"God Will Find You!"

Matthew 7:7 "Keep on asking, and you will be given what you ask for. Keep on looking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened."

Dr. Sean, a Theology professor at the Baptist seminary remembered very well the first day he saw Johnny. His eyes needed a double-look to believe what was walking into the classroom. Johnny was about 5’10 and his dark straggly hair draped over almost ½ the length of body. He was wearing what one could described as a Criss Angel look alike costume. Sean did something that he knew was very wrong, something he would repent of later; he judged him by his appearance and labeled him in his mind as very strange. Johnny did, as Dr. Sean suspected, turn out to be an atheist and constantly objected to, made fun of, and smirked at the possibility of an unconditionally loving God.

At the end of the semester, as he was turning in his final exam Johnny asked Dr. Sean, "Do you think I will ever find God?" 

Dr. Sean is not sure why, but he immediately and almost unconsciously said, "No!"

Johnny was surprised by his response and said, "How could you say that, I thought all you Bible-Thumpers pushed salvation on everyone."

Dr. Sean waited til Johnny was almost out the classroom door and said, "Tommy, you may never find God, but I am 100% certain that he will find you!"

Johnny shrugged in shoulder as to say, "I do not care!" and left.

A few years later, Dr. Sean got some bad news that Johnny has terminal cancer, but before he could make plans to go visit, Johnny came to see him. Johnny was in a wheelchair because he was too thin and weak to walk and all of his hair had fallen out from the chemotherapy treatments. But something was different about Johnny. There was something different in his eyes. He was close to death, but his eyes were brighter and looked more alive than ever before.

"Johnny, I heard you were sick and had plans to come visit you.", Dr. Sean said.

"Yes, I am very sick. I have cancer eating away at most of my vital organs. It is just a matter of weeks or days now.", Johnny replied.

"Would it be OK if I asked you some questions about it?", Dr. Sean asked.

"Sure, I have no problems talking about it."

"What is it like to be so young and dying?"

"It could be worse."

"How?"

"I could be fifty and have no values, or could be fifty and believe that sex, partying, and making money are the most important things in life."

Suddenly, Dr. Sean thought back to the first day he met Johnny and how he sinfully judged him for the way he looked. He was amazed at how God used this young man to teach him a lesson on life.

Johnny said, "The reason why I came to see you today has to do with what you said the last day I saw you. You surprised me when you said I would not find God, but he would find you. The truth is, I have thought about what you said a lot since I last saw you and had searched for God. But, it was not until I found out that cancer was spread into my vital organs until I was serious about my search. I was desperate and did everything in my power to find God, but nothing happened. I guess after a while, I just gave up and quit. My father and I had never been very close. I lost my mother when I was young and was never able to connect with my dad. Then one day for some reason I approached him and told him, 'I love you!' He immediately burst into tears, hugged me, and we spent the whole night talking. That was when I realized that God was there, all along. I tried so hard to find him for so long and he was there all along. It was through love that I found him. The last time I took your class, I was not ready for God, now I am and would like to take it again."

Dr. Sean told Johnny when the next Theology of Faith class was to start, but he never made it to the class.

He did talk to Johnny one last time before his death. He said, "I am not going to make it to your class."

"I know Johnny."

"Will you tell your class about me, tell them my story?"

"Of course I will."

"Tell them that God is there, He is always there. It only takes love to see him!"

1 John 4:8 "Anyone who does not know love does not know God, because God is love."

The Most Valuable Thing in the World!

"Teach your children to choose the right path, and when they are older, they will remain upon it." Proverbs 22:6 NLT

It had been a long time since James last saw the old man. After graduation from high school, his life became very busy. He joined the Army, moved away from his home town, got married, and had kids. James had forgotten about the old man.

Then, one day out of the blue he got an email from an old neighbor buddy he grew up with, "Mr. Rodgers from down the street passed away last night. The funeral is on Monday."

All of a sudden, memories flashed through his mind and he spent a few minutes reflecting on his childhood days. James simply replied to his friend, "I'll be there."

It wasn't til then that he realized something. The man was quite old when he left his home town many years ago and James had assumed that Mr. Rodgers had died many years ago, but he "Was Alive All This Time!" He must had been close to 100 years old.

On the day of the funeral, James confessed to his friend Chris that he had forgotten about old Mr. Rodgers and felt terrible that he never took the time to visit him even one time since he left town. Chris said, "He never forgot about you. In fact, every time I saw him, he asked how you were doing. He would ramble about the time you spent together and how much he missed it. Never stopped talking about fishing in the pond!"

"He is the one who taught me how to fish," James said. "I would have never found the love for the sport if it wasn't for him and now I'm passing the same love on to my kids!" "He taught me the important things like how to tie a proper fishing knot and the difference between a male and female catfish." "Now he's gone! Why did I not come back to visit?"

After talking to Chris, James went for a walk down the street. His senses were alive and took in everything. He expected his "old stomping grounds" to be much different, but found everything to be eerily familiar. Everything was just as he remembered many years ago; even Mr. Rodgers' old house was just as he remembered.

