So, I know that WALL*E is supposed to be a disney/Pixar animated children's movie, right? To be honest, I haven't looked forward to seeing a movie this much for a long time! It looks really funny, has gotten wonderful reviews, and is rated G- fun for the whole family. Hopefully, "Someone" will take me on a date to see it this week (you know who you are). Have any of you seen it?
Proverbs 2:1-10 ESV
My son, if you receive my words
and treasure up my commandments with you,
making your ear attentive to wisdom
and inclining your heart to understanding;
yes, if you call out for insight
and raise your voice for understanding,
if you seek it like silver
and search for it as for hidden treasures,
then you will understand the fear of the LORD
and find the knowledge of God.
For the LORD gives wisdom;
from his mouth come knowledge and understanding;
he stores up sound wisdom for the upright;
he is a shield to those who walk in integrity,
guarding the paths of justice
and watching over the way of his saints.
Then you will understand righteousness and justice
and equity, every good path;
for wisdom will come into your heart,
and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul;
How many miles is it from Kuwait (the capital) to...?
Philadelphia, PA - 6397.44
Venice, Italy - 2206.00
Zagreb, Croatia - 2047.68
Bristol, England - 2969.06
Brisbane, Australia - 7975.36
Osaka, Japan - 4974.67
Istanbul, Turkey - 1319.60
Arroyo Grande, CA - 7902.45
Abancay, Peru - 8503.87
Kirkuk, Iraq - 465.03
(map taken from wikipedia.com)
Here is a blog that I found, which includes some of of my favorite Spanish recipes; it also has some cute little drawings: http://lobstersquad.blogspot.com/. By Spanish, I mean from Spain- not Taco Bell for all those of you culturally challenged. I'll admit some of these sound somewhat unconventional and downright gross if you've never had anything like it before. But, I encourage you to be adventurous. Occasionally, you may have to substitute an ingredient because we do things a little differently on this side of the Atlantic. And if you're feeling lazy, invite me over to make something special for you! Did I mention it's summer and I don't have to teach again until September?
I don't know where the title comes from, but all the recipes certainly do not have to do with lobster.
Do you ever feel like this?
Many feelings can lead one to this state, such as discontentment, impatience, anxiety, and anger- all of which are sinful. How can we combat these things? Well, the most important way is to be constantly aware of who we are in light of what the Bible teaches us. We are mere created beings, sinful at heart from the get-go. The great news is that we have a great Savior who forgives us and changes us. I will be the first to admit that I don't always want to read my Bible, and fail to read it everyday; however, God promises us that as we diligently pursue Him in the word, he will continue to instill in us the desire to put away our sinful nature and change us to be more like His Son.
That leads me to the second best way I think we can "put off" these sins: by actively pursuing thankfulness. The Altrogges have declared it Official Gratefulness Day. I don't know how official that actually is, but I think they have the right idea. In Proverbs, it says, "Good sense makes one slow to anger, and it is his glory to overlook an offense." (Prov. 19:11) As we shift our thinking from what we don't have, aren't getting, or want too much to the right thinking that all gifts have been given to us, I think God slowly works that "good sense" (i.e. patience, contentment, and joy) into us. With that said, here is a list of things for which I am thankful:
** That I can truly live with joy and will escape God's judgement and wrath because of Christ's death on the cross
** My husband Chris, who has borne the burden of a marching band director and all that entails for the past 3 years
** My family, whose members are supportive of my wild ambitions and pretend I'm funny
** A great gospel-preaching church, that I will sorely miss while abroad
** My friends who are jovial and kind, but not too sarcastic
** An education that has allowed me to travel, meet hundreds of people, and broaden my knowledge of how the world really is
** My dry, clean, warm/cool apartment filled with furniture given to us by others
** That I have never crossed King Kong
I am often tempted to complain when things take a long time. I don't like to be patient and I certainly don't like to wait for things. I don't like when it takes a long time for someone to call me back, when traffic is extra heavy on the commute to work, when I have to follow a coal truck for 30 miles, when I have to wait at the doctor's office even though I'm 15 minutes early, or when the checkout line at WAL*MART is more than three carts long.
