They call them Black Walnuts for a Reason

By Fred Alberti

"Although you wash yourself with soda and use an abundance of soap, the stain of your guilt is still before me," declares the Sovereign Lord.
Jeremiah 2:22

I came outside one day to find one of my daughters sitting in a seat with a stick and what looked like a green ball.
 
"What are you doing honey?" I asked.
 
"I'm using this stick to make a hole in this walnut so it will dry out and turn black."
 
Being a "fixer", like many other dads I know, I sat down beside her and pulled out my trusty pocketknife and began to cut into the skin of a green colored black walnut.
 
As I started to carve away I took no heed of the greenish yellow juice that came out and ran down my hand. I just figured I would scrub it all off my knife when I was finished.
 
I finally got all the skin carved away and was down to a nice walnut. Ha… she was still poking away with a stick and would have to wait who knows how many days for the skin to turn black. Meanwhile, I had my nut.
 
I was victorious.
 
I had conquered with my trusty knife.
 
Me Man!
 
Now all I needed to do was head into the house and wash off my hands and my trusty knife.
 
Ummm… yeah.
 
Newly discovered trivia… black walnut juice stains hands and fabric.
 
Oh, at first it is a little greenish but it doesn't stay that way. Over the next few hours that stain will turn blacker and blacker.
 
For the next two days I scrubbed and scrubbed trying to get the stain off my hands and out from underneath my finger nails.
 
I can now report that black walnut stains takes about 5 days to come off.

Enter what God said to Jeremiah. We can wash and wash with cleaners of our own makings but we will not be successful in removing the stain from before the Lord.
 
Fortunately, God has provided the means by which we can be cleaned. He alone has the product that can cleanse us. Acts 3:19 says, "Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord…"
 
Intersecting Faith & Life: Have you recently experienced the stain of sin in your life? Now is the time to repent and experience the refreshing of the Lord.

Further Reading

1 Timothy 6:11-14
Acts 22:16
Hebrews 10:1-6

 Monday, January 14, 2008

 11:36 PM

A lifetime of hardships starting with my parents divorce, molestation, witnessing my mother's suicide at age 15, addictions, teen pregnancy, disease, homelessness, and much more, caused me to search for peace. My soul was tormented, and let me tell you...it is very easy to accept the idea that there must not be a God when you go
through such horrible things at such a young age.

Nevertheless, I did not give up on searching for the purpose of humanity. I am the type of person who practices logical reasoning as a means of survival. I believe that nothing is by chance, so denying God's existence was impossible. What I could not understand is why He would create us to go through so many heartaches and struggles.

Through the course of my reasoning, I gained certain understanding of why,how,what, where and when we were created. Something went terribly wrong in the heavenlies long before we were created. Our God of light...(the center for all moral consciousness) did not create evil or darkness...yet it still existed and infiltrated all that was pure & good. He did not create us human beings by chance or for no reason other than to please him. We have a specific purpose as does every living thing. Our purpose contains the eternal cure for evil.

I now have the type of peace that the Apostle Paul spoke about in Phil 4: 4-9  

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 5 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

 8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. 9 Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.

It is my prayer for all mankind to know this type of peace which can only come through the saving knowledge of Our Lord Jesus Christ and the infilling of The Holy Spirit.

Peace Be Still In The Name of Jesus!

Godspeed,

Michelle D Starr

Who said it was?

Life is not fair!

Hello All,

My testimony is that I became a Christian at the age of 5 and have had many experiences in my life. My Faith in CHRIST got me through my grandma and Dad dying one in 2006 and the other one in 2007 and my Grandpa Piller died in 2003. and the only way I got through all the tough times was because of my faith.

Seth

I was baptized a Catholic.For almost 25 yrs I can say that I am not that dedicated to Christian living.My dad is a methodist, so life is somewhat like complicated for us. My mom loves to worship the idols my dad is otherwise.

It was March of 2007 when my friend,Giezzel -a christian,invited me to go to Singapore to try our luck as pharmacists. I was excited for it's my first time to leave the country. I was also hesitant because our flight was scheduled on June 1, same month where mom was having her 1st chemotherapy session having been diagnosed with breast cancer stage 3B.

I said to myself that God would make it easy for my mom even when I was away.

On our 1st sunday in Singapore,we attended a service at Hope Church. I can't describe that feeling when I entered the room of that auditorium.I had goosebumps all over my body.As i sang and began to worship,tears just kept on falling uncontrollably.

Since then I accepted God as my Lord and savior.I've always hungered for His presence.He changed my life. My mom is okay now.

I was not able to find job in Singapore but  I found God. And for me that's the most important gift that I've ever received.

First i would like to thank god becaze he is who saved me. i am pravin from india. Our family used to worship idols and i used to back of the idols everytime. but one day by god grace brother named abharam he who called me to the  care cell to pary for my needs. i was just seeing them, the youth was speaking friendly to me. and my pastor edwin was saharing word of god with me and just went for 3 monts to the care cell once in the week. and one day when i was praying alone in my room for the first time don't how to pray. i was distrubed by sound comeing from home i just said lord if u are there the sound must go away when i said immdiatly it is pin drop slince. so i was supried and i left going movies, speaking bad word, etc., they was a lot of change in me what i belived that the lord jesus blood is precious and i accepted my sins with god and i got peace in my heart i was very happy. and i was water baptized. i was saved. i my only i saved and my family not yet. i am praying for them. i thank god for sharing my testimony.

the god is coming soon we must be ready and be under gods fethers.

thanku

god bless u

pravin

ppbabu85@gmail.com