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As willows swing in the breeze,
As seaweed sways with the tide,
So, soft and graceful the dance,
When The Son is one with His Bride.
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Proclaiming God's Glory Through Posts and Short Stories ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
22 Dec 2014 6 Comments
in Bible, Christ, Christian Writing, Christmas, Evangelism, Faith, God's Gifts, God's Glory, God's Love, Good News, Gospel, Inspirational Writing, Jesus, Jesus Christ Tags: descended, Everlasting, Glory To God in the Highest, He came down, Immanuel, Isaiah 9:6, Jesus, Mighty, Prince of Peace, Wonderful
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He Came
He Came Down
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He came down.
Born like us.
Born with us.
Born for us.
Born to,
and unto us.
Wonderful,
Mighty,
Everlasting,
Prince.
Immanuel.
God With Us!
JESUS!
God Saves!
His many names are ONE name,
and that name is:
The Name Above All Names.
Glory to God in the Highest Heaven!
He.
Came.
Down!
~ ~ ~
Merry Christmas,
LS<
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19 Dec 2014 8 Comments
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“What do you think about the lie of Santa Clause?” asked nobody.
“Sure, I’d be glad to weigh in on the Santa controversy,” I replied . . .
It has been said, ad nauseum, that secular traditions such as Christmas trees, Santa Clause, and even the word “Christmas” should be condemned by Christians because they distract and detract from the true meaning of Christ’s birth.
I disagree.
Those many traditions are so ingrained into society that they cannot be reversed nor abolished. They can, however, be used in a positive manner. I’ve previously discussed how the Christmas tree points to Jesus Christ. It is easy for me to tell, as well, how Santa’s (“Saint Nicholas‘ “) life and existence points, to the life and teachings of Jesus.
I only implore you, dear reader, not to foster the lies about Santa Clause, St. Nicholas, or Father Christmas, but tell the factual truth about them. It’s the same for the the gift-giving, the lights, and the joyous celebrating. One can ignore any or all of it, but I believe that we should not only accept, as a fact of life, the secular traditions; the things that have been distorted and perverted away from the original intent of honoring the Christ-child, but turn them back upon themselves to their true purpose which is to celebrate His birth, to point to Him, to highlight Him, and to glorify Him in the unfettered, hopeful, optimistic, rejoicing manner in which the host of angels announced His arrival to the shepherds, and to us.
Those traditions can be used to help us illuminate Him in a darkened world. I believe that is our commission, our duty, and our pleasure, as believers and as beneficiaries of The Father’s miraculously humble, and humbling gift.
The gift of The Savior Child is given to every one of us, but it must be accepted before it can be unwrapped and enjoyed.
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Whatever you do,
Whatever you think,
Seek Him in all things
And have yourself a happy,
Have yourself a joyous,
Have yourself the merriest Christmas!
Above all,
Remember Who is glorious,
Give Him all your glory,
Keep it Christmas-Story-ous!

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06 Dec 2014 6 Comments
in Christ, Christian Poetry, Christian Writing, Christmas, Forgiveness, God's Gifts, Good News, Gospel, Salvation Tags: christianity, Christmas, Jesus, Subjects and objects in a sentence, The true meaning of Christmas

We must remember this,
Amidst the noise and fuss,
JESUS is the subject of Christmas,
And the object of Christmas is US.
*LS*
Merry Christmas from Gloryteller.com!
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03 Dec 2014 2 Comments
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You’ve done your best.
You know you have.
Yet, you have fallen short of your goal.
The mark set by others, or by you, yourself, seems out of reach.
The enemy of your soul will use that against you.
That enemy will try to tell you that
your best effort is not good enough
because he wants to produce anxiety, and anger,
and self doubt, and hopelessness in you,
which will serve his destructive purposes.
God, however, will restore your confidence, and your peace, and your hope.
With God, your best effort is always good enough.
Not only that, but He can respond to requests for help
by making your best even better.
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27 Nov 2014 4 Comments

Yes, dear reader,
Unlike most men, especially old-school men such as myself,
I’m capable of planning and cooking
a full-blown turkey-and-stuffing anchored;
mashed potato filled;
gravy-slathered;
two vegetable enhanced;
candied sweet ‘tater and
green bean casserole complimented;
cranberry sauce enlivened;
dinner-roll augmented;
and pie-crowned Thanksgiving dinner.
