September 2022 Newsletter

You may know that my lovely wife, Marilyn is the president and founder of Have A Heart For Companion Animals, Inc. It is a not for profit “Information & Referral” charitable organization. It’s been in existence for over 12-years and has help more than 120,000 visitors over those years. A new website has been constructed that will better reflect the mission and goals of this organization. You are invited to drop by and check us out at www.haveaheartusa.org.

Johnny Mello & His Sultry Lady

Most of you know that Marilyn & I started a doo wop, country and rock n roll show as a fundraiser for Have A Heart. We produced over 60 shows since 2005 and performed in front of more than 15,000 paid ticket holders. We were still going strong until Covid-19 hit. I spent 23-days in the hospital and 18 of those days were in ICU. That was two years ago and I still do not have the strength to do another show…so, we decided to create an opportunity to keep singing. We are now promoting The Johnny Mello & His Sultry Lady Road Show. We will be available for private partied, fundraisers, dances, birthday partied and more. We will join our sound man and perform around town as we are invited. It’s all about 50 & 60 style Doo Wop, Country & Rock N Roll.

Special Book Offer

My first book was a children’s book, called “Rhyme Time.” I published it in 1995. I was cleaning my garage and found a box of books and would like to offer them as a clearance rate. If you are interested, the cost is only $5 per book and $2.25 s/h. To order, call me at 352-687-1776. The book has over 60 original story poems that I wrote for my kids more than 50 years ago.

Morning Reign & My Collie Girls & Me

I just published a new book called, “Morning Reign.” It is all about Christian Poetry. There are over 60 poems that were penned over the last 30 years. It can be a great resource for daily devotions and inspiration. Those that buy the book can download a free file of 25 of the poems that appear in the book. They are set to music and read by a professional reader.

Marilyn just published her 3^rd book, “My Collie Girls & Me.” It is a picture book of her collie girls and how they helped her over the years. It is full of faith, puppy-love and God’s blessings. It is a great read.

You can view and buy the books at Barnes & Noble in The Villages. You will find it in the local author’s section close to where you check out. We also have two children’s books, “Mister Tugboat” and “An Elephant Names Clyde” in that same section.

Mid Term Elections

Just a reminder to be sure you are aware of the issues and consequences of the November elections. A lot is a stake. Our country needs your vote to bring back good government. We need to get rid of the misguided Whitehouse administration and elect those who will make America great again. If you are not registered to vote, please do so right away. Your voice is needed now in these critical days. It is important.

Life Questions

 If you have questions about life situations and wan t to know what the Bible says, drop me a line and tell me what’s on your mind. I will research the matter and send you a private eMail with what the Bible says or does not say about the matter. Marinellij329@gmail.com

Free Coloring Book

As you look over our website, be sure to check out our free Coloring book. It is designed for kids. I wrote the poems over 50 years ago and a friend illustrated them in 2005. You can download the book, print all or some of the pages and color with your kids or grandkids.

September Blog

I’ll be sending the September Blog out in a few days. It’s all about missed opportunities and the Bible. I call it, “Missing The Mark” Look for it soon.

Request To Forward

 If you feel this newsletter is a blessing and might be good for someone else you know, please forward it to them with a note to send me an email with their name and email. Remember, it’s free of charge.

Bibles Question

I received a question and a request to answer it from a man that was not familiar with Bible text. He said to put my answer in my next newsletter… so here we go.

Question: What was the forbidden fruit that Adam & Eve ate? The Bible text comes from Genesis, chapter three. I thought it important to show all the text so we can get a clear picture of what happened.

Genesis, 3:1-24

“ 3 Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? ² And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: ³ But of the fruit of the tree, which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. ⁴ And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: ⁵ For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. ⁶ And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat. ⁷ And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves aprons. ⁸ And they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God amongst the trees of the garden.

 ⁹ And the Lord God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou? ¹⁰ And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself. ¹¹ And he said, Who told thee that thou wast naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat? ¹² And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat. ¹³ And the Lord God said unto the woman, What is this that thou hast done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat.

¹⁴ And the Lord God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life: ¹⁵ And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel. ¹⁶ Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee.

¹⁷ And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; ¹⁸ Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field; ¹⁹ In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return. ²⁰ And Adam called his wife’s name Eve; because she was the mother of all living. ²¹ Unto Adam also and to his wife did the Lord God make coats of skins, and clothed them.

²² And the Lord God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever: ²³ Therefore the Lord God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken. ²⁴ So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.”

What does this text say about the forbidden fruit? Nothing, except that whatever type of fruit it was, It was deadly. It looked good to eat and desirable, plus, according to the serpent, it would make them wise, knowing good and evil. Early Christian writings suggest that the fruit was an apple or even a pomegranate because both were in the region as long as anyone can remember. However, no one really knows.

The tree that stood in the middle of the Garden of Eden is thought to be a fig tree but again that is just speculation.

Here’s what is important to know from this story.

1. Adam & Eve were kicked out of God’s Garden because of disobedience.
2. God di not want man to know or even experience evil, why? Because evil was not God’s character. It was the character of Satan and as light and darkness cannot exist in the same space, so it would be with God and man. They would lose their holy wholesome relationship and man’s personality would become distorted and abusive.
3. Eve was the first one to eat of the forbidden fruit (Verse #6) However, she was not alone in her sin. Verse six also says that she gave the forbidden fruit to her husband that was with her and he also ate. They were equally guilty even though Eve ate it first.
4. Adam & Eve became naked and had to cover themselves. It is believed that their clothing prior to eating of the forbidden fruit was the glory of God. They did not need physical coverings.
5. Man’s environment was altered drastically. It was not a plush garden anymore but rather a cursed ground full of thorns and thistles.
6. Women will now have to endure pain in childbirth.
7. Man’s daily routine was also changed. He now had to work for a living and grow his own food and make his own way.
8. Man became like God in only one respect…knowing good and evil. In every other way, he was deficient.
9. Man died spiritually because of his sin. The “Breath of Life” that was paced into him, that made him alive, was taken away. He because a walking dead man, separated from continual fellowship with his creator.
10. Both Adam & Eve believed the lie of Satan that they would be like God. He played on their lack of knowledge using a half-truth to deceive them. They were already like God in image and likeness. (See Genesis 1:26)
11. Man’s DNA changed and the new character of evil passed on to Adam’s descendants causing all to sin. Listen to Romans chapter five.

“Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:¹³ (For until the law sin was in the world: but sin is not imputed when there is no law.¹⁴ Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam’s transgression, who is the figure of him that was to come.” Romans 5:12-14

We are counted among those that death reigns over. That is why Jesus is so important. He died in our place and paid our debt because of sin. He also lived in our stead, the perfect life that Adam was supposed to live but didn’t. Jesus is the only one that can save us from eternal death and hell.

Well, there you have it

Until next time

John Marinelli

Author & Poet