As I was crunching into an apple this morning, my mind started wandering through paths that I have not traveled in some time. You see, until recently I was not overly fond of apples. I think I remember liking them some when I was a kid, but over the years, for one reason or another, I fell out of "like" with them.
But this morning, while the sweet juice of the fruit was dripping down my chin, I was enthralled with the amazing flavor of the apple, and I began to cogitate on the deliciousness of my breakfast.
I couldn't help myself - I had to go to the Internet to find out more about this amazing treat. What I discovered was equally as amazing....
Apples were first recorded in history in an area between the Caspian Sea and the Black Sea - which now is around Iran and Russia. Apples were introduced to the Americas in the 1600s by European travelers. There are over 621 edible varieties in the United States (those are just the standard ones that are recorded - the estimate is more than a thousand throughout the world). China is the number one apple-producing nation -- the United States comes in second. Washington is the number one apple-producing state in America, with New York following closely behind. The number one variety grown in the U.S. (using 2003 statistics) is the Red Delicious. In 2002 the average American ate 15.8 pounds of fresh apples and 26.4 pounds of processed apples.
This I found really interesting: Planting a tree from a specific apple will not necessarily produce a tree of the same variety - it will be a cross of the tree that it was grown on and the variety that was the cross pollinator!
Finally, apples are a member of the rose family.
"Apple" or "apples" are mentioned only 11 times in the Bible (and no, one of those times is not in the Garden of Eden!). What is interesting is that 5 of those times refer to the "apple of his eye," or something similar to that. I was drawn to Psalm 17:8 -- "Keep me as the apple of Your eye; Hide me under the shadow of Your wings." David's prayer is that God will treat him special - protect him just like a person protects his eyes - just like one protects that which is precious to him.
Could it be that God loves apples as much as I do? Oh, I'm sure that He loves everything that He created - it was all good - but maybe there is something precious about the apple. Maybe He inspired Solomon, the wisest man to ever live, to associate words that are given at the right time with "apples of gold in settings of silver." (Proverbs 25:11)
I don't know how you feel about apples, but I do know how God feels about you. You see, God so loved the world that He gave His only Son to die that you might live. (John 3:16) Not only that, but He has prepared a place for you (John 14:1-3)- and there is a special tree that will grow 12 varieties of fruit - it's called the Tree of Life, and the leaves alone will have power enough to heal the nations.
I don't want to speculate, but do you think it could be possible that at least one of those fruits just might be an apple?
God bless you abundantly!
Saturday, April 25, 2009
Saturday, April 18, 2009
A Prescription for Pain
It's everywhere...
I'm talking about pain. Do you see it in the lives of people around you? It is the evidence of a world gone wild, a world filled with every symptom of sin, sin that is busily destroying lives. Any resemblance to the Eden home has become nothing more than a shadow. Oh, people try to find something good to hold on to. But the pain is always there, always dragging another person into its lair.
Someone's daughter is physically falling apart - doctors suspect multiple sclerosis. Someone's son is suffering the demons of depression. Someone's husband has left her for another. Someone is nearing the final stages of his life as he watches his bodily functions disintegrate in front of his eyes. Someone's mother has fallen and has a broken hip. Someone's friend is losing a son.
So many someones...
My heart goes out to these people, perhaps more so because I have experienced pain in my life. I feel like a medic on the battle field, dodging exploding shells as I try to reach as many injured and dying - trying to see if I can save at least one. You see, I have been the target of the enemy, and I have felt the pain of his darts. And I also know what it feels like to receive the salve of God's presence. While the pain may linger, just knowing that I am not alone is enough to help me hang on - even if it is just for a few more moments.
Jesus knows our pain - He has experienced it. He knows that the enemy would love to destroy us just to get at Him. But He also reminds us, "I have overcome the world." He didn't say that our pain would be removed. He didn't promise a bubble to live in that would separate us from the rest of the world. No, He said that we would have pain. But in spite of the pain, He would bring us peace. Peace through the storm, not apart from the storm.
Perhaps you are experiencing pain in your life. Odds are that you are either just getting over a painful period, just entering a time of pain, or will meet your own time of trial and pain in the near future. With the world the way it is, that would be a safe bet. And if you are in the midst of pain, what I have to say might seem superficial and patronizing. That's why I am not going to give my advice. All I can do is point you to the Person who came to me when I thought I couldn't take any more - when death would have been a welcome friend. When the pain was the most intense, that is when He held me most tightly in His arms.
