EARTHQUAKE!
(Recipe: Orange Tapioca Salad)

EARTHQUAKE! What do you mean an earthquake here on the East coast of all places? I was at my table having lunch when I heard this news over the radio. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. Then my husband said, “Yes, my desk at work moved and my computer was shaking” and we live in Pennsylvania!

I immediately thought of the verse in Matthew 24:7-8 where Jesus, along with his disciples, were on the Mount of Olives speaking with Jesus privately. They were asking “what sign will signal your return and the end of the world?” One comment Jesus spoke seems appropriate for today when he said, “Nation will go to war against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in many parts of the world. But all this is only the first of the birth pains, with more to come.”

We are in the beginning of those birth pains!!

Truly our world is in chaos. Could one of the reasons be because we have forsaken the God who loves us? We have taken him out of all that is good. People want to do their own thing. Things which bring pleasure to themselves – forget God. One day we know that God’s patience will cease and we will know the fury of his anger. God says in Amos 3:10 – “My people have forgotten how to do right, says the Lord.” Certainly this is true of our nation.

We need to be praying for our nation, its people, and our world to humbly come back to the God who loves them. Read through the book of Amos. We can learn some wonderful lessons from this man of faith. Amos tried to warn the people. They would not listen. Amos 7:14-16, “But Amos replied, “I’m not a professional prophet, and I was never trained to be one. I’m just a shepherd, and I take care of sycamore-fig trees. But the Lord called me away from my flock and told me, ‘Go and prophesy to my people in Israel.’ Now then, listen to this message from the Lord.” But they would not listen.

God used a humble man like Amos, untrained, uneducated, to speak to a lost nation. He can use you and me as well. God speaks these words in Amos 8:11-12, “The time is surely coming,” says the Sovereign Lord, “when I will send a famine on the land – not a famine of bread or water but of hearing the words of the Lord. People will stagger from sea to sea and wander from border to border searching for the word of the Lord, but they will not find it.”

America is experiencing a famine – of hearing the words of the Lord. But God is calling you and me who believe the Gospel message to share the Good News of hope, peace and joy. Will you do your part to turn our land from a land of spiritual famine into a land that bows down and worships the Almighty God? It might mean taking you out of your comfort zone. Truly, it was for Amos, but he remained a faithful servant. I want to be that kind of faithful servant – do you?

ORANGE TAPIOCA SALAD

3 cups water
1 package (3-oz) orange gelatin
1 package (3.4 oz) INSTANT vanilla pudding mix
1 package (3 oz.) tapioca pudding mix
1 can (15 oz) mandarin oranges, DRAINED
1 can (8 oz) crushed pineapple, DRAINED
1 carton (8 oz) frozen whipped topping, thawed

In saucepan, bring water to a boil. Whisk in gelatin and pudding mixes. Return to a boil, stirring constantly; boil for 1 minute. Remove from heat and cool completely. Fold in oranges, pineapple and shipped topping. Spoon into a serving bowl. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours. Yield 12-14 servings.