Advent, Week Three!

16 Dec 2025 Leave a comment


Today, the third and final full week of Advent begins,
preceding the joy-filled celebration day!
It is getting closer! We can hardly wait!
Light three candles today!
We are actively waiting now!
Intensity grows, as does the magnitude of the hope we have,
and that of the peace which is coming!
This week we savor the JOY surrounding His coming to live with us!
Emmanuel – is coming here because of The Father’s love for all people.

In this third week, we also remember
all the proclamations made about our coming Christ-child,
our Messiah, our glorious Savior;
proclamations by Isaiah, by angels, by Elizabeth,
by Mary, by Zechariah, by more angels, and by many others.

Luke 2:9 Just then, an angel of the Lord stood before them,
and the glory of the Lord shone around them,
and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them,
“Do not be afraid! For behold, I bring you good news
of great joy that will be for all the people!

He is coming, not to condemn the lost,
but to give them a saving light.
What joy it is to know Him,
having been one of those lost,
 now bathed in His light.
And what a joy it is to know
the astounding love of The Father,
Who sent this generous gift of His Son!

I, the least of believers,
proclaim this joy, 
proclaim His glory,
(like it says in the header at the top)
And like so many believers,
so many bloggers,
I repeat the sounding JOY!

Joy To the World,
and Peace to ALL mankind!
Let every heart prepare Him room!

Joy to the World, the Lord has come!
Let earth receive her King;
Let every heart prepare Him room,
And Heaven and nature sing,
And Heaven and nature sing,
And Heaven, and Heaven, and nature sing!

Joy to the World, the Savior reigns!
Let men their songs employ;
While fields and floods, rocks, hills and plains
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat, repeat, the sounding joy!

No more let sins and sorrows grow,
Nor thorns infest the ground;
He comes to make His blessings flow
Far as the curse is found,
Far as the curse is found,
Far as, far as, the curse is found!

He rules the world with truth and grace,
And makes the nations prove
The glories of His righteousness,
And wonders of His love,
And wonders of His love,
And wonders, wonders, of His love!
~ ~ ~

May God bless your joyous preparations,
your happy, yet serious, contemplations,
your thankful remembrance of His purpose for
coming down,
And of His all- encompassing love.
He is coming, He is here, He is coming again!
REJOICE!

Your Advent Gloryteller

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Hopeful Message for the First Week of Advent

30 Nov 2025 Leave a comment

First Sunday

“Advent” is here!
It is today!

All Creation is pregnant with anticipation!

This is the time of expectant waiting and preparation for the celebration of Jesus’ birth—the most unprecedented, and unequaled; the most earth-shaking event in human history!
(Well, depending on how you perceive it, it’s definitely one of the top two! Or perhaps the two can be considered one event!)

The word “Advent” comes from the Latin “adventus” which means coming, or arrival, of a person or thing.

In this special and absolutely unique case,
Who and what is coming is rich in mystery;
profound in its implications!
Excitement builds in Heaven and earth!

I find it interesting that the words “Advent” and “adventure” are so closely related, which is fitting since we are waiting and preparing for the arrival of  a series of awe-inducing, exciting events :

All that surrounds Jesus’ Nativity celebration,
A son is to be given,
700 year-old prophecy to be fulfilled,
The imminent arrival of Emmanuel, “God With Us”,
The Kingdom of God being established on Earth,
Reconciliation with the Father,
Renewal of all things,
Rescue of the perishing,
Redemption of souls,
Atonement,
Forgiveness,
Abundant life,
Signs and wonders,
Miraculous acts,
Great Joy will be made available to all people,
Messiah! Savior! Christ! He’s coming, already, not yet, and soon!
The image of The Father will walk on earth,
The advent of Love!
And more, and more, and more!
And, in the fullness of time, Jesus’ long-awaited final return!

When someone important to us is coming to visit, we know we must wait. Patiently or not. Before their arrival, we must prepare as best we can. Thus, we are waiting, and prayerfully preparing, not just for events, but for the arrival of the Personage without whom there would be no experience of exciting spiritual adventure, no exploration of mysteries unknown, no real and true experience of love and life whatsoever.

But for the birth of the little Lord Jesus, I could not live.
As He is born, so am I.
So are we all!

I wait and look forward to honoring His birth; to observing the amazing circumstances that surround it.
It has “happened” again and again in countless hearts and minds.
It is happening now in mine,
and will again, endlessly, with passage of time.

I ceremoniously light the first candle in the Advent wreath,
the candle of hope,
also, the first flame in my heart.

The expectant waiting and preparation of my heart applies not only to the day of Christbirth,
but to Resurrection Sunday, Thanksgiving, and Jesus’ final return as well.
Advent is an important concept.
It is exciting, yet peaceful at the same time.
I want to make it part of me;
I want to live it.


The first week of Advent is said to be focused on the hope of the Savior’s arrival, as supported by the Scriptures’ prophetic promises. There are several pertinent verses, but I chose this one :

“The days are coming,’ declares the Lord, ‘when I will fulfill the gracious promise I made to the house of Israel and to the house of Judah. In those days and at that time I will make a righteous Branch sprout from David’s line; he will do what is just and right in the land.” (Jeremiah 33:14-15).

