MORNING 'JOY MEDICINE'

Need a boost? Check out this old video of the song “Zippity Do Dah” from a 1946 Disney animated film (skip any preceding ads): original zippity do dah disney song - Search  Also, multiple renditions at Bing Videos . This selection featuring one quick cartooned clip always amuses me: Bing Videos. It's enjoyed a renewal in other Disney promotions and even a Muppet Show airing. Though the film version of the real “Johnny” (real name, John Chapman, 1774-1845) bent a lot of facts, it still provided a message of “joy in nature” that is common in American folklore.

This classic little song came to mind recently when I found a negative message in my daily E-mail. In putting it up to the "truth test," I  thanked the Lord that He fully knew me, that the message was warped, and that His love was big enough to cover me and help me pray for the unhappy sender. I can't stroll through an orchard singing like an animated “Johnny Appleseed,” but I can seek reminders to invite joy into my life. And in that journey-to-joy, the Lord lovingly reminds me that He is pleased with me.

I guess it's the difference (as one writer put it) between “Good morning, Lord” and the negative, “Grr, morning again.”

I tend to awaken early, and in warmer weather when the window is open, I savor the sounds emerging with day's beginning, especially the local birds chorusing to each other from nearby trees. I ease into my day. I don't pop on the radio or television, or quickly scan E-mail right off. I remember of Matthew 6:26: “Look at the birds of the air. They do not sow or reap or gather into barns—and yet your Heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?” My day begins, quietly, with Him--"fed" by scripture and prayer.

Here's a little-known fact about the apple trees Chapman (“Johnny Appleseed”) left in his planting journeys. He adhered to a religion outside of orthodox Christianity, and he didn't believe in techniques like grafting to improve his apples. Thus, the trees he planted reportedly produced small and bitter apples, useful only for cider, not the sweeter apple dishes like pies. However, his trees' cider was nutritious, and lots safer to drink than local water available in the late 1700s/early 1800s.

Well, every history story has its darker side, this one included. But this real-life yet legendary man was out there doing something to help others. And history took note. Which is to conclude: how will my life have made a difference? At my funeral, will people mention “fruits” (the spiritual type, not apples!)? Will they say that I tried to lift up Jesus? Or, to borrow from Disney's song, had I invited the bluebird of Christ-joy (“the truth, exactly”) to come along on my shoulder?

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To recall the song, try these links. Skip the sandwich ad beforehand at Bing Videos . There are multiple renditions at Bing Videos

...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?