The Cost of Lost Opportunities - Apples of Gold - November 13, 2009 -vi-

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Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for November 13, 2009

“The Cost of Lost Opportunities”

 

Hello, I’m Doug Apple…with Apples of Gold.

Have you ever heard of the cost of lost opportunities?

Let’s say I have 20 bucks burning a hole in my pocket.  I go to the mall and I’m thinking about buying a new book.  But wait, there’s a cool shirt for . . . 20 dollars. 

I can only pick one.  Yes, the book will cost me 20 dollars, but it will also cost me something else.  It will cost me the opportunity to buy the shirt.

Or let’s say the boss offers you the opportunity to work overtime tonight.  If you don’t take it, you lose the chance to make extra money.  But if you do take it, you lose the chance to go home and relax.

See how that works?  Every choice costs you something – the cost of lost opportunities.

Here is how one farmer explained it.  He has a cow.  He wants that cow to have a calf in spring, and that means she needs to get pregnant the summer before.   

If she doesn’t get pregnant, has he lost anything?  I mean, he still has the cow.  His asset total is the same.  In a way, he has lost nothing.  Nothing has been subtracted.

But what he lost is the opportunity to have a calf, which would grow into another cow, which could give birth to other calves, and on and on.

That is the cost of lost opportunities. 

This takes a very serious turn when you think about getting married.  Yes, you have the opportunity to marry someone, and it costs you the opportunity to marry someone else.

Now this might paralyze some people out there!  The thought of all those lost opportunities can cripple you from making decisions.

In fact, I’ve heard of people delaying marriage for that very reason.  “What if someone better comes along?”

I’ve heard of people turning down jobs because, “I’m holding out for a management position.”

So how can we handle this overwhelming thought of all the lost opportunities?

Imagine a big archery target.  On the outside is a big white circle, and inside that is a black circle, then a blue circle and a red circle.  You have the opportunity to hit any of those circles, but which one do you want to hit?  You want to hit the yellow circle in the middle, the bull’s-eye.

When you are focused on the bull’s-eye, then you don’t care if you miss the other circles. 

So what is your bull’s-eye in life?  What are you shooting for?  When you know this, decisions come easier and regrets are fewer.

“But Doug, I don’t think I have a bull’s-eye.”

Well, let’s find one in the Scriptures, and right now I want to focus on this word:  devotion.  When we are devoted to something, that is our focus, our bull’s-eye. 

So according to the Bible, what should we be devoted to?

Second Corinthians 11:3 talks about a “sincere and pure devotion to Christ.”

In Jeremiah 30:21 the Lord asks, “…who will devote himself to be close to Me?”

In First Chronicles, King David told his son Solomon, “…devote your heart and soul to seeking the Lord your God.”  Then he added, “…serve Him with wholehearted devotion…”

In Second Chronicles we have the example of King Jehoshaphat whose “heart was devoted to the ways of the Lord…”

Ezra “devoted himself to the study and observance of the Law of the Lord, and to teaching its decrees and laws…”

In Acts 2 we see that the early church “…devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.”

Paul told Timothy to devote himself “…to the public reading of Scripture, to preaching and to teaching.”

Titus 3 mentions this twice, that we should devote ourselves to doing what is good.

Romans 12:10 says we should be devoted to one another in brotherly love.

First Corinthians 16 lauds people who have “devoted themselves to the service of the saints.”

Yes, that’s quite a list of things to be devoted to, but it helps us in our decision making.

We are devoted to certain things, and they become our bull’s-eye.  Then we don’t care if we miss the other circles.

So here is what we do.  We devote ourselves to the things of God, and that takes care of the cost of lost opportunities.


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 
 To subscribe to your own daily “Apples of Gold” e-mail, write dougapple@wave94.com.
If you want to be removed from this e-mail list, simply click reply and type UNSUBSCRIBE on the subject line.
If you want to catch “Apples of Gold” in its original audio format, go to www.wave94.com
To search through the large archive of past articles, go here:  http://www.wave94.com/modules.php?name=Stories_Archive
If you have trouble reaching me at my main e-mail address, try this one:  douglas_apple@msn.com

(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
-vi-

If You Want More, Increase Your Capacity - Apples of Gold - November 12, 2009 -vi-

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Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for November 12, 2009

“If You Want More, Increase Your Capacity”

 

Hello, I’m Doug Apple…with Apples of Gold.

Do you want more out of life?

Then you have to increase your capacity.

Now don’t miss this simple little concept.  If you want more, you have to increase your capacity.

You can’t hold more than you have the capacity for.  The capacity has to come first.

Mike Floyd is the owner of Wave 94, and other businesses and ministries, and this is something he teaches often, this concept of increasing your capacity.

He begins with this story from Second Kings chapter 4.  There was a woman whose husband was a prophet, and they had two sons, and they owed someone a lot of money.

Well the prophet died, and to cover his debt, his creditor decided to take the two boys as slaves.  As you can imagine, the new widow was distraught.

So she took her plight to the great prophet Elisha, and he asked her a very interesting question.

“What do you have in your house?”

“Nothing at all,” she said, “except a little oil.”

Then Elisha told her to go borrow empty jars from all of her neighbors.  And not just a few, he said.  Then she was to take her little bit of oil and start pouring it into the containers. 

Well she poured and poured, and the oil kept flowing as long as she had more containers.  Then when all the containers were filled, the oil stopped flowing.  Then Elisha told her, “Go, sell the oil and pay your debts.  You and your sons can live on what is left.”

It was a miracle.  The oil kept multiplying as long as . . . what?  As long as she had the capacity to hold it.  As soon as she ran out of capacity, the oil stopped flowing.

What had Elisha told her to do in the beginning?  Increase her capacity.

Yes, this was a special miracle just for this one woman, but Mike finds in the story a wisdom principle.  You can’t hold what you don’t have the capacity for, so if you want more, you must first increase your capacity.

