Weighing Options

I had my regular ob appointment today, and he verified the fact that we are indeed having a little girl. :-) So I went and bought some girlie yarn. Hopefully she will be easier on her blanket than Nathan has been on his. ha
Anyway, he really recommends that I start taking progesterone. The specialist mentioned it to me, but I didn't really think much about it. My doctor's opinion is that we should do all we can to help my cervix stay at the wonderful length that it's at. I have my next appointment with the specialist tomorrow, so I've been trying to research progesterone a little before then. There is some research that shows positive results in women with a history of preterm labor, although other doctors say that the long-term effects have not been thoroughly studied (and probably won't be for another twenty or thirty years - ha). Soooo, I'm trying to get all the information that I can then go with whatever choice I have the most peace with. I am kind of thinking that if my cervix is still super long I should have plenty of time to start the progesterone if it even hints that it wants to start shortening. Most of the women on whom the studies were done had a cervical length of 1.5 cm or less (mine was 5 cm).
I guess I'm just writing out my options and thoughts. We'll see how the appointment goes tomorrow. I've definitely been a lot more active the past two weeks than I have been over the first part of my pregnancy. I actually think it helped with my dizziness, though. I went to church Sunday, walked up the stairs, and was able to remain standing (and singing)! Usually I don't last more than a minute without having to sit down.
I should go to bed now. My hubs has gone to my brother's apartment for free pizza and study time, and I should be in bed. I had an awful headache today that was probably caused, in part, by several nights of bad sleep. I have to have my sleep. :-)

Character

Here is a quote from Charlotte Mason's School Education:

"...train character and intellectual ‘development’ largely takes care of itself...."

What do you think?
I think I may agree. Now, intellectual development does not mean the aquisition of knowledge, but the actual development of intellect (the capacity for knowledge, the capacity for rational or intellegent thought). Is one's capacity for knowledge and rational thought limited by one's character?
More later...

Morning Thoughts, Part 2

The point of McDowell's questioning was that we need more than "just because" as an answer to the question "Why do you believe?" There is so much information being fed to the masses about Christianity that Christians need to be informed about their beliefs.
I agree that Christians should know more about their beliefs than they currently do. I think that many Christians have become lax in their knowledge because America was, for so long, a predominantly Christian nation. That is no longer. Christians should be able to give an answer (a reasonable answer) for their faith.
However, there does need to be balance. We will not always be able to give an answer for every question that people pose. We will never be able to prove "without a shadow of a doubt" our beliefs or else we wouldn't need faith, now would we? I've seen some people want to argue until they are blue in the face about Christianity. That is unnecessary. People generally don't listen very well to blue-faced people, anyway. :-) Christians should be able to give an answer for their beliefs yet realize that only God can give the faith.
That said, I enjoyed hearing Josh McDowell speak. I think he leans a bit toward arguing, but he does enjoy debate. I would recommend his books because I think many Christians need the extra resources to enable them stand before the wave of humanism or any other of the "-isms" that are overtaking our country today.

My Morning Thoughts, Part 1

Evan and I went to a Josh McDowell seminar back in the spring. We both found the seminar very interesting and thought-provoking. When he was younger, McDowell actually set out to prove the Bible inaccurate; yet he finally decided after doing research that the Bible had more than enough evidence to support its truth. Once he had proven to himself the truth of the Bible, he knew that he could not dismiss the Bible as “hogwash” anymore but had to decide whether to accept or reject its message. He accepted. Josh McDowell has now written many books and done much research about the authenticity of the Bible as well as the beliefs of young people today.
Josh McDowell has an interesting way of starting his seminar. He begins by asking people why they believe in Jesus. People give various answers, and he gives various reasons why those answers could also be given by Muslims, Buddists, Hindu, etc. For example, Muslims have faith, Buddism has “changed people’s lives,” Hinduism can make people feel good. Its very interesting, and I really was hoping that he would not pick me out of the crowd. ;-)
Okay, I’ll finish my post later since I can hear my child in the other room. Honestly, though, what would you say in answer to a question like that?

