Are We Wasting Resources God Has Given Us? - Apples of Gold - March 26, 2008 -vi-

Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for March 26, 2008

“Are We Wasting Resources God Has Given Us?”

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

I took my daughter and her friends out for a big night on the town.

It wasn’t long before they were all “starving to death,” so we ran in for some fast food.

Some of them wolfed it down and were ready to hit the road.  One girl still had a lot of food and was going to throw it away.  Her friend said, “You’re not going to waste all that food are you?”

The other girl said, “I’m totally full.” 

Her friend said, “Eat it anyway.  You don’t want to waste it.”

At that point I jumped in and said, “She will waste it either way; yes if she throws it away, but also if she eats it.  If she eats when she is full and her body doesn’t need it, it’s still a waste.  The real waste occurred when she ordered more than she could eat.”

Of course she could have wrapped the burger in a napkin, put it in her purse and eaten it later.  That’s about as bright as shoving tater tots in your pocket and snacking on them during class.

I must admit, I hate waste.  At our house, I hate to see food go in the garbage.  To me, it’s just like pulling cash out of your pocket and lighting it on fire. 

Yes, I believe in recycling, both official and unofficial.  By unofficial recycling I mean things like reusing paper.  For example, here at the station we receive a lot of faxes.  Instead of throwing all that paper away, we use the backside for scratch paper.

I have always driven an economy car to keep from wasting gas – or at least to keep from wasting money on gas.

Some people have the mindset of, “Make a lot of money, buy a lot of stuff, throw it away, buy more and keep the economy going.”  I’m all for keeping the economy going, but surely we can do it without so much waste. 

Have you ever been to a garbage dump?  It’s a real eye-opener.  Just think of a city the size of Tallahassee.  I know how much garbage my little family puts out by the road every week.  Now multiply that by hundreds of thousands, and where does it all go? 

There is a fascinating little story in the Bible that you’ve probably heard many times, but not from this angle.  In John chapter six we read about Jesus feeding the five thousand.  Jesus took the little boy’s barley loaves and fish, then multiplied it to feed everyone.  It was amazing.

So there’s this huge crowd, and everyone has had all they can eat.  I can picture someone shouting to the little boy, “What’d you bring for dessert?”

Anyway, at this point Jesus said something very interesting.  He told his disciples, “Gather the pieces that are left over.  Let nothing be wasted.”

First of all, why didn’t His miracle stop at exactly the right amount?  Second, He basically created the food out of thin air.  Nobody paid for it.  No money would be lost.  Why was He so interested in preventing waste?

But He was.  Jesus had provided that food as a resource, and once it was provided, He did not want it wasted.

He could have not mentioned it at all.  Or He could have said, “Gather it up and throw it away.”  But instead He made it clear that He did not want this newly created resource to go to waste.

Years ago I heard Corrie ten Boom talk about coming to America from war-torn Europe.  She saw someone throwing away paper and she wanted to grab it.  Paper was a valuable commodity where she was from, even waste paper.  But she soon realized that’s the way we do things in America.

Why is that?  Because we are so prosperous.  Most Americans are under 60 years old, and we don’t remember anything other than great prosperity.  We don’t have to save anything, because there is always plenty more where that came from.

Now here is the big question.  Are we wasting resources God has given us? 

Think about the resources at your disposal.  That includes your body, your mind, your time and your talents.  It includes all your stuff, and all your money. 

When I think of all my resources, I hear the words of Jesus, “Let nothing be wasted.”

Some of you have heard this and are saying, “Doug, you should see my situation.  I don’t have enough to begin with, let alone enough to waste.”  Then you might want to focus on the little boy in the story.  Little did he know that, with God’s help, he actually had enough to feed five thousand people.

Anyway, think about your resources today, then think about Jesus’ words, “Let nothing be wasted.”  And then comes the big question, “Are we wasting resources God has given us?”


Comments?

E-mail me:  dougapple@wave94.com.

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

 
© 2008 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-

Some Things I Don't Do Out of Fear - Apples of Gold - March 25, 2008 -vi-

Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for March 25, 2008

“Some Things I Don’t Do Out of Fear”

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

Let me just shoot straight with you.

There are some things I don’t do simply out of fear.  I fear the Lord and what might happen if I do them.

I don’t fear Him like a cruel task master.  He is just, and always does what is right, I know that. 

I picture it this way – God with two hands.  One hand is His hand of blessing and protection.  The other is His hand of discipline and rebuke.  If I choose to do wrong, to sin, then I am walking out from under His hand of blessing and toward His hand of rebuke.

But let me tell you, I really need His hand of blessing.  I need it so bad that I am afraid to walk away from it. 

Some people say we shouldn’t fear the Lord, and that when the Bible says “fear the Lord” it really just means to respect Him.  I appreciate that, but for me, there is a healthy dose of good old fashioned fear. 