Now back to the widow.  Think about this.  If God was going to multiply the oil, He could have just multiplied the containers of oil.  That would have saved her the trouble of borrowing all those jars from her neighbors. 

I don’t know why God structured His miracle this way, but He set it up so the woman had to do some work.  She had to do her part to increase her capacity. 

So my question today is, what are you doing to increase your capacity?

Recently I was at a Christian men’s gathering and heard a story about Brad Johnson, a former quarterback for the Florida State Seminoles.  The team would go through their brutal two-a-day practices, and the players would be worn out.  Time to relax – they earned it. 

But not Brad Johnson – while other players were sprawled out on the couch, Johnson was in there brutalizing his legs on the Stairmaster.  This is just one example of his tremendous work ethic, and he eventually became a Super Bowl champion with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Now listen, I doubt he would have made it to the Super Bowl if he had not been relentless about increasing his capacity.

So what are you doing to increase your capacity?

Going to school – that’s a good way to increase your capacity.  The more you learn, the more capacity you have.

I was a journalism major in college and took lots of writing classes, but I did not stop increasing my capacity as a writer when I graduated.  To this day I still read books about writing and listen to lectures and I even subscribe to the daily e-mail from Grammar Girl, for crying out loud.

In the early days of the World Wide Web my boss said, “We need to have a website.”  He was talking about paying someone to create it. 

But in my mind I was thinking, “Hmmm, maybe I could do that.”

One problem, I didn’t know how to create a website . . . yet.  But I studied and practiced and learned the program and what was I doing?  I was increasing my capacity.  Before, I didn’t have the capacity to create a website, but afterward I did. 

I’ve seen Mike apply this to his business.  I’ve seen him buy machines we didn’t need . . . yet.  What was he doing?  He was increasing our capacity.  We increase our capacity for production, then watch the production increase to our capacity.

“But Doug, maybe God doesn’t want me to increase.”

Well that’s not what I get out of the Parable of the Talents.  The guys who increased were rewarded, and the guy who stayed the same was punished.

No, I think God wants us to grow and grow and grow.  We keep learning and expanding and making a bigger impact.

God was ready to provide for the poor widow, but first she had to gather those containers.

And I see that principle at work in our lives today. 

So do you want more out of life?  Do you want increase?

Then you have to make room for it.  You have to prepare for it.

And the principle is this.  If you want more, you have to increase your capacity.


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 
 To subscribe to your own daily “Apples of Gold” e-mail, write dougapple@wave94.com.
If you want to be removed from this e-mail list, simply click reply and type UNSUBSCRIBE on the subject line.
If you want to catch “Apples of Gold” in its original audio format, go to www.wave94.com
To search through the large archive of past articles, go here:  http://www.wave94.com/modules.php?name=Stories_Archive
If you have trouble reaching me at my main e-mail address, try this one:  douglas_apple@msn.com

(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
-vi-

A Bible and a Big Hat - Apples of Gold - November 11, 2009 -vi-

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Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for November 11, 2009

“A Bible and a Big Hat”

 

Hello, I’m Doug Apple…with Apples of Gold.

“I need to tell her that being a Christian is more than walking into church with a Bible and a big hat.”

That’s what a friend of mine said about a woman we had just encountered.  He knew her.  I didn’t. 

I liked her right out of the gate.  She was very intelligent, but a bit uptight. 

“Uptight?” my friend said.  “You haven’t seen uptight.  She cusses like a sailor.”

Do know someone like this?  Someone who, in church, seems like a saint, but then lives like a sinner the rest of the week?

“She needs to get into the Word,” my friend said.  “Get in the Word and study it until it becomes part of her life.”

“Yes,” I agreed, and I do agree.  People would find their lives radically changed if they studied their Bible each day. 

But that is far from the end.  I can study the Word and stop cussing and make my weekday life look more and more like a Bible-toting saint, but you know what?  That is not really the point.

Hear me.  Getting your life straightened out is not really the point.  Living within God’s moral guidelines is not really the point.

Take that woman for example.  The point is not that she quits cussing.  It’s not even that she gets into the Word.  The point is that she begins walking with the Lord.

“Walking with the Lord?  What does that mean?”

It means living with the Lord.  It means having fellowship with the Lord.

Our faith is not some musty old belief or superstition.  It’s not just another world religion.  And it’s not a nice little set of moral guidelines.

Our faith leads us into a relationship with the real and living God.  Studying the Bible leads into a relationship with the real and living God.

That is the point.  It’s not about being good little boys and girls.  It’s about having fellowship with our Creator.

John wrote in First John 1:3, “...our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son, Jesus Christ.”

Philippians 2:1 refers to “…fellowship with the Spirit...”

First Corinthians 1:9 indicates that God has called us into fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

If you believe in Jesus and go to church, and you actually believe all the things you learn and study there – but then live in a worldly way – it’s not that you are being a bad Christian.  It’s that you are missing the point.  You are missing out on the very best part of being a Christian and that is the fellowship with the Holy Spirit of God.

The Word says His Holy Spirit will be inside of us.  In John 7 Jesus said, “Whoever believes in me…streams of living water will flow from within him.”  “By this He meant the Spirit,” it says in verse 39.

The Spirit of God is a stream of living water flowing from within us.  He bubbles up inside of us, bringing life and life more abundantly.

First Corinthians 6:17 says that if we unite ourselves with the Lord, we are one with Him in spirit.

So it’s not that God is way out there somewhere, and we go to church to appease Him.  Yes, He is the ruler on His throne, but God is Spirit, and His Spirit also dwells within His people. 

He loves us!  Through Christ, He redeemed us from our sin so that we could have this sweet fellowship with Him.  And this fellowship is the point!

It’s our love relationship with God.  We walk in the Spirit, not in the flesh, so that we can fully enjoy our fellowship with God. 

He is with us and He is in us.  And we can enjoy the fruit of the Spirit and all the good things God has for us – as we walk with Him.

