Dead Apple

Oh, my goodness! I walked into my kitchen and smelt a rather not-so-fresh smell. Now, if you know me then you will know that I am an orderly fellow, but not so much a clean freak. I like to have things in order rather than dusted. So, it wasn't abnormal to smell such a smell, but what was it? Well, I started looking around and finally after a few minutes of serious Inspector Gadget action on my part I found it! It was a dead, rotted, ugly, brown apple. How in the world could this have happened? I walk into this kitchen daily and I didn't smell it before. I grab bananas from the same spot that this apple was resting and still, I never saw this slow decay. Well, this had to change, something was going to have to be done to this poor dead apple. So, I did what every normal person in this same situation would do... I left it there. I mean, why in the world would I touch it? It was dead, let the apple R.I.P. Okay, I'm just kidding, I threw it away and all possibilities (reproduction, pleasing someone with its rich crisp taste, being used for an apple pie, etc) for that apple were over. And like the death of that apple, you and I can slowly die!

I'm not talking about actual physical death, because that's a no brainer... we are all going to die. No, I'm talking about the death of living life! Our lives can be like that apple that died if we allow anger, resentment, jealousy, envy and other things to rot in our souls and minds. Like that apple, we have so much potential to bring about happiness and joy to others around us, but if we have these other things holding us down we will slowly die. We will rot to the point where we cannot do anything good. See, the apple in itself can bring forth joy to a few people by being used in a pie or being eaten for breakfast or as a snack, but its seeds can also be planted to bring forth a tree that produces more fruit. Our genuine joy can cause others to do the same thing and in natural function we can bring forth much fruit! BUT, if we allow past faults of others, the lust of the eyes and other sins to chain us, we will die! So, what is to come of this apple?

Well, you have a choice... you can forgive those that need forgiveness, you can stop doing things that hurt yourself and others and then focus on being used to bring joy to others. It's amazing how much Jesus' teaching actually apply when one simply looks at life. Paul the Apostle, empowered by the Holy Spirit, writes in Galatians 5 about this exact thing (go check it out).

So, are you becoming a dead apple? I'm not!

The Blowing Machine

There is this boy that I work with who loves to be on the move (I'm not going to call him by his real name for many purposes, so let's call him Harry) . Today was a very nice day and here in Indiana most of the leaves have fallen and cover the ground. Can you picture it? Some are a darker green, some a bright orange/yellow and some are already brown. Look around with me and you'll see a nice brick home with a very big back yard covered with many different types of trees. Because of the season the backyard is covered with these multicolored leaves. Harry loves to watch things move, whether it is feet in a gymnasium, grass flowing from the side of a lawn mower or leaves being blown by a mechanical blower. Now, growing up in Albuquerque these blowers are rather scarce, because desert doesn't put on this great of a display of fallen leaves, so I hadn't had the opportunity to watch one in full motion, let alone use one. But, Harry was asking for this blower to be used. Now, I would like to stop here and share with you a little about Harry. He is a middle school boy who wasn't given the many distractions you and I were given which causes these little beautiful things to go unnoticed. Harry is a boy with autism. He doesn't talk like you and me nor does he express himself like we would, but he does speak and he does express. He uses pictures, gestures, groans, yells, tugs and other such methods to express his desires. Today he chose to use a picture of a blower (thanks to his mother who took the picture) to show us that this was the activity he was ready to partake in. So, off to the garage to get the extension cord and the blower for Harry. When everything was hooked up I was asked to blow for Harry, so I started up the blower and began to blow the leaves off of the porch. Then life began to move in slow motion and God began to speak to me. I watched the leaves blow, but I didn't see exactly what was blowing them. Harry was watching with amusement as the leaves slammed against a wall and/or a trash can and fly up in the air only to be given a second chance to experience the fall back to the ground. He was so excited about this process. Harry then took the blower from me so that he could cause this state of flux for these fallen leaves. Here is where I began to think... I am a leaf! What tree did I fall from? Was it an oak, a maple or maybe a birch tree. And like those leaves, I have taken shape depending on that environment (tree) and then during my life I fell............. and fell........... and fell........... and have fallen down to the ground. I didn't realize it when it happened because the flight down was so surreal and motionless, but it was still a fall.

