Most of us have heard the legend of Johnny Appleseed. John Chapman (1774 to 1845) or affectionately known as Johnny Appleseed was a man from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He was an American pioneer as well as a missionary who introduced apple trees to most parts of Pennsylvania as well as to West Virginia.
He collected the discarded apple seeds from the apple cider mills and started an apple nurseries with the seeds and nurtured them until they were saplings, big enough to sell or barter for clothes and other items.
This barefoot tree-planting preacher was a welcome visitor to the settlers. They invited him into their homes, glad to hear news from the places Johnny had just been to and the stories he had to tell. Johnny also had his Bible divided up into sections and would leave one book with a settler home and then exchange it for another book when he passed through that same way again.
Though the apples from trees that are grown from seeds are seldom sweet, Johnny did not despair. He processed them into apple cider (used as a food preservative), and the trees were used to mark land boundaries.
Like Johnny, we can grab hold of the opportunities that come our way. When the doors or windows of possibilities open to us, we can enter in and partake of the blessings that God has for us and for others that we touch. Realizing an opportunity when it presents itself is just the first step, and then come all the steps that follow to bring that possibility to fruition.
James 2: 17
So you see, faith by itself isn't enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless.
- John W.
He collected the discarded apple seeds from the apple cider mills and started an apple nurseries with the seeds and nurtured them until they were saplings, big enough to sell or barter for clothes and other items.
This barefoot tree-planting preacher was a welcome visitor to the settlers. They invited him into their homes, glad to hear news from the places Johnny had just been to and the stories he had to tell. Johnny also had his Bible divided up into sections and would leave one book with a settler home and then exchange it for another book when he passed through that same way again.
Though the apples from trees that are grown from seeds are seldom sweet, Johnny did not despair. He processed them into apple cider (used as a food preservative), and the trees were used to mark land boundaries.
Like Johnny, we can grab hold of the opportunities that come our way. When the doors or windows of possibilities open to us, we can enter in and partake of the blessings that God has for us and for others that we touch. Realizing an opportunity when it presents itself is just the first step, and then come all the steps that follow to bring that possibility to fruition.
James 2: 17
So you see, faith by itself isn't enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless.
- John W.
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