A Different Kind of Tree

By Haven Mankin

This is a book about MY growth story, my changing story, from selfish sinner to a child of God. It is a spiritual growth journey, roots seeking nourishment from the surrounding ground of lifewill you grow straight or grow crooked? To what are you connected to gain nourishment? Will you produce good fruit? Everyone is on this journey. Find your way to the good life, a life of Living Water (John 4:10). This book is your pathway through lifes obstacles, the deadness of dry soil and the burdens of life as we all search for meaning. Follow meyou too can come to know Christ, who has already given you a precious gift you cannot buy nor work for nor deserve, if you will receive Jesus in your heart. Only the peace of God that passes all understanding can remove your obstacles; this is done by changing your heart and your mind in Christ (Philippians 4:7). The more you fight against Jesus, reject God and worship at the altar of the stuff god, the more you desire and strive for what the world is selling. It is a dead ended killer. You will not have peace! You will have more obstacles in your path, your roots will be in rocky ground. Learn a different way to grow; turn to your only Savior - Jesus Christ and become

A Different Kind of Tree

Architect - Adult Bible Teacher -
Christian Lay Leader Author
Wood Craftsman

Haven D. Mankin

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Jan 17, 2014
• ISBN: 9781491833155

Haven Mankin

My theological background incorporates an upbringing in the Episcopal Church, study with Catholic Franciscan Monks, and over 35 years of serving in the Christian Church Disciples of Christ, which has involved preaching, over 30 years of weekly adult Bible teaching, and leadership roles on the Board of Elders and the Regional Church Board. Along with my life as a follower of the Lord Jesus Christ, I am a stone mason, cabinetmaker, and exotic hardwoods craftsman. I am also an architect with 35 years of experience, and as such an observer and thinker. I understand how things cohere and the very nature of design, composition, strength, structure, and systems. As such, I have a deep comprehension of aesthetics, physics, and mathematics, and an appreciation for biology, chemistry, hydrology, sociology, and psychology. I have three university degrees and am self-taught in particle physics and cosmology. I have taught college level classes on creativity and the environment, as well as lectured at the college level on architecture, creativity and construction. Along the way of my spiritual walk, I have written scholarly articles on “The Trinity” and “The Elements of Holy Communion”. I have also written an E-book entitled “11:11, the Importance of Putting Jesus Christ First in Your Life”. These documents are all available for free download at Muskrat Books. My first book published by Muskrat Books in 2010 is titled, “I Am, the Great Creator God”. A 20 year long project from 1990 to 2010 that answers many of the great questions of the ages, this meaningful and thoughtprovoking book teaches how to have the eyes to see…really see, who God really is. This book is also available at Muskrat Books; check it out at www.muskratbooks.com. May God bless you and grant you peace! Haven Dawson Mankin, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA

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© 2014 Haven Mankin. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

Published by AuthorHouse 01/08/2014

ISBN: 978-1-4918-3316-2 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4918-3314-8 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-4918-3315-5 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2013920263

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Thank you to Dreamstime.com for the chapter tree photographs.

Table of Contents

About the Author

Book Dedication

Book Structure

Introduction

Prologue for Section 1: You are the Tree

Section 1: You Are the Tree

Part A: Where are You Currently Growing?

Chapter 1   In Rocky Ground?

Chapter 2   In Regular Ground?

Chapter 3   In Fertile Ground?

Part B: What Nourishment Are You Currently Getting?

Chapter 4   Rainforest?

Chapter 5   Desert?

Part C: What are You Providing Your Environment?

Chapter 6   Shelter and Shade?

Chapter 7   Usable Wood or Trash?

Chapter 8   Fruit or Thorns?

Prologue for Section 2: You Are Only the Branch

Section 2: You Are Only the Branch

Part D: What Trunk Are You Connected To?

Chapter 9   The Satan Trunk?

Chapter 10   The Jesus Trunk?

Part E: Which Way Are You Growing?

