Onions in My Ice Cream

By D.V. Whytes

Onions in My Ice Cream - fine-sounding arguments abound within our society today. To top that off, we find that many choose to live by how they feel and leave the thinking to someone else. In an environment such as this, man’s character dwindles and he becomes less than a man.
It is the intent of Onions in My Ice Cream to show us a way to improve our spiritual health. Once we see that many situations, which, on the surface, appear to be unkind or unpleasant, are really a Trojan horse packed full of wisdom beyond our worldly reasoning. It helps us look at things from God’s divine viewpoint, enabling us to see what ultimately matters from an eternal perspective so that we can embrace our situation in a new light. Thus, in the renewal of our minds, we can identify how the world defines words such as love, truth, good and evil, compared to how the Word of God defines them. Romans 12:2 states: “Do not conform to the pattern of this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then we will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—His good, pleasing and perfect will.”
Onions in My Ice Cream is anchored by two concrete foundational scriptural truths. First, “Without faith it is impossible to please God,” Hebrews 11:6 and secondly, “Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God,” Romans 10:17.
It is our prayer that as you read and ponder this book, you will begin to see God’s sovereign purpose do good and marvelous things in our lives, even while experiencing life’s trials and sufferings.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Feb 1, 2022
• ISBN: 9781669807551

D.V. Whytes

Don was born and raised in Virginia in the Washington DC area. He received his BA degree in History at Evangel University, Springfield, Missouri, and his Master’s in Counseling at The University of Cincinnati. Don’s teaching career preceded his counseling vocation. For the past thirty-five years, he has been a general building contractor. Vicki was raised in Austin, Minnesota, and received her national ARRT license as a radiologic technologist in Rock Island, Ill. She received her BA in Health Administration from Pacific Western University. She specialized in trauma and then moved into management. Don and Vicki meet in Virginia Beach, Va. and were married in 1996. Retired, they reside in Waikiki, enjoying the view of the Pacific Ocean from their home. Both are avid travelers with a passion for Africa.

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Copyright © 2022 by DV Whytes.

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This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the

product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance

to any actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

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Rev. date: 01/31/2022

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CONTENTS

Acknowledgments

In A New Light — An Introduction

The No-Salt Gospel

Spice of Life

The Warm and Fuzzy

Too Much Candy . . .

Unveiling

In a New Light . . . and Not as Before . . .

Emerging From The Gray Zone

Following Our Own Hearts

Our Murky Sixth Sense

Simon Says

Star Gazing

King Me

Believing

In a New Light . . . and Not as Before . . .

Fountain Of Living Water

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

The Sky Is Falling

Truth or Chameleon

Truth on Trial

Truth Tested

In a New Light . . . and Not as Before . . .

Flavors Of Love

Indulgence with Passion

Symphony of Love

Vanilla, Chocolate, or Butter Pecan

Love Topped with Mercy

In a New Light . . . and Not as Before . . .

Where The Thunder Hides

Misplaced Kindness

Judgment — Seeking Justice

Confrontation — Raise Your Voice

Discipline — Spare the Rod and Spoil the Child

Endurance — Keep On Keeping On

In a New Light . . . and Not as Before . . .

The Midnight Hour

Differences

Tolerance or Indifference

Doubt — Ailing Trust

Humility — A Source of Strength

Obedience — A Movement in Love

Boundaries Are For Us

In a New Light . . . and Not as Before . . .

Shadow Of Death

Doubtfully Biased

Authentic or Fantasy

Heaven’s Side of the Fence

A Map for the Journey

In a New Light . . . and Not as Before . . .

Playing With Fire

Sometimes We Are Wrong

Without Excuse

Faith of Our Fathers

The Battle Fray

False Pipers

I Follow

Both the Old and New . . .

The Beat of a Drummer

Get Thee Behind Me

In a New Light . . .… and Not as Before . ..

Taste And See

Born a Sinner

The Wheat and Tares

Black and White

The Golden Calf

Bound with Goodness

Lake of Fire

To the Mountaintop

In a New Light . . . and Not as Before . . .

Together With Jesus

Seeds from the Enemy

Pain Response

Discernment: Eyes to See and Ears to Hear

Gifts and Fruits

The Freedom Formula

Taking Thoughts Captive

Mind Renewal

Heart Condition

In a New Light . . . and Not as Before . . .

