Love in with the Apples

My daughter, Vanessa, came home last night with some apples. Actually, Vanessa came home with a whole lot of apples last night. Her crew were creating boxes to send to our American troops and they sent the leftovers home with every one.



When I got up this morning I realized that we needed to do something with them otherwise they would spoil. We eat apples here and there, but not that many, and we're leaving for St. Louis tomorrow. So what to do.



Looking at them more closely, I realized they were not store bought. These apples were a mixture of varieties, sizes, shapes and quality. I started examining them and found scars, bruised spots and very odd shapes. They certainly are not what I buy in the store. You know what I'm talking about. You go down the fruit isle in the store and your mouth waters because they are perfectly shaped and have a consistent, beautiful, shiny red very appealing skin. Not these. These looked like they'd lived and could tell us some stories. LOL



I decided that I could make some pies. I had some leftover pie crusts from a holiday and got excited thinking who I could bless today with some apple pie. You might wonder why I don't just fix if for my family. Guess what? They don't like pie. :-)



So I start washing the apples. I tossed out some bruised ones and there were a couple I threw out because they just had some icky looking scars. As I worked through the pile I started thinking about those I threw away. I'm going to be peeling them. There's bound to be a good part of that apple that's usable. I could make more than one pie if I get those back out and cut off those areas that were not usable.



So I grab those out of the trash. I washed them again and worked on them to get to the usable parts. Some of the apples that looked good on the outside, when I halved them, were actually very scarred on the inside around the core. I didn't see that from the outside. Some apples had very large core areas with less fruit. Some had very small cores and a lot of fruit.



By the time I had them peeled, cored, and sliced I had way more apple than I can use in two pies. So I decide to make some apple crisp too. Then I remembered that Pastor Anthony was coming over to spend some time with Ryan today. So I made a couple apple crisp desserts. I can't believe how many desserts I was able to make with a bag of apples. I ended up with 2 apple pies and 3 apple crisp desserts.



I put the apple crisp in the oven first and they started cooking and I began to clean up the area. I'm not Sally Homemaker so I did throw all the cores out and all the peelings. I know, I have a friend who's reading this and can't believe I wasted all those peelings .......... I hear her loud and clear..there's a use for all apple parts. You're wasting good usable parts.



Wouldn't you know it? God started talking to me. As the smell of cinnamon and apples begins to fill the house, I start hearing God. We're just like those apples.



There are so many different types of people. People come in all different shapes and sizes. Some are so beautiful on the outside. We see them and think they're really going to do great things for God. They have it so together that very shortly they're going to be so useful in the Kingdom. We see others and their scars and bruises are very apparent from the outside. We know God can use them but we also know it's going to take a good long time before they're productive. Some we look at and we throw them away immediately. We don't see anything good in saving that one and we throw them out before spending much time looking.



But God does it different. He starts by washing us off gently. Then He starts working on those areas that are not very appealing. He smooths out the scars and heals the bruised areas. And by the time He's finished, we are actually quite appealing. He too finds pretty ones that have very little fruit on the inside, but he uses what there is. And He also finds the not so pretty ones that inside are just full of precious fruit.



Best of all, God's not surprised at the harvest. He's not surprised that so little becomes so much when He completes the process of preparation. And He has so many things that people of all shapes, sizes and tastes can do that it's impossible not to be fruitful if you want to be.



God, the Master Creator and Reconstructor, with love changes lives. He's the only one that can love me when I'm not so pretty or my bruised ego or attitude needs some adjustments. He's the only one that can take what I am and who I am and change me to be what He sees in me. He loves us so much and He knows just how much peeling, coring and slicing we need in order to bring enjoyment to those around us.

You see, I found love in the apples today!

The Faithless Wife vs. The Harlot

I love to read the Bible and learn the principles that create a great foundation for a successful life. My husband taught me a long time ago the value of reading Proverbs every day. I love it. What I find difficult, however, is the prophets in the Old Testament. All the types and shadows, allegory's and prophesy challenge me so much that I honestly lose interest. BUT......

I decided to try once more to read one of them. Actually, a message I heard recently tweaked my interest and I thought I'd try to read Ezekiel. I mean, really, if these books were not important in some way, then God would never have moved upon folks to write them. Right?

Right! Man did the Word of God speak to my heart today. You see I'm in chapter 16 of Ezekiel. God is talking to him about Judah, and how she played the harlot. God took Judah and created something wonderful out of nothing. He gave them embroidered clothing, jewels fit for a king, fed them with the tastiest of pastries and sweets and gave them beauty as well. Judah was the envy of all the people around them. She had everything!