So although pain is everywhere, God is there too. He says, "Let me go through this time with you - together we can survive everything that the devil will throw at us. And someday - oh, that glorious someday - all tears and pain will be wiped away forever!"
I am waiting for that day - it's coming soon!
God bless you abundantly!
I'm talking about pain. Do you see it in the lives of people around you? It is the evidence of a world gone wild, a world filled with every symptom of sin, sin that is busily destroying lives. Any resemblance to the Eden home has become nothing more than a shadow. Oh, people try to find something good to hold on to. But the pain is always there, always dragging another person into its lair.
Someone's daughter is physically falling apart - doctors suspect multiple sclerosis. Someone's son is suffering the demons of depression. Someone's husband has left her for another. Someone is nearing the final stages of his life as he watches his bodily functions disintegrate in front of his eyes. Someone's mother has fallen and has a broken hip. Someone's friend is losing a son.
So many someones...
My heart goes out to these people, perhaps more so because I have experienced pain in my life. I feel like a medic on the battle field, dodging exploding shells as I try to reach as many injured and dying - trying to see if I can save at least one. You see, I have been the target of the enemy, and I have felt the pain of his darts. And I also know what it feels like to receive the salve of God's presence. While the pain may linger, just knowing that I am not alone is enough to help me hang on - even if it is just for a few more moments.
Jesus knows our pain - He has experienced it. He knows that the enemy would love to destroy us just to get at Him. But He also reminds us, "I have overcome the world." He didn't say that our pain would be removed. He didn't promise a bubble to live in that would separate us from the rest of the world. No, He said that we would have pain. But in spite of the pain, He would bring us peace. Peace through the storm, not apart from the storm.
Perhaps you are experiencing pain in your life. Odds are that you are either just getting over a painful period, just entering a time of pain, or will meet your own time of trial and pain in the near future. With the world the way it is, that would be a safe bet. And if you are in the midst of pain, what I have to say might seem superficial and patronizing. That's why I am not going to give my advice. All I can do is point you to the Person who came to me when I thought I couldn't take any more - when death would have been a welcome friend. When the pain was the most intense, that is when He held me most tightly in His arms.
So although pain is everywhere, God is there too. He says, "Let me go through this time with you - together we can survive everything that the devil will throw at us. And someday - oh, that glorious someday - all tears and pain will be wiped away forever!"
I am waiting for that day - it's coming soon!
God bless you abundantly!
Saturday, April 11, 2009
Closer than you think...
I have a birthday coming up next month. That of itself is not unusual - most of us try to have at least one birthday each year (i.e., staying alive to see the next one is a great motivator, in spite of having to add a year on to the already growing number of years!). But what has continued to astound me is the fact that these "celebrations" seem to be coming sooner each year. It used to be that May was nearly a half of a year away, and I couldn't wait to grow a little bit older (yes, I was a child when I thought that way - we are not talking about recent history!). But now May seems to show up right after January!
I understand the whole thing about time going faster as you get older - a study that Einstein would have delved into more if he could have only found the time.... But what I wasn't prepared for was the tendency for those of us with more gray showing up in the hair (that hair that we still have) to forget that if time is passing by more quickly, that the events that herald the end of time are also coming at us in rapid fashion.
This is what I've heard: "Yes, there are some things that are happening in our world that could be perceived as a 'hastening' of the events of the last days, but we have seen these kind of things happen many times over the years." "Yes, it may appear to be that a lot of things are happening, but that is just because we now know everything that is happening all over the world. It's not that there are more events - it's just that we are more aware of them happening."
And I say - you're right! (you were expecting me to say the old folks were wrong?) On both accounts I think they are probably fairly accurate. We may be seeing a few more calamities in the world, and we may be hearing about more of them. That probably could explain part of what's going on.
But what is going on? Pull out your Bibles, blow off the dust if you need to, and turn to Matthew 24. Jesus was answering his disciples about the events that would occur in the last days (and also what would happen when the temple was going to be torn down). You will see in verse 4 that Jesus starts talking about how we need to be alert and not deceived. Verse 5 points out that there will be counterfeits, and verse 6 talks about the wars and news about wars. But what does it say in the last part? "See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet." Verse 7 covers some more scary things, but then verse 8 points out that "All these things are the beginning of sorrows."
