People Are Like Walls - Apples of Gold - June 8, 2010 -vi-

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Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for June 8, 2010

“People Are Like Walls”

 

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

I wore out a lot of rubber balls when I was kid.

There were plain red ones, and some had stripes or even polka dots.

Then there were the black super balls that could bounce all the way over your house.

Then they came out with clear super balls, but those were prone to splitting.

But my favorite kind of rubber ball looked just like a baseball.  It even had fake stitches.

My dad nailed a metal pie pan to the side of the garage, and there I practiced my pitching.  If I could hit the pie pan, then surely I could throw a strike.

And the great thing was, the ball would always bounce right back to me; and that gave me the chance to practice my fielding as well as my pitching.

Then I turned it into a game.  I would fire the pitch at the pie pan, field the ball, then fire it to first, which was basically anywhere on the side of the garage.  And then if I caught the ball in the air, with my foot on the base, the runner was out. 

When my mom looked out the window, she probably just saw a kid bouncing a ball off the garage, not realizing the elaborate rules and strategies involved. 

We moved a few times over the years, but I always found a wall for ball bouncing.  Some walls were better than others.  The best walls were big, solid, flat walls.  You always get a true bounce from a wall like that.

The worst wall I ever used was the side of an old barn.  Some boards were puckered, some were sticking out, some had knotholes; you just never knew where the ball was going to go. 

Now a little variation can spice up the game and make it more challenging.  But that barn wall was so bad the ball could go flying 20 or 30 feet away from you.  Or if you hit a really bad spot it might go flying right through the wall, into the wretched old barn.

I played these rubber ball games through most of my years growing up, and I became a kind of connoisseur of walls.  To this day I can still look at a wall and size it up for ball playing.

And now here’s my point.  People are like walls.

Some people are like big, solid, flat walls.  These are people of the highest integrity with the most self control.  When you bounce something off of them, you are always going to get a true bounce.  It will be stable and consistent.  The bounce you get today will be the bounce you get tomorrow. 

You never have to wonder what kind of mood these people are in.  You never have to throw the ball and worry about ducking.  You are going to get a true bounce, every day.

Then there are people who are like that old barn.  You just never know what kind of bounce you are going to get.  Today you might get a true bounce, but tomorrow it could go anywhere.

These people lack stability and maturity.  They might fly off the handle.  They can be cool about something one day, but the next day that same thing might throw them into a tizzy. 

Dealing with them is like bouncing a ball off the old barn.  It’s frustrating and aggravating and finally you just have to walk away.  It’s more misery than fun.  You’d rather not play at all than play with an inconsistent wall.

So the question is, which wall are you?  When people bounce things off of you, do they get a true bounce every time?  Are you a wall of integrity? 

People should always know what they are going to get from us.  We should be like big, solid, flat walls, offering a true bounce every time.

People should never have to wonder what kind of mood we are in.  They shouldn’t have to feel us out everyday to see if we’re safe or not.

Titus 2 talks about the “grace of God that brings salvation.”  And it says that the grace of God teaches us to live “self-controlled, upright and godly lives…”

We must be people of integrity.  We must live self-controlled, upright and godly lives.  We must be that solid wall, plumb, straight and true. 

First Chronicles 29:17 says that God tests the heart and is pleased with integrity.

First Corinthians 15:58 uses these two powerful words – and I’ve heard them as song lyrics – here they are:  steadfast, unmovable.

So what kind of wall are you?  The shaky, quirky, unpredictable wall?

Well instead, let’s all strive to be the solid wall, steadfast, unmovable and self-controlled, a wall of integrity that always, always, always gives a true bounce.


Comments?

E-mail me:  dougapple@wave94.com.

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


© 2010 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-

We Make It Our Goal to Please God - Apples of Gold - June 7, 2010 -vi-

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Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for June 7, 2010

“We Make It Our Goal to Please God”

 

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

Imagine a tribe of people, isolated from the rest of the world. 

They are primitive.  They live in huts and carry spears.

And they have a god they must please. 

There is an altar for this god-pleasing, and they often sacrifice their much-needed food and livestock, and sometimes even people, just to keep their god from crushing them.

That’s how some people view Christianity, as if our God is lording over us, demanding to be pleased at any cost.

That causes some Christians to swing entirely the other way.  “Oh, our god isn’t like that,” they say.  “Our god is a god of love and grace and mercy.  His salvation is free to everyone.  You don’t have to worry about pleasing him at all.  He’s not like that.”

While it’s true that God is not like that pagan god, it doesn’t rule out the whole notion of pleasing Him.

Pleasing God is still something we must strive for. 