So yes, we need to tell everyone that it’s more than just going to church with a Bible and a big hat.  And it’s more than getting into the Word and living right every day of the week.

The real point is our love relationship with God, walking with Him and enjoying sweet fellowship with His Holy Spirit who lives inside of us.


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 
 To subscribe to your own daily “Apples of Gold” e-mail, write dougapple@wave94.com.
If you want to be removed from this e-mail list, simply click reply and type UNSUBSCRIBE on the subject line.
If you want to catch “Apples of Gold” in its original audio format, go to www.wave94.com
To search through the large archive of past articles, go here:  http://www.wave94.com/modules.php?name=Stories_Archive
If you have trouble reaching me at my main e-mail address, try this one:  douglas_apple@msn.com

(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
-vi-

How to Say Phone Numbers on the Radio - Apples of Gold - November 10, 2009 -vi-

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Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for November 10, 2009

“How to Say Phone Numbers on the Radio”

 

Hello, I’m Doug Apple…with Apples of Gold.

So how should you say phone numbers on the radio?

Well first of all, it’s better not to say phone numbers because they are hard for people to remember.

So do you make a black and white rule, no phone numbers, ever?

No, because some phone numbers work great on the radio.  For example, take a pizza delivery joint and sing their phone number in a catchy jingle.  The jingle sticks in your head, and now when you want a pizza you can easily recall the phone number.

See how that works?  Instead of the listener having to remember seven random digits, in order, now all they have to remember is the jingle.

So maybe we need a black and white rule, all phone numbers must be in a catchy jingle.

But now you just forced your local attorney to sing his phone number, “1-800- A-C-C-I D-N-T.”

It reminds me of the time John Wayne received a telegram at his front door.  Just as the little man began to read the telegram John Wayne said, “Sing it.”

The little man said, “But Mr. Wayne, it’s not a singing telegram.”

“Look.  I’ve never had a singing telegram before, so this is my chance.  If you know what’s good for ya, you’ll sing it, right now.”

“Okay,” said the little man.  He tapped out a beat with his foot, then sang:  “Your sister Rose is dead.”

See, some things just shouldn’t be sung, so you have to be careful about making black and white rules.

Back to phone numbers on the radio, I’m sure you’ve heard commercials where they repeat the phone number over and over.  That’s a great way to make it stick in your mind, right?  So maybe we need a black and white rule, always repeat the phone number several times.

But I’ve heard complicated phone numbers that, no matter how many times repeated, I was not going to remember. 

Sometimes you hear phone numbers where they’ve converted the last digits into letters.  I remember one number:  1-800-HELP-4-ME.

So maybe we need a black and white rule, always substitute some of the numbers for letters.

Well this radio station has two phone numbers.  One is 926-8000 and the other is 926-9258.  Which one should we use on the air? 

Now let me add that 9258 can also be said “WAKU,” our call letters.  So which is easier to remember, 926-8000 or 926-WAKU? 

Well 926-8000 is still easier because the last four digits really just make up one simple number, eight thousand.

“What does this have to do with anything, Doug?”

Okay, what am I supposed to do about these phone numbers on the radio?  As I teach young people to write scripts, what do I tell them?

Should I make up a list of rules a mile long, and then have them memorize it?  Or make them consult the “Phone Number Stylebook” every time they write a phone number?

That’s just not practical.  Yes, you can create some guidelines with examples, but as soon as you come up with a black and white rule there will be an exception.  So what should I do?

Here is what I do.  Instead of a bunch of rules, I give them one simple tool.  Just ask yourself, “How can I say this in the most memorable way?”

See how that works?  Instead of giving them a black and white rule, I give them a wisdom principle.  Then they can apply that principle – and in the process, they will grow in wisdom.

That’s the way I’ve tried to manage employees, and that’s the way I’ve tried to raise my children.  Instead of telling them what to do in every situation,  I give them wisdom principles that they can apply in all situations.

And I think that’s the way God handles us.  Yes, He has many black and white rules, but often He just gives us wisdom principles, and expects us to apply them.

Maybe that’s where you are today.  You’re saying, “If only God would tell me exactly what to do!”

Yes, God can certainly do that, but more often I’ve seen it work like this.  Instead of telling us exactly what to do in every specific situation, He has given us something we can use in all situations:  His wisdom principles.


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 
 To subscribe to your own daily “Apples of Gold” e-mail, write dougapple@wave94.com.
If you want to be removed from this e-mail list, simply click reply and type UNSUBSCRIBE on the subject line.
If you want to catch “Apples of Gold” in its original audio format, go to www.wave94.com
To search through the large archive of past articles, go here:  http://www.wave94.com/modules.php?name=Stories_Archive
If you have trouble reaching me at my main e-mail address, try this one:  douglas_apple@msn.com

(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
-vi-

The National Bible Bee - Apples of Gold - November 9, 2009 -vi-

To listen to the radio version, click here.

 

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Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for November 9, 2009

“The National Bible Bee”

 

Hello, I’m Doug Apple…with Apples of Gold.

The grand prize winner took home $100,000.

No, I’m not talking about a lottery winner or a race winner.  I’m talking about the winner of the National Bible Bee, which wrapped up Friday in Washington, D.C.

In all, over a quarter million dollars in prize money was handed out by the Shelby Kennedy Foundation.

No, that isn’t your average little Bible quizzing contest!

Why are they giving away so much money? 

Well the goal is to motivate kids to learn the Word of God.  Then, once inside them, the Word will go to work, building godly character.

What is the Shelby Kennedy Foundation?

It’s a nonprofit ministry named after a young woman who died when she was 23 after an intense struggle with cancer – but to the end she loved memorizing the Bible.  In her honor, the foundation was formed with the purpose of producing the National Bible Bee.

Maybe you’ve never heard of the National Bible Bee, which is understandable, since this was the first year.  However, they still had over 17 thousand contestants from 49 states, and 300 made it to last week’s finals in Washington.

