Apple and a Psalm a day

I believe in the value of eating fruit, and some what believe in the truth of "an apple day keeps the doctor away." Okay, it helps that I happen to like apples.

I also believe even more fully in the value of daily devotional, bible reading, time alone in prayer with God, and time with my beloved wife in prayer.

Unless one get entirely the wrong impression of me, those who know be best know that I am not consistent. But, I like what Thomas Merton (http://www.mertoncenter.org/) said,"There is only one happiness: to please Him." He also said elsewhere, and I am paraphrasing; It is enough that we earnestly desire to please God. So, I try to remain consistent in daily devotional, bible reading, and prayer.

Actually, these are my Lent positive this year along with trying to be more health conscious. So for, at least in my limited understanding, my Lent negatives, which are really positives for me, I have given up Diet Cokes and sweets.

Oh, as part of my daily readings, I was reading through the section of Psalms 80-90, talk about up and down and inconsistency, at least if you believe that they were written one day after the other, instead of over the course of David's life. In one of the Psalms he will unabashedly sing God's praises and then in the next he will lament his state of affairs and that God seems far away.

This I can identify with, and I am sure, many others can as well. At this time in my life Psalm 90, seems a fair appraisal of the situation, at least at times. Psalm 90 seems to me to a true statement of man or woman's existence under the sun. But, in case you did not know, in Psalm 90, as David usually does, he ends his song of lament with praise for God and a plea for his favor.

So, I too ask for God's favor on all of us, especially myself and those I love. I think that God's favor is better than all the apples in all the orchards in all the world.*

My disclaimer: I intend no slur on apple producers and is this strictly the opinion of this writer and not of the Church.