My point is that these things - these events - are not what we will see at the very end. These are the beginnings, what would lead up to the end. But then the question is - what can we expect to see at the end, just before Christ comes again?
Verses 9 and 10 let us know that we will not always be viewed in a positive light - that Christians will be hated. Do you see that happening today? Verse 11 speaks of false prophets. Prophets were the ones that led the people in the direction that the nations needed to go. They were the political consultants for the kings and leaders. They were also the spiritual leaders of a nation. What are the prophets saying today?
Verse 12 says that because the law is not followed, that the love of many will grow cold. How else would you describe the time in which we are living?
Jump ahead to verse 27. Here's the good news: There won't be anyone saying, "Do you think that Jesus came?" No, as everyone can see the lighting when it flashes across the sky, so will the coming of the Son of Man be. I Thessalonians 4:16 says that the Lord will descend with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. Nothing quiet about that day!
Here's my point: We can speculate about whether we think we are truly living in the last days by looking at the events that are happening around us. One person can have one opinion while another takes the opposite view. Both could be wrong and right (not something that we are used to saying in our western minds, but bear with me for a moment). The fact is, these events are not dominoes that need to fall one by one before the end comes. You can quickly collapse the string of dominoes by starting at both ends along with multiple spots in the middle. No one said that it had to be done in a certain order. What it does say is that it will come "as a thief in the night." Not that it will be under cover of darkness, but as it says in I Thessalonians 5:3, "For when they say "Peace and safety!" then sudden destruction comes upon them as labor pains upon a pregnant woman."
You see, some will scoff and say that things are the same (2 Peter 3:3,4) while other will just want to hear comforting things (2 Timothy 4:3,4). But that won't change the truth, and when the time comes (and it will be sooner than we think, for God will cut the time short to save His people from the outcome of the great tribulation - Matthew 24:21,22), the end will come.
So it's up to us. We can say that we are going to wait and see, but that is not what Jesus admonishes us to do. He says to be ready - "Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not expect Him." (Matthew 24:44)
My birthday is coming up. I don't have much to do to get ready, but if there is something that I want to do before it gets here, I'd better get going, 'cause it's going to be here sooner than I think.
Jesus said that He is coming back to take us home. That day could be getting here soon. It's closer than you think....
God bless you abundantly!
I understand the whole thing about time going faster as you get older - a study that Einstein would have delved into more if he could have only found the time.... But what I wasn't prepared for was the tendency for those of us with more gray showing up in the hair (that hair that we still have) to forget that if time is passing by more quickly, that the events that herald the end of time are also coming at us in rapid fashion.
This is what I've heard: "Yes, there are some things that are happening in our world that could be perceived as a 'hastening' of the events of the last days, but we have seen these kind of things happen many times over the years." "Yes, it may appear to be that a lot of things are happening, but that is just because we now know everything that is happening all over the world. It's not that there are more events - it's just that we are more aware of them happening."
And I say - you're right! (you were expecting me to say the old folks were wrong?) On both accounts I think they are probably fairly accurate. We may be seeing a few more calamities in the world, and we may be hearing about more of them. That probably could explain part of what's going on.
But what is going on? Pull out your Bibles, blow off the dust if you need to, and turn to Matthew 24. Jesus was answering his disciples about the events that would occur in the last days (and also what would happen when the temple was going to be torn down). You will see in verse 4 that Jesus starts talking about how we need to be alert and not deceived. Verse 5 points out that there will be counterfeits, and verse 6 talks about the wars and news about wars. But what does it say in the last part? "See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet." Verse 7 covers some more scary things, but then verse 8 points out that "All these things are the beginning of sorrows."
My point is that these things - these events - are not what we will see at the very end. These are the beginnings, what would lead up to the end. But then the question is - what can we expect to see at the end, just before Christ comes again?
Verses 9 and 10 let us know that we will not always be viewed in a positive light - that Christians will be hated. Do you see that happening today? Verse 11 speaks of false prophets. Prophets were the ones that led the people in the direction that the nations needed to go. They were the political consultants for the kings and leaders. They were also the spiritual leaders of a nation. What are the prophets saying today?
Verse 12 says that because the law is not followed, that the love of many will grow cold. How else would you describe the time in which we are living?
