Love Rushes In - Apples of Gold - November 23, 2009 -vi-

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Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for November 23, 2009

“Love Rushes In”

 

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

A bunch of young people came over yesterday to eat us out of house and home.

Suddenly a call came in that someone needed help, the all-hands-on-deck kind of help.

Well we certainly had the hands.  All we needed was the rally cry, so I gave it. 

And then I repeated a line that I have used many times.  “When someone shows you how to love them, and you can easily do it, then just do it.”

Sometimes loving people is complex and challenging, but often it is quite simple.  When the need is obvious, you don’t even have to think about it.  Just leap in and do it.

It’s like antibodies in our bloodstream.  When bacteria enters our bloodstream, antibodies rush in to deal with it. 

And that’s what we do when we love people.  When the alarm is sounded, love rushes in.

Yesterday the Ronald McDonald House in Tallahassee celebrated its 20^th anniversary.  In case you don’t know, the Ronald McDonald House is a place where family members can stay for little to no money while their children are receiving serious medical treatments.  That’s a great example of love rushing in to meet a need.

In Luke 10 Jesus tells the story of the Good Samaritan.  This man was traveling down the road, minding his own business, when suddenly he saw a man beside the road who had been robbed and beaten half to death.  The Samaritan saw the obvious need and rushed in to meet it.  He cared for the man’s wounds, carried him to an inn and paid the man’s expenses.

The Good Samaritan is a great example of love rushing in.

Probably the greatest example of love rushing in is Jesus dying for us.  First John 3:16 says, “This is how we know what love is:  Jesus Christ laid down His life for us…”

And then the verse closes with this admonition.  “And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers.”

Jesus said in John 15:13, “Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.”

Jesus had a lot to say about love.  In John 13:34 He said, “As I have loved you, so you must love one another.”

In the very next verse He said, “By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

He said it over and over again, just like in John 15:17, “This is my command, love each other.”

In Matthew 22 Jesus said the greatest commandment in the law was to love the Lord, and the second greatest commandment was . . . “Love your neighbor as yourself.”

Romans 12:10 says, “…love is the fulfillment of the law.”

First Corinthians 16:14 says, “Do everything in love.”

Chapter 14 says, “Follow the way of love…”

First Peter 1:22 says, “….love one another deeply, from the heart.”

As a Christian, I am to grow in many virtues, but Colossians 3:14 says, “And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.”

We are each a part of the body of Christ, and listen to what Ephesians 4:16 says, “…the whole body….builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.”

Don’t miss the connection there, the connection of love and work.  Yes, we build each other up in love, as each part does its work.

Galatians 5:13 tells us to “serve one another in love.”

First Thessalonians 1:3 uses this phrase, “…your labor prompted by love…”

One popular Christian song says, “Love is a verb.” 

Yes, love is an action word.  First John 3:18 tells us not to just love with words, “but with actions.”

This is what marks us as Christians.  People will know we are Christians by our love.

So how do we love people?  Well one way is to just keep our eyes open.  Opportunities to love people will make themselves obvious. 

And like I always say, when someone shows you how to love them, and you can easily do it, just do it.

Because that’s the way love operates.  When someone is in need, when someone is hurting, or even when someone is just lonely, this is what love does.

Love rushes in.


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-

Symptoms of a Midlife Crisis - Apples of Gold - November 20, 2009 -vi-

To listen to the radio version, click here.

 

To search archives, click here.

Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for November 20, 2009

“Symptoms of a Midlife Crisis”

 

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

The midlife crisis.

That’s what a friend and I were discussing.  We talked about people we knew who had gone off the deep end at some point, slipping into a midlife crisis.

Then he said, “I wonder why we never went through a midlife crisis.”

Well I think it’s because we are both very solid in who we are in Christ.  We know who we are and we know where we are headed. 

What exactly is a midlife crisis?  For that answer I turned to a woman who counsels people going through it, Karen Knott, and she said there are various symptoms to look for.