It’s not that I fear Him like you fear a psycho killer.  I know God loves me and wants what is best for me.  I fear Him like I feared my dad as a child.  It’s the fear you have that, when you cross the line, you are going to get it!

Some people think that God is so gracious, He will let you cross the line and it will be okay.  After all, what about God’s grace?

Oh, are you talking about what Dietrich Bonhoeffer called “cheap grace?”

It reminds me of a song by Randy Stonehill, with these lines:*

“He understands the human heart, His mercy is complete.
But His grace was not intended as a place to wipe your feet.”

Jude 4 talks about people who “change the grace of our God into a license for immorality…”

Why would you do that?  Only if you lost your fear of God.

“Well, Doug, don’t you think God’s grace covers your sins?”

Yes, I do.  It’s grace that made me a child of God.  And when children step out of line, the Father makes a move.

Hebrews 12:6 says, “…the Lord disciplines those He loves, and He punishes everyone He accepts as a son.”

Some people say that God won’t punish us.  That’s crazy talk.  It says right there that He does.

Yes, I fear God’s punishment.  There I things I won’t do simply because I don’t want to be punished.

For some reason that conjures up images of a whipped dog, whimpering in the corner, afraid to look at his master. 

Not at all.  I love the Lord and want to serve Him with my whole being.  I run to Him.  I like the phrase, “the relentless pursuit of God.” 

But what happens when temptation knocks at the door.  And you know, temptation always looks good.  When that happens, I think about those two hands, the hand of blessing and the hand of rebuke.  I need that hand of blessing, and I fear that hand of rebuke. 

I know that if I step out from under God’s hand of blessing, no good can come from it.  And if I directly disobey the Lord and step out into sin, are you trying to tell me God won’t punish me?  Are you kidding?  Why would God not punish a direct act of disobedience?  We expect it from our parents, from our bosses, and from our government.  Why wouldn’t we expect it from God?

When we sin, bad things happen.  You can bank on it.

I love my children so much that when they sin, I must hold them accountable.  They will have to suffer in some form, whether it’s a grounding or losing their phone privileges or whatever.  Why?  So they will not do it again.  Why do I care whether they do it again?  Because it is harmful to them, and I don’t want harm to come to those I love.

God is the same way.  Sin is harmful.  God loves us and does not want us harmed.  So to prevent it, He will punish us when we sin.

When you say, “Don’t do that” there has to be an “or else.”  If there is no “or else,” then who cares about the “don’t do that”?

With God, there is an “or else.”  When we sin, there is punishment.  Yes, there is grace and mercy – and discipline and rebuke. 

I think some Christians jump right into sin because somewhere along the line they missed the fact that God punishes sin. 

Psalm 115:13 says, “…He will bless those who fear the Lord, small and great alike.”  That’s the crowd I want to be in.

Yes, there are some things I won’t do simply out of fear.  And, thank God, the fear of the Lord keeps me under His bountiful hand of blessing.


Comments?

E-mail me:  dougapple@wave94.com.

May God bless you today!  With Apples of Gold…I’m Doug Apple.
 
Some might say, “Well, what about First John 4:18 which says, ‘There is no fear in love.  But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment…”
Of course I believe that.  On the day that I finally have perfect love for the Lord and for people, then sin will no longer be an issue, which means no punishment and no fear.  Love is the trump card that knocks out fear.  If I have perfect love for the Lord, I will never, ever sin against Him.  There is no need for fear of the Lord if there is perfect love for the Lord.  But I know my love for the Lord is imperfect, so in my life there is a place for the fear of the Lord.  When love isn’t enough to keep me on the straight and narrow, fear steps in behind it.

*  From the song “Angry Young Men” by Randy Stonehill, from his album “Love Beyond Reason.”

In the book, “Who Moved My Cheese?” the author asks, “What would you do if you weren’t afraid?”  Don’t ask that question if what you are pondering is a sin.  Better to be afraid.

© 2008 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 Day of Relief, A Day of Reckoning - Apples of Gold - March 24, 2008 -vi-

Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for March 24, 2008

“A Day of Relief, A Day of Reckoning”

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

Have you ever witnessed a sudden, explosive violent act that shocked you?

The first one I recall came shortly after we moved to a new town when I was in sixth grade. 

I had seen people do mean things before, but they fit the context.  You know, kids argue, then wrestle, then someone gets punched.  And no one is shocked.

But this event I remember like it happened in slow motion.  It was recess, and I was talking to another kid on the playground.  I didn’t know him that well, but then again, I was the new kid.  I didn’t know anyone that well.

His name was Mickey, and Mickey was telling me that he had a broken toe.  I looked down at his Converse tennis shoes, and there was no indication that he had a broken toe.  It was just another foot in a shoe.

Along came another kid, a little bigger than me and Mickey.  He said something like, “So you have a broken toe?  Which foot?”

We all looked down as Mickey pointed to the shoe that concealed his injury.  As I was looking at the shoe, suddenly the other kid, as hard as he could, stomped on it.

