You Can't Go Around Kicking People's Cars - Apples of Gold - June 15, 2009 -vi-

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Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for June 15, 2009

“You Can’t Go Around Kicking People’s Cars”

 

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

I now had the wallet of a real man.

It was thick with cash, pictures, and a brand new driver’s license.

And soon my back jeans pocket would have that cool faded wallet outline.

But for now it was all new.  Yes, another kid was taking over the streets of America.

One sunny afternoon, after school, I didn’t have to be at work until 4.  That left just enough time for a quick cruise up and down Main Street, you know, to see what was going on in the world.  And to be seen.

I made my final turn and headed west.  Now that I had a wallet full of cash I could eat taco chips whenever I felt like it. 

So there I was, enjoying some after-school/before-work peace – and driving into the sun.

Now nothing bad happened, so don’t get ahead of me here.

But I was just a little slow to see the light turn yellow.  Oh, I saw it.  And I stopped.  But I did eek a foot or two out into the crosswalk.

I didn’t block the entire crosswalk.  I didn’t screech into the intersection.  I was just barely out there.  No big deal, right?

So there I sat, thinking nothing of it.  Just enjoying the best music the AM dial had to offer.

Then suddenly something hit my car.  It knocked me out of my late afternoon haze.

I looked up to see an old man – a skinny old man with leathery skin and pointy cowboy boots.

And he had kicked my car!

I was stunned.

He codgered on by in front of my car.

A primal part of me wanted to jump out and confront him right there in the intersection.

Why did he do that?  Was I in his way?

I looked and confirmed that, yes, I was barely out in the crosswalk.

I looked back and confirmed that, yes, he was quite old and apparently quite cantankerous.

The light turned green and I decided to drive on.  But my emotions were roiling.

Later I checked the car and saw no damage.  How did he kick the car and not leave a mark?

I thought of some of the guys in my high school who were more into their cars than I was.  Some of them had worked hard and spent a lot of money to turn them into hot rods.   

What if that old man would’ve kicked one of their cars?  I know a couple of them who probably would have decked him.

That was many years ago, but I still wonder, “Why did he do that?”

I mean, think about it.  Can you imagine just kicking some random car on the street?  Sounds like a good way to get shot.

I finally concluded that he was just one of those old men who had thrown caution to the wind.  He was old now, and he didn’t care what anyone thought or what anyone said.  He was tired of holding back and, by golly, if he felt like making a statement he was going make it.

Have you ever run into an old person like that?  They are done with formalities and daintyisms.  “Too old,” they say.  “Too old to put up with it.”

I guess that’s why Paul wrote this is Titus 2:2 – “Teach the older men to be temperate…”

Temperate.  Restrained.  Exercising self-restraint.

In other words, you can’t just do whatever you feel like because you are old.  You can’t just let it all hang out and say whatever you want.

You can’t quit restraining yourself just because you’ve been doing it for a long time.

Christian old men – you can’t cuss.  You can’t tell risqué jokes.  You can’t ogle the girls.  You can’t give in to your temper.  You can’t watch trashy TV and fill your mind with garbage.  And you can’t go around kicking people’s cars just because you are old.

Self restraint is for men of all ages.

But it’s a practice that older men need to make sure they continue as the years go by.

That’s why Paul made a special point of it in his letter to Titus.

“Teach the older men to be temperate…”


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-

Opportunities Come By Being There - Apples of Gold - June 12, 2009 -vi-

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Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for June 12, 2009

“Opportunities Come By Being There”

 

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

Wouldn’t it be cool to be a TV cameraman for the NFL?

“How do you get a job like that?” I asked.

“By just being there,” he said.  And he should know.  He’s in the biz.

“Just being there?”

“Yes, by just being around, by volunteering, helping out, doing whatever needs to be done.”

Now stop and look at that phrase he used:  “being there.”

It makes sense to me.  I can easily picture an ambitious young man just hanging around, helping out in any way he can.  Then suddenly a slot opens up and they turn to the young man who’s there anyway, who they already know, and they say, “Hey, kid, here’s your chance.”

There’s a kid like that in our church.  Benjamin.  His mom works at the church so he is there all the time.  And he’s always hanging around the media equipment…the sound boards, the cameras, the computers. 

He has no formal training.  After all, he’s in elementary school.  But he has had great opportunities for learning just by being there. 

And he also has great opportunities for ministry just by being there.  For example, he ministered to me last weekend.

I had this photo slide show which I created for my son’s wedding, but I wasn’t sure how to make it play through the system.  Well I looked down and guess who was there.  Benjamin.  And with his help we got it to play – which was a real blessing. 

See how this works?  By being there, Benjamin was able to jump in when the opportunity arose to help me.

As you can tell, this whole idea of “being there” has really struck me.

Now notice this connection.  “Being there” is closely connected with this word:  opportunity.

Opportunities come by being there.

And for us as Christians, let me say it this way.  Opportunities for ministry come by being there.

A great example of this is in the story of the Good Samaritan.  In Luke 10 we read about loving our neighbor.  Then someone asked Jesus, “Well who is my neighbor?”