Chapter 11   Stretched With Little Support?

Chapter 12   Obstructed by Obstructions?

Chapter 13   Searching for Light?

Chapter 14   Sharing Space With Other Branches?

Chapter 15   Developing Good Symmetry?

Epilogue:   Obstructions

About the Author:

My theological background incorporates an upbringing in the Episcopal Church, study with Catholic Franciscan Monks, and over 40 years of service in Christ involving the Christian Church Disciples of Christ, which has involved preaching, over 35 years of weekly adult Bible teaching, and leadership roles on the Board of Elders and the Regional Church Board.

Along with my life as a follower of the LORD Jesus Christ, I am a stone mason, cabinetmaker, and exotic hardwoods craftsman. I am also an architect with 39 years of experience, and as such, an observer and thinker. I understand how things cohere and the very nature of design, composition, strength, structure, and systems. I have a deep comprehension of aesthetics, physics, and mathematics, and an appreciation for biology, chemistry, hydrology, sociology, and psychology. I have three university degrees and am self-taught in particle physics and cosmology. I have taught college level classes on creativity and the environment, as well as lectured at the college level on architecture, creativity and construction.

Along the way of my spiritual walk, I have written scholarly articles entitled The Trinity and The Elements of Holy Communion. I have also written an E-book entitled "11:11, the Importance of Putting Jesus Christ First in Your Life." These documents are all available for free download at Muskrat Books. My first book published by Muskrat Books in 2010 is titled, "I Am, the Great Creator God." A 20 year long project from 1990 to 2010 that answers many of the great questions of the ages, this meaningful and thought-provoking book teaches how to have the eyes to see… really see, who God really is. This book is also available at Muskrat Books; check it out at www.muskratbooks.com.

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Haven Dawson Mankin, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA

May God bless you and grant you peace!

Book Dedication:

I would like to dedicate this book to my wonderful wife, Candy, who helped me to become a better person. The fruit I bear is due to seven wonderful people; Candy and I started five of those seven. First and foremost, Jesus Christ has been with me through the good and the bad. He strengthened me when I didn’t deserve it and by His grace, I am a better person. This change in character has allowed me to become a better husband, which also required the forgiveness and understanding from my wife, whom I have loved from my high school days when I was too afraid to ask her out for a date. Candy, and the Good LORD, have blessed me with two unbelievable daughters, Tracy and Holly; what a joy they have been and continue to be. My daughters and the Good LORD, have blessed me with three wonderful grandsons, Brock, Jake and Zack (who is pictured twice, at the section title pages herein).

If you are counting, that is seven wonderful people! We all grow over time; so I decided to use the tree and the tree limb as metaphors in this book. Some trees grow fast and some grow slowly; some produce good fruit and some produce thorns. Limbs will not grow healthy nor grow at all if not connected to the right trunk. Each chapter in this book begins with a portion of my life. Once born and on my own, to make my own decisions, some good and some bad, I owe my outcome as a healthy tree to Jesus Christ and Candy, and so I humbly dedicate this book to The Magnificent Seven.

. . . and a Thank You:

Furthermore, I wish to thank two wonderful women who labored long hours over draft copies of this book to edit and proof read, Leslie Smith and Billie Rodely. Their contribution to these pages was immense. Thank you so very much; I love you both!

Book Structure:

This book is about life. It is a book about how and where you get nourishment; a book about where you have planted your roots and what fruit you bear. Everybody bears fruit; the only question is: Is your fruit good or bad? Is what you do of a positive impact on others or is it of a negative impact? This book is about growing in the LORD, if you love the world and it’s evil lust, you are not in the LORD (1 John 2:15-17); it is about the decisions you make in life. Each chapter starts out with a portion of my true life story because this book is also about the journey—my journey through the bad, the ugly and the good. It is about my journey out of darkness toward Christianity and becoming a true child of God.

