You can read the whole text here: https://dougapple.blogspot.com/+++++++I’m Doug Apple...and my heart is on fire. (Luke 24:32)Are you keeping your eyes on aging family members and calculating what you will get when they die?Are you ready to fight with other people to get what you think should be yours?Why are you doing that?So many family divisions…

Read the blog here: http://dougapple.blogspot.com/ +++++++ I’m Doug Apple...and my heart is on fire. (Luke 24:32) “I’ve spent a good portion of my life disappointed with God.” That’s what he said, and it got me thinking. Am I disappointed with God? Have I been disappointed with God? Was I ever disappointed with God? I can’t think of a time when I w…

Read the blog here: http://dougapple.blogspot.com/ +++++++ I’m Doug Apple...and my heart is on fire. (Luke 24:32) How can you have more freedom by living with more restrictions? It sounds counterintuitive. It sounds like nonsense. We want to be free to do whatever we want, whenever we want. The more limits, the less freedom, right? It’s a one-to-on…

Read the blog here: http://dougapple.blogspot.com/ +++++++ I’m Doug Apple...and my heart is on fire. (Luke 24:32) Yay, it’s time to go to the festival! Thankfully you have an umbrella stroller for the baby. Just unfold it, strap him in, and off you go. Watch out for rocks, though. And uneven sidewalks. And sticks. In fact, just watch out for everyt…

Read the blog here: http://dougapple.blogspot.com/ +++++++ I’m Doug Apple...and my heart is on fire. (Luke 24:32) “The bathtub has arrived!” A huge man waddles in carrying a heavy bathtub. It’s a new house. The walls are up. The smell of sawdust is in the air. And it’s time to install the bathtub. The man sets it down in the only place it can go, t…

Read the blog here: http://dougapple.blogspot.com/ +++++++ I’m Doug Apple...and my heart is on fire. (Luke 24:32) Jesus said something that sounds almost cruel. He said, “Whoever has, to him more will be given, and whoever does not have, even what he seems to have will be taken from him.” That sounds like the rich getting richer and the poor gettin…

Read the blog here: http://dougapple.blogspot.com/ +++++++ I’m Doug Apple...and my heart is on fire. (Luke 24:32) I was talking to an evolutionist, the kind that believes that everything evolved from nothing after a big bang. I said, “Just look at food, for example. You think it just evolved on this big rock hurtling through space after a big bang?…

Read the blog here: http://dougapple.blogspot.com/ +++++++ I’m Doug Apple...and my heart is on fire. (Luke 24:32) A highway is a road built up to make travel easier. That’s what the footnote in my Bible says under Isaiah chapter 35 verse 8. That verse is talking about a highway, so the footnote tells us what a highway is. It’s a road built up to ma…

Read the blog here: http://dougapple.blogspot.com/ +++++++ I’m Doug Apple...and my heart is on fire. (Luke 24:32) Why is Home Depot on lockdown? I just wanted to run in, buy a new weed eater, and go home. But that’s not how it works these days. Why? Because Home Depot is on lockdown. What I mean is, some of their stuff is now literally chained up b…

Read the blog here: http://dougapple.blogspot.com/ +++++++ I’m Doug Apple...and my heart is on fire. (Luke 24:32) A man makes his plans, but the Lord directs his steps. That’s what it says in Proverbs 16:9. We see a great example of this when looking at Mary Magdalene at the tomb of Jesus. Jesus was crucified. He declared, “It is finished.” And Mar…

Read the blog here: http://dougapple.blogspot.com/ +++++++ I’m Doug Apple...and my heart is on fire. (Luke 24:32)Colossians 4:6 says, “Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt…”Speaking with grace might seem obvious, but what does it mean “seasoned with salt”?Here’s one way to look at it. Seasoned with salt makes it delicious and pe…

Read the blog here: http://dougapple.blogspot.com/ +++++++ I’m Doug Apple...and my heart is on fire. (Luke 24:32) Have you ever heard of mesothelioma? Most likely you’ve heard of it from the class action lawsuit ads on television. The ads are run by lawyers who want you to sign up for the class action lawsuit, IF you are one of the people negativel…