Jesus answered with the story of a crime victim who was beat up and left for dead.  First one religious leader, then another, stumbled upon the crime scene and decided to not get involved.  Then came a man who was not a religious leader, but who decided to “be there” for the crime victim.  He saw the man’s needs, and he met them.

So listen to this.  The Good Samaritan came across a great opportunity to minister just be being there.

Last night I was playing tennis with a young man and he said, “You surprised me.  I never really thought of you as athletic, I guess because you never really play sports.” 

I said, “Well, I made a decision a long time ago that it was more important for me to be there for my wife and kids.  So instead of being gone all the time playing games, I spent that time at home, being there for my family.”

And let me tell you, opportunities come by being there.  And in my family’s case that meant opportunities for conversation about everything in life, teaching opportunities, opportunities to share our faith and love and dreams and even just lots of fun.  Tons of opportunities, and they can only come by being there.

Now think of a daddy walking out on his family.  Just before he gets in the car he looks at his little girl and says, “It’s okay honey.  I will be here for you.”

What?  You can’t be there and not be there.  Either you are there or you aren’t.

And if you aren’t there, you will lose out on all the opportunities that only come by being there.

Now get this.  It works the other way, too.  There’s a teen summit in Tallahassee this weekend, focusing on the violent crimes of young people.  Well I would guess that most of those young people got in trouble by just being there, in the wrong place.  Opportunity arose for mischief and even crime, and they were there.

First Corinthians 15:33 says, “Bad company corrupts good character.”

Someone is going to be there for our young people.  And opportunities will arise to influence them.  And if those people are bad influences, then our young people will be corrupted.

We can change that, but we have to be there to do it.  Opportunities will come to influence them, but only to those who are there.

So do you want to minister to someone?  Do you want to make a real impact on lives? 

Then be there.  Be around them.  Spend time with them. 

Jesus said to love our neighbor, and the opportunities to do that come by being there.


Comments?

E-mail me:  dougapple@wave94.com.

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


© 2009 The Arrow’s Tip 
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 Are Your Supply Lines? - Apples of Gold - June 11, 2009 -vi-

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Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for June 11, 2009

“How Are Your Supply Lines?”

 

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

The owner of the radio station sells books, and now my daughter is helping ship them.

We ship them in a special box, and I asked her the other day if we still had plenty of them.

She didn’t know.

Okay, so what will happen when she runs out?

Well the shipping of books will come to a screeching halt while we wait for the new supply of boxes to arrive.

This is just a tiny example of the importance of supply lines.

Have you ever walked into a store with a certain product in mind only to find the shelf empty?  That means the supply line was broken somewhere.

And it really doesn’t matter where it was broken.  It could be that the factory workers went on strike.  It could be that the truck broke down.  Or it could be that the back of the store is full of them but the workers haven’t brought them out yet.

If you think about it, it’s amazing it doesn’t happen more often because there are so many places a supply line can break down

Now it’s not that big of a deal when you have to buy generic yogurt instead of Dannon. 

But what happens when a soldier runs out of ammunition?  Or gas?  Or food?

I remember reading about Germany’s supply line in World War II when they invaded Russia.  The country was so big and the climate so bad that the Germans just couldn’t maintain the supply line.

Now get this.  There are also supply lines in our spiritual life.  And we must tend to them because believe me, there is an enemy trying to break them.

Over the years I have seen many broken spiritual supply lines.  These people end up dropping out of church, or their church attendance is sketchy.  They don’t go to prayer meetings or Bible studies.  They are more interested in J-Lo than Jesus. 

But they are Christians.  They are saved.  Deep down they really do want to walk with God, but here’s the problem.  Their supply lines. 

If you don’t maintain strong supply lines, you will be a weak Christian.  You will struggle along with little or no victory because you just can’t do it without the supplies.

Jesus taught about this in John 15.  Jesus is our supplier.  We can accomplish everything God destined us to accomplish as long as we stay connected to Jesus.  But apart from Him we can do nothing.

So here is what we need.  We need proper supply lines in order to receive what Jesus will supply.

Listen to this phrase Jesus used in John 15:7 – “If…my words remain in you…” 

So this is one thing we need a supply line for – the word of the Lord. 

This is an absolutely critical supply line!  And now let me tell you how this works in my life.

First of all, my core supply line of the Word of God comes through Bible memorization.  I usually memorize one new verse each weekday.  This gives me an abundant supply of the Word – to meditate on it, to live it, and to watch it come alive in my life.

Second, I do a lot of Bible reading and Bible study.  The Word of God is truly a foundation in my life.  To me it is a supply line that I can’t live without.

Third, I listen to a lot of Bible teaching, with Christian radio being the biggest source, followed by the internet.

And fourth, I attend church services faithfully. 

Now that may sound really weird that church comes in fourth, but think about it.  We only have church services twice a week, and many churches only once.  If that’s all the Word you’re receiving, then your supply line is thin.

Jesus said His words must remain in us, and the way to do that is by having healthy supply lines of the Word into our life.

There are many other supply lines we could look it.  I think prayer is an important supply line.  Fellowship with other believers.  Teaming up with other Christians for good deeds.  Having what we need to love our neighbor.  Providing for evangelism.  There’s even a supply line of giving, as odd as that may sound.

