Week 22 - Harvest the Fruit

FRUIT

fruit

fruity

fruitless

fruitful

unfruitful

tootie fruity

rotten fruit

ripe fruit

fruit of the vine

fruit cake

fruit cup

fruits and vegetables

is a tomato a fruit?

going bananas

orange you glad I didn't say banana?

grapes of wrath

peachy keen

that's just peachy

Adam's apple

the apple doesn't fall far from the tree

one bad apple spoils the whole bunch

go bananas! 

go go bananas!

an apple a day keeps the doctor away

sour grapes

you are nuts

two peas in a pod

when life gives you lemons, make lemonade

that car is a lemon

plumb bob

The Big Apple

As American as apple pie

cherry pick

pear-shaped

don't upset the apple cart

you are nuttier than a fruitcake

in a pickle

pickle in the middle

low hanging fruit

beans, beans the magical fruit...

fig newton

you are out of your gourd

skin like a raisin

you say toMAYtoe, I say toMAHtoe

is tomato a vegetable?

what a peach!
poisoned apple
fruit of your labor
you reap what you sow
Strawberry Fields Forever

fruit, n ~ 

1. the ripened ovary of a flowering plant that contains the seeds, sometimes fused with other parts of the plant.
2. fruits can be dry or fleshy. Berries, nuts, grains, pods and drupes are fruits.
3. fruits that consist of ripened ovaries alone, such as the tomato and pea pod, are called true fruits.
4. fruits that consist of ripened ovaries and other parts such as the receptacle or bracts, as in the apple, are called accessory fruits or false fruits.

Quote This

Labor is prior to and independent of, capital. Capital is only the fruit of labor, and could never have existed if labor had not first existed. Labor is the superior of capital, and deserves much the higher consideration.     ~     Abraham Lincoln

A table, a chair, a bowl of fruit and a violin; what else does a man need to be happy? ~ Albert Einstein

Love is a fruit in season at all times, and within reach of every hand.   ~   Mother Theresa

Wishing to be friends is quick work, but friendship is a slow ripening fruit.   ~ Aristotle

The roots of education are bitter, but the fruit is sweet.     ~     Aristotle

The trees that are slow to grow bear the best fruit.     ~     Moliere

Sorrow is a fruit. God does not make it grow on limbs too weak to bear it. ~ Victor Hugo

You've got to go out on a limb sometimes because that's where the fruit is. ~ Will Rogers

I like fruit baskets because it gives you the ability to mail someone a piece of fruit without appearing insane. Like, if someone just mailed you an apple you'd be like, 'huh? What the hell is this?' But if it's in a fruit basket you're like, 'this is nice!'

Without courage, wisdom bears no fruit. 

     ~     Baltasar Gracian

The difference between Los Angeles and yogurt is that yogurt comes with less fruit.

     ~     Rush Limbaugh

The meaning of life is not to be discovered only after death in some hidden, mysterious realm; on the contrary, it can be found by eating the succulent fruit of the Tree of Life and by living in the here and now as fully and creatively as we can. ~ Paul Kurtz

It's all Greek to me.

karpos, noun masculine (Strong's # G2590)

1. the fruit of the trees, vines, of the fields
2. the fruit of one's loins, his progeny, his posterity
3. that which originates or comes from something, an effect, result.

But the karpos of the spirit is 
love, 
joy, 
peace, 
patience, 
graciousness, 
goodness, 
faith, 
gentleness, 
self-control; 
against such there is no law.      ~     Saul of Tarsus

Jesus, of the parable of the seed sower ..... "do you not understand this parable? How then will you understand any of the parables?"

It is important for us to understand how seeds will grow and produce fruit in our lives.

A man went out to sow seeds ..... some seed fell among a thorn bush, and the thorn bush grew up and choked the plant. These are people that hear the plan of God's kingdom, and as they go on their way they are choked with worries and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to maturity.

Dad's Thoughts and Meditations

thorns = anxiety

thorns = deceitfulness of riches

thorns = hedonism - pleasure is the only good

It is apparent to me from this portion of the parable that a person can live and grow in God's kingdom, but for various reasons, never bear fruit.