Read the blog here: http://dougapple.blogspot.com/ +++++++ Read the blog here: http://dougapple.blogspot.com/ +++++++ I’m Doug Apple...and my heart is on fire. (Luke 24:32) What is sin? The Greek word for sin in the Bible is ἁμαρτία which is pronounced ham-ar-TEE-ah. It’s literal meaning is “to miss the mark.” Sometimes we whitewash sin. We give it…

Read the blog here: http://dougapple.blogspot.com/ +++++++ I’m Doug Apple...and my heart is on fire. (Luke 24:32) “The other driver got aggressive, so I got aggressive, too.” That’s what my friend said. He continued, “But I don’t do that anymore. The Bible says, ‘Don’t return evil for evil,” so when another driver gets aggressive, I just let him go…

Read the blog here: http://dougapple.blogspot.com/ +++++++ I’m Doug Apple...and my heart is on fire. (Luke 24:32) The laundry basket crashed at my feet. I looked up the stairs and saw my mother-in-law at the top. She had literally thrown her laundry basket down the steps because it was too hard for her to carry it down. That was a clue that it was …

Read the blog here: http://dougapple.blogspot.com/ +++++++ I’m Doug Apple...and my heart is on fire. (Luke 24:32) What do you do when you doubt? Did God ever do anything for you? Did He save you? Did He spare you from the net of the fowler? Did He forgive you and shine His grace upon you? Did He give you wisdom when you lacked it? Did He ever bring…

Read the blog here: http://dougapple.blogspot.com/ +++++++ I’m Doug Apple...and my heart is on fire. (Luke 24:32) Why doesn’t God just do everything? Why does He leave anything up to human beings? I don’t know, but He does, and one great example of that is the story of Paul and Ananias. We can read the story of Paul’s conversion on the road to Dama…

Read the blog here: http://dougapple.blogspot.com/ +++++++ I’m Doug Apple...and my heart is on fire. (Luke 24:32) To obey is better than sacrifice. What on earth does that mean? We find this phrase in First Samuel 15:22. It’s the prophet Samuel talking to King Saul, the first king of Israel. Samuel said, “Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offe…

Read the blog here: http://dougapple.blogspot.com/ +++++++ I’m Doug Apple...and my heart is on fire. (Luke 24:32) I was sitting in the garage, crying my eyes out. I wasn’t crying because I was sad. I was crying because I wanted to kill someone, but since that was not an option, all that was left was crying. I was playing an older boy in basketball,…

Read the blog here: http://dougapple.blogspot.com/ +++++++ I’m Doug Apple...and my heart is on fire. (Luke 24:32) “As the deer pants for the water, so my soul longs after Thee.” That is my daily prayer, based on Psalm 42:1. I just want more of God and His wisdom and goodness and guidance in my life, don’t you? But how to get it? How to get “me” out…

Read the blog here: http://dougapple.blogspot.com/ +++++++ I’m Doug Apple...and my heart is on fire. (Luke 24:32) You can’t just sit on your rear end and do nothing. “But Doug, James 1:5 says, ‘If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.’” Yes it does. I’m a huge fan …

I’m Doug Apple...and my heart is on fire. (Luke 24:32) It was like a shotgun of glass in my eyes. Would it ruin my vision? It all started on a typical Wednesday when I packed our baby in the car seat and went to pick up a little old lady for church. It was a winter evening in Illinois and already dark. As I was driving down the highway, suddenly th…

I’m Doug Apple...and my heart is on fire. (Luke 24:32) “I will NOT be taken advantage of.” That’s what we say. “I will not be made to look like a fool. If someone’s going to get the short end of the stick, it’s not going to be me.” No one wants to get the short end of the stick, but in almost every human interaction you could easily say, “Wait a se…

I’m Doug Apple...and my heart is on fire. (Luke 24:32) Have you looked down your bathtub drain lately? It’s probably just a black hole, and as long as the water drains you don’t even think about it. But you know what? A lot of things had to be done just right for that drain to work. Think of a typical ranch house here in Florida built on a concrete…

I’m Doug Apple...and my heart is on fire. (Luke 24:32) “And God I forgive everyone for everything, past…present…and future…” That’s my daily prayer. I pray through the Lord’s Prayer and when I come to the part about “…as we forgive those…” I stop and say, “God, right now, I forgive everyone for everything, past, present, and future. I preemptively …