For example, look at Hebrews 13:16.  It’s going to talk about making a sacrifice that pleases God.  And what kind of dreadful sacrifice is prescribed? 

It says, “And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.”

Do good and share with others.  That pleases God.  Doesn’t sound very onerous and tribal, does it?

But we are called to please God, and this pleases Him – when we do good and share with others.

First John 3 gives another way to please God, “to believe in the name of His Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as He commanded us.”

No, God is not like a pagan god, ogreously demanding to be pleased; but yes, we must strive to please Him.

Second Corinthians 5:9 says “…we make it our goal to please Him…”

The New King James Version says “…we make it our aim…to be well pleasing to Him.”

Second Timothy 2:4 says it’s like a soldier working to please his commanding officer.

Colossians 1:9 talks about pleasing Him “in every way.”

And then it mentions a couple of things that please God:  “bearing fruit in every good work, and growing in the knowledge of God.”

So far, here is the list of what we can do to please God:
--do good
--share with others
--love our neighbor
--grow in the knowledge of God
--believe in the name of His Son, Jesus Christ.

First Thessalonians 4:1 says, “Finally, brothers, we instructed you how to live in order to please God, as in fact you are living.  Now we ask you and urge you in the Lord Jesus to do this more and more.”

So pleasing God is not something we do one time and then we are done.  It’s actually something we grow in, something we keep doing more and more.

There are a couple of road blocks that keep people from pleasing the Lord.  One is called the flesh, or the “sinful nature.”  Romans 8:8 says, “Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God.”

Another road block to pleasing God is a lack of faith.  Hebrews 11:6 says “…without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him.”

Another thing that keeps us from pleasing God is our desire to please people instead.  Sometimes we hit a fork in the road.  One way pleases God but offends people, while the other way pleases people but disobeys God.    

Paul wrote in Galatians 1:10, “If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ.”

He wrote in First Thessalonians 2:4, “We are not trying to please men but God, who tests our hearts.”

So beware of ditches on either side.  One side makes God out to be a demanding ogre, while the other side makes Him out to be a passive pushover who approves of everything.

Well He’s not the ogre, but He desires that we please Him – not through dreadful sacrifice, but by such things as believing in Him and doing good.

So let this be our goal today, to please the Lord more and more, in every way, like good soldiers striving to please our commanding officer.


Comments?

E-mail me:  dougapple@wave94.com.

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


© 2010 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's the Most Courageous Thing You've Done? - Apples of Gold - June 4, 2010 -vi-

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Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for June 4, 2010

“What’s the Most Courageous Thing You’ve Done?”

 

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

Here is a question I want you to ponder.

What is the most courageous thing you’ve ever done?

When I think of courageous I think of firemen charging up the Trade Center stairs while everyone else is charging down.  Courage is walking straight into danger, right?

Well yes, danger is one thing that reveals courage, but here are a couple others, according to the dictionary.  Courage is facing and dealing with anything that is dangerous, difficult or painful.

So if you have faced danger and put your life on the line for others, like police officers and firefighters and soldiers do every day, then God bless you.  You are truly courageous.

And if facing danger was the only definition of courageous, then I’m not sure I’ve done anything courageous, not like that.

But courage is also dealing with the difficult and the painful.

So think of those three areas – the dangerous, the difficult and the painful – and now think about my question. 

What is the most courageous thing you’ve ever done?

Here is what some people said.

One young woman said, “When we went snow boarding in the Canadian Rockies.”

One musician said, “Leaving the band and going solo.”

One woman said it was when she agreed to go out with a certain man – who later became her husband. 

One young man said, “The most courageous thing I’ve ever done is telling my best friend I had a massive crush on her.”

Some judges in Montana were asked that question.

One judge said he actually intervened and stopped a rape that was taking place in a parking lot.

One judge said it was limiting his law practice so he could be an involved father – and isn’t that interesting?  Maybe you don’t think of that as courageous, but I can see how that could be a difficult and painful thing – to squelch your professional ambitions.

One judge said the most courageous thing she had done was, “raise my two daughters with my husband in today’s society.  Being a good parent is the most difficult and most important job a person could have.”

And one judge said, “It takes courage to represent indigent criminal defendants by court appointment.  These cases are generally unpopular and thankless, but representation of criminal defendants is essential to the continued vitality of our adversarial system of justice.”

And that’s from a man who also said he had run with the bulls in Pamplona.

So what about you?  What’s the most courageous thing you’ve ever done?

I think for me it was moving my family halfway across the country a few years ago.  I have certainly done more spontaneous and dangerous things, but moving my family away from everything we knew, from a very comfortable place, to a place where we knew no one, simply because I felt God calling me here – that was a courageous move for me.  I knew it would cause pain to some we left behind, and I knew it was a risk for all of us because you never know how things are going to turn out.  But in spite of the risk and the difficulty and even some pain, we made the move.