And the grand prize winner?  It was Daniel Staddon of Salem, West Virginia.

Now you might think, “Well, Daniel Staddon, he’s probably some genius Einstein kid with Harvard parents and nothing to do but sit around and memorize the Bible.  That’s great for him.  But me?  No way.  Why even try?”

Well listen to what Daniel said in an interview after he won.  He said, “If I can win, anybody can win.  I’m just one of those people hidden in the hills of West Virginia who thought, ‘Well, it’s a chance, it’s a possibility!’”

Before the National Bible Bee came around, Daniel’s parents had encouraged him to memorize scripture, but just a few verses a week, he said – nothing compared to what he did to prepare for the contest. 

And now listen to what Daniel said.  Before the contest he had just memorized a few scriptures.  To prepare for the contest he started memorizing tons of scripture, and what did he say?  Listen to this.

“I didn’t know this was possible.”

Did you get that?  Before, he didn’t know it was possible, but now he has done it.  What a great example for all of us!

Some people give up things before they even start.  They look at it, declare it to be impossible, and proceed to do nothing extraordinary. 

I’m so glad Daniel Staddon was not one of those people.  And that goes for those other 300 finalists.  Maybe they didn’t bring home the top prize, but I bet they, too, ended up learning a ton more scripture than they thought possible. 

But now they know they can do it.  They pushed themselves and they’ve seen the possibilities.

When we think about possibilities, here are some scriptures to keep in mind.

In Matthew 19:26 Jesus said, “…with God all things are possible.”

In Mark 9:23 Jesus said, “Everything is possible for him who believes.”

In Mark 14:36 Jesus said, “Abba, Father, everything is possible for You.”

And don’t forget Philippians 4:13 – I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.

Believe me, you can do things that right now don’t seem possible.  You can push past your current boundaries.  The mountain may look mighty high, but you can climb it!

And now let me appeal to the young people.  Seriously consider signing up for next year’s National Bible Bee.  There are three separate categories for kids seven through eighteen years old, and you can find all the information online at www.biblebee.org.

Parents, encourage your children to participate.  And you might consider organizing a local Bible Bee for the preliminary round.  Again, you’ll find all the information on their website, BibleBee.org.

Do something extraordinary!  And do something that will change these kids forever as they plant the Word of God deep in their hearts and minds. 

Get involved with the National Bible Bee.


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 
 To subscribe to your own daily “Apples of Gold” e-mail, write dougapple@wave94.com.
If you want to be removed from this e-mail list, simply click reply and type UNSUBSCRIBE on the subject line.
If you want to catch “Apples of Gold” in its original audio format, go to www.wave94.com
To search through the large archive of past articles, go here:  http://www.wave94.com/modules.php?name=Stories_Archive
If you have trouble reaching me at my main e-mail address, try this one:  douglas_apple@msn.com

(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
-vi-

Master and Commander - Apples of Gold - November 6, 2009 -vi-

To listen to the radio version, click here.

 

To search archives, click here.

Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for November 6, 2009

“Master and Commander”

 

Hello, I’m Doug Apple…with Apples of Gold.

As I write Apples of Gold, I really, really don’t want it to be my ideas. 

I don’t want to travel the usual routes for inspiration.

Sure, I could make stuff up everyday.  I could pick a verse, any verse, and expound on it; and I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that.

But what I hope and pray and seek God for is His inspiration.  I want that divine spark of creativity.

I don’t want the feeble spark that comes from the flick of a Bic.  I want the blazing spark from the Lord’s hammer on the anvil!

I don’t want to paddle around the pond in my little skiff.  I want to sail the seas with orders from the Master Commander!

And I love that title for the Lord:  Master Commander.  There was a movie out a few years ago called “Master and Commander” and I thought, “Boy, that guy must really be in charge.” 

But you know, there really is someone that is that much in charge, Master with a capital M.  Matthew 23:8 says, “…you have only one Master…”

Colossians 4:1 talks about our “Master in heaven.”  God is the Master Commander, and we are accountable to Him.

Second Timothy 2 indicates that we should make ourselves “useful to the Master.”

Now here is a new word for you:  Epistates.  It’s a Greek word for master which only shows up in the book of Luke, and it points out the Lord’s authority.  So let’s see what we can learn from this handful of times Jesus is called Master.

The first time is in Luke 5.  Peter and his fellow fishermen had worked all night and caught nothing.  They came ashore and cleaned their nets and I’m sure they were beat. 

Then Jesus – a carpenter not a fisherman, by the way – said to Peter, “Put out into deep water and let down the nets for a catch.”

Peter said, “Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything.  But because you say so, I will let down the nets.”

And they ended up catching so many fish that they had to call out a second boat to hold them all.

And it all came after Peter recognized Jesus as “Master.”  The Master told him what to do, and even though it didn’t make sense to him, he did it.  Why?  Because Peter recognized Jesus as Master.  And we should do the same.

The second time Jesus was called Master in the book of Luke is in chapter eight.  The disciples were sailing, Jesus fell asleep in the boat, and a squall swept over them.  It was so bad that the veteran fishermen feared for their life.

They finally woke Jesus and said, “Master, Master, we’re going to drown!”

Jesus got up and showed a new facet of His authority.  He rebuked the wind and the raging waters, and the storm subsided.

And the disciples said to one another, “Who is this?  He commands even the winds and the water…”

Maybe they lacked faith, but they knew enough in their distress to call on Jesus, the Master and Commander.  And we should do the same.

Later on in chapter eight Jesus was again called Master.  It was after the woman with the issue of blood pressed through the crowd to get to Jesus.  She touched His garment and was immediately healed.

What I get out of that story is that I should press through to the Master who can help me with my problems.

Jesus is called Master again in Luke nine when, miraculously, Elijah and Moses showed up in what we call the Transfiguration.  It surprised the daylights out of Peter, James and John because, for all they knew, it was just another normal time of prayer with the Master. 