But everybody is on a journey as well; we’re just traveling at different levels and different speeds. We all start our journeys as sinners in darkness; the question then becomes what you do about it. Will you love the darkness or will you search for the light? Often it is difficult to gain perspective on where you stand and so reference points can be gleaned by seeing others in action. Therefore, each chapter in this book will contain, in the second half of each chapter, real examples and some current events of what that particular chapter is about. I hope that by showing examples within our culture, that perspective can be revealed for each reader to see how society is impacted by all of our actions (good or bad) and how it is reflected by the morals (or lack thereof) of individuals around us. The fact is, we all fall short and we are all sinners with room to grow, as you will see within my own personal story. Boy, have I made mistakes! There is a way out of the abyss; it was prepared for you and I long ago by an innocent man hung on a tree for what we did.

If we don’t look around us, what benchmark would we use to view our own standing? I will use solid examples; it is my hope that regardless of your politics, you will see my point. I pray you might see yourself within these present day examples, or possibly within my own personal story, and that you might be able to make changes for the better because of these examples. I think it is easier to see yourself in the actions of another person or group, than it is to actually step outside and try to look back at yourself.

Of course, there will be some who will criticize me for being judgmental by my position on the cultural examples. That is exactly part of our problem today, people are afraid to take a position believing that all things are relative, so there can’t be a right or wrong absolute. This will ultimately kill us! There are indeed absolutes; stand up for them. This is what real growth is all about. Make a judgment about yourself. Where are you today? Is there room for improvement? Do you want to improve? Are you self-destructive? Without personal reflection you won’t grow. One way to reflect on yourself is to view what others are doing and make a comparison, good or bad. I’m not like that… am I? I don’t treat others that way. It is a kind of barometer. Sprinkled throughout each chapter are Bible references in order to stay orthodox and Bible centered. The Bible is foundational; without it, you can’t stand for long. What does it mean to be a Christian? What does it mean to be in this world but not of this world? What does it mean to be a new creation in Christ? How does belief in Jesus help me now? What is my witness, do I have one? Answers and examples to these questions will be revealed herein.

Our lives are never perfect; marriages are never perfect. I beg you. Stop looking for perfection! Building your life and building your marriage takes a lot of work. Your selfishness will kill your growth if you let it; you’ve got to overcome it. My life is a testimony to this fact as you will see. Once you start to grow, a smart tree will realize and acknowledge where its good nourishment comes from. Just as a tree searches for light and water, you must strive for nourishment. The first and most important place to begin is to open the door to Jesus Christ, your LORD and Savior who already stands knocking at your door. Sink your roots here first. Give Christ the preeminence in your life and you will be a better person, a better child to your parents, a better spouse, a better parent, a better grandparent, a better friend, and most of all… you will have peace!

The Bible has much to say about a future judgment, a judgment by God to separate the sheep from the goats, the righteous from the evil. Matthew 13:47-50 (ESV) has Jesus telling His disciples:

Again, the Kingdom of heaven is like a net that was thrown into the sea and gathered fish of every kind. When it was full, men drew it ashore and sat down and sorted the good into containers but threw away the bad. So it will be at the close of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place, there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Many contend that the 66 books in the Bible are simply letters and literature written by men thousands of years ago and thus it is foolishness and has no value to modern man (1 Corinthians 1:18). I have a better question. How can you possibly doubt text that has withstood in-depth scholarly scrutiny for thousands of years? No other text can make such a claim. Augmented by physical facts borne out of actual archeological digs; and the fact that hundreds of actual eyewitnesses to the events in the Bible stood up for those events against dreadful persecution and ultimately did die defending those truths, no other Truth can say the same. People can be misled, but they will not die for a known lie. The evidence of the existence of God is all around us (Romans 1:18-23); why then would so many firmly doubt His Word? I know and believe that the Bible is the inerrant Word of God, the Logos! The Word became flesh in the Incarnation, the physical birth, of the pre-existent Jesus Christ, by whom all things in the universe were made.