I was completely shocked. 

Mickey howled in pain, which really didn’t draw much attention on a playground jammed with howling kids.  The bigger boy ran off, and Mickey was not about to tell on him. 

The last thing I remember is looking down at Mickey’s shoe as the blood began soaking through the canvas. 

As far as I know, he never told on the other kid. 

So does that mean the other kid got away with it?

No.  The answer is “no.”  It is my belief that, basically, no one gets away with anything.*

As the years went by, that other kid had many problems, and eventually ended up in prison.  No, he may not have gotten in trouble for crushing poor Mickey’s toe, but listen to this – his punishment was simply stored up for later when it would be served back…with interest.

When you are young, you haven’t lived long enough to see the cycles of sowing and reaping.  It’s easy to think that people get away with things.  But the longer you live, the more of these cycles you see, and the more you believe in the law of sowing and reaping.

However, some cycles don’t seem to ever come around.  Some people seem to sow a lot of either good or bad seed, yet never reap what they have sown.

Don’t be fooled.  Like it says in Galatians 6:7, “God cannot be mocked.  A man reaps what he sows.”

Second Thessalonians 1:6 says, “God is just.”  But I must say that his timetable of justice can be very different from ours.  Sometimes that cycle of sowing and reaping sweeps on past the end of our life on earth. 

Back to that passage in Second Thessalonians.  It says, “God is just:  He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you and give relief to you who are troubled…”

Okaaay…but when?

It goes on to say, “This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels.  He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.  They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord…on the day he comes to be glorified…”

See, it is talking about a specific day in the future.  On that day the Lord will pay back trouble to some and give relief to others.

Paul wrote this to the Christians in Thessalonica who were being persecuted for their faith in Christ.  He told them to persevere and stay strong.  He told them that the Lord would bring relief. 

Now here we are, two thousand years later, and Christians are still waiting for that day, the day when “the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire.”

Logically, this thought should not bring any hope.  It hasn’t happened yet, so what evidence is there that it will ever happen? 

But you know what?  For some reason, I believe it.  Something in my heart shouts, “It is true!”  I know that the day is coming when Jesus will be revealed from heaven in that blazing fire. 

That day will be a day of relief, and a day of reckoning.  It will be a day of reckoning for those who have disobeyed the Lord.

But thank God, it will be a day of incredible relief for all of us who have believed the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.


Comments?

E-mail me:  dougapple@wave94.com.

May God bless you today!  With Apples of Gold…I’m Doug Apple.
 
* Of course, this is a general statement.  As our sins are forgiven by the Lord, due to the price Jesus paid on the cross, then we do, in a sense, get away with them.  We don’t receive the full punishment we deserve.  But the principle of sowing and reaping still holds true, and though not as great, we still reap what we sow.

© 2008 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 Power of a Simple Invitation - Apples of Gold - March 21, 2008 -vi-

Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for March 21, 2008

“The Power of a Simple Invitation”

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

His name was Pastor Meek.

Isn’t that a neat name for a pastor?

Pastor Meek was an associate pastor at our church, and he organized what he called a “Friend Day.”  It was such a simple idea, yet wonderful.  Pick out a Sunday, call it Friend Day, and have everyone invite their friends to church.  Then tailor the service to all those visitors.

We were told to pray about it and ask God who we should invite.  When I prayed, someone immediately came to mind.  The thing I liked about Friend Day is it gave me a good excuse.  Instead of offering a random invitation to church, I could now say, “Hey, would you like to come to church?  It’s Friend Day, and we are all supposed to ask someone…”

Yesterday I heard about someone who didn’t need a Friend Day to invite people to church.

His name is Craig Kraft, my wife’s cousin from South Florida.  We were down there yesterday, and I kept hearing the same story, about all the people Craig invited to church. 

“Well, Doug, what is this guy, some kind of preacher?”

No, not at all.  No one confused Craig with John the Baptist.  He’s no world renowned evangelist.  However, he had the knack of simply inviting people to church…and people took him up on it.

Sometimes we overlook the simple things when we talk about reaching the world and witnessing for Christ.  We talk about the Roman Road and the Four Spiritual Laws and Evangelism Explosion and all that stuff.  But don’t forget the power of a simple invitation.

We think of the great apostle Peter.  But remember, Peter came at the simple invitation of his brother Andrew.

In John 1 we read the story of Nathanael.  He received this simple invitation from Philip, “Come and see.”

John 4 tells the great story of Jesus and the woman at the well.  At one point she left Jesus at the well and rushed to tell the townsfolk, “Come, see…could this be the Christ?”

In 2 Kings 5 we read about the powerful general Naaman and the great prophet Elijah.  But the catalyst in the story is a little slave girl.  She didn’t do much except utter a few little words.  But those words changed Naaman’s life.

And we can change lives by uttering a few simple words, “Will you go to church with me?”