A life among a thorn bush will not be capable of reproducing after its own kind: no fruit. 

Sure, you can enjoy all of the pleasures of this life and have a relationship with the Father. But, you will never be fruitful for God as long as you live life for temporary satisfaction: you will never bring forth fruit to maturity.

If you have a thorn bush in your life, God is not angry with you, and no, he won't leave you. The thorn bush in your life will not allow the deep fulfillment intended for you, and you will not be able to reproduce this life with God in others. So sure, you can live a life of worldly pleasure and still know God, but that experience will die with you: that is a shallow empty existence.

I have two friends who plant gardens in their back yard. One friend is an experienced gardener. He grows enough to feed his family, share the fruit with many friends and stores the rest to enjoy during winter. My other friend has had his garden for less than five years. The vegetables were not very good this year: nothing like the first couple of seasons. The tomatoes did not have good shape and color, and they just didn't taste as good.

They both water adequately. Both gardens are exposed to the sun sufficiently. Both gardens have the weeds pulled. What is the difference?

I asked my friend with the struggling garden, 'did you fertilize the ground?' He answered, 'fertilize? do you think that I need to fertilize?'

I asked my friend with the abundant garden, 'do you fertilize your garden?' He looked at me with a face that said 'ARE YOU KIDDING ME???' but politely answered that he has a secret mixture of 28 ingredients that he plows into his soil every year before he sows his seed! And he proudly proclaimed that all of his friends beg him for his secret recipe!

If you plant a seed, it will grow. If you don't prepare the soil of your life, then you will not produce the good fruit of God's kingdom to perfection. 

Prepare the soil of your life. Plant good seed. Guard your heart's garden from the thorns. 

Do not let the thorn bush grow your garden: it is much easier to keep thorn bushes out of your life than to rid them once they have taken root!

Enrich the garden of your soul with the secret ingredients of the Father's thoughts to you.


Courtney,

It is abundantly clear to me and to all those around you that the Father has given you many gifts. People are drawn to the good fruit of God's spirit in your life! Do not take that gift for granted. Continue to guard and tend the garden that you have planted. The good fruit of the Father's kindom that you share will last forever!

I love you.

Dad.

  

Week of August 19 - Spill The Wine

SPILL THE WINE

Wine
Whine
Wino

Wind

Win

Wins

Wink

Old Wine

New Wine

Drunk With Wine

New Wine Bottles

Old Wine Bottles

Fruit Of The Vine

Vineyard

Squeeze The Grapes

Wine Press

Ferment

Good Wine Takes Time

Time In A Bottle

Spill The Wine

Wine-ding Road

Wine Glasses

Wine Cooler

Wine Cellar

Dusty Old Bottle

Wine And Cheese
Wine And Dine

Winery

Grapes Of Wrath

Prune The Vine

I Am The Vine - You Are The Branches

Red Wine

White Wine

The Wine Of A New Covenant

We Leak

It's true - we leak. We go to bed feeling pretty good about life, and we wake up feeling like the weight of the world is on us. We hear a song that warms our heart and minutes later we are cussing out the driver of the car that pulled out in front of us. Sunday we make up our mind to turn over a new leaf and Thursday we are struggling with the same old failure.

We leak, but why? It is not because we don’t try hard enough. It is not because we are not sincere. It is not because we don’t have the willpower. It is not because we are bad. And no, God is not mad at you. So why? Why is it so easy to feel bad, and so difficult to maintain the good? Why?

The short answer is “we leak”.

Jesus spoke a little parable:

“And no one puts new wine into old wineskins;

if he does,

the wine will burst the skins,

and the wine is lost,

and so are the skins;

but new wine is for fresh skins."

Like new wine, new life will produce new energy. New wine is worthy of new bottles. New wine demands new bottles. New life is worthy of a new dwelling place. New life cannot dwell in an old lifestyle. The energy produced out of a new life cannot be contained in an old worthless lifestyle. The new life demands a worthy lifestyle. Otherwise, you will leak.

