Update for year, 2024

Correspondence

In 2024 we have increased the number of correspondence students by 600, bringing us to over 1800 Bible students on our rolls.

We have increased the number of courses we offer to 44, 14 New Life Behavior courses, 14 Bible courses by Jim Pinkston, 6 Bible courses by Carolyn Kusler, 2 Bible courses by Jody, 5 Kings Crossing Ministries mini-courses and are now offering three Sunset International Bible Courses. SIBI gave us permission to offer these courses as correspondence courses as well as the certification program for the inside.

We purchased five courses from Kings Crossing in Corpus Christi. They are mini-courses and save us overall about $2.00 per course mailed due to being smaller in size and weight.

Last year the volunteer graders (approximately 20) graded over 55,000 lessons, and that has increased by approximately 10,000 which breaks down to grading around 1,200 lessons per week … that is lessons, not courses. We count this by lessons because the number of lessons for the courses varies from 5 to 24 with the average being 13.

Jody spends at least 40 – 50 hours a week working on the correspondence side of the ministry, which I think probably is the backbone of the ministry.

She examines the history of each student in order to customize a training program that best suits their needs.  For instance, through her studies she determined that women incarcerated for child abuse will take our first course on a “sense of self” but if we send them the second or third courses concerning family and parenting, they drop out at a high percentage rate. So, she sends them the first course, then skips to the 4th course, and other New Life Behavior courses, then sends the Forgiveness course which she wrote that has a huge and positive effect on these ladies… and eventually they will take the courses on family and parenting.

When we send lessons, Jody has written several encouraging notes to accompany certain lessons, and certain students… it all depends on their age, how long their sentence, and what they are incarcerated for.

Along with our lessons we send a form for them to recommend new students, and a form for signing up for World Bible School, which we turn over to Pete and Mandy Shaw… and I believe this has turned into a very successful ministry as well.

Family Engagement

Family Outreach

We started a family engagement project a couple of years ago, in which we invite inmates to share their family information so we can reach out to them… and this has had some success as well. I believe our volunteers in that program have reached out to over a hundred families on behalf of the prisoners. The volunteers who are contacting these people include Ken Wiley, Ray Vaughn, Pam Sterit and Janet Swopes from the Okmulgee congregation, and Gerry and Lorna Nichols.

Clark Lineback has also been involved in this ministry as well, offering help when appropriate for those in need… of groceries, and in a couple of cases, rent, utilities, and car payments.

Caroline Kusner who is a former police lady, and Tim Lynn, former Secret Service and law enforcement have taken on the challenge of analyzing and verifying the needs.

Due to being badged, we cannot have direct contact with the families of inmates, so we stay behind the scenes coordinating and keeping track of volunteers and families. Our goal in this ministry is to help keep families together and encourage them to find a congregation to join if they are not in our area, as we have reached out to churches in several cities and states.

Jerry Way in the Edmond congregation’s prison ministry has joined us in this effort a number of times, and he also supplied us with a list of “felony friendly churches”, as he calls them, in the OKC area.

Family Engagement Worship Service

Last year we experimented with having a special worship service for families of inmates, and those involved in the Prison Ministry.

We had limited success but will continue in September.

My intention is to have one of the young preachers offer the lesson… this gives them a chance to preach, and gives a little variety to the service…. Kevin McKee was our last preacher before we broke for the summer and is going to be our first preacher as we restart for the fall.

The initial idea was to try to create a place where families of inmates, and former inmates could feel welcome.

Aftercare

Jody also started what she refers to as the “After Care” program… designed to reach out to and stay in contact with inmates after they are released. Thanks to the Vine organization, they keep us informed about who is being released or transferred, so we can keep in contact. Once we learn that a student is about to be released, Jody sends them a contact letter encouraging them to stay in touch with us and refers them to a church in their area.

As volunteers who go into prisons, we are not supposed to have contact with released prisoner for 6 months, so I have talked to Jack Robbins and Scott Kamp from Hope City to help us in this area as volunteers and they are both on board.

We need a lady or two to help in this area as well, we prefer men reach out to men, and women to women in this ministry and the family outreach program as well. In addition, we prefer young children being reached out to by women, and in a few cases, we turned them over to ladies in the children’s ministry.

In conjunction with this arm of the ministry we would like to help develop a jobs program for the recently released.  Tim Lynn has experience in this area.