O, Jesus, 
We await your sweet arrival!

~~~~~~

Words and Music for Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow
by Charles Wesley:

Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus

1. Come, thou long expected Jesus,
born to set thy people free;
from our fears and sins release us,
let us find our rest in thee.
Israel’s strength and consolation,
hope of all the earth thou art;
dear desire of every nation,
joy of every longing heart.

Mark E. Hunt devised a second, or middle, verse.
I like it and included it here:

Come to earth to taste our sadness,
He whose glories knew no end;
By His life He brings us gladness,
Our Redeemer, Shepherd, Friend.
Leaving riches without number,
Born within a cattle stall;
This the everlasting wonder, 
Christ was born the Lord of all.


2. Born thy people to deliver,
born a child and yet a King,
born to reign in us forever,
now thy gracious kingdom bring.
By thine own eternal spirit
rule in all our hearts alone;
by thine all sufficient merit,
raise us to Thy* glorious throne.

(*emphases, mine)

Because of the arrival of the begotten Son of God,
our hope as children of God is an eternal hope.
Peter tells us that the child of God has
“an inheritance that can never perish, spoil, or fade – kept in heaven for you” (1 Peter: 1-4 )

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It’s Personal

01 Mar 2025 Leave a comment

A personal note from an old man to Father God and Jesus through the Holy Spirit, off the top of my heart:

The Bible, the Holy Scriptures, The Word of God, the Good Book, the Book of Books. It is known by various names. Between the covers you’ll find testiments–two main ones with lots of smaller ones inside. You’ll find Good News–the Gospels–and lots of ‘lesser’ good news. You’ll find sacred stories that will bring you into close contact with hope, comfort, healing, faith, and much more, but most of all, love. Within the stories, you may find yourself, but you will certainly find God Himself in all His unfathomable, glorious, complexity and also in His basic, unchanging, perfect, humanity.

My Highest Lord, I thank You for sending me Your personal Love Letter.

You begin by telling me how You love me because You created me, and how You created me because You love me and have a plan and purpose for me. You say how You spoke me into existence like the very stars.  Ancient of Days, You gave me a name, a time, and a place to be.

You tell me that You were and are always with me, preserving me even when I was not qualified to be in Your presence. Yet you pointed to the Hope that was coming–the day You would rescue me. I see myself in the flawed characters –the heroes and the villains. The prophets and angels speak Your words directly to me. In many ways,  Adam is me, Israel is me, David too. You insert my name upon the wayward son, his father, and his older brother as well.

You walk me without fear through the ‘valley of the shadow of death’. You remind me of Your provision and protection. Looking back, I see the times when I would have been lost without Your hand unnoticed upon my back.

You speak miracles into existence and let me see them, and let me know You through them. You make me lie down among words like grace, mercy, forgiveness, hope, faith, longsuffering, salvation, justification, sanctification, holiness, righteousness, and the most profound–love. You bid me study them, understand them, devour them.

You make promises to me. Unlike the world’s pledges, I know that Yours will be kept. That faith in You comes as a gift from the Spirit of Your Word’s words. It’s all there among Your precepts, doctrines, statutes, decrees, and principles. You wrote them down for me. They are like my food, my water, my sustenance, yet You promise even better to come . . .

And it comes as promised. The Good News of the arrival of my personal Saviour, my Rescuer. My Redeemer.  You in my fleshly likeness, Oh God, and I in yours!  The realm of the miraculous prevails and Your Kingdom is revealed. You reveal Yourself to me through Jesus, Your Christ!  Hallelujah!

“The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.”     
Truth. There is only One Truth. You made me a scientist who seeks the truth. I’ve found things that are true, but the most important truth I’ve found is that You are True — You are Truth– and all truth stems from Your ‘truths’–they are the only truths.

You wrote me poetry telling my poetic heart more of Who You Are, and to Whom I belong: 
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4 In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”  All that, Oh Lord embodied in an innocent, vulnerable, miraculous Child. Emmanuel –‘God with me’.

You went on, Gracious God, to describe the day of my rescue in gruelling, difficult detail. My heart kneels in sorrow. I will never be the same . . . yet, once again, You do what would seem impossible. You conquer death! You make a new covenant with me–an infinitely better one!  You’ve given everything for me that I might live to believe You, believe in You, and trust You as my One and only Savior God. I do. I love you too.

There’s more in Your pages. You send me an indwelling Helper. Hallelujah! You introduce me to people who’ve had encounters with You as I have. You affirm me. You build me, You lift me, You raise me. You inform and educate me with these words. You requested I write when I thought I could not. “Nothing is impossible with God, You said.” In your Word, You exposed me to writers worthy to emulate, not to mention Yourself, the Highest Author, who writes a different story for each one of His children.

And in the end, You assure me that I’ve chosen well. You have complete control. I’m old, my fate is sealed. I’m sealed in You, and You are the Victor!
You tell me “These words are faithful and true”–everything between these covers. You say to me, ” . . . I Am the Beginning and the Ending”. I’m still on my knees as, with joy, I read and reread His closing . . .

All my love, dear child, dear servant and friend,
Yours truly, You know Who  (I Am)

You shouldn’t have read this, It’s Personal!  You know I jest!  Love you, dear reader, 
Seriously, Your Gloryteller

 

 

 

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A Word About Words

05 Feb 2025 Leave a comment

Words are my toys,
Words are my tools,
Useful for wisemen,
Misused by fools.
I’ve said it before, 
I’ll say it again,
Whether by tongue,
Or whether by pen,
Words can disable,
The strongest of men.
Yet, also they heal,
Bring kindness and peace,
Oh Lord, let me love all,
With words,
Straight from Thee.

I’m always amazed at God’s perfect use of words and how their meanings can be changed through human attempts at translation, interpretation, and paraphrasing. One verse that comes to mind is Isaiah 9:6 in the King James Version : 
6 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.
Jesus, the Messiah in this verse, is prophesied to “be called” five different names.  The first name is “Wonderful”, where Wonderful, appears as an abstract noun.
In more recent translations such as the New International Version, it looks this way:
6 For to us a child is born,
    to us, a son is given,
    and the government will be on his shoulders.
    And he will be called
    Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
    Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
In the latter translation, “Wonderful” is an adjective modifying “Counselor”, attributing Jesus with only four names. Because of the placement of one small comma, the meaning of the verse is quite different.
I happen to like the King James Version the most. To me, Jesus IS Wonderful in name and in truth!
He is the embodiment of wonder and, in Him, I am completely filled with wonder!
What do you think, dear Reader?

 

 

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God Gives Lavishly! Give Back To Him A Richly Amplified Offering!

31 Dec 2024 2 Comments

At Christmastime when I was a boy, my dad understood the relative poverty of his children, so he would give us each a small amount of money to be spent on gifts for the other family members. That was after Mom had  bought all the presents for each of us, spending, most likely, “too much” money already. What was a small amount to him was a small fortune to us, as we received no “allowances”, so we each felt rich as we happily shopped with Mom and picked out trinkets and treasures for our siblings and parents.
Wrapping the gifts was fun, but the best part was the excited anticipation we had for Christmas morning when the family would partake in what we children had built in our minds to be the Olympics of giving and receiving. It was as good as it gets, and after all the unwrapping, and showing, and laughing, and modeling, and playing, and cheering, and thanking, we all felt richer and more blessed than we were before. But it was Dad and Mom, I think, who felt the most blessed, for having given to us so that we could bless each other with gifts. The investment of money they gave us came back to them, multiplied, in seeing generosity, unselfishness, and brotherly love instilled into us and put into action.