I don’t want that to sound like bragging,
nor self-exaltation,
it’s just the truth.
It’s a blessing that I can cook almost anything, and even do a little baking, but the blessing came at the expense of my mother’s suffering.
When I was 13, my mother dislocated her elbow due to a fall. That very painful injury prevented her from doing many of her homemaking duties including cooking the daily family meals. As the eldest child, I was appointed cook’s assistant. I performed the mechanical operations of cooking while poor plaster-casted Mom directed me. That was one of my life’s momentous turning points, because I have used those cooking skills that she taught me countless times for my own benefit and for the benefit of others.
Today, Mom is on my mind.
Thanks, Mom, for teaching me to cook and for everything else.
Thanks, God, for Mom and for all my blessings.
Thanks for the ability to imagine and invent things, and for the ability to make, and build, and create the things I imagined – everything from small tools to buildings and a home, and thanks for the ability to repair, or at least “rig up” almost anything. Thanks, God, for the ability to grow food on Your land. Most of all thanks, Lord for the very surprising gift of the ability to write.
As much as I like to cook, I’d rather write about cooking.
I’d rather write than do almost anything else.
As for Thanksgiving, I’m thankful that this website is partial fulfillment of my God-given purpose. More than anything else, I’m thankful to You, Lord, for gathering me to Yourself and giving me the joy of salvation – the joy of knowing You!
“O, give thanks unto the Lord, for He is good!
His loving mercies endure forever!
O, give constant thanks unto the Lord!”
Happy Thanksgiving, dear reader!
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26 Nov 2014 4 Comments
in Christian Poetry, Christian Writing, Evangelism, Faith, Gifts of the Holy Spirit, God's Bounty, God's Gifts, God's Grace, God's Love, God's Provision, Good News, Inspiration, Jesus Christ, Life, Personal Testimony, Prayer, Redemption, Thankfulness and Gratitude, Worship Tags: Christ, God, grateful for a life, grateful for Christ, grateful for grace, Gratitude, Jesus, life not taken away, redeemed moments, Thanksgiving, Thanksgiving prayer, the gift of a heart of gratitude
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Ten thousand million billion moments
With which my life is filled.
Each one shorter than a second,
Less; even shorter still.
Each one begins, and each one ends,
But is not taken away.
And each one has no meaning, then,
At the end of the average day.
Meaningless moments, but for Christ,
Who redeemed them all for me,
Tied them all together,
Made them all to be.
A whole life – a life that begins and ends,
But is not taken away.
As if that were not enough,
He also gave me words to say
A prayer of thanks for a grateful heart,
The gift of which is precious.
A heart to embrace the building joy
Of gratitude for Him, so gracious.
So, I give heartfelt thanks
For the moments,
For the life,
For redemption,
For Christ,
For the gift of a grateful heart,
And for more,
Much more,
I thank You;
Thank You, Lord!

Happy Giving of the Thanks today!
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07 Nov 2014 Leave a comment

Shortly after his baptism, the new believer looked at a quite dirty, quite unkempt beggar sitting on the curb holding a sign. For many decades he had judged harshly those whom he thought “beneath” him. “There sits more scum of the earth,” he thought. “It’s their own fault. So many have pulled themselves up from that gutter. It’s a choice they make to live that way.”
“Now that you know Me, you surely know better than to entertain that kind of thinking. Be still and look again with My eyes . . .”
As he did so, he was astonished to see a different man. This one was clean, and neat, and so upright that the believer thought he could like this man. The more he looked, the more he thought he could even love him like a brother. Astonished, he exclaimed, “Ahhh, thank you Lord. I’ve been so wrong about many things,” he said contritely. “Life with You is so different – so much better – than life was without You.
“That is the way I see that man; the way I see all people. That is the way I saw you when your own soul was in filthy tatters. I have always loved you. I love that one no less. Think of the father whose son hates him to the point of wishing him dead, yet, that father, nevertheless loves that son to the point that he would give his life so that the hate-filled son might live. If you see that, you see but a speck of how I view that poor man, yourself, and every person alive.”
The revelation so struck the new believer, that he went home and began writing. From then on, when he was tempted to look upon someone and judge them as unfit to stand on the same ground as he, the image returned. “God loves that one, just as much as He loves me, I must love them and pray for their good, for I was once worse, yet He loved me.”