Then it all fell apart. Judah played the role of a harlot. She began taking the things she was given and created images and began worshiping idols instead of the God who created her beauty and provided for her. She began trusting in herself instead of the God who provided all things. Judah began to praise and promote herself. But it didn't stop there, Judah also taught the next generation to do the same.

What really grabbed my attention, however, is the fact that God changes His characterization of Judah in this chapter. Instead of being a harlot, he says, you are a faithless wife. You are giving it away free. You are not even charging for your harlotry. So you've taken your wickedness to a more depraved state. You're a wife who should be committed to your relationship, but you are throwing it all away for nothing!

Then I stop to think about this. What role am I playing today? Am I the real deal? Am I living like royalty and appreciating the blessings and beauty that God has created in my life? Am I appreciating His provisions in my life and walking in the way I know I should? Am I trusting God to provide my needs? Am I promoting myself instead of letting God promote me? Am I teaching my children to live for God in a way that brings glory to Him and appreciates the life He has blessed us with?

Or am I the faithless wife or harlot? Have I lost sight of the value of God's blessings and provisions and become just like Judah? Am I acting like a faithless wife? Worse than a harlot? I made my life's commitment to walk with God, love Him and serve Him. So He forgave me of my sins and washed me with His blood and gave me salvation. Am I faithful? Is my relationship with God a priority? Do I talk to Him every day? Do I seek His favor in all I do and say? Do I take my daily needs to the Lord and trust Him to take care of them? You know, leave it there?

The NEB version of the Bible puts it this way. "We are God's handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to devote ourselves to the good deeds for which God has designed us". (Eph. 2:10) I need to remember that I am significant and unique, not because of what I do, but because of whose I am.

Two for one

I love bargains. Actually, I love bargains that are truly a bargain. The reason I say that is that some of these fast food restaurants have "meal" deals. Some times when you add up the items separately, they are really not a bargain at all. They are just wrapped up with pretty packaging that makes you feel like you just got a bargain.

There's a scripture that talks about two for one. Matthew 5:41 says "If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles." Now just so we get this right let's talk a bit about what was going on here. Jesus was teaching and he was using law of that day as his reference in teaching. This law was that if a soldier required you to carry his pack, then you had to do it. But it put a cap on how far; one mile. Jesus was teaching the people to go the second mile. Do more than you are asked to do.

This is truly a valuable principle to learn. One story that uses this scripture says that if you only go the first mile you only get what's expected, but when you go the second mile, you make a friend.

Service to one another is rewarding. It is work too. Doing more than is required, going the extra mile, giving more than was asked for takes a special kind of mentality. It's called a servants heart. Jesus Christ declared that he came to serve and tells us we should also seek to serve. Serving one another takes love and compassion.

Matter of fact, out of all of the fruit of the spirit, love is the greatest. Why? Because by this trait, Jesus says, they will know you are my disciples. He also states that if we don't have love, then we are not his.

Love is the only trait that I know of that will cause you to go the second mile. Love is the only trait that will motivate you to sacrifice your time, energy, and money for another person or a worthy cause.

So where's the bargain in this? How is this "Two for One" principle a bargain? I think it's because first you are helping another person and second you reap the benefits of discipleship.

Lest we forget those benefits, let me list just a few.

• Peace knowing Jesus is in control of every situation.
• Courage knowing that I'm never alone.
• All my needs provided for because Jesus is my provider.
• Friendship knowing that Jesus is a friend that sticks closer than a brother.
• Health because Jesus heals.
• Salvation and hope for tomorrow because He has saved me by his blood.

When I think about the Lord, how he saved me, how he raised me, how he filled me with the Holy Ghost......It makes me want to shout Hallelujah, thank you Jesus, Lord you're worthy, of all the honor and all of the glory and all of the praise!! (Everett, Shane Barnard & Shane) Oh what a Savior!!

Are you a fool?

I read a joke my sister sent me the other day about there being a holiday for everyone...even fools. The scripture reference in that joke was this Psalm 14:1 "The fool says in his heart, "There is no God." ....."

As I laughed at the joke, I also wondered if there are times that I am the fool saying there is no God? Ok, I've not said it out loud, but have my actions said that. When I was growing up, my parents would quote that little phrase "actions speak louder than words". They would warn us that who we were with and what we did in times of stress or play actually said more about us than our actual words.

There's a new phrase I've been hearing more frequently. Living out loud. So I wonder what God hears in my actions.

When I participate in gossip, am I really saying that I don't believe God hates gossipers?

When I omit some important fact in a conversation that would otherwise, if shared, place the responsibility or blame on me, do I really think God doesn't know I am lying through my front teeth? Do I really think that God excludes me from His wrath for lying?