And so it is with God. He began giving early. In fact, long before mankind was even here to receive it, He gave us light! He gave us water and land – a nice place to live. In the water and on the land, He provided good things for us to eat – a perfect garden containing everything we would need. And if that were not enough, He gave us His love. He gave us His Spirit-presence. All He asked was that we love Him from our hearts, and display a small and reasonable amount of obedience, even that being a gift for our own good. But mankind had a hard time with that, so later, He gave us a baby – His physical presence – our Savior and Redeemer, Jesus. In that tiny presence was contained an unfathomable amount of love and light!

We celebrate His birth extravagantly on a day we name Christmas.
because
He is our everything!
He provides all we need!
He left His abundance and took on our poverty
in order to bless us with abundant life! 
He gives lavishly out of His abundance,
into our poverty, that we may graciously bless others.

Whether the gift of writing, of singing, of making music, of delivering a message, of healing, of encouraging, of hospitality, of giving time or treasures, of working or helping, of giving testimony, of sowing evangelistic seeds, of doing a kindness, of giving a hug, or a simple smile, you do have one gift – or more – that you can share with others who might be, in a sense, destitute until they receive your unique offering.

Remember:
God gives to us out of His riches,
The gifts we receive are to bless others,
When we thus bless others, we gift back to Him
A richly amplified Love Offering,
Which is one of the greatest Christmas gifts
 The Father could unwrap.

All these good things were, and are, from God.
Shouldn’t we make sure our gratitude gets back to Him
through the proper channels?

Blessings for a joyous season of giving and receiving
now and all through the new year,
your Gloryteller.

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An Expanding Ray of Hope

28 Mar 2024 Leave a comment

God has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end. (Ecclesiastes 3:11) (emphasis, mine)

A similar note is heard in the phrase “God imparts ‘that of  Himself’ into every human heart.”  Someone noteworthy said that, and I’d like to cite them, but I don’t remember who they are and my searches have been fruitless. Nevertheless, the truth in that phrase is confirmed by Romans 1:18-20 : 
“The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness,  since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them.  For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.” (Highlights mine)

God has set the spark of “eternal things” in the human heart, as well as what we refer to as “that of Himself”.  These are difficult concepts for many people, but when one remembers that we are created in His image and likeness they become easier. Does not the master artist leave “that of himself” in every created masterpiece?  Every brush stroke, every splash of color, every bit of texture, every unique nuance and technique of composition can be recognized as being “of” that master. It speaks of who he is, what he’s done, his qualities, and his nature. Our Creator has left His “prints” on our inmost being and His signature on our souls. Let us not foolishly cover them over or suppress their truths by our rebellious selfishness. That can only leave an empty place – a profoundly aching void.

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Far from here, there are two other empty places. In a different sense they are not far, but close. Follow the dots on a map that designate the route (the way) to the empty cross where Jesus suffered horribly, or pick up the Bible beside you – the cross is right there close by. That cruel post and beam, being long empty of Jesus, was also the place of His profound emptiness on the darkest day.  Can you imagine being completely alone in tremendous pain in the dark with no hope of rescue? Your loved ones – even those who’ve not turned their backs on you – can do nothing, and the one person you’ve always relied upon and trusted is nowhere to be found.  You’re mocked, and abandoned and betrayed and forgotten. Empty. Like no one before nor since has been or ever will be . . .

Soon after,  the cross itself would be emptied of His lifelessness, to stand alone, a timeless symbol of the selfless act of love, without which, we Christians would  be empty of life. But there’s more. Follow the path from the cross to the place where our Saviour Lord was entombed. It’s not far, but it is a dark and lonely walk on the darkest day, for the Beloved is dead. All hope is lost. What was it He told us? In our desolation, we’ve forgotten . . .

But the tomb’s seal is broken. The burdensome stone is rolled to the side. His body is not inside. The empty clothing says He Is Risen in concert with the angel’s  “He is not here”! In shock, we jump back as the whispering of ten thousand wings of light radiate out the door from a point inside, spreading in an expanding cone like that of a megaphone or the bell of a horn. It’s the beginning of a small hope being amplified and multiplied. (He told us we would see Him in Galilee)

There is a symbol in mathematics meaning “greater than”:

  > 

That is what the expanding hope of the empty tomb looks like. The hope of Jesus resurrected and alive is indeed greater, more than, and far better than anything that has happened so far. That hope is still flaring out, having been proclaimed first by the eyewitnesses – the men and women who first saw – and thereafter by the people who heard from them directly by their spoken and written words.

I am but one small voice in the vast cone of the ray of expanding hope of the living Jesus. I ask you to join in if you’re not here already. For as many as received Him and believed in Him, He gave them the right to become the children of God!

                     ~  ~  ~

The cross  and the tomb are empty.  Like the open tomb,  the sacred inner temple of the Kingdom of Heaven also stands open, its thick barrier curtain torn apart because of Jesus’ loving sacrifice.  The three Persons of the Trinity invite us inside. God has left the invitation on your heart and in your soul. It is an eternal one. It comes from “That of Himself”! Please let us not ignore that wonderful invitation, or set it aside. It is clear as the light of day and we are without excuse.

Happy Resurrection Sunday, dear reader!
Be filled with the Expanding Hope of Christ Jesus,
For, He is Risen! He is Risen Indeed!
With love,
Your Gloryteller

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Our Mighty Personal God

22 Feb 2024 2 Comments

If I said to you. “God is a personal God,” what would you think? How would you picture God as being your “personal” God?
The common explanation is that God can be thought of, regarded, and responded to, as a personage (although, in this case, the highest Personage there is) with whom one can interact like a fellow human rather than an impersonal abstraction. This explanation certainly seems feasible since the second person in the holy Trinity, Jesus, was (and is) fully human (and fully God).
Exploring further, I was thinking about how we humans interact with one another. We talk together and discuss things. We do things together. We celebrate, grieve, rejoice, encourage, give gifts, serve, work, and simply be together. There is presence – we are present with one another, just as God is present with us as we do all the above things. He is not only present, but He desires to interact and participate with individuals as they navigate through life.

personal-of, relating to, or based on, the existence or presence of a person.
Why would the all-knowing, all-powerful, ever-present Creator of everything want a close relationship with an ordinary human? Because He is our creator, and He loves us intensely. (I don’t fully understand why, but He has made that fact quite clear)  Before time began He drew our blueprint. He worked out all our details with loving intention and fine-tuned our design. He is the Cause, we are the effect!

Genesis 1:27 – God created mankind in His own image – male and female.
Psalm 139: 13-14 -For you created my inmost being*;  you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise You because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Your works are wonderful, I know that full well.
Jeremiah 1:5 – Before I formed you in the womb I knew you.
Jeremiah 29:11 – For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you not to harm you, for good and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.
Isaiah 41:10 -So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God.