James walked up to the window, looked inside and suddenly gasped. Everything was just as he had remembered except for one troubling detail and found himself talking out loud, "Mr. Rodger's most valuable possession is gone!" James remembered just as if it were yesterday the small tin box on top of the writing desk. "Where did the box go? Maybe someone from his family came by and got it." James had asked many times while visiting, "What is in the small tin box?" Mr. Rodgers always replied, "The Most Valuable Thing in the World!"

It has been a couple of weeks since Mr. Rodgers' funeral and James was back home. Everything was back to its crazy normal routine, work, school, and kids. Suddenly, the FEDEX truck drove up the driveway of his home and caught James entering his house like it had done many time before. Except this time, James noticed something much different about this package than any other. It looked as if it were mailed years ago. The outside of the small box looked as if it was packed many years ago. Then James noticed the return address and blurted out loud, "It's from Mr. Rodgers!" His heart raced as he tore open the package and inside found a note and the small tin box.

James' hands shook as he read the note, "Upon my death, please forward this box and its contents to James Apple. It contains the thing I value most in my life!" Tears in his eyes, James opened the box and found the most beautiful wrist watch he had ever saw in his life and on the back these words were engraved,

"James, thank you for your time! — Mr. Rodgers."

James sat there for a few moments stunned and suddenly realized what Mr. Rodgers valued more than anything else in his life was the time they spent together.
The next day at work, James put in for some much over due leave. One of his workers asked him, "Why are you all of a sudden taking this time off?" James replied, "I need to spend time with my family and thank you for your time too!"

The Masque of Red Death meets Seven Deadly Sins

Death Holds Dominion Over us ALL!
"And the last enemy to be destroyed is death." 1 Corinthians 15:26

The most widely accepted seven deadly sins by society through biblical teachings are Lust, Gluttony, Greed, Laziness, Wrath, Envy, and Pride. The use of the term "seven deadly sins" refer to the belief sin separates humanity from God and ultimately leads to spiritual death or eternal separation from God and more commonly known as Hell. Romans states "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord". By no means is this an extensive list of all sins, Proverbs reads "There are six things the Lord hates, seven that are detestable to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, and heart that devises wicked schemes, feet that are quick to rush into evil, a false witness who pours out lies and a man who stirs up dissension among brothers".

The interpretation of the seven deadly sins and how they affect the relationship of humanity with God when broken has been at the top of spiritual debate for hundreds of years. Edgar Allen Poe's "The Masques of Red Death" has many examples of these seven deadly sins and it is very interesting to view through the lens of Marxist Critique. Lust is most commonly linked to the lust of the flesh or sexual lust; however it is also defined as "desire, pleasure, to be eager, wanton, or unruly". Poe's work says "The tastes of the duke were peculiar. He had a fine eye for colors and effects. He disregarded the Decora of mere fashion. His plans were bold and fiery, and his conceptions glowed with barbaric luster… There was much of the beautiful, much of the wanton, much of the bizarre". (Poe, p. 2)

Everything about the Prince's abbey, his decorations, possessions, clothing, dancing, and partying confirmed the lustful desires of the prince and his royal subjects. This goes to the heart of the Marxist theory of exploitation of proliferates by the bourgeois for the gain of their own wealth. It is the lustful desire of the rich and powerful to use the working-class to obtain and continuously build their economic superior class to the point of despicable lustful greed. On the flip side, the poor or working class have the wanton desire to do any and everything possible to dig their way up and out of their poverty; however the feudal system of the time set up by the bourgeois made it virtually impossible for the lower-class to every move up out of the poverty.

Gluttony and greed can be combined and defined as "excess in eating, drinking or greedy and excessive indulgence, and a selfish and excessive desire for more of something". Proverbs says "for drunkards and gluttons become poor, and drowsiness clothes them in rags". Poe describes the Prince's excessive indulgence like this: "It was toward the close of the fifth or sixth month of his seclusion, and while the pestilence raged most furiously abroad, that the Prince Prospero entertained his thousand friends at a masked ball of the most unusual magnificence". (Poe, p. 1) Though the Red Death plague is at its worst on the outside killing Prince Prospero's working-class within his kingdom he continues in his excessive indulgence inside the castle.

The prince has absolutely no regard or concern for the welfare of his poor people within his kingdom. He only cares about his self and the preservation of his newly created kingdom. Ephesians states " Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, with a continuous lust for more". Prince Prospero's greed for wealth and power pushed him to create an excessive party atmosphere that ensures his subjects do not find the time to reflect on the horrible and selfish acts they have committed. Laziness are defined as "disinclined to the activity of exertion". Poe wrote: "This was an extensive and magnificent structure, the creation of the prince's own eccentric yet august taste. A strong and lofty wall girdled it in. This wall had gates of iron. The courtiers, having entered, brought furnaces and Massy hammers and welded the bolts."(Poe, p. 1) Everyone readily accepted that Prince Prospero created the elaborate environment they were entombed in and believed that he was responsible for the elaborate decorations and furnishings. Prince Prospero was not directly responsible for any of this. He never raised one finger; everything was done by his subjects, the working class. The bolts to the castle walls were wielded by them and every detail in the stronghold was a direct reflection of the hard work his subjects did for him every day.