When I am unkind and have no compassion for those people I come into contact with everyday, including the people I live with, am I thumbing my nose at God and ignoring His commandments?

I have to wonder about this. Because if you look at the entire verse of that scripture it says, "Psalm 14:1 "The fool says in his heart, "There is no God." They are corrupt, their deeds are vile; there is no one who does good."

So I take a little closer look at two words; corrupt and vile. Corrupt means "guilty of dishonest practices, as bribery; lacking integrity; crooked" Vile means "wretchedly bad or highly offensive, unpleasant, or objectionable."

So, I conclude that my actions are saying "There is no God". Because I have not always refrained from gossip. I have not always told the truth all the time. I have not always chosen to take the higher standard and walk away when others are engaged in questionable conversations. By association, by staying around, I am guilty by association. Verdict: I am a fool.

But there is hope!! God loves us! He will and does forgive us the moment we repent and ask Him. God is hearing my actions BUT He's also right there when we need to ask for forgiveness. One of the greatest scriptures of all times says it all. "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:9)

Put another way by the Message version of the Bible "If we claim that we're free of sin, we're only fooling ourselves. A claim like that is errant nonsense. On the other hand, if we admit our sins—make a clean breast of them—he won't let us down; he'll be true to himself. He'll forgive our sins and purge us of all wrongdoing. If we claim that we've never sinned, we out-and-out contradict God—make a liar out of him. A claim like that only shows off our ignorance of God. ".

The question is "Are you a fool?" I am. I am a repented fool. I am thankful that God is there waiting to hear my confession and extend grace and mercy when I repent.

What are you waiting for?

Riding the train to and from work has its curses and blessings. The curse is its noisy and prolongs my commute time. I'm tired and people annoy me. The blessings are that there's less wear and tear on my car, the commute is cheaper and I don't have to fight the traffic. I also have about an hour just to "zone" if I want.

Another blessing is the people. Ok, I know I said that I'm tired and the people annoy me, but sometimes it is rather entertaining. Last night I was trying to get in the "zone" and that's when I begin to hear the people. See when I zone, I hear everything until my mind finally cops out and I "zone". So in that time of hearing everyone I must of heard 2 to 3 people talk about what they are waiting on. One was waiting on her daughter, one was waiting on the boss, you get the picture.

For some reason, my mind jumped to a lady I talked to in church recently. I asked how she was doing and she told me she was waiting on a specific minister to come back to our church to pray for her. Then she knew she'd get what she was waiting for. Huh? I was stunned.

I remembered a time in the Bible when Jesus healed a man that was waiting. He was waiting for several years for the water in the pool of Bethesda to move all by itself. If memory serves me correctly, it moved only about once a year. Why had he been waiting for so long? He needed someone to help him into the water. Because only the first person in the water at the time it moved on its own was healed. Because he was dependent on others to help him, he never made it in time. So he was still waiting. But now that Jesus was on the scene, as we know, he healed the man there and then and he left completely made whole. A completely changed man.

So, what bothers me is this, why is that lady at church waiting? She's waiting on some one to be here before God can heal her. Why? If Jesus is "in the house" or in our midst all the time, then I'm confused. Why is she waiting? We know that healing comes from God. We know that all we need is found in God. Don't we?

Now I have to ask myself, is there something that I'm waiting for before I __________? Are you waiting for _________ before God can move? before God can provide? before God can....................you fill in the blank. Now my criticism for the lady in my church turns inward. Why am I waiting? Waiting for what? Waiting for who? Is my inability to be completely changed and made whole because I'm waiting when there is really no need to? What am I waiting for?

Dress Code

Back to school month, that is what September has become here in the United States of America. The stores are filled with uniforms and school supplies. It seems that more and more schools are requiring that students wear uniforms.



I get to work on Wednesday and open my email and see a company wide notice. It's all about dress code. The opening paragraph states, "We want to remind all employees of the importance of projecting a professional image to customers, business associates and co-workers through the clothes we wear." As you read through the note, it goes so far as to state guidelines/rules regarding frayed pants, flip flops, length of shorts (for those areas of the company where they are allowed), and modesty of tops women may wear. It even gives definitions for what a flip flop is. AND to top if all off, those in management may not have a casual day on Friday. There is never a day for those in management to be casual in the work place.



So, I have to ask, why do we balk at church when there are standards set for those in leadership or for those participating on the platform in a service? What is wrong if the church sets requirements for apparrel when on church trips or when representing the church in functions it supports. If our workplace sets standards to project a professional image and we comply without issue, then what's wrong with churches setting standards?



Modesty in all things is a Biblical principle. Creating an environment where those in leadership or those participating on the platform are modest is important to creating an environment where God is the focus. Is that too much to ask?