One of them is, you look in the mirror, and you don’t know that person staring back at you.  You feel like you lost yourself somewhere along the way.

When I heard that my first thought was, “So stop looking in the mirror and get out there and do something!” 

Then I asked myself, “When I look in the mirror, as a middle-aged man, what do I see?”  Well for one thing, I look right past the face.  I pay no attention to aging.  I never think, “Oh, gee, what happened to that young man?” 

My mind is focused on the Lord and my relationship with Him and living a life worthy of Him and coming clean with Him.  I want to follow Him and do His work and be the man He wants me to be. 

I want to carry out the mission He has for me.  I want to be a good soldier of Jesus Christ.  I want to run the race and keep the faith. 

And I want to minister to people, to love them and help them and teach them. 

These things all flow from my relationship with God, and they are so all-occupying that I don’t have time for “navel-staring.”

Plus, when I look at myself I actually look past the exterior.  I am more concerned with my mind and heart and soul, the real me, the part that God is looking at, and the part that I am accountable for.

I have never looked in the mirror and felt like I lost myself.  I look in the mirror and see someone who was found by the Lord, found and redeemed and rescued.  And now He defines my life and my goals and my purpose.

Karen says another symptom of a midlife crisis is “worrying about where your life is going.”

Well Jesus told us not to worry.  I know that’s easier said than done, but I know who holds the future!  When you serve the Omnipotent One, you don’t have to get too strung out about the future.  And when you fully believe in eternity, and that death is far from the end of the road, you just don’t get all cramped up about the next 10 or 20 years.

Another symptom of a midlife crisis is having feelings of regret.  That’s another great thing about being a Christian – the past is taken care of.  Sins are forgiven.  We are clean before the Lord.  And you know what?  Our errors and missteps can be redeemed!  God can yank our foolishness right out of the fire and do something with it.

Faith in the Lord overpowers our regrets!  We can simply trust in Romans 8:28, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.”

Another symptom of a midlife crisis is a sense of loss, that time is slipping away and your best years are behind you.  Well I say that’s ridiculous.  And I guess I say that out of my keen sense of the eternal.  I see life going way beyond death.  Yes, this old body won’t make it for the long haul, but oh my goodness, there is so much more ahead for us – a little bit now, then a whole lot in eternity!  And I’m looking forward to all of it, knowing that the Lord will guide me through both the rough and peaceful waters.

Another symptom of a midlife crisis, according to Karen, is “feeling almost invisible.”  I could say a lot about that, but one thing that comes to mind is that in a loving church family, no one is invisible.  The church is a community of love.  Yes, in the world you might be invisible if you aren’t one of the young and beautiful or rich and powerful.  But in the church it’s a different ball game.  This is one thing I like about having small group meetings within the church.  It helps to make sure that no one is invisible.

Another symptom of a midlife crisis is feeling trapped.  You are stuck in a deep, boring rut and that’s where you will die.  Well my experience as a Christian has never felt that way.  Serving God may not always be a sunny day at the beach, but He has a way of making things exciting and challenging, and bringing new adventures and opportunities into your life.  Following the Lord is a great adventure, the exact opposite of a deep, boring rut.

Well, those are just a few symptoms of what some people call a midlife crisis.  And maybe you are feeling some of those things today.  Maybe you do look in the mirror and feel your life slipping away and that it’s all downhill from here.

Well the good news is, God loves you!  And His work in your life is far from over.  This adventure has only just begun! 

So get in with the Lord.  Spend time with Him in prayer and worship.  Draw near to Him, and dive into His Word.  See how you can put His precepts into practice in new and exciting ways.

And just watch – as God begins to stir more and more in your life, soon all those symptoms will drop off the radar and it won’t even cross your mind anymore.  You won’t even think about such a thing as going through a midlife crisis.


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-

To the Struggling Young Man - Apples of Gold - November 19, 2009 -vi-

To listen to the radio version, click here.

 

To search archives, click here.

Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for November 19, 2009

“To the Struggling Young Man”

 

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

To the struggling young man:

You’ve been living your life, and you’ve gotten into some trouble.  There just has to be more than this, you think, and you’re starting to think about God.

You were raised in church, said you believed in Jesus, and you’ve even prayed some prayers.  You would call yourself a Christian, but for the most part you’ve been living like the rest of the world.

But now are thinking about a change.  You need something different, something more.  Where do you start?

Well let’s start here.  Are you really a Christian, a born again Christian?  Have you repented of your sins?  Have you experienced godly sorrow for your sins?  Have you bowed your head and humbled yourself before the Lord and Savior?

This is the great transaction, and this is when the Holy Spirit takes up residence inside you.  If this has happened, you should see the fruit of the Spirit in your life. 

But if you have been living a worldly life, you should ask yourself, “Have I really been born again?”

But you know what?  Let’s not get too picky about the past, because what matters is that right now you get right with God. 

Here is what you’ve been doing.  You’ve been living in the flesh.  You’ve been living by your earthly, carnal nature.  You’ve basically been doing what you felt like doing.  “If it feels good, do it.”

James says we are dragged away by our evil desires and enticed.  Paul calls it our “old man.” 

Well if you want a change, you need to put off the old man and put on the new man.  You want to stop obeying your evil desires.  You want to stop living in the flesh and start living in the spirit.

This is not about changing your behavior to start acting like a good little boy.  It doesn’t mean you stop smoking pot and instead join the United Way.  It’s not about becoming a productive member of society or even finding a wife and starting a family.

The goal is not to become a good person.  The goal is not to break away from the crowd you’re currently running with.

The goal is the get a hold of God!  The goal is to be filled with His Spirit and learn to walk in the Spirit. 

This is a radical change of your worldview.  It will be very different.  Your flesh will want to turn back, even if there is no “back” to go to.  Your enemy the devil will try to trip you up, anything to keep you away from God.

Look, the Lord has awesome plans for your life!  He has created you and gifted you in marvelous ways!  The enemy knows that and wants to keep you all tied up and gagged and out of the game.

You can be a tremendous influence on others for years to come!  But you have to start building your life on the rock.  Up until now you have pretty much just been building on sand which seems to be fine – until the storm comes.  Then you realize just what a terrible foundation sand is.

Jesus said in Matthew 7:24, “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.”

So you need to learn the words of Jesus.  You need to get into that Bible and find out what Jesus said, then build your life on His words.  Plus you will have the Holy Spirit inside of you to help you understand it and help you apply it to your own life.

Have no doubts, this is a spiritual matter.  It’s not about changing your habits or your friends or your location.  It’s about getting right with God and learning to walk with Him, learning His principles, and learning to walk in the Spirit instead of the flesh.

This will take time.  It won’t all happen overnight, but it can begin immediately.

It starts with making sure you are a born again Christian, repenting of sin and surrendering your life to the Lord.  Then it’s about becoming a disciple of Jesus, learning His ways, submitting to His leadership, denying yourself and following Him.

Believe me, this is the great change you are looking for.  This is what you heart desires and your soul is aching for. 

When I did this, I remember feeling different.  I literally felt like an empty spot inside me had been filled.  I didn’t feel the empty spot before.  I didn’t realize I had an empty spot, but when the Lord filled it, then I could tell the difference.  I somehow felt “solid” inside.

Your enemy will tell you to put it off, that it can wait.  Your flesh will demand to be fed, but you are starting to see where that leads.  It doesn’t fulfill.

But the Lord does.  The Lord keeps His promises, and He is a sure, unwavering foundation.  You can build your life on Him.

So don’t delay.  Make the move.  Do what you know God is calling you to do.  Break away from your past, from the old way, from the fleshly, carnal way, and run to God.  Run to Jesus.  Run to your Father with His arms open wide, ready to accept you as His dear child, lavishing His love and forgiveness on you. 

He has a plan for your life, and believe me, it is the very, very best thing you can possibly do.