Don’t be a leaker, be a seeker!

The really good news for all of us leakers is that the mercy of Father God is new every morning! No matter how we leaked yesterday, today, if we ask, he will fill us again! And, if we ask, he will clothe us so that we can contain his life!

Courtney,

You know that this is true. You have been living the new life. You have also been enjoying the fruits of the new life. The new life is better than the old life.

I am so proud of you! Keep the goals of new life in mind as you begin your new classes! You can do this. You will do this.

I love you.

Dad.

The Godfather

The Godfather

The movie “The Godfather” depicted the lives of ruthless men. These men would do anything for the prize of power and wealth. That was not Our Dad.

Our Dad would do all that he could to lift a man who was on his back.

Our Dad respected the working man.

Our Dad was a friend to the blue collar worker.

Our Dad was not the type to simply toss a dollar to a Beggar: 
Our Dad would give the man a job so he would never have to beg again.

This was Our Dad's gift.
Our Dad gave the gift of work to men.

Our Dad was not a boss that men feared.

Our Dad was a leader that inspired men to be better.

Our Dad was a man that men aspired to be like.

Our Dad was not a man that caused men to cower in fear: 
Everyone wanted to be in the presence of our Dad.

"And YHVH Elohim planted a garden in Eden eastward, 
and there put Man whom he had formed.

And out of the ground YHVH Elohim made every tree grow that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; and the tree of life, in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

And YHVH Elohim took His Son, Adam, and put him into 
The Garden of Eden, to till it and to guard it."
Genesis 2

Father God opened a business.

He called His business “The Garden of Eden”.

God gave His son, Adam, work to do in His Business.

That is the picture of Father God.

That is a true Godfather.

That is a picture of Our Dad, Dick Carrara.

A true Godfather.

Rest In Peace Dad.

Kris S. Carrara

Week 21 - uNiQue

UNIQUE

u·nique • [yoo-neek] 

adjective

1. existing as the only one or as the sole example; single; solitary in type or characteristics

2. having no like or equal; unparalleled; incomparable

3. limited in occurrence to a given class, situation, or area

4. limited to a single outcome or result; without alternative possibilities

5. not typical; unusual

noun

6. the embodiment of unique characteristics; the only specimen of a given kind: The unique is also the improbable.

 

I will give thanks unto you; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: Wonderful are your works; And that my soul knows very well. ~ King David

 

A List of Unique Individuals

Mother Teresa

Albert Einstein

Moses

George Washington

Ronald Reagan

Jesus

Babe Ruth

Michael Jordan

Tim Tebow

Martin Luther King, Jr.

Bill Gates

Steve Jobs

Dale Carnegie

Thomas Edison

Helen Keller

Margaret Thatcher

Sacajawea

Mother Mary

Christopher Columbus

Courtney Carrara

Dare to be unique.

Dare to think outside the box.

Dare to abandon the box.

Dare to question the status quo.


Unique Solution
Unique Smile
Unique Personality
Unique Set of Circumstances
Uniquely Qualified
Unique Individual
Unique Thought
Unique Design
Unique Plan

Religion likes to paint with a broad brush: all confess the same doctrine; all quote the same creeds; all sing the same songs; all conform to the laws of the system. And since two men can hardly agree on one point, there are now multitudes of sects and denominations and belief systems. Following a religious system is not God’s plan. This is ungodly.

Conforming to doctrines of men is not freedom, it is slavery. Men of this world have used the gospel of God to create kingdoms unto themselves. They mine the people of their gold and silver the way a prospector sifts through waters in a stream. They don’t take it all at once, 10% at a time is adequate. The more that you give to them, they say, the more and greater blessing you will receive from God. This is not of God. Do not give your holy life to these dogs. Do not surrender your God given life to religion. Man made religions are modern day trees of knowledge of good and evil. Do not eat their fruit, you will surely die.

You have not been created by God to conform to a man made religion. You are being recreated in the image of the greatest father-son relationship that this world has ever witnessed! The Father in heaven desires a unique relationship with you. The law that you follow is the God breathed words of peace impressed on your heart. That is freedom!

