THE RASPBERRY ANOINTING

Most of the time I use and study from the New American Standard Version of the Bible. I think this is because it is the same version that Jesus carried when he was out and about doing his preaching and ministry. Though I consult various versions, this is my chosen one. The one I have used for several years has notes, underlines, word studies and all kinds of things written in the margins. I know where stuff is in it and can usually find them easily.

Not too long ago I had a flight from a meeting in Texas. Well, I was glad to be in Texas because of a super market chain that carries a particular jam that we like and on such trips I try to stock up and bring back our favorites of apricot, blackberry, raspberry, grape and peach. So, I had about ten jars. I carefully thought this through and decided to wrap them tightly in the contents of my suitcase. For the first (and last) time I can ever remember, I also put my New American Standard Bible in the suitcase as well. Sure enough, in the tender care of the luggage handlers, a jar of the raspberry jam broke inside my suitcase. It happened to be right next to my Bible. The nice red jam spilled all over and inside my Bible.

The pages were stuck together something terrible. I would turn to John and have a gob of pages stuck together all the way to Galatians. It was stuck from Deuteronomy to 1 Kings… and various places in between. I gathered up a razor blade, pocketknife, scissors, screwdriver, crescent wrench, pipe wrench, pliers and tweezers and started trying to get them unstuck. What a mess, what a job.

I tried to look at it as a prophetic moment… the red representing the blood, or jam…the plight of Paul on so many occasions, but decided it was just sticky, nasty jam… and nothing spiritual about it. Now I just simply have a Raspberry Anointing on many of the pages. Yes, I still use it and occasionally need to get pages pried apart as I go along.

“Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.” Jesus