Inspired by God’s revelation, this is part of what the new believer wrote:
“O great God, I looked up at You, and You, down at me, and I could understand, in some small sense, what you saw in us and how You love. Later, when I knew You better, I looked up again and saw You scanning Your limitless horizons all the way around, but I could not begin to fathom what wonders You were seeing, for You survey all the past, all the future, and everything else that exists in Your realms bounded by time, and those Heavenly realms outside of time. It was then that I knew that I had little conception of your wisdom, nor, despite my scientific efforts, very little understanding of Your mind, nor what Your thoughts might be, except for the grace of that one revelation of Your love for all people, and for me, when you, for a moment, let me see with eyes of love.”
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13 Oct 2014 3 Comments
* * *
( o . o )
^
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There was a time when,
if I received something from God
it wasn’t enough.
I asked for more.
“Things” that I wanted,
“things” that I thought I needed,
“things” that others have been given,
“things” that I thought I had been promised,
“things” I thought I was entitled to.
Things that I asked for others,
that I thought they really needed.
Not only things with substance,
but mainly things of the spirit,
and health, and healing,
and happiness, and peace.
I only received a few of them.
“It’s not fair”, I have thought . . .
But the biggest thing I did receive –
the biggest and likely the best –
was faith wrapped up in His grace.
It was the one thing I hadn’t asked for,
the thing I didn’t deserve and hadn’t earned,
the thing I hadn’t known I needed,
and the thing I hadn’t known was promised.
Moved by love, He wanted me to have it.
What a gift!
So, I started thinking,
“If the faith-grace package were the only thing He ever gave me,
the only thing I ever received,
WOULD IT BE ENOUGH?”
After much thought,
and soul searching,
and reasoning,
and questioning,
I decided that:
YES!
OF COURSE!
MOST CERTAINLY!
IT IS MORE THAN ENOUGH!
For it is by that grace, through faith,
that I’m saved from death!
(“Death”, here, being eternal separation from God)
I think of Paul asking “his desire”
again, and again, but being denied.
“My grace is sufficient,” he was told.
I’ve decided it’s more than sufficient for me too,
even though I do get more,
including grace’s twin, mercy in the bargain!
However, there are many for whom grace is not sufficient.
Some even go as far as using unanswered prayers
as reason to doubt,
turn their backs,
even relinquish belief.
I pray “Father let them see“.
Furthermore, I won’t stop asking for more,
because He, Himself entreats us to ask,
but I will remain extremely thankful for
simple grace, faith, and mercy,
for they are my daily bread,
they keep me alive, and sustain me.
They are my sacred treasures
given by Him out of love,
and they will always be
more than enough for me.
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04 Oct 2014 2 Comments
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I have few tears for the dead,
for their souls have flown away,
each to its eternal land,
to the god, or God they chose,
or Who always held them in His hands;
Only gone from here,
as I, one day, will be,
they’re gone,
in the main,
to their self-determined fates.
But here survive the living
in their mourning, loss, and grief;
aching whether in their faith,
or in their unbelief,
still sad.
It’s only for all of those
that my sighing heartstring breaks.
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14 Sep 2014 4 Comments
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I feel an urgent need to write specifically about faith versus doubt.
At this moment, it is imperative,
crucial,
critical,
essential,
indispensable,
vitally important:
Someone is having doubts.
Someone is losing their faith in The Father.
Or never had any.
So many hard questions remain unanswered.
So many prayers unanswered,
or seemingly answered with a “no”.
So many promises seemingly not kept.
So much blame
to be unloaded,
and assigned.
So much heartbreak.
So much pain.
The internal debates wear one down,
sap our strength,
stress our beings,
abscond with our joy,
waste our lives.
Those kinds of troubles can alienate a person,
isolate,
Make one feel alone,
even in a crowd.
Make one feel like they are
the only one who has gone through so much,
who has had to bear this specific torture,
and you’re right,
No-one has had your exact experience.
But you’re wrong about being alone in it.
You are not alone,
never alone.
I, myself, have had questions and doubts about
God’s existence,
His caring,
His promise keeping.
His love.
I, myself, asked things early-on like
“Why should I believe?”,
and, “What if it’s all a big hoax?”,
and, “Why don’t You seem to hear even my most
heartfelt,
earnest,
fervent,
prayers?”,
and, “Why do good people,
people who care,
and who act right,
and who are good to others,
people I love and care about,
die too soon,
while evil people,
people who only hate and hurt,
and murder,
people who detract from life,
and from Your glory,
people who I (forgive me) detest,
persist,
live on,
even thrive while doing more and more harm?”
