...AND THE APPLE TREE

Oh, the memories that the sun, the moon, and even an apple can prompt!  For me, the trio evoke the classic  Disney cartoon version of the Johnny Appleseed story. First released in 1948 as a segment in another film, it was later reissued as a “standalone” in 1955. If you're too young to remember it, go to this website: Bing Videos 

 The "sun" and “moon” parts are connected to the lyrics that speak of God's goodness supplied through “the sun, the moon, and the apple tree.”

So, yes, there really was a “Johnny Appleseed,” his real name “John Chapman,” born in Massachusetts in 1774. His mother died when he was only two, and he was raised by a father and stepmother. From his roots on the East Coast, he traveled westward, planting apple trees on the way. He'd get seeds for free from cider mills. At his death at age 70, he left behind thousands of apple trees and a reputation as a generous (albeit odd) person. Alas, history also provides some negative feedback on his life passion, saying the apples he planted were only good for making hard cider!

On the other hand, others point out that he spread not just apple seeds but compassion and kindness. The Disney cartoonists depicted him as a thin, happy guy. But Chapman lived before modern photography. Nobody really knows what he looked like. Still, the Disney movie's lively animation and catchy song helped cement the “core” (no pun intended) story about this unusual, generous man. I remember that film from my childhood! If you search his name on the internet, you'll come up with lots of interesting history on him.

But I think there's another lesson from Chapman's unusual passion. Somewhat remotely, it references Moses of the Old Testament. When God was singling out Moses to lead the amazing exodus of his kinsmen from Egypt to a new homeland, He started with Moses' staff. “What is in your hand?” God asked Moses about the old wooden shepherd staff he carried. If you don't recall what happened next to that staff...well, read Exodus 4 and onward for the next 40 miraculous years. What was in Chapman's hand (or his satchel)? Seeds. He also carried a simple faith in God along with the lifelong desire to spread something simple, yet good, wherever he went.

Next time you bite into a juicy apple, maybe remember that connection. And ask yourself: what physical or relational skill or tool has God put in your hand?

DAYSPRING 2026

A departing, morning moon--
as "day" springs upon us....

If you've thought about choosing a “focus word” for 2026, may I suggest an archaic one--”Dayspring”? Many may recognize the word “Dayspring” as the name of an inspirational greeting card company. But it was a common term in the King James era, so shows up twice in King James-era text:

Hast thou commanded the morning since thy days; and caused the dayspring to know his place?(Job 38:12)

The dayspring from on high has visited us. (Luke 1:78)

Before your eyes glaze over--thinking “what in the world does that mean?”--imagine yourself in knickers and long dresses, circa 1600s, and speaking the King's English. Then, “dayspring” was understood to mean “dawn” or “morning.”

As 2026 begins its calendar and solar journey, maybe it's worth a minute or two to consider the implications of these two uses of “dayspring.” The first quote comes out of Job's wrestling with the age-old question, “Why do the righteous suffer?” Job had suddenly gone from rich, healthy, and respected, to despised, diseased, bereft of family and wealth, and seemingly insignificant. He couldn't understand why, and his so-called friends kept insisting that somewhere, somehow, he must have done something bad to deserve “bad” happening his life. That is, until the section beginning here.

In rapid-fire delivery, God reminds Job that He—God--is above-all, holy God, starting with the incomprehensible breadth and depth of earth and all that marks the skies. Surely a man didn't arrange the planets' routes and rotations—God did. God planned, and set in motion, even the fine-tuning of a 24-hour day, from one morning to another. It's enough to take your breath away—and then you realize that even the capacity to breathe and live is the brilliance of a divine Creator.

Hundreds of years later, the term “Dayspring” returned to scripture—this time as a metaphor for the promised Messiah. In more recent translations, “dayspring” is translated as “Sunrise,” but the comparison is clear. The promised Messiah—to be a relative of the old priest Zacharias and his too-old-to-bear-children-wife Elizabeth (but she was miraculously pregnant!)--would be like a sunrise to a sin-darkened world. The coming of a Messiah would mark a new era in God's relationship with humans.