Wrath is defined as: "a strong vengeful anger or indignation, retributive punishment for an offense or a crime". Poe composed: "his brow reddened with rage."Who dares?" He demanded hoarsely of the courtiers who stood near him --"who dares insult us with this blasphemous mockery? Seize him and unmask him --that we may know whom we have to hang at sunrise, from the battlements!"(Poe, p. 3) How ironic, all this time Prince Prospero had been mocking the Red Death now Death has had its revenge and brought mockery to Prince Prospero's protected refuge. Despite all his efforts to establish a perfect new kingdom; one that is supposed to be unbreakable and unable to be breached, death came nonetheless. At the height of his power, death proved that ultimately the prince had no power over death or the lower-class, because death was the great equalizer. In the end all humanity will succumb to the same fate; it does not matter if you are rich or poor.

Envy is "painful or resentful awareness of an advantage enjoyed by another joined with a desire to possess the same advantage". Prince Prospero envied the realization that he does not possess any true advantage over the lower-class. His exploration of the proliferates were all in vain. Proverbs says "A tranquil heart gives life to the flesh, but envy makes the bones rot". The prince assumed that the secluded safe haven he created would give him an advantage over the Red Death, but he never did have an advantage; Death had the advantage all the time. Prince Prospero was full of the last of the seven deadly sins, pride. He was proud not only himself but also the kingdom that he alone created. He was proud of how he so cleverly fooled and outsmarted the Red Death. The proud and lazy powerful Prince Prospero filled with lust and greed envied the power of the Red Death and ability to infiltrate his beautiful kingdom and out mock his own mockery of death. At first he was afraid but then was overcome with rage which led to his demise. The fall of the prince was first, before all the subjects he held dominion over. In the end, the Red Death held dominion over them all.

by James Apple Jr.

The Feeding of the Multitudes

My step-dad was a restaurant owner for over twenty-five years and loved to cook in massive portions. My parents were two of the most generous people I have ever known.  On many occasions they would invite everyone they knew and sometimes people they did not know over to our house for dinner parties. My parents loved to tailgate at University of Kentucky football games. They would set up their very large outdoor kitchen in the middle of the parking lot and cook for anyone who wanted to eat.  They would never think of charging anyone to eat and would sometimes feed hundreds of people.  It gave them joy to be able to serve others and make so many people happy.  They gave away all this food, but could not stand food waste. It was forbidden for me to not finish my food or throw it away.  It felt good for my parents to feed others and had such strict rules for saving food because they both grew up poor and sometimes had little food to eat. I learned something truly wonderful from these experiences with my family.  They passed on to me their giving spirit and now I’m passing it on to my children. Our family did not participate in sit down meals together very often, but their love and generosity left a lasting impression on me and hundreds of other people they did not know.

More Fish Please!

It sure has been a long time since I’ve taken a serious look at what things I have that make me happy and why. This is something that I should do more often because it helps me remember what is really important to me. My first instinct is to think of my family, and then I suddenly realize that’s crazy. Family isn’t a possession and I shouldn’t think of them like that ever. Next I think of my job, house, and job, but these things are possessions all people believe are important because they are a necessity of life to simply survive. What’s really personally important to me? Then immediately, I think of my pond and fish. My pond is very important to me and brings me so much joy. In fact, while my wife and I were developing our property, the pond was the only project that I took personal responsibility of ensuring was done to my specific specifications. I am always telling my family and friends that my wife designed the house and I designed the pond. Other than the necessities in life we all need, this is one possession I wouldn’t want to live without. The times I spend with my family, friends, and often alone enjoying nature and fishing is wonderful. I can only think of one possession I could have to make me happier. I would like more fish to add to my pond!

Mom "The Genius"

Even though my Mom falls short on one of the five major qualities Daniel Goleman outlined, she still qualified to be an “Emotional Genius”. She was always very aware of her emotions and made everyone around her think she was in a good mood even if she wasn’t. She would do anything to make everyone around her happy and put the needs of others above her own without them even knowing it. She had a true gift of making others around her feel comfortable to say and do the things they wanted without feeling pressured to do anything else. Her self-motivation was well demonstrated in her job as the head loan officer for a large bank. For many years she was the top money maker for her bank and won free trips all over the world. It was so important for her to stay competitive with her peers that she would work late nights at home and go to college with her very little spare time. She developed her own sales strategies which the bank promoted in many T.V., radio, and newspaper advertisements with her as the spokeswoman. Her expert people skills fueled and endless supply of clients she worked with every day. She developed these skills to stay competitive and remain the top sales broker for the bank. A big weakness for her was the self-control of addictive behaviors that hurt her. The stresses of staying competitive along with her deep desire to always make everyone around her happy led to alcoholism and eventually her suicide. She was an “emotional genius” at always being the best for her family, friends, and clients; however she never knew how to be an effective “emotional genius” at taking care of herself.