The Prayer Connection

Heart Groans

Silence

Wait and Listen

Meditation

Praise and Song

Tongues

Fasting

Spiritual Warfare

Declare and Decree

In a New Light . . . and Not as Before . . .

The Grace Clause

Brought to My Knees

Restored, Rebuilt, and Alive

The Bridge of Forgiveness

Mercy, Not Sacrifice

In a New Light . . . and Not as Before . . .

The Divine Mystery

Hunger and Thirst

Living Bread, Living Water

In the Face of the Absurd

The Innocence of Belief

By Our Right Hand

Lost in Jesus

Awestruck

Holy Sight

Forever Eyes

In a New Light . . . and Not as Before . . .

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

A book never comes together from one person. There are

always those around, helping in one way or another.

We would like to express our sincere appreciation to Bill and Terrie

Plewes, whose help and endless support have been immeasurable.

Our great thanks to Paul Iseri from Iseridesigns.com

for creating such a beautiful cover.

IN A NEW LIGHT — AN

INTRODUCTION

Visiting a doctor on a routine basis aids in the maintenance of good health. Even our nation has its own health management, which is known as the surgeon general. The duty of this office is to advise the public on how to avoid potential health risks. One of the most common cautions issued by this department is the warning printed along the side of cigarette packages. It alerts the general public concerning the possible dangers associated with the use of tobacco. If there were an office for spiritual health and well-being, the warnings would be of quite a different nature.

Fine-sounding arguments abound within our society today. To top that off, we find that many choose to live by how they feel and leave the thinking to someone else. In an environment such as this, man’s spirit dwindles, and he becomes less than a man. It is the intent of Onions in My Ice Cream to show us a way to improve our spiritual health.

An inspirational work is an attempt, by an author, to get their readers to look at things in a new light. This is not as easy as it sounds. So many of us have already tried different methods to improve the quality of our life, and because of this, we believe we’ve already been there and done that. Therefore, with disenchanted attitudes, we consider any new advice opinionated, offensive, and full of empty words. This viewpoint leaves us more closed-minded than ever, and we continue to look at our problems from the same vantage point and handle our issues the same way as before, only to wonder why we haven’t gotten better results.

Misconceptions deceive us into making erroneous choices that lead toward greater complications and troubles. There are also situations where present-day thinking is twisted to find a way to plead offense, even though one was never intended. We intend to look at matters such as these in a new light—a divine light. Therefore, some may consider this work detrimental to present-day thought—and rightly so because it is.

Many situations that, on the surface, appear to be unkind or unpleasant are really Trojan horses packed full of wisdom beyond our worldly reasoning. It is here that we can begin to see from a divine viewpoint, enabling us to understand what ultimately matters from an eternal perspective so that we can embrace our situation in a new light. Thus, in the renewal of our minds, we can identify how the world defines love, truth, good, and evil from what the Word of God says. Romans 12:2 states, Do not conform to the pattern of this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then we will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—His good, pleasing, and perfect will.

Our circumstances are not our main problem; we are. Who we are inside determines how we look and deal with matters, and since no one is complete within themselves, we must search outside of ourselves for answers. Sadly, we follow many fine-sounding arguments from advisors who expect us to behave in the way they deem necessary without their involvement with the aftermath from their counsel. Consequently, who we choose to be our resource, guide, and help is paramount, for it determines whether we become an overcomer or fall prey to someone else’s slip-ups.

We are all familiar with the old cliché—A leopard cannot change its spots. This tells us that deep down inside, we stay the same, and our quality of life remains within the same cycle of ups and downs as before. What we need is a true spot changer, one who is interested in every moment of our life that He inspires, before and after the change. There is such a one, and His name is Jesus Christ. Together with Jesus, we can prevail and have abundant living that leads to eternal life.

When we look at things from a divine point of view, we see matters emerge in a new light that may appear unpleasant on the surface, such as discipline, endurance, suffering, judgment, chastisement, and dangers from the political correctness arena. The good news is that there are benefits from these trials in life with long-reaching consequences (Hebrews 12:10). In this divine light, the deceptions of the typical modern-day thought process will be exposed. We will read terms of extreme nature such as love, hate, death, and dying rather than the more politically correct terms of dislike, no longer with us, fallen asleep, or passing on. Words of boldness are truths that set us free rather than opportunities of offense. Passive terms only lock us up in unresolvable conditions, for passiveness stops progression.