In each of these instances though, my perspective comes from being focused on the wrong thing; when I want to complain or grow impatient, I'm focused on myself and my demands. I want to be God and move the world at my pace. How utterly wicked are our hearts!? I was convicted of this upon arriving at school today, when traffic was indeed moving slower than usual. Because today is the last day with students, I sat down to do some cleaning with the extra time I had. I began to sort my personal and professional email, in hopes of discarding many old messages, waiting to pat myself on the back for getting something done. God (in His kindness) led me to an email folder where I stored the early news about Ian's accident. Even before reading the first one, I was reminded of the Lord's patience with us and the great patience He must be giving to our friends, the Murphys. He has continued to heal Ian and supply his family with grace. Great is His faithfulness; I shall not complain.
From Wednesday, October 4, 2006
Yesterday the doctors said that Ian has 2-4 hours to live, but today he is still alive. His brain is still not responding. While we have this opportunity let's pray for Ian's healing. The word of the doctors is not the final word. God had commanded us and encouraged us to pray, because he intends to answer our prayers.
The Prayer of Faith
13 Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise. 14 Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. 16 Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. [2] 17 Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth.
Our God is a God of last-minute (from our perspective, not his)deliverances. My sons Stephen and David reminded me yesterday that God stopped Abraham just as he was about to bring the knife down on his son Isaac; God delivered Israel by the Red Sea when it looked totally hopeless. Jesus raised Lazarus after he had already died. God delivered Peter from prison, using the prayers of the church. God delivers in impossible situations: Daniel in the lion's den,Shadrach,Meshach, and Abednego in the fiery furnace. Jonah from a whale's stomach. Jesus healed multitudes who had no earthly hope of healing.
So while we have time, let us pray. Would you consider fasting today for Ian and his family and Larissa? Until we know differently, let us assume that it is God's will to heal Ian. Would you take some time right now and pray for Ian to be healed?
Thanks, Mark
www.prayforian.com
If you have talked to me recently, you can probably guess what the above picture portrays: Kuwait City at night. In case you haven't heard, that's where Chris and I will be living in about...67 days. The news is now public that we have been talking about living and teaching overseas for quite some time, and that we were both offered jobs to teach in a private, bilingual school in Kuwait. We graciously accepted the offer after much prayer, deliberation, and counsel from our friends, and are excited to see what God does with us and in us in Kuwait. Our contract is set for two years, and we will be able to come home during the summer. We have arranged for housing already, which we will be able to stay at the first night we are in Kuwait. I'm really excited that we have been afforded this opportunity, though it all feels a bit like a dream.
Making the decision to go to Kuwait is probably the third biggest decision I've ever had to make in my life (of course, making it together with my hubby), trailing only my decision to follow Jesus Christ once He graciously captured my heart, and the decision to marry Chris- once he captured my heart! We are confident that God has led us to this place and it is not just of our own selfish ambition, although I wouldn't put it past myself that there is some of that mixed in there. We will surely miss our wonderful friends and family, but will make every attempt to stay in good contact, which is so easy to do these days via the Earth's Big Net (otherwise known as the World Wide Web). Please pray for us during this time, that we are able to make the best use of our days.
This past week, I found a flyer with a supposed excerpt from Housekeeping Monthly, the May 13, 1955 edition in my mailbox at one of the schools where I teach. I'm not sure whether or not it is legitimate, but it is quite interesting. Although some of the ideas are quite biblical in the section entitled, "The Good Wife's Guide," some of them are also a bit silly sounding, not to mention impossible sounding. Here are just a few out of about 15 that refer to when your husband comes home from work.
*Prepare yourself. Take 15 minutes to rest so that you'll be refreshed when he arrives. Touch up your make-up, put a ribbon in your hair, and be fresh-looking. He has just been with a lot of work-weary people.
*Be a little gay and a little more interesting for him. His boring day may need a lift and one of your duties is to provide it.
*Arrange his pillow and offer to take off his shoes. Speak in a low, soothing and pleasant voice.
*Listen to him. You may have a dozen important things to tell him, but the moment of arrival is not the time. Let him talk first- remember, his topics of conversation are more important than yours.
*Greet him with a warm smile and show sincerity in your desire to please him.
*Don't complain if he's late home for dinner or even if he stays out all night. Count this as minor compared to what he might have gone through that day.
*A good wife always knows her place.
