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God Gives That We May Give To Him

20 Feb 2013 6 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. What was a small amount to him was a small fortune to us, so we each 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 modelling, 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 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 gives out of His abundance, into our poverty, that we may bless others.

Remember:
God gives to us out of His riches,
The gifts we receive are to bless others,
Which is our greatest gift to Him, in turn.

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 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 are destitute until they receive your unique offering. All these things came from God. Shouldn’t we make sure they get back to Him through the proper channels?

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Procrastinate. Give Up Later!

19 Feb 2013 Leave a comment

Procrastinate. Give Up Later!

Procrastination can be a good thing.
You can put off saying or doing something hurtful.
You can put off anger and wrath.
You can put off revenge.
You can put off breaking a heart.
And, perhaps best of all, you can put off hurting yourself.

Remember,
You can always give up later,
Never give up now.
Right now, put off giving up,
Always later, never now!
LS<

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Doxology

08 Feb 2013 4 Comments

Doxology

The word “doxology” comes from the Greek words “glory” and “saying”. That sounds a lot like “glorytelling” to me, so lets explore a little deeper.

A doxology is a short prayer, verse, or hymn expressing praise to God. Often poetic, I see it as a triumphant, glorious conclusion to a session of praise and worship of The Triune God by a congregated “body of believers”. Let us review a few of the doxologies available to us to glorify the Father, the Son, and The Holy Spirit:

This one is a familiar doxology, often added at the end of the Lord’s Prayer:
“For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever and ever, Amen.”
This verse seems to be an addition to the ancient text of Matthew 6:13. I rather like it there. It seems right to say this out loud. It can also be sung.

In the Epistle of Jude, the last two verses are considered to be a doxology:
Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen.

This Roman Catholic doxology is sung by the presiding priest after the eucharistic prayer:
Through him, and with him, and in him, O God, almighty Father, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, all glory and honor is yours, forever and ever. Amen.

Here is one I remember singing in the Methodist Church of my youth. It is from an unknown author, and is known as “The Gloria Patri” and “The Lesser Doxology”:
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,
World without end. Amen, Amen.

Certain Canadian Churches, as well as The United Church of Christ, sing this doxology:
Praise God from whom all blessings flow;
Praise God, all creatures here below;
Praise God for all that love has done;
Creator, Christ, and Spirit, One.

Then there is this one, sometimes called “The Greater Doxology”. It is an expansion of Luke 2:14 :
Gloria in Excelsis Deo (Glory to God in the highest)

Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace to men of good will.
We praise You,
we bless You,
We adore You,
We glorify You,
We give thanks to You
For your great glory,
Lord God, Heavenly King,
God the Almighty Father.
Lord Only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ,
Lord God, Lamb of God, Son of the Father,
You Who take away the sins of the world,
have mercy on us.
You Who take away the sins of the world,
hear our prayer.
You Who sit at the right hand of the Father,
have mercy on us.
For You alone are holy,
You alone are the Lord,
You alone are the Most High, Jesus Christ,
With the Holy Spirit
in the glory of God the Father. Amen.

This next is an old standard simply called “The Doxology”. I happily sang this in my youth as well. I’m sure you will recognize it. It goes like this:
Praise God, from Whom all blessings flow;
Praise Him, all creatures here below;
Praise Him above, ye heavenly host;
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.
These lyrics were written by Thomas Ken in 1674 as the final verse of his hymn “Awake, My Soul, and with the Sun”. The music for “Doxology”, which is sung in many churches today, is attributed to Louis Bourgeois and his “Old 100th Genevan Psalter”, from 1551. Here are the complete lyrics of the beautiful “Awake, My Soul,….” :

Awake, my soul, and with the sun
Thy daily stage of duty run;
Shake off dull sloth, and joyful rise,
To pay thy morning sacrifice.

Thy precious time misspent, redeem,
Each present day thy last esteem,
Improve thy talent with due care;
For the great day thyself prepare.

By influence of the Light divine
Let thy own light to others shine.
Reflect all Heaven’s propitious ways
In ardent love, and cheerful praise.

In conversation be sincere;
Keep conscience as the noontide clear;
Think how all seeing God thy ways
And all thy secret thoughts surveys.

Wake, and lift up thyself, my heart,
And with the angels bear thy part,
Who all night long unwearied sing
High praise to the eternal King.

All praise to Thee, who safe has kept
And hast refreshed me while I slept
Grant, Lord, when I from death shall wake
I may of endless light partake.

Heav’n is, dear Lord, where’er Thou art,
O never then from me depart;
For to my soul ’tis hell to be
But for one moment void of Thee.