So this is your call today, to examine your spiritual supply lines.  Are you receiving from the Lord all that He has for you, or are your supply lines inefficient or even broken?

Remember what Jesus said.  Apart from Him we can do nothing. 

We desperately need the Lord at all times, in all ways.

So let’s do all we can to open wide those spiritual supply lines.


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-

Impact the World for Christ Today - Apples of Gold - June 10, 2009 -vi-

To listen to the radio version, click here.

 

To search archives, click here.

Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for June 10, 2009

“Impact the World for Christ Today”

 

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

Impact.

That’s the word that’s guiding me these days.

I want to impact the world for Christ.

Here is how I picture that word impact.

Imagine the world like a big bowling ball rolling very slowly in a straight line.

And now here’s little old me.  What can I do?

Well here’s how I picture it.  It’s like taking a little BB and pinging it off the bowling ball.

Now a BB is nothing compared to a bowling ball.  But the impact of one BB has the ability to change the course of the bowling ball ever so slightly.

Right now I’m helping redesign the website for the Christian television program “Wisdom for Winning.”  Each full program is on the website, but now remember, I’m thinking of the word impact.

The way the website is right now, the only way a person can be impacted is by watching the full-version of the program. 

But when someone comes to the website, they may not want to watch the full version.  Or they might start to watch it and not make it past the introduction.  There are powerful points in each show, but if they never get to them, we will make no impact. 

So with this word impact in mind, here is what we are doing.  We are pulling out little highlights from the show, short video clips of the most powerful points.  Plus we are typing out the text of these “Points of Impact,” which is what we are calling them.  Do you like that?  “Points of Impact.”

The goal is that when someone comes to the website, even if they only look at the home page and go no further, there will be some Points of Impact right there – little BBs that are changing the course of the world, even if just a little.

Okay, now that’s all good – as far as it goes.  But what if people don’t come to our website?  Our content can have no impact if no one comes to the website.

So our next goal is to pick the very best content and put it on a popular website like YouTube.   People are constantly searching and clicking and passing the time by watching videos on YouTube.  Well if they search for a topic we have addressed on the program, this is our chance to make an impact.  We already have the content.  It’s just a matter of going that extra step by posting it on YouTube.

And what’s the point?  The point is to make an impact on this world for Christ. 

I want to toss my little BBs and keep tossing them.  I want to change the course of the world.  I want to move that big bowling ball just a little bit more in the direction of our Lord and Savior.

Now think about this.  What are the little BBs I’m tossing?  I think of the BBs as “God’s truth.” 

This old sinful world is rolling toward deception and darkness and wickedness.  We want to steer it toward truth and light and righteousness.  And what is the agent of change that will get it there?  God’s truth.

And that includes God’s truth about everything, from salvation to family life to government. 

God’s truth brings freedom, like Jesus said in John 8:32 – “Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

We know the truth through God’s word.  John 17:17 says, “…Your word is truth.”

God’s word brings light.  Psalm 119:105 says, “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.”

So this is what we do.  We use God’s truth to make an impact on the world. 

I heard a guy the other day criticizing Christian media.  He said it was preaching to the choir, and was having no impact on the world.

But Christian media does have an impact.  I heard from a lady in Miami the other day.  A friend of hers is in a local prison – and he listens to this radio station!  God’s truth is coming through this radio station into that prison, and the world steers just a little more toward Christ because of it.

So think about this word “impact” today. 

How can you impact the world for Christ?

It may not seem like a big impact, but let me tell you, a bunch of little impacts will add up.

So make an impact on your little corner of the world today.  Shine the light of God’s truth in all situations and impact the world just a little more in the direction of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.


Comments?

E-mail me:  dougapple@wave94.com.

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


© 2009 The Arrow’s Tip 
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-

You Can't Make Wrong Choices and Get Right Results - Apples of Gold - June 9, 2009 -vi-

To listen to the radio version, click here.

 

To search archives, click here.

Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for June 9, 2009

“You Can’t Make Wrong Choices and Get Right Results”

 

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

I invest a lot in my decisions, then I stick to them.

For example, I’ve known guys who married the first cute girl that came along, but then left them when someone “better” came along.

But before I married I really thought through what I wanted in a wife, and that’s what I got.  And she and I will be together, ‘til death do us part.

When I buy a car, my plan is to buy the best car I can, then drive it for years to come.

I do the same with computers and cameras and cell phones.  I do the research.  I invest a lot in the choice ahead of time so I don’t have to rethink it five minutes later because it’s not working out.

I had a nice talk with my niece yesterday about the choices she’s making in her life.  I said, “You have to think about what kind of life you’d like to have, then you have to make the choices now that will get you there.”

So many young people have great ideas for their future, but they don’t make choices that will get them there.  Their choices are made from the hip.  They fly by the seat of their pants from moment to moment and hope that will get them where they want to go.

But if you want to end up somewhere good, you have to invest in your choices.

In Luke 6, Jesus described the kind of life most of us want.  It’s the kind of life that, even in the toughest times, is not shaken.  It is a life that is “well built.”

Do you want a “well built” life?  I know I do.  And we can have it – if we invest in our choices now.