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 Can You Say to a Skeptic? - Apples of Gold - November 18, 2009 -vi-

To listen to the radio version, click here.

 

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Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for November 18, 2009

“What Can You Say to a Skeptic?”

 

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

God reveals Himself through creation. 

Through creation He reveals Himself to everyone, Christian or not.  Romans 1 says that “what may be known about God” is plain to us because God made it plain to us through creation. 

Verse 20 says, “For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities – His eternal power and divine nature – have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.”

So when someone says, “I don’t believe in God because I can’t see Him;” we can say, “Look around.  God revealed Himself to us through His creation.”

Now let me tell you another way that God reveals Himself to everyone:  through His joy.

Joy is a beautiful thing, a good thing, and James 1 says, “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights…”

So joy is from God, a gift from God that He has given to everyone.

“Now wait a minute, Doug.  I thought real joy was only for believers.  After all, it’s a fruit of the Spirit.”

Well everyone experiences moments of joy.  Watch a young couple in love.  Watch a young mother with her new baby.  Watch a child with his favorite toy.  Watch baseball players rush the mound when they win the World Series.

Proverbs 27:9 even says that “perfume and incense bring joy to the heart…”

There’s a long list of things that bring joy to everyone, saint and sinner alike.  This joy is from God, and it’s a testimony to the existence of God, just like creation.

Let’s go back to Acts chapter 14, to Lystra, where Paul and Barnabas were missionaries.  Starting in verse 15, Paul delivered an impromptu sermon.  Here is what he said.

“We are bringing you good news, telling you to turn from these worthless (idols) to the living God, who made heaven and earth and sea and everything in them.  In the past, He let all nations go their own way.  Yet He has not left Himself without testimony…”

Okay, this is where it gets good.  Paul is about ready to tell us how God has left Himself a testimony to all people of every nation.  Back to his sermon.

“Yet He has not left Himself without testimony:  He has shown kindness by giving you rain from heaven and crops in their seasons; He provides you with plenty of food and fills your hearts with joy.”

Now these people were heathens.  They worshipped ancient idols, and yet God blessed them.

What?  Yes, you heard right.  God blessed the idol-worshipping heathens.

Look what Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount, in Matthew chapter five.  He said, “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven.  He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.”

That’s just the way God does it.  He provides certain things for everyone on the planet, and according to Paul’s sermon one of those things is joy.  He said that God filled those heathen hearts with joy.

That doesn’t sound right, does it?

But that is one way God reveals Himself.  Joy is a great feeling.  It’s a natural high.  It’s wonderful!  And it’s a gift from God – a testimony of His existence. 

However, that joy is short-lived.  Job 20 verse five says, “the joy of the godless lasts but a moment.”

See, joy is from God, but sin suffocates joy.  If joy is like a fire, then sin is like dirt that is shoveled onto it.  It smothers it.

That is why there is so much joy when people get saved.  God forgives their sins and lifts that suffocating lid from their joy. 

A great example of that is the Philippian jailer in Acts 16.  Verse 34 says, “he was filled with joy because he had come to believe in God – he and his whole family.”

First Peter 1:8 says, “…even though you do not see Him now, you believe in Him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy.”

For non-Christians, joy tends to be very situational and fleeting.  But as we mentioned earlier, joy is a fruit of the Holy Spirit.  We Christians have the Holy Spirit inside of us, and one thing He does is give us joy in all situations.

James 1 talks about joy when we face trials.

Hebrews 10 talks about Christians who were joyful, even when their property was confiscated.

Second Corinthians talks about Christians going through the “most severe trial” and in “extreme poverty,” yet they experienced “overflowing joy.”

Paul said in Second Corinthians 7:4, “I am greatly encouraged; in all our troubles my joy knows no bounds.”

And we’ve barely scratched the surface.  The Bible is full of references to joy.

Joy is a gift from God, and He gives it to everyone.