I’m Doug Apple...and my heart is on fire. (Luke 24:32) “You must have a lot of faith to believe in God like you do.” Actually, I don’t think I have all that much faith. Think of it like this. Last night I was working in the yard, pulling weeds and picking up sticks. Suddenly it dawned on me that I was really thirsty. Thankfully I had prepared a nic…

I’m Doug Apple...and my heart is on fire. (Luke 24:32) “I’ll walk you to your car. I need to ask you something.” That’s what the man said as he caught me leaving the church one day. He said, “They’ve asked me to teach a class in a few weeks, and I was wanting to get your advice.” I’ve been teaching adult Sunday school classes and Bible studies for …

I’m Doug Apple...and my heart is on fire. (Luke 24:32) “She put the Bible there on my nightstand…right next to my ashtray.” Bibles and ashtrays. I knew this story was going to be good! I was talking with Mike Sharman and I asked him the simple question, “How did you come to faith in Christ?” It didn’t come until he was deep into life, married, maki…

I’m Doug Apple...and my heart is on fire. (Luke 24:32) “I don’t think God cares if I go or not.” That’s what one woman told me. She was trying to decide whether she should make a certain trip or not. I said, “Well…pray about it.” She said, “I don’t think God cares if I go or not.” I said, “It’s not that He’s going to zap you for making the wrong de…

I’m Doug Apple...and my heart is on fire. (Luke 24:32) Your faith is not in your faith. Your faith is in God. Your faith is not in your prayers. Your faith is not in your purity. Your faith is not in your pastor. Your faith is in God, and He is trustworthy. Your beliefs and knowledge about God are probably not 100% trustworthy, but God is trustwort…

I’m Doug Apple...and my heart is on fire. (Luke 24:32) And say to Archippus, “Take heed to the ministry which you have received in the Lord, that you may fulfill it.” That’s an encouragement…and a warning. It was for Archippus in the Bible, in Colossians 4:17, but it’s for us, too. Take heed to the ministry with you have received in the Lord, that …

I’m Doug Apple...and my heart is on fire. (Luke 24:32) The word “obedience” sounds harsh to some people. They think of abusive parents, or schoolteachers with paddles, or military drill instructors. We can be leery of obeying anyone because we are free Americans and we bow the knee to no one. Plus, if we put ourselves under anyone’s authority, they…

I’m Doug Apple...and my heart is on fire. (Luke 24:32) Jesus said, “Love your neighbor.” But what if your neighbor is driving his car too close behind your car, like he would push you off the road if he could. Do you love him now? Jesus said, “Love your enemy.” What if your enemy isn’t someone trying to kill you. They’re just trying to pass you on …

I’m Doug Apple...and my heart is on fire. (Luke 24:32) “I’m tempted to…” Stop right there. If you are tempted to do something, stop. Temptation is bait on a hook. It’s a lure seeking to get you off track for a short term benefit. It’s ALWAYS a short term benefit that sacrifices long term good. The problem is…that short term benefit can seem SO GOOD…

I’m Doug Apple...and my heart is on fire. (Luke 24:32) Cindy’s fiancé died in a workplace accident. She was a dedicated Christian, but the loss was immense. Her family was worried about her and how she would cope. In her B.C. life, Before Christ, she relied on cocaine. Now that life was in the past. Or was it? One night the pain was so great, she p…

I’m Doug Apple...and my heart is on fire. (Luke 24:32) “I can’t memorize!” I hear that all the time, and I get it. Memorizing is work. But memorizing is like anything else. The more you do it, the better you get. And memorizing Scripture is different than memorizing some random school assignment you despised. Jesus said His Words are Spirit and Lif…

I’m Doug Apple...and my heart is on fire. (Luke 24:32) “Don’t say holy cow.” “No, not holy mackerel, either.” “And definitely not holy cra….you know what.” “Look,” I told my grandsons, “Holy is a word. It has a meaning. A serious meaning. To say it any other way is to say it in vain, which means to water it down.” “What does it mean? Well, I think …