When prisoners are released on parole, if they do not have family to help them, they are often back inside in a short time… they immediately have to report to a parole officer, start paying fees and fines, find a place to live, and fine employment.  Unless they receive help in a hurry, we all know what this usually leads to… the only way they have to survive is to return to a life of crime.

Prison Re-entry Program

Hope City

As you know is managed by Marc Clayton who is doing an excellent job in maintaining the facility in every way possible.

John 3:16

Ray Vaughn is very active in this program and gives those recently released inmates another opportunity for a place to stay and grow.

Inside Prison Ministry

Sunset International Bible Institute Certification Program

We now have three classes for Sunset being conducted at Dick Conners, two on Monday morning, and one on Monday afternoon.  Reggie Wilson, one of the Chapel Orderlies, is helping with one of the classes on Monday morning. The Park sponsored him for a master’s degree in Bible studies, which he is very close to completing

My goal is to get as many inmate students, depending on their level of commitment to the course, to become “teachers” as well.

Tuesday Evening Services / Medium Side

Brad Jensen, a member of St James non-denominational church, heard about our ministry and contacted me.  I invited him to come to our grading on Thursdays, and he began to come regularly.  He will be joining us at Dick Conner as a volunteer and after visiting the Park is considering becoming a member here. Tim Lynn has been joining me & Elaine on the 1st and 3rd Tuesdays for our services on the medium side of DCCC.  Mrs. Johnnie West from the Okmulgee Church (her husband is the minister) joins us on the 1st Tuesday.

Sunday Evening Services / Minimum Side

Jim Pinkston oversees the Sunday evening worship service on the minimum side on three Sunday nights a month. Volunteers include Elaine Russell, Joan Pitts, Rafael Verona (who may be moving back to California), John Wesler, who is involved in a prison ministry in Texas, but comes to Tulsa two weeks out of the month, and Shelby Reiter will be attending.

In total we have nine badged volunteers, in addition to Jody and me.

Jody and I also drive to Eddie Warriors Correctional Center in Taft every Friday morning to deliver courses in person…. We normally have a minimum of 50 courses to deliver and considering the cost of postage this saves around $200 a week in postage costs.

The Park Prison Ministry Website

Created approximately 10 years ago to share Apologetics lessons, letters and articles, and sermons by inmates, sermons by Jim Pinkston and others.

We are also slowly adding videos covering the various courses we offer so family members who also want to take the courses can listen to them on line, or download a copy and complete the lessons and send them in… this is to save on postage, rather than mailing courses to family members, they can merely download them from the site.

This also where we maintain our database.

David L Moss County Jail

Jim Pinkston, Francisco, Ray & Suzanne Vaugn, Brad Jensen (will soon join them) Elaine Russell, and Theresa Hawkins go into the Tulsa County jail for the quarterly baptisms, and Francisco and Ray are Assistant Chaplains in the jail and are allowed to teach classes.

Elaine and Theresa teach Bible courses for the ladies.

The jail is still locked down for ministries to visit and teach, but that should soon change, and when it does, I will be going in one day a week to teach a baptism course, and the steps to salvation courses. This will ensure these people know why they are being baptized. Since Covid, Jim and the others who baptize only have a few minutes to teach them before baptizing them.  Jim Pinkston will be going in one or two days a week as he has time to teach Bible courses.

Volunteer Appreciation Dinner

Every year we plan to have a special dinner for our volunteers in order to demonstrate our appreciation for all they do, and all they give.

Future….

I am hoping to find someone who can take over the Sunset Classes or at least fill in for me when I can’t be there for one reason or another.

Angel Tree… on the inside…

I was asked to “play Santa” this year for the Dick Conner dads and their children… this apparently isn’t going to work out this year, however I think this is an excellent idea. One of our main goals is to keep families together… and back on the right track, leading to eternal life in Heaven.

So, I will be reaching out to the inside Angel Tree people this year, and those who manage the inside dad’s program in an attempt to bring Christmas to the inside, so incarcerated Moms and Dads can have Christmas with their children.

As you know, the Park has committed their Christmas project to focus on Angel Tree… these children are so important because they are at the highest risk of following their parents into their life style.

 Prayer Requests

1. We have prayer requests for the inmates, for their safety, for their growth in their faith, and for their families.
2. We also request prayers for the volunteers, that they will remain strong, and have patience… especially when the grading which can be tedious at times.
3. Prayer requests also for the growth and success of the prison ministry.

<h1>Be Prepared</h1>
If you have spent any time at all in prison, then you have definitely heard someone say, “ you don’t have to get ready, if you stay ready!”