Acts 17:27 – . . . that they should seek God and perhaps feel their way toward Him and find Him. Yet He is not far from each one of us.
Matthew 1:23  – Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call His name Immanuel which means “God with us”.
Hebrews 13:5 – . . . and be content with what you have, for He has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”

personal–belonging to, or affecting a particular person.
We belong to the Father (not as possessions, per se, but as family members, and as His people)

Psalm 100:3 – Know that the Lord is God! It is He who made us, and we are His . . .
Ephesians 1:5 – In love, He predestined us for adoption to Himself as heirs through Jesus Christ . . .
Ephesians 1: 11 – In Him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things . . .
Matthew 18:14 – In the same way your Father in heaven does not want to lose any of these little ones.
1 John 4:19 –  We love Him because He first loved us.
John 4:15 – If you love me, you will keep my commandments. (Jesus)

personal-concerning one’s private life or relationships, rather than public life. (We also have a less personal, but no less important, public life with Him)
There is a private and confidential aspect. He desires an intimate (close) interaction, association, and affiliation that need not be confided to anyone else.
You know what God has saved you from – the life He took you out of – the things you have been forgiven – the things He has intentionally forgotten and removed as far as the East is from the West.
You may choose to tell others about those things, but it’s not at all mandatory. There are things that can remain between you and God, not that they are secrets, as such, but things you confess to Him when repentance occurs.

personal– done face-to-face in person with no others involved. (This is similar to the above ideas)
I’m not an expert on personal relationships, but I’ve observed that the good and meaningful ones have some things in common, like effective communication, trust, showing appreciation, expressing gratitude, showing empathy and compassion, forgiving, and most of all, employing love, which binds all those things together.
1 Thessalonians 5:16 – Rejoice always, pray continually (be in constant communication), give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
Ephesians 6:18 – And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.
John 4:4 – Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.
James 4:12 – There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the One who is able to save and destroy.
2 Corinthians 5:10 – For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.
Matthew 25:23 – “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’

God is indeed our personal God, in His personal presence with us; in that, we personally belong to Him; in our personal private life with Him; in our face-to-face personal interactions with Him, and in other profound ways I haven’t thought of at the moment. Personally, I hope you think about it and find some other ways for yourself.

My personal best regards, dear reader. May you enjoy an increasingly wonderful personal relationship with our Mighty Personal God.

*All Scriptural italicizations and emphases are mine.

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Happy New Year!

02 Jan 2024 4 Comments

Jesus says in Revelation, “Behold, I’m making all things new.”  ALL THINGS! This morning and every morning I feel new. I awake from a different world – one of dreams, or simply of unconscious nothingness. Taking up consciousness is a transition to something I consider “better”. I feel new and renewed and thankful to be so.
I’m among many people I know who at one time during their lives were made new. We were reborn into new life as believers in Jesus Christ. Transformed. Given new purpose and new hope. Treated to the Joy of Knowing the Lord. Knowing He is always present and I am no longer alone – ever. Knowing He will never leave nor forget about me. Knowing His immense love for me will always be.
The writer of Ecclesiastes said there is nothing new under the sun and all in the world is meaningless. It’s true! Without God, everything is indeed without meaning! I know because I can compare both states of existence. The before and after.
Many people ask if Jesus is “real”. Did He, does He, really exist? It’s mostly rhetorical, for they doubt He did; they are certain in their heads that He doesn’t, or if He ever did He was no more than a teacher of morality and ethics. They mockingly reduce Him to a historical figure or a fairy-tale image, not knowing what they do to themselves slandering our very Lord and Savior, miraculous healer under the Father, Emmanuel – God on earth with us, Who sacrificed Himself on purpose to pay for our sins and give us the chance to be right with God. The One resurrected to life and raised into Heaven to intercede for us and is doing so for me even as I write this.
More and more people are really wanting to know. Does He exist? Is He real? Not mockingly but with a glimmer of hope. Perhaps something about Christmas sparks curiosity. Perhaps they see something in us. Perhaps something about our lives prompts them to say “I want what they have!” To their sincere questions, I respond:
Is Jesus real? Yes! He meets all the requirements of existence. He is reality itself!  In all ways Jesus is the only thing that was, is, and ever will be “real”- “real” being Truth – true reality.  He spoke truth, He cannot lie, when He said “I Am the Way, the Truth, and the Life.” (Way-The Means by which a thing can happen; Truth-the One and Only Reality; Life-the Essence of Being, the Epitome of Existence, the complete transcendence over death) Then He says, “No one comes to the Father except through me.”
I believe Him! What would it take for you to believe Him if you don’t already? You can’t know Him until you experience Him, and you can do that if you simply surrender, seek him through Bible reading or through talking with believers, attend a church where you can learn of Him through Bible study and worship, and especially talk to Him in prayer. He’s waiting. He’s listening. His greatest joy would be to hear from you. What a joyful thing it is when belief and faith take root and you begin to experience His presence in your life. I’m praying for your happy new year, but most of all I’m praying right this moment for your happy new life!

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Good Friday? Good Sunday! Resurrection Sunday!

15 Apr 2022 Leave a comment

    As time goes by, reading this well-worn post bothers me more and more. I don’t like talking about pain, torture, death, sacrifice, and heartache, but I need to face the truth. There is raw truth in what follows:

Today is Good Friday. This is the day of remembrance of how our Lord Jesus suffered the agony of torture and death for our great benefit. I can justify that name only with some mental gymnastics . . .
Like the criminal on His right, I believe some part of me hung there and died with Him that day – the darkest part that needed to be put to death – in order that I might be saved into eternal life and be with Him always. Like He spoke to that wretched, miserable, condemned and dying man, He still speaks to me, to us all, today through His Word, with labored breath, gasping one painful word at a time as if we are face to face –

“I   Forgive  You” “You  Shall  Be  With  Me  . . .” 

   When I stood accused of selfish sins and crimes that I knew I was guilty of, He, in effect, said to me as He stood there (weak, trembling, and covered with blood)  (and tears try to form as I say it) :

“Don’t worry, you’re “good”. Get behind Me. I love you too much to let this happen to you. I’ve got this.”

   I can’t help but feel His torture and death were my fault in a sense.  (My brothers and sisters argue that they share the blame, which may be true, but I maintain that, in a sense, I’m the most at fault)  He went ahead and saved me anyway. He went to the cross in my place. All He asked is that I repent (turn away from sin and toward Him) and that I believe in Him and proclaim Him as my risen Lord and Savior – so He forgave me that fault –  “It’s forgotten,”  He says, graciously.

What kind of Love? . . . I can scarcely fathom.
As the song says, “Love has a name,
And it is JESUS!”

   So, I don’t know about the “Good” part of Good Friday. I’m ambivalent, unsure.
It is also called Black Friday and Holy Friday, either of which I can relate to, especially “Holy Friday”,  but hardly Good Friday? Except that good resulted from it.
And, one can’t have a resurrection without a death, especially THE Resurrection following THE Death,
both of which rocked the foundations of the world, as did His birth. Everything about Him did!