Many even consider themselves victimized when offended, claiming the event to be crime like. However, it is our own indignation, under our breath of How dare you? that any potential for maturing or transformation slips away undetected and we lose out once more. Therefore, it is our own reasoning that tends to become an obstacle for our personal maturing. We hope that this manuscript will identify the proper work for what may be considered offensive and to support the validity of its appropriate use.

In the long run, uncomfortable or disagreeable instances actually have the potential to lead us in a closer walk with God if we will take the time to pause and listen to what the Holy Spirit is saying.

Proverbs 28:4–6 (NASB) Those who forsake the law praise the wicked, but those who keep the law strive with them. Evil men do not understand justice, but those who seek the Lord understand all things. Better is the poor who walks in his integrity than he who is crooked though he be rich.

James 4:1 (NIV) What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you?

Don’t be surprised; truth is typically uncomfortable. It often requires an admission of guilt, which most of us avoid at all costs, even if, deep inside, we know it is right. Besides, the main issue regarding man’s nature is his wants and desires. We want what we want over and above what is right. This basic and very simple truth is why we have wars and rumors of war (James 4:1).

However, these battles are not always of a military nature; they occur in all stages of life. These skirmishes affect family, relatives, friends, coworkers, and neighbors; a girl gets jealous when she thinks a boy should be her boyfriend and not someone else’s, another coworker unfairly receives the promotion we should have had, or two men are at odds because someone felt cheated in a business deal. The bottom line is we want things our way, and we are more than willing to show God the highway if we are not satisfied with events.

Much of the human race is a spoiled lot. We think we know what is best, and when God does not comply with our well-rounded wisdom, we seek retaliation. When we don’t get what we want, we try to get even with God by claiming He doesn’t exist or that He is not a loving God, and then when we do get what we want, we pat ourselves on the back and say, Good job. God can’t seem to win in either situation.

Yes, life is filled with a lot of hard moments, ones we don’t understand and those we just don’t like. We label these matters as offensive, insulting, unfair, and even unkind.

There are also many parts of the Bible that we don’t like or understand and therefore consider unfair and unkind as well. Sadly, one method we use to cope with these bits is to twist and redefine them into something we find more agreeable. This is dangerous; it has the potential to give birth to heresy that will negatively influence many. What we need to do is to listen to God’s voice of love through His Holy Spirit and understand what He is trying to say.

2 Peter 2:12 (NIV) But these people blaspheme in matters they do not understand. They are like unreasoning animals, creatures of instinct, born only to be caught and destroyed, and like animals, they too will perish.

2 Peter 1:20–21 (NIV) Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation of things. For prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.

John 16:13 (NIV) But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come.

For far too long, we’ve allowed our desires to dilute the truth, giving way for too many arguments and debates that can only produce compromises or wars. Soon, it will be hard for us to differentiate between the truth and a lie. The longer we remain within this stratum of grays, the more hazy truth becomes, and sin will only rise to a more prominent place in our lives. When we allow this, we end up calling good evil and evil good (Isaiah 5:20). As long as we refuse to believe and trust in God, we will, unfortunately, continue to lose our battles. Now is the time to be bold and let God’s truth wash into our hearts. In this way, we will find greater satisfaction, and our understanding will become illuminated.

Satan is a clever devil. He knew from the beginning that we would never agree on one outcome simply because we want what we want. It is literally impossible for us to know all things in many situations; we simply are not capable. Therefore, we must begin to hide God’s fountain of life within our hearts (Proverbs 4:23) so that what bubbles forth is true and not just popular theory. We need to take heart, drop our attitudes, and make a decision to follow God rather than expect Him to follow us.

Today the popular fad is for everyone to be nice and pleasant while ignoring, tossing aside, or rebelling against whatever is distasteful. As it is only natural for us to yearn for the qualities of heaven—such as no more sorrow, no more tears, and streets of gold—it is also good to know that God has placed eternity in our hearts (Ecclesiastes 3:11). He wants to guide and strengthen us to seek the divine qualities of life and not just the warm fuzzies.

It is in and through His Word and His statutes that light is shed on our path. This world is not heaven, so we shouldn’t be surprised to find that the devil has planted onions in the ice cream of our life. The question then is what do we do with these onions?