And Jesus tells us how to do that in three steps.  Here are three things we should do to invest in the big choices of life:

Come to Jesus.
Hear His words.
Put them into practice.

Like I told my niece last night, the first thing you need to do about your life choices is pray about them. 

And now listen to this.  Some people equate praying about something with hoping for it or wishing for it, but that’s not the same. 

When we pray about something, we literally come to God with it.  We bring it before the Lord in humble submission. 

That is the first investment we make in our choices.  We invest the time and energy to bring them before the Lord in prayer.

Hebrews 11:6 says “…anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him.”

In my life, I earnestly seek the Lord by being consistent in prayer, by staying in the Word and memorizing Scripture, by doing the Daniel fast, and by drawing near to Him during our church worship services.

So that’s the first step in investing in our choices – bringing them to Jesus.

The second step is hearing His words.  Well how on earth do we do that?

First of all, by reading the Bible.  Jesus’ words are recorded there.  A very wise investment in our choices comes by reading the words of Jesus in the Bible.

Second, the Holy Spirit will teach us the words of Jesus.  In John 14:26 Jesus said, “…the Holy Spirit…will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.”

And third, God has given us teachers to fill us with knowledge and the fullness of Christ, as it says in Ephesians chapter 4.

So what does Jesus have to say about our choices?  We find out through the Bible, through the Holy Spirit, and through wise Christian teachers.

And the last step in investing in our choices is actually putting the words of Jesus into practice.  It’s not enough to draw near to God and hear His word.  We then have to do it.

But when we do, what a reward!

Back to Luke 6.  Jesus said, “I will show you what he is like who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into practice.  He is like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock.  When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built.”

Do you want your life to be well built?  Then you can’t just do whatever you feel like.  You can’t make wrong choices and end up with right results.

Instead, we need to make right choices, and we do that by investing in those choices.

So before we make big choices in life, we need to invest in them by doing these three things.

We come to Jesus.

We hear His words.

We put them into practice.


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-

Always Something to Celebrate and Something to Work On - Apples of Gold - June 4, 2009 -vi-

To listen to the radio version, click here.

 

To search archives, click here.

Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for June 4, 2009

“Always Something to Celebrate and Something to Work On”

 

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

Here is a little illustration that has really helped me out.

Rick Warren said that he used to see life as a series of peaks and valleys.  Things were up, then things were down; good times and bad times.

But there is a problem with that.  First of all, it makes the bad times really depressing.  Yes, there might be light at the end of the tunnel, but right now things are terrible.

Then life suddenly peaks.  Ah, the good times!  Better enjoy them now, because oh boy, here comes another valley.

That’s the way Rick Warren used to see life.  But now, he says, “I’ve come to see that life is like a set of railroad tracks, with good times and bad times running parallel with each other.”

For example, at the same time Warren was enjoying incredible success with his book “The Purpose Driven Life,” his wife was diagnosed with cancer.

It reminds me of the book “Three Weeks With My Brother” by Nicholas Sparks.  As an author, Sparks has enjoyed amazing success.  Yet so many of his public successes were paralleled with private tragedies.

I don’t know, it just cleared something up for me to see life as the two parallel tracks.  It’s never really one or the other.  It’s both.

For example, you can never say, “It’s a terrible day.”  Even our worst days have the other track.

But now let me take this a step further.  I like the railroad track idea, but I don’t like the idea of the tracks being called “good times” and “bad times.” 

It sounds so passive, like “Here I am, going down the tracks, good times and bad times.”

So I came up with a phrase I like better, and it goes like this.  “There is always something to celebrate and something to work on.”

Saturday my son is getting married.  It will be a joyous occasion celebrated by a crowd of family and friends.  But it will also be a lot of work, a day filled with details.

And you know how things go.  What if some of those details don’t come together just right?  What if someone spills coffee on the wedding dress?  What if the electricity goes out?  Will it turn a good day into a bad day?

No.  The celebration is still the same.  That’s on a track of its own, and we can’t lose sight of that.  But over on the other track there is always something to work on.

Like I said, this way of thinking helps me.  I know I can still celebrate the things worth celebrating, while at the same time working on the things that need work.

I see these parallel tracks in the book of Philippians.  For example, in Philippians 4:4 Paul writes, “Rejoice in the Lord always.  I will say it again:  Rejoice!”

That’s one track, the celebration track.  We are to rejoice in the Lord always.

But then look at Philippians 2:12.  It tells us to work out our salvation with fear and trembling. 

Those don’t seem to go together – rejoicing on one track, and work on the other, with fear and trembling.

But now let me throw in another word found often in the book of Philippians:  Contentment.  In Philippians 4:11 Paul wrote, “…I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.”  He brings it up again in three other verses – contentment.

That’s how I view the middle ground between the two tracks.  There is always something to celebrate and always something to work on.  When we keep those in balance, we end up with contentment.

“But Doug, you don’t know what I’m going through.  It really is a valley of bad times.”

Again, let’s turn to Philippians.  Paul went through plenty of valleys, yet he is the one who said “Rejoice in the Lord always.”  And he is the one who said he was always content.  How did he do it?

The answer is in Philippians 4:13 – I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.