I’ve done a lot of things that didn’t seem very courageous at the time, but now I realize they do take a measure of courage.  Things like asking a girl out or performing at a music recital.  Public speaking takes courage, as does getting married and having children and buying a house.

For tons of people, starting their own business is very courageous. 

Now I want to ask you another question.

Have you done anything courageous lately?

It’s one thing to live on your laurels, but maybe it’s time to step up and do something courageous now.

Maybe you need to take a stand on something, stand up for what is right.  Maybe there is an injustice and you need to get off the sidelines.

Maybe God is nudging you to do something but you are reluctant because it will be difficult or painful or even dangerous. 

Well it’s time to do the courageous!

First Corinthians 16:13 indicates that we should be people of courage!

I like this phrase from Second Samuel 13:28 – be courageous, and valiant.

So remember, courage is not just putting your life in danger.  Being courageous includes doing something difficult or even painful.  You don’t withdraw from it, but you move toward it.

So ponder these two questions today.  Here they are, one more time.

What is the most courageous thing you’ve ever done?

And what courageous thing have you done lately?


Comments?

E-mail me:  dougapple@wave94.com.

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

Here is what the judges said in its entirety:  http://billingsgazette.com/app/candidates/judges/

© 2010 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-

Have Faith in God - Apples of Gold - June 2, 2010 -vi-

Click here to listen to the radio version.   

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Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for June 2, 2010

“Have Faith in God”

 

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

You may be discouraged today.

You may feel like life has just turned sour.

Yes, you are a Christian, but you are disillusioned.  Things should go better than this for a Christian.  Shouldn’t there be a little reward, a little more smooth sailing?

But now you just feel beat up, like the air is just harder to breathe.

Well I have a message for you today, and here it is.

Have faith in God.

Let your eyes turn back toward heaven.  Fix your eyes on things above, on the Lord and the eternal things that really matter.

When Abraham was 75 years old, and still called Abram, God said to him, “Leave your country, your people and your father’s household and go to the land I will show you.”

Well that was probably way outside Abraham’s comfort zone, and who likes to do anything uncomfortable?  But what did Abraham do?

He had faith in God.

Now listen to what Jesus said in Mark 11:22.  He said this. 

“Have faith in God.”

When you are discouraged, have faith in God.

When life gets you down, have faith in God.

Sometimes we talk about having specific faith, such as faith for salvation.  But what I’m talking about today is a general faith.  It’s a foundational faith.

It’s a faith that says, “I believe in God and I believe He is involved.  He is up to something and I’m going to trust Him.”

This general faith can give you a sense of well-being, even when life is crumbling around you.

In Second Corinthians chapter 4, Paul talked about the many trials he faced.  He used words like persecuted and perplexed and even struck down.

Do you feel struck down today?  Why would God allow such a thing?  How can we trust a God that would allow us to be struck down?

But look what Paul said in verse 16:  “…we do not lose heart.” 

He said, “Though outwardly we are wasting away…”

Do you feel like you are wasting away today?

Paul said, “Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.”

And verse 18 says, “So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen.”

That is faith, my friend, faith in God.

It’s faith when we take our eyes off of what we can see and fix them on what we cannot see.

Abraham looked at God, but couldn’t see Him.  Oh, he saw the world around him all right.  He saw the troubles and the challenges, but he couldn’t see God.

But what did he do?  He put his faith in God.

On the other end of the spectrum we see the disciples in those early days.  Even though they witnessed Jesus’ miracles, He still described them as, “O ye of little faith.”

In Mark 4:40 Jesus said, “Why are ye so fearful?  How is it that ye have no faith?”

Now let that soak in.  Does that apply to you today?

Here it is again, and see if this is for you.  Jesus said, “Why are ye so fearful?  How is it that ye have no faith?”

Are you fearful today?  It’s easy to be fearful when life crashes down and the future looks unstable.

But here’s your message.

Have faith in God.

In Matthew 8 we read about a centurion who came to Jesus.  Jesus commended the man for his great faith, and what was his faith in? 

His faith was in the Lord’s authority.  As a military man, the centurion understood authority, and he simply put his faith in the Lord’s authority.

So do that today.  Don’t worry about believing for something specific right now.  Just have general faith.  Put your faith in the Lord’s authority.  You may not know what He’s up to, but it’s okay. 

So if you are disillusioned and drained and even defeated today, here is a simple and profound message just for you.

Have faith in God.

 
Comments?

E-mail me:  dougapple@wave94.com.

