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Apples of Gold
Radio Script for June 12, 2009
“Opportunities Come By Being There”
Hello, I’m Doug Apple…with Apples of Gold.
Wouldn’t it be cool to be a TV cameraman for the NFL?
“How do you get a job like that?” I asked.
“By just being there,” he said. And he should know. He’s in the biz.
“Just being there?”
“Yes, by just being around, by volunteering, helping out, doing whatever needs to be done.”
Now stop and look at that phrase he used: “being there.”
It makes sense to me. I can easily picture an ambitious young man just hanging around, helping out in any way he can. Then suddenly a slot opens up and they turn to the young man who’s there anyway, who they already know, and they say, “Hey, kid, here’s your chance.”
There’s a kid like that in our church. Benjamin. His mom works at the church so he is there all the time. And he’s always hanging around the media equipment…the sound boards, the cameras, the computers.
He has no formal training. After all, he’s in elementary school. But he has had great opportunities for learning just by being there.
And he also has great opportunities for ministry just by being there. For example, he ministered to me last weekend.
I had this photo slide show which I created for my son’s wedding, but I wasn’t sure how to make it play through the system. Well I looked down and guess who was there. Benjamin. And with his help we got it to play – which was a real blessing.
See how this works? By being there, Benjamin was able to jump in when the opportunity arose to help me.
As you can tell, this whole idea of “being there” has really struck me.
Now notice this connection. “Being there” is closely connected with this word: opportunity.
Opportunities come by being there.
And for us as Christians, let me say it this way. Opportunities for ministry come by being there.
A great example of this is in the story of the Good Samaritan. In Luke 10 we read about loving our neighbor. Then someone asked Jesus, “Well who is my neighbor?”
Jesus answered with the story of a crime victim who was beat up and left for dead. First one religious leader, then another, stumbled upon the crime scene and decided to not get involved. Then came a man who was not a religious leader, but who decided to “be there” for the crime victim. He saw the man’s needs, and he met them.
So listen to this. The Good Samaritan came across a great opportunity to minister just be being there.
Last night I was playing tennis with a young man and he said, “You surprised me. I never really thought of you as athletic, I guess because you never really play sports.”
I said, “Well, I made a decision a long time ago that it was more important for me to be there for my wife and kids. So instead of being gone all the time playing games, I spent that time at home, being there for my family.”
And let me tell you, opportunities come by being there. And in my family’s case that meant opportunities for conversation about everything in life, teaching opportunities, opportunities to share our faith and love and dreams and even just lots of fun. Tons of opportunities, and they can only come by being there.
Now think of a daddy walking out on his family. Just before he gets in the car he looks at his little girl and says, “It’s okay honey. I will be here for you.”
What? You can’t be there and not be there. Either you are there or you aren’t.
And if you aren’t there, you will lose out on all the opportunities that only come by being there.
Now get this. It works the other way, too. There’s a teen summit in Tallahassee this weekend, focusing on the violent crimes of young people. Well I would guess that most of those young people got in trouble by just being there, in the wrong place. Opportunity arose for mischief and even crime, and they were there.
First Corinthians 15:33 says, “Bad company corrupts good character.”
Someone is going to be there for our young people. And opportunities will arise to influence them. And if those people are bad influences, then our young people will be corrupted.
We can change that, but we have to be there to do it. Opportunities will come to influence them, but only to those who are there.
So do you want to minister to someone? Do you want to make a real impact on lives?
Then be there. Be around them. Spend time with them.
Jesus said to love our neighbor, and the opportunities to do that come by being there.
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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