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In Christ alone my hope is found, he is my light, my strength, my song,
this Cornerstone, this solid Ground, firm through the fiercest drought and storm.
What heights of love, what depths of peace, when fears are stilled, when strivings cease!
My Comforter, my All in All, here in the love of Christ I stand.

In Christ alone! Who took on flesh, fullness of God in helpless babe!
This gift of love and righteousness, scorned by the ones he came to save;
‘Til on that cross as Jesus died, the wrath of God was satisfied
for every sin on him was laid; here in the death of Christ I live.

There in the ground his body lay, Light of the World by darkness slain;
then bursting forth in glorious Day, up from the grave he rose again!
And as he stands in victory, sin’s curse has lost its grip on me,
for I am his and he is mine, bought with the precious blood of Christ.

No guilt in life, no fear in death, this is the pow’r of Christ in me;
from life’s first cry to final breath, Jesus commands my destiny.
No pow’r of hell, no scheme of man, can ever pluck me from his hand;
‘Til he returns or calls me home, here in the pow’r of Christ I’ll stand!

© 2001 Kingsway’s Thankyou Music, CCLI #74901

"Whoever is praying for snow, please stop"

Stole from http://thestubbornservant.blogspot.com/

The ash stuff involves burning Palm leaves from previous Palm Sunday, and symbolically applying the ashes to forehead as a sign of grief. It is a grief that is observed from Ash Wednesday till Easter. It is directed toward the suffering that Jesus endured, and because that Jesus suffered for our sakes. In the Bible, it was customary to grieve by wearing sackcloth and ashes.

Also, it is traditional to give  up something during Lent, a fast. I know one person that is giving up sweets and adding a commitment to daily devotional (which I know she has been slack on lately).  Fat Tuesday is a time to indulge one last time, though so often used as an excuse to sin.

Growing up a Baptist, I have never observed Lent.

My conclusion is that Lent as a formality is unnecessary, but the idea behind it is worthy.  The point of it is to take time out and actually contemplate what Jesus did.  To grieve a little bit for our sin, which led Him to the cross.  I need no formality to do that, though the public observance of it is a reminder to do it.

My Realtor doesn’t listen to me. He shows me houses that are simply out of the range which I asked for. That is so aggravating.

Either way, the last bid I made was already probably out of my budget. I am going to rent or find an inexpensive condo or something of that nature. I will save up for a 20% down-payment, which shouldn’t take over a year or two, me thinks. I do need a more accurate budget, however.

Each new day brings opportunity to start over, kind of like a new year.  So, we must move forward, not letting the past hold us back.

I was cleaning on my mother’s car, which I am borrowing while mine is in the shop. My niece and nephew were sent up the hill (they live near) because my sister had some work-related company.  My niece and nephew get bored easily, so being quiet for the extent of such visits is pretty much impossible at this age. Anyway, they wear me thin for patience.

The dog was being destructive, so I chased it off with rocks (not actually hitting it, though I can’t say I wasn’t trying to).  My niece and nephew observed this, so they got mad at me and threw some rocks at me.  It was rather funny in its own way.  They get really worked up, so they couldn’t quite let it go, not for a little while anyway.

Oh how I love those two kids. I can look back and see that they’re just being kids, but sometimes they drive me crazy, mad, and other things. The virtue of patience is often tested when they come around. This leads me to the hope that God has a large helping of grace for when I have my own children, as I hope he allows such.