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


© 2010 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 Man With His Big Boy Toy - Apples of Gold - May 28, 2010 -vi-

Click here to listen to the radio version.   

Click here to search the AOG archives.

Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for May 28, 2010

“A Man With His Big Boy Toy”

 

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

Well I finally did it.

I finally found a good way to get my old home video tapes into a computer for editing.

We have a lot of tapes.  First there were the VHS tapes we made with my dad’s big old RCA camera.  Then came the smaller tapes when we got a little camera of our own.

And there they are, all stacked up, hours and hours of footage – and most of it boring.

Once in a great while we might get out a tape and watch it, and it’s fun for a while; but then it gets boring.

For example, there’s the tape of my daughter’s third birthday party.  There is about an hour of footage, and at first it’s really interesting.  It’s fun to see what people used to look like – the clothing, the hairstyles – and that’s good for about five minutes. 

Then there is probably another five or ten minutes worth of cute comments and fun activities.  Unfortunately, all that cuteness is buried under an avalanche of boring.

And, boring or not, it’s all rotting away on those old tapes. 

So, I have a grand vision of editing them all and passing them out on DVDs, thereby saving the memories forever, and making them watchable without seizing up into a boringleptic coma.

In this day and age of powerful home computers, massive hard drives and easy video editing programs, it sounds simple, right?

Well I dare you to try and find the very best but reasonably priced system for this.  In fact, my goal was to spend no money, if it all possible.  My daughter has a powerful computer (which I financed, by the way) so all I really needed was a way to digitize the videos.

Well long story short, I finally found a friend with a great “capture” unit and another friend with the unusual cable I needed to make it work.

So last week I began editing that birthday party.  I started by watching the whole video and marking the best parts. 

Now I probably sound like any other guy messing around with technology, a man with his big boy toy, right?

But let me say this.  There is more going on than meets the eye.  Working on these videos causes something special to happen inside of me. 

It turns my heart to my children.

I use that phrase because it’s found in the Bible.

First there is a prophecy in Malachi 4:6.  “He will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children…”

And then an angel said it in Luke 1:17 about John the Baptist.  “And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to their children…”

When I read that I think, “You know, this is something important that God wants done.  He wants the hearts of fathers to be turned toward their children.”

A lot of dads are already there.  They coach little league teams and read Bible stories.  They pray with their kids and tuck them in at night.  Their children sit on their lap while they watch a kids show and eat popcorn.

But a lot of dads don’t do it.  They are gone a lot on business, and when they are home they don’t pay a lot of attention to the kids.  Maybe they tolerate them, and maybe they do what their wife tells them to do, like “You are going to this recital.”

And if 50% of marriages end in divorce, then maybe half the dads don’t even live with their children, and I’m sure that often means “out of sight, out of mind.”

I know what it’s like.  We dads can get very focused on things, and if the kids aren’t in the line of sight, they can just fade further and further out of focus.

That’s why this is so important.  What will it take to turn the hearts of the fathers to their children?

Well for me, this is one thing that does it – working on old family videos. 

My kids are mostly grown up now, and I relate to them more like adults than children.  But working on the videos stirs up the old “dad” feelings – and bonds me once again to my children.

So what does it for you?  Perhaps it’s praying for your children, or taking them out to eat.  Maybe it’s going fishing or playing a little one-on-one basketball.

It’s probably different for every dad, but here is one thing that’s the same for all of us.

We all need to do whatever it takes to turn the hearts of the fathers to their children.


Comments?

E-mail me:  dougapple@wave94.com.

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



© 2010 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-

Would the Existence of Aliens Be the Death of Christianity? - Apples of Gold - May 26, 2010 -vi-

Click here to listen to the radio version.   

Click here to search the AOG archives.

Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for May 26, 2010

“Would the Existence of Aliens Be the Death of Christianity?”

 

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

When he was a kid, I wonder if President Obama was a UFO buff.

I wonder if he was fascinated by the idea of extraterrestrial beings and interplanetary communication.

Did he ever wonder what was really going on at Roswell?

Because if he did, think about it.  After he got settled into the White House, he could have turned to a trusted aid and said, “Now, I want to know what’s really going on.”

Maybe they took him to a secret Air Force base, or a giant underground bunker.  “Here, Mr. President, here is what’s really going on.”

Maybe they showed him fragments of crashed flying saucers or alien corpses.  Maybe there was a giant microphone aimed at the sky, decoding communications from beyond the Milky Way.

Or maybe there was nothing at all.

“Oh Doug, you just hope there was nothing at all.”

That’s what some scientists would say.  And why would they say that?

Because some scientists say that if (and some even say when) aliens show up, it will destroy Christianity.  It will finally crush the creation myth, they say, and put an end to all this talk of Jesus coming to earth and dying for our sins.