English speakers of four-plus centuries ago didn't have problems understanding the term “dayspring.” Obviously, it meant when “day” sprung into being with the rising of the sun. In Biblical context, it meant a new relationship with God through His Son's brief tenure on earth, teaching created beings about their Creator and His unfathomable love for each of us.

So...before you “spring” into another day of work and home tasks, worries, deadlines, meal prep, cleaning, and all that....consider your purpose. To check off another thing “done”? Or to grab a pause here and there, to look up, and say thank you to the Dayspring (capital D) from on High....

FROZEN ASSETS

'Twas a few frozen days before Christmas, and the local birds were desperate for a meal. Some apparently recalled that I toss treats into my empty bird bath. But it had rained, then temperatures dipped to freezing. The “bird bath” was now a huge frozen ice saucer with tidbits locked inside. The birds landed and flew away in disgust.

Fear not—I lifted out the “ice saucer” and replenished its treats. As the edible tidbits soon disappeared, I thought of how I have found wonderful “tidbits” to strengthen me. Not physically, but spiritually. They're Bible verses of comfort and instruction, providing insight and hope for spiritual growth and difficult times. Maybe some (memorized long ago) are “yours,” too.

When feeling weak and disappointed, to remember that when we are “weak,” He is strong. “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” (2 Corinthians 12:9)

When things are scary and out of control, He never leaves: “Fear thou not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you. I will help you.” (Isaiah 41:10)

When things you hoped for and dreamed about, don't happen, He feels our disappointment but has a going-forward plan: “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. (Psalm 34:18)

When we feel like giving up, or are making poor alternative “choices,” or when life turns sour, God doesn't “move on” to the next “counseling client.” He stays by us: “We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28).

This past year or so, a friend with life challenges similar to mine has started sharing –also on 3x5 cards--the “aha!” verses she is coming across in her spiritual life-journey. Every week or so, I'll find in the mail an envelope with her latest “great reminder” verse—one that often is extra-meaningful to me as well.

As these verses collect, I rubber-band them and keep them by my living room rocker (where I usually have my Bible-and-prayer time) for memory review. Unlike my local birds, I don't have to teeter on the edge of a birdbath and dip for a few soggy morsels of nourishment. From paper they go to mind, to heart—just where they belong.

WORTH POSTING SOMEWHERE....

I have a shelf just above the top of my desk computer monitor where I've taped inspirational sayings and “don't forget!!!!” reminders. I've recently added this quote.  The author, John Wesley, of course figured significantly in the revival of Christianity after the Dark Ages. I found this Wesley quote in Unto the Hills by the late Billy Graham, whose ministry (like that of Wesley in the 1700s) was a beacon of Biblical truth for our times.

Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as ever you can. (1)

What's unsettling about Wesley's creed was its compulsion to give one's all to Jesus—by all means, in all places, all times, to all people, as long as life allows. To reduce it to a shorter version: “Always glorify Him.”

This of course, runs counter to the temper of our times which emphasizes glorifying the Big Me. Our culture “crowns” people with honors and trophies and, yes, also "crowns"—from rhinestone crowns set on the heads of community festival “queens,” to the heavy, bejeweled ones on people considered “royal” by centuries of lineage.

I have "crowning honors," so to speak, on the wall near my writing area. They're framed honor certificates related to writing. Even though I consider myself a “small pea in the patch” of publishing, it meant something to be so honored. But as I dust the tops of their frames, I realize they won't mean much to my children after I pass away and they're tasked with “gettin' rid of stuff” (as I had to do with my parents' possessions).

Instead I anticipate my audience with the King of Kings and Lord of Lords and Prince of Peace, who will assess my life's real impact. That's scary, yet motivating. In that celestial moment, I hope my focus is on His hands, mutilated by the nails that impaled Him on a crude cross.  For He, alone, is the One who while on earth did all the good He could—by all means, all ways, all places, all times, to all people....

