By Grace I Am Un-Limited

Oh, Lord, I have swum astounded, deep into clear Hawaiian lagoons
Holding my breath in the pressing foreign world
On my own before I knew You
In rocky marine corridors where fear is, and faith calls
Twenty feet down in discomfort, but not crushed
Where beautiful creatures live and breathe effortlessly
Looking up in urgency, life and light seemed much too far away
Yet I rose up from distress and received life through Your mercy.

Oh, Lord, I have climbed to dizzying heights in the Rockies
Only on Your power, not my own, amazed that You allowed it
Where breathing became gasping and cold winds blew
Where even clouds and birds played far below my perch
And glorious formations waited for me to stand upon them
Inhospitable, the threatening no-man’s-land, even dangerous
Hesitation overcome by hope of life renewed
In flatter places well-made for my warmth and breath.

Oh, Lord, I have delved deep  into vast, southern subterranean chambers
Where squeezing darkness rules in uneasy peace
Where tunnel and precipice wait and bat wings warn
Where immeasurable crushing weights loom overhead
Where magnificent earthly artwork poses to be admired
Exploration of being — of Spirit, of Earth, and of Spirit again
Who am I to be adventuring out of self and into You who creates
From a Living Love so unrestricted, so infinite, so boundless?

Oh, Lord, Your grace has pulled my heart, my mind, my very soul
Strongly, surely, toward quick-receding limits
Then beyond limits where that beautiful grace can be grasped
Where hope, and faith, and mercy can be held, and felt, and measured
Where peace is palpable, and there is no end
Where Your very Love can be embraced, and seen, and heard
And where, only through Christ, my being, my existence, my overwhelming joy
Is released, freed, and un-limited from the ends of Earth into Life Without End.

 

 

 

In 8/4 time…….

Copyright by Len Snider, Gloryteller   11-1-12

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Words Mean Stuff (I Can’t Tag Or Categorize This) Wink

“They” Don’t Teach Vocabulary, Spelling, Or Grammar Much Anymore
What Does That Have To Do With Anything………

Student:   “I wish you had told me, why didn’t you tell me?”

Teacher:   “I wish you had asked me, why didn’t you ask me?”

S:   “I didn’t know to ask.”

T:   “I, therefore, didn’t know to tell you.”

S:   “I guess guessing is a lot like rocket surgery.”

T:   “I guess guessing is futile like resistance.”

S:   “Yeah, really………words mean stuff…….”

T:   “Yeah, really…………….I told you so……..”

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Cottage, Pain, and Palace

 

Cottage, Pain, and Palace

 

“Imagine yourself as a living house. God comes in to rebuild that house. At first, perhaps, you can understand what He is doing. He is getting the drains right and stopping the leaks in the roof and so on; you knew that those jobs needed doing and so you are not surprised. But presently He starts knocking the house about in a way that hurts abominably and does not seem to make any sense. What on earth is He up to? The explanation is that He is building quite a different house from the one you thought of – throwing out a new wing here, putting on an extra floor there, running up towers, making courtyards. You thought you were being made into a decent little cottage: but He is building a palace. He intends to come and live in it Himself.”
C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity

 

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A Seeing Heart

A Seeing Heart

Train up your heart to see

Train up your heart with grace

A heart that cannot truly see

Will never see His face

LS<
11-7-12

 

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Eccentricity — Short Post Series

 

Eccentricity

 

Eccentric toward the world,

Centric toward God.

LS<
11-4-12

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Illuminated

 

Illuminated

To paraphrase  C.S. Lewis in “The Weight of Glory” :

“I believe in Jesus Christ as I believe the sun has risen, not only because He illuminates me, but because by Him all else is illuminated.”

LS<

 

 

 

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What Was Closed Is Open

For evil to flourish, and for evil to prevail, good people need only do three things:
Close their eyes to it.
Close their mouths about it.
Close their twiddling hands behind them and turn away.

Therefore keep an eye open to discern evil.
Openly denounce it.
With open palm extended, oppose and reject its advances.

All the above from a strictly physical place.
While effective, this cannot begin to approximate the power and certainty
Of the spiritual answer to evil.  Openness to that is at the root of the ultimate defeat of the evil one.  Seek it.  Seek Him.  He has already closed the door on evil and opened the door to paradise.

10-22-12

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Anon, The Subversive

 

 

When I first applied for a top administrative job, I was hired on charisma and promises. My past was deemed irrelevant, although it should have been called into question. At my first annual review, I was given a promotion and an increase, although my performance had been inadequate, to put it mildly; counterproductive, to put it realistically. Power seethes behind my tranquil, confident stare.  Almost too, too, insidiously easy – I smile that I am not what I seem. Being Anonymous, I have pulled the wool over their willing eyes. I can’t wait to see the look on their horrified, surprised, faces when they discover…….