The day aliens show up is the day Christianity dies, they say.

Okay, first of all, they’re just making stuff up.  They are dealing a death blow to Christianity based on the existence of aliens, as if aliens exist anywhere outside our imagination. 

We could easily get sucked into that argument and have a long debate about it, but look at the door you have to go through – the tiny door, the almost unbelievable chance that there are aliens.

One young woman, a scientist, was asked if she believed aliens would be discovered in her lifetime.

I was very curious to hear her answer so my ears perked up.  I was expecting some calculated response like, “Oh, there’s a 10% chance.”

But instead she exclaimed, “Definitely!”

Well there is no science to back up her belief.  It’s not like Goldilocks, “Oh, we found an empty porridge bowl on Mars.  There’s got to be aliens up there.” 

So far there is no evidence anywhere, and science is supposed to be built on evidence.

But anyway, let’s go back to the statement that if aliens showed up, it would be the death knell of Christianity. 

Well you know what?  Wouldn’t that depend entirely on what the aliens said when they came?

Again, all we know about aliens is what we made up, and for some reason we have made up aliens that are either hostile to Earth, or who come to help us with their amazingly advanced technology – and they are always uber scientific. 

Well that makes perfect sense since it’s the science fiction writers making this stuff up.

It’s all made up.  Did I already say that?

But if we are just making stuff up, why can’t we make it up this way.  An alien ship lands, these incredible creatures debark, and what do they find but some scientists waving banners that say, “Christianity is Dead.”

So the aliens go over to them and say, “What kind of simpletons are you?  In all your research, how did you miss the evidence for our great Creator, our Father?  How did you miss the fact that Jesus rose from the dead?  How did you miss your own need for a Savior?”

Turns out the aliens are very advanced in faith and in worshiping God “in spirit and in truth.”  Turns out they have a very close walk with God who gave them insights into how the universe works and how to get around in it.  They are advanced in love and grace and kindness.

How do we know aliens won’t come and confirm our faith? 

Well I don’t believe there are any aliens, and I base that on the scientific research I’ve seen.  They keep looking and looking and looking but so far not a speck of evidence.

Now you might ask, “What does the Bible say about extraterrestrial life?”

Unless you want to torture some odd verses into submission, the Bible is silent on the matter. 

But the Bible makes it clear that there is life beyond what our senses normally reveal.  “God is spirit,” the Bible says.  Plus there are angels and demons, lots of them.  And there are the souls of the departed, however that exactly works.

My point is, you have to listen closely to what scientists say. 

And when they say that the existence of aliens would destroy Christianity, just remember two things.

1.  They are making stuff up.

And 2.  It all depends on what those aliens just might say.


Comments?

E-mail me:  dougapple@wave94.com.

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

Maybe you think there really is evidence for aliens and I’m just not up to speed on the matter.  Well check out this article in a recent Newsweek Magazine:  http://www.newsweek.com/id/237082

Here is just a portion of it:  It's always good fun when scientists argue about aliens, most of all because they don't have any proof aliens exist. They just like to hypothesize that they might. It provides a rare opportunity to watch great rational thinkers and empiricists become poets and dreamers, imagining other creatures, other life forms, and other worlds, and indulging in what almost appear to be flights of fancy.  And we have had plenty of opportunity in recent years, because more and more scientists have begun arguing that intelligent life must exist beyond Earth, despite the fact that there is no evidence of it. The science has not changed; scientists have.


© 2010 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 Lethal Glass of Going Astray - Apples of Gold - May 25, 2010 -vi-

Click here to listen to the radio version.   

Click here to search the AOG archives.

Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for May 25, 2010

“A Lethal Glass of Going Astray”

 

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

“At the window of my house I looked out through the lattice.”

That’s how a powerful story begins in Proverbs chapter seven.

Looking down he saw a young man, “a youth who lacked judgment,” he said.

He watched the young man walk down the street, “in the direction of her house.”

It was just starting to get dark, and out stepped the woman.  She kissed him boldly and said, “I looked for you and have found you!  I have perfumed my bed and covered it with colorful, imported linens.”

“Come,” she said, “let us drink deeply of love until morning!”

Oh, and she dare not forget this important detail.  “My husband is gone – far from home.”

Proverbs 7:21 says, “With persuasive words she led him astray.”

And that’s what I want to talk about today – things that can lead us astray.

That verse mentions one of the most dangerous:  persuasive words.

How many times have we balked at sin, knew it was wrong, wanted to turn away – but then came those persuasive words.  It’s hard enough to walk away from a tempting temptation, but throw in some persuasive words and that thing is deadly. 

