Blogging with Apples

“For God is not unjust. He will not forget how hard you have worked for him and how you have shown your love to him by caring for other believers, as you still do.” Hebrews 6:10 NLT

This is interesting. Attending church pretty much all my life, I understand this, yet I kind of don't. Slept ok last night, my mind was able and I love that. Sip more coffee, I read and think. I'm reminded of Johnny Appleseed, (John Chapman his real name) and how he planted apples tree's mainly in the Ohio, Indiana, and Illinios in the 1800's.  He was also a missionary to the new church a Swedenborgian church. According to Wikipedia, he was always joyful in his work. He would sing and preach, you never saw him without his bible. I wonder if he got discouraged ever. It seems he just kept going. I don't get discouraged very easily in my line of work. However I get nervous when I send a rough cut of a video to the client, just hoping they like it. Or when I'm in production, and my mind just can't focus, or I just can't figure it out. I remember telling guys in Audio Visual that if they got saved, they would see this field of work in a whole new way. I sure did. I read and think, when I was first getting into sound and video in church, I was accused of hiding behind that board. I really felt hurt from that. Sure I was physically behind some gear but was I hiding from everyone? the more I think about that, the more it makes sense. I had a vision when I was in high school about the need of promoting the gospel everywhere, mainly church's and missionaries, everything pretty much. It's all going visual, I could see it and I was just drawn to cameras, movies, editing, and tv's. Was I hiding though? It did disengage me from socializing with people (i was behind the camera intending to capture the socializing). Being in the booth disengaged me from focusing on the worship for myself (you can't enjoy worship when you're back there, you mixing so everyone else can, yet you feel joy throughout it). I read and think, again. Sip some more coffee, I've lost count of the church services, retreats, videos, I've made. The research I've done, advice I've asked, advice I've given. The bitterness I've had, anger, the people I wish would just disappear and quit discouraging my efforts. Hits me, Johnny Appleseed kept moving, he had a practical vision and passion to simply plant gardens on the frontier, it was a need. He enjoyed it but it was the people he met along the way that remembered him through that little apple and the gospel he preached. God instilled that love for planting trees so he could meet people. God gave me a passion for audio visual to spread the gospel in this technological age and to those who haven't met Him and to those who have. God's ways aren't my ways, it frustrates me at times, yet I'm thankful for it. Am I hiding behind this stuff? no, But I can't let the vision and passion exhaust me, I have to balance it out, there's time a place for it. Because that's when I get discouraged, and when I need to listen to His spirit for direction. He used and apple, music, video, and a these days, a blog to communicate His message to those who need here it.