Here's Pastor Dave McDowell's weekly devotional that he sends out to members of his church. Dave is my brother and serves as the Music Minister at Stewartstown UMC in PA.
It is the one of the most beloved of all fruits.
It has been called "nature's candy",
but to me,
the cherry is the doorway to disaster.
Once a year,
always on St. Patties Day,
I take my pilgrimage
to a certain fast food restaurant,
so that I may imbibe in one of their
seasonal minty milk shakes.
While I am there,
I am sure to order the extra big, biggie......super size
to get the full caloric benefit out of my excursion.
Imagine my surprise,
when my shake arrived,
filled not only with minty, frothy cream,
but with whipped cream and a cherry on top!
Those that have followed my green dairy pilgrimages,
know that the journey in the past
has been fraught with disasters.....
There was the pistachio con job in '08,
the I'm sorry but we're out of them debacle of '07,
and dare I mention
the my cat died fiasco in '09.
(see author if you need further explanation)
The cherry was gleaming like a shining emerald
on a springlike St Patties Day
I could only surmise
that the cherry amidst the sea of whipped cream,
was a symbol of promise and hope
for a bright future filled
shakes minus the disasters.
(If I were a business man,
I would have realized
that the cherry and whipped cream
were simply dairy plagiarism at its finest,
to copy the milk shake presentation
of the very successful fast food restaurant down the street.)
If you are a connoisseur of the milk shake,
you know that the first sip upon virginal taste buds,
is always the best.
Because of the cherry riding high upon the minty waves of froth,
I was now presented with a new challenge
in milk shake etiquette....
Do I eat the cherry first,
or last?
After a moment of thought,
I opted for the strategy of
eating the cherry first,
thus allowing for my
journey to the bottom of the extra big biggie cup
to go uninterrupted.
This required removing the plastic domed lid
(that had been added this year,
to allow room for the whipped cream & cherry).
Now I have never been skilled in the art of
plastic lid attachment.
Rather, then trying to re-affix the domed lid back onto the cup,
I decided to ride with the top down.
As I was driving by the local grocery store,
I remembered that I need to pick up a couple of items.
Knowing that I would only be in the store for a couple of minutes,
I felt assured that my shake would not melt away in the car.
What I hadn't considered,
was that my dog, who was riding shotgun,
also has an affinity for mint and sugar.
In the time that it took me to purchase two items in the store,
(ironically dog food and dog treats)
my canine companion
devoured the entire milk shake.
It is difficult to yell at a dog who now has a green snout
and who has a most wonderful look of contentment on his face.
No, I blame the cherry.
Without the cherry there would have been no domed lid.
Without the domed lid, there would have no removal of such said lid.
Without the removal of the lid, my minty shake would have been my lunch,
and not my dog's lunch.
Sometimes, the simplest little things
can lead to bad places.
Ask Eve about that apple.
Ask Judas about those 30 pieces of silver
Ask an alcoholic about that first drink.
Actually it's not the fault of any fruit, coin, or beverage.
It's about knowing who to go to when faced with choices.
God tells us in His word
that the history of mankind is filled
with those who have fallen into bad places
simply because they trusted in their own wisdom
rather than the wisdom of God.
He goes on to tell us that any of us is fully capable
of falling flat on our faces.
It's not about self-confidence. It's about cultivating God confidence.
So the next time you are faced with a decision,
make the decision based in wisdom.
Just let it be God's wisdom and not your own.
Maybe that cherry won't look so good after all.....
As for next St. Patties Day,
I'd like an extra-big biggie....super sized,
without the cherry please.
No test or temptation that comes your way is beyond the course of
what others have had to face. All you need to remember is that
God will never let you down;
He'll never let you be pushed past your limit;
He'll always be there to help you come through it.
I Corinthians 10:13 (The Message)
It is the one of the most beloved of all fruits.
It has been called "nature's candy",
but to me,
the cherry is the doorway to disaster.