You are a unique individual, created by God. God has not created you to merely mimic or copy Jesus or any other person. To the extent that you are to act like or follow Jesus is in loving your Father in heaven with all of your heart, all of you soul, all of your mind, and all of your strength. Uniquely love the Father and see where he leads you! Uniquely love your heavenly Father and let the world witness his glory in you!

 

Courtney

Your unique personality and gifts are infectious and truly a blessing from the Father. Use your unique life for His glory!

Dad

 

Week 20 - Take A Bath

TAKE A BATH

Wash your face and hands, and brush your teeth.

Bird Bath

Bird Brain

Bubble Bath

Bathe

Hot Bath

Cold Shower

Dirty Bath Water

Draw a Bath

Bath Tub

I don’t need a bath

Bathing Pool

Soak it in hot water

Take a Bath

Bath House

Bathroom

Don't throw the baby out with the bath water.

Bath, [bath, bahth]

plural baths  [bathz, bahthz, baths, bahths]

verb, noun

1.  washing or immersion of something, especially the body, in water, steam, etc., as for cleansing or medical treatment

The TV is on. Non-stop images and sites and sounds wash over our minds: Fat-Free; Look and Feel Skinny; Feel Sexy; The New You; Long Luxurious Hair; Eat This; Run Like That; Drink This; Soak in This; Go here; Eat There; It's Fun To Be Like Mike. This is the same TV that said “Smoke This, it’s good for you!”

We turn on the radio. The music sings out: Kiss this; Give it up for that; Shake Your Booty; Give It Up For Him; “Rock and Roll Hoochie Coo”.

It is easy to flop down on the couch in front of the TV and let it minister to your tired soul. And I can hardly imagine driving down the road without the radio turned up.

The waters of this culture have saturated us with their ideas of happiness and success and the latest fad to make us feel good. They lie.

John the Baptist stood in the Jordan River. The children of Israel never kept the law of God, and the stains of their sins could be seen in their slavery to the Romans. The people of Israel came to be washed of their sins. They confessed their transgressions, and John plunged them in the water. But John cried; this is not enough! There is coming one greater than me, he will baptize you in holy spirit.

The fact that our covenant with God is not based on Mosaic Law does not mean that there is no standard for right and wrong: Just the opposite. The spirit that the Father is raining down on all mankind produces conscience. The call for repentance today is just as valid as when John compelled men to turn from their wicked ways, and turn to God.

Like a silly song that we can’t get out of our head, sin has a way of clinging to us. Sin clings to us like dirt. Some dirt is easier to wash off than others. Grease under the finger nails may take some time. Some dirt leaves a stain. Stubborn stains must be soaked in some liquid solution in hopes of dissolving it. For our conscience to be cleansed, we must meditate, be bathed, be soaked, be baptized in the holy words of the Father. The Father’s word is the water that cleanses every stain and heals every wound. The best surgeons in the world cannot hide the scars of some wounds. But the Father, the Father not only heals your every wound, he renews your heart, without a scar. He makes your conscience without a spot or wrinkle!

Water Baptism – I wish it were that easy!

Spirit Baptism – This is not passive like listening to the radio. This takes commitment of will. This requires loving God with all of your heart; all of your soul; all of your mind; and all of your strength.

So take a bath! Every day, whether you need it or not!

Courtney

The fruit of the words of God in your life are evident for everybody to see! Keep planting. Keep watering. Keep growing! I am so proud of you.

Dad.

(more)

Week 19 - Freedom

FREEDOM

Freedom

Freedom of Speech

Born Free

Freely

Free

Buy One Get One Free

Unencumbered

Live Free Or Die

Give Me Liberty Or Give Me Death

Born To Be Wild

Freely You Have Been Given

Freely Give

Free. Not Cheap.

