Grafted Apples

As a child I loved being with my grandparents who owned a homestead adjacent to my family’s property. Neither grandparent worked outside the home, and both worked the land and raised livestock to sustain their large family. My grandmother made the largest and best cinnamon buns in the world (excuse the exaggeration!), and my grandfather was a master gardener (before Master Gardener became a certification).

During summer vacation from school I would follow my grandfather throughout his patch of land. He taught me so much about gardening and raising chickens from the old country in Italy. My love of gardening has still not diminished. I gave up on chickens since I always seemed to have a love-hate relationship with roosters.

His grafted apple tree was legendary. He took scions (cuttings) of different apple trees and grafted them all on one other tree. When the resultant apples ripened you could pick whichever ones you like. Back then, I thought it was a miracle. Now I know it is only science and knowhow.

Today with events as they are, the grafted apple tree got me thinking in a different direction. Perfect and different varieties of apples were all growing on the same root stock. Shouldn’t our lives as believers be the same? When we are grafted into Christ as a believer a Macintosh apple can grow next to a Granny Smith drawing the same sustenance through the tree roots. There doesn’t have to be an isolated tree for each ethnicity or culture. When grafted into the same root stock as believers we should appreciate and celebrate the variety and tastes of cultures which Christ came to save.

Robert Parlante

July 2016

Some Plant, Some Water, Some Reap

In 1991 my wife and I joined a mission trip to the city of Krasnoyarsk Russia located in eastern Siberia to minister to school children. The team distributed the Book of Life which was an easy-to-read version of the Gospel of John, as well as medical supplies.

I still recall the warm and enthusiastic reception the various teams received ministering in the schools which ranged from lower grades to college.

Now jump ahead a few decades. I recently received a call from a minster friend who led the teams going to Krasnoyarsk. He was on a layover at the Charlotte Douglas Airport and decided to “catch up” with me and my family. At the close of our phone call, he then told me how he had preached recently at a Messianic congregation where he had shared about the trip to Krasnoyarsk in 1991. After his sermon a woman in her 30s-40s came forward and shared with him her journey to salvation.

She recalled a group of missionaries coming to the Siberian city to distribute the Book of Life. The missionary team came to her specific school and gave  her a copy of the Book of Life. After we had long gone, the young girl read the Gospel of John and told my friend how it set her on a path to salvation. (I do not know if the attached photo includes the woman in question. But I would like to believe it does!)

It brought to mind Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians 3:6 – I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow.

This was a reminder to continue planting seeds,
watering with discipleship, encouragement and friendship,
and most important, trusting God to make it grow!

Robert Parlante
July 2016

Commit Your Way to the Lord

Today we return to Psalm 37 which I believe gives us several instructions that help be at peace with ourselves. Verse 5 says: “Commit your way to the Lord, trust in him and he will do this…”

Before we get to what the Lord will do, we need to first look at the issues of commitment. Couples co-habitating before marriage seem to be the norm. After they are married it is not uncommon to hear one say, “If it doesn’t work out we’ll just get divorced.” It appears marriage is not always viewed as a commitment.

When I entered the workforce in my early 20s, I was grateful to have a job, and I believed I was committed to that job potentially for a lifetime. Today, millennials anticipate they will change jobs every few years. Commitment is redefined to fit society’s changing viewpoints.

When the David wrote Psalm 37, he understood the frivolous nature of people. If you do not commit to the ways of the Lord, one gets onto a slippery pathway of potential discontent because the world keeps changing the rules and definitions of life. Only Scripture remains true to purpose and meaning of life.

Now what will the Lord do if we commit ourselves to the ways of the Lord? Verse 6 gives us the answer. “He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun.”

For those unhappy with the worldly path you may be on, consider what comes from commitment to the ways of the Lord. (1) Your prayers will be answered. (2) One’s righteous standard of living will be an encouragement to others. (3) You will enjoy the Lord’s sustaining help and protection. (4) You can look forward with confidence to a heavenly inheritance.

Be encouraged. Commit your ways to the Lord. His definitions are not subject to whims of society. The Godly ways are true and comforting.

May the peace be with you,

Robert Parlante
July 1, 2016