They were Probably using this statement to impress upon those around them that they stay alert and therefore couldn’t be caught unprepared to meet violence with violence. Or maybe they meant that they were too crafty to get caught with contraband by the correctional officers. But that is our old nature- the nature and thinking that brought us to prison in the first place.

However, if applied correctly, this cliché still contains much truth. We could understand this saying in a deeper way when we see that being “ready” is the state of preparedness that we have accomplished in our lives. It is absolutely true that if we have taken the time to prepare then we will not have to rush around to get prepared for what we see coming at the last moment.

Some things you can’t prepare for in a hurried manner, they take time to prepare. For instance, if you were going to compete in a bodybuilding competition or a marathon you couldn’t begin the day or even the week of the event to condition your body. We also know that you can’t build a house without first digging and pouring a footing and then laying its foundation. Yet, often in our spiritual life we try to throw up the walls and roof of our house before we even lay our foundation. When the storms of life come, we find we didn’t adequately prepare our foundation. Jesus talks about this in Matthew 7; 24 – 27.

Jesus said, “anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on a solid rock. Though the rain comes in torrents and the floodwaters rise and the winds beat against that house, it won’t collapse because it is built on bedrock. But anyone who hears my teaching and doesn’t obey it is foolish, like a person who builds a house on sand. When the rain and flood come and the winds beat against that house, it will collapse with a mighty crash”.

See the only difference in these two houses is how the builders prepared the foundation. If we are diligent to open God’s word daily and find out what Jesus taught, we can continually build our foundation in him and be ready for any storm so, if we stay ready, we won’t have to get ready!

<h1>As we head into the Spring season, I am reminded that new life is in bloom.</h1>
Although winter has been dull and dreary, color is returning to the Earth, everywhere you look. The grass is green again and the trees and shrubs are soon to bud. Likewise, we should also remember to be aware of the seasons in our own lives. We may have just come through a dark winter of the soul, but take heart; a new season is at hand.

Frustration sometimes comes because we are impatient for the fruit of Summer in the dead of winter. It is not always harvesting time, but there is always work to be done. Sometimes, it is the Season of preparation.

Sometimes, we must simply be diligent to plant and water. Finally, if we are consistent, we will enjoy a fruitful harvest. The same is true of the Spiritual life as well. If the last season of your life has been hard, know this, that season can’t last forever. If you haven’t given up, you will see the fruits of your labor in the coming season.

Don’t give up my brothers and sisters! God is faithful! “And let us not grow weary wile doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart – Galatians 6:9 ; “To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven.” Ecclesiastes 3:1. “Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord.

See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the Earth, waiting patiently for it until it receives the early and latter rain. You also be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand.”- James5:7-8

1 John 5:14 Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. 15 And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him…

So, you see, our God the Father gives us petitions [requests], which is favor and mercy in our prayers. But only according to His will though, and not of our own will…

And what exactly is God’s will in prayer with faith and Grace in the newness of life with Christ???

God’s will for us is that His will and His hearts desires start to become our will and our desires. So, the more you grow with the Spirit, God’s Holy Spirit, by putting on Christ, this very change starts to take it’s place inside of you, and naturally, the old man starts to die with Christ, and because He was also raised up in newness of life, we also walk in newness of life putting on the new man through Grace that Christ has given us through His precious Blood. And not only through Grace, but also faith that comes by Grace, and so the very things we ask for in prayer, start to become the very things that God puts in our heart to pray for, and these desires become our own becoming God’s will we pray and not our worldly selfish prayers any longer. Because you begin to truly fellowship with God. And walk in the spirit of truth, the Holy Spirit which only can proceed through Christ from the Father…

But we also must come to the Father in mercy knowing that we are not worthy of God’s Grace, and because of this, we have hope with confidence through faith in the very things we ask for through our Lord Jesus Christ…

And now my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ: What is this newness of life with the new man in Christ???

First and foremost, we must believe our whole being with every beat of our heart that Jesus Christ is a Son of God, and did die so that we could live, and through His resurrection we also will have our resurrection, being raised to life through the same power that did raise our Lord Jesus Christ, The Holy Spirit that lives within us, sealing us unto the day of our salvation at Christ Second Coming as first Fruits, which is a very precious gift… The very elect with the saints…

And brothers and sisters in Christ… we are the body of Christ and have been bought with a beautiful price through Grace with the Blood of Jesus Christ, and believing with all our hearts we should no longer live according to our old man with the lust of our flesh and the lust of the world.