Lord, I my vows to Thee renew;
Disperse my sins as morning dew.
Guard my first springs of thought and will,
And with Thyself my spirit fill.

Direct, control, suggest, this day,
All I design, or do, or say,
That all my powers, with all their might,
In Thy sole glory may unite.

I would not wake nor rise again
And Heaven itself I would disdain,
Wert Thou not there to be enjoyed,
And I in hymns to be employed.

Praise God, from Whom all blessings flow;
Praise Him, all creatures here below;
Praise Him above, ye heavenly host;
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.

There are many doxologies in the Bible, and they are all a blessing to both worshiper and God. I urge you to find and use them.

In conclusion, I would like to offer my own version of “Doxology” in order to replace the word “ghost” (not that there’s anything wrong with it):

Praise God, from Whom all blessings flow;
Praise Him, all creatures here below;
Praise God, holy Three In One;
Praise loving Father, Spirit, Son.
Amen, Amen.
LS<

What an honor to proclaim His glory,
In doxologies spoken and sung.
For it’s a pleasure to repeat the story,
Of The Father, The Spirit, and Son.
LS<

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Carrier!

30 Jan 2013 4 Comments

Carrier!

Do Not be alarmed by what I have to tell you.
How do I phrase this? ……………………… I’ve been infected.

Years ago, I was exposed. The infectious agent was introduced into my heart through an opening that had not been there before. It was my own doing that it was left open, though. I meant to do it because I had made a choice. I had chosen to invite Salvation in, and thus was exposed to The One Truth, and The Only Life. I was immediately overwhelmed and taken over! Infected! Much like a computer is “infected” by downloading a foreign program that takes over its operation. Much like a human virus that, once inside you, replicates inside one’s cells, not killing, (although I did die to my old self) but changing the DNA. Thus I succumbed.

As a side note, do you know that some scientists propose that nearly 10% of the human genome (the entire “code” of human genetic information) is composed of leftover viral DNA that humans have carried around in their own genes for many thousands of years?

In a like manner, I have been carrying “Heavenly information” left within me by the infecting power of Holy Spirit. I am a Carrier! I have been imparted, and implanted, with belief in the Good News of Jesus Christ! Being a Carrier of information this important, and because of the nature of this glorious infected state, I have a driving need, a compulsion, a commission, to pass it on to others. That’s not so difficult since it’s airborne and contagious. Those who have developed resistance through long exposure to the enemy’s anti-Body, may take longer by varying degrees. But, sharing a few words of my own testimony, of the wonder of my own infectedness, or of Jesus’ great love for the prospective infectee often has the desired effect. The agent I carry is so infective that the mere sight of me carrying this Life, this Joy, is sometimes enough to transfer it. Often, I share a gift of food, or supply needed materials that I’ve liberally infused with Holy infectedness, and they catch it. Other times I have to leave seed and spore of the Good News where the Spirit bids, and He sees to it that it infects and grows in His good time.

I was infected by a Christ-follower. That’s the only way it can be spread, but it can spread fast when fellow carriers each do their part to make more carriers.

The thing is, once this infecting Agent is fully established in the heart, in the very DNA, it is there for good. I mean that in every sense of the word. I have never heard a person say they wish it hadn’t happened. Truth, Salvation, Life, and His unfathomable Love are infectious like that.

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Writing Is

29 Jan 2013 Leave a comment

Writing Is

Writing is an outlet
Perhaps it’s electrical
Like plugging into joy and powering everything up
Sometimes just an opening to let things out
A passage for escape
A channel to drain frustration
A conduit for tears
A vent
For when the desperate cry needs a way out,
Or a place to go because it can’t stay here.

Writing is a conveyance
An express for expression
A quick delivery
A pleasant personal messenger
A slow train of thought
Running down the line
Turning on a phrase
A powerful vehicle, hauling harvests of words,
Heavy loads of thoughts,
Ideas that must get to market or rot in storage.

Writing is a wright’s den
A workshop, a sweatshop
Where ideas are whittled and turned
With sharpened tools
Woulds and mettles worked and tempered
Common prose peened and hammered
Poetic beauty buffed to a shine
Polished and finished, punctuated and grammar’d
Bible, book, a script, a play, a limerick, a joke,
A story, a note, or music made, all by a word-wright’s skill.

Writing is a window
That faces the world, transparent
Or looks at the writer’s soul
Exposing everything both ways
A mirror in which to see yourself
Reflected as a character
And sudden revelation
Like a bird slamming into the glass
Because it was uninformed
But now it knows more
Because solid truth is undeniable
When crafted, smithed, and wrighted plain
Or into metaphor and out again.