Anon.  I remain Anon.  Even through the ages.
I grin, when anon also means soon……..

Anon, it will all happen.

 

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Too Much Me In me

 

 

Too Much Me In me

 

There’s too much me within me, Lord,

There’s too much me in me

So much too much, I wish you’d take

Away the excess You don’t need

Then more’s the room You’ll make

For work and glories You can use

Lord, empty all the wasted me

Replace the empty space with You!

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Of Light and Shadow

 

 

Of Light and Shadow

Our Heavenly Father is the “Father of Lights” who does not change nor cast a shifting shadow.   see James 1:17

For you are all children of the light and of the day; we don’t belong to darkness and night.   see  1 Thessalonians 5:5

We, His children, are called to be “salt and light” to the world.  We are to let our light shine before others so that we may glorify Him.   see Matthew 5:13-16

I was thinking about the depth of the “light” metaphor when something occurred to me.  Better yet, something was revealed to me about Him, and that is this, a short phrase that is full of meaning:

“A light can have no shadow cast upon it.”

My Lord gave me this phrase!  It is amazing!  I hope to expand on it and develop it.

Some corollaries I can think of at the moment are these:

*Nothing can cast a shadow on a light that shines in all directions at once.

*Nothing can cast a shadow on The Source of all light.  Likewise, nothing can cast a shadow on His Children of Light.

*In a sense, only something that has no light of its own can cast a shadow, and have a shadow cast upon it, for example, a human body.

*In another sense, one’s spirit and soul can have shadow cast upon them or they can be a source of light, depending on who your father, your master, or your god is……

*Light and darkness can’t exist at the same time in the same place.  Where light is, darkness flees!

What is the deeper meaning of “true light”, and of “the shadow of darkness”?  This could get very deep, if it hasn’t already, but I will leave it here. For now.

Light and shadow.  Daylight and darkness.  Good and evil.  The Father of Light, and the  father of lies.  Metaphors given to us in great supply to enhance our understanding.  It was given to me, but this is for you, dear reader:

“A light can have no shadow cast upon it.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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Boiled Down

 

I have taken a hiatus, of sorts, from writing during this demanding season, but the heat has at least served to boil something down for me.  Today, while doing the most mundane work, wrapped in sweat and dirt, I was given renewed purpose and also a new way to express my purpose:

To come to know my Father-God’s GLORY in new, deeper, more exciting, more relevant terms, whether the individual revelations be particulate or magnificent;  and then, in my own way, with His guidance, to constantly make known that GLORY to all the people who have eyes to see, and for all nations who have the ears to hear.

I have faith in His faithfulness to bring this to be in me.

Solid stone heart made tender and pliable.

Unworthiness made righteous.

Dreary unforgiveness fading as the grey flees sunrise.

His Selfless Love replacing selfish “love”.

To come to know and, in the knowing, to make it known…..

Yes, this will be do-able.

He boiled it down.

 

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Satan Summer – Temporary Season, But Deadly While It Lasts

Satan Summer, Back Off!

~~~~~~~

You are a bully, I’m oppressed

Your endless drought gives me no rest

You’re in my pers’nal space

You’re all up in my face

You’re breathin’ brutal monster breath

No matter what, I still have faith

My Lord will put you in your place!

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A Way With Words

   ~~~~~~~~

Some say I have a “way with words”.

My hope is that The Way will be found in my words.

  ~~~~~~~~

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Dawning

This Dawn Will Endure

 

Dawn opens its sleepy eyes slowly                       

One at a time, softly blinking

To behold dimly the horizon in waking

Always amazed with the revealing

Beginnings, ever-refreshing

Impatient to see expanding light

So terribly long it could but dream of sight.

As it had been blind in the slumb’ring

~~~~~~~~~~~

The dawn is a seriously great metaphor!

The light increasing, the sun rising.

Well, here’s what “dawned” on me:

God !   That Jesus, my Savior lives!

