Hi friends, Chaff Rantley here agin. How are y’all?
I jist wanted to say i fergive all ya’ll who made fun of my name. I know what my name means. It is the husk of the wheat grain and it don’t have much value. It is thrashed off and blowed away and the Bible likens the wicked and evil doers to chaff. But God made them good to begin with and they made theirselves worthless by their choices and by listening to the evil one. Sometimes a persons name can bring him down. God would like them all to get back their value and they can by turnin around and makin Jesus the Lord of there life instead of there own sorry self bein lord. God’s grace is a valuable gift and when you get it, that makes you valuable agin, but you can only be eligible for to get it by choosing Jesus. You have to sign up to win the grand prize.
I dont know why my folks named me Chaff, i hope it wasnt to be mean but i dont know. Some people give kids goofy names jist to be different. They think they’s bein clever, but that aint funny. All I know is that Jesus is the name above all names and if i believe in His holy name mine dont matter much, but lotsa people dont know that yet.
So, folks if yer expecting a new little one, give some serious thought to the name he or she will have to carry around all their life. Forgit all them fad names or the name of the latest popular Hollywierd star. Forgit yer whim of the moment or spelling Heaven backwards. Neveah aint no kinda name. Fergit namin them after common objects like “brick” or “mortar” or “chainsaw”. And especially dont name them “chaff”. Why add a burdensome name to all the other burdens they will have to carry through life? Ask God what to name them. Why not give them a uplifting name? This is Chaff and like my cousin says – I’m jist sayin………
Okay, this here bloggin’, as my cuz calls it, aint quite as easy as I thawt.
I had to study up on rapture acuz that word aint in the Bible thet I can find at all, no way. Thats why I got corn-fused. Read this what Paul told them Thessalonianses–
15 According to the Lord’s word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17
Near as I can figger, thets what ‘the rapture’ means — being snatched up into the air by angels and took to Heaven straightaway! Well I’m all fer that I caint hardly wait! But as fer some guy named Harold trying to tell us zackly when itll happen I have this to say to him—
36 “But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son,[f] but only the Father. 37 As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. 38 For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; 39 and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. 40 Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. 41Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left.42 “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. 43 But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. 44 So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him. Matthew 24: 36-44
My sweet wife showed me howta do thet, thanks Hun and she dont want her name in public so I wont but how do you like that! JESUS said that and I believe HIM and not some Harold dude who thinks he has some inside knowin about some secret code. Guess we still should forgive him – he shore dont know what hes doin……………………. I still think he wants to go camping.
Glorytellers busy tiday, so he let me fill in ferim. Hi I’m his second cusin twicet removed on his daddys side. My name is Chaff Rantley glad to meet ya its a plesure.
I wanna tell ya bout somethin I read thets causin’ a stink.
I read about that there guy named Harold who was a-goin’ camping and wanted ever-body to go with him, but, at the last minit he let ever-body down and didn’t go a-cuz he got some kinda rupture. Well, I had one of them ruptures once and it hurt real bad ………
Wait, what’sat you say? RAP sure? Haint thet some ole kinda music? Raptors? Them’s birds of pray……
This brite post is a tribute to a good man, Les Wenger. As husband, father, uncle, and friend, Les will be sorely missed. The story “Upstream Run” was conceived to honor his memory. Thanks to his family: Mary G., Diane, Andrea, Gerald, and Peter for their indispensable parts in the creation of this post. Please go here to view Andrea and Peter’s beautiful tribute. Then click here to read my story, “Upstream Run” written to honor Les, and to glorify God. Most of all, thank You my awesome Lord God for giving me so much.
I’m feeling creative raindrops saturating my britesite today, but after answering my comments, have little time left. Some interesting morsels came out in the Marriage/Wedding comments, though:
1. “Christ trumps culture” (that’s mine)
2. “Jesus is waiting at the altar for you. He has already said His vows. He is waiting for you to join Him.” (Jane’s pastor )
3. “Marriage is a danceline with Jesus in the middle” (or should be) (mine, again)
A weak brite post needs help. Who out there has original marriage/wedding “snack morsels” to add? Help?!
