TJ Hirst

And they gave him a piece of a broiled fish, and of an honeycomb.

And he took it, and did eat before them.

And he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me.

Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures,

And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day:

And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.

And ye are witnesses of these things.

Luke 24:42-48

Have I seen the hand of God reaching out to touch us today?

Welcome Spring! Today is the Spring Equinox. A change in seasons is always a good time to refresh my basic knowledge about the relationship between the earth and the sun and its effect on our lives.

Seasonal change in the angle of sunlight, caused by the tilt of the earth’s axis, is the basic mechanism that results in warmer weather in summer than in winter. Change in day length is another factor.

Nature responds to the increase of light and begins to change. Even in Minnesota where the spring bulbs will not appear for more than a month, I see signs that nature senses a change.

This week my sister-in-law wrote this:

I need the rejuvenation of what (spring) symbolizes. I am hungering for the green to be more present in the outdoors, for the flowers to poke their heads out of the ground. I’m always amazed at how early some of the flowers come, even with the chill that hangs in the air. They can’t wait to feel that sun. As do I. I am so looking forward to the warmth.

Our family is also receiving and responding to an increase of light from heavenly sources this spring. We have sensed a need for slight changes that will carry us into new seasons of growth.

We have lived in our home for three years without rearranging furniture or redefining spaces. Ironically, in the last week, we were inspired to make small physical reorganizations in almost half the house.

After we made these changes and Paul began the planning process for others, the whole family responded to the new openness. More importantly, the physical changes initiated other purposeful emotional and spiritual changes.

For example, my daughters both rearranged the furniture in their rooms to accommodate their changing circumstances. We weeded out the outgrown clothes and books and made space for that which is now a priority. As a result, their moods and desires changed, enabling them to prepare for future needs.

These small shifts in life’s seasons bless our family and make me grateful for increased light that helps us sense when to change habits or relationships so growth will continue.

Try-It With-Me Tuesday, an interactive weekly time and place to foster connections that challenge and encourage the process to become a well-rounded person.

March in Minnesota brings spring a little bit at a time. Our water comes in the form of snow showers. Despite what it looks like outside, I have been able to open my windows once or twice and let some spring air blow in. The smell of spring (and the spring cleaning) rejuvenated our house and me.

With all this renewal of nature, I thought it appropriate that I began a health challenge:

Drink more water this week.

Water has a lot of health benefits and my attempts to drink more of it as a health habit have been a lot like March in Minnesota. So, I need your suggestions. How much is more water for you? How do you keep track of how much water you drink? What do you do to remind yourself to drink more water?

Meanwhile, I am just beginning my biography for the March Reading Challenge. I’m going to spend my spring break reading about Dolley Madison.

Do you want to Try It With Me?

Join in by trying the challenges with me, commenting, linking, or suggesting a challenge. If you want to write a post on your blog about what happened when you took the challenge, I will publish your link. Just link to my website in your post and send me your link.

^{Have you taken my poll on Finding What Inspires? I would love your feedback.}

I teach an early morning religion class for teenagers. We are currently studying the Old Testament of the Bible. One day while the students were reading to themselves in Ruth chapters 1 & 2, I pondered how I am like Ruth—coming unto Christ, and Boaz is a type or symbol of Christ—giving me redemption.

Then she fell on her face, and bowed herself to the ground, and said unto him, Why have I found grace in thine eyes, that thou shouldest take knowledge of me, seeing I am a stranger?

And Boaz answered and said unto her, It hath fully been shewed me, all that thou hast done unto thy mother in law since the death of thine husband: and how thou hast left thy father and thy mother, and the land of thy nativity, and art come unto a people which thou knewest not heretofore.

The LORD recompense thy work, and a full reward be given thee of the LORD God of Israel, under whose wings thou art come to trust.

Ruth 2:10-12

While we do not serve for the sake of a reward, the reward of redemption is one that is gloriously felt here in life and in the hereafter and available to all who will accept it.

Mitt Romney held up a long-standing but quickly-fading American value today—sacrifice—when he ended his campaign for the Republican presidential nomination. Maybe our country itself is fading because we don’t remember what sacrifice is—giving up something we value for the sake of something of greater worth. Romney expressed those values in his speech before the Conservative Political Action Committee in words so powerful that conservatives wanted him more than ever.

But has he given up those essential ideals for something of greater value? Indeed, he compromised part of his agenda from coming to the top in the short term. Yet, in the long term that greater value will be revealed. The manner in which he came to his decision speaks to his leadership. He is said to have consulted with his advisers Wednesday and decided to continue the campaign. But then at home as he wrote his speech, he discovered in the midst of that process that he needed to “stand aside . . . for our country.”

Romney’s timing to stand aside couldn’t have been better if 100 political analysts had planned it. It gave him an attentive audience without an appearance of someone resigned to a losing fate. And in that position, he commanded attention when he boldly expressed the condition of our country and the need to change. Let’s give honor and respect to a man who understands the societal and political needs of the United States, has a plan to meet those needs and, yet, is willing to sacrifice through compromise for the future achievement of those goals. His positive action, not a reaction, is what will carry forward his leadership skills in some way for the benefit of the United States and the conservative cause well into the future.