Fireproof

My family is going to see Fireproof. We meant to go on opening night, but forgot. I think it's important to support such movies, otherwise how can we complain that there is nothing fit to watch at the movies? Movie makers will make movies that earn them $$.

Fireproof the movie is showing locally at the Malco Theater. It's rated PG. Plugged In has reviews about this and other movies and media.

Feelings

My feelings were hurt this week. The offender probably didn't even know they did so. When that kind of thing happens I want to whine to the Lord about pitiful me, how trampled upon I feel, how unjust, how wronged.... but I have no right to take offense. God was offended beyond anything I could suffer, and He did it for my sake. I'm called to forgive, by the Greatest Forgiver. I'm called to be long-suffering, by the One who suffered in my stead. How can I dare refuse that? Especially when He trades my heartache for joy? My bitterness for concern for others? My turmoil for peace? That's a pretty good trade.


"He who covers over an offense promotes love, but whoever repeats the matter separates close friends." - Proverbs 17:9

Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things." - I Corinthians 13:4-7

What is the Treasure of My Heart?

"A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks." Luke 6:45

Knowing that what is really inside me comes falling out of my mouth is very sobering. If we stopped to think when we're "having a bad day" that we are sometimes revealing our motives,
our ugly attitudes, our unlovely selves through our speech, it would drive us to God and our families for forgiveness. What kind of example do I give my kids if I'm loudly impatient with the driver in front of me? If I can speak kind words only to those outside my home? If I have a "telephone voice" right after poisonous words? And I expect respectful words from them? No matter how often we want them to exhibit good manners and kindness, it will never be completely taught. It must be "caught". I'm incapable of always being kind. It's that knowledge that sends me to God asking for His grace and kindness, because I can't do it on my own. I fail miserably. When our kids fail, it's a teachable moment to explain that we can't be good on our own. That's why we need a Savior.


"Even a fool is thought wise if he keeps silent, and discerning if he holds his tongue." Proverbs 17:28

Your Printer Lies

Money saving tip:

Both of my printers lie, and one of them speaks foreign languages. I know the lying/deception comes from the humans who birthed these infuriating appliances, but I'm not inclined to hold the machine blameless. (I tend to talk to inanimate objects that infuriate me. A sign of immaturity my mother says.)

Most of us have been there, desperately needing to print a document when the printer stubbornly informs us that it has no more ink. We know that isn't the truth because we've pushed buttons to ignore the message and the thing prints 1,000+ more before the pages start to fade. There's a ink and toner cartel. Isn't the stuff expensive enough? Do they really need to make the machines say they're empty, so they can sell even more?

This week I bought black ink for the ink jet, the foreigner. I knew I had to make it speak English first, so I looked up instructions for changing the language: "Go to Maintenance, pick your language"....hold on, I'm not even sure what language it's speaking now! How can I find "Maintenance"? I went to Babelfish to translate some words I suspected were German. I lived there for awhile, surely I could figure this out. I typed in "Verbeteringen" and Babelfish told me my printer was saying, "Struggle-Pray". "That lying contraption should be praying!" I thought. "Repent, you evil printer!" I tried Dutch, and that was "Improvements", and I figured it out from there. Now that I had an English-speaking printer it stealthily replied that it could not possibly print in black, because I needed to check its color ink. It's still not printing.

I had more success with the other machine. I thought it still had toner, even though the toner light was on, and it was refusing to print. I did what I always do when I want technical advice and my son-in-law Randy isn't around, I Googled it. I found other frustrated, geeky, souls who had the knowledge. I pressed buttons in the sequence they advised, and it worked! Take that stupid printer! Some of these people fix printers for a living.

She Opens Her Mouth

"She opens her mouth with wisdom, and on her tongue is the law of kindness." Proverbs 31:26 says. Does it occur to anyone else that she was indeed a wise woman because she must have had her mouth closed at some beginning point to open it?

Women are Chatty Cathys. We all know it. I remember reading somewhere that men have 2,000 words that they use in a day, and we women have 100,000 or so. By the time we see our guys at the end of the day, we've only used up half our allotment. Is it any wonder men have dens and garages to seek refuge in? I want to seek to make my home a haven from the world for my family, instead of a whirlwind of words that aren't heard for all the wind.

I want to be a wise woman of God. I've had the benefit of some wise women in my life. Women who loved and honored God. Women who were humble, quietly moving others to follow their footsteps. I want to be that woman too. God calls me to be that woman.