But putting aside all our former conduct that does not lead to godliness, but putting on the whole armor of God through the very love of Christ, so that we can withstand the evil one…

[The whole armor of God]

Ephesians 6: 12-18  For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of [a]the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.

13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

14 Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness,

15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace;

16 above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one.

17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God;

18 praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints—

Ephesians 4: 22-24 that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts,

23 and be renewed in the spirit of your mind,

24 and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.

2 Peter 1: 3-4  as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue,

4 by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

2 Corinthians 5: 17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new…

Sometimes in our Christian life we run into situations where it would seem more beneficial for us to sin.

We think we will go hungry if we don’t steal some food, We’ll lose our job if we don’t fudge the numbers., The ugly truth will be discovered. If we don’t lie.

Brothers and sisters, the way of the world may look more sensible and satisfying at times, but let me tell you something, God wants better for you.

When we encounter experiences like these and choose to sin, that is really a crisis of faith. We doubt that God can provide for us, or pull us out of the predicament we’re in. So, we take it upon ourselves. Proverbs 3: 4-5.

Let me tell you a story about the apostle Peter, when he was in a tough spot, and God showed himself faithful.

Acts 12: 1-10. “Now about that time Herod the king stretched out his hand to Harass some from the church. Then he killed James, the brother of John, with the sword. And because he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded further to seize Peter also. Now it was during the days of unleavened bread. So. When he had arrested him, he put him in prison, and delivered him to four squads of soldiers to keep him, intending to bring him before the people after Passover.

Peter was therefore kept in prison, but constant prayer was offered to God for him by the church. And when Herod was about to bring him out, that night Peter was sleeping, bound with two chains between two soldiers; and the guards before the door were keeping the prison. Now, behold, an Angel of the Lord stood by him, and a light shone in the prison; And he struck Peter on the side and raised him up., saying, “arise quickly!” And his chains fell off his hands. Then the Angel said to him, “Gird yourself and tie on your sandals”; And so, he did. And he said to him, “put on your garment and follow me.” So, he went out and followed him, and did not know that what was done by the Angel was real, but thought he was seeing a vision. When they were past the 1st and the 2nd guard posts, They came to the iron gate that leads to the city, which opened to them of its own accord; And immediately the Angel departed from him.

And when Peter had come to himself, he said, “Now I knew for certain that the Lord has sent his Angel, and has delivered me from the hand of Herod and from all the expectation of the Jewish people.”

In that dark, dark prison cell, his close friend having just been executed, him slated to be next, chains on his wrists, and a soldier on each side of him; What Christian, do you think appeared to be the most advantageous in Peter’s eyes?

I can think of one, renouncing his faith in Christ. If he had done this, he most likely would have been released from prison and accepted back into the synagogue. Life could have continued on as normal for Peter, a peaceful existence, fishing on the Sea of Galilee, raising a family and building a legacy.

Other than that, his head was soon to be separated from his neck. So, what did Peter do? Did he take the easy way out? No, his response to this crisis can best be described in his own words.

1Peter 4:18 Now “If the righteous one is scarcely saved, Where will the ungodly and the sinner appear?”

Amazing words. Peter put his confidence in the Lord, and God proved himself trustworthy.

Brothers and sisters, if we follow the apostle’s example, then God will do the same in our lives as well. It may not be anything as miraculous as an Angel busting us out of the slammer, but He will show up. Trust God and always put Him first, and He will work things into your life you never thought possible.

Anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!

When we decide to put our faith in Jesus and confess Him as Lord, we are, at that moment, recreated in our Spirit.

Although we are still convicts on the outside according to the world around us, we are a completely new creation on the inside! Since we can’t visually see our spiritual being, we have to slowly learn about who we are now by looking into the only mirror that can show us who we truly are in the spirit- the Word of God. It can be difficult, in prison, to get a revelation of who we really are because everything we see reminds us of the mistakes we made to be locked up- our old identity. But what we have done is not who we are. We are a new creation!

Sometimes, this can be a difficult for others to see or to believe, upon our release back into Society. We may be labeled as felons or convicts. That’s why it’s so important for us to get a revelation of who we are now according to the Spirit.  We have been made new and are continually being transformed into the image of Christ as we continue to let the word of God shape us while we fellowship with Christ.