So you can do this!  When something bad happens, just look at it like “this is something to work on.”  And it’s not you alone.  It’s you and Christ who gives you strength.

I hope this way of thinking helps you as it helped me.  It’s just looking at life through a different lens.

And it’s especially helpful when things get tough.  It’s good to know that you aren’t just stuck in some dark valley where everything is bleak. 

Like Rick Warren said, life is not good times then bad times.  The two run along together like a railroad track.

And it’s not something we passively have to sit back and let happen.  We can jump in and do something.

So here’s that little phrase one more time.  It goes like this:

There’s always something to celebrate, and something to work on.

 
Comments?

E-mail me:  dougapple@wave94.com.

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

The Rick Warren story can be found in the book “How to Be Like Coach” by Pat Williams and David Wimbish.

© 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 Workman of the Word - Apples of Gold - June 2, 2009 -vi-

To listen to the radio version, click here.

 

To search archives, click here.

Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for June 2, 2009

“A Workman of the Word”

 

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

“Do you see a man skilled in his work?”

I love that line from Proverbs 22:29.  Just a simple question:  Do you see a man skilled in his work?

Isn’t it great to watch a skilled workman?

In baseball I like to watch Albert Pujols of the St. Louis Cardinals.  He is a true workman, especially at the plate.

I even like the word “workman.”  It makes me think of someone who really works hard at his craft, to master it.

Now let me ask you this.  Do you think someone needs to tell the workman to sharpen his skills?  Do you think someone needs to come along behind Albert Pujols and push him along?  “Come on, Albert, please – you’ve got to get up and lift some weights.  Please take some batting practice.  Please?”

No.  A real workman needs no pushing. 

Push him?  You can’t even catch him.

Now think about the attributes of a workman.

A workman is focused.  He doesn’t dabble in every little thing that comes along.  Albert doesn’t blow his winters playing basketball or hanging out on some beach.  He is focused on his work – the work of being the best baseball player he can be.

A workman always improves.  He is never satisfied, never rests on his laurels.  He sees that it can be done better and he strives to do it.

A workman is always learning.  He plumbs the depths, filling his mind with all there is to know about his field.

A workman doesn’t do it for the money.  Oh, he probably makes money, and more all the time as he improves.  But the money is not his motivation.  People who are motivated by money alone will not keep up with the workman.  The workman is driven from within.  There is something inside him that makes him get up and go and push and push and push.

A workman doesn’t clock out.  Some people want to leave work behind and move on to more interesting things.  Not the workman.  His work is the most interesting thing.  He doesn’t leave it behind because it’s a big chunk of who he is.  A workman doesn’t say, “I don’t want to talk about work right now.”  He’s always ready to talk about it because he loves it. 

He is the workman.

Okay, so what’s all this about the workman?  It sounds like I’m promoting workaholics or something.

Well I got the word from Second Timothy 2:15.  It says, “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.”

Paul told Timothy to be a workman.

And I hear that echoing down to me today.  “Doug, be a workman – a workman of the Word.”

In the King James that verse says, “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”

I want to study.  I want to rightly divide – to correctly handle – the word of truth.

I want to be a Workman of The Word.

Now go back to those attributes of a workman.

A Workman of The Word is focused.  He doesn’t dabble in every little theology that comes along.  It’s not The Word today and the Oprah Book Club tomorrow.  No, he is focused on the Word of God.

A Workman of The Word always improves.  He never says, “Well, I’ve got this Christian thing down.”  Instead, he never stops putting the Word of God into practice more and more.

A Workman of the Word is always learning.  He plumbs the depths of Scripture.  He fills His mind more and more with the Word of the Living God.

A Workman of the Word doesn’t do it for the money.  Oh, he may earn his living in the ministry, but that money is not his motivation.  He is driven by a deep passion for God and His Word.  Something inside him drives him repeatedly back into the depths of Scripture.

A Workman of the Word doesn’t clock out.  Some people toss the Bible up on the shelf and move on to more interesting things.  Not the Workman of The Word.  To him the Word is the most interesting thing.  It’s a big chunk of who he is.  He never says, “I don’t want to talk about the Word right now.”  He’s always ready to talk about it because he loves it.

He is the Workman of the Word.

Do you know anyone like that?  Then let them know that you noticed.  Tell them, “Thank you for being a Workman of the Word.”

Or maybe this is your call today.  Maybe something is stirring deep within you.  Something is saying, “That’s what I want.  That’s what I need.”

Then go for it!  Follow that drive. 

It’s time for you to be the next Workman of the Word.

 
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 Deal With Sins That Beset Us - Apples of Gold - June 1, 2009 -vi-

To listen to the radio version, click here.

 

To search archives, click here.

Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for June 1, 2009

“How to Deal With Sins That Beset Us”

 

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

I was a skinny freshman in P.E.

We were playing flag football, and I was a defensive back.

Jeff was an upperclassman on the other team.  He played no sports, but somehow he ended up with the ball.

He didn’t have any moves, but somehow he broke from the pack and came barreling down the sideline.

He was just a big ol’ farm boy.  Look at those flags, big as life, just waiting for me to reach out and snag one.