   If anything should be called “Good”, it is Resurrection Day. What happened that day is the most radically important event ever in history (His Story) – “Good Sunday” if you will – the joyous day that I (we) returned to life and lived through Him, and had Life real and true because of Him, and through His return to life, His defeat of death, we were shown the true meaning of Love.

Resurrection, to me, is like “rebirth” – the return of life into something that was dead.

   I once again turn to Keith and Kristyn Getty, and Stuart Townend,  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 renewed at the foot of that one horrible, and glorious, cross . . .

Thank you victoryinjesus123 for uploading this beautiful video.

Oh, and one more thing – the power of the cross is only the beginning.
The power of His victory over death lies at the doorstep outside the joyously-open doorway of His empty tomb! Let us each tread that step, leave our tombs, and embrace new life the way He showed us!

THANK YOU, JESUS!
That hardly seems enough to say,
Yet it is heartfelt.
Father, I pray you help us LIVE those three words.
Amen

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Image by Gloryteller

God Gives Lavishly! Give Back To Him A Richly Amplified Offering!

15 Dec 2020 Leave a comment

At Christmastime when I was a boy, my dad understood the relative poverty of his children, so he would give us each a small amount of money to be spent on gifts for the other family members. That was after Mom had  bought all the presents for each of us, spending, most likely, “too much” money already. What was a small amount to him was a small fortune to us, as we received no “allowances”, so we each felt rich as we happily shopped with Mom and picked out trinkets and treasures for our siblings and parents.
Wrapping the gifts was fun, but the best part was the excited anticipation we had for Christmas morning when the family would partake in what we children had built in our minds to be the Olympics of giving and receiving. It was as good as it gets, and after all the unwrapping, and showing, and laughing, and modeling, and playing, and cheering, and thanking, we all felt richer and more blessed than we were before. But it was Dad and Mom, I think, who felt the most blessed, for having given to us so that we could bless each other with gifts. The investment of money they gave us came back to them, multiplied, in seeing generosity, unselfishness, and brotherly love instilled into us and put into action.
And so it is with God. He began giving early. In fact, long before mankind was even here to receive it, He gave us light! He gave us water and land – a nice place to live. In the water and on the land, He provided good things for us to eat – a perfect garden containing everything we would need. And if that were not enough, He gave us His love. He gave us His Spirit-presence. All He asked was that we love Him from our hearts, and display a small and reasonable amount of obedience, even that being a gift for our own good. But mankind had a hard time with that, so later, He gave us a baby – His physical presence – our Savior and Redeemer, Jesus. In that tiny presence was contained an unfathomable amount of love and light!

We celebrate His birth extravagantly on a day we name Christmas.
because
He is our everything!
He provides all we need!
He left His abundance and took on our poverty
in order to bless us with abundant life! 
He gives lavishly out of His abundance,
into our poverty, that we may graciously bless others.

Whether the gift of writing, of singing, of making music, of delivering a message, of healing, of encouraging, of hospitality, of giving time or treasures, of working or helping, of giving testimony, of sowing evangelistic seeds, of doing a kindness, of giving a hug, or a simple smile, you do have one gift – or more – that you can share with others who might be, in a sense, destitute until they receive your unique offering.

Remember:
God gives to us out of His riches,
The gifts we receive are to bless others,
When we thus bless others, we gift back to Him
A richly amplified Love Offering,
Which is one of the greatest Christmas gifts
 The Father could unwrap.

All these good things were, and are, from God.
Shouldn’t we make sure our gratitude gets back to Him
through the proper channels?

Blessings for a joyous season of giving and receiving
now and all through the new year,
your Gloryteller.

Image by Gloryteller

Independence Day Food For Thought

04 Jul 2020 Leave a comment

I like a good paradox: 

It seems counter-intuitive, but the truest, most lasting freedom comes from giving up one’s independence. Sounds wrong, right?  What do you think I mean by that? *

?  ?  ?  ?  ?  ?  ?  ?  ?

* Give up being independent from the Lord. Instead, be independent from sin; from the need for large amounts of status, power, and money. Trust and depend on Jesus alone for your freedom, and you will be free indeed; free at last!

Happy 4th of July!  God bless you, dear reader, and God bless America!
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Image by Gloryteller

It’s Hard To Dance When You Don’t Hear The Music

14 Nov 2018 2 Comments

^^^

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To my friend who does not yet hear The Music,
Who does not yet believe it exists.
Who cannot fathom dancing with our Creator:


I used to be deaf to The Music,
the special kind of music between The Creator and His creation.

It is said that those who dance are considered insane by someone who doesn’t hear the music. 

Like many older men and women who thought they had heard it all and were comfortable in their ignorance, unaware of their deafness, I began to hear The Music. I had joined the community of the blessed.
At first a faint melody, but with time it became clearer, enjoyably compelling, and then it began to move my limbs, one at a time; then, my soul. At first a happy flute solo, and with time, a rich, full symphony.

It was a lot like not being able to hear it when a person blows a dog whistle, but you can clearly see that a dog hears it, because you can see the dog’s reaction when it is blown. Thus, you begin to understand the “insane” people. They obviously hear something you don’t and are reacting naturally to it. They are not insane. Their confident dancing arises out of the irresistible music that moves them, and they beckon you to join them.

To those who are perishing, it is foolishness, but for those who hear it, it is life.

Knowing God, and having a relationship with Him is like that. It is a music that only believers in Him can hear and understand. What complete and utter joy there is in dancing to that incomparable Music!

It is not beyond you to hear it.
I believe our Maker places the ability to hear Himself in every person. And not only the ability, but an innate inner longing to hear it. Many ignore it. In many it has been buried deep under the rubble of hurt.  Many deny it, or shun it, or slander it, but His Music persists all around us and it is definitely there to be heard.

My hope; my prayer, is that sooner or later you will listen for it, and will hear it, whether it begins faintly or thunders suddenly. Better sooner than later, better later than never, because dancing for Him; with Him, is nothing less than life itself; it is everlasting life!

I implore you, listen for it! Take a leap of faith. Begin to trust. Let yourself hear and believe.
You might begin to hear The Music in a voice, a birdsong, a waterfall, an orchestra, in wind chimes, or simply as a compelling inner tune that your soul cannot deny. You might hear it surrounded by the silence following a heavy snowfall, or alone in a meadow, or on a mountaintop.  If you be still and listen past your own noise, you will hear it just as I did.
Just as I still do, and will always.
I like being one of the “insane dancers”. I have never been so grateful for anything, as I have for the gift of hearing His Music and following it to Him Who has an unconditional love for me. I would like it much better if everyone would tune their ear, and turn their ear, to that incredible Music, and begin The Dance of Life.

O Lord, let me always be ready with a megaphone, a personal sound system,  an instrument, a singing voice. Let me always be an amplifier, a ” hearing-aid” for Your song! 

My friend, once you’ve heard the purity; the truth, in its melody; the love and peace in its harmony, you will know what I mean, you will join us, and your heart will begin its own joyful dance.

Love to you.
Always,
Gloryteller

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Image by Gloryteller

Her First Christmas Card

04 Dec 2016 2 Comments

He writes poems.
He writes fantasy fiction stories.

But can he write a “romantic” Christmas story?
We shall see . . .

To my own
Morning Star:

 

 

             All is calm, all is bright. “Just for us”.

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Her First Christmas Card