Our faith is in God that He is able to finish what he began in us. So there’s more than meets the eye! Your true identity is found in your spirit and you must continually seek to discover what  He’s placed in you . 2 Corinthians 5:16, 17 (NLT) says, “some have stopped evaluating others from a human point of view. How differently we know Him Now!

This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone, a new life has begun.” Don’t fall victim to an identity crisis, Know who you are-a new creation!

Prayer: Lord, I thank you that I am a new creation today in Christ Jesus and that I’m not who I used to be. Jesus,

show me what you have placed in my inner-man and help me to come to an awareness of who I truly am in You! Amen.

In-Justice

When you hear the word injustice, what comes to mind? Maybe, it is one of two words: wrong or unfair. And to be honest that would be the correct view… Injustice applies to any act that involves unfairness to another or violation of one’s rights. It is unfair when an employee is mistreated at work, or when a child is being robbed of their youth. Injustice even shows up when a person is denied or withheld the right to change. You may be wondering why I put a dash between in-justice. The answer is this: as you learn to walk in justice you begin to bridge the gap between those who have been hurt and those who want to help the hurting. It has been said that hurt people, hurt people. But we have a choice to break that way of thinking if we choose to do so. I am currently speaking as an inmate in the “Department of Corrections: more like the “Department of Corruption”. Those who are in leadership positions need to be led in order to know how to lead. Prison is not supposed to be a place that they stack bodies, and call it being corrected: That is actually inhumane. We are supposed to be taught discipline and values of good citizenship. It is unfair to the taxpayer whose taxes are used to fund the housing of inmates. Being wasted, but also to the inmates who are being denied the help that they need. There is a fact of equality that everyone seems to forget about: everyone has a voice, and that fact needs to be recognized. When I came to prison I lost some rights, no doubt; bit I did not lose the right to become a better person or the right help others become better themselves… If we, as humanity, do not get on the same page a lot of people will suffer due to poor leadership. I have a question for you. Do you want to see the world and the people in it change? Then become a better person yourself. We need to stop being a part of the problem and become a solution to the problem.  Freedom is a state of mind. I am only bringing awareness that we all need change in our lives. If we really want to see change. The Department of Corrections creed is “We change lives”, The question is are they being changed for the better or the worse?

A LEADER MUST GIVE UP IN ORDER TO GO UP. ARE YOU GOING TO BE THAT LEADER?

WHAT MEN GO GHROUGH

I want you to think about what you have gone through as a man. Maybe it is abandonment, fear or some other feeling or emotion that you have picked up along the way. However, that is not the real you. Please, do not let the separation from your family be the cause of you becoming a product of your environment. Rise above the label and chains that have been placed on you and live free. Choosing to be different is your choice and it’s one that we all need to consider. Your experience has made you stronger.

Respect

The word respect is often used, but very rarely honored. What do I mean you may ask? The society we live in says, “Respect me and my wishes”, however, many times respect seems to be only a one way street.

That understanding, clearly, goes against the order in which we were created to follow. Becoming a person others want to respect brings the understanding that respect is earned and given. If you want others to respect you, then become a respectable person. I would like to ask a question, who should be respected more, the person who goes to work 8-5 every day, or the inmate who dedicates his time rehabilitating his life every day?

What if I told you that they both had struggles in life, would your view change? The problem is we want change, but we do not want to be part of that change. That is selfish and unfruitful. Remember if you’re not part of the solution, then you’re possibly part of the problem.

When a community comes together, they get stronger. When a Nation comes together, they become wiser. As John C. Maxwell says: “people naturally follow leaders stronger then themselves.” To lead requires a certain level of respect.

You will not get very far demanding something that you, yourself refuse to give. For once listen to the screams for justice… they are in the streets. They’re in the Governmental offices. They are even in the prison system. If you listen to the whispers, you will not have to listen to the screams. You do not have to remain silent, but if you choose to, then God will use somebody else.

THERE ARE NO SHORTCUTS TO ANY PLACE WORTH GOING… BEVERLY SILLS

RISE UP…NOW IS THE TIME THAT WE AS A COMMUNITY NEED TO COME TOGETHER AND BE THE PERSON THAT WE ARE CREATED TO BE. WHEN YOU STAND IN SILENCE, YOU ARE NOT USING YOUR VOICE THAT COULD HELP CHANGE THE WORLD. ONE PERSON AT A TIME, ONE MOMENT AT A TIME, RIGHT? YOU KNOW WHAT IS BETTER THAN A VOICE? A BODY DEDICATED TO ACTION. YOU HAVE A CHOICE THAT NEEDS TO BE MADE, EITHER HELP CREATE CHANGE, OR GET OUT OF THE WAY AND LET OTHERS CREATE CHANGE. TO STAND BY AND WATCH WITHOUT DOING ANYTHING IS TOTALLY WRONG. BE A CHANGE AGENT TODAY.