So what can we do?  What that young man should have done – avoid the mouth with the persuasive words.  If he would have walked somewhere else, he never would have heard those persuasive words.

The way to avoid being led astray by persuasive words is to stay completely out of earshot. 

That proverb also points out another thing that can lead us astray:  the opposite sex.

Think of ol’ King Solomon.  First Kings 11:3 says, “He had seven hundred wives of royal birth and three hundred concubines…” 

Oh, and let me finish the verse, “…and his wives led him astray.”

How many men of God have been led astray by women?  And yes, I know, it goes both ways, perhaps more the other way.  How many godly women have been led astray by a smooth talking “devil in blue jeans”?

Throw those two together, persuasive words and the opposite sex, and you have just poured yourself a lethal glass of going astray.

Here’s another thing that can lead us astray – an improper desire for money.

First Timothy 6:10 says, “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil.  Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.”

They were on the right path, but then wandered from the faith.  What led them astray?  An improper desire for money.

Here is something else that can quickly lead us astray:  alcohol.

Proverbs 20:1 says, “Wine is a mocker.  Strong drink is a brawler; and whoever is led astray by it is not wise.”

In the Amplified version of Isaiah 28:7 we find this phrase, “…they stagger and are gone astray through strong drink…”

See how this gets slippery?  It’s not a sin to talk to the opposite sex or think about money or have a sip of alcohol.  But we must walk circumspectly.  We must be aware that these have a powerful potential to lead people astray and we don’t want to be the next victim.

Here is another thing that can lead us astray:  our friends.

Proverbs 12:26 says, “The righteous should choose his friends carefully, for the way of the wicked leads them astray.”

This links back to persuasive words.  Our friends can be so much more persuasive.  They know how to push our buttons, how to talk us into things.  So if we don’t want our friends to lead us astray, we must pick friends that aren’t astray themselves.

Now here’s a very influential group of people:  our leaders.  They are super-influential because we are supposed to submit to them and follow them – but not blindly.  Isaiah 3:12 uses this simple and obvious phrase, “…your guides lead you astray…”  Jeremiah 50:6 says, “My people hath been lost sheep:  their shepherds have caused them to go astray…”

And then there is nobody’s friend, the devil.  Revelation 12:9 calls him “that ancient serpent the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray.”

So be aware of these things that can easily lead us astray:  persuasive words, the opposite sex, money, alcohol, friends, leaders and the devil.

And how to avoid going astray? 

By keeping our eyes on the Lord, on the truth, on the true faith, and on the Word of God. 

And if you have already gone astray, then read Luke 15 about the prodigal son and the parables of the lost sheep and the lost coin, and Luke 19 where we read that Jesus came to “seek and to save that which was lost.”

And for everyone who knows what it’s like to go astray and return to the Savior, we hear from the man who denied the Savior himself three times.

I’ll close with these uplifting words from First Peter 2:25.

“For you were like sheep going astray, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.”


Comments?

E-mail me:  dougapple@wave94.com.

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


© 2010 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 World Is Run By Those Who Show Up - Apples of Gold - May 24, 2010 -vi-

Click here to listen to the radio version.   

Click here to search the AOG archives.

Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for May 24, 2010

“The World Is Run By Those Who Show Up”

 

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

The world is run by those who show up.

Maybe you’ve seen that saying on a bumper sticker, or heard it quoted by politicians rallying their supporters.

It was brought up at our church men’s meeting this weekend as a room full of guys came out for prayer.

I’ve been the leader of a few things in my life, and I’ll bet there were times when someone said, “How did he get to be the leader?” 

Well, the world is run by those who show up.  Maybe you don’t like what’s being done by your county commissioners or your school leaders or even your president, but the question is, where have you been?  You have little right to complain if you haven’t been showing up.

This weekend I read about a plot to overthrow the presidency of Franklin Roosevelt.  It never happened, of course, but listen to what then-House Speaker John McCormack said, “A well-organized minority can always outmaneuver an unorganized majority.” 

He said that’s what Hitler did.  He organized a minority of the people, and used them to take over the country. 

Look at it like this.  The majority is headed somewhere, and a minority will decide where.  Who will be in that special minority?  Those who show up.  They will change society while everyone else is home watching television and napping.

I’m reading a book by Brother Andrew and he talks about “Christian fatalism.”  He said that many Christians leave everything up to God and have this attitude:  “Oh well, God works in mysterious ways.  I guess this is just how things are going to be.”

Brother Andrew’s response to that attitude is, “What’s the matter with you?  Why are you talking this way?  You’re not helpless!  God has given you the power to change that situation!”