Sunday is Easter Sunday, what some call “the Super Bowl of the church.”  If anyone is ever open to a church invitation, it’s Easter Sunday.  And if a church service is ever structured around new visitors, it’s Easter Sunday.

This Sunday there will be a lot of people going to a church in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, because they were invited there by Craig Kraft.  And in the center of them will be a big empty seat.  You see, Craig went home to be with the Lord this week.  He was only 42.

At the funeral yesterday even the pastor mentioned Craig’s habit of inviting people to church.  One person said they figured about 50 people went to the church because of Craig. 

So let Craig be an inspiration to you as we look forward to Easter Sunday.  You don’t have to be the next Billy Graham to make an impact.  All you have to do is use the power of a simple invitation.


Comments?

E-mail me:  dougapple@wave94.com.

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

In memory of Craig Kraft:  http://www.legacy.com/palmbeachpost/DeathNotices.asp?Page=LifeStory&PersonID=105881907

© 2008 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-

Your Plans Will Succeed - Apples of Gold - March 18, 2008 -vi-

Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for March 18, 2008

“Your Plans Will Succeed”

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

It’s an annoying little book full of personal questions.

I used it for ice breakers at a home Bible.  It’s a great way for people to get to know one another – whether they want to or not.

It had been buried since we moved a couple years ago, but over the weekend someone unearthed it.  There was a party at our house, and suddenly I heard teenagers asking one another personal questions.  “It’s the book…” I muttered.

Last night my son’s girlfriend was at the house, and suddenly she said, “Mr. Apple, pick a number!” 

I expected to look over and see one of those quadri-folded pieces of paper on her finger tips.  You know, the ones where you pick a number, they move it back and forth a few times, lift the little flap and tell you who you are going to marry.  What on earth do they call those things anyway?

But I looked over, and it was “the book.”

So I randomly picked the number 22.  My wife shouted from the other room that I couldn’t pick number 22 because that was her number when she played basketball in high school.  She owned that number and had the jacket to prove it.  Then she went and found the jacket and asked my daughter why she didn’t want to wear it to school. 

Maybe this is why families get cable TV.

So my question was number 22, which was something like, “Name one major goal in your life, and tell how it’s going so far.”

I said, “A major goal in my life is that my children have their own, personal relationship with God.”  “And so far,” I said, “It’s going pretty good.  Not that we are such great parents, but God has been really good to us.”

What would I say is the major reason that, so far, we are succeeding in that goal?

Apart from the sheer grace of God, I guess it would come down to this.  Over all these years, we have committed our parenting to the Lord. 

I don’t know how many times I have prayed things like, “Lord, we don’t what we are doing.  We don’t know what the future holds, and we don’t know what is best.”  Then I, once again, commit our parenting to the Lord.  “God, it’s got to be You!  You have to be working in our children, and in us as their parents.  Help us to do what is best for them, so that they can grow up and follow You in every way.”

I place a lot of trust in Proverbs 16:3 which says, “Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and your plans will succeed.”

Notice it’s not a passage about parenting.  It uses the blanket statement “whatever you do.”

So in what area of life do you want to succeed?  Then according to Proverbs 16:3, if you commit that area to the Lord, your plans will succeed.

Our part is committing those plans to the Lord.  So how do we do that?  What does it mean to commit plans to someone?

Think of it like this.  Let’s say I commit a weekend to my wife.  That means that weekend is all about her.  It’s about her desires, not mine. 

By committing that weekend to her, my plans will change to line up with what pleases her.  The commitment means it’s about her, not me.  And when I do that, it makes for a very successful weekend.  (That’s why in over 20 years worth of weekends we still have not made it to Canton, Ohio or Cooperstown, New York.)

It’s sort of like that when I commit my plans to the Lord.  That means my plans are all about Him.  It’s about His desires, not mine.  My plans change to line up with what pleases Him.  And when I do that, my plans succeed.

See, it’s not that God stamps “success” on any old willy-nilly plan I make.  It’s when I commit my plans to Him that they succeed.  And committing them to Him is more than just tossing up a little prayer.  When we commit our plans to the Lord, those plans actually change.  They conform to His desires, to His will.  And then they succeed.

So, do you want to be more successful?  Who doesn’t, right? 

Then do what it says in Proverbs 16:3, “Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and your plans will succeed.”


Comments?

E-mail me:  dougapple@wave94.com.

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

© 2008 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 Stockdale Paradox - Apples of Gold - March 17, 2008 -vi-

Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for March 17, 2008

“The Stockdale Paradox”

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

Have you heard of the Hanoi Hilton?

It was a brutal prisoner of war camp in North Viet Nam.

John McCain spent time there, as did James Stockdale, one of the most highly decorated Navy officers ever.

In his book “Good to Great” Jim Collins says he asked Stockdale an interesting question.  He asked him what kind of men did not survive the Hanoi Hilton.

Stockdale said, “Oh, that’s easy.  The optimists.”

“The optimists?” said Collins.  “I don’t understand.”