Despite my seeming cynicism about the ‘royal wedding’ I have nothing against marriages. (Except maybe the casual kind, the selfish, loveless, or meaningless/vain kinds) In fact, I’m rooting for Kate and William to be in love and married together forever, and to be the shining example of everything God intended marriage to be. I’m rooting for all traditional (no, I’ve no time for that subject) marriages everywhere to be all that God meant them and wants them to be. I pray that couples will keep Christ the center of their marriages and their lives. I pray that they make their vows in all sincerity and call upon the Holy Spirit to help keep them. The wedding, however has little to do with any of the above except to provide special circumstances in which to make sacred promises to God and to one another. The obsession with all the worldly trappings surrounding the wedding have little to do with the success of the resulting marriage. If as much thought, time, planning, dreaming, and praying were applied to the actual relationship, to loving the other person involved, to the realities of a great marriage, then the wedding would become secondary instead of the other way around. I’m just saying……..
In the end, when Christ comes to “marry” His beloved bride, His Church, the Royal Wedding will be wonderful, but the marriage will be forever spectacular. I’m out of time. Dear readers please supply the appropriate verses – you’re so good at it!
From a distance, I saw a demonstration – a large crowd laughing and rejoicing on my TV screen. I saw people waving flags and displaying signs about someone being killed. There was victorious celebration in the streets in front of large buildings. It reminded me of the revelling in the Middle East after our Twin Towers fell on 9-11. Curious, I came closer. I began to see signs of hatred and revenge on those faces. “Must be those Muslims demonstrating their hatred of Americans again,” I thought. Then I ‘saw’ the dog Satan slavering over the fresh bone of vengeful death. Licking his jowls over the raw meat of bloody hate, death, and war. That was disconcerting, to say the least. Now the disturbing part…… I discovered that the roiling sea of people were gathered in front of our own White House. They were Americans.
Am I glad Bin Laden is dead? Of course. Do I savor the dubious ‘victory’ of revenge? Unfortunately. Did the angels rejoice and God smile at Bin Laden’s destruction? I doubt it. We should be careful how far our emotions take us into darker places. There is a fine line we need to see. We should be concerned about how much we begin to look just like the people who hate us. We should remember which enemy we are really “fighting”. I’m just saying….
Thanks, Kimmie at Journeytoepiphany for suggesting today’s Brite post! All morning I have been hearing how Kate and William, the bride and groom in the upcoming royal wedding (royal pain in the neck to some, hehe, – and a royal pain in England’s Pocketbook, yikes) are leaving the ‘obey‘ out of their vows. Hopefully they know that to love someone is to want to obey them, therefore obedience doesn’t have to be promised, but is taken as a given. I still see it as a sign of trouble. The cumulative worldview is crumbling. Love and obedience are being snowplowed to the wayside to make room for selfishness and rebelliousness.
And: Jesus answered him, “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. John 14:23
“I can guarantee this truth: Whoever obeys what I say will never see death.” John 8:51
Want to obey? These are essential: Jesus said to him, You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. Matt 22:37 And: The second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ No other commandment is greater than these.” Mark 12:31
Commanded to Love! Implored to obey! How can we not give Him our best shot?!
Indulge me a little silliness after such a serious week?
One of my friends stated in her blog that she doesn’t like the word “blog”. I agree. It looks and sounds like too many other repugnant words and needs to be replaced. (Although, I realize it is too deeply entrenched in the culture, by now, to be changed, but, hey, I’m an idealist)
The word “blog” is derived from ‘web log’, of course. It originally described a site where people logged their daily activities. Since then, these personal sites have evolved into much more for many people. Many use them as a platform to showcase their writing, or photography, or any other artistic skills. It is much more than logging now and deserves a more noble moniker. So I’ve been thinking……..
The replacement needs to have a more positive ‘sound’ when it is both read and spoken. It needs to be easy to say and read – preferably one syllable.
Let’s start with what is done on our sites. It is writing. Writing on the World Wide Web.
WEBWRITING.
Trim that down to BWRITING. Then to BRITING.
BRITING sounds a bit better to me than blogging.
By extension we get a whole new set of terms:
A blog becomes a brite.
To blog becomes to brite.
A blogger becomes a briter.
Blogging becomes briteing.
The blogosphere becomes the britesphere.
Making the Net a happier place. I’m just sayin’……….