Then he adds these strong words, “We need to recognize apathy and laziness if we’re going to remove them from our lives and do what God has commanded us to do.  God never intended that we should live in a state of suspended animation, forever waiting for a word from Him about what to do next.”

He concludes that God has spoken, His character and His principles are eternally the same, His purposes and His will are not a mystery, and we just need to get moving.  We need to get involved, put our hand to the plow, and make a difference in the world.

The world is run by those who show up, so . . . be one that shows up!

Have you gone somewhere and thought, “I wonder why they didn’t do that differently?  It would have been so much better if they would have done this or that.” 

Well, maybe not enough people showed up to help. 

I was once on a small committee that brought in a special speaker.  When the day came, someone who didn’t show up for the planning meetings was irked by our plain stage.  I wanted to say, “Well where were you when we were having our meetings?”

The event was run by those who showed up for the meetings.  Those who didn’t show up didn’t have a say – and yes, their lack of participation hurt the overall success of the event.

What I’m saying is, get involved!  Don’t just sit back and wring your hands and wish things were better.

The Bible talks over and over about being fruitful in good works.  We are to be rich in good works and zealous for good works. 

Titus 3:1 indicates that we should be ready for every good work.

One way to be ready for good works is to show up when good works are being planned.

Someone is going to be involved, and they will influence the outcome.  Which direction will your church go?  Your community?  Your nation? 

The choices will be made by those involved.  It may be you, or it may be someone quite different than you. 

So get yourself ready for good works.  Put yourself in the position to do good, to be involved, to be part of the group that is bearing good fruit in the world.

And the next time you hear that someone like that is holding a meeting, go!

And if you need a good reason, here’s an easy one to remember.

The world is run by those who show up.


Comments?

E-mail me:  dougapple@wave94.com.

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


© 2010 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-

Fasting Humbles You Before God - Apples of Gold - May 21, 2010 -vi-

Click here to listen to the radio version.   

Click here to search the AOG archives.

Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for May 21, 2010

“Fasting Humbles You Before God”

 

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

 

How long has it been since you fasted?

Have you ever fasted?

Should you fast at all? 

Well I believe in fasting, and here is what I get out of it.

First of all, fasting humbles me before God.

A short version of Micah 6:8 says, “…what does the Lord require of you?  …to walk humbly with your God.”

That’s how I feel when I’m fasting, like I’m walking humbly with God.

Fasting has a way of knocking down your power and your pride.  It weakens you in a way that really humbles you.

Here’s another effect of fasting.  Do you remember the old lyrics “and the things of this world will grow strangely dim”?  That’s what happens when I fast. 

It’s like the time I had strep throat.  Not knowing what I was doing, I decided to just power through.  But instead of going away, it just got worse.  It finally put me flat on my back. 

Have you ever been flat-on-your-back sick?  If so, did you notice how the world grew strangely dim?

When I had strep, my world shrank.  I didn’t think about world affairs or even my own job.  My world shrank down to about three rooms in my house.

That’s a picture of how I feel when I fast, it makes the things of this world grow strangely dim.

I’ve never been dying, but I imagine a similar effect.  What seemed so important just falls off the radar when you are dying . . . and when you are fasting.

If you know anything about photography you know about depth-of-field.  You’ve probably seen photos where one thing was sharply in focus and everything else was blurry.  That’s due to the settings on your camera, adjusting the depth-of-field. 

Well fasting does that to me.  It adjusts my depth-of-field.  What really matters – the Lord and eternal things – comes into sharp focus and everything else goes blurry.

So, fasting humbles me before God, and it shrinks my focus down to Him.

To encourage me while fasting, I have a little card with three Bible verses on it.

Acts 13:2 includes this phrase, “While they were worshipping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said…”

It includes this phrase from Mark 9:29, “…but by prayer and fasting…”

And it includes these six words from Matthew 6:18, “…fasting…your Father will reward you.”

So why fast?  Because God will reward you.  Because some things only come by prayer and fasting.  And because – now listen to this – fasting makes you more vulnerable to the Holy Spirit.

I heard a preacher say that one time, and I liked it.  And I believe it to be true.  Fasting makes us more vulnerable to the Holy Spirit.

I’ve also found this to be true.  Fasting softens my spirit. 

So do we need to fast?  Should we fast?

Well if it was good enough for Paul and those early saints, it’s good enough for me.

Now what about the practical details?  There are many considerations, such as your work and your health, but with those in mind, I would suggest a water-only fast.  That means you intake nothing but water for a set period of time.

If you haven’t fasted yet, maybe start with just 24 hours.  Just pick a time and gut it out.  Just do it.  Yes, your body will rebel.  It wants what it wants, but denying it is kind of the point.

