The main and ONLY thing on my list of Things To Do Today was to go out to the church building (1/2 hour away) and ready my classroom for tomorrow's lesson. However, while walking my dog this morning, I ended up with an extra dog. I am a stray-dog magnet. Siberian Huskies are notorious for being escape artists without an internal GPS. They get away and run and many times, they never find their way home. They are highly intelligent, but in my opinion, they can be a little ditzy when it comes to a homing instinct.

So, my morning and much of the afternoon was spent looking for the dog's home, calling the local Husky rescue group, getting myriad instructions from same, tracking down a crate (the other option was to drive her to an inner-city vet clinic who has an agreement with the rescue group), giving her a bath (she reeked!), cleaning up after her when she signaled for the umpteenth time her need to go outside and for the first time it wasn't a false alarm (and of course for the first time I ignored it)...

And this after a very late night up with kids. And an early morning. And spilled coffee all over my newspaper (I didn't do it).

I am so. very. TIRED!!

Now, I've made a decision that I am almost sure to regret: I am opting to drive to church an hour early tomorrow, by myself, to ready my classroom. It's Daylight Savings night, too, so there's that loss of an hour's sleep, too.

I will survive.

By the way, hubby came home from work, walked the dog around the neighborhood, and she led him right to her front door. Go figure! Just like the Santa thing--I do all the work, and he's the hero. Hrrmph!!

Oh, yeah! The hero just walked in with pizza!!!

The husky's photo is posted in a room. I can't find the room number in order to place it in my blog, for some reason.

The subject of my previous entry has no bearing on salvation, so I'm not going to beat a dead horse. Between public comments and private ones, there is no consensus for or against among the readers. The only thing I will reiterate here is that the apparently common interpretation of the situation is incongruent with the way we usually interpret the Bible, and that can be a real pitfall when studying with others. I see this whole episode not as a pronouncement of God's nature, but a pronouncement of Jephthah's nature. As one pointed out, the period of the Judges was not a bright spot in Israel's history.

Anyway. Onward.

I've been very busy--mentally, at least--with our new business venture, which I will share with you when more ducks are in a row. (Sorry, Sonja, about the duck reference. I know you abhor them, although I can't quite grasp why. Geese are the enemy.)

Spring is in the air, and I am thrilled! There was a huge clap of thunder yesterday morning (I think it happened when one of you entered your opinion on the previous entry...), and I could not help but smile. Very soon, the Green Fuzz will appear in the woods--that brief time when the teeny, tiny, baby leaves are just barely peeping out of the tree branches, creating a green haze in the treetops. I love that day!

BTW--the parenthetical aside was absolutely tongue-in-cheek, OK? I love you all.

Work, lunch with a friend, prep for teaching Sunday's Bible class, make something for tonight's singing, the singing, and a couple of house guests. A good day.

Have a blessed weekend.

What are your thoughts about the account of Jephthah, his rash vow, and his daughter?

Some say that the vow was unfulfilled, because "God never required human sacrifice" (other than Jesus), and that Jephthah's daughter lived out her life as a virgin instead of being sacrificed as a burnt offering, as vowed in Judges 11:30. However, at times God did require human life as a consequence of sin (i.e., David and Bathsheba's firstborn). He has the right to take human life as He sees fit.

judges 11:35, 36, and 39 indicate that Jephthah did, indeed, sacrifice her as a burnt offering.

In my opinion, this was done as it was written. It was NOT a requirement of God, but the consequence of a rash vow. It is interesting to me that Jephthah's intent in making the vow appears to be honorable (11:30,31). On the other hand, it appears that God had already planned to give over the Ammonites, so perhaps Jephthah's game of Let's Make A Deal with God was indication of his lack of faith that God was already on his side.

I wonder at the daughter's resignation to her fate, and I can't help but respect her for her response. I think she loved her father very much, and her apparently calm acceptance and willingness to be a sacrifice says volumes about her beautiful heart.

I appreciate that the writer of Judges only offers a record of the events, but sometimes I would like to have a better understanding of what God's judgment was of those events. Another example: We know that God places man over woman in the natural order of things. But if you read the account of Deborah, you see a woman raised to a position of authority and she triumphed over the enemies of God's people just as the male judges did. Was her rise to authority part of shaming the men who refused their roles of leadership? Will she be held accountable for her "usurping" of male headship? Should the account of Deborah have any bearing on our opinions of role of women in areas outside the church (where it is very obvious what the roles are)--such as in business or politics?

I didn't intend to broach two subjects that each deserve their own space...however, I leave it to you, my dear Pleo friends, to decide what, if anything, you want to comment on.

(Can you tell that I'm catching up with my Daily Bible Reading?)

"We are influenced by our personality but not controlled by it." Gary Chapman, The Five Love Languages

I often fall back on the excuse that something is not in my nature or is outside my comfort zone. My personality influences what I do to a great extent and even though my abilities might allow me to go far beyond what my personality dictates I am comfortable with doing, I limit myself far more than I should.

I might add to this thought that one's past experiences influence us, but should not control us. My mother shared memories of her childhood with me on our trip, and I can now easily see how living with a serially-adulterous father had a great influence on who she is. It doesn't have to control her ability to trust and to be optimistic, but it tends to. Definitely an Aha! Moment for me as I contemplate the way she protects herself from hurt.

We have responsibilities that are independent of personality, personal preferences, past experiences, current situations, or any other excuse we can conjure up. As growing, maturing, developing creatures, we have a great measure of control over the direction of our growth. It is when we accept our responsibilities without excuse that we grow the best.

I find that it helps to be aware of my self-limitations, then realize that WITH GOD ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE. He has proven over and again that He is the God of Overcoming. It is difficult for me to do many things, but it is not impossible.

Whatever your excuse is, that's all it is: An excuse. However, we are not excused--excuses are not going to fly in the end. Today, I will do things that are beyond my self-perceived natural capability because God is with me. And I will succeed because God is with me.

That's how the Israelites conquered Canaan. That's how Paul survived so many trials. That's how Jesus went to the cross.

Have a great no-excuses day!

Sarah plus power tools equals ulcers...

It must be Project Day in our household. I'm working on a 10 Plagues project for Bible class tomorrow and it's taking a lot longer than it looks like it should. But it's a neat activity for the little people to do and reinforces the lessons of the plagues.

Sarah is making a 3-D map of Iwo Jima for school. She's using power tools to cut the foam board. I think it's turning out very well!

It was sunny and 50° here today--perfect for a short bike ride, which Ted and I did this afternoon. It won't be long before the flowers start to grow again.