As I expected, he didn’t try any juke and jive.  He just kept running in a straight line.  Easy pickin’s. 

So I glided on over, ready to simply snatch the flag of this helpless ball carrier. 

The next thing I knew I was flying through the air and smashing to the ground.

And there was Jeff in the end zone, with both flags untouched.

Honestly, I was so focused on his flag that I don’t really know what happened.  But I must have been on the receiving end of a good old fashioned “stiff arm.”

Now I’m not even sure if a stiff arm is legal in flag football, but it sure was effective. 

Jeff didn’t need any fancy moves.  Once he broke from the pack he just made a beeline for the end zone.  He knew exactly where he wanted to go and he went straight for it. 

I was the only thing that stood in his way, but he sure didn’t stop to think about me.  He didn’t alter his course.  He didn’t try any fancy footwork.  I can still see him charging down that sideline, standing almost upright as he ran.

I think about that every time I read Hebrews 12:1 which says, “…let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us…”

Have you ever heard of “besetting sins”?  These are sins that constantly badger you and annoy you.  They knock you back and keep you from growing in the Lord.

Well Hebrews 12:1 says to lay them aside – kind of like I got laid aside in flag football!

See, you don’t dance around with sin.  You don’t try to juke and jive, because when you do that, it will get you.

And you don’t slow down to try to deal with sin.  You don’t want to deal with it, you want to knock it out!

Now let’s look at two things Jeff did that helped him score.  First of all, he fixed his eyes on his goal.  He headed straight for the end zone and he did not change course.

And that’s what we have to do as Christians.  Hebrews 12:2 tells us to fix our eyes on Jesus.  Elsewhere the Bible tells us to set our minds on things above, not on earthly things.

We run straight toward God with all of our might.  We want to grow in Him, to know Him, to love Him and obey Him.  Our eyes are fixed on the Lord.  We run towards Him with all of our strength.

See, a lot of our problems come in when we aren’t running for all we are worth, and we aren’t focused on the goal.  We slow down, we dilly-dally.  We lose focus. 

Then when sin comes up to beset us, it does.  We may try to stiff arm it, but a stiff arm is weak without momentum.  We have to be barreling toward Jesus if we want to stiff arm sin.

I’ve seen so many Christians get waylaid by sin.  On the outside it may look like it struck out of the blue, but I think it started when they lost their momentum.  They lost their passion for Jesus.  They took their eyes off Him and starting looking elsewhere.  They lost sight of the goal.

I often use this phrase “the relentless pursuit of God.”  I love that word, “relentless.” 

If we are relentless in our pursuit of God, then sin will have little power to beset us.  We will have so much momentum built up towards God that when sin comes along we can easily lay it out with a quick stiff arm.

It’s saying, “Sin, I’m not falling for that.  I’m not toying with you or dancing with you.  I’m not even thinking about you.  My eyes are fixed on Jesus, I’m barreling toward that goal, and now I’m going to flick you out of my way.  You have no power here.”

So is there a besetting sin or two that has haunted you?  Have you tried to deal with it to no avail?

Then it’s time to simply pick up a good head of steam.  Fix your eyes on Jesus and run toward Him!  Don’t focus on the sin, but on the Savior!  Run straight toward Him.  Be relentless.

And when sin tries to beset you, don’t stop and dance with it.  Don’t even look at it.  Keep your eyes on Jesus and stiff arm that besetting sin as you run right past it. 

Do that every time temptation pops up, and soon you will have so much momentum that that sin won’t even get your attention.

We are to lay aside every sin that so easily besets us, and we can do that by fixing our eyes on Jesus and running towards Him with all of our might!

 
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-

It Will Come to You, Layer by Layer - Apples of Gold - May 29, 2009 -vi-

To listen to the radio version, click here.

 

To search archives, click here.

Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for May 29, 2009

“It Will Come to You, Layer by Layer”

 

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

In the early days of the internet there were very few pictures.  The files were just too big and took too long to download due to slow internet speeds.

So as a web site designer, if I wanted to include a picture, I chose between two ways that it would load on your screen.  Either it would load up the full detail line by line, or it would load up a very faint version of the whole picture, then fill in the detail layer by layer.

Some of you remember those days.  A picture would pop up on your screen.  It would be full size, but you could barely make it out.  Then it was like a magic wand passed over it, and it became a little clearer.  Then after a few more passes you finally got the whole picture.

That’s the way my brain feels sometimes.  For example, when I decided to learn the computer program called Flash.  I bought it and installed it on my computer – so far, so good.

I opened it…and just stared at it.  I poked a button or two, but there was nothing intuitive about it, at least not to me.

Now you might think that I had accomplished nothing so far, a complete waste of time.  But that’s not true.  I had simply filled in the first very faint layer of the picture.

I bought a book about Flash and just stared at it.  Even with the author’s help I was very frustrated.  It was just so hard to do anything. 

After a while I just closed the book.  My brain hurt. 

Then I looked at some help files.  And I took a video tutorial.  And I started tinkering.

And here is what happened.  Layer by layer the picture began to clear up in my brain.  I went from a total fog to actually being able to create some simple Flash projects.