Between. That’s where he was. Dave was between sleep and consciousness. Between clarity and the fog brought about by unbidden change. Between the deep mystery of Christmas Eve and the lambent hope he always found on Christmas Day.

He was warm and relaxed under Mary’s favorite comforter. Although teetering on the rim of the slope leading back down into the pool of sleep, he began to remember. Years of Christmas memories. Welcome, warm ones. She was in them all from the beginning.
He remembered the greeting card he had bought her before their first Christmas together. Undelivered that first Christmas, he had left it in his sock drawer under his mother’s Bible. It had languished there, regretfully, because of circumstances better left buried. Complicated days, those had been. He had needed to address some personal problems. He had been a fool. Yet, in the months of the following new year, he and Mary had worked their way through those problems with love, respect, and with indispensable Divine help.  He gave her the card the next Christmas, when it could be sincerely and wholeheartedly given.

In spite of all their years of experience in the Church, even now, the responsibilities and demands of the season had once more come between them; kept them too much apart yet again; highlighted their differences; hampered communication; brought frustrations, and then prevented resolution of those frustrations. When he tried to picture them together in unity, in oneness, the image of “One Being” kept sliding apart into two images, like that of binoculars which refused to stay in focus. How he longed to have everything right and perfect between them.

So it was only right tonight that he remember that first Christmas card, for reading it together had become one of the centerpieces of their unity during many joyous Christmases . . .

“Because You Mean So Much”,

it said, above pine branches and a sprig of holly complete with red berries. He pictured it in his mind and smiled in the recalling.

Gilded around the edges. Swirling red flower stems and buds as a background for the message. He had memorized the front:

“I believe that God brings certain people into our lives for a reason.

Some days it’s to help us see something new and wonderful.
Sometimes it’s to encourage us and strengthen our faith.

And sometimes it’s to remind us that we are never truly alone….”

He nodded in affirmation. Mentally, he opened the card. The same evergreen pine and holly
above a verse:

“How natural it is that I should feel as I do about
you, for you have a very special place in my heart”, Philippians 1:7.”

The two tears which began forming in his ever-green eyes testified to the truth of that scriptural passage. How appropriate that the verse was centered on the left-hand page, for it had been the heart of his message to her. He had to pry his attention from it to the continuance of the main message found on the last page:

“Whatever purpose God had in bringing us together,

I’m just grateful that He did.

You’ve been a real source of understanding in my life,

and it means more to me than I can ever say

to have the gift of your friendship and caring.”

“Merry
Christmas”

He grinned unreservedly.

He had held his heart too close – or maybe not close enough. Missed some chances back then. It took months to recover his balance, but thanks to prayer, God had sent blessings, grace, and miracles.

He was wide awake now. All was calm and all was bright. Too calm and too bright? Moonlight traced a bright rectangle on the carpet as he became aware that her warmth and her steady breathing were absent. She wasn’t next to him in their big bed. Throwing back the comforter, he moved his legs over the edge, put his bare feet on the floor, and stood up intent on finding and joining her. He was almost through the bedroom door when he turned back. There it was, right where he kept it under the Bible, behind the socks. He grasped the red envelope which contained his first Christmas greeting to his beloved.

As he passed the arched doorway to the kitchen, the new stove caught his eye with its bright, clean, modern lines. The old one had been serviceable, but was badly worn. It had possessed none of the new digital gadgets. It was ordinary. “Kind of like me?” He mused. He missed the old thing. He was sentimental that way. He remembered all the times they had danced near that stove, especially while meals were being prepared upon it. It had been a place of comfort in the chill of winter. Amused, he remembered the big pots of chili being prepared for company – with large pans of cornbread in the oven. Ahhh, the smells! Ahhh, the dancing in the close embrace of his Mary!
Down the hall he turned the corner and there she was, silhouetted in front of the glass doors which opened onto the deck. Looking out upon the snow-covered cornfields, she was radiant even in her white flannel pajamas – the ones with the little candy canes among the faces of angelic-looking sleeping children. Moonlit brightly! The filmy, sheer blue gown she wore over her ‘jams’ added to her mystery. Heartwrenchingly lovely! His Morning Star! Gosh, she was something truly special!

“I knew you would come, I felt it,” she said quietly. Her pretty brown eyes seemed moist. Had she been crying? “Our moon is perfectly full tonight of all nights!”

“Mary.” He kept his voice soft and low. “Wow, it sure is big! I think that’s the brightest, most beautiful one I’ve ever seen, and so unusually far to the northeast!” Perhaps he was annoyingly analytical at times. “Just for us, do you think?” He put his arms around her from behind.
“Yes, I’m sure this one is just for us”, she whispered . . . . . .

“Dave? I was just thinking of my lovely, perfect, Christmas card that you like to read to me every year on Christmas Eve. Would you read it to me later, in bed? I really need that tonight. Our closeness hasn’t been as close as I would like.”
“My love, I have it right here.”
“Wow,” she exclaimed in wonder and delight as he gently turned her to face him. Then he kissed her. It lasted. They paused, and, inspired, he began whispering the words to ‘Silent Night’. She joined him then, and they were softly singing together, for only with him could she truly sing her heart’s song…..And he, his. Only with her.
They sang, began swaying, then began dancing. In close embrace. Rejoicing together by the light of the Christmas full moon.

Angels danced unseen, and sang as well. Dave and Mary could feel them near.
“Silent night, holy, holy, holy, night. All is calm, all is bright.”

Right on cue, the grandfather clock began “chiming twelve” as if to say, “Re-joice, re-joice, for-Christ-the-Lord-is-born-this-day!”

He counted the twelve syllables aloud just to make sure, for he was compulsive that way. She giggled happily. Ring-ringing! Exactly twelve chimes – twelve wondrous sounds with meaning reverberating through eternity.
They looked into each others’ eyes and said in unexpected unison, as was their habit and their gift, “Happy Birthday Jesus” . . . . . . . . . . . .  Eyes wide – always amazed when this happened.

Then : “I Love You, always remember that!” In unexpected unison, they had done it again!
Green twinkles and brown sparkles swirled as their eyes shone . . .

Their images resolved into One.
Under the brilliant full moon,
All Heaven and Earth
celebrated, rejoicing with them.

The angels kept dancing,

And so did they.

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Peace, Love, and Hope
Beyond your understanding,
Be yours tonight.
Merry Christmas, 12-24-2012 (updated-2015)

Footnote:
I have been watching the night sky, as is my habit,
and I have been anticipating that there might be a real
full moon . . .
And sure enough! A rare Christmas full moon!
Tonight – Christmas eve – the night of December 24
and morning of December 25, 2015!
I’m delighted, for part of my story is fulfilled,
even though I wrote this years ago!

I ‘looked up’ the details and found that
this phenomenon hasn’t happened for 34 years,
and won’t occur again for another 19 years.
I thank God for His continuous wonders!
(One of which is you, dear reader! You are a gift from God!)
Thank You!
Your gloryteller, Len
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© Copyright by Lenn Snider 12-24-2012

Image by Gloryteller

Good Friday? Good Sunday!

25 Mar 2016 1 Comment

It is Good Friday.  This is the day of remembrance of how my Lord Jesus suffered the agony of torture and death.
Like the criminal on His right, I believe a part of me hung there and died with Him that day – the dark part that needed to be put to death – in order that I might be saved into eternal life with Him. Like He spoke to that wretched, miserable, condemned man, He still speaks to me today through His Word, with labored breath, gasping one painful word at a time as if we are face to face –
                  “I. Forgive. You.” “You. Shall. Be. With. Me . . .” 