So the next time you’re talking to a skeptic, and you bring up the point that God reveals Himself through creation, try throwing this one in there as well.

God has revealed Himself to us through the joy that He has placed in our hearts.


Comments?

E-mail me:  dougapple@wave94.com.

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


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

(Proverbs 25:11 – “A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver.”)

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

Doug Apple
General Manager - Wave 94
Christian Radio for Tallahassee
PO Box 4105
Tallahassee, FL  32315
(850) 926-8000
-vi-

The Kitchen Table (an original short story) - Apples of Gold - November 17, 2009 -vi-

To listen to the radio version, click here.

 

To search archives, click here.

Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for November 17, 2009

“The Kitchen Table”

 

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

(traditional country music plays in the background)

Jimmy lit a cigarette.

Old country western played on the radio above the sink.

He ran his finger along the latest burned spot on the table.  The last cigarette of the day often ended up as a burn spot on the table.

He set the lighter on top of the pack and slid them over by the dirty gold ashtray.  He reached for the small stack of mail.

“Resident.  Resident.  Bill.  Bill.  Hmm, what do we have here?”

It was a personal letter, hand addressed to James Donahue.

The only people who called him James were his mother and his sister.  His mother died two years ago, and he hadn’t seen his sister since the funeral.

He tapped the envelope on the table, put the cigarette in his mouth, and held the envelope up to the light.  He squinted and tilted his head as the smoke curled into his eyes.  He saw that the letter was away from the end of the envelope, making it safe to tear the end off, which he did with precision.

And he never tore the stamp.  Somewhere in childhood he heard that tearing a stamp was like letting the flag touch the ground.  He knew better now, but he still just never tore the stamp.

How many dumb things like that do we pick up in childhood?  He remembered Ronnie Cochran in 3^rd grade telling him that peanut butter was made only from that little tiny piece at the top of the peanut.  He never believed it, but he never forgot it.

His dad told him once . . . nope.  Not gonna think any warm thoughts about Dad. 

He took a deep drag on the cigarette, exhaled through his nose, and unfolded the letter.

“Dear James.”  Not “Hi James,” or “Hello James,” or even, “Hey James.”  Just “Dear James,” about like a thank you note to Grandma that you were forced to write.  “Dear Grandma, thanks for the cool Elvis ring.  I hate Elvis and I never wear rings, but thanks.”

“I was thinking about you today while I was doing laundry.  Remember when we used to have to help Mom wring out the clothes with the wringer, and your hand got caught?  I cried and cried because I thought they were going to have to cut off your hand like Uncle Mack.”

He looked down at his right hand, holding the cigarette.  “If thy right hand offend thee, cut it off and cast it from thee.”

Where did that come from?  Not a good thought, but maybe he would have been better off if he would have lost his hand as a child.  Think of all the things he would not have done if he didn’t have the hand to do it with.  The places that hand had been.

He lowered his eyes involuntarily as shame darkened his mind.

He tapped the ash off the cigarette.

A steel guitar pined on the radio.

What was he going to do?  He didn’t want to spend the rest of his life this way, working second shift, getting home at 11:30, smoking his dinner and falling asleep at the kitchen table. 

He refocused on the letter.

“James, I’m worried about you.  You never call or stop by, and I know it’s a two-way street, but I get so busy with the kids.  I know that’s lame, but it is true.”

Why did he stop going over there?  He knew he was welcome, but it was like he just didn’t belong.  It was too clean, too bright, too innocent.  It was better (he looked up at his bare fluorescent light and hated it), yes it was better, but it wasn’t him.  This stained red and white table, this chair with the plastic seat, these dirty ceiling tiles – this was him.

And he disgusted himself.

“So anyway, dear brother, as I did the laundry and thought about you I thought, ‘Why not have him over for dinner after church?’  And then I thought that you might like our church.  You don’t have to wear a suit or anything.”

His first feeling was to reject the offer out of hand.  But then he realized that he was just tired of that; tired of the same old not doing anything.