Jump ahead to verse 27. Here's the good news: There won't be anyone saying, "Do you think that Jesus came?" No, as everyone can see the lighting when it flashes across the sky, so will the coming of the Son of Man be. I Thessalonians 4:16 says that the Lord will descend with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. Nothing quiet about that day!
Here's my point: We can speculate about whether we think we are truly living in the last days by looking at the events that are happening around us. One person can have one opinion while another takes the opposite view. Both could be wrong and right (not something that we are used to saying in our western minds, but bear with me for a moment). The fact is, these events are not dominoes that need to fall one by one before the end comes. You can quickly collapse the string of dominoes by starting at both ends along with multiple spots in the middle. No one said that it had to be done in a certain order. What it does say is that it will come "as a thief in the night." Not that it will be under cover of darkness, but as it says in I Thessalonians 5:3, "For when they say "Peace and safety!" then sudden destruction comes upon them as labor pains upon a pregnant woman."
You see, some will scoff and say that things are the same (2 Peter 3:3,4) while other will just want to hear comforting things (2 Timothy 4:3,4). But that won't change the truth, and when the time comes (and it will be sooner than we think, for God will cut the time short to save His people from the outcome of the great tribulation - Matthew 24:21,22), the end will come.
So it's up to us. We can say that we are going to wait and see, but that is not what Jesus admonishes us to do. He says to be ready - "Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not expect Him." (Matthew 24:44)
My birthday is coming up. I don't have much to do to get ready, but if there is something that I want to do before it gets here, I'd better get going, 'cause it's going to be here sooner than I think.
Jesus said that He is coming back to take us home. That day could be getting here soon. It's closer than you think....
God bless you abundantly!
Saturday, April 4, 2009
Understanding God...
This may be more thought provoking than most of my blogs.... Or it may just be mindless drivel.... I will leave that up to you to decide.
I would be the last one to think of myself as an intellectual, although some have accused me of drifting over to the "pseudo-intelligent" category. It's not a matter of a lack of intelligence - God has blessed me with enough "smarts" to make it this far in life - it's more that my wisdom has been gained in the school of hard knocks. It's an excellent school, but one from which I doubt I will ever enjoy the pomp and circumstances of graduating. However, through it all I have had my share of "aha" moments, and what I want to discuss today is one of those epiphanies.
Before I go any further, let me say that it is very possible that you will say, "That's not anything new to me." I agree with Solomon - "there is nothing new under the sun." So this is not new, but just seen from an angle, a perspective, that I have only recently allowed myself to view.
I've been thinking about God. I realize that God is God, and He can do whatever He wants. But something in my mind tells me that God wants to be understood. I can fully relate to that, because in my job I am so often misunderstood. It would be such a blessing if someone could see my actions and connect my true intentions - but that is asking too much (I realize that even as I ache when my actions are despised and I am touted as an ogre). If it affects me that much, how does God feel?
The Bible makes it clear that God is the same, yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 12:8). While some of you may say, "Wait, that refers to Jesus Christ," let me remind you that Jesus Himself pointed out that He and His Father were One (start reading in John 14 and you will find multiple verses to support that thought). So the Old Testament God is essentially the same One who said, "All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out." (John 6:37)
And if the Old Testament God is not a God who forced His people to worship Him (on threat of death, as it seems in many cases), how do I reconcile the stories that I have heard for so many years? How do I lovingly interact with a God who killed off nations just because they stood in the way of the Israelites?
I have to go back to the beginning. What was God's intention in creating us? How could a God who can see the end from the beginning (Isaiah 46:9,10) make children that He knew would turn their backs on Him? How could He look forward and see the evil that would abound and not flinch when He breathed into Adam the breath of life?
I think our view of God has been too limited. We have attempted to put Him into a box - whether it is a box titled "Tyrant" or a box called "Meek and Mild." But I believe that He is neither. I have to come back to the question, "Why?"
The best explanation I can come up with centers on a trek by a father and son up the mountain. The father was heartbroken because he knew that he was going to sacrifice his son. As much as he hated the thought of doing it, he couldn't conceive of not obeying - not doing what God had asked him to do. As it says in Hebrews 11, "By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac...."