I remember when I had to create a new charting system for our radio station.  I decided to use Microsoft Access, but knew nothing about it.

My family was going on a ski trip, and I decided to lock myself in our room at the lodge, and while everyone else was skiing I plowed into Access.  Periodically I had to step away from the computer – you know, to keep from hurling it out the window. 

But by the second afternoon I had it worked out.  The picture in my brain went from all fuzz to fairly clear.

You see, that’s how we learn things, one layer at a time.

Isaiah 28:13 says it this way, “…precept upon precept, line upon line…”

Here’s my point.  It’s helpful to know this.  It keeps you from getting discouraged.

When you start anything new, the picture is messy.  Sometimes you can’t even tell which end is up. 

When you start a new job, you don’t even know where the bathroom is.  When you get married, you have to learn to share the bathroom.  When you have kids, you have to deal with them going to the bathroom in their…never mind.

But it will come to you!  The fog will clear.  You will learn, one layer at a time, so don’t give up!

I call it “layers of knowledge.”

It’s like the encyclopedia set we had when I was a kid.  There was a section on the human body.  It was printed on clear plastic sheets, and the first layer showed the skeletal system.  Then you would lay the next sheet over it and it showed the circulatory system and the nervous system.  As you turned the pages you added layers – the organs, the muscles, and finally the skin.

Layers of knowledge.

And that’s how we grow spiritually.  Maybe this whole Christian thing is foggy to you.  Maybe it’s hard to grasp. 

Well don’t get discouraged!  Just realize, this is how these things work. 

Can you learn to be good in business?  Yes! – layer by layer.

This is how everything works.  You start by knowing nothing, and then you pick up one faint layer.  It may not seem like much, but it’s progress.

Then you pick up another layer, and another.  And soon the picture starts to fill in.

So don’t give up! 

Instead, dig in.  You can do this!

And it will come to you just like everything else – line upon line and precept upon precept.


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-

God Will Speak To You When You Pray - Apples of Gold - May 28, 2009 -vi-

To listen to the radio version, click here.

 

To search archives, click here.

Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for May 28, 2009

“God Will Speak To You When You Pray”

 

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

I believe that God will speak to you when you pray.

I’m not saying He will speak to you every time you pray, but as you draw near to God and He draws near to you, I believe there will be times when He suddenly drops something into your mind.

Jesus said, “Seek and you will find,” and I believe that as we seek God, and seek to hear from God, we will find.

Now let me share with you my experiences.  There have been a few times when I was praying and I believe God dropped a specific message into my mind. 

And listen to this.  The message usually had nothing to do with what I was praying about at the time.

Our son is getting married next week, so my wife and I have been reminiscing about the days before our own marriage. 

About six weeks before we were married, I was in prayer one day, and I believe the Lord revealed to me that it was time to quit my secular radio job and apply at Christian radio stations.  So that’s what I did.

I gave my employer six weeks notice and sent out resumes to every Christian radio station in the state.  And I prayed, “Lord, please let only one offer me a job – the very job You want me to have.”

See, I knew that I might choose the job that paid the most, or was the most prestigious, or the most strategic for my career.  But what I really wanted was to have the exact best job according to God’s wisdom, not mine.

So there I was, getting married in six weeks, and quitting my job.  I bounced it off my pastor and he was hesitant.  He read my cover letter to the radio stations and said, “You sound like a ‘charismaniac.’”

But I was simply doing what I believe God led me to do in prayer one day.

I know the pastor didn’t think it was wise.  Hey, I don’t even think it was wise, not in the general sense.  But in this case I fully believed that it was the Lord’s leading, so I did it.

And I received one full-time job offer, and we spent our honeymoon moving to a place where we didn’t know a soul.  And we stayed there almost 20 years, enjoying the blessings of the Lord.

A few years after that I was part of a daily prayer meeting at church, where the men gathered each day before work.  One day while I was praying for something completely unrelated, I believe the Lord dropped this in my mind:  “Are you going to send your children to the lion’s den?”

I understood clearly that that was my cue to look into Christian education for my children.  We ended up sending our children to the local Christian school and became deeply involved in that ministry for many years.  And it all went back to that day in prayer.

One of the scariest messages I ever received in prayer was the day the Lord told me to leave that church.  And it was while I was right there in the church praying! 

I did not obey.  I thought, “No way.  This little church needs our family.  I’m on the board.  Money is tight.  Our friends are here.  No.  I don’t know where that thought came from, but it wasn’t God.”

A few days later I was in prayer and telling the Lord that I wanted to do whatever He wanted me to do and it was like He said, “You didn’t do the last thing I told you to do.”

“What was that?”

“I told you to leave this church.”

I can still feel that churning in my gut at the thought of it.  But I really believe it was the Lord.  So I began making the moves to leave that church and find a new one.

One day I was in prayer and suddenly, out of the blue, this message popped into my head:  “Write and be creative.”  It was that message that led to the creation of Apples of Gold.

One day as a Sunday School teacher I was praying, “Lord, give me a message for the people.”  It was a prayer I had prayed many times.  But on that day this message suddenly came into my mind, “If you stay in the Word, you will always have a message.”  And that’s the way it has worked out.