The optimists, according to Stockdale, were the ones who said, “We’re going to be out by Christmas.”  And Christmas would come and go.  Then they said, “We’re going to be out by Easter.”  And Easter would come and go.  And then Thanksgiving, and then it would be Christmas again.  And finally, Stockdale said, they just died of a broken heart.

That sounds very bleak.  But it leads up to what Collins calls “The Stockdale Paradox.”

Stockdale said, “This is a very important lesson.  You must never confuse faith that you will prevail in the end – which you can never afford to lose – with the discipline to confront the most brutal facts of your current reality, whatever they might be.”

Stockdale was willing to let the terrible reality of his situation sink in.  He looked at the cold, hard facts, and did not stick his head in the sand.  However, he did not let that rob him of his hope.  He said, “I never lost faith in the end of the story.  I never doubted not only that I would get out, but also that I would prevail in the end and turn the experience into the defining event of my life.”

So what is “The Stockdale Paradox”?  It’s confronting the brutal facts of your situation without losing faith that you will prevail in the end.

It’s not a false optimism that acts like there are no problems.  But it’s also not a gloom-and-doom that acts like there is no hope.  It’s faith and realism combined.

We find a great example of the Stockdale Paradox in Joshua and Caleb.

In Numbers 13, Moses sent 12 men to spy out the Promised Land.  What they found was a very prosperous land, and a land full of powerful enemies.

Ten of the spies came back with a gloom-and-doom attitude.  “Yes, it would be great to live there, but it will never happen.  Those guys will destroy us!”

Joshua and Caleb saw things differently.  It’s not that they ignored the challenges, they just had more faith.  They said, “If the Lord is pleased with us, he will lead us into that land…and will give it to us.  Do not be afraid of the people of the land, because we will swallow them up.  Their protection is gone, but the Lord is with us.  Do not be afraid of them.”

But the people didn’t listen, so God decided to punish them with another 40 years in the wilderness.  Then the people said, “Well, if that’s the way it’s going to be, let’s go take the land!”

They quickly flip-flopped from gloom-and-doom to false optimism – and they got whooped by the Canaanites and Amalekites.

So the first time, they saw the brutal facts of their situation, but they had no faith that they would prevail.  The second time, they had a blind faith that they would prevail, but they did not confront the brutal facts of their situation – mainly that God had withdrawn his support for the mission.

In “Good to Great,” Jim Collins says the Stockdale Paradox is crucial for every business.  They must be willing to confront the brutal facts while keeping the faith that they will prevail.

Over the years I’ve run into many people who could have used the Stockdale Paradox.  Usually what they need more of is the willingness to confront the brutal facts of their situation.

Let me tell you, there are so many people who just don’t want to think about reality.  It’s unpleasant.  It means more work.  Where’s the fun? 

I’m reading a book about a very talented high school baseball player.  He even got a lot of money to sign a contract to play pro ball.  He didn’t work as hard as he should have, though, and his performance suffered.  The team finally cut him, but even years later he lived in the fantasy world that someday he would play pro baseball.  He drank a lot and sank into depression.  His life was a shipwreck, but he was repeatedly unwilling to confront the brutal facts of his situation, so it never improved.

See, we can’t do anything if we don’t start with the truth; the cold, hard truth. 

Yes, the truth can be depressing.  That’s where the paradox kicks in.  We don’t run from the sometimes depressing truth.  Whatever the truth is, we run to it.  And the inoculation against depression is our faith that we will prevail, that it will all work out in the end.

How can we have faith that it will all work out?  Because we have the hope of Bible verses like Romans 8:28 which says, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”

So think about the Stockdale Paradox today.  No, we never lose our faith and hope, but at the same time we must be willing to confront the brutal facts of our situation, then deal with them.


Comments?

E-mail me:  dougapple@wave94.com.

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

I must say that “Good to Great” by Jim Collins is one of my favorite business books of all time.
 
© 2008 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-

An Interview With a Demon

DA:      So, tell me, what is your name?

S:         Seville.

DA:      As in, “The Barber of Seville”?

S:         Yes, you could say that.

DA:      And what is your job, what do you do?

S:         I bring down the man of God.

DA:      Bring down the man of God.  And how do you do that?

S:         Oh, thank you for asking.  Let me tell you how I start.  I start with a likeable face.

DA:      A likeable face.

S:         Yes.

DA:      Just a likeable face.

S:         Yes.

DA:      And why not start with a beautiful face?  Or how about a beautiful buxom babe?

S:         Oh, not for the real man of God.  That door is closed.  And well guarded. 

DA:      So, to bring down the man of God….

S:         I start with a likeable face.

DA:      Like yours.

S:         Yes!  Thank you.  See this makeup?

DA:      Nice.  So you start with a likeable face.  Then what?

S:         The back door.

DA:      The back door.

S:         Oh yes, I never use the front door on a man of God. That’s where he stands guard.  His alarms go off if you even get close to the front door.