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I Would Rather Live My Life….

19 Jan 2013 Leave a comment

I Would Rather Live My Life….

“I would rather live my life believing there is a God and die to find out there isn’t than live my life believing there isn’t a God and die to find out there is.” – Albert Camus

This statement sounds good at first glance doesn’t it? Perhaps a good starting point for a journey of faith? If one looks more closely, it is, however, lacking. It barely scratches the surface. What about knowing there is a God? What about knowing God personally? What about knowing we are loved and treasured? What about knowing exactly how He wants us to live our lives? What about knowing that Jesus is our personal Savior, Lord, and risen King? What about reading what He has to say about all this in His own Words? What about knowing exactly who we will face when we die, and also what happens after that?

“I would rather live my life knowing my Creator God, my Lord and Savior, and what He says about Himself – and me – than to live my life wondering and speculating about Him.” LS<

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He Sees You

16 Jan 2013 Leave a comment

He Sees You

Prophetic note

To a searching friend:
To a searching church:

Regarding your “search” for fulfillment, here is what God wants me to tell you:

You Are Seen. Maybe not by the people you want to be seen by, and maybe not in the ways you want to be recognized, but by Him Who made you to carry His spirit. He knows you exceedingly well. You may be searching for something you cannot find. Let Him provide the finding. Therefore, be still and rejoice in just being, for awhile. Sit, and rest, and bathe in the love He has for your willingness to serve. You do not have to be physically present, simply present your heart.

What does this mean to you?

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Another Divine Paradox

08 Jan 2013 Leave a comment

Another Divine Paradox

And then I considered Job…….

“Oh, Divine paradox that trials may be desirable,
That attack indicates being on the right track,
That oppression can be a positive expression,
That the enemy’s wrath means I’m on the right path,
That God weaves the brambles of satan’s discouragement into a soft, glorious, robe of encouragement.

When I was newly born-again I was warned that I would be attacked because the devil considered me vulnerable (or possibly dangerous).
That happened several times, but I withstood because forewarned was forearmed! But, as I grew in faith, and with the passage of time, that warning wore off. Now, every time I drop my guard, the debbil is ready and very willing to punch me where it hurts, especially just when I feel I’m getting closer to God. It seems that he attacks when threatened. Doesn’t want to be forgotten by his old pal who has betrayed and forsaken him. He wants his revenge, no doubt. The ultimate stalker. The quintessential murderer. Should we take it as a sign that we are on the “right track” with the Lord when we are sore-oppressed by the enemy? I think so, yes. “Because God redeems even this….”
By this be encouraged, oh People. Be forewarned, and stand your ground.
Remember, the more worthy the adversary, the more cunning and vicious satan’s attack. Be a worthy adversary anyway!

(“Each time God sits a writer down to write, satan knows he’s lost another fight”)
Wink 😉
LS<

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My Biology Pants For Theology

31 Dec 2012 Leave a comment

My Biology Pants For Theology!
Yes! I’ve Got To Catch Him!

Oh, my heart,
Oh, my heart,
Oh, my heart!
Why do you race and beat so?
Oh, legs how you run,
You’re chasing the Son,
You’re climbing where you’d never go!

Oh, my chest,
Oh, my chest,
Oh, my chest!
Why do you heave and pant so?
Breaths coming fast,
How long can you last?
In pursuing the One you would know!

Oh, my soul,
Oh, my soul,
Oh, my soul!
Why do you leap and dance so?
Oh, arms how you raise,
Oh, voice singing praise,
Oh, mouth loud and bold are you now!

Oh, my Heart,
Oh, my Mind,
Oh, my Soul!
Why do you long for Him so?
You failed again and again,
Finally let Him come in,
Now there’s nowhere else you can go!

Oh, my Life,
Oh, my Joy,
Oh, my Faith!
Why do you so make frenzied haste?
There is rest here below,
Just be still and you’ll know,
He will wait, then again you can race!

(Can’t you just see Him turn and wink at you as you reach toward Him and He turns, laughs, and speeds playfully away, grinning in approval as you follow precisely in His steps? “Come on!” he shouts. “It’s impossible not to catch me!” )

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Last Days

31 Dec 2012 Leave a comment

Last Days

Today is the season,
Today I must ask,
Are these the last days,
Or will these days last?
Have you been waiting?
Are you prepared?
Do you see life just ending,
Or continuing elsewhere?
Today is the season,
Today I must ask,
Forever a dead thing?
Or will your life last?