Inspiring words. Humbling. And motivating.          

(1) Quoted in Billy Graham, Unto the Hills: A Devotional Treasury (Word Publishing, 1986),  p. 219.

 

DURATION V. DONATION

Sometimes, the hanging of a fresh year's calendar is cause for reflection. What will happen this coming year? Did my life this past year make a difference for someone? What could I change? Despite medical advances, for every one of us (unless Christ returns beforehand, of course), there will be two dates after our names: one for birth, one for death. For some, the hyphen between those dates will be long. For others: very, very short.

The “short” hyphen marked the dates for missionary pioneer Winfield Macomber: 1865-1896. Yes, he died at 31, in Portugal, en route home to Maine from mission work in the Congo. But during his brief life, after missionary training at a Christian college, he plunged into ministry in the Congo. In four years he learned enough of the tribal language to compile a grammar and dictionary for future missionaries, plus teach the Congolese language at his college alma mater (now known as Nyack College).

Linguistic work occupied most of his time, but he left behind a hymn known as “Safe is my refuge, sweet in my rest.” Its refrain goes like this:

Oh! what wonderful, wonderful rest!

Trusting completely in Jesus I'm blest;

Sweetly He comforts and shields from alarms,

Holding me safe in His mighty arms.*

Sometimes I'm saddened how the historical faith and sacrifices of mission work go unheralded. They may lack the glitz and media appeal of contemporary Christian “stars” of the pulpit and music stages. But God sees every heart and act of ministry “down here.” And He's aware of those who have settled for mediocrity or blandness in their faith walks.

In writing that last sentence, I think of a God-arranged encounter I had during graduate school. I was hurting deeply as a single thirty-something; the previous year, my parents had died six months apart. After moving home for a year to handle paperwork and empty their home, I'd returned to a Christian college where I'd started a graduate degree that I hoped would open doors in my vocation.

One day, I wandered into the college coffee shop. Its booths were full except for one, whose sole occupant waved me over. After introductions, I shared my grief as an age-32 adult orphan, and my hopes for the future. A week or so later, I returned there and saw the same person. As I sat down across from her, she handed over a paper and said, “God showed me this verse for you.” This was the verse—Hebrews 6:10:

“For God is not unjust so as to forget your work and the love which you have shown toward His name, in having ministered and in still ministering to the saints.”

She added, “You've been faithful to the Lord. He will be faithful to you.”

She had no idea how our chance encounter in the college coffee shop would become the extra-boost of hope I needed. As God stretched my faith over the next couple years, I learned (as did Winfield Macomber) that our merciful, loving God does hold us “safe in His mighty arms,” tenderly watching as we move forward in faith.

The piano score for this lesser-known but encouraging hymn is here:

Held in His Mighty Arms | Hymnary.org

This site features a soloist: Bing Videos

PLUMED HATS OFF TO THEM....

Quail tracks in the snow

Maybe I first heard it sung by my mother or father—that 1926 pop song with lyrics about a red-red-robin that went bob-bob-bobbin' along. Move over, Mr. Robin. Make room as well for the quail, which faithfully visit my yard, especially in late fall and early winter. I know the quail are about when I hear their quiet chortles as they forage for food, their heads bobbing up and down. A rose hedge, full of rose-hips, was once their bird-friendly gourmet dinner. That hedge is now gone, so I'm hoping other treasures of the yard will draw them back and I'll again hear them chortling “Rebecca, rebecca!”

Of course, there are many quail species; the one most commonly seen where I live has that distinctive top-of-the-head six-feathered plume, which reminds me of an old-time military guard's helmet. Although it's a bird, it's a ground-dweller as its wings can barely lift it off the ground. When it feels threatened (like by an approaching human or predator) the quail scurry away in a ground-running flutter.