DA:      So you can come in the back door?

S:         Everybody has one!

DA:      Never a frontal attack?

S:         Not by me!

DA:      So, a likeable face, and in through the back door.  What is the next step in bringing down the man of God?

S:         Lies.  His own.

DA:      So you deceive him and….

S:         No no.  Oh, no.  I’m no good at deception.  I was not chosen for my deceptive arts.  I said, “Lies.  His own.”

DA:      So you don’t lie to him?

S:         Don’t have to.  He’ll lie to himself, and quite convincingly.

DA:      What kind of lies?

S:         Mostly that it’s not happening.

DA:      That it’s not happening.

S:         Yes.  The real man of God will look for deception, but he won’t see any because I’m not using it.  The real man of God would spot it.  He’d spot it like a dog on a coon, he’d smell it from a distance, and he’d howl about it, too!  But there is no deception, until he begins deceiving himself that it’s not happening.

DA:      I want to get back to something you said earlier.  You said you were not chosen for your deceptive arts. 

S:         That’s right.

DA:      For what were you chosen?

S:         My patience.

(dougapple@wave94.com)

www.wave94.com

 

Rule #6

My name is Jared.  And I have a new rule.  Rule #6.

I came up with the first rule, I guess, when I was ten years old.  My birthday present was that me and my parents were going to a pro baseball game.  After the game, I saw all the cool hats, and asked Dad if I could have one. 

He said “Sure, buddy!” 

Gee, that was easy.  So I asked for one of those little baseball bats, and I got that, too. 

Cool.

I was in the back of the car on the way home, looking at my new major league ball cap when the argument began.  Something about money, but I’d heard that before.  And then he said it.

“Maybe we just shouldn’t have had a kid.  Then maybe you’d be happy.  Then maybe we’d have enough money.”

Oh.  It was me.  It was me they were fighting about.  It was my new hat and my new bat.  Wait…and the tickets, too, and the hot dog…

That’s when I came up with the first rule:  “Don’t ask for anything.”

The second rule came that winter.  Mom said I could have a couple of friends spend the night.  It was so fun, we were going to stay up all night!  We got in trouble a couple of times, but then at about midnight Dad came out and said, “Get in the car.  You boys are going home.”  I complained.  “Why?”  “Because we have a nice house and we want to keep it that way,” he said.  “Apparently your friends don’t know how to behave around nice things.”

Rule #2 – “Don’t invite friends over.”

Mom and Dad argued a lot.  One day I overheard Dad call Mom a bad name.  I ran in and told him to Shut up!  And he slapped me. 

That’s when I came up with Rule #3 – “Just be quiet.”

And the rules were working.  My parents argued less, and I was feeling good about it.  For a while. 

Then my report card came in the mail.  I heard them talking about it.  Louder and louder.  Then Dad said, “Yep, marry a stupid wife, get a stupid son.” 

Mom cried.

I wrote it on a little piece of paper, Rule #4 – “Get good grades.”

And I did.  I studied all the time and got mostly A’s.  I kept my room clean.  I didn’t ask for anything, and I kept my mouth shut.  And we were happy again.

But then I let my guard down.  I ate in the living room.  And that’s why she left, I guess.  She came through the living room, took one look at me, and then started packing. 

I should’ve known better.  I should’ve tried harder. 

Oh, I worked on it.  I came up with a new rule, #5 – “Be perfect.”  But I haven’t been.  And now they’re getting a divorce. 

Five rules weren’t enough.  So now I have a new one, and it seems to be working.  They’re less upset when I keep this rule, so I do, as best I can.

It’s hard, though, when your parents are fighting, but it helps anyway. 

My Rule #6 is  – “Stop crying.”

(dougapple@wave94.com)

www.wave94.com

 

Temptation is a Lie

Temptation is a lie.  It’s always a lie.

It’s a lie that something will be good when it won’t be.

When I was a little kid back in the late 60’s, I remember hearing about teenagers on acid trips.  Sometimes they would think they could fly, then jump off balconies to their death. 

Temptation is like acid.  When under the influence of temptation, your mind is wacked. 

I read in the paper about a police officer who was arrested.  The report said that he was caught in a store dressing room, looking under the little wall at a woman in the next booth.  Now he’s lost his job, faces criminal charges, and public ridicule. 

What on earth made him think that was good idea?  Temptation.

I know a guy who has left his wife for a younger woman.  That younger woman, by the way, is no prize.  But he thinks she is.  He has left the “wife of his youth,” and his innocent little children.  He has devastated his family.  He has brought shame to himself, and as a well-known Christian man and church worker, he has made it more difficult for some to believe in God.

His mind is twisted.  His life is a wreck.  But somehow he thinks it is worth it.  He has sacrificed all of that to be with this woman.  He is deceived, and believing it to his own peril.

These examples are drastic.  They are the end result of years of little temptations, little deceptions. 

