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Apples of Gold
Radio Script for July 7, 2009
“Push Hard for Poshard”
Hello, I’m Doug Apple…with Apples of Gold.
When I lived in Illinois back in 1998 a man named Glenn Poshard ran for governor.
He was a Democrat, but he was more conservative than his Republican opponent, George Ryan – who ended up winning . . . and going to jail.
But anyway, Poshard had one of my all time favorite campaign slogans: Push Hard for Poshard.
I liked it for many reasons. First of all, it had a nice alliteration, with all the p’s and h’s.
Second, it helped you learn how to pronounce his name. It wasn’t POSH-erd or POH-shard, it was puh-SHARD.
But most of all I liked the energy of it. He knew his campaign was going to be an uphill climb. His opponent had four times the money, and even though he was a Republican, Ryan had the support of many Chicago Democrats.
So the only way Poshard was going to win was if his supporters got out there to Push Hard for Poshard.
In the end, Poshard was unable to beat the odds, but I really like what he said in his concession speech. He said, “The time for disappointment is only for this evening. Tomorrow we go back to work.”
I like that attitude, that spirit. To me he was saying, “I am here to do something. I wanted to do it through the governor’s office, but that’s okay. I will do it anyway. I am here to serve, to work for the people, and win or lose, that’s exactly what I’m going to do.”
That election is ancient history now. I even searched the internet for the phrase “Push Hard for Poshard” and turned up nothing about the campaign.
But I like it anyway. It even slips out of my mouth sometimes, for things having nothing to do with politics. Push Hard for Poshard.
It’s a mind-set of hard work, of determination, of not giving up. You set your mind to something and then you do it.
It reminds me of Isaiah 50 which says something like, “I have set my face like flint.”
Do you know what flint is? You know what steel is, right? Well if you had a battle between steel and flint, who would win?
Flint. In fact, that’s one way to start a fire. And that’s how a flintlock rifle works. You strike the flint against the steel, and it actually shaves off bits of now blazing hot steel.
So when you set your face like flint, it means you are so determined to go in that direction that even steel won’t stop you. The steel will fly off in fiery sparks and you will keep moving forward.
Set your face like flint.
That’s from Isaiah 50 verse 7.
And I like what it says at the start of that verse, “Because the Sovereign Lord helps me…”
That’s true for all of us Christians. The Lord helps us, therefore we can set our face like flint and move forward to do His will.
I like what it says in Hebrews 6:11. It talks about being diligent to the very end.
That means you never give up. You never stop.
Verse 12 says, “We do not want you to become lazy…”
And it talks about the importance of having faith and patience.
So we are not lazy, but we are diligent. We never give up.
We have patience, knowing that planting seeds does not bring immediate results – but it will bear fruit in time.
And we have faith. No, we can’t see everything that’s going on, but we believe, by faith, that following the Lord Jesus is the best thing to do and we will be diligent to do just that to the very end.
So do you feel like giving up today? Do you feel like just giving in and letting a bit of laziness take over?
Don’t do it!
Instead, set your face like flint. Be diligent in the Lord’s service.
And just because it’s catchy, I always think of the phrase Push Hard for Poshard.
It has nothing to do with Poshard, but it has everything to do with pushing hard for the Lord, pushing hard to move forward, pushing hard to do the will of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
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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