In this book, I will quote Bible verse from one of three excellent translations. Most will be the English Standard Version (ESV), but the New International Version (NIV) and the Contemporary English Version (CEV) may also used.

Many people like to think there will be no heavenly judgment, but the Bible is very clear on the subject. Used 163 times in the Bible, the word judgment should not be feared by those who know Christ, for Jesus said:

Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life. (John 5:24 ESV)

Many will firmly state that there is no hell or fiery furnace; it is a safe way to gloss over their lack of commitment and understanding. But, the Bible is very clear on that subject as well.

For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil. (2 Corinthians 5:10 ESV)

Many believe in the fairy tale that all go to heaven with no judgment. Now nice, comfortable and convenient your invention is. Tell that to the selfish and greedy man who died and found himself in torment in Hades; there is no crossing back to the side of comfort. The selfish man got a wake-up call too late, so he wishes to save his brothers by asking them to wake up. What about you? Will you wake up now or will it be too late for you too?

And he called out, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in anguish in this flame.’ But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that you in your lifetime received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner bad things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in anguish. And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, in order that those who would pass from here to you may not be able, and none may cross from there to us.’ And he said, ‘Then I beg you, father, to send him to my father’s house—for I have five brothers—so that he may warn them, lest they also come into this place of torment.’ (Luke 16:24-28 ESV)

There are persons who believe in two judgment chances; so if you miss Glory the first time, there is an opportunity for do-overs,—thus allowing you to wake up, say that you believe in Christ Jesus and get in the door by having the second chance. There is absolutely nothing in the Bible that even hints to such a thing. It is a hopeful selfish fabrication at best. Jesus tells a parable of the Ten Virgins waiting for the Bridegroom, Matthew 25:1-13. Five of the ten were not ready and they were locked out of the wedding feast when the Bridegroom came. There are no second chances; I invite you to turn to the LORD Jesus Christ today, don’t wait, ask Him to come into your life, repent from your sins and believe in Him!

Besides the sure thing of a coming judgment, one thing is also for sure, I am not the one to make that judgment decision. I want to make that clear because in this book I use real-life events, people and my personal situations as examples as I see them of the various kinds of nourishment (good or bad) one receives that apparently make them do what they do. I am not judging the person’s relationship to God, but I am making my own personal judgment as I believe the recorded events relate to the chapter in which the examples occur. You may disagree with me, but I know we can learn from the behavior of others. The purpose is to bring a present-day example to which we can learn by reflection.

It is easy for a person studying the Bible to view it as history and say it doesn’t relate to modern times; thus it becomes difficult to see the Biblical truths as being foundational in the everyday actions of man. I expose myself as well in these chapters; I have been on this journey my whole life. I invite you to look deeper for what is right and beneficial. I wish to bring some comparisons of my life, some current events, and weave in Bible text to make this book more relevant to those trying to understand what the real truth is, what a Christian should be, and how to grow in the Spirit of the LORD. Sure there are some quick 3-day Saul-Paul conversions, but most of us grow in the Spirit over time, that is what this book is about. Hopefully with the comparisons found within these pages, you will be able to see your own faults, as I saw mine; then do something about those faults… repent and grow… grow and be happy! Grow in the LORD and be saved!

The benefits of being a Christian have nothing to do with being free from hurt and pain, or free from rejection and slander, or free from the wants of food and shelter. Those gospel of health and wealth preachers are leading thousands in the wrong direction for the flood waters rise up on the Godly and the ungodly. Jesus said:

Everyone who comes to me and hears my words and does them, I will show you what he is like: he is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when a flood arose, the stream broke against that house and could not shake it, because it had been well built. But the one who hears and does not do them is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. When the stream broke against it, immediately it fell, and the ruin of that house was great. (Luke 6:47-49 ESV)