And that’s the way it happens sometimes.  You spend time with the Master and you just never know what’ll happen!

In Luke 9:49 Jesus is again called Master, this time by John.  He said, “Master, we saw a man driving out demons in your name and we tried to stop him, because he is not one of us.”

“Do not stop him,” Jesus said, “for whoever is not against you is for you.”

What I get out of that is, when we have problems and we take them to the Master, He can put things in perspective and help us see the big picture.  He knows what’s important and what isn’t.

And finally we have some lepers in Luke 17 who called out “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.”

And we can do the same.  In our distress we should humble ourselves and call out, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.” 

So are you tired of Christian-life-as-usual?  Well maybe it’s time to stop paddling around in your own little skiff. 

Maybe it’s time to set sail on the high seas, live the adventurous life that comes from really following the Master and Commander!


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 
 To subscribe to your own daily “Apples of Gold” e-mail, write dougapple@wave94.com.
If you want to be removed from this e-mail list, simply click reply and type UNSUBSCRIBE on the subject line.
If you want to catch “Apples of Gold” in its original audio format, go to www.wave94.com
To search through the large archive of past articles, go here:  http://www.wave94.com/modules.php?name=Stories_Archive
If you have trouble reaching me at my main e-mail address, try this one:  douglas_apple@msn.com

(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
-vi-

Salt Life - Apples of Gold - November 4, 2009 -vi-

To listen to the radio version, click here.

 

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Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for November 4, 2009

“Salt Life”

 

Hello, I’m Doug Apple…with Apples of Gold.

Two women are sitting on a park bench, talking.

They are turned toward one another, looking each other in the eye, and ignoring all the passersby.

Meanwhile, two men are on a park bench.

They are talking, just like the women, but they are not facing each other.  They are talking, but they are also looking at everyone who passes by, and the cars, and the planes, and everything but each other.

Women may not understand, but that’s just the way we men do it. 

Yesterday I met a couple of guys at our radio station tower.  We talked about an equipment problem, and while we did, we stood there looking at the equipment, not each other. 

Then the conversation moved outside to the deck.  We lined up three in a row, elbows on the railing, looking out over the land. 

I told them I had seen a gator in our pond, and they regaled me with tales of hunting gators and skinning gators and, did they say “wrestling gators”?

These were true outdoorsmen, you know what I’m talking about.  They love to be out in the woods or out on the Gulf.  They’re the kind with the big “Salt Life” stickers on their pickup.

You’ve seen those Salt Life stickers, and if you live near the salt water like we do, then you know what it’s about.  It’s about being on the water or at the beach.  It’s the sun and the salt and the surf.

So anyway, talking to those Salt Life guys made me think of Jesus’ disciples – Peter and Andrew and James and John.  They were all fishermen, truly living that on-the-water lifestyle.

So here they were, outdoorsmen, with rough hands, and probably rough demeanors to match. 

Now ladies, if you are married to a Salt Life guy, have you ever tried to get him to quit?  “Oh, honey, just sell your boat and your tackle box and let’s redecorate the house.”  Yeah, right.  He ain’t gonna quit.  It’s in his blood.  And some of them, not the good Christian ones, but some of them would rather give you up than their boat!

The Salt Life has a way of getting into you, and that’s probably where Peter, Andrew, James and John were – completely committed to being fishermen for the rest of their life.

Then Jesus came along and said to them, “Follow me.”  But the fishing wasn’t over as Jesus added, “and I will make you fishers of men.” 

And Jesus introduced them to a different kind of Salt Life.  It’s the life He referred to in the Sermon on the Mount when He said, “You are the salt of the earth.”

As “fishers of men” and “the salt of the earth,” the disciples were to go out and reach people for Jesus Christ. 

Recently an FSU student told me about a modern day “fisher of men.”  His name is Andrew and he works with the Campus Crusade for Christ.  Andrew invited Brandon Reinhardt to a meeting, but before the meeting he invited Brandon to lunch.  And then they had lunch again, and Andrew just reached out to Brandon, asking about his life and what he was doing. 

Then one day, in Brandon’s words, “He just challenged me and asked me if I had a relationship with the Lord.  I said no, I don’t know what that looks like.”  And Andrew said, “Would you like to take that step and give your life to the Lord and have a relationship with him?”

Brandon continues:  “I remember feeling this big ‘welling up’ inside of me, and just knowing that this burden was going to be lifted off, and just saying yes, I want that relationship.”

So Andrew led Brandon to the Lord right there on the spot.  And Brandon described the feeling this way:  “All of a sudden I felt, like, everything rush in and out of me at the same time.”

At that moment, Brandon said, he realized that the void in his life was filled with Christ.  “And I haven’t lost that feeling since that day,” he said. 

So there’s Brandon Reinhardt, a senior at Florida State, with his life changed by Jesus Christ, and it’s because Andrew was truly living the Salt Life.  He was being the salt of the earth and a fisher of men.

That’s what all of us Christians are to be doing.  We are to be spreading the Gospel and sharing our faith. 

Jesus’ disciples loved fishing, but they left it behind to do something far greater – to become fishers of men.

We can change the world!  The Gospel is a life-changing message, and we have a life-changing God! 

And now it’s up to us.  We really can change the world – as we live the Salt Life.


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 
 To subscribe to your own daily “Apples of Gold” e-mail, write dougapple@wave94.com.
If you want to be removed from this e-mail list, simply click reply and type UNSUBSCRIBE on the subject line.
If you want to catch “Apples of Gold” in its original audio format, go to www.wave94.com
To search through the large archive of past articles, go here:  http://www.wave94.com/modules.php?name=Stories_Archive
If you have trouble reaching me at my main e-mail address, try this one:  douglas_apple@msn.com

(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
-vi-

The Hook-Up Culture - Apples of Gold - November 3, 2009 -vi-

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Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for November 3, 2009

“The Hook-Up Culture”

 

Hello, I’m Doug Apple…with Apples of Gold.

