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Apples of Gold
Radio Script for February 26, 2009
“Have You Noticed This?”
Hello, I’m Doug Apple…with Apples of Gold.
This woman has an awesome ministry.
I don’t even know her name. I just caught the story on the radio.
She lives near a university that has a couple thousand international students, and many of those students are married.
Now picture this. Mr. So-and-so from Taiwan (or wherever) decides to go to school in America. So he packs up and moves – and brings his wife with him.
Now Mr. So-and-so is off to classes and running around here and there, meeting people and doing his work.
But what about Mrs. So-and-so? There she sits, a stranger in a foreign land.
Well this Christian woman notices. And now don’t miss that word. She notices.
And when a Christian notices something, look out. When you notice something, and the Spirit of God begins to stir within you, look out because something great is about to happen.
So she notices the plight of these wives of the international students at the university – and she decides to reach out to them.
She says to them, “You come to me, and I’ll show you how to keep a checkbook, how to shop at Tom Thumb. I’ll show you how to drive without killing people.”
She helps them with practical things. And she ends up helping them with personal things like relationships. And she shows them things in the Bible.
You see how that works?
And it started with her simply noticing a need, then seizing the opportunity to meet it in the name of Jesus.
So what have you been noticing lately?
Dwight Moody lived in Chicago in the 1800’s. He noticed – get that? – he noticed that there was a steady stream of young men moving into the city. They were coming in from the country, either for work or for school, and often found themselves just lost and lonely in the big city.
Moody said, “A young man...walks the street, and has no one, of all the crowds, to speak to him, and he is miserable. That is the time when his heart is softest; then, if any one speaks to him or shows him acts of kindness, he never forgets it. The devil watches for friendless youths like those; and the ensnaring paths of vice seem refuges from loneliness.”
Moody noticed the plight of these young men, and decided to reach out to them. He made these big posters that said, “Strangers’ Meeting tonight. All strangers invited to attend.” And every Monday night 75 to 100 young men would gather to find friends.
Moody said, “So he goes, and meets a kind look and words of friendship, and it is better to him than anything in the world.”
And about his Monday meetings for strangers, Moody concluded that they were “most blessed.”
And it started with him simply noticing a need, then seizing the opportunity to meet it in the name of Jesus.
So what have you been noticing lately?
I heard a pastor say one time, “What is your calling? Well, what do you hate to see happening?”
I heard another pastor say, “Where is your place of service? Become the answer to somebody’s problem.”
So do you find yourself noticing certain problems lately, certain needs that are not being met?
Here’s an event I heard about, and it cracked me up when I heard it. I said, “Are you serious?”
It’s in Dallas, and it’s called, “Guns, Guitars and Good Friends.”
Yes, believe it or not, it’s a Christian event.
It includes a “shoot out.” The ad says, “Bring your shotgun, three of your friends, and head out in a golf cart to drive around the course shooting 100 clay pigeons at 18 different stations. The winning team will receive a new shotgun. What could be more fun? It’s like golf with a gun!”
Someone noticed something about guys and guns and decided to bring them together for a Christian event. Now I can hear some women recoiling in horror, and I hear some men saying, “Sign me up!” And I just said, “Wow, what a unique way to reach out to men.”
As Christians, we all have a unique part in the body of Christ. And you know what? We all notice different things. We see different needs. And I think the Lord will empower us to meet those needs, reach people in the name of Jesus, and change the world in the process.
So are you wondering what you are supposed to be doing? Are you fishing around for God’s calling in your life?
Well the answer might be found in the answer to this simple question.
What have you been noticing?
Comments?
E-mail me: dougapple@wave94.com.
May God bless you today! With Apples of Gold…I’m Doug Apple.
© 2009 The Arrow’s Tip
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(Proverbs 25:11 – “A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver.”)
Why “The Arrow’s Tip”? Each morning, after diligently seeking the Lord, I write Apples of Gold. Then before I release it to the public I pray one final prayer, “Lord, send forth your arrows.” I envision Apples of Gold as arrows, tips dipped in the river of the water of life that flows from the throne of God (Rev. 22:1), sailing toward the hearts and minds of men and women around the world.
Doug Apple
General Manager - Wave 94
Christian Radio for Tallahassee
PO Box 4105
Tallahassee, FL 32315
(850) 926-8000
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