I’ve had those, and countless more,
doubts and questions,
both before and a bit after my rescue,
my lifesaving encounter,
with my Lord.
Now I know that I have an enemy who likes,
encourages,
abuses,
and twists,
my doubting and questioning,
who whispers about them in my secret ear,
to use them against my good,
and promote his own evil.
When I ask my doubting questions,
I hear his faint,
but clear,
insane laughter,
for doubts are like lies,
and he is the father of lies.
I smile inside myself when I realize that is happening,
because knowing is being forewarned,
forewarned is forearmed,
and I’m armed with a powerful weapon.
I still have questions and I ask them,
but, doubts?
Doubts can do damage.
Doubts can threaten trust.
Doubts can mislead, deceive,
and obscure Truth,
runaway doubt can destroy.
Of course there is something I call
“healthy skepticism”,
discernment,
“useful doubt”,
but you have to understand the difference,
which I don’t want to address at this moment.
The thing is, my questions and destructive doubts
are different after knowing God than they were before.
Before, the enemy,
with my permission,
used them to try to destroy me.
Now I can try to use them for my good.
And yours.
A big obstacle to my faith is that I am, by nature, a
rational,
logical,
reasoning,
pragmatic
thinker.
“Stuff” has to make sense to me.
There has to be order.
There has to be a reason something is the way it is.
Therefore, science was once my god, in a sense,
instead of the real, true God whose works
we attempt to understand through science.
In other words, I lived only by sight and not by faith.
Now, I am predominantly the opposite.
Now I know rationality and logic
can get in the way of my spiritual thinking.
One can overthink one’s self into trouble.
One can complicate what is supposed to be simple
and veer far from the truth.
Now, I try not to “lean too much on my own meager understanding”.
I try to remember that there is not just a “big picture”, but a “great, huge, majestic picture”
that I can’t fathom
that I’m not allowed to know,
even if I did have the capacity to understand.
I’ve learned to recognize when I’m
stuck in circular questioning
or trapped in doubt.
I’ve come to realize that when I
doubt and question God, I’m making Him into the god
that I, myself, am creating rather than
the One who created me;
the “word” from my mind, rather than
the true Word,
the great I AM,
the One true, factual God of the Bible.
When I realize that I’m getting lost,
(It’s often not simple or easy)
I have to push the offending thoughts away,
with a mental, even a kind of physical stiff arm,
and get myself back on the trail to my destination:
home.
It’s simple; I have made my choice of faith in Him.
I will let nothing change that decision.
I simply cannot!
I know He is good, and kind, and cares about me.
I know that He keeps all His promises
in ways that would – and will – amaze us,
when we can finally fully understand.
I don’t want to lose my faith in Him,
nor my personal relationship with Him.
It took too many years to get it.
I lived too long without it.
I can’t let anything or anyone steal it.
Without it, I’d be less than nothing;
I’d be lost in the worst sense of the word.
Here’s a question I have asked:
“If I were to turn my back on the Lord,
which of us would be harmed, or “hurt” more?”
My answer is, “I would be, infinitely so!”
His answer is that He would hurt greatly for me,
because of my choice, but He would wait with open arms
in hope that I would change my mind.
It boils down to this:
To be sure, we all have questions and doubts.
It’s a human thing.
It’s how we handle them that makes the difference.
Dwelling upon destructive doubt and rhetorical questions is a waste of time.
Our choice is between faith in Jesus and Father God, or the enemy . . .
there is no between, no middle ground, no compromise.
You might say “I choose myself”,
but that is the same as choosing the enemy, not God,
as your Lord and master.
So, please, choose life, choose love,
choose faith in Jesus, and stick to it with all your might!
* * *
I do have many other drafts waiting in the wings
that I want to finish and publish,
but this new theme was put on my heart with an “urgent” notice attached.
It seems like an emergency that needs immediate attention.
It is a form of sacrifice to be used this way,
yet it is a joy to serve.
I pray that this quickly gets to the readers who need it.
Reader, I care about what happens to you.
I’ve shared your struggles, believe me, maybe worse!
You have no idea what I’ve been through,
only God does,
therefore He is the “logical”
One I turn toward for support, and comfort.