As we were preparing to move to Tallahassee for this new job, I was praying “Lord, what about my salary?  Is there a certain amount I should ask for?  What should I do?”

Then out of the blue this message popped into my head, “Whatever he gives you will be your manna.”

Now I’m not saying it’s always so simple or direct.  And I sure encourage you to get wisdom and seek wise counsel before you leap out there.  And make sure you stay in the Word and in prayer.

But I really do believe that God will speak to you as you draw near to Him in prayer.  It’s happened in my life at some very key points, and I believe it will happen for you.

And to me it really comes back to these five simple words from Jesus:

Seek and you will find.


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-

What Do You Want Me To Do, Fake It? - Apples of Gold - May 27, 2009 -vi-

To listen to the radio version, click here.

 

To search archives, click here.

Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for May 27, 2009

“What Do You Want Me To Do, Fake It?”

 

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

“What do you want me to do, fake it?”

“Yes, fake it.”

That’s what I told my daughter, who is working for me now that she’s done with high school.

I told her I want her to be positive at all times.  No whining.  No complaining.  No negativity.  I told her to be happy at work every day.

That’s when she said, “What do you want me to do, fake it?”

Okay, let’s break this down.  What exactly would she be faking?

Let’s say she comes into work one day and it’s raining and she’s tired and her car is acting up.  But since I want a positive attitude, she can’t walk around with a long face all day. 

So she doesn’t.  She reaches inside somewhere and flips the channel.  She smiles instead of frowns.  She laughs instead of cries.  She adopts an attitude of victory instead of defeat.

Yes, at first it’s like she’s faking it. 

But listen to this.  Faking it means changing the channel.  You literally change the path your mind is going down.  Instead of letting your mind continue down that negative path, you switch it to a positive path.

And it doesn’t matter if you think you’re faking it or not, your mind still changes.

Plus, it’s not really a matter of faking anything.  It’s just a matter of what you decide to focus on. 

For example, instead of thinking, “My stupid car was acting up on the way to work this morning,” you can think, “Thank God I have a car and a job.”

I’m not saying you ignore your car’s problem.  You still get it fixed.  But getting it fixed is not tied to being negative.  You can move forward and solve problems without letting them turn you into a sour pus-pocket of doom.

Yes, you can always find a downside, but you can always find an upside.  And finding the upside puts you in a better frame of mind for improving the downside.

Now back to this idea of faking it.  There’s an interesting new book out called “Management Rewired” by Charles Jacobs.  I’m not promoting the book, but I was fascinated by his studies of the brain.

He said the brain has 100 billion neurons that connect to one another in 40 quadrillion ways.  Whenever we think about something it causes synapses between neurons to fire. 

If you think, “Wow, another great day!” you’ve just built a neural network.  Now if you think that over and over again, the network becomes more deeply ingrained. 

Now listen to this.  When you think about something repeatedly, it actually changes the synapse structure of your brain.  Jacobs said it this way, “The threshold for firing at those synapses is lowered.”

So the more you think about something, the easier it is to think about it.  It’s like it digs ruts in your brain, and the deeper the ruts, the more likely your thoughts will go there.

And no matter where your ruts are now, you can change them.  Jacobs says, “The brain is very flexible.”  He says, “Physical exercise develops different parts of your body; mental exercise develops parts of your mind.  We are not victims of the neural networks we’ve inherited.  A pessimist can train himself to be more optimistic.”

Now listen.  The first thing that came to mind as I read this is Bible memorization.  If you know me at all, you know I am big into memorizing the Bible.

And now just imagine what that does to the synapses of your brain! 

Right now I’m memorizing the book of Colossians.  Over and over I’m running it through my brain.  Those same synapses are firing repeatedly with pure thoughts straight from the word of God.  I’m digging deep ruts in my brain with God’s word, and I believe that changes my thought patterns.  More and more my thoughts tend to slip into those ruts, which are actually the truth of the word of God.

I find that fascinating – and thrilling!

Now think about the power of this to change your life.  You decide what you will think about over and over, and it will actually change the way you think.

I think most people don’t take control of this.  They just let random thoughts dig their own ruts, or whatever thoughts are on the magazine rack or on TV or in their music.  They think about those things over and over, and it affects the way they think.

Well it’s time to take control of your thinking! 

And of course this is quite scriptural.  Philippians 4:8 tells us clearly what to think about.  It says to think about whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely and whatever is admirable.  “If anything is excellent or praiseworthy,” it says, “think about such things.”

So choose to think on positive things.  Do it often and you will actually change the structure of your brain.

And yes, to get started you might just have to fake it.


Comments?

E-mail me:  dougapple@wave94.com.

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


© 2009 The Arrow’s Tip 
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(Proverbs 25:11 – “A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver.”)

Why “The Arrow’s Tip”?  Each morning, after diligently seeking the Lord, I write Apples of Gold.  Then before I release it to the public I pray one final prayer, “Lord, send forth your arrows.”  I envision Apples of Gold as arrows, tips dipped in the river of the water of life that flows from the throne of God (Rev. 22:1), sailing toward the hearts and minds of men and women around the world.

Doug Apple
General Manager - Wave 94
Christian Radio for Tallahassee
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