When I stood accused of selfish sins and crimes that I knew I was guilty of, He effectively said to me as He stood there weak, trembling, and covered with blood:
“Don’t worry, you’re “good”.  Get behind Me.   I love you too much to let this happen to you. I’ve got this.” 

His torture and death were my fault in a sense.  (My brothers and sisters argue that it is theirs, which may be true, but I maintain I am the guiltiest)   He went ahead and saved me anyway. He forgave me that fault –  “It’s forgotten,”  He said, graciously.

What kind of Love? . . . I can scarcely fathom.

So, I don’t know about the “Good” part of Good Friday.
It is also called Black Friday and Holy Friday, either of which I can relate to, especially “Holy Friday”,  but hardly Good Friday, except that good resulted from it.
You can’t have a resurrection without a death, especially THE Resurrection following THE Death,
both of which rocked the foundations of the world.

If anything should be called “Good”, it is Resurrection Day – “Good Sunday” if you will – the joyous day that I lived through Him, and had Life because of Him, and was shown the true meaning of Love.


I once again turn to Stuart Townend, 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 renewed at the foot of that one horrible, and glorious, cross………..

Thank you victoryinjesus123 for uploading this beautiful video.

Oh, and one more thing – the power of the cross is only the beginning.
The power of His victory over death lies at the doorstep beneath the joyously-open doorway of His empty tomb!
THANK YOU, JESUS!
That hardly seems enough to say,
Yet it is heartfelt.
Father, help me LIVE those three words.

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Image by Gloryteller

Oh, Heart! Seek Happiness? Accept Joy!

12 Mar 2016 2 Comments

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❤

Oh, Heart,
is it happiness you seek?
Happiness highly desirable?
Yet dependent?
Elusive happiness?
Happy chasings of things outside yourself?
Oh, frivolous pursuit!
Oh, Fleeting Fates!
Oh, Fickle Muses!
Oh, changing time and seasons!
Oh, whims and peculiarities of others.
Oh, Heart!

The perhaps;
the unhaps.
Ah, to erase,
to replace the un.
Happy-chance relies on happenstance.
The right things need to HAPPEN,
Oh, Heart,
for happiness to come.
Aye, to come, yet it so quickly goes . . .
So often it flees and will not stay in permanence
because something else happened unforeseen,
or didn’t,
or someone loved,
and changed,
or did not,
or lied,
or stole,
or went away,
or stayed the same,
or quit,
or gave up,
or did not last,
or laughed,
or betrayed,
or let chances pass.
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But,
Oh, Heart!
Have you considered Joy?
Joy is different.
It’s beyond definition,
although the world tries to define it,
confine it,
call it an emotion.
The world calls it synonymous with happiness,
But it is far from the same.
Joy is elementally incomprehensible if you don’t have it.
Oh, Extreme,
Oh, Deep,
Oh, Profound,
Utterly overwhelming,
at times,
but not captive of time,
nor whims of others,
nor Fates and Muses,
nor the chase, nor bruises,
save the Great Chase of Christ,
of His children;
His Divine Romancing,
of His bride.
Oh, Heart,
when you slow,
and turn,
and let Him catch your tattered strings,
and you let Him in,
and you see, and touch, and savor
His Joy,
and suddenly it is yours,
Oh, Heart!
Oh, Abiding gift!

Is it, then, Joy you might seek?
Joy so independent of what has happened;
is happening;
will happen?
Joy in knowing,
in enjoying a walk with Jesus,
joining with Jesus,
rejoicing in Jesus?
Great delight?
Rich fullness?
Exceeding gladness, oh, Heart?
Inside your own walls!
Happiness multiplied X times!

To have happiness and Joy together,
oh, Heart, is a precious gift.
But,
take heart,
Joy persists even in sadness.
No one can steal your Joy
unless you let it be taken.

There is unhappiness,
But there is no unjoyness.

Joy wells up from deep inside,
Overflows to the outside,
is a living, life-giving, sustaining thing;
is abundant, noticeable, contagious;
is independent of external forces.

As happiness is precarious,
Joy is precise.

As happiness happens to you,
Joy joins with you.
Joy jumps with you!

“Happiness” is mentioned about 30 times in the Bible,
Oh, Heart,
while “Joy” is proclaimed about 300 times!

Happiness runs through your fingers the harder you try to hold it.
Joy wells up, overflows cupped hands,
and is unlimited at its source.

Oh, Heart!
Let the Lord  remake you to contain
even a small vial of the Joy in His glory.

Happiness comes from what happens, Oh, My Heart,
Joy comes from Jesus!

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Listen, Oh, Heart!
Happiness flows in and flows away.
No one knows if it might stay.
But Joy!
Joy, Oh Heart, ever bubbles from its Source.
Welling up endlessly, any time of day,
Or in any season.
Happiness depends.
It needs a reason.
But because He lives in you,
Oh, Heart,
Your Joy will never end.

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© 4-29-13 Gloryteller – L.S.
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Image by Gloryteller

Her First Christmas Card

23 Dec 2015 Leave a comment

He writes poems.
He writes fantasy fiction stories.

But can he write a “romantic” Christmas story?
We shall see . . .

To my own
Morning Star:

 

 

             All is calm, all is bright. “Just for us”.

  •  * * * *
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Her First Christmas Card

Between. That’s where he was. Dave was between sleep and consciousness. Between clarity and the fog brought about by unbidden change. Between the deep mystery of Christmas Eve and the lambent hope he always found on Christmas Day.

He was warm and relaxed under Mary’s favorite comforter. Although teetering on the rim of the slope leading back down into the pool of sleep, he began to remember. Years of Christmas memories. Welcome, warm ones. She was in them all from the beginning.
He remembered the greeting card he had bought her before their first Christmas together. Undelivered that first Christmas, he had left it in his sock drawer under his mother’s Bible. It had languished there, regretfully, because of circumstances better left buried. Complicated days, those had been. He had needed to address some personal problems. He had been a fool. Yet, in the months of the following new year, he and Mary had worked their way through those problems with love, respect, and with indispensable Divine help.  He gave her the card the next Christmas, when it could be sincerely and wholeheartedly given.

In spite of all their years of experience in the Church, even now, the responsibilities and demands of the season had once more come between them; kept them too much apart yet again; highlighted their differences; hampered communication; brought frustrations, and then prevented resolution of those frustrations. When he tried to picture them together in unity, in oneness, the image of “One Being” kept sliding apart into two images, like that of binoculars which refused to stay in focus. How he longed to have everything right and perfect between them.

So it was only right tonight that he remember that first Christmas card, for reading it together had become one of the centerpieces of their unity during many joyous Christmases . . .

“Because You Mean So Much”,

it said, above pine branches and a sprig of holly complete with red berries. He pictured it in his mind and smiled in the recalling.

Gilded around the edges. Swirling red flower stems and buds as a background for the message. He had memorized the front:

“I believe that God brings certain people into our lives for a reason.

Some days it’s to help us see something new and wonderful.
Sometimes it’s to encourage us and strengthen our faith.

And sometimes it’s to remind us that we are never truly alone….”

He nodded in affirmation. Mentally, he opened the card. The same evergreen pine and holly
above a verse:

“How natural it is that I should feel as I do about
you, for you have a very special place in my heart”, Philippians 1:7.”

The two tears which began forming in his ever-green eyes testified to the truth of that scriptural passage. How appropriate that the verse was centered on the left-hand page, for it had been the heart of his message to her. He had to pry his attention from it to the continuance of the main message found on the last page:

“Whatever purpose God had in bringing us together,

I’m just grateful that He did.

You’ve been a real source of understanding in my life,

and it means more to me than I can ever say

to have the gift of your friendship and caring.”

“Merry
Christmas”

He grinned unreservedly.

He had held his heart too close – or maybe not close enough. Missed some chances back then. It took months to recover his balance, but thanks to prayer, God had sent blessings, grace, and miracles.