I’m Doug Apple...and my heart is on fire. (Luke 24:32) “Doug, what’s on your bucket list? What do you want to do before you kick the bucket? Before you die? Before your life is over, kaput, fini, muerto?” All right, well, it’s a short list. In fact, my bucket list can be summed up in one painting by Yongsung Kim, one of my favorites. It’s a wintry …

I’m Doug Apple...and my heart is on fire. (Luke 24:32) Three losers and one winner, and I want to be the winner! But how? In the Parable of the Sower, Jesus said four people heard the Word, but only one of them “got it.” I want to be one who gets it! He described the first three as being soil where the seed of the Word couldn’t really take root. Th…

I’m Doug Apple...and my heart is on fire. (Luke 24:32) Can you name even one person who lives close enough to God to hear what He is saying? That’s a provocative question, and it comes from Jeremiah 23:18 in The Living Bible. God was talking about the false prophets in Jerusalem, and He said, “Can you name even one of these prophets who lives close…

I’m Doug Apple...and my heart is on fire. (Luke 24:32) I remember going out on Friday nights with high expectations. “It’s going to be the best time ever!” There were high expectations of fun, of making memories, laughter, good times, great music, and stories to tell. But at some point I started thinking thoughts like, “It’s never really all that.”…

I’m Doug Apple...and my heart is on fire. (Luke 24:32) Do this one thing and your life will be radically changed. I call it The Matthew 6:6 Principle. In short it says, “Go into your room. Shut your door. Pray to your Father.” Or I word it this say, “Get alone. Shut out the distractions. Talk to God.” When we do that, Jesus said the Father will rew…

I’m Doug Apple...and my heart is on fire. (Luke 24:32) “Someone passed me a joint at Lollapalooza.” That’s what the young man said. He had gone to the big festival in Chicago to check out the scene. “Did you smoke it?” “No,” he said. “I don’t know whose mouth had been on that thing.” Good point. But I was thinking about a bigger point. You don’t kn…

I’m Doug Apple...and my heart is on fire. (Luke 24:32) Take an apple seed from the next apple you eat. Plant it in a little pot on your desk. How long until you are eating apples? Just guess. You don’t have to be a botanist. A year? Five years? Ten years? Well here’s your answer. Never. You will never be eating apples from the seed planted in the l…

I’m Doug Apple...and my heart is on fire. (Luke 24:32) “What do you think about those little Christian fishes people put on their cars?” I like ‘em. “Why? Who cares?” Well, here’s why, and I can sum it all up in one word: acknowledge. Acknowledge basically means to accept something and to announce it. I can accept that my wife is a better ping pong…

I’m Doug Apple...and my heart is on fire. (Luke 24:32) “Just give me one thing to do,” she said. We were talking about Christianity and faith in God and salvation, you know, all the basics of the Gospel. She wasn’t sure if she believed it, but she wanted to. I said, “God created the universe, and He created people in His image.” She said, “Okay, I …

I’m Doug Apple...and my heart is on fire. (Luke 24:32) We know we are supposed to love people, but how? Love one another. Love your neighbor. Even love your enemy, but how? Do we just work harder at it? Do we need a new book, “Five Fantastic Strategies for Loving People More in Just Five Days!” I want to propose a new way, a better way, and it star…

I’m Doug Apple...and my heart is on fire. (Luke 24:32) Fun was my gold standard growing up. Everything was measured by how fun it was. “How was school today?” “Boring.” “How was the birthday party?” “Fun!” “Would you like to go visit Grandma?” “Does she have any new toys?” Yes, it was the old days when we were kicked outside all summer, but I can t…

I’m Doug Apple...and my heart is on fire. (Luke 24:32) You are not your body. You have been given a body to steward. You are not your body. You have been placed by God into a body, and one day soon you will leave that body. You are not your body, and that means your worth, your value, your self-esteem, your identity are not wrapped up in your body.…

I’m Doug Apple...and my heart is on fire. (Luke 24:32) “I want you to do a self-test over the next week.” That was the assignment from our Sunday school teacher Rodney Rowland. “I want you to observe your thoughts and see how much of the time you are spiritually-minded compared to how much of the time you are carnally-minded.” So I did it, and the …