The Lifespan of a Fruitcake

(--------The Lifespan of a Fruitcake--------)

            It was the spring of 1945 and World War II was in full swing. The western allies, lead by The United States, The British Commonwealth and The Soviet Union (known as the big three by FDR), were making great advances into German territory. Between the bloody battles, destroyed cities, and missing soldiers, this proved to be a very gruesome time in our world. In Fact, World War Two was the deadliest war in the history of the world.¹ From start to finish, there were over 60,000,000 (yes, you read that right; million) casualties in a span of less than 10 years.² Almost every country in the world was directly affected by this atrocity. And compared to the 15,000-20,000-year lifespan of our earth, this devastating loss of life happened in no more than the blink of an eye.³

                  In early March, 1945 there was a soldier named George Stout serving the U.S. Army in Europe. And although he was a soldier, Stout had a rather obscure title in the Army. He was the leader of the Monuments, Fine Arts and Archives section (MFAA) of the Allied Forces. This branch of the military, invented in 1943, was basically a group of treasure hunters, which was in charge of tracking down all of the European treasures that had been stolen by the Nazis during the war. During Germany’s conquest through Europe, the Nazis had managed to plunder billions of dollars worth of treasure. This treasure contained items that ranged from priceless works of art to the most valuable flatware available. So, as an MFAA officer, George Stout was on an adventure of a lifetime (The WWII story of the MFAA is incredible and if you like history, go…now…research!). Now, in early March, Lieutenant Stout was transferred from U.S. First Army, which was fighting in Germany near the front lines, to U.S. Twelfth Army, which at that time was stationed in France. While transferring was a hassle, this wasn’t all bad for Stout.

            After Lieutenant Stout had been transferred away from the front end of the fighting in Germany, to the ally-occupied city of Verdun, France, his living conditions changed a bit. Stout was finally able to eat real meals and sleep on a mattress. He didn’t have to watch out for landmines with every step he took. He didn’t have to sleep in ditches or on concrete floors. After his transfer, Stout was even able to receive some mail from his wife and children whom he had not seen in over a year. It was a nice change of pace for him.

            On March 6, 1945 stout received a box of Christmas presents from his family (Only 71 days late, no big deal). In the Box, were several small gifts including a new pair of socks, his daughter’s handkerchief, a Christmas candle, and a fruitcake. And despite the fruitcake being over two months old, Stout downed it. “The cake was still good, moist and delicious”, said Stout. And he also had a very interesting thought that followed…

            “It is amazing how the world can change in the lifespan of a fruitcake.” ⁴

            That is a crazy thought! I mean, here you have a guy fighting in World War II, seeing crazy things every single day. In a mere 2 moths or in the lifespan of a fruitcake, Stout had seen the world around him change colors like a chameleon. Fellow soldiers were being killed, towns and cities were being turned to rubble, he and his fellow officers were discovering treasure and learning the escape routes of the Germans, he was being transferred from front lines to safe zones, transferred from sleeping in trenches to a place where he was sleeping in a bed. All of these things were happening simultaneously and repetitively in the lifespan of a fruitcake. and you know what? As strange as it sounds, I really feel like we can relate.

            I honestly think we can all relate to Lieutenant Stout in one way or another; our lives and our worlds are changing in crazy ways, all the time. I want you to think with me for a second about the last 71 days of your life. In that time span, has your world changed? Have there been some crazy things happen to you or your family? Did you get that new job you had been praying for? Did you lose that job that you needed? Did you fall in love? Did you fall out of Love? Have you made new commitments? Have you broken old ones? Have you made new friends? Have you made new enemies? Have the changes in the last two months been awesome? Have the changes in the last two months been awful?

            You see! Our world is constantly changing! Sometimes for the better, and other times, for the worse.

Now, is it just George Stout and I, or do you also agree?

                        It is amazing how the world can change in the lifespan of a fruitcake. 