More and more young people are “hooking up” just for the thrill of it, no relationship required.

That’s according to an article in Psychology Today called “Passion in a Hook-Up Culture.”

That doesn’t surprise me at all as our nation continues its moral slide.

By moral slide I mean that the moral boundaries are coming down.  We used to have higher walls to keep people away from immorality.

Oh, I know, people have always been immoral.  But immorality is bad for society, and society used to take a stronger stand against it, or at least frown on it, or keep it hush-hush.

The same article says that the more “hook up” partners people have, the less likely they are to have a stable marriage.  

So follow the timeline.  Lower moral boundaries lead to more hook ups.  More hook ups lead to unstable marriages.  Unstable marriages lead to broken homes and fractured children.  Fractured children seek out relief, and many find it in hook ups, which starts the cycle all over again.

Now Psychology Today is far from a Christian publication, and yet this article says that even they are concerned about the current changes in dating.

I just look at it like this.  God has the perfect way, and everything else leads to varying degrees of brokenness.

God says some things are wrong.  They are sinful and evil.  They should not be done.

Is that just to spoil the fun?  Goodness no.  It’s to prevent the damage that we are seeing right now, damage such that even Psychology Today recognizes it.

People can’t just let their sinful nature run wild and expect no consequences. 

And it’s that same sinful nature that mocks God, that says His ways are old-fashioned or out of touch.  Even President Obama has looked at some of the traditional moral boundaries and instead of reinforcing them, he refers to them as tired, old ideas.

Psalm 19:7 says, “…the statutes of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple.”

Take a simple, average young couple.  They aren’t part of the glitterati.  They’re just average folks – but! – they decide to follow the statutes of the Lord.  They do what God says is right, and they avoid what God says is wrong.  What will happen to them?

They will grow wise.

The statutes of the Lord make wise the simple.

I’ve seen it in my own life.  In every area that I have simply followed the Lord’s statutes, I can look back over time and see how He has blessed me with His wisdom.  I can see the good fruit that comes from doing things His way.  And I can also look back at other people over time and see what happened to those who didn’t follow the Lord’s statutes.

You can study this scientifically.  Cause and effect.  Decision and result.  Action and consequence.  You freely choose a path, but where does it lead?  And if enough people choose that path, where does it lead society?

“But Doug, we are free to pursue happiness.”

Is divorce happiness?  Is a series of broken relationships happiness?  Unstable homes and children with no foundation?

Psychology Today won’t come to this conclusion because they don’t believe in God.  They probably won’t come to any conclusion because, after all, we are just animals evolving like monkeys or pigs or fruit flies. 

But to me the conclusion is obvious.  The less young people follow the statutes of the Lord, the more broken the next generation will be.

So it’s the job of the older generations to shine a light on where that road leads.  We older folks need to build up the moral boundaries – not to spoil the fun, but to prevent the heartache and damage.

God’s ways are the best ways, and we need to share them, early and often!

Yes, these young people may be simple as they cave in to their flesh, but there is good news! 

The statutes of the Lord make wise the simple.


Comments?

E-mail me:  dougapple@wave94.com.

May God bless you today!  With Apples of Gold…I’m Doug Apple.

Here is the complete Psychology Today article:  http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/love-bytes/200910/passion-in-hook-culture

© 2009 The Arrow’s Tip 
 To subscribe to your own daily “Apples of Gold” e-mail, write dougapple@wave94.com.
If you want to be removed from this e-mail list, simply click reply and type UNSUBSCRIBE on the subject line.
If you want to catch “Apples of Gold” in its original audio format, go to www.wave94.com
To search through the large archive of past articles, go here:  http://www.wave94.com/modules.php?name=Stories_Archive
If you have trouble reaching me at my main e-mail address, try this one:  douglas_apple@msn.com

(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
-vi-

Is Your Heart Turning Back to Egypt? - Apples of Gold - November 2, 2009 -vi-

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Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for November 2, 2009

“Is Your Heart Turning Back to Egypt?”

 

Hello, I’m Doug Apple…with Apples of Gold.

You know what saddens my heart?

When I find out that a Christian who gave up drinking has gone back to drinking.

When a Christian who gave up smoking has gone back to smoking.

When a Christian who gave up the clubs and the party life has gone back to it.

It grieves me because I’ve seen them when they get saved.  I’ve seen their bright faces radiating joy and hope and peace and purpose.  Their burden is lifted and they have been set free!

The love of God has been poured into them, and their life is changed.  They were in darkness, but now they are in light.  Their life is headed in a new direction.

And then it happens.  They start to look back and fondly remember their previous life.  They remember the laughs and minimize the heartaches. 

Then they look around at people who live like they used to and start to think, “Man, I’m missing out.  They’re having all the good times.  What would be wrong with me enjoying myself once in a while?”

And then they add something like this.  “I’ll go back, but not all the way; and I’ll take Jesus with me.”

I’ve seen people do this, but nothing good comes from it.  One reason is that they are being deceived.  They are falling for the lie that the world has something good to offer that God doesn’t.

And they know that, or they knew it originally, which is why they came to Christ in the first place, and why Christ was so refreshing at the time.

In our home Bible study last week we talked about how refreshing it is just to be around people who keep their word.  That’s the way good Christians are.  We keep our word, and that really stands out in this old world. 

That’s just one tiny example of how different things should be in the church compared to those days back in “the world.”

But people start to look back fondly, and it’s so much like the Israelites after Moses led them out of Egypt.  God delivered them from slavery and bondage, but then their life as free people wasn’t everything they dreamed it would be so they started looking back.

Acts 7:39 puts it this way:  in their hearts they turned back to Egypt.

So let me ask you, are you turning back to Egypt?  Are you fondly looking back at some of the old worldly days?

Well this is your warning.  Don’t do it!  Don’t fall for it! 

The world has nothing to offer.  It may promise great things, but it has no power to deliver them.  As it says in James 1:17, “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.”