Faith is our answer, for God is faithful, always. He is ready to walk before us, beside us, and behind us in all difficult, uncomfortable, and unsavory moments, helping us face them with His divine wisdom. He does not abandon us to the schemes and plots of many who merely tease us with their vain imaginations by marketing false hopes. Using the tools God has provided, we will find ourselves transformed. We hope that this work will forge a bridge between the good and hard parts of life with the Word of God, providing guidelines of support when we are most vulnerable.

Isaiah 41:10 (NIV) So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

THE NO-SALT GOSPEL

Health and suffering, honor and shame, joy and sorrow—life imparts the bitter as well as the good. While we enjoy the blessings of good health, freedom, joy, and pleasure, help doesn’t seem to be necessary. But during difficult times, we need all the help we can get. Fate spares no one. It changes our lives abruptly and unexpectedly, occurring without reason or safekeeping. It leaves us breathless, stunned, and bewildered. It is in times like these that we need the help of absolute love, a love that understands more than another human can. We need a love that can move mountains and bring comfort.

We have a basic need to understand the sorrow, shame, pain, and grief that we experience. When we can’t, we assume that the best thing to do is to become smarter so we can anticipate what is around the next corner. This type of behavior leads into worry, and worry tends to cast hope beyond our reach. Aptly put, William Shakespeare once noted, My life is filled with trials and tribulations, most of which have never happened.

Jesus tells us that in this world, we will have trouble (John 16:33), but in Him, we will have peace (Acts 10:36). He also tells us to take heart, for He has overcome the world. Quite simply, we need Jesus.

Sadly, there are biblical truths that many consider antiquated, insisting that they fail to meet the needs and trends within our society today. With this type of mindset, the only way to resolve our discord is to twist the parts of Scripture that oppose our reasoning. In this way, we dilute or tweak the truth to suit our lifestyle, molding it into one that is easier to tolerate, one that is a better fit for our contemporary philosophies. We opt for short-term fulfillment with instant satisfaction and shut our eyes to the problems this choice can cause.

The mystifying and old-fashioned morsels of biblical truth are actually grains of salt that are rubbed into the wounds of wrongful thinking and behavior. That’s why we don’t like them. We find them unpleasant and therefore decide to be the authors of our own standards. We abandon the parts about curses and hell, the weeping, gnawing, and gnashing of teeth, and ignore the bits that allude to repentance that demands a lifestyle change.

We put Jesus on the back burner along with the application of belief and revert to a more popular recipe that defines Christianity today. It is a shortlist of ingredients that include behaviors that are nice, kind, and giving. However, this point of view often results in heretical philosophies, reducing the all-powerful, costly, and passionate saving grace of the divine gospel into a cultured and mild-mannered code of ethics. Any effort to sidestep, modify, or ignore God’s truth is fruitless, for truth is always steadfast. It will always ply its stinging effect deep into our lives regardless of our circumnavigating.

Once a heresy is out there, it becomes all the rage. Our homegrown deviation is talked about in the streets, the workplace, and coffee shops, posted on Twitter, Facebook, and other forms of social media, taught in our schools, and proclaimed in our churches. What we have now created is an upright and moral but not divine gospel, one with a soft, no-challenge doctrine, complete with blurry boundaries and a warm-welcoming distraction of a dogma by any name, but without power. By following our newly revised doctrine, we can follow our hearts and ply our own imaginations to design principles where everyone is nice, and love and peace rule the world. We have deceived ourselves, thinking we are now in a place without hell nipping at our heels.

According to this manner of thinking, Jesus is just another prophet alongside the others: Mohammed, Buddha, Gandhi, Freud, Jung, and many more. Now these men were truly notable and inspirational men who taught how to live a good life, but the message of Jesus is distinctly different, just as He Himself is different.

The problem here is that when we think in a humanistic manner and ignore the deity of Jesus, we see Him only as a mere man. Yet, He is more than a man; He is fully divine and fully human. He offers more than guidelines for a good life. He offers a moment-by-moment, intimate relationship with God, along with a transforming power that supersedes a reverence that is learned by rote (Isaiah 29:13). His gospel goes beyond the worldly, for He is transcendent, and He stays with us when the going is tough and even when it isn’t.

Isaiah 29:13 (NIV) These men come near to Me with their mouth and honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me.

Hebrews 3:12 (NIV) See to it, brothers and sisters, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God.

