Quote from Forum Archives on November 11, 2003, 7:52 pm

Posted by: masinick <masinick@...>

Dear friends,

This time of the week, I usually share Larry Davies' Sowing Seeds
of Faith weekly devotional column, and this week is no exception.
Larry shares this week a story that he wrote a while back, based
on an article he read. Larry has a great way of tying every day
stories with practical expressions of faith. This week's article
is a good example.

Are you prepared, first, to set your own life straight, then to
reach out to others? That's what will be motivating me this
week.

Yours in Christ,
Brian

Sowing Seeds of Faith...

mailto:Pray_for_Kaelyn@hotmail.com - We have been asking for
prayer for our daughter Kaelyn, since she was sick, the middle
of Sept. There has been progress, which we have shared with you
already. TODAY has been the most awesome of ALL. SHE IS WALKING!
Thank you God, we praise your Holy Name and thank you Jesus...
thank you Holy Spirit of God for giving me the words when I did
not have utterance from my sadness... for giving these wonderful
prayer warriors the words to say for her behalf! I only hope
you can feel the joy that I write this with! I pray now that the
medication only works against the inflammation, not against
healthy tissues, that her completer restoration continues... ALL
GLORY TO GOD! THANK YOU PRAYER WARRIORS FROM THE BOTTOM OF MY
HEART FOR YOUR PRAYERS! In Christ's Love~ Suzanne & Brian,
Brendan and KaeLyn

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"Living in the 'Planet of the Apes'" Larry Davies

As humor columnist Dave Berry would say, "I am not making this
up." My mother-in-law sent me an article from her hometown
newspaper titled, "'It sounds crazy': Monkeys pelt cars with
fruit."

"Three monkeys pelted cars on Interstate 95 with bananas and
crab apples before running across the highway and fleeing into
the woods... A woman flagged down a state trooper and told him a
monkey had thrown a banana at her car. 'I started laughing,'
said the trooper but he drove back to the scene of the attack
and found a van and a station wagon pulled off the highway. 'I
know this sounds crazy,' one driver said, 'but a monkey threw an
apple at our car.' At that moment a crab apple came out of
nearby trees and hit the van. 'Lo and behold there were three
brown monkeys in an oak tree throwing crab apples,' the trooper
continued. The primates jumped out of the trees and ran across
the highway."

"A 6-year-old boy in the van had watched the movie 'Planet of
the Apes' before leaving home a half-hour earlier. As the
monkeys ran across the highway, the trooper heard the boy say:
'Look, Mama, we're living in the planet of the apes.'" (Edited
from Associated Press Story)

Maybe we are living in the planet of the apes. Life can be
strange and full of surprises at times. You're cruising the
highway minding your own business when suddenly... SPLAT! A
monkey throws a crab apple, smashing your windshield, squashing
your routine, your day and possibly your life.

* There is a phone call from the doctor who wants to see you
immediately!
* A letter from the Internal Revenue Service that can be
condensed to one word: audit.
* An interoffice memo announcing that your company plans to
downsize.
* Your child brings home a note from school: "Please come to the
principal's office right away!"
* There is message on the answering machine from your spouse:
"We have to talk..."

Squash! Abruptly, your peaceful journey is shattered. All
resources must now be focused on this latest crisis. Do you
resume your trip and pretend nothing happened? Do you
immediately stop to investigate? Do you quietly wait and hope
the crisis will go away? Should you call for help? Instead of
being in control, you become a helpless target worrying over
what the monkeys might throw next.

Is this why we must continually strengthen our relationship with
God? Jesus once told a story about two builders. The foolish one
built a house on a foundation of sand. The inevitable storms
arrived, the rain came down, the winds blew and beat against the
house and it collapsed. The wise builder used a foundation of
rock. "The rain came down, the streams rose, the winds blew and
beat against the house; yet it did not fall." (Mat. 7:25) Both
builders faced the same storms but only one house survived. The
secret to survival has little to do with the storm but instead
lies within the foundation.

When storm winds blow and fruit starts flying it's wise to
remember that God is our foundation!

* Reverence for the Lord is the foundation of true wisdom...
(Psalm 111:10)
* But God's truth stands firm like a foundation stone... (2
Timothy 2:19)
* After you have suffered a little while, he will restore,
support and strengthen you and he will place you on a firm
foundation... (1 Peter 5:10)
* But you, dear friends, must continue to build your lives on
the foundation of your holy faith. And continue to pray as you
are directed by the Holy Spirit... (Jude 1:20)

Do you see the point? Reverence for the Lord is the
foundation... God's truth stands firm... After you have suffered
he will place you on a firm foundation... Continue to build your
lives on the foundation... No empty promises to remove crises,
rather a commitment to restore, support and strengthen.

Are storms clouds approaching? Feeling the sting of a monkey's
crab apple attack? Has your journey been sidetracked by crisis?
Maybe this is a good time to build on the foundation of your
holy faith. How is your relationship with God? Does it need a
little strengthening? When is the last time you attended a Bible
study? Prayed with someone? Talked with your pastor? It's never
too late, you know.

And another thing... watch out for flying fruit.

Read Sowing Seeds of Faith... everyday! Click here:
www.sowingseedsoffaith.com/Devotions.htm

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Jesus said: "You are the light of the world--like a city on a
mountain, glowing in the night for all to see. Don't hide your
light under a basket! Instead, put it on a stand and let it
shine for all." (Matthew 5:14-15)

"Breaking the Peanut Butter Habit: Following God's Recipe for a
Better Life" now on sale only through our website.
www.sowingseedsoffaith.com/peanbutt.htm

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=====
--
Brian Masinick, mailto:masinick@yahoo.com
Home page: www.geocities.com/masinick/

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