Honestly, what is your current temptation?  What boundary are you thinking about crossing?  Remember, temptation is a lie. 

Sometimes we think, “Oh, temptation.  That’s something good that God won’t let me have.” 

That’s another lie right there! 

Temptation is evil and powerful.  You never toy with it. 

I’m thinking of a young engaged couple.  They want to know how far they can go and still be O.K.  They want to know exactly where that boundary line is, so they can get as close to it as possible.

That is faulty thinking. 

Think of football, a field goal kicker.  He aims for the middle.  He never tries to see how close to the goal post he can cut it.

In life we need to aim for the center, which means lining ourselves up with what is right and what is good.

If you are feeling tempted today, stop.  Providence provides a way out, so look for it and take it.

And it will probably help to remember this:  Temptation is a lie.

dougapple@wave94.com

www.wave94.com

 

Don't Argue - Just Flip a Coin

Don’t argue about it.  Just flip a coin.

This is not a good way to solve every disagreement.  But it works wonders when both sides are basically even. 

Sometimes fighting to win costs more than losing.  The argument does more damage than the victory is worth. 

If that’s true, then why do people keep arguing?  Sometimes it is just to save face.  No one wants to back down or be defeated, so they keep fighting.

That’s where the coin toss comes in.  The decision is made, the argument is over, and life goes on, yet neither side was actually defeated.  It’s hard to take a coin toss personally.

The coin toss is a very civil way to settle disputes.  Many elections have been decided with a coin toss, which sure beats settling them with a shoot out.

Now you don’t decide your moral convictions with a coin toss.  You don’t choose right or wrong, good or evil with a coin toss.  Save your silver dollar for when both sides are equal.

Let’s say you want to go to the Football Hall of Fame on vacation, and she wants to go to an Oprah Winfrey Show.  Wait a minute.  That’s not even close to equal.

Well let’s say you want to go to Hawaii and she wants to go to Cancun.  You make your list of pro’s and con’s, but are still at an impasse.  You could argue until you’d rather go to Antarctica before you’d go on vacation with them – or you can flip a coin.

A key to the coin toss is that both parties agree to abide by its decision. 

Now kids, don’t try to flip a coin about whether to do your homework or not.  But if you want to flip a coin over whose turn it is to clear the table, fine.  Do it every night if you want.

Jesus said, “Blessed are the peacemakers…”  One simple way to keep the peace is to flip a coin.

Proverbs 18:18 says, “Casting the lot settles disputes and keeps strong opponents apart.” 

Imagine a tied football game.  They go into sudden death overtime, and the most important decision of the day will be – who gets the ball?  How do they make this crucial decision?  A coin toss.

In Acts chapter one the disciples needed a man to replace Judas.  They had two great candidates, Joseph and Matthias.  They prayed, “Lord, you know everyone’s heart.  Show us which of these two you have chosen to take over this apostolic ministry…”  Then they cast lots.

That seems like an odd way to decide such an important matter.  But don’t forget, they had already done the hard work of narrowing their decision down to just Joseph and Matthias.  But then they were stuck.  Both men were equally qualified.  Now what? 

Now just pray and flip a coin!

“Wait a minute, Doug.  That’s more gambling than godly.”

Then what do you make of Proverbs 16:33?  It says, “The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the Lord.”

I think there is a little more God in this topic than meets the eye. 

Look what else we find in Proverbs 16.  Here is a powerful statement in verse 3, “Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and your plans will succeed.”

I think if you come down to a decision between two good equals, then it is Biblical to pray, commit your plans to the Lord, then commit it to chance by casting lots or drawing straws or flipping a coin.  Of course when the Lord’s involved, it’s not really “chance” is it?

Proverbs 16:4 says, “The Lord works out everything for his own ends…”

Verse 9 says, “In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps.”

God’s hand is usually unseen, but it is moving to carry out God’s will.  And I have no reason to doubt that God moves through coin tosses.

So the next time you’re in this situation, stop fighting and start flipping.  Flip a coin and trust that God will work it all out.

dougapple@wave94.com

www.wave94.com

Your Mic Is Open

Tonight’s the big night.  Our church’s music team is making a live recording CD and DVD.  Everyone is excited, and we are expecting a full house.  Last night was the last practice, a time to tie up the loose ends, and to make sure all of the technology is going to do what it’s told. 

I’m not a singer.  I’m not in the band.  I’m one of the behind-the-scenes techno geeks.  So there we were, tucked away in our private little sky box for the video team.  And something wasn’t working right, and somebody had to be blamed.

A name is dropped.  “Somebody” gets dissed.  Then someone remembers - there is an open mic from the video booth back to the media room.  Oops.  Now they imagine that certain “somebody” back there listening, so they start speaking directly to them, telling them to get up there and fix it.  It was all rather lighthearted and harmless. 

But one of the leaders said, “We need to watch what we say.  Remember, there is always an open mic up here.”  And since I can never quite turn off the teacher within, I said, “You know, with God, there is always an open mic.”