He scanned the letter, more of the same, more of the same, Love, Linda.  He slid it neatly back into the envelope. 

And for the first time in a long time he felt something like God, like maybe God was in there somewhere.

And he felt unworthy, so unworthy.

And he felt . . . loved. 

So loved.

He reached over and, through blurry eyes, crushed out his cigarette.

He folded his strong, yellowed hands.

And he let go.


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-

Building Specific Spiritual Muscles - Apples of Gold - November 16, 2009 -vi-

To listen to the radio version, click here.

 

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Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for November 16, 2009

“Building Specific Spiritual Muscles”

 

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

A man I know tells a story about being initiated as a freshman football player.

The coach wanted him to practice with the varsity team, but some of the varsity players decided to throw up a little resistance.  They ganged up on him, took him outside, forced him into a manhole, put the lid on and left him.  Finally the coach heard about it and he was rescued.

So why didn’t he just go outside and practice?  It’s what he wanted to do.  It’s what the coach wanted him to do.  Why didn’t he do it?

He didn’t do it because he faced resistance and he was not strong enough to overcome it.  If he would have had the strength, he could have overcome their resistance and done what the coach wanted. 

So here’s a definition of strength:  being able to overcome resistance.

This is easy to see in the physical realm.  If he wanted to be stronger, he could start pumping iron.  He could focus on his biceps and triceps and lats and glutes and delts and pecs.  He could become so strong that the next time those guys tried to resist him he could just push them aside and go do what he was supposed to do. 

This is a bit harder to see when we talk about spiritual strength.  Ephesians 6:10 says, “…be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power.”  It goes on to say that “our struggle is not against flesh and blood,” but against “the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”  It even talks about the “wiles of the devil.”

In the same way that guy can focus on strengthening certain physical muscles, we can focus on strengthening certain spiritual muscles, which we find in Ephesians chapter six.  In each of these areas we face resistance, but by being strong we can overcome that resistance and do what the Lord wants us to do.

Verse 14 starts with truth.  We need to be strong in the truth.  The enemy resists us with deception and lies.  He clouds over the truth and even uses half truths. 

But we must always deal in truth.  We need to seek for truth and make truth a top priority.  And not the “here today, gone tomorrow” truth that this world offers, but the Lord’s rock solid, never changing, foundational, eternal truth.

We need to be strong in the truth.

Next we need to be strong in righteousness.  The enemy will resist this at every turn.  He will look for any way to taint us with unrighteousness – unrighteous thoughts, unrighteous words, unrighteous situations.  He mocks righteousness, puts it down, and gets people to do the same.  Being righteous is uncool.  It’s square.  Every generation has its own set of words to look down on righteousness, but that is just resistance.  We need to stand up against that resistance.

We need to be strong in righteousness.

Next we need to be strong in sharing the gospel of peace.  The enemy resists this.  Keep the gospel to yourself, he says.  Don’t be pushy.  Nobody wants to hear that.  Faith is personal, don’t talk about it.  He does not want the gospel of Jesus Christ even whispered.  He resists the gospel at every turn, and we need to stand against that resistance.

We need to be strong in sharing the gospel.

Next we need to be strong in faith.  The enemy tries to riddle our faith with doubt and unbelief.  How can you believe anything you can’t see, he whispers.  Science is real, faith is a fairy tale.  Hebrews 11:6 says without faith it is impossible to please God, and the enemy wants no one pleasing God, so he resists anything that affirms our faith.  We need to stand against that resistance.

We need to be strong in faith.

Next we need to be strong in our salvation.  The enemy will tell us it doesn’t matter, or that it was a long time ago, or that we were never saved in the first place.  He belittles salvation, mocks being “born again,” undercuts what Christ did on the cross to make us children of the Most High.  He says our redemption is nothing, but I say let the redeemed of the Lord say so!

We need to be strong in our salvation.