The Tree of Knowledge of good and Evil.  

All scripture taken from New King James Version. 

The Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. The tree. Whose fruit ruined humanity. The tree that scholars have been studying for thousands of years. What is this tree, and why is it so important? 

Genesis 2:9. States “And out of the ground the Lord God made every tree grow that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

In the midst of the Garden of Eden, God’s paradise for humanity, set two trees. No one knows what they looked like or how tall they were, but we do know the purpose they served and that one was special. 

 Genesis 2: 16. And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat” 17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die 

That tree was restricted because eating of it would bring about death. It was the most important first and only command God gives before the fall. This order brought the possibility of sin into God’s creation. 

It wasn’t the tree itself that had held any power. It was what God said about the tree that changed its nature entirely.

God had a knowledge of sin. He knew what sin was. How could he judge sin without knowing what it is? How could he make a sinless world if he didn’t know the definition of sin? 

This does not mean. God is sinful. 1John 1:5 (NKJV). Clearly claims This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. 

How can a holy and absolutely sinless God have knowledge of sin? I must admit that I have no idea. I personally don’t think the human conscience can begin to comprehend the mind of an omniscient being like our God. The finite is simply unable to understand the infinite. 

 I want to make a distinction between the tree of life and the tree of knowledge of good and evil. Genesis 3:22 says Then the Lord God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of Us, to know good and evil. And now, lest he put out his hand and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever”—

Two trees in the midst of the garden, one which eating of it brought life: Eternal life. The other sin and death. The choice was there for Adam and Eve to make. When God created a being outside of himself with the ability to make its own choices. The possibility of sin immediately entered in.

This tree represented that possibility. It was like the Pandora’s box of the Bible. It was the doorway into an utterly different world. The rise and fall of humankind were based singly on their decision concerning this tree.

What made the tree that way? Was it created like that? No. Before God banned us of eating from that tree it was just an ordinary tree, the Bible says it was even good for food in Genesis 3:6.

In fact, let’s go over that verse because it reveals some very interesting aspects about this tree. Genesis 3:6 reads “So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eye, and a tree desirable to make one wise. “let’s stop right there. Three aspects of the tree are named here. Let’s take a look at the first one. It was good for food. What does that mean? How could one know that something is good for food without eating it first? The Hebrew word for God, [H3978] ma’ăḵāl can also mean fruit[i]. Therefore, this could simply mean that she saw it bear fruit. Eve had eaten plenty of fruit before and the presence of fruit in the tree would have meant to her that it was good for food.

Next it was pleasant to the eyes. This was a beautiful tree. it looked amazing. Its leaves were a healthy green and its fruit was plump and ripe. I like to think of it as a tall, majestic tree with delicious looking fruit dotting it. When Eve beheld it, it enticed her.

Lastly, it was desirable to make one wise. I believe this was just a presupposition of Eve. Like I said earlier, the tree had no power. Eve simply assumed because of Satan’s lie that the tree would make her wise. If Eve had known what would happen after she ate of that tree, I believe she never would have done it

In the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil were murder, rape, war, hatred, jealousy, and strife. Sin and separation from God were held in this Pandora’s box and Eves one decision unleashed it upon the world

This tree symbolized something that is still prevalent in the lives of every believer today. A decision against God is an enticing object which is luring us away from our Lord. I’m sure you have one in your life, so do I. We all have one.

It may be a beautiful lady who lives next door to you. It might be your friend’s new phone or the cigarette in your momma’s purse.

They are pleasant to our eyes, desirable, enticing but we must remember that they are forbidden.

Watch out for this tree. Every day you encounter it. It stands before you in all its splendor and the enemy whispers in your ear to take partake of its fruit. Do not listen to him, remember what God has said and steer clear. The fruit may seem great but will only bring death.

[i] Outline of Biblical Usage: food, fruit, meat

The Acid Test

As in most theories, mathematics is the acid test. Every theory to which mathematics can be applied will be proved or disproved by this acid test.

Mathematics does not lie even at the demand of liars pushing evolution….

What are the odds….