Recipe for Peace

Philippians 4:4-7 (New Living Translation)


4. Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again—rejoice! 5. Let everyone see that you are considerate in all you do. Remember, the Lord is coming soon.
6. Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. 7. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.



New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible. New Living Translation copyright © 1996, 2004 by Tyndale Charitable Trust. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers.



What can I say? Fear has always been my worst enemy, and I always feel helpless in its grip. As of this moment, I am fine; there is nothing to worry me. Yet I know I will have the opportunity to worry soon enough. Somehow it always happens that what I want most becomes entangled with that which I fear most.
People who do not understand fear try to reason my fears away. Believe me, if reason worked, I wouldn't have this problem. I am a fairly reasonable person, and I have bent over backward in many situations trying to reason away the fear that gripped my heart and mind. Reason did not work. Also, I know that I will soon be faced with another reason to fear, one that even reasonable people cannot reason away.
As I was reading this morning, the "peace, which exceeds anything we can understand," caught my eye. I need that peace, the peace which guards my heart and mind and doesn't have to be reasonable. So, what now? Rejoice, be considerate, pray, ask, and thank. I am thankful for unreasonable peace.

Stem Cell Research

I was watching videos on CNN just a minute ago, and I came across this video about Biden's comments about stem cell research (if someone cares so much for special needs kids, why don't they allow stem cell research?).
I wouldn't have thought too much about the comments of the commentators, except that I had been reading about stem cell research earlier today. To sum up, scientists have "turned ordinary human skin cells into what are effectively embryonic stem cells without using embryos or women's eggs -- the previously essential ingredients that have embroiled the medically promising field in a nearly decade-long political and ethical debate." Of course, the media does not mention this. I guess because that would take away one of their talking points about Sarah Palin and her stance on embryonic stem cell research. An interesting opinion which I read was that keeping the government from funding embryonic stem cell research kept doors open for researching other options which no one considers immoral. Interesting.

I can't find it

The remote, that is. I am usually the official "finder" around here, so I am a bit worried. I turned on the television last night after Mom called to tell me to watch someone sing on "America's Got Talent." I had the receiver remote (we have three remotes) because I muted the sound whenever the commercials came on. I finally turned the tv off and put Nathan to bed, and Mom called again to ask if I was watching another person. I went to turn on the tv but couldn't find the receiver remote. I even went back into Nathan's room twice and turned the light on to see if I had left it there (I'm sure Nathan was wondering what in the world I was doing). I have no clue where it is. I have looked everywhere I know to look. I don't even think Nathan can be blamed. I am stumped. Of course, it doesn't help that I felt like poopey last night and am feeling about the same today. :-) Why couldn't I have lost the tv remote or the U-verse remote? I think my mind has decided to take a break...

Hmmmm....

I believe these statistics are quite scary. I have plenty of thoughts on this, but I don't have them organized yet. Maybe one day I'll post my organized thoughts. hee hee

Interesting: Global Warming

This article is about some 31,000 scientists who do not agree with the human-caused global warming theory. I'm sure there is a ton more information out there, but I'm not up to digging that much today. While I believe very much in taking care of our environment, I also believe that crying "wolf" to get people on the environmental bandwagon will eventually backfire if there is, in fact, no wolf. Why can't we just take care of the environment because it will be more healthy and beautiful for us and our children if we do?

Universal Health Care

This article was quite interesting. I saw a debate once between two very educated professors about universal health care. Although the professor who supported universal health care was much more popular and probably more educated overall, he clearly lost the debate once all was said and done. The guys in front of me who were from Germany were not very happy with the outcome. ;-) My thoughts: the government does a bad enough job with everything it is responsible for now, why give it more responsibility? Yes, change is definitely needed, but I doubt universal health care is the answer.