            In a world that is ever changing, it gets easy to just expect things in our life to change. It becomes very natural for us to have no understanding of anything that is truly constant. I mean, yes there are some things that are constant, such as the earth revolving, and new humans being born everyday, people dying everyday, and things of that nature. But more frequently in our everyday lives and in our personal encounters, the only constant that we see, is change itself. And this can be a very demoralizing insight for many. And I have to admit, it is a bit depressing. and often times it actually hurts. When people are constantly changing or situations are constantly changing shape, it can hurt. When someone tells us that they love us one day, and then their actions show something totally different the next day, it can hurt. When someone makes a promise to us, and then that person breaks their promise due to changing circumstances, it hurts. Inconsistency and change can really hurt sometimes. But listen, no matter how crazy your life becomes, no matter how your world changes, don’t lose faith and don’t lose hope!

            I want you to remember something: Your creator is the God who is absolutely unchanging! He is the God who is absolutely faithful! He is the God who knows your name and who has a plan for your life!⁵ See, God is for you and He stays absolutely faithful even when your world is upside down!

            I love the way that James put it in his New Testament letter:

                        ¹⁷Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like the shifting shadows. ¹⁸He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of first fruits of all he created⁶

            Yes, we may live in a world that is ever changing, but the God whom we serve, has been the same for more than 15,000 years! Just look at some of the Biblical examples of his faithfulness. In Genesis, God promised Abraham that his decedents would be more numerous than the stars. In Joshua, the Lord promised Joshua that he would give him the city of Jericho. In 2 Samuel, God promised David that his kingdom would endure and his throne would be established forever. In Jeremiah, God promised freedom for his people after their 70 years in exile. In Isaiah, God promised to send a child through a virgin whose name would be “God with us”. And the best part about all of these promises, is that every single one of them came true! God has made true on every promise that he has ever made! God has been faithful since the beginning of time! And just like God was faithful to his people 2,000 years ago, God will remain faithful to you in this day and age! God is faithful about being faithful!

            I don’t know what is going on in your life but just remember this: No matter what is going on in your world, your heavenly Father is the most faithful and constant being of all time and eternity! If God once made you a promise, prepare yourself, because He will make good on his promise! God isn’t in the business of making great promises and breaking them, God is in the business of making the best promises and keeping them! God will be your healer!⁷ God will be your provider!⁸ God will be your savior!⁹ All he wants in return, is the total commitment of your heart, your soul, your mind, and your strength!¹⁰ So no matter what the situation is, no matter what you are going through, remember that God is always going to be God!

            It truly is amazing how much our world can change in a small amount of time. In a matter of days, weeks or months. In the lifespan of a fruitcake everything can change. But no matter what changes happen. No matter what great things come our way. No matter what terrible things come our way. We can have faith and know that our God will remain the same, faithful God that He has always been; He is the same yesterday today and forever!¹¹ So be encouraged! Have some confidence in God and in his son Jesus Christ who gives you life! Despite the changes that have happened in the past lifespan of a fruitcake, God will remain!

Although we live in a world that is totally inconsistent, our God is the definition of total consistency!

Peace

Love

God Bless

            And for the record, lately I’ve been really tempted to bake a cake, put in a box and then eat it like two-and-a-half months later. I guess we’ll see.