Despite their fraidy-cat behavior, they're a delightful sound and sight. I know winter is hard for them; they don't fly—they cannot fly—to a warmer climate. So they hang around our northern, snowy environment, working hard to find something to eat. In the spring, they show up with their tiny just-hatched chicks jockeying just behind, learning the ropes of finding food. Sometimes I wish they could understand “human-talk.” When, after a snowfall, I see them nosing around my yard, I want to tell them, “Hang on, I'll throw out some bird seed.” It doesn't take much—even the door opening—for them to react and scatter in a noisy mass fluttering.

THE BIBLICAL QUAIL-TRAIL...

For whatever reason God created these earth-bound birds, I'm grateful for the spiritual lessons they bring to mind. One is the Bible verse I taught to fourth grade girls in a Sunday school class decades ago:

Fear thou not; for I am with you; be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.(Isaiah 41:10)

I recall using hand movements to help the girls memorize it.

“Fear thou not, for I am with you''--head-turning for “no.”

“Be not dismayed, for I am your God”--pointing upward (for God).

“I will strengthen you”--arm lifted into “show your muscle” pose.

“I will help you”--arm lowered, outstretched hand.

“I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness”--arm raised, pointing upward.

Even decades later, that verse (with its hand movements) comes quickly to mind. And not just when I see the local quail skitter around with their “fraidy-cat” reactions to any possible threat. I've had to deal with my own threatening situations and angry people, which do get the adrenaline flowing. But right behind those spiritual tests I hear this affirming verse anew: Fear thou not, for I am with you. And isn't that, at the heart, one of the key messages of Christ's coming?

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Here's a photo and more on this beautiful bird: 

California quail - Wikipedia

MIST-TERY

When my home was first built, more than forty years ago, this tree was barely thigh-high when planted. I'm not good as guessing heights, but I think it's more than twenty feet tall. It commands a corner of the front lawn. No, I don't string lights on it at Christmas, but it's “evergreen-ness” is a regular reminder of God's amazing plan for plant life. This tree quietly sheds some needles, but just across the fence, my neighbor's willow generously drops its autumn-yellowed covering. (You can see some of its branches just to the right.), Leaf-fall and fall-mist seem to be constant cousins, painting their own canvas of a land settling in for winter's chilling pause.

I recently came across this quote: “The past is history, the future is a mystery, the present is a gift. Every day is a gift—that's why it's called a present.” For those of us who live in cooler climates (with the vivid change of seasons), the cycle of winter-spring-summer-fall brings vivid reminders of a Divine plan even for earth's weather. A season to grow. A season to rest. A reason to awaken and grow again.

My three grandsons were here the other night for dinner. I'd already wrapped their Christmas gifts, which sat in a pile in the living room. Oh, they noticed those! Snicker, snicker, pinch, pinch. They've probably figured out the contents—the typical Grandma-sewn pajamas, now a holiday tradition. Last year they begged to open their gifts after the Christmas eve service, and promptly, one-by-one, dashed into the bathroom to change from “regular clothes” to their new Pj's.

The next morning, they would tear into the “stash” under their family's Christmas tree, including kits of all those little snap-together plastic blocks. You know the ones—their name starts with the letter “L.” Their current “cache” (a full storage bin) isn't enough to their little minds. There's always the “new kit” with a new project to build “just out” and beckoning....

And maybe there's a comparison here between a growing tree and a growing pile of tiny plastic play-blocks. Each has its purpose—the one to sustain the environment, the other to “grow” little minds. The blocks certainly “trained” their dad's mind to “configure” and “connect.” He became an electrical engineer.

Back to that tree. Who would have imagined its steady growth from a “wee thing” to a giant of needled green beauty? And so it should be with us, spiritually. Planted in faith, nurtured with the Word, we are to “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 3:18). And when those spiritual growing pains come—when life is hard—to remember: “Tribulation produces perseverance, and perseverance, character, and character, hope” (Romans 5:3-4).

Not wimpy, half-hearted, mist-blurred “religion,” but stalwart faith in a loving God.