Once a year,
always on St. Patties Day,
I take my pilgrimage
to a certain fast food restaurant,
so that I may imbibe in one of their
seasonal minty milk shakes.
While I am there,
I am sure to order the extra big, biggie......super size
to get the full caloric benefit out of my excursion.
Imagine my surprise,
when my shake arrived,
filled not only with minty, frothy cream,
but with whipped cream and a cherry on top!
Those that have followed my green dairy pilgrimages,
know that the journey in the past
has been fraught with disasters.....
There was the pistachio con job in '08,
the I'm sorry but we're out of them debacle of '07,
and dare I mention
the my cat died fiasco in '09.
(see author if you need further explanation)
The cherry was gleaming like a shining emerald
on a springlike St Patties Day
I could only surmise
that the cherry amidst the sea of whipped cream,
was a symbol of promise and hope
for a bright future filled
shakes minus the disasters.
(If I were a business man,
I would have realized
that the cherry and whipped cream
were simply dairy plagiarism at its finest,
to copy the milk shake presentation
of the very successful fast food restaurant down the street.)
If you are a connoisseur of the milk shake,
you know that the first sip upon virginal taste buds,
is always the best.
Because of the cherry riding high upon the minty waves of froth,
I was now presented with a new challenge
in milk shake etiquette....
Do I eat the cherry first,
or last?
After a moment of thought,
I opted for the strategy of
eating the cherry first,
thus allowing for my
journey to the bottom of the extra big biggie cup
to go uninterrupted.
This required removing the plastic domed lid
(that had been added this year,
to allow room for the whipped cream & cherry).
Now I have never been skilled in the art of
plastic lid attachment.
Rather, then trying to re-affix the domed lid back onto the cup,
I decided to ride with the top down.
As I was driving by the local grocery store,
I remembered that I need to pick up a couple of items.
Knowing that I would only be in the store for a couple of minutes,
I felt assured that my shake would not melt away in the car.
What I hadn't considered,
was that my dog, who was riding shotgun,
also has an affinity for mint and sugar.
In the time that it took me to purchase two items in the store,
(ironically dog food and dog treats)
my canine companion
devoured the entire milk shake.
It is difficult to yell at a dog who now has a green snout
and who has a most wonderful look of contentment on his face.
No, I blame the cherry.
Without the cherry there would have been no domed lid.
Without the domed lid, there would have no removal of such said lid.
Without the removal of the lid, my minty shake would have been my lunch,
and not my dog's lunch.
Sometimes, the simplest little things
can lead to bad places.
Ask Eve about that apple.
Ask Judas about those 30 pieces of silver
Ask an alcoholic about that first drink.
Actually it's not the fault of any fruit, coin, or beverage.
It's about knowing who to go to when faced with choices.
God tells us in His word
that the history of mankind is filled
with those who have fallen into bad places
simply because they trusted in their own wisdom
rather than the wisdom of God.
He goes on to tell us that any of us is fully capable
of falling flat on our faces.
It's not about self-confidence. It's about cultivating God confidence.
So the next time you are faced with a decision,
make the decision based in wisdom.
Just let it be God's wisdom and not your own.
Maybe that cherry won't look so good after all.....
As for next St. Patties Day,
I'd like an extra-big biggie....super sized,
without the cherry please.
No test or temptation that comes your way is beyond the course of
what others have had to face. All you need to remember is that
God will never let you down;
He'll never let you be pushed past your limit;
He'll always be there to help you come through it.
I Corinthians 10:13 (The Message)
.
2 comments:
When I get done cackling with laughter, I'll probably think of something intelligent to say...nah, just enjoying the pictures in my head...
My two attempts to get one of those minty shakes both ended in disater. The first time I oreder one, I was told that they did not have time to make them during the lunch hour rush. Bummer!!! The next time I ordered one, there was no cherry on top. Just lots of whipped cream. I kept digging for the cherry but never found it. Instead I had green spots all over my new golf shirt. I guess that I will just have to wait until next year to try again. I like the comparison with I Cornithians 10:13God will never let you down and won't push you over your limit.
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