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Breath Of Heaven – Mary’s Song

21 Dec 2012 2 Comments

Not even one of us can fully understand nor appreciate Mary’s plight…….

Rest in Peace, Donna Summer. We still have your amazing voice.

These are video clips from The Nativity Story, upload thanks to Peperamico.

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Mary Did You Know? (A Mother Just Knows)

19 Dec 2012 2 Comments

Mary, Did You Know?

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The Prayer

18 Dec 2012 Leave a comment

The Prayer

Thinking of Newtown. Today this seems fitting from an amazing 7-year-old.

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Hope Came Down

18 Dec 2012 Leave a comment

Hope Came Down

He came down so that we could live – really live – with Him and our loved-ones in Heaven.
Forever together.
We need that hope more with each passing day . . .

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Shards

15 Dec 2012 6 Comments

A FORE-WORD

I feel very strange. The day before yesterday I was strongly led to write this unusual piece – “Shards”. (unusual, for me, in its pain and darkness – I’m more into joy)
Around noon yesterday (Friday, 12-14-2012) I saw the horrible, heartbreaking tragedy in Newtown, Connecticut on the news.
I had not planned to give God much of a part in this poem. I intended it for encouragement for one individual, that “they” might be encouraged by it and know that they are not alone in their plight of brokenness. However, yesterday morning, as I awoke, I was strongly led to change it, and include His compassionate nature in the final stanzas.
I hesitated to post this in fear of being inappropriate, but I feel strongly that He wants someone to read this. I emphasize that this was written before the tragedy. It is my hope and prayer that it will draw someone to Him and lead them into his arms.
Today I will post “Shards”. I have no answers to the usual questions which tend to make people turn away from God in times like these. “Where’s God?” “Why does God allow innocent blood to be spilled; innocent lives to be taken?” “Why does He so often allow evil to prevail?” “Is it because of the rebellious and disobedient nature of mankind?” “Is it because when we, as a people, decided to ‘go it alone’ without Him, He decided to show us how that would work out for us?” I don’t know.
This is all I know at this moment: I refuse to let these questions shatter the faith that I, with His grace, have gone through so much to maintain. I refuse to be captive to my own meager understanding. Jesus didn’t come to earth to eliminate murder. He came to comfort the brokenhearted, for one thing. We still live under the curse of evil and we all face death – old and young alike – but Jesus came here to address death and defeat it for each of us through His resurrection.
I refuse to let evil steal my joy and my hope, for this is what it boils down to, for me — that our only hope to be reunited with those innocent souls is through Jesus Christ. I am absolutely certain that Jesus’ compassion for innocent souls, those taken too soon, is immense, for, in a sense, He was one of them. It is through faith, trust, and belief in Him alone that we will be allowed to rejoin those beautiful innocents again in full joy, to sing, and dance, and laugh, and love with them forever.

Shards

The countless shards of one shattered heart,
An exploding, expanding sphere of chaos,
Spreading wide and scattering apart,
Across the world, a swarm of loss.
Shards acutely sharp,
Across the heavens, destruction hurled,
Shards immutably hard,
Dark devastation unfurled.

Small flechettes ripping flesh and bone,
Piercing even the fragile membrane
Between the body and the soul,
Replacing joy’s song with despair’s refrains
Shredding the universe into coarse turmoil,

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Unsharded

Where, in the lovingkindness of His heart of compassion,
God gathers them all in His arms, and His hands,
And skillfully, then, He begins to re-fashion
Refitting them back as only He can.

Remaking, shaping, forming, unshattering,
Deftly rounds off the pain and re-tunes – it’s an art,
He fits them all back, in a shape that’s most flattering.
Then removing the thing that tore them apart,

He creates a new unshatterable heart.
He creates a brand-new unshardable heart.

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The Perfect Christmas Gift

11 Dec 2012 Leave a comment

“The Perfect Christmas Gift”,
written and performed by Sandy Howell.
Uploaded by Bob Marshall.
Many thanks to you both.
My friend, I give you the gift of a song; music with a video. It speaks for itself.

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Now I Lay Me Down – For Davey Christopher

08 Dec 2012 4 Comments

Now I Lay Me Down
A Bedtime Poem and Prayer

This is the bedtime prayer that my mom taught me. I was told to say it every night without fail:

“Now I lay me down to sleep,
I pray the Lord my soul to keep.
If I should die before I wake,
I pray the Lord my soul to take.”

