Invading Forces of Destruction

      I know you’ve seen it on TV, the fellows in a fishing boat motoring up a river and the fish literally jumping into the boat. We laugh at the scene and can only imagine what it would be like to experience the phenomena. Unfortunately, when the truth is known, one is witnessing the near future of an ecological disaster in the making. The fish is an Asian Carp imported by catfish farmers in the 90’s to help control pests in their breading tanks. Like the fire ant, the West Nile mosquito and our newest threat, the Giant African Land Snail, the Asian Carp escaped from its users intended controlled situation, and has been breading in the Mississippi River for nearly twenty years now. The out of control species is currently threatening the Great Lakes Region and its size alone has the potential to destroy fresh water commercial and sport fishing throughout the Northeast. Farm fresh catfish may be the only “catch-of-the-day” available in the future. Major League Baseball may have to take a step backwards in the future. A beetle accidentally imported from Asia in cargo that suspect arrived in Michigan around the turn of the century, dubbed the “Emerald Ash Borer” is killing millions of ash trees in the north-central states. Many MLB players have moved from Maple wood bats to Ash, the Louisville Slugger, (about 48%), but in the future may have to migrate back. Perhaps we might hear the ever increasing “ping” sound of the aluminum bat in the pro ranks some day. The makers of the Louisville Slugger are owners of ash tree forests where they harvest on average 40,000 trees a season to make the popular baseball bat. So far their forests have not been invaded, but the fear is it’s only a matter of time before the ash tree follows the way of the Dutch Elm and the only rendering a generation or two from now will know will be in pictures along with the dinosaur, the soda-jerk, fender-skirts, fins, big hair and poodle-skirts. I’m teary-eyed.


      Did you hear about the man who professed to be a walking economic disaster? When asked what he meant by that he replied, “Well, my hairline is in recession; my stomach is a victim of inflation; and the combination of these factors is putting me in deep depression. Then there was the visiting preacher who conducted a Gospel meeting in an economically depressed area. On the last night of the meeting his hat was passed for donations. When it returned to the preacher, it was empty. He didn’t flinch. He raised the hat to heaven and said, “I thank you Lord, that at least I got my hat back.”

      [2 Peter 2: 20-24] The tree is referenced in the Bible over three hundred times. The tree has played a significant roll in God’s plan of salvation. The tree in the Garden of Eden, the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, posed no problem in itself. Adam and Eve were told not to eat the fruit of it and everything would be fine. We know they disobeyed God’s command and sin invaded the world with corruption and destruction to this very day (Genesis 3).The tree, upon which our Lord and Savior hung and died, has brought salvation to man because of total obedience. Jesus gave his innocent life as the sacrifice for the sins of the world and through baptism into His death, burial and resurrection, the believer has forgiveness of their sins. The love of Jesus invaded and completely changed the world. One day everything physical will be destroyed, but the tree of life awaits the obedient believer in our heavenly abode, nevermore to be invaded or corrupted and destroyed. We who are saved will eat of it, with God, forever.