We stepped through the ancient door and were met with the unmistakable smell of the past. As we examined the coins from another century, gazed at the array of clothing from another era, and imagined the hands that wielded the impressive swords, we were sent through time in the presence of the well preserved antiques in the shop.
As my kids and I walked around the dolls and tools, my daughter kept reminding me that the dust was making her nose itch. Well, I guess that comes with old stuff.
Our local drugstore has historical photos of our town hanging all around the store. I recently found myself staring down mainstreet when it was still made of mud. In my mind, I stood next to that person in the photo who was walking with muddy shoes along a narrow cemented crosswalk across the muddy street. I sat in the open-air seat of the car with its skinny wheels squishing through the street and bumping over the crosswalks.
When I got back into my vehicle, I realized the mind-blowing luxury of modern cars and paved roads.
In spite of the lack of modern conveniences, wouldn’t you like to travel back in time to see an airplane fly for the first time or to meet the brave men and women who founded our great country? What are the things we’d ask them if we could be in their shoes?
If “those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it,” we’d better be asking them some good questions.
Books that are well written, either historical fiction or biography, can really take you places at any time. With the right mindset of experiential reading, you can really “be” in any story. Even when reading the Bible, it is very beneficial to imagine yourself in the story to better understand what’s happening. Imagine being in a boat in the Mediterranean Sea as a storm comes upon you. The wood is rough and wet under your hands as you clutch the side to avoid being swept into the sea. The wind and waves are loud in your ears as the water blows in your face. You’re soaked and scared as you are thrown up and down on the waves. There’s yelling all around you when you see Jesus, your leader and teacher, stand and talk to the storm (as if water and wind can be ordered around)! Then you hear him, he says, “Peace! Be still!” To your amazement, the storm obeyed his voice! As you fall to your knees in awe, saying, “who is this, that even the wind and waves obey him?!” you realize, the voice of this same person was the same voice that spoke this very water into existence! It’s the same voice that says, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. We must remember to listen to that voice!
I’ve always loved to read. Even as a toddler, I remember crowding onto my parents bed to hear the next chapter of the book my mom was reading.
Now it’s my turn as my 2-year-old daughter begs me, every night, to “read the baby book!”
Soon, she will have the book memorized. How much of the past do WE have memorized? If “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it,” I suggest we get well acquainted with the past.
If you’d like to live through an experience of great consequence from the past as though you had traveled back in time, read the book called “A Higher Call” by Adam Makos. It’s the astounding true story of an American pilot meeting with a German enemy pilot in the air over hostile territory. Or the page turner called “Unbroken.” A true story written down by Laura Hillenbrand of Louie Zamperini whose plane went down and he survived the ocean and lived through a POW camp. Both are breathtaking stories!
Both books speak of a time of heroism when your country was something to be proud of and the Godly values of the “Land of the Free” stood in stark contrast to the horrible realities of emperors and dictators with so-called “equity” of a socialist type of control. These are stories to be read and remembered lest we be at risk of repeating them.
Meet your farmer – Jonathan Gerdes. He and his wife run a farm-to-table raw milk dairy and farm airbnb in Caledonia, Minn. If he isn’t in the barn, you can find him dating his wife, playing with his kids, leading youth group, or flying in the sky. Visit gerdesfreshfarm.com for more info.
Apple Pumpkin Gingerbread Muffins
1/4 c. unsalted butter, softened
1/2 c. granulated sugar
1/2 c. light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2/3 c. pumpkin puree
1/3 c. plain yogurt
2 Tbsp. molasses
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. allspice
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. ginger
1/4 tsp. cloves
2 c. all-purpose flour
2 to 2 1/2 c. apples, peeled and chopped
Additional sugar for topping
Preheat oven to 350°F. Prepare two regular muffin pans with 17 liners total.
In a large bowl or stand mixer, cream together butter with sugars. Add in wet ingredients, mixing until just combined. Mix in spices, salt, baking powder and baking soda. With mixer running on low, slowly add in flour. When batter is streak free, mix in apple chunks by hand.
Using a large cookie scoop, add 1 heaping scoop to each liner. Sprinkle generously with granulated sugar.
Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a cake tester inserted comes out with only a few moist crumbs.
Cool in pan for 1 minute. Remove to a wire rack to cool completely. Store uncovered.
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