And I see God standing in the wings saying, "Do you see that this story is representing me? I am the One that is giving up my Son - except there is no angel that is going to stop the hand that will nail Him to a cross. Just like Abraham doing this because it was the right thing to do (obeying), I am doing this because it is the only thing that My loving nature will allow. You may judge me by your human standards, but My standard is all about love and redemption. And this is the only way that I can bring My children back into a relationship with Me forever."
It may not be a new concept for you. But I believe that we are living in an age when people will again misunderstand the acts of God. When the comforts of this life are washed away, when the lives of friends and families are snuffed out, when the world is falling apart at the seams, will people see God as a loving Creator, or as a beast that wants to destroy? Will we be able to look beyond the now to realize that God is standing up to take those who have chosen to be His children to the home that He has prepared for them?
I pray that my faith will go beyond my sight, and that I will never give up on the God I have learned to love even when He is putting me through trials - even if it costs me my life or the life of my friends and family. Because I believe that God will still - today - do whatever it takes to return us to His original plan of having His family back together. And the enemy will never again take His children from His grasp!
God bless you abundantly!
I would be the last one to think of myself as an intellectual, although some have accused me of drifting over to the "pseudo-intelligent" category. It's not a matter of a lack of intelligence - God has blessed me with enough "smarts" to make it this far in life - it's more that my wisdom has been gained in the school of hard knocks. It's an excellent school, but one from which I doubt I will ever enjoy the pomp and circumstances of graduating. However, through it all I have had my share of "aha" moments, and what I want to discuss today is one of those epiphanies.
Before I go any further, let me say that it is very possible that you will say, "That's not anything new to me." I agree with Solomon - "there is nothing new under the sun." So this is not new, but just seen from an angle, a perspective, that I have only recently allowed myself to view.
I've been thinking about God. I realize that God is God, and He can do whatever He wants. But something in my mind tells me that God wants to be understood. I can fully relate to that, because in my job I am so often misunderstood. It would be such a blessing if someone could see my actions and connect my true intentions - but that is asking too much (I realize that even as I ache when my actions are despised and I am touted as an ogre). If it affects me that much, how does God feel?
The Bible makes it clear that God is the same, yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 12:8). While some of you may say, "Wait, that refers to Jesus Christ," let me remind you that Jesus Himself pointed out that He and His Father were One (start reading in John 14 and you will find multiple verses to support that thought). So the Old Testament God is essentially the same One who said, "All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out." (John 6:37)
And if the Old Testament God is not a God who forced His people to worship Him (on threat of death, as it seems in many cases), how do I reconcile the stories that I have heard for so many years? How do I lovingly interact with a God who killed off nations just because they stood in the way of the Israelites?
I have to go back to the beginning. What was God's intention in creating us? How could a God who can see the end from the beginning (Isaiah 46:9,10) make children that He knew would turn their backs on Him? How could He look forward and see the evil that would abound and not flinch when He breathed into Adam the breath of life?
I think our view of God has been too limited. We have attempted to put Him into a box - whether it is a box titled "Tyrant" or a box called "Meek and Mild." But I believe that He is neither. I have to come back to the question, "Why?"
The best explanation I can come up with centers on a trek by a father and son up the mountain. The father was heartbroken because he knew that he was going to sacrifice his son. As much as he hated the thought of doing it, he couldn't conceive of not obeying - not doing what God had asked him to do. As it says in Hebrews 11, "By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac...."
And I see God standing in the wings saying, "Do you see that this story is representing me? I am the One that is giving up my Son - except there is no angel that is going to stop the hand that will nail Him to a cross. Just like Abraham doing this because it was the right thing to do (obeying), I am doing this because it is the only thing that My loving nature will allow. You may judge me by your human standards, but My standard is all about love and redemption. And this is the only way that I can bring My children back into a relationship with Me forever."
It may not be a new concept for you. But I believe that we are living in an age when people will again misunderstand the acts of God. When the comforts of this life are washed away, when the lives of friends and families are snuffed out, when the world is falling apart at the seams, will people see God as a loving Creator, or as a beast that wants to destroy? Will we be able to look beyond the now to realize that God is standing up to take those who have chosen to be His children to the home that He has prepared for them?
I pray that my faith will go beyond my sight, and that I will never give up on the God I have learned to love even when He is putting me through trials - even if it costs me my life or the life of my friends and family. Because I believe that God will still - today - do whatever it takes to return us to His original plan of having His family back together. And the enemy will never again take His children from His grasp!
God bless you abundantly!
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