Next we need to be strong in the Word.  The enemy will resist us, try to hinder us from learning the Word.  He tells us it’s not true.  He tells us it’s hard to understand, that it’s not for today, that it’s not for every situation.  He keeps us busy, gives us a hundred things to do, anything but crack open that Bible!  He resists our plans to study scripture, and we need to stand against that resistance.

We need to be strong in the Word.

And finally we need to be strong in prayer.  The enemy resists our plans to pray.  He tells us it doesn’t work, it’s a waste of time, we’re talking to the ceiling.  There are better things to do.  Come up with a plan to pray and watch the resistance come out of the woodwork.  We need to stand up to that resistance.

We need to be strong in prayer.

These are all things we want to do.  They are things the Lord wants us to do.  So why don’t we do them? 

Because we face resistance.

Now remember our definition of strength:  being able to overcome resistance.

According to Ephesians 6 we want to be strong in the truth, in righteousness, in sharing the gospel, in faith, in our salvation, in the Word, and in prayer. 

The enemy resists us at every turn, but as we strengthen each of those spiritual muscles we will be able to overcome the enemy’s resistance and serve the Lord just as He wants us to do.


Comments?

E-mail me:  dougapple@wave94.com.

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


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

(Proverbs 25:11 – “A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver.”)

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

Doug Apple
General Manager - Wave 94
Christian Radio for Tallahassee
PO Box 4105
Tallahassee, FL  32315
(850) 926-8000
-vi-

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

To listen to the radio version, click here.

 

To search archives, click here.

Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for November 13, 2009

“The Cost of Lost Opportunities”

 

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

Have you ever heard of the cost of lost opportunities?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

That is the cost of lost opportunities. 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


Comments?

E-mail me:  dougapple@wave94.com.

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


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

(Proverbs 25:11 – “A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver.”)

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

Doug Apple
General Manager - Wave 94
Christian Radio for Tallahassee
PO Box 4105
Tallahassee, FL  32315
(850) 926-8000
-vi-

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

To listen to the radio version, click here.

 

To search archives, click here.

Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for November 12, 2009

“If You Want More, Increase Your Capacity”

 

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

Do you want more out of life?

Then you have to increase your capacity.

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

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

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

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

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

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

“What do you have in your house?”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

So what are you doing to increase your capacity?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


Comments?

E-mail me:  dougapple@wave94.com.

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


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

(Proverbs 25:11 – “A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver.”)

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

Doug Apple
General Manager - Wave 94
Christian Radio for Tallahassee
PO Box 4105
Tallahassee, FL  32315
(850) 926-8000
-vi-

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

To listen to the radio version, click here.

 

To search archives, click here.

Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for November 11, 2009

“A Bible and a Big Hat”

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


Comments?

E-mail me:  dougapple@wave94.com.

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


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

(Proverbs 25:11 – “A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver.”)

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

Doug Apple
General Manager - Wave 94
Christian Radio for Tallahassee
PO Box 4105
Tallahassee, FL  32315
(850) 926-8000
-vi-

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

To listen to the radio version, click here.

 

To search archives, click here.

Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for November 10, 2009

“How to Say Phone Numbers on the Radio”

 

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

So how should you say phone numbers on the radio?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


Comments?

E-mail me:  dougapple@wave94.com.

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


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

(Proverbs 25:11 – “A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver.”)

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

Doug Apple
General Manager - Wave 94
Christian Radio for Tallahassee
PO Box 4105
Tallahassee, FL  32315
(850) 926-8000
-vi-

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

To listen to the radio version, click here.

 

To search archives, click here.

Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for November 9, 2009

“The National Bible Bee”

 

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

The grand prize winner took home $100,000.

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

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

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

Why are they giving away so much money? 

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

What is the Shelby Kennedy Foundation?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“I didn’t know this was possible.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Get involved with the National Bible Bee.


Comments?

E-mail me:  dougapple@wave94.com.

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


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

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

Doug Apple
General Manager - Wave 94
Christian Radio for Tallahassee
PO Box 4105
Tallahassee, FL  32315
(850) 926-8000
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