I was still in deep thought when something else happened. Harry got up and started blowing these leaves down the path and into the yard and then with the natural breeze these leaves ended up in a group of many fallen leaves. It wasn't until later that my thoughts were given closure in this great parallel. But that night these leaves from this group were picked up off of the ground and placed in a pit where a fire would soon take form. The fire burned bright and it was hot and very dangerous, but very beautiful and warm and that is when my parallel was changed.

I'm not a leaf... I'm a tree! The choices I make are like leaves and once I make them they fall to the ground and then are either eaten up by a lawn mower and used to nurture the ground or thrown in a pit for burning purposes or something else. I like the idea of these leaves being thrown into the fire, because once they are burned they can never reappear, in fact those burnt leaves actually go into the ground and allow a nurturing too... and isn't that kind of what Jesus did on the cross? Jesus took those bad decisions and burned them to where they would no longer be around, but the lessons learned from that fall can be used to nurture me to health. The tree looks different because of fallen leaves, but the tree still remains and has the opportunity to wave it's branches for the Creator.

Thank God that I'm not the leaf!

We are only human!

Pain! Anxiety! Lust! Pride! Anger! Love! Excitement! Tranquility! Stress! Laughter! Crying!

These are just a few words that we all experience. These are what make us human! These are what make us real! The question I have is why do we use so much energy trying to hide our humanity? Why do we run from anger? Why do we turn when we cry (might just be me)? Why do we laugh when we want to cry or hide? Why do we hold our excitement when we want to shout out loud? Why do we lie to those who are closest to us so that we can appear better than we are? Why in the world do we not just admit it... we're human! We make mistakes and we sin! We make poor choices because we're dirty rotten selfish prideful people! If we could just come clean and admit our wrongs and then stand before those closest to us just as we are I bet life could become so much more liberating. Hiding things chains us! It did me! There is only one thing that will change everything... honest worship of Jesus Christ! We must follow Jesus and admit that we need him to be anything greater than fallen people. Jesus gives us purpose! Jesus gives us worth! Without Jesus, we can act like we are good, but we're not and you will still remain...

Any thoughts on this?

A Relationship Thing

In the beginning of all relationships one does not think, "I can't wait for this relationship to end," but in fact most of the relationships we have end. Some end great! Some end in tears! Some relationships just end and there is no explanation nor feeling. Some relationships end too quick, while others go on for way too long. Other relationships have a small purpose while others have monumental impact. I read this card one time that really helped my eyes open up to the beginning and ending of relationships. This card shared three types of relationships; ones for a moment, ones for a season and ones for a lifetime. I believe that in each of these types of relationships there will be ones that are healthy and ones that are unhealthy.

When someone has a relationship with someone this could and usually does alter ones life forever. We usually don't get to choose betwixt them... they just happen and then we know what type of relationship that was. Let me share with you a couple examples so that you understand what I mean.

Example 1: I ran into this guy at Starbucks one day in the mid months of 2004 and we hit it off. We talked about God, work, life, spirituality, dreams and so many other things. We got together a couple times after that first meeting and he even invited me into his home for a meal. I thought that this relationship was going to be one for that season in my life, but shortly after our meal together we stopped communicating. Nothing negative happened, there weren't any fall outs, we just stopped contacting each other on a daily basis and the relationship was new enough that it just fizzled out. I have no ill feelings toward him, nor does he have any reason to be upset at me... it just ended. But here is the clintcher... because of this relationship I realized quickly my depsarate need for an accountablity partner.

Example 2: I met Melissa Cochran in an odd yet very supernatural way (so we thought) and we ended up jumping into marriage very quickly. One would say that when someone knows they know, but I think my Baptist Union Director was correct when he said, "time is on your side." Anway, this seemed to be a relationship that was for a lifetime and it will be, but it will be under new circumstances. She is the mother of my child and we will need to keep a close, friendly relationship for the sake of our child. Our relationship ended, but a new one began.

I know I could go on and on about this, but I am sure you get the point... so when you meet people (which we do daily), simply think about having the best possible relationship one can with this person and when/if it ends, just thank God for it and reflect on the pros and cons and spit out the seeds and move on.