You see, the flood waters rose against the Godly man, but he had the faith, hope and assurance that he would survive. The other unbelieving man had the same tribulation upon him but he fell into ruin. So too will you without Jesus Christ. The main benefit of being a Christian is your personal relationship with your Savior, Jesus the Christ. It was Jesus who created you (Col. 1:15-17). Jesus loves you (no matter what you have done), and Jesus wishes to be in relationship with you. If you don’t have this relationship, then it is your own undoing, for Jesus stands at your door knocking; it is only you that will keep Him away. Those pearly gates (Rev. 21:21) are always open (Rev. 21:25). It is not Saint Peter that will keep you out of heaven. Only you will keep yourself out, for Jesus has already paid the price of your sin. Once you place your faith in your Savior, you will become a Child of God, a new creation in Christ. Your other benefits are hope, peace, a lack of worry and comfort that Jesus has prepared a place for you in Glory.

Turn toward Jesus, give up the old self, and become a new creation in Christ. That is what I did and I’ve had a very good life… not easy, but good and I know I am loved. This book tells my personal story and the reflective story drawn from our culture… the bad and the good. It is a story of growth; sometimes slow growth, sometimes painful growth but growth just the same. It shows how I grew and developed through trials and tribulations to become a new creation in Christ Jesus. Like tempering steel, change for the better requires a change in physical state. This book also shares why our culture should do the same… that is, become a collection of new individual creations, turn toward the LORD Jesus or be doomed.

As of this writing, our country, the United States of America, is on a very bad path racing toward destruction. It is just a matter of time now before we implode. Maybe Jesus will return soon. There is still time to change; that is the point for writing this book. Will you strive to become a Different Kind of Tree? At that ultimate separation, where God divides the sheep and the goats, don’t you want to hear the Creator of the universe who knows you better than you know yourself, say: Well done my good and faithful servant (Matt. 25:23); come to me and find your rest and peace.

Introduction:

The name Ecclesiastes comes from the Greek translation of the Hebrew word Qoheleth, meaning one who assembles. Isn’t that what we all do in life? We assemble. We assemble our collection of toys as we grow up. We assemble our collection of friends and acquaintances. We assemble skills in order to do something, be it good or bad skills. We assemble our toys after we are grown up. We assemble our families, and later in life we hope to assemble some well-deserved relaxation and fun in retirement. But is that all there is to life? What is, after all, the real meaning of life?

An often used phrase in Ecclesiastes is nothing makes sense; have you echoed this phrase in your own life? How sad would it be to come to the end of your life and be thinking nothing has made sense… is this all there is? Did my life account for anything? Did I make a difference? Was there a reason I was born? Did anybody notice me while I walked this planet? What is next, if anything, after my death?

Thought to have been written around the time of the exile (538 BC), Ecclesiastes was not written by King Solomon who reigned around 970 to 931 BC. Some believe that Ecclesiastes is about King Solomon. They may be right. There is some evidence that points that way, since Solomon was the only king in Jerusalem from David’s family (see Ecc. 1:1). We can read in 1 Kings that King Solomon was wiser than anyone else in the world. If that is true, what was driving the statement nothing makes sense? Was it—that with all the power, wisdom and money a person could possibly have, it left him unfulfilled? Something left him empty, there was a hole, something missing—for in his thoughts with all he had, there must be more to life, but what was it?

The first 14 verses in the Book of Ecclesiastes Chapter 7 address the best of life, and I would like to share them with you as they were published by the American Bible Society in their "The Learning Bible", a really nice accurate CEV Study Bible, by the way.

"A good reputation at the time of death

is better than loving care at the time of birth."

"It’s better to go to a funeral than to attend a feast;

funerals remind us that we all must die."

"Choose sorrow over laughter because a sad face

may hide a happy heart."

A sensible person mourns, but fools always laugh.

Harsh correction is better than the songs of a fool.

"Foolish laughter is stupid.

It sounds like thorns crackling in a fire."

"Corruption makes fools of sensible people,

and bribes can ruin you."

