Soft, Sweetened, and Spiced

Then they that gladly received his word were baptized; and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls. Acts 2:41

The apples are in, so apple butter is in the making. It's really quite simple when you have the right tools. I use a crank apple peeler. I can crank out a 1/2 bushel of apples in about an hour. Try hand peeling that many and see how long it takes. The apple peeler will take out the core, peel the apple and slice it into rings all at the same time. I use a large variety of apples so the mixture brings out the best apple flavors. Winesaps and Cameos are my favorites. I also added Mutsu, Golden Delicious, Fuji, and maybe a Gala or two. Add a little apple pie spice and sugar, a few splashes of apple cider and the apples have a new purpose, the makings of great homemade apple butter. I also have a large turkey roaster that holds my apples. It will cook a 1/2 bushel of apples into apple butter while I sleep. The next day, all I need to do is put it in the jars. A crock pot will work just as well, but won't hold as many apples.

I was thinking about how we tell the kids about the salvation transformation with pumpkins, taking out the yucky stuff and putting the light inside to shine through the smiling face. That put me to thinking about apple butter and the church. Apples have a core with the seeds. The seeds contain a cyanide compound. It won't hurt us to eat the seeds. A person would have to eat a tremendous amount to cause harm but our mothers told us apple seeds were poison. We take out the core before we make apple butter.

We have a core that has to be removed before we can become a Christian. That core will kill us if left inside. I'm talking about our sinful heart. We have to allow Jesus to cleanse us of our sins if we want to be saved. That's the first step in becoming part of a church. Just as a rotten apple would spoil the whole batch so an unsaved person will spoil the witness of the whole church.

The appearance of an apple has to change before it becomes apple butter. The peel has to be removed. To leave it on would add a tough consistency to the butter.  It has to become soft, sweetened and spiced to have the right smell and taste. It needs to be cooked on low for several hours to get the tenderness and consistency needed to create great butter.

What do you think we might need to be a great church? With salvation our tough exterior will come off. We become the tender-hearted, loving person that desires to be like Jesus. We become part of a church where we can become that sweet odor of God to the world. Our lives are spiced with the truth of God's word. We are warmed to the things of God. We mix with others who may be of other races and cultures to create a wonderful mix that is able to reach out to a lost world, telling them, once, we too were lost but now we're saved. Once, we too were tough guys who didn't need help. Once, our attitudes stunk, but with Jesus we have a new life and a new attitude and a new purpose.

Apple butter is the best a mix of apples can be. Just put it on a little homemade bread and see how delectable it is. Apple butter on a foundation of homemade bread, that's another analogy in the making. Got it? The church on our foundation, Jesus Christ the Bread of Life.

Be the church sitting strong on our Foundation, Jesus Christ, to a lost world who is searching for truth and purpose.

Blessings.

Gail

Hey Kids

Apple butter can be as easy as pie. If mom has an apple peeler ask if you can help crank. 

Wash and peel about 14 apples.

If you don't have an apple peeler, have an adult peel the apples. 

Slice the apples into small pieces with a plastic picnic knife. 

Place the apples in a crock pot.

Add about 1 cup of apple cider, juice or water.

Add 2 cups of sugar (optional)

Stir in 2 1/2 tsp of apple pie spice.

Place the lid on the crock pot and turn on low overnight. Stir once in awhile, especially in the morning until the apples have broken down and  cooked to the consistency you desire.

Sterilize 4-6 jelly glasses (1/2 pint jars)

Spoon apple butter into glasses.

Bring to a boil in a water bath and boil 5 minutes.

If you don't have a water bath, place several table knives in the bottom of a large pot. Place the jars on top of the knives so they don't touch the bottom of the pot. Cover with water and boil the same way as with a water bath.

Maybe you could share a jar of apple butter with a neighbor or a friend who could also use a witness of how Jesus is working in your life and in your church. 

A Harvest Moon

Photo thanks to  Athena D. Campbell.

Therefore said he unto them, The harvest truly is great, but the labourers are few: pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he would send forth labourers into his harvest. Luke 10:2

Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh harvest? behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest. John 4:35

This weekend we are privileged to view the Harvest Moon. There are names for each full moon that corresponds to the season, the wolf moon, the snow moon, the strawberry moon, etc. The harvest moon seems to have gained its name because in the days before electricity, people needed the harvest moon to get in their final crops. They worked by the light of the moon until the work was done. 

The moon's light is a reflection of the sun. If we take that to the spiritual level, the church should be a reflection of the Son. The moon waxes and wanes and so does the effectiveness of the church. When the church is at its best, the harvest is greatest. 

Harvesters can't watch the sky for signs of rain or stay inside because of heat or wind. The angels asked the disciples why they stood gazing up. (Acts 1:11) Jesus would return as they saw Him go. In the meantime, the disciples had a job to do. They were to be harvesters in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and all the world. 