He was wide awake now. All was calm and all was bright. Too calm and too bright? Moonlight traced a bright rectangle on the carpet as he became aware that her warmth and her steady breathing were absent. She wasn’t next to him in their big bed. Throwing back the comforter, he moved his legs over the edge, put his bare feet on the floor, and stood up intent on finding and joining her. He was almost through the bedroom door when he turned back. There it was, right where he kept it under the Bible, behind the socks. He grasped the red envelope which contained his first Christmas greeting to his beloved.

As he passed the arched doorway to the kitchen, the new stove caught his eye with its bright, clean, modern lines. The old one had been serviceable, but was badly worn. It had possessed none of the new digital gadgets. It was ordinary. “Kind of like me?” He mused. He missed the old thing. He was sentimental that way. He remembered all the times they had danced near that stove, especially while meals were being prepared upon it. It had been a place of comfort in the chill of winter. Amused, he remembered the big pots of chili being prepared for company – with large pans of cornbread in the oven. Ahhh, the smells! Ahhh, the dancing in the close embrace of his Mary!
Down the hall he turned the corner and there she was, silhouetted in front of the glass doors which opened onto the deck. Looking out upon the snow-covered cornfields, she was radiant even in her white flannel pajamas – the ones with the little candy canes among the faces of angelic-looking sleeping children. Moonlit brightly! The filmy, sheer blue gown she wore over her ‘jams’ added to her mystery. Heartwrenchingly lovely! His Morning Star! Gosh, she was something truly special!

“I knew you would come, I felt it,” she said quietly. Her pretty brown eyes seemed moist. Had she been crying? “Our moon is perfectly full tonight of all nights!”

“Mary.” He kept his voice soft and low. “Wow, it sure is big! I think that’s the brightest, most beautiful one I’ve ever seen, and so unusually far to the northeast!” Perhaps he was annoyingly analytical at times. “Just for us, do you think?” He put his arms around her from behind.
“Yes, I’m sure this one is just for us”, she whispered . . . . . .

“Dave? I was just thinking of my lovely, perfect, Christmas card that you like to read to me every year on Christmas Eve. Would you read it to me later, in bed? I really need that tonight. Our closeness hasn’t been as close as I would like.”
“My love, I have it right here.”
“Wow,” she exclaimed in wonder and delight as he gently turned her to face him. Then he kissed her. It lasted. They paused, and, inspired, he began whispering the words to ‘Silent Night’. She joined him then, and they were softly singing together, for only with him could she truly sing her heart’s song…..And he, his. Only with her.
They sang, began swaying, then began dancing. In close embrace. Rejoicing together by the light of the Christmas full moon.

Angels danced unseen, and sang as well. Dave and Mary could feel them near.
“Silent night, holy, holy, holy, night. All is calm, all is bright.”

Right on cue, the grandfather clock began “chiming twelve” as if to say, “Re-joice, re-joice, for-Christ-the-Lord-is-born-this-day!”

He counted the twelve syllables aloud just to make sure, for he was compulsive that way. She giggled happily. Ring-ringing! Exactly twelve chimes – twelve wondrous sounds with meaning reverberating through eternity.
They looked into each others’ eyes and said in unexpected unison, as was their habit and their gift, “Happy Birthday Jesus” . . . . . . . . . . . .  Eyes wide – always amazed when this happened.

Then : “I Love You, always remember that!” In unexpected unison, they had done it again!
Green twinkles and brown sparkles swirled as their eyes shone . . .

Their images resolved into One.
Under the brilliant full moon,
All Heaven and Earth
celebrated, rejoicing with them.

The angels kept dancing,

And so did they.

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Peace, Love, and Hope
Beyond your understanding,
Be yours tonight.
Merry Christmas, 12-24-2012 (-2015)

Footnote:
I have been watching the night sky, as is my habit,
and I have been anticipating that there might be a real
full moon . . .
And sure enough! A rare Christmas full moon!
Tonight – Christmas eve – the night of December 24
and morning of December 25!
I’m delighted, for part of my story is fulfilled,
even though I wrote this years ago!

I ‘looked up’ the details and found that
this phenomenon hasn’t happened for 34 years,
and won’t occur again for another 19 years.
I thank God for His continuous wonders!
(One of which is you, dear reader! You are a gift from God!)
Thank You!
Your gloryteller, Len
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© Copyright by Lenn Snider 12-24-2012

Image by Gloryteller

Good Friday? Good Sunday!

03 Apr 2015 4 Comments

by Gloryteller in Christ, Christian Fiction, Christian Music, Easter, Forgiveness, God's Glory, Good News, Jesus Christ, Redemption, Resurrection, Resurrection Sunday, Salvation, Worship Music Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,

It is Good Friday.  This is the day of remembrance of how my Lord Jesus suffered the agony of torture and death.  A part of me died with Him that day – the part that needed to.

When I stood accused of selfish sins and crimes that I knew I was guilty of, He effectively said to me as He stood there weak, trembling, and covered with blood: “Don’t worry, you’re good.  Get behind Me.   I love you too much to let this happen to you. I’ve got this.” 

His torture and death were my fault.  (my brothers and sisters argue that it is theirs, but I am the guiltiest)  But He forgave me that fault and went ahead and saved me anyway.  “It’s forgotten,”  He said, graciously.

So, I don’t know about the “Good” part of Good Friday.  It is also called Black Friday and Holy Friday, either of which I can relate to, especially “Holy Friday”,  but hardly Good Friday, except that good resulted from it.  You can’t have a resurrection without a death, especially THE Resurrection following THE Death that rocked the foundations of the world.

If anything should be called “Good”, it is Resurrection Day – “Good Sunday”, the joyous day that I lived through Him, and had Life because of Him, and was shown the true meaning of Love.

I once again turn to Stuart Townend, 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 renewed at the foot of that one horrible, and glorious, cross………..

Thank you victoryinjesus123 for uploading this beautiful video.

Oh, and one more thing – the power of the cross is only the beginning.  The power of His victory over death lies at the doorstep beneath the joyously-open doorway of His empty tomb!  THANK YOU, JESUS!

Thankful For A Grateful Heart

26 Nov 2014 4 Comments

by Gloryteller 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: , , , , , , , , , , ,

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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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The Psalm That Is Music To My Soul

02 Nov 2014 4 Comments

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Hallelujah!!!
   Have I found 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 define your life,
or are your heart’s fondest song? 
Please share them with all of us. 
  We will be blessed to hear them!
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Image by Gloryteller

Thankful for a Grateful Heart

28 Nov 2013 4 Comments

by Gloryteller 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: , , , , , , , , , , ,

* ^*^ *


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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About The Music Links Below

I don't own, and have no claim on, these music videos. The following are simply links inside my website pointing back to the original locations of the videos. The names of the creators of these videos are cited wherever possible, and only "embedding-enabled" selections are used.

The Basic Christian Library

"Mere Christianity" by C.S. Lewis. This is fundamentally what Christianity is all about.

"The Case for Christ" by Lee Strobel. Another converted atheist presents His compelling case for believing in Jesus.

"Left To Tell" by Imaculee Ilibagiza. This profound work is her own extraordinary story of endurance, discovery of the Holy Spirit, grace, healing, and an astonishingly compelling account of the necessity for forgiveness.

Compelling Christian Fiction Reads

"The Circle" 4-book series by Ted Dekker.
A man is the bridge between two very different worlds. Sound familiar? Can he save both? This T.D. work is brilliant in my book.

"This Present Darkness" and "Piercing the Darkness" by Frank E. Peretti. Tales of spiritual warfare from a unique perspective. Stirred a small controversy, but sold millions. What are we Christians afraid of? Hey, it's fiction!

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