For more information on the MFAA of WWII visit http://www.monumentsmen.com/

Bibliogrophy

1. Summerville, Donald. The complete Illustrated history of World War Two. 2008

2. White, Matthew. Necrometrics; The Historical Atlas of the 20^th century. Death tolls Across History

3. Interview Dr. George W. Westlake Jr.

4. Edsel, Robert M. Monuments Men. Center St Hachette Book Group, New York. 2009

5. Jeremiah 29

6. NIV James 1:17-18 

7.  Exodus 15:26

8. 1 Tim 6:17

9. Psalm 65:5

10. Heb 13:8

11. Mark 12:30

Off The Beaten Path

------------Off The Beaten Path------------

In 1 Samuel chapter 17 we get to look at one of the most well known stories in the history of the world, and it’s actually one of my very favorite chapters in the entire Bible. In chapter 17 we see the story of David and Goliath. Yea, I know, it’s a classic right? Well as this phenomenal story begins to unfold, we see David following the instructions of his father to go to the Israelite camp in the Valley of Elah and deliver food rations to his three older brothers, who were fighting in the battle. When David arrived in Elah, he became very curious of what was happening with the battle and (to his eldest brother Eliab’s chagrin) he started asking around the camp about Goliath. This caught the attention of King Saul’s men and eventually caught the attention of King Saul himself. As you may know, This eventually led to little, tiny, miniscule, puny David being sent by King Saul to the battlefield to fight the large, humongous, massively enormous giant named Goliath. And if you know the story, then you know that a few minutes after David was sent out to fight Goliath, the Philistines were running in terror as their warrior lay face down with a stone in his forehead. This was nothing short of a miracle from God, and to God be all the glory. However I think there is a key element in the success of David in this story that ,often times, goes overlooked. David did something that was quite out of the ordinary here, David ventured off the beaten path.

            About a month ago I took the train into Boston for the first time in my life and the first thing I wanted to do was find the North End and walk The Freedom Trail; which is a 2.5 mile trail through the city that is full of historic sights from the American Revolution. After about 30 minutes of getting lost on the streets of downtown, I finally found a brochure that contained a map of the city and I started to find my way around the North End. Exploring the Old North End of Boston (and specifically The Freedom Trail) was absolutely incredible. See, I am a bit of a history buff, so naturally I was about as stoked as a chubby kid in a donut shop (I used to be that chubby kid in the donut shop so I am allowed to say that). To be completely honest, there were several moments along the way that I recall getting the chills; and don’t worry, I totally understand if you think I am a nerd.  But, It was quite an amazing thought just knowing that I was standing in the same places and buildings where our founding fathers laid the cornerstones of our great nation. It was so awesome to finally see the sights that I have read about in my school history books for so many years. The Freedom Trail was just an overwhelming experience altogether.

            After several hours of exploring, my adventure was coming to a close. Just as I was about to head to the train station to catch the 7:35 back to Leominster where I am living, something caught my eye. Right before reaching the Old South Meeting House (Where Ben Franklin was baptized. Also where Phillis Wheatley, the first African-American author, attended church), there was a sign that hung in the alley way just off of Washington Street. The sign read “Commonwealth Books and Old Prints”, and although the voice in my head whispered, “Just stay on the main road, your train is leaving soon”, my curiosity quickly pushed that notion out of my head. About two minutes later I found myself stepping into a very interesting bookstore that brought back the “chubby kid in a donut shop” sensation that I had been feeling just a few hours prior. Inside the cramped bookstore, there were literally thousands of books, maps, documents and prints from generations past. Some of the books and prints were selling for several hundred dollars and had crazy intrinsic value, which to me, was even greater than the money value. One incredible piece that I found in the store, was a state document that had been signed and wax-sealed over two hundred years ago by the founder of Pennsylvania, William Penn. (I didn’t even want to ask the shop owner how expensive this item was.) Commonwealth was such a cool little shop full of so much history. I would say that this store is kind of a hidden treasure that lies just off the beaten path. And I’m not exactly sure if it was my love for history, or just because it was the only good book in my price range, but I did cop a nice little biography of George Washington to complete my nostalgic conquest. Overall it was a very cool experience that I will not forget.

            As soon as I walked out of the store and looked at the time, I realized there was absolutely no way that I would make the 7:35 train back to Leominster; Which meant I would have to wait an extra hour and fifteen minutes for the next one. Typically, I would have been upset with myself for messing up my own plans, but this was different. The experience in the bookstore was more than worth the missing the train because I found a shop full of historical treasures, which I otherwise would have missed out on. As simple as the bookstore might seem to most people, it was such an exhilarating experience for me. This ally-way bookstore put the icing on my “Boston experience” cake (the fat kid is coming out again). And the key here, was that I had to venture off the beaten path to have this experience. I decided to leave the comfort of Washington Street to check out that little store in the ally, and I ended up missing my train. Yet, I was surprisingly ok with it and happy about it. This is the same concept that can be true in our spiritual lives if we would just take a little risk, maybe a step of faith, and find our way off the beaten path.