And don’t miss that important little tag at the end of that verse.  God does not change like shifting shadows.  He is the same yesterday, today, and forever.  He is the solid rock, the firm foundation upon which you can build your life.

Every good and perfect gift comes from Him, so don’t turn back to Egypt!  Don’t turn back to the world as if it has something.  It doesn’t.  Even when it looks good for a second, it suddenly changes, like shifting shadows, like an ever-moving kaleidoscope.

Listen to Revelation 2:4.  Jesus said this to the church in Ephesus.  “Yet I hold this against you:  You have forsaken your first love.”

It’s like falling in love and getting married.  You start running a household and raising kids and maybe it sucks some of the romance out of your marriage.  Maybe you start looking around and maybe other people start looking better than your spouse.  You are in danger of losing your first love.  Your first love is to be that one person on earth that you are “one” with.  That is your first love in an earthly sense.

And in a spiritual sense, the Lord is our first love.  He is our all-in-all, our everything. 

But when we start to look back to the things of this world, we are in danger of losing our first love.

And what was Jesus’ advice to the Ephesians?  He said, “Remember the height from which you have fallen!  Repent and do the things you did at first.”

So if you find your heart turning back toward Egypt, repent!  Turn from that and return to your first love.  Stop doing the old worldly things and return to doing the things you did when your love for God was new.

This is your warning.  The world has nothing to offer you.  Don’t listen to its siren song.  Don’t turn back to Egypt.  It was a place of slavery, not a place of joy.

Instead, keep your eyes set on our Heavenly Father, from whom comes every good and perfect gift, and who does not change like shifting shadows.


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 
 To subscribe to your own daily “Apples of Gold” e-mail, write dougapple@wave94.com.
If you want to be removed from this e-mail list, simply click reply and type UNSUBSCRIBE on the subject line.
If you want to catch “Apples of Gold” in its original audio format, go to www.wave94.com
To search through the large archive of past articles, go here:  http://www.wave94.com/modules.php?name=Stories_Archive
If you have trouble reaching me at my main e-mail address, try this one:  douglas_apple@msn.com

(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
-vi-

Rights vs. Righteousness - Apples of Gold - October 29, 2009 -vi-

To listen to the radio version, click here.

 

To search archives, click here.

Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for October 29, 2009

“Rights vs. Righteousness”

 

Hello, I’m Doug Apple…with Apples of Gold.

Last night, Tallahassee City Commissioners voted unanimously to extend employee benefits to all domestic partners, not just married couples.

Why did they do that, especially when the city is under tremendous financial pressure?  We have underpaid police officers, and many city positions have been cut out entirely.  But now they have agreed to pay benefits to a new group of people – people who aren’t married but are living together.

Well as far as I can tell, the main reason is that they don’t want to discriminate against gay couples.  After all, don’t they have the same rights as straight couples?

And if you are going to pay benefits to gay couples who aren’t married (because, so far at least, the law doesn’t allow them to be married), then you can’t really deny benefits to straight couples who aren’t married, can you?

So city commissioners are simply trying to do what seems logical and gives the same rights to everyone.  Isn’t that the American way?

Well, yes, that is the American way.  We are all about people and their rights.

But there is a higher calling, and that is righteousness.

Yes, that means there is a dividing line, some things are righteous and some things aren’t.

It is unrighteous to steal from your neighbor, or to kill him or to attack him.  Those actions are unrighteous, and they are also illegal. 

It is also unrighteous to cheat on your spouse, have an abortion and carry out homosexual behavior – but those actions are currently legal because, after all, everyone has their rights.

And looking ahead I can easily see laws changing to make more unrighteousness legal – prostitution, drugs, gambling – after all, if you want to sell your body or take drugs or gamble, it’s your right . . .right?  And I can see them lowering the age of consent.  I mean, if 14 year olds want to, you know…

Well anyway, why were these things ever made illegal in the first place? 

Because of the standard of righteousness.  Here is the line, righteousness on one side and unrighteousness on the other.  And in the past certain leaders decided that the righteousness line was also the legal line. 

Prostitution is unrighteous, so it should be illegal.  Sex outside of marriage is unrighteous.  Gay sex is unrighteous.

“Whoa!  Where on earth do you get off saying something so hateful as that???”

I’m just telling you how they passed those laws in the first place.  It wasn’t because they were all a bunch of homophobes.  They simply said, “Here is the standard of righteousness, and we will pass laws that fit that standard.”

There are laws against adultery still on the books all across the country, though I can’t remember the last time someone stood trial for committing adultery. 

Now you might be thinking that I’m proposing some sort of Gestapo state, which I am not.

And keep in mind, we are passing more and more laws about things like cigarette smoking and seat belt wearing.  We are forced to buy car insurance, and it looks like we might be forced to buy health insurance.

And yesterday President Obama signed a new hate-crimes law, and what’s a hate crime but a thought crime?  The crime is already illegal, but what were you thinking when you did it?

To me, thought crimes sound more Gestapo-like than passing laws based on righteousness.

And listen, I am in no way advocating hate crimes.  I am advocating no crimes.  What I am advocating is a nation built on the solid foundation of righteousness.

When it comes to rights vs. righteousness, I think righteousness should prevail, and here’s why.

Proverbs 14:34 says, “Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a disgrace to any people.”

If you want your nation to be exalted, than promote righteousness.

How does that play out in real life?  Picture this, even though in today’s climate it seems unimaginable.  Picture a Tallahassee City Commissioner saying, “I am voting against extending marriage benefits to gay couples and couples who aren’t married, because those are unrighteous lifestyles.  In our nation they are free to live that lifestyle, but it is unrighteous and therefore the city will not use taxpayer funds to support that lifestyle.”

Sounds unthinkable, doesn’t it?  Why?  Because some protestors would go nuts.  The media would go nuts.  That commissioner would be tarred and feathered. 