Hardly a day goes by that I don’t think, in some way, about Christ’s crucifixion and resurrection. Today is no different. Wait, it is different, for today is the Church’s official celebration of that creation-changing, world-changing, life-changing Day. Today, let there be loud singing and joyous dancing. Let there be massive celebration over all the Earth, for our Jesus is alive! Let there be all of that, but, most importantly, let Him be the Lord of your life.
(This was written hurriedly, so please forgive its imperfection.)
I once again turn to Stuart Townend, together with Keith and Kristyn Getty, to express with music and images what cannot be expressed with words alone. I pray that every heart that hears and sees this will be broken, transformed, and remade at the foot of that one horrible and glorious cross………..
Thank you victoryinjesus123 for uploading this beautiful video.
My offering for Easter/Resurrection Sunday 2011 is what God gave me, through the Holy Spirit, suddenly and unexpectedly last fall. May it lift you up, especially if you are lost on the trail of life, like I was, and may God bless you and keep you forever and always. Thanks for your visit. ( Read it here )
Signs indicate, the times are a-changin’ relative to “paper books”. Some booksellers have already closed their doors. This morning the purveyors of the News (most news is bad news and I often long for “no news”), the almighty Media, reported that sales of e-books have now exceeded sales of the paper version.
What really upsets me (possibly all the way to an irk) is that the groups who have an agenda against paper (the plastic-based electronics-sellers for one, and the fanatic “environmentalist whackos” for another) have unfairly and disgustingly spun the name for traditional books. The Media, in their unquestioned shameless wisdom, now call them “the dead tree versions” of novels. The purpose of such a lack of respect seems to be to hasten traditional books’ demise. I don’t know about you, but that saddens me and also makes me stand in protest.
I’m not necessarily an opponent of e-books, or e-readers either. The plain, boring, yet convenient (think TV dinners and boxed wine) hand-held-petrochemical version of books probably has its place too. After all, you are not reading my rantings from a paper-style medium. However, last time I checked, paper was made from the scraps of trees harvested for lumber or grown specifically for pulpwood. It is a renewable, sustainable resource, where the oil used to manufacture plastics isn’t. Additionally, how do novelists expect to make decent money on their work when the digital world is so insecure? Unlawful “sharing” (read “theft”) of copyrighted material is showing its evil face already.
When I publish my Great American Novel it will most likely be e-style, although I always dreamed it would be something with a colorful jacket that people could hold, and turn over, and see more words and colorful pictures on the back . I hope it will be a real “page-turner”. I wish those pages could be felt in the fingers; be seen and heard while being turned until the last, mystery-solving, plot-resolving, evil-defeating, paper page is on top. I would also hope that one could dog-ear an inspiring page, or underline an important sentence, or highlight a burning truth, or use an interesting, colorful, bookmark that you received as a gift, or store pictures, letters, and leaves from one’s child, pressed between the pages.
I can’t imagine having a Bible without those qualities. Can you?
Today’s news suggests that it is almost certain that, sometime in the future, there will be no more new paper-based books, and probably no paper at all. That prospect for mankind just seems like a huge cultural loss.
Hallelujah!!! Have I found some of my defining verses? My life statement? My heart’s fondest song? There are so many to choose from,
but I think this one was chosen for me. May I quote it for you? OK, I will.
Psalm 57:7-11 :
“My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast; I will sing and make music. Awake, my soul ! Awake, harp and lyre ! I will awaken the dawn. I will praise you, Lord, among the nations; I will sing of You among the people. For great is Your love reaching to the heavens; Your faithfulness reaches to the skies. Be exalted, O God, above the heavens; Let Your glory be over all the earth.”
Ohhh, I pause, breathless in absolute wonder of it . . .
Do you have a Bible verse, or set of verses that help to define your life, or are your heart’s fondest song? Please share them with all of us. We will be blessed to hear them! * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
I just had to share this with everyone. Since i often write about “the music inside” my characters, i was pleasantly surprised when my friend Larry sent me this. Watch this all the way to the end, then answer: Which song would the stethoscope reveal inside you?
“He is our hope of sharing in God’s Glory!” What a huge passage!
Remember sacred memory
therefore obedience doesn’t have to be promised, but is taken as a given. I still see it as a sign of trouble. The cumulative worldview is crumbling. Love and obedience are being snowplowed to the wayside to make room for selfishness and rebelliousness.
Alone in the Rockies.
Gloryteller 