Set Me Free

If You Love Something

Statue Of Liberty

Land Of The Free

Free Will

Set The Captive Free

Get Out Of Jail Free Card

“Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn’t pass it on to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same.” ~ Ronald Reagan 

“Freedom is the standard against which I measure all human endeavors. A government that protects and preserves freedom is good. An industry that enables men to prosper in freedom is good. A religion that sets men free is good.” ~ Kris Carrara

“It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery” ~ Apostle Paul

"Conformity is the jailer of freedom and the enemy of growth." ~ John F. Kennedy

“I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.” ~ Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

free·dom / frēdem

Noun:

1.    The power or right to act, speak, or think as one wants without hindrance or restraint.

2.    Absence of subjection to foreign domination or despotic government.

Synonyms: liberty; independence

Courtney 

We have received from the great gift of freedom from the Father. Jesus died to pay for this freedom. The apostles were martyred for proclaiming this freedom. We are free to choose to walk with God. Our relationship to God is no longer defined by a law carved in stone, but rather by a breath of love impressed upon our hearts. The free will of the Father is not to be feared but embraced. If we can give good gifts to our children, then surely the Father will give his good word to us. You have prayerfully chosen a path to travel. The Father has promised that he will never leave you nor forsake you. Walk with God, and whatever you do, do it with all of your might.

Happy Valentines Day!!

I love you.

Dad

Week 18 - Peace

PEACE

Peace Treaty

War and Peace

War! What Is It Good For?

Peace Be With You ... And Also With You

Make Love, Not War

Peace On Earth

Peace Of Cake

Peace Of Pie

Peace Of Toast

There Is No Peace

I Am For Peace. But When I Speak, They Are For War.

Peacemakers

Peace Maker

Prince Of Peace

Why Do All Of The Followers Of The Prince Of Peace Cheer When We Drop Bombs On The Middle East?

Relative Peace

Have Peace Within Yourself

Be At Peace With All Men

Turmoil Without

Peace Within

Blue Skies. Green Lights. Peace.

Peaceful Easy Feeling

“I know not with what weapons World War III will be fought, but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones.” 

― Albert Einstein

Philippians 4

(6)  Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.

(7)  And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

(8)  Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things.

Anxious, Adjective

Full of mental distress or uneasiness because of fear of danger or misfortune; greatly worried; solicitous

Prayer, Noun

A devout petition to God

Supplicate, Verb

To pray humbly; make humble and earnest entreaty or petition

Thanksgiving, Noun

The act of giving thanks; grateful acknowledgement of benefits or favors, especially to God

Peace, Noun, Verb

You will know it when you have it!

Peace does not come from a mere religious exercise.

Peace does not come from the vain repetition of soulless prayers.

Peace does not arrive by accident.

Peace does not just appear.

Wars in the Middle East don’t have much effect on our daily life, unless of course you are in the military or have a loved one serving in Afghanistan. However, the pressures of life, if not dealt with properly, can build up in our minds and emotions to where we feel all alone on a hill overrun by the enemy.

There are many options to choose from to cope with the stresses of life: just ignore the problems and hope they go away; have another drink; take another pill; just stay in bed; talk to a friend; talk to your mom; or dad. Obviously some of these solutions will work better than others. And some of these solutions will last longer than others.

When the fears and anxieties of life press against your life like a flood, entering the presence of the Father with prayer and supplications, with thanksgiving, drives the waves back to the shoreline. Prayer. Supplication. Thanksgiving. Get alone with God. Pour out all of your heart. Lay all of your situations and circumstances before him exactly as you see them. All of them. Wait for him. Worship him. Thank him.

Making prayer, and supplication, with thanksgiving a daily priority will build a high wall of heavenly protection around your precious life. This tower is as high as the heavens and as deep as bedrock. You can run into this high tower and be safe from the storms of life. Your relationship with the Father is impenetrable, unmoving, stable, secure.

Enter the Father’s high tower.

He will drive out fear.

He will remove all doubt.

He will give you peace.

He is your peace.

Moms and dads worry and get anxious for their children. I don’t. I have already entered into prayer and supplication with thanksgiving for you. I have a deep peace from God that he is working all things out for your good. I have peace because the Father has you!

I love you.

Dad.