I hope and pray that my words help you.
Sincerely,
L<
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30 Aug 2014 4 Comments
$&$&$&$
“Begin The Great Dividing!”

My First Decree:
“Divide them up! Divide them down!
By age,
By gender,
By color,
By country,
By wealth,
By poverty,
By religion,
By belief,
By ideology,
By politics,
By education,
By rank,
By lack,
By abundance,
By every division, and disparity,
By every difference and distinction,
By every dissimilarity and variation, no matter how small.
But, most of all, separate them into billions and billions
Of little selves which exclude all others.
Selves, each of which love only I,
Which care for only myself,
Which cherish only mine,
And thus worship only me!
Apart they are weak!
Chop them up like the onions in our hash!
Separate them all!”
~
Decree Number II:
“Deceive and distract,
Show them the bait but hide the trap.
Make them a tempting supper, perhaps.
Whip together a dash of hot anger and a dollop of hate,
Beat in a good measure of jealousy; delicious to taste.
A spoonful of envy,
Some grated ungratefulness,
A cup of covetousness
Into their fattening-food.
Mix in maximum revenge,
Make it all feel so good.
Throw in a fistful of greed,
Add a pinch or two of bitterness and blame,
Then a generous handful, of sweeet unforgiveness
Stirred up in their feed!
(My poetry is magnificent, indeed!)
Thus we will capture and conquer;
Self-divided!
Thus we will assimilate them all;
Self-poisoned!
Thus they give their selves over.
Our slaves, our sheep, our food.
They have no way to defend themselves from this dividing,
For it agrees with their very nature.
One whisper, and they divide themselves!
The age of Darkness is at hand!
Divide them up! Divide them down!
They won’t even know it happened!
(Until it’s Too. Late. For them.)
Then the world will be all mine….. Excuse me, ours, to rule!”
Would I lie to you?!
Your Supreme Master,
Lord S.
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Intelligence-Advisory Memo (I-AM) :
Thus speaks, thus dictates,
Thus plots our arch-enemy…….
But we do have a defense, and he knows it!
He knows he cannot divide nor conquer us
If we live in the unity of the Holy Spirit’s nature that binds us together as one
In the peace of the Word of The Famous One, The Great Uniter.
One body, one family, saved by One Risen Man’s sacrifice.
One eternal life, together inseparably, with Him!
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25 Aug 2014 Leave a comment
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He has a ministry already, this young man of God.
He may not even know the power he has
as he quickly proclaims his faith publicly in the face of his wrenching heartbreak.
He may not know that the most unlikely people are watching as he says goodbye;
watching, and being influenced, in life-changing ways:
He said: “Dad, thank you for being an awesome role model in my life!
I love you and I know that you loved me!
I know that you are in a better place and are with our Father.
I wasn’t ready for you to pass so soon, and I don’t think anyone was.
Let God’s will be done, and trust in his plan.
May you rest in eternal peace.
Thanks for being such a great dad.
I love you Dad.”
J.A.K.
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You’re only beginning adult life,
one of my “younger brothers in the Spirit”,
yet, even in the throes of intense grief,
you still publicly proclaim your unwavering faith,
– the faith handed down by my friend, your wonderful father –
(oh, what a legacy)
You show the power of the love you were given
by your earthly father, and most of all, by your Heavenly one.
You proclaim the love between father and son,
you testify to your unshakable belief in Jesus, Father, Spirit,
and I’m inspired;
under these circumstances, I am touched . . .
That is the truest test,
the brightest evidence,
the hardest proof,
the best power of The Truth,
the highest worth of faith . . .
And even as my heart breaks for you,
Like Theirs does,
I’m so very proud of you.
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What more could I ask of my own son,
when the time comes,
than to grieve hard, to mourn,
also, to sing and rejoice,
and to loudly, visibly, proclaim our faith.
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Faith of our fathers, living still,
In spite of dungeon, fire, and sword;
Oh, how our hearts beat high with joy
Whene’er we hear that glorious Word!
Refrain: Faith of our fathers, holy faith!
We will be true to thee till death.
Faith of our fathers, we will strive
To win all nations unto thee;
And through the truth that comes from God,
We all shall then be truly free.
Faith of our fathers, we will love
Both friend and foe in all our strife;
And preach thee, too, as love knows how
By kindly words and virtuous life.
Frederick W. Faber