Well, it certainly wouldn’t be the first time someone was persecuted for righteousness, but here’s some good news.  Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount, “Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness…”

Isaiah 32:17 says, “The fruit of righteousness will be peace; the effect of righteousness will be quietness…”

Psalm 85:10 says, “…righteousness and peace kiss each other.”

Proverbs 16:12 says, “…a throne is established through righteousness.” 

Peace in a nation is a fruit of righteousness.  The more we can steer our nation toward righteousness, the more peace we will have. 

But when we put rights ahead of righteousness, even if it seems like the most logical and even nice thing to do at the moment, it still leads our nation away from peace and towards disgrace, for yes, “Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a disgrace to any people.”


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 
 To subscribe to your own daily “Apples of Gold” e-mail, write dougapple@wave94.com.
If you want to be removed from this e-mail list, simply click reply and type UNSUBSCRIBE on the subject line.
If you want to catch “Apples of Gold” in its original audio format, go to www.wave94.com
To search through the large archive of past articles, go here:  http://www.wave94.com/modules.php?name=Stories_Archive
If you have trouble reaching me at my main e-mail address, try this one:  douglas_apple@msn.com

(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
-vi-

Purim - Apples of Gold - October 28, 2009 -vi-

To listen to the radio version, click here.

 

To search archives, click here.

Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for October 28, 2009

“Purim”

 

Hello, I’m Doug Apple…with Apples of Gold.

King Ahasuerus was also known as King Xerxes, which I’m going to use because it’s spelled with two X’s, and it’s easier to pronounce.  (ZERK-zeez)

About 460 years before Christ, King Xerxes was a big dog, ruling over 127 provinces stretching from India into Africa.

At one point he held a six month long session of his top leaders and advisors, and it was a grand, royal affair.  At the end he threw a week-long celebration.  And his wife, Queen Vashti, threw a party for all the women in the royal palace.

There was a lot of drinking, the king was loaded, and on the seventh day he sent for his wife to come and show off her great beauty.

She refused to come.

And the word spread like wildfire.  “The king called for the queen and she refused him.”

So the king turned to his advisors and said, “Now what?”

“At this rate,” they said, “women everywhere will disrespect their husbands.  Better make an example of her.”

So the king declared that Queen Vashti would never again enter his presence, and that men everywhere are the rulers of their own household.

Then the king sobered up and realized that he basically had no queen, so he turned to his advisors who said, “Let’s get all the prettiest girls in here and you can pick the best one as your next queen.”

One of the girls chosen was named Esther, who quickly found favor with the king’s servants.  Esther was an orphan who was raised by an older cousin named Mordecai. 

Now Mordecai and Esther were Jews, but when the king’s men came calling Mordecai told Esther to keep that Jewish part on the down-low.

Well Esther “won the favor of everyone who saw her,” the Bible says, and she was crowned the new queen by King Xerxes.

So life went on, and Mordecai stayed in touch with his young cousin, the queen.

Then one day Mordecai found out about a plot to assassinate the king.  He told Esther, who told the king, who had the men executed.  And the queen made sure that Mordecai got the credit.

Then there was a guy named Haman who quickly rose up in the ranks and next thing you know he was the right hand man to the king.  The king ordered everyone to honor Haman, even bow down to him.  And everyone did . . . except Mordecai.

So Haman hated Mordecai, and when he found out he was a Jew he came up with an evil plan – to eliminate all the Jews throughout the kingdom of Xerxes.

Haman told the king, “There is a certain people scattered throughout your kingdom that do not obey your laws.  I advise that you not tolerate this behavior.”

“Fine,” said the king, “do with them whatever you please.”

So Haman sent forth the order, in the king’s name, that every single Jew, young and old, male and female, would be killed, and all of their possessions plundered, on one specific day.

As the word got out, Jews everywhere wept.  And fasted.  And that included Mordecai. 

Then Mordecai sent word to the queen, “You need to go into the king’s presence and beg for the life of your people.”

“I can’t,” she said.  “Everyone who goes into the king’s presence without his invitation is killed, unless he extends the golden scepter.”

Mordecai replied, “Don’t think you will be spared just because you are in the king’s house.  If you remain silent, deliverance for the Jews will come from somewhere else, but you will perish.  And who knows?  Maybe you have come into the kingdom for such a time as this.”

“Okay,” the queen replied.  “Have all the Jews in the city fast for three days, and I and my maids will fast as well.  Then I will go to the king, even though it is against the law.  And if I perish, I perish.”

After three days of fasting the queen got all dressed up and went to the king’s hall.  When he saw her he was very pleased with her and held out the golden scepter.

She approached and touched the tip of the scepter, and the king said, “What is it, Queen Esther?  What is your request?  Even up to half the kingdom.”

Well the queen invited the king, and Haman, to a banquet.  And Haman was very excited, until he walked past Mordecai who, as always, did not bow. 

Haman went home and complained to his wife and friends who said, “Build a huge gallows, and go ask the king to hang Mordecai.”

Meanwhile, the king discovered that he had never properly thanked Mordecai for uncovering the assassination plot.  As the king was thinking of how to honor Mordecai, Haman walked in.

“How can I honor someone who truly needs to be honored?” the king said to Haman.  Well Haman thought he was talking about him, so he laid it on thick, listing all the great things the king should do to honor that man.

“Good,” said the king.  “Go and have all those things done . . . for Mordecai.”

Then came the queen’s special banquet with the king and Haman.  And the queen spilled the beans about Haman’s evil plot to kill the Jews. 

In the end, Haman was hanged on the very gallows he had built for Mordecai.  And Mordecai was elevated to second in command under only the king himself.

And instead of being annihilated, the Jews declared a time of rejoicing.

And Jews to this day celebrate Purim each year, remembering the day they were delivered and their weeping was turned to joy.


Comments?

E-mail me:  dougapple@wave94.com.

May God bless you today!  With Apples of Gold…I’m Doug Apple.

(Close with chorus from the Purim Song.)


© 2009 The Arrow’s Tip 
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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
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