            Sometimes we can find the greatest spiritual breakthroughs if we would just take a chance, venture off the beaten path of our lives and try something new in our walk with God. Maybe for you, that simply means attending church more consistently. It might mean spending a bit more time praying, or spending more time reading you Bible. It could mean setting aside time to call up an old friend and check on him or her. And I know this is a tough one, but It might even mean upping the ante on your tithes and offerings. Whatever off the beaten path may mean for you, chances are, that it will temporarily inconvenience you and it might even make you miss your 7:35 train. But when it’s all said and done, leaving the path will be worth the risk.

            Let me ask you a question, what if that kid named David, who took rations to his brothers on the battlefield, had just stuck to the plan and returned home immediately after dropping off the food? What if David never would have started asking around about the reward Goliath’s killer would receive? What if David didn’t let his curiosity get the best of him in this situation? What if David had stuck with the mapped out plan and not ventured off the beaten path? Chances are, Saul’s men would have never overheard David’s interest in fighting Goliath. David never would have been summoned by Saul. And David never would have been sent out by Saul to kill Goliath. A crazy thought right? Now, I’m sure David did have to change his schedule a bit for this situation. We know that David had to be away from his sheep for a few hours longer due to the fact that he was slaying a giant, but wouldn’t you say that it was worth it? David may have been temporarily inconvenienced and he may have missed his 7:35 train, but it was worth it. David had one of the greatest physical and spiritual breakthroughs in the history of his life, and possibly in the history of the world. It all started with him venturing off the beaten path. And I don’t know about you, but I would much rather miss my “7:35 train” than miss out on God’s plan for my life.

Peace

Love

God Bless

            A week after I wrote this, I was starting to feel like my idea to come to New England for the summer was maybe just a little too far off the beaten path. I was feeling kind of discouraged and I needed a refresher, so I decided to head into the city again on my next day off. During my exploring I found out that the old bookstore in the alley had a sister store; It was in the basement of the Old South Meeting House. So at the last minute I decided to go check it out. On my way out of the store, a book caught my eye. The book was sitting on top of a pile near the exit door. What was the title? Massachusetts: Off the Beaten Path. Maybe I am reading too much into it, but I have a feeling it was more than just a coincidence.

Destroy Your Bible

Destroy Your Bible

You want to know something that I think is really incredible? Well, even if you don’t want to know that bad, I’m still going to tell you. I think it is incredible how quickly we human beings can develop a new interest or hobby. I mean, just think about it for a moment. Sometimes all it takes is us seeing someone else do something that looks cool or interesting and within minutes we are on our cell phones, tablets, or computers dissecting Google to see just how possible that “new interest” would be for us to start pursuing. It is quite crazy how fast this cycle can launch us into a whole new world (I still think of Aladin every time I use that phrase). A world that can be filled with learning, practicing, going, telling, exploring, buying, selling, giving, or trading in ways that we have never done before. It truly is amazing how simple it is to pick up new interests in this day and age. For me however, almost as interesting as discovering new hobbies, is the challenge of rediscovering old ones.

            I love being reminded of something that I once enjoyed doing, but somehow lost along the roads and paths of my life journey. Well, about a month and a half ago I rediscovered one of my greatest passions: Reading. When I was in middle school and even once I got into high school, I really loved to read. Whether it was a history book or a Harry Potter book, I just enjoyed it. Eventually however, that changed. As I finished high school and started college, I began to hate reading. I’m guessing it had something to do with fact that most professors thought it would be cool to assign hundreds of pages of reading for each test (taking 5 classes that’s into the thousands). And most of them were books that I couldn’t even understand (which just pushed the knife in deeper). In April however, I rediscovered my love for a good read. I picked up the book The Circle Maker by Mark Batterson and finished that one pretty quickly. Since then I have read six more books ranging from topics such as Christian thought to Historical Biographies. I try to spend about two hours a day reading, and by next week I should have two more books done. I have just kind of been on a roll lately. Or so I thought.