"Something completed is better

than something just begun;

patience is better than too much pride."

Only fools get angry quickly and hold a grudge.

It isn’t wise to ask, Why is everything worse

than it used to be?"

Having wisdom is better than an inheritance.

"Wisdom will protect you just like money;

knowledge with good sense will lead you to life."

"Think of what God has done!

If God makes something crooked,

can you make it straight?"

"When times are good, you should be cheerful;

when times are bad, think what it means.

God makes them both to keep us from knowing

what will happen next."

Written over 2,500 years ago, Ecclesiastes is as modern today as ever. Who hasn’t said the following or something like it, at one time or another in their own lives?

I have seen everything during this senseless life of mine. I have seen good citizens die for doing the right thing, and I have seen criminals live to a ripe old age. (Ecc. 7:15 CEV)

In 1983, Harold S. Kushner published his bestseller book, When Bad Things Happen to Good People, by Avon. Later, in 1997, Melvin Tinker followed with his book, Why Do Bad Things Happen to Good People? by Christian Focus. Obviously, this has been a question for all time.

I don’t know why it is such a mystery to most; it should come as no surprise. We live in a fallen world where evil reigns until Christ comes again. We learn very clearly in Matthew 7:25 that the winds of destruction and the flood waters come against all people, the righteous and the unrighteous alike. Our promise from God is only that we Christians will be able to withstand these destructive forces, not that we will escape such calamity in our earthly lives. Many a new Christian mistakenly thinks that once they accept Christ as their LORD and Savior, their lives will be trouble free from then on. One only needs to look at the Apostles to see that all had harsh lives and all but John died a martyr’s death.

In the pages of this book, we will look at what a real Christian is like. It is no secret, unfortunately, that there are many sitting in church pews that are Christians in name only. Jesus once said that many will call Him LORD and He will say I don’t know you (Matt. 7:21-23). We will study what reveals the real Christian.

Why were we created? For what purpose are we here? The answer is simply this: we were created to first glorify God and then to be in relationship with Him. Once sin entered the world by the fallen heavenly beings, God has been trying to reach out to us to bring us back into the fold. He finally sent His only begotten Son to take our sins upon Himself. One who was without sin made Himself sin to pay the price which was our debt, and show us the way back into relationship with God.

In the first section of this book, I compare our lives to that of a tree, how we develop roots for structure and seek out nourishment, the type of ground to which we set our roots and the impact that ground has on our growth. In the second section, I compare our lives to that of a tree branch. To what trunk are we connected? We find the words of Paul in Romans 6:16 CEV:

Don’t you know that you are slaves of anyone you obey? You can be slaves to sin and die, or you can be obedient slaves to God and be acceptable to Him.

Friends, you will become like the one you choose to obey. I suggest in Chapters 9 and 10 that you can connect to Satan and live in sin, or you can connect to Jesus Christ and live in righteousness… it is your choice. There are only two choices!

The Voice of the Martyrs (June 2011) report tells of Gasurama Prodhan, a 26 year old mother of three in India, who said, after her pastor husband was murdered for serving the LORD, that:

I still have fear; there is still fear there. But God is with us, so He is leading us day by day.

Her God is very real and very close, leading her not just once in awhile, but day by day. To Gasurama, each day is a blessing, and she just might not have a tomorrow. How would you live today if you were really unsure that you would even have a tomorrow? How real and close is your God? Are you in close relationship now? You can be if you seek the right nourishment and sink your roots into fertile ground. It is my hope and prayer that this book will help lead people to Jesus and that the present reality of Jesus Christ will become known to those searching for life’s meaning.

For eternity’s sake, why not become a new creation; become a Different Kind of Tree. A new creation in Jesus Christ will save your soul for all eternity, bring a bit of heaven to you right now, and help you cope day in and day out as your new foundation will allow you to avoid collapse when the pressures of life pound against you. Yes, the winds of life will come upon you; will you stand?