over Jamaica.  You may not have eaten snapper, or any other fish, fresh from the ocean with mango salsa on top.

But no matter where you are or what the experiences of your life last week or this week or today, there is always something to be thankful for.

This morning I'm missing the sun and the ocean breezes.  It's a gray, gloomy, rainy morning here in the Upstate.  Even so, I have much to be thankful for.  I had a good night of rest in my own, very comfortable, bed.  I have a warm, dry house.  I have plenty of coffee.  My sweet husband had the coffee ready for me when I woke up.

There are blessings upon blessings if we will only take time to see them.

Even on a rainy morning, there is always something to be thankful for.

"Let all that I am praise the LORD; may I never forget the good things He does for me."  (Psalm 103:2 NLT)

Navigating the Ocean of Information

We returned home yesterday afternoon after having spent last week aboard a cruise ship.  I did very little unpacking yesterday afternoon; that will be my task for today.  Unpacking and laundry.  If you need me, that's where I'll be!

Yesterday afternoon I sat in my favorite chair, with coffee in a favorite mug, looking forward to sleeping in my own bed with my own pillow, and I began the process of "re-entry" into my normal life.  I checked the hundreds of e-mails that had accumulated while I was gone, and I made frequent use of the "delete" button. Then I moved on to Facebook and began catching up there.  It was while I was scrolling through Facebook that I came across this quote:

"What a culture we live in.  We are swimming in an ocean of information, and drowning in ignorance."

That is a powerful statement, isn't it?  We are bombarded daily with more information than we know what to do with.  There's social media.  And the twenty-four hour news cycle.  The phone beeps and buzzes and dings.  Tweets are flying back and forth.  Politicians never stop talking.  It goes on and on and on.

Yet even with all this information, are we any more knowledgeable?  How do we sort through all this information to know what is truth and what isn't?

The reality is that in spite of all the tweeting and the talking, everything we read or see or hear is not truth.  The one who talks the most or talks the loudest is not necessarily the one we should be listening to.

Albert Einstein is credited with having said, "What is popular is not always right, and what is right is not always popular."

In our media-driven world, that's an important truth to remember.  As we are bombarded with information daily, much of it misinformation, how do we know who or what to pay attention to? How do we filter through all the information that comes our way? How do we prevent ourselves from drowning in ignorance?

The answer is discernment, defined as the ability to judge well.  Discernment is our "filter"; it is the ability to sift through all the information that comes our way and find the truth. 

The Bible has something to say on this subject.  Consider these examples:

"Make your ear attentive to wisdom, incline your heart to understanding; for if you cry for discernment, lift your voice for understanding; if you seek her as silver and search for her as for hidden treasures; then you will discern the fear of the LORD and discover the knowledge of  God.  For the Lord gives wisdom."  (Proverbs 2:2-6a NASB)

"Teach me good discernment and knowledge, for I believe in Your commandments."  (Psalms 119:66 NASB)

If we are to stay afloat in this ocean of information that surrounds us, we must learn to discern truth from error.  We must think carefully about what we see and hear, and not be swayed by the voices of media and celebrity that would distract us.

If we are to discern truth from error, we must have the wisdom that only God can give. 

"If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him.  But he must ask in faith without doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind."  (James 1:5-6 NASB)

We are bombarded with information daily, particularly in this election season.  But whether the information is from politicians or from the media or from celebrities or from our friends, we need our senses fine-tuned to discern truth from error.  That kind of fine-tuning can only come from the Author of all truth.  We need His wisdom to navigate this ocean of information.  We need His wisdom to discern what is right and what is wrong.  We need His wisdom to know what to believe and what to ignore.

God has promised to give us that kind of wisdom when we ask Him.  Then, and only then, are we able to safely navigate the ocean of information that surrounds us.

"And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in real knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve the things that are excellent, in order to be sincere and blameless until the day of Christ."  (Philippians 1:9-10 NASB, emphasis mine)

Times of Refreshing

We all need it from time to time.  To be refreshed.  To be renewed.  To relax.

That's what I'm looking forward to next week.  On Sunday we will be embarking for a six-day cruise of the western Caribbean.  I know it will be a wonderful week.
Times with friends.  Lots of laughter and good conversation.  And, as is always true on a cruise ship, lots of good food.  All that will be wonderful.

I'm looking forward to experiencing the beauty of God's creation in that part of the world.  Warm ocean breezes.  What some have described as the "cradle of the ocean".  Palm trees.  Tropical islands.  All that will be wonderful.

But what I'm looking forward to most of all is time to relax.

Life can be stressful.  Whether it's because of health or financial concerns or for some other reason, I think we can all agree that just living life in the 21st century can be a cause for stress.  We all experience it to some degree.  For the Feaster family, life has been unusually busy over the last couple of months.  In addition, we have the added stress of having to make new arrangements for a caregiver for Al's mom.  Stress on top of stress.  So, for us, a week of relaxing in the Caribbean couldn't come at a better time!

Next week is going to be a wonderful time of relaxing.

A time of rejuvenating.

A time of refreshing.

I am so excited!

"Refresh my heart in the Lord."  (Philemon 1:20 ESV)