Life under the Lintel: March 2016

Sunday, March 27, 2016

Friday, March 25, 2016

Good Friday

And I will put enmity

Between you and the woman,

And between your seed and her Seed;

He shall bruise you on the head,

And you shall bruise Him on the heel.

Genesis 3:15

Thus God cursed the serpent in the Garden, who tempted our first parents to exchange peace for brokenness.

Satan would have the satisfaction of bruising the Promised One; though it would be as a mere wounded heel compared to the beating Satan would receive in return.

Yet, in the meantime, while the weary, now fallen world awaited the One, striving reigned.

Behold, there were twins in her womb. Now the first came forth... and they named him Esau. Afterward his brother came forth with his hand holding onto Esau's heel, so his name was called Jacob ['One who takes by the heel'].

Genesis 25:24-26

Today we remember the day that Satan had his victory--when darkness triumphed, the Son of God was slain, the earth shook and God turned His face away.

But! That horrific crucifixion scene was only as a bruised heel compared to the death blow that Satan would publicly receive three days hence.

Thus the moment of the serpent's triumph was the moment of his defeat.

God's people are not, in the end, crushed to death by the weight of their sin, but freed from it by the very One Whose heel was bruised on their behalf.

[Jacob] took Esau by the heel in the womb in order to obtain, if possible, the privileges of the first-born...

So the spiritual Israel lays hold of the heel of Jesus, "the First-born of many brethren"...

Having no right in themselves to the inheritance, they lay hold of the bruised heel... and let not go their hold of Him who is not, as Esau, a curse, but, by becoming a curse for us, is a blessing to us.

Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown Commentary on Hosea 12:3

When the fullness of time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law, so that He might redeem those who were under the Law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.

Galatians 4:4-5

Wednesday, March 23, 2016

Wordless Wednesday

Sunday, March 20, 2016

No more days

Here I was getting all ready to quote Wilson Phillips (Hold on for one more day) in preparation for the first day of spring tomorrow..... only to find out that today is the first day of spring. Possibly the best milestone of the year, and I nearly missed it!

In my defense, spring hasn't been this early since 1896.

(Hint: It has to do with some complicated "leap day weirdness.")

Watching Grandpa watch America's Funniest Home Videos: one of the many things funnier than the program itself.

In honor of those parts of the world now entering the Fifth Season, we created a more contained and somewhat less ruinous version:

"The beautiful spring came; and when Nature resumes her loveliness, the human soul is apt to revive also."

Harriet Ann Jacobs

Happy spring!

Tuesday, March 15, 2016

DC trip

We're on spring break.

Last week was our last week of school for a while.

Lizzy worked on area and perimeter--how to arrange tables so the maximum number of bears can sit.

Caleb worked on trucks.

Jeddy worked on math. Glad I invested in those ergonomically-correct chairs.

The bears went joyriding.

On Wednesday, I took Jed and Ada on a field trip to the U.S. Botanic Garden.

Jeddy's attitude about the trip to see flowers was, "At least I don't have to do math."

He did like riding the metro though.

And he perked up when we moved on to the Museum of Natural History.

In the days following the trip, he did have to take a math test, but at least he had his brother to help.

Living room makeover

When the Christmas tree came down, our living room looked like this:

Bare and uninspiring.

Step one was to rearrange the furniture.

Better already

During the snowstorm at the end of January, I made a slipcover for the rocking chair, which was very comfortable, but nevertheless driving me crazy with its forest green next to our red couches.