Lifestyle

There was a story I read many years ago, either in a magazine or a commentary of some kind where some people were having a Bible study on the book of Malachi and came across the verses about refining silver. I found it again at ChristianStandard.com so here is a little summary. The Bible study group called a local silversmith to learn how the refining process worked. When they were at the silversmith, he first held a piece of silver over the fire to heat it. He explained that to refine silver it must be placed in the middle of the fire where it is hottest and allow the heat to burn away all the impurities. This made the Bible study members think about how God holds his followers in “hot” spots, exactly like the Malachi verse about how God sits as a refiner and purifier of silver. They asked the silversmith if he had to sit with this piece of silver the whole time it was in the flames. The silversmith exclaimed he absolutely has to watch it the whole time because if the silver is left in the flame even a second too long, it would be damaged, and if it was not in the flame long enough, impurities would remain in it. After watching and listening, they asked how he would know the exact moment when the silver was completely refined. He said that had an easy answer: The silver is fully refined when the refiner can see their own image in it.

In the five counties Prairie Five covers, we are fortunate to have a number of people who are able to present Dementia Friends, the educational session which gives a wonderful overview of memory loss and how each of us can make a difference for those touched by this disease. When I began presenting these sessions in 2019, I realized that there was a desire and need for more information on memory loss. Upon contacting the Alzheimer’s Association to see what sort of educational options they had available, I learned there was no one from our region on their Speakers Team.

“One bad apple spoils the whole barrel.” I’ve heard that saying since I was a kid. Of course, when I was a kid, I thought it only applied to apples in a bushel basket. But I’ve learned since that it certainly applies to pears, potatoes, raspberries, strawberries, and more! Oh, and lettuce in the fridge! You really can’t leave things that are rotting next to the good stuff. In the case of apples, a spoiled apple releases ethylene gas, which speeds up the ripening process. This process is called a chain reaction that can spread to other apples.

Jesus said, “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me.” These words of Jesus often reminds me of Paul Simon’s song “Bridge Over Troubled Water.” I read that when Paul Simon wrote this song he was inspired by a line from the 1958 gospel song “Mary Don’t You Weep”. The line of inspiration was “I’ll be your bridge over deep water if you trust in my name.” In John 14, the disciples were worried. Jesus was leaving and they didn’t want to be left alone. They finally believed, they understood the gracious love of God through Jesus, he was their friend and now he was going to leave them. But Jesus comforts them and tells them not to worry, but to believe.