So what do harvesters do? They give hope and vision for the future. Hope from the harvest that people will not starve. Vision for the future that there will be seed for spring planting. 

We have a job to do. Proverbs 29:18 states: "Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he." 

May we catch the vision for the church and be harvesters who reap the fields instead of watching the skies. 

But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only. Matthew 24:36

Hey Kids: 

What is your vision for the future?

Not every Christian is called to a foreign mission field. 

We need teachers, doctors, politicians, lawyers, auto mechanics, plumbers, computer techs and more who know how to use their jobs as effective mission fields. 

Study about Daniel this week. He was just a teen when he was taken to Babylon, but he learned all he could without compromising his faith. Though he faced trials, he became one of the most influential men in the kingdom until his death as a very old man. 

How can you prepare now for the vision God is giving you?

How can you influence the world from your mission field? 

The Rock

 

and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. Matthew 16:18b

I found a new favorite children's book, If You Find a Rock , by Peggy Christian. It evokes so many memories of playing with our kids and grandkids, just finding rocks. 

Rocks you skip across lakes and streams. 

Rocks you climb.

Rocks you view life from.

Rocks you rest on.

A place to rest after a long day's hike or rest because it's sunny and warm, or rest just because it looks like a neat place to sit. 

All throughout the Bible the rock, or this rock depicts a picture of Jesus. No one wonder people, especially children are attracted to rocks. 

The Bible depicts Jesus as a place of rest, a firm foundation, the supplier of the water of life, the Rock of our Salvation and so much more. 

Rocks are one of the greatest gifts of creation to children. Maybe just to remind us and them of the Greatest Gift, Jesus Christ the Savior. 

Hey Kids:

What do you like to do with a rock? 

Do you stick it in your pocket?

      It may become your memory rock.

Do you skip it across the water? 

      How many circles does it make and how far does it reach?

Have you made a standing pile of rocks? 

      It may help you find your way or help you remember this specific spot when you return.

Does it look like an animal?

      Paint it up and use it for a paperweight or a gift.

Whenever you find a rock, whatever you do with a rock,  make it special.

Make it a memory of the Rock of your Salvation.

Use it to share Jesus with others.

      Tell the memory of your salvation.

       Know each time you share your salvation experience it reaches out to others, eventually reaching around the globe. 

      When you feel confused, know Jesus will show you the way.

      Like a paperweight, Jesus helps you keep life together. 

Look for the Rock!

Blessings,

Gail

Almost Heaven

Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness. II Peter 3:13

What's your image of heaven? Streets of gold? Mansions? Yes, the Bible does say those things, but are we missing the most natural of all images? 

When God first created the heavens and the earth, there was

• a beautiful garden
• no dying
• no tears
• no pain
• no heartache
• peace and fellowship in a garden with animals and God.

What about the new heavens and the new earth? (Revelation 21, 22:1-5) Besides the city with streets of gold and gates of pearl, there are

• gates open where people go in and out
• a river
• a tree with twelve different fruits
• no more curse, no thorns.

It sounds similar to the Garden of Eden. The Lord always gives us visuals of Himself and what He is trying to tell us. I think we search for those visuals whether consciously or not. Have you thought about your favorite place on earth?

In the 1870's Brewster Higley wrote "Oh, give me a home where the buffalo roam and the skies are not cloudy all day." In 1971 John Denver sang, "Almost heaven, West Virginia." Both had their idea of heaven. 

Every summer and fall we take a trip to Cades Cove, TN in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. It's a quiet, peaceful cove with millions of visitors each year who come to view the scenery and the wildlife. Our favorite walk is a quarter mile to the John Oliver cabin (top). On the return through the tall grass and flowers, the mountains rise up from the floor of the cove like a quilt wrapping you in the cool of the day. 

The grasses are filled with butterflies and and the sound of crickets as people walk quietly by.

I love Spark's Lane where the road fords the stream and children build dams and skip rocks.

At the back of the cove, bears lazily lie in walnut trees watching tourist, watching them. Deer graze in open fields and along the woods edge. Visitors smile and point, speaking in happy whispers. 

Though there is no night in heaven, here on earth we still need a peaceful night's rest. Fireflies light up the night. Owls and insects sing families to sleep in their tents. And as morning arrives multitudes of birds sing in the dawn.

Have you thought about what heaven is like? Is there someone you are missing? Have you wondered what they might be doing today? 

I hope you have found a vision of heaven. We'd love it if you shared with us in the comment section. 

Hey Kids:

Have you ever wondered what heaven is like? 

Do you have a favorite place that makes you think of heaven? 

It might be your treehouse or just a favorite tree limb where you sit and read. 

Maybe it's a creek you play in or a beach where you run through the waves.

This week might be a good time to draw a picture of your idea of heaven. 

Perhaps you know someone who has recently gone to be with Jesus. 

You might want to add them to the picture to remind you of how happy they are to be in a place so beautiful, free from tears and pain. 

Blessings,

Gail