The dying part scared me. The implication of the possibility that I might die if I went to sleep was too much for my young mind to grasp, so I rushed through it which took the whole meaning, purpose, and heart out of praying it.
Recently, when I researched the history of this classic children’s prayer, I found that the earliest version of that prayer was perhaps written in 1711 by Joseph Addison in an essay appearing in The Spectator. Mom’s version came later from The New England Primer. Several different versions exist, some including child-watching angels.

I decided that Davey Christopher (and I, as well) needed a better bedtime prayer. Davey’s prayer is a new version of the classic:

“Now I lay me down to sleep,
I pray the Lord my soul to keep.
Stay with me, Lord, in dark of night,
And wake me with Your morning light.”

Davey made another verse:
(I helped him with the spelling)

“And as I go to sleep, dear Lord,
I’d like to ask for one thing more:
Be with me all my waking hours,
And keep me, Lord, for I am Yours.”

Here is Davey’s complete bedtime prayer (without all his personal “God blesses”):

“Now I lay me down to sleep,
I pray the Lord my soul to keep.
Stay with me, Lord, in dark of night,
And wake me with Your morning light.”
And as I go to sleep, dear Lord,
I’d like to ask for one thing more:
Be with me all my waking hours,
And keep me, Lord, for I am Yours.”
“Amen”

Parents, think about your children’s prayers. Pray with them. Think, and pray, and teach them well.

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Jesus, Joy of the Highest Heaven

05 Dec 2012 2 Comments

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A Children’s Christmas Carol for Everyone

I lift up Keith and Kristyn Getty and I thank them for this beautiful song.
Remember, JESUS is the subject of Christmas, and the object of Christmas is US.

LS

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Evil Translated To Glory

29 Nov 2012 2 Comments

Great Evil Translated To Greater Glory

The greater the amount of evil defeated in saving one’s eternal life, the greater the glory attributed to God.
(LS 11-29-12)

I don’t mean that one sin is “worse” than another. I don’t mean that a certain grace imparted is greater than another, nor that it is harder for God to defeat a “greater amount” of evil in any given person’s life. There is no sin that can’t be forgiven, and no evil that He can’t defeat.
What I mean is that, from the perspective of a person who was granted the miracle of saving grace later in life, the odds of my seeing and accepting that grace seemed slim, at best. The awe and wonder I have in light of that are immense!

I also mean that the large amount and the “seriousness” (as judged by Earthly standards) of the selfish evil accumulated in my own life that was defeated by Grace, is a metaphor for the “increasing amount” of wickedness, and evil, and selfishness I see accumulating in the world today. The longer He lets it build up – the worse it gets – the more awe and wonder there will be when He comes in all His Glory! That metaphor concludes with all the evil of the world being defeated in due time, and on that day, great will be the glory of God! On that day, all people will “bow their knee” to Christ. (Sadly to say, for a great many souls who don’t know Him, and consequently whom He doesn’t know, that will be their last desperate act before their everlasting death.) For Eternal Life, and for the Great Glory of God, I continue to present my case – His case for evil to be translated to glory, and I continue to pray toward that end.

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Announcing Publication of “The Godsend”

26 Nov 2012 2 Comments

The Godsend
is now an E-Book !

Words such as “inspiring”, “down to earth”, “honest”, and “will melt your heart” have been used to describe this author’s “initial public offering” of this E-book.

Set in the Upper Mid-West, in the decade following World War II, this mini-novel will take you back not only to a hopeful, encouraging, prosperous time for America, but to a magical time in a young boy’s life. This is the heartwarming story of a specially-gifted boy who is faced with a heart-wrenching situation. Using his “sleuthing skills” he embarks on a journey “to find the truth” about himself, about Santa Claus, about the real meaning of Christmas, and about the existence of God Himself.

How will he find his answers? Will God reveal himself? Are there miracles in store for him? What is the real Godsend…….or who? Is it possible that we are all Godsent for each other?

The Godsend is rated Family Friendly. Somewhere, there is a special child who has some very special parents, who needs to have this story read to him or her. That is who this effort is for. May God bless you in the reading of this story and in the reading of the REAL story of Christmas.

The Godsend is available on Kindle or Kindle for PC here: http://www.amazon.com/The-Godsend-ebook/dp/B00A8TPVPM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1353944048&sr=8-1&keywords=lenn+snider

The Godsend is also available on Smashwords, for PC (in PFD format) Sony Reader, Nook, Apple I-Pad, Kobo, and most e-reading apps ( including Stanza, Aldiko, Adobe Digital Editions, others) here: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/256725

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