What If?

There's been an interesting story running in the media lately... There is a group of "believers" (led by a Christian radio director on the West Coast) that is sure that the Church will be raptured and that the beginning of the 'End' starts tomorrow, May 21, 2011... They believe that Jesus Christ is going to take His people home at that the earth will erupt with a ferocious earthquake beginning at 6 PM Eastern Time...

First off - I have no idea how they came up with a mathematical equation to figure out the exact date AND TIME of when God The Father is going to send His Son, Jesus to swoop up His Bride, or even if it's accurate... But regardless of how the media spins these 'doomsdayers' - they are bringing an important theme to forefront of many conversations... Is the 'End' near? Is it tomorrow? It makes you think, doesn't it...

I don't know whether I'll go home to be with my Savior tomorrow, or not... I could go tonight... It could be a week from now... It could be 100 years from now... Who knows? But I do know this - I'm excited for whenever it happens...

"Heaven must receive Him (Jesus) until the time comes for God to restore everything, as he promised long ago through his holy prophets." Acts 3:21

God is going to restore everything when He's good and ready... There are definitely 'signs of the time' showing all over: earthquakes, tsunamis, tornados, floods, volcanic eruptions, famine, AIDS, genocide, anarchy, riots, united governments, and more... Not to mention all of the trouble surrounding Israel (God's People) is making all kinds of headlines... These could be birthing pains and we could be close... But I'll say this, though - that's how we should be living life everyday... We should always be anticipating and prepared for His arrival... Much like the apostle Paul - we should be torn between our purpose and mission in this world and our eternal reward with Jesus...

So who knows - this could be my last 'blog entry'... On the other hand - I may be blogging tomorrow night... But either way - Jesus is coming back soon... Are you ready?

As American As Apple Pie

One of my favorite things to do on Monday's is cook or bake... Especially since our low sodium diet has taken effect - I have found that I enjoy the culinary creativity that takes place in our kitchen... Now - I still dust, vacuum, and take our weekly trip to Lowe's with my son - but I enjoy making something out of nothing in the kitchen, as well...

Today's venture - thanks to a children's program singing songs about a Samurai pie maker - I opted to bake a pie... FROM SCRATCH!!! And what better pie to start out on then the all-American classic - Apple Pie... And yes - it had the crumb topping on it... My son and I went to the store and bought our Granny Smith Apples and began the process... We started out making our pie crust out of flour, shortening, 'no-salt' salt, and ice water... We wrapped it up and put it in the fridge for a few hours and started on the apples... First I combined the sugar, cinnamon, and flour for the filling and then the brown sugar, flour and butter for the crumb topping... Just one task left - chopping the apples...

Now - being the avid Food Network watcher that I am - I knew I had to do something a little unique with this pie... It couldn't be like EVERYONE ELSE'S pie! What to do? Then it hit me - leave the peel on! "It won't taste bad," I thought to myself... "It might even make the texture more interesting..." So I went for it... And you know what - it wasn't too bad! It tasted good to me, at least (my wife and small group also said they enjoyed it - but that's their job!) and I succeeded in that it was a little bit different... Even though it was pretty good - I still plan on adapting my recipe and technique as I make more in the future... Oh yes - there will be more!

Sometimes we're like apple pie to our Heavenly Father... We may be doing pretty well and living inside of His Will - but it doesn't mean He will use the same techniques every time... He may try some different flavors in the recipe of our lives from time to time... Sometimes we may need to bake a little longer or maybe have a little less sweetness in our circumstances... At times He may cover us in the tinfoil of His love so we don't get burnt around the edges - and other times we may just get dropped in the deep fryer so we are ready faster! He's the Chef (or in other analogies, "The Potter") and He has the divine, unfathomable ability and forth sight to prepare our hearts and lives in gourmet fashions... His recipe book is endless and full of delicious possibilities - and He never tires of whipping us up into a 5-Star course...

So maybe tomorrow won't taste the same as it did today - but that doesn't mean it won't be delicious!!!

One Nation, Under God...

I'm sure like many others - I almost forgot about today being the "National Day of Prayer"... Now - granted - I didn't have any official "involvement" in any of the meetings - but it was something that I was planning on attending and being a part of... Those in charge of the event for our community planned three different sites at three different times... There was a morning session at 7:15 AM hosted by a local church that included breakfast... That would have been a wonderful time to go - except that it was 7:15 in the morning... Not my favorite time! There was a meeting at the courthouse at high noon - and I was actually able to attend that event... Finishing the day off was a prayer service at another local church in the early evening...

As I said earlier - I attended the noon session... It was pretty cool to be on the lawn of a government building praising God and lifting up the Name of Jesus Christ - especially on a day as beautifully created as this one... The event was planned well with a choir of small children starting things off singing a medley of "Everlasting God/A Mighty Fortress Is Our God"... Following the cute choir were several different individuals that made statements and led the impromptu congregation in prayer and a talented young lady led the group in a couple of songs... The designated prayers were facilitated by pastors, politicians, teachers, and businessmen from different denominations and backgrounds... White, black, men, and women... There was no segregation on this day... It didn't matter if you were baptist, methodist, lutheran, pentecostal, catholic, or something in between... Today - we we're the body of Christ... Gathered together in the assembly of the saints - proclaiming the Name of Jesus Christ and seeking God's favor and wisdom for our community, our leaders, our churches, our families, our children, and our nation...

At least for today - we were "One nation, under God... Indivisible - with liberty and justice for all..."