            About a week ago I was on the phone with a girl and I was sharing all my new book knowledge with her. As we talked, I told her how much I have been learning through reading. I told her how many books I had gotten through this past month and about all the upcoming reads that I had planned for this month. I’m not going to lie, at this point I felt pretty cool, and honestly, I was trying to impress her just a tiny bit. So when I shared all of this new knowledge with her, I was expecting her to say something like, “wow, that is cool you must be getting smarter”. But again, I have to be honest, that didn’t happen. Not even close. In fact, this chick shot me down so fast that I barely had any hang-time. As soon as I told her about my reading, she said, “Oh cool…how much have you been reading your Bible?” It was basically game over at this point, because while I hadn’t been neglecting my devotions this past month, my Bible reading still wasn’t priority. And my Bible reading has to be my priority…period. Or should I say, our Bible reading has to be our priority…period?

            As I was growing up, my dad and I had some awesome times and we made thousands of memories. As soon as he would come home from work, we would go outside and play ball until it got dark. Whether it was baseball in the backyard, basketball in the driveway, or football in the street, we were always playing something and always making memories. Whether it was a broken finger, a sprained ankle, or a busted up knee, we were always making memories. Both good and bad. Both fun and upsetting. Making memories by playing ball is just what we did. But it’s kind of interesting that of all the memories that I have of my dad, there is one memory that has left an impression much deeper than any homerun, shot, touchdown or injury. The greatest memory that I have of my dad, is his Bible. He had a black, leather-bound Bible that was about an inch thick, and had his name printed on the front in gold lettering. It was a good-looking Bible, and the best part…it was trashed. The back spine of the bible was absolutely torn apart. The pages were practically falling out of it. He was constantly applying new layers of black electric tape to hold it together. That Bible was basically destroyed! That Bible was a hot mess! That Bible was tore up from the floor up! But that Bible was incredible. Why? Because the guy read it so much that it fell apart. Because he carried it so much that it was more than tattered. Because he studied it so much that it was basically destroyed. God’s word was obviously my dad’s priority.

            When I got off the phone last week (after bragging about my good reading habits) I immediately went over to my desk, picked up my nice, shiny Bible and just kind of looked at it. In my minds’ eye I could just see my dad’s old Bible sitting on his desk. As I looked back and forth between the mental picture of my dad’s Bible to the one in my hand, there was no comparison. None whatsoever. Mine looked like a 2012 Chevy Corvette and his looked like a 1994 Nissan Quest. And I can guarantee you that God would take the ’94 Quest over the 2012 Corvette any day. This immediately birthed a challenge in my heart. The thoughts just started to flood my mind, “I really need to make God’s word my priority, I seriously need to start reading the scripture more, I need more of the truth, I need to destroy my Bible!”. So that is exactly what I am trying to do. That is my latest personal challenge, to spend so much time reading my bible that I actually end up wearing it out and destroying my Bible! And like you probably guessed, that is my challenge to you...to us…lets destroy our Bibles!

            Now, (although I hope not) I know it might be tempting for you to just set your NIV in the driveway and run over it with your car, but that basically defeats the purpose. We aren’t going to destroy our Bibles just for the sake of doing it. Our ultimate goal is a deeper relationship with the creator of the universe and His son Jesus. But if we are seeking God the way that we should, destruction is inevitable. But please be encouraged, because in this context, destruction brings production. If we spend so much time in God’s word that our Bibles fall apart, it will produce a relationship with Christ that is stronger than anything we have felt before.

            We as a family eventually did get my dad a new Bible for his birthday, and it was just like his old one. Black leather, with the gold letters and about an inch thick…and in a few months, it really looked like his old one…it was destroyed! And that is exactly the kind of bible that I want to have. That is the kind of Bible that we should all have. One that is destroyed!

            Now that I have talked a lot about reading God’s word, this is the spot that I would typically include scripture, but this post is different. See, this is where our challenge begins; this is where the destruction of our Bibles really starts. The first assignment: Psalm 119. Even if you have already read this Psalm, take 15 minutes, open your bible and start your destruction there. This is an incredible Psalm on the importance of learning God’s word! So lets go…lets destroy our Bibles!!

Peace

Love

God Bless

            Oh and one more thing, I’m sure some of you, like myself, use electronic Bibles quite a bit. Something I have been discovering lately is that when I use a physical Bible, it helps me focus, it forces me to really get alone with God, and it builds confidence because I can see the progress I’m making from chapter to chapter. Just try it!