The Apple of God's Eye

Today, we celebrate the birth

The life and gift

Of Charles Apple

He is a man well loved

By those who call him,

Son, husband, father and friend

He always has a memory to share

From his rich and varied life, a story which will bring

A smile to your face or a tear to your eyes

He has a heart like his heavenly Father

Generous and willing to help bear a burden

He comes willingly to the aid of those in need

He’s never known a stranger

He’s a man with a warm embrace

A tender heart

Today we celebrate the life

Of our good friend, Charles Apple

The Apple of God’s eye

Susan Wachtel

April 13, 2013

Happy 80^th Birthday Charles!

Who’s your Daddy? by Pricilla Shirer

Do you ever need to remind yourself on who your God is?  Praying this list by Priscilla Shirer will encourage and strengthen your heart.  

He is the First and the Last

The Beginning and the End

He’s the Keeper of creation

And the Creator of all

He’s the Architect of the universe

and the Manager of all time

He always was,

always is

always will be

Unmoved,

unchanged,

undefeated

and never undone

He was bruised, but brought healing

He was pierced, but eased pain

He was persecuted, but brought freedom

He was dead and brings life

He has risen to bring power

and He reigns to bring peace

The world can’t understand Him

Armies can’t defeat Him

Schools can’t explain Him

and leaders they can’t ignore Him

Herod couldn’t kill Him

Nero couldn’t crush Him

The new age cannot replace Him

and Oprah cannot explain Him away

He is Light,

He is Love,

He is Longevity

and He is the Lord

He is goodness

and kindness

and faithfulness

and He is God

He is holy

and righteous

and powerful

and pure

His ways are right

His word eternal

His will unchanging

and His mind is on us

He’s our Savior

Our Guide,

Our Peace,

Our Joy,

Our Comfort

Our Lord

and He rules our lives

I serve Him because

His bond is love

His yoke is easy

His burden is light

and His goal for us is abundant life

I follow Him because

He’s the Wisdom of the wise

The Power of the powerful

The Ancient of days

The Ruler of rulers

The Leader of all leaders

His goal is a relationship with me

He’ll never leave you

Never forsake you

Never mislead you

Never forget you

Never overlook you

and never cancel your appointment in His appointment book, never!

When you fall He’ll lift you up

When you fail He’ll forgive you

When you are weak He’s strong

When you are lost He’s your Way

When you are afraid He’s your Courage

When you stumble He will steady you

When you are hurt He is going to heal you

When you are broken He will mend you

When you are blind He will lead you

When you are hungry He will feed you

When you face trials He is with you

When I face persecution He shields me

When I face problems He will comfort me

When I face loss He will provide for me

and when we face death

He will carry us all home to meet Him

He is everything

For everybody

Everywhere

Every time

and in every way

He is your God

And that sisters (and brothers) is Who you belong to

Priscilla Shirer

Anointed, Transformed and Redeemed

The Jennifer Barrick Story - Produced by Truth In Action

But as it is written:

“Eye has not seen, nor ear heard,
Nor have entered into the heart of man
The things which God has prepared for those who love Him.

1 Corinthians 2:9

He Is Risen

He is Risen!

Wishing all of you a blessed and Happy Resurrection Day!

Five Minute Friday – A Broken Sinner

In the beginning God created man without sin

But with freewill and the ability to choose

On that fateful day, a choice was made

Disobedience…and sin entered the world

From then on, man’s nature was corrupted

Thereafter all were born with a sin nature

I’m a sinner, therefore I sin

I am broken, in need of a Savior

Before the foundations of the world were laid

A plan was made by Omniscient God

Genesis 3:15

A Redeemer was promised

In the fullness of time the Messiah came

Lived a sinless life and gave His life an atonement for sin

It was on the cross

God’s holiness and mercy met

Righteous God was able to dispense grace

To sinful man who is unable to save himself

How can I say that Friday was good

When the Son of God was put to death by sinful man

It was there that my sin debt was paid in full

This broken sinner was forgiven by God

Friday was not the end of the story

Sunday was coming

As Christ foretold

He arose from the grave

God gave convincing proof in the Resurrection

My sin debt…was marked paid in full

By Susan Wachtel

March 30, 2013

It’s another Saturday and I participating in Lisa-Jo Baker’s Five Minute Friday writing challenge.  Head over to her website “Lisa Jo Baker Tales from a Gypsy Mama”.  Be sure to read some of the entries from other writers.  I can promise you that you will be blessed.

Damascus Countdown - Will Keep You Up At Night

It was my pleasure to read Joel Rosenberg’s newest novel Damascus Countdown.  This is the third book in his current series which included The Twelfth Imam and The Tehran Initiative. 

Damascus Countdown begins where The Tehran Initiative left off, with CIA NOC agent David Shirazi in Qom, Iran meeting with Javad Nouri, a personal aide to the Ayatollah and Twelfth Imam.  As the CIA’s plan is executed, suddenly flying overhead are four F16 fighter jets on a mission, a preemptive strike by Israel.  The war everyone feared had just begun.

This is a fast paced novel that will keep you up at night.  The storyline jumps between Iran, Israel, Washington DC, New York and Syria as characters, including the hero David Shirazi, do everything they can to prevent a nuclear holocaust against Israel, the United States’ ally and the only free and democratic nation in the Middle East.  The reader is taken behind the scenes with CIA operatives and their family and friends, top Iranian leaders and nuclear scientists, Israeli government officials, Mossad agents, and a genocidal Islamic messiah.  

One of my favorite elements of Joel Rosenberg’s novel is that he shows the development of faith in some of the characters.  As a Christian, faith impacts everything I do, so it’s interesting to see how the characters respond in their faith to the cataclysmic events they are involved in. 

Joel Rosenberg is a gifted writer and he seems to get better with each passing novel.  The characters are interesting, the good guys and even the despicable ones.  The storyline and scenes are gripping and I didn’t want to put the book down until I finished the last page.  The Christian message that salvation is found through faith in Jesus Christ alone is clearly presented, not in contrived manner, but is woven in to the experiences of his characters.  Joel has a good understanding of Biblical and Islamic prophesy which are woven throughout the novel. 

I highly recommend Joel Rosenberg’s novel Damascus Countdown.  I do warn you, you may have some circles under your eyes, from staying up late so you can find out what happens next. 

I thank Tyndale House Publishers for providing me a complimentary copy of the book to read and review.  I was under no obligation to provide a favorable review.