Or take it up a notch and try 48 hours, or 72 hours.  I think you will see more benefits if you fast longer than just one day. 

And I recommend you fast from things like the media and the computer, then use the extra time to pray and study and draw near to God.

One more thing, read up on the practicalities, especially how to come off of a longer fast.  There are wrong ways to do it, so be careful. 

If you’ve never fasted, or it’s been a long time, then I encourage you to consider it.

I think you will truly grow in your walk with the Lord if you make the effort to fast.


Comments?

E-mail me:  dougapple@wave94.com.

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


© 2010 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-

Start With Scripture, Then Apply Common Sense - Apples of Gold - May 18, 2010 -vi-

Click here to listen to the radio version.   

Click here to search the AOG archives.

Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for May 18, 2010

“Start With Scripture, Then Apply Common Sense”

 

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

Here was the offer we made on television.

“Send in a gift of any size to the ministry, and we will send you this book as our way of saying thanks.”

One viewer responded by sending a single dollar, and that’s fine.  Yes, we lose money on the book, but if that’s all the person can send, or all they want to send, that’s fine.  We are glad to bless them with the book.

But then they sent another single dollar, then another single dollar, then another single dollar.  That’s when the report came to me, “What should we do?”

It appeared they were trying to play the system, trying to get many copies of the book for one dollar each. 

Maybe we need to word our offers more carefully to avoid such things in the future.

“No,” I said, “You couldn’t write enough rules to cover every situation.  At some point you have to trust that common sense and social ethics will kick in.”

So what did we do?

What would you do?

Now you may never run into this exact situation, and that’s the point.  Our lives are filled with situations that aren’t quite the same as the last situation, and that’s why you just can’t write enough rules to cover every possible nuance.

For example, I recently heard a man speaking about hospital janitors.  Their list of duties includes things like “filling the paper towels” and “mopping the floors.”  They have a long list of duties, but guess what?  None of them include people.  There is nothing on their to-do list about people.

So what should the janitor do?  Ignore all the people and just do the jobs?

For example, one janitor said when it was time for him to mop the hallway, a man was up in the middle of the night walking, trying to regain his strength.  So he waited to mop the hall.

Another janitor said she skipped vacuuming a certain waiting room one night because she knew a family was asleep in there that really needed the sleep. 

See, you just can’t write enough rules to cover every situation.  At some point common sense has to kick in.  You have to be able to assess a situation and do the right thing without a specific rule for everything.

The Bible is like this.  If the Bible were written to specifically cover every situation, it would be as big as the world.  But that’s not the way it is.

For example, Jesus said, “Love your neighbor,” and some wise guy said, “Who is my neighbor?”

Yes, He could have made an exhaustive list, going on and on and on, “He’s your neighbor and she’s your neighbor and that guy’s your neighbor.”  But instead He told the story of the Good Samaritan.  He gave an illustration, then left the details to us.

That’s the way the Bible is much of the time.  It gives us principles, and we have to flesh out the details.

For example, the Bible doesn’t say, “Don’t smoke,” but it does say that our body is the temple of the Holy Spirit.  It doesn’t say, “Don’t drink alcohol,” but it does say, “Be sober.”

I encounter this constantly, people asking about situations for which there is no direct rule in the Bible.  Well if there is no direct rule, then what?

Well first of all we frame up our answer within the guidelines of Scripture.  Then for the specifics it often comes down to common sense.  And if you aren’t sure what the common sense is for your situation, then talk to someone who has common sense. 

Here’s another guideline you can use.  Sometimes I simply ask, “What is the heart of God in this matter?”  It’s sort of like asking “What would Jesus do?”

Often that means being gracious and merciful, but other times it means holding people accountable.  Sometimes people need soft love, and other times they need tough love.

How do you know which is which? 

That’s hard to say because you can’t write rules for every situation. 

The good news is, as Christians, we have the Holy Spirit to guide us. 

So if we don’t have a rule, here’s what we can do.

Start with the general guidelines of Scripture, then apply common sense.  We can ask others for their common sense, and we can ask, “What is the heart of God in this matter?”  And then there’s the Holy Spirit nudging us in the right direction.

Now let’s get back to my original story.  What did I do about the person sending one dollar donations and hoping to get a bunch of books?

I decided to send just one book.  It was a wise use of our resources.  It was the fair thing to do for the author and publisher.  And it quietly kept the person from taking advantage of the ministry, while still supplying them with the wisdom found in the book.

And how did I come to that conclusion?  By starting with the general guidelines of Scripture, then adding a healthy dose of good old fashioned common sense.


Comments?

E-mail me:  dougapple@wave94.com.

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


© 2010 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-