That’ll preach.

I think we’ve all been there.  You’re saying something less than flattering about someone, and suddenly, there they are.  Oops.  And we’ve all been on the receiving end, overhearing a conversation about ourselves that was shocking and disappointing.

Just imagine that open mic.  It will help you watch your words. 

Jesus said that one day we will give an account for every idle word.

When I was a kid, I watched a lot of television.  I told my daughter the other day that back then certain things popped up in TV plots all the time, but you never hear about them anymore.  Back then people were always getting amnesia, or messing around with voodoo, or falling into quicksand.  And in the Westerns, what was it that might explode at the smallest nudge?  Nitro glycerin!

What I learned from TV about nitro glycerin is that you have to be very careful, or at the slightest bump it might blow up.  Yes, by the time I was seven I knew how to handle “nitro.” 

Well, our tongue is sort of like nitro.  It could go off at any moment. 

But the tongue can also do great things.  It is the rudder of your ship.  Whichever way you steer your tongue, that’s the direction your life will go.

We all need to work on this, speak more uplifting, positive words, building up those around us, “imparting grace to the hearer.” 

Remember, we always reap what we sow when it comes to the words we speak, so be careful – your mic is open.

dougapple@wave94.com

www.wave94.com

 

Last Year's Resolution - I Did It!

I’ve been on the Daniel Fast for one year now.

What is the Daniel Fast?

For me it means:

--Drink only water

--Eat no meat

--Eat no bread

--Eat no sweets

--Eat nothing fried.

Yesterday a friend at church asked me, “As you look back over the year, what do you think you’ve learned from this fast?”

I’ll get to that, but first let’s go back to the beginning.  In January 2007 our church announced a Daniel Fast for the first three weeks of the year, and I decided to do it.

For the first 2 ½ days I had a strange headache.  I am not prone to headaches, and I’ve never had a headache that lasted from one day into the next.  It wasn’t terrible, just a dull pain.  I guess my body was detoxing from, what? Sugar?  Caffeine?  I don’t know.

Then the headache went away, and I’ve not had a headache since.  Sometimes I used to get headaches in the afternoon, which I chalked up to too much time in front of a computer.  But since I went on the Daniel Fast I have had no such headaches. 

Sometime during the first few days I felt like I should take it to another level, to Daniel Fast all year. 

“Wow,” some people said, “You sure have a lot of self discipline.”  No, not really.  I believe God called me to do it, then He empowered me to do it.  It was not hard at all.

I must say, in the beginning I spent a lot of time hungry.  I had cut a lot out of my diet, but didn’t have enough to replace it. 

I came across this little phrase from Hemingway, “the discipline of hunger.”  He said his thinking was sharper and his writing better when he was hungry.

I thought of Ben Franklin’s maxim, “Eat not to dullness.”  Too much eating dulls our brain, while controlled hunger sharpens it.

Jesus said we must deny ourselves.  Our pastor said, “We are sacrificing the things that are pleasant in this world...”

Sometimes we look up and say, “God, please work in my life.”  But then we are unwilling to deny ourselves a single thing.

It was five months into the fast when I realized the greatest effect it had on me.  At that time I wrote this:  “My thoughts are more under control.  There is less impulsive thinking.  More peace.  I am more settled in my mind.  More faith.”

The thing that really hit me was, “There is less impulsive thinking.” 

Now let me say, I was never one to be hooked on a certain food or drink.  I know people who always have a soda to sip on, or coffee, or their daily ration of chocolate.  Not me.  I was chained to nothing.  Or was I?

Even though it was not one certain thing, I realized that many times each day I would impulsively grab something to eat or drink.  My mind would suddenly flash the message, “Oh, I need a Coke.”  “Oh, I need a cup of coffee.”  “Wow, you know what I could really use right now?  A burger and fries!”  After every meal I impulsively reached for something sweet. 

I had no idea how often I was interrupted by thoughts of food and drink.  It was a stunning realization.  I was not overweight.  I’ve never been on a diet in my life.  And yet in certain ways food had a controlling effect on me.  My brain would flash the message, “I gotta have it,” and I would jump to obey.

When I talk about the Daniel Fast, most people look at it like a good diet plan.  Yes, it can be that, but I encourage everyone who does it to ignore the health benefits and focus on the spiritual benefits. 

Paul told Timothy, “…bodily exercise profiteth little, but godliness is profitable unto all things…”  Why focus on that which “profiteth little?”  Godliness profits in every way, including in physical health.

Now after a year of the Daniel Fast I feel more disciplined and self controlled.  I feel closer to God, and less prone to give in to impulsive thinking, both in food and other ways. 

So I highly recommend the Daniel Fast.  But if that’s not for you, I still encourage you to find something you can deny yourself in this coming year.  If you can’t do it for yourself, then offer it up as a sacrifice to God.

dougapple@wave94.com

www.wave94.com