God’s Magnificient Machines
I have discovered some interesting things about God’s great creation-the human body. We all know the basic things, like as we get older our body parts begin to wear out, and the more we eat, the more we weigh, and exercise keeps our body fit. But other things that we have been taking for granted are also true about these wonderful bodies of ours. I did a little research and you will be surprised at what I discovered.
If you are a normal adult, in a twenty four hour period your heart beats about 103,000 times; Your blood makes 1,400 complete circuits through miles of veins and capillaries; You breathe 23,000 times; You exhale 425 cubic feet of air; You speak about 4,800 words (actually, women speak about 5,000 words while men speak about half that); You move 750 muscles; You use seven million brain cells each day (which, they tell me, is only about a fourth of what you have); Your eyes blink 37,000 times; You eat 3.25 pounds of food; And you drink about 3 quarts of water.
How could all of this have happened without God? How could anyone not believe that God was behind this creation. At the recent Promise Keepers meeting in San Jose, each man was asked to look inside for his giftedness, and to determine what purpose, vision and mission God has invested in us. What became obvious, is that He created not only our magnificent, complex flesh and bones, but also planted our own unique intuitiveness inside. Once awaken by our decision to follow Him, we can do great things. Each one, young and old can and should determine our purpose, and get on with the business of serving Him. And by the way, keep care of your body. You’re not getting any younger, you know. Grandpa Dick

Fruit Trees
          We just finished pruning an assortment of our fruit trees that need regular trimming and care. Our orchard is populated with three basic ages of trees: “Young”, “Mature Adult”, and “Senior Citizen” trees. It is interesting to reflect on the differences.
          The two young orange trees we put in a couple years ago are not yet producing fruit, but are showing a spurt of growth in preparation for a possible fruit yield next summer. The stone fruit trees are beginning to lose their leaves, getting ready to go dormant. Both the peach and nectarines have fruit about every other year, and the apricot tree that died last year gave fruit about every third year. I suspect that if my thumb were greener, better care would coax them to bear fruit more often.
          Our old grapefruit tree stays green all year and I noticed that it is producing new fruit while last year’s crop still lingers in the upper branches. Our nut trees yield yearly, but must be sprayed at just the right times to keep the fruit moths and resultant nut worms away. We have that same annoying worm problem with our two apple trees.
          Our little orchard is very much like our Church. We have youngsters bursting with energy just beginning to share God’s love with others. Like the peach and apricot trees, we have adults that do ministry in spurts, sometimes taking a year or more away from God’s work, letting Satan get them out of the habit of service. We have some older members that can’t produce like they used to because of health issues, and take lesser ministry roles if they can. Then like the grapefruit tree, our stalwart members are moving into new ministries even while their efforts in other areas are still bearing fruit.
          The question is, what kind of a tree are you? Are you like the peach or apricot, going dormant for part of each year and producing only when you feel like it? Or like the young orange trees eager to learn and get started in ministry? Or like the grapefruit, continuing to minister in several ways? Or maybe even a different kind of tree not mentioned here?
           Young or old, my challenge is that each of us will strive to be like the old grapefruit tree, serving HIM continuously in new and exciting ventures. And as you serve, keep your “Prayer spray” ready for that pesky Satan worm. Grandpa Dick