The message of Jesus contains a deeper flavor than other messages because it includes living salt. His gospel is more than a historical account of events, a moral code, or a list of dos and don’ts. It is a living message with power for redemption, salvation, restoration, reconciliation, healing, hope, love, and eternal life. Jesus teaches us how to love and even how to be loved. He gives us the strength and wisdom and gives us the courage to be who we can be.

Still, our fabricated no-sting, no-salt, prosaic gospel marches on, prompting a waning devotion with our heavenly Father. It denounces the Old Testament, deeming it out of vogue and no longer relevant. Hell ceases to be a place of condemnation and is disguised as being nothing more than the hardships we experience. Poof! Just like that, the Lake of Fire dissipates into smoke. Whew. By putting that awful concept behind us, we can now dupe ourselves into believing we are safe and can live the easy life.

Heaven is considered by many to be the best of what we have today and within that split second, paradise has been shattered. One must wonder where the hope is in this, especially when considering the sick, poor, and handicapped. Clearly, we have also forgotten about those who live in the Third or Fourth World or a war-torn country. They would not find any delight or hope in such a notion. How closed-minded and self-centered we have become!

Do not be deceived; hell is real. It’s a place devoid of God, which also means it is a place devoid of love, charity, and goodness of any sort. Hell is an existing place of torment. However, the good news is that heaven is also genuine. It is a dwelling place where there is no more sorrow, no more tears, no more pain, and no more death. In fact, Scripture tells us that heaven is so wonderful that we are willing to sell all we have to acquire it. Do you know anyone who has found such an everlasting jewel in this life?

Matthew 13:44–50 (NIV) The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again and then, in his joy, went and sold all he had and bought that field. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it. Once again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was let down into the lake and caught all kinds of fish. When it was full, the fishermen pulled it up on the shore. Then they sat down and collected the good fish in baskets but threw the bad away. This is how it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come and separate the wicked from the righteous and throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

The demanding and challenging moments of life are designed to help us, not end us. Exercising is not easy, but it keeps us in shape. Dieting is problematic but necessary to keep our weight within healthy ranges. School and studying are difficult, but knowledge is necessary to live in this world. With this in mind, we must come to the resolution that these hard bits in the Bible, the parts that we don’t like, are there for a reason as well.

The true gospel is an account of the very good news of Jesus Christ, who redeemed each one of us at a horrific price. The understanding of this costly gospel comes to us through the Holy Spirit, for He speaks only what He hears from the Father (John 16:13).

An easygoing, no-salt gospel reduces the promises of hope, love, mercy, and eternal life into nothing more than a feel-good, warm, fuzzy, hippie peace love of the 1960s. It’s nothing more than a Woodstock Shangri-La full of vanishing satisfaction until the morning hangover puts reality back into place.

Don’t shy away from the bite of biblical salt. Deal with the onions in our bowl of ice cream. Allow those difficult and bitter times to produce endurance, character, and other wonderful traits.

Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV) For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

James 1:2–8 (NIV) Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do.

Spice of Life

Salt is an element that is essential for life. It governs bodily fluids and affects how our nerves and muscles function. It helps reduce headaches and acts as an antibacterial preservative that prohibits infections and helps wounds heal faster. It relieves the sting from bites and poison ivy and deodorizes sneakers. It is useful in cleaning artificial plants as well as the removal of wine and grease stains. We can even mix it with flour and vinegar to polish our brass and copper.

This mineral also has the power to enhance food flavors, creating a new dimension for our taste buds. In fact, whenever salt is not used, the food seems stripped of its zest. It is also used in the curing and preserving of meats and other foods. However, portion control is imperative; too much salt can also be detrimental to our health.

The holy gospel is full of energy, vitality, drive, and vigor because it contains a salt within—a spice known for its sting. It is rubbed into our wounded nature to kick-start our transformation. Its bite purifies and heals the blemish we’ve become until the image of God is recovered and restored. It brings out our worst so that, like dross, it will be discarded to reveal our best. It may not be an easy or pleasant undertaking, and it may not be what we want, but without the sting, there is no healing. Without its curing powers, there is no hope, enlightenment, or help in times of trouble, yet we still tend to avoid it.

God’s truth is dominant. It persists in our lives whether we listen, argue, or run away. The salt sting within His Word is necessary for the growth of our faith, the renewal of our thoughts, and the maturing of our behavior. Facing the truth brings challenges and struggles, but this movement also produces character, hope, and perseverance