The Son literally rising in my life!

~~~~~~~~~~~

We Jesus-followers all have our own special story about how Jesus “dawned” on us.

The sun also “sets”, and the love of The Son “sets” us to testifying of His Kingdom, of His saving grace, and of His great glory!

And we pray for those who haven’t truly seen the dawn.

Oh, Lord, let that Dawning spread wide, covering your people from horizon to horizon.  Amaze them at Your revealing, Lord.  Make them impatient to awaken.  Make them to see that when the Dawning of Christ arrives, it will endure forever in their lives.  Amen

Proverbs 4:18 – The way of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, which shines ever brighter until the full light of day.

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Forever Home

                    

                  Forever Home

 

When our count of days goes way too fast

When earthbound lives are gone and past

 

In sad, lamenting grief we’re cloaked

We limp to You, our only hope

 

We lost them, those who were our own

Or were they not, and just on loan

 

With great compassion You lift us up

For what You gave them, they left with us

 

By Your grace, it’s their Love we’ve enjoyed

So eternal, enduring, death can’t destroy

 

Fragrantly lingering, it wafts through our hair

Like tropical breezes, love whispers its care

 

And we know they are with us, as You’ve been from the start

For their love warms our being, lifts our limbs, and our heart.

 

So, there lies our hope, it’s Your love and Your faith

You care about us, Your plan is in place

 

We lack understanding, only You know

How to bring home your people, You care for each soul

 

For You have given us this sleep

The one that, here, we think so deep

 

Yet it is light, and lasts but a whit

So brief, and at the end of it

 

We waken to You, forever home

At last, Your Treasure is our own.

 

At last! Your Joy is now our own!

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A Day In The Ire

Happy St. Patty’s Day!

The pow’r of The Gre-en springs lov’rly o’er Em Isl’nd
Me-et me quick at thie Blarney fer sem stone-bolde climbin’
And later ‘ne-ath the Jig Tree for fiddles aen’ pint, er thrie !
Dust aff the Gael – bring f’rth the ale-bread aen’ che-ese,
A day in the Ire fer me Mairgrie aen’ me.

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The Godsend

This is my first Christmas story.  It started as a small seed of an idea, but the Holy Spirit grew it in His usual epic way:

In “The Godsend”, Davey Christopher, a very young, post-war detective seeks difficult answers in a world that is almost too big, too formidable. But who knew? God provides! See how He did, in The Godsend. I sincerely hope you enjoy this little story.

Merry Christmas!

 

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Helping Trumps Self

When you are wounded,

When you are hurt,

Simply seek out and comfort

The one who hurts worse.

They trudge everywhere,

They’re not hard to find.

Weary with burdens

So sharp and unkind.

But helping has helped me.

You need to know, too.

This works, it’s a comfort,

Each time it’s been used.

©  L.S. 11-11-2011

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Pecans and Promises

The time is full.

The pecans are ripe,

Opening like fingers

Full of promises kept.

They fall

From rattled branch,

Into my thankful, cupped,

Receiving hands.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

WHICH DO YOU LIKE BETTER,  THE ABOVE VERSION

OR THIS ONE?   :

~~~~~~~~~~

The time is full.

Pecans once more are ripe,

Opening like fingers

Full of promises kept.

Gracefully given,

Gladly released.

The work of care-skilled hands,

They fall from rattled branch,

Into my thankful, cupped,

Receiving hands.

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The Day Will Come

Howdy y’all,

Chaff here again and mighty glad to be.  This is another day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it!

I’m writing today about that Harold Camping guy.  I mentioned him in my first and second blogs, (go here to review ) seems like a long time ago.  I’ve learnt a lot since then, thank God, and thank my cousin, Gloryteller, and my wonderful wife, Millie Jean.

Well, Mr. Harold Camping is at it again.  He says October 21, 2011 (TODAY) is THE day when Christ will come and this old world will end – the day of so-called rapture.

(Well, let me back up here and say there is lots of argument about the “rapture” and whether Christ will come then or later, or whether His coming is one event or two, or whether some people will be left here after the believers are taken.  It doesn’t matter!  All that matters is that He will come and take us believers with Him)

Harold Camping could be right.  It could be today jist as much as any other day.  But exactly when or how it will happen NO-ONE KNOWS.  According to the Bible, the “big event” will come as a surprise on an ordinary day jist like any other day.  Maybe a day when we least expect it – like a day when some pretender predicts it – a day jist like today.

I heard some women on the news say that if  Mr. Camping is right, he wins, but if he’s wrong we all win.  They have it so wrong and so right.  The believers I know welcome the day when Christ comes to take us with Him and ALL PEOPLE WILL BOW ON THEIR KNEES TO HIM.  Of course the non believers will soon find out their judgement and it won’t be a good day for them.  No wonder they think that if the world remains intact and whole it is a good day for them.

I, for one, can hardly wait to see my Savior, so that day WILL BE the best day of my life here, and it will be my entrance into eternity with God and His Son.  I don’t know, Eternity probably isn’t even measured in days.  It could be like one, endlessly beautiful GREAT DAY.

So how about y’all?  Will the last day be a great day for you, or a horrible day?  It is important that you think about that and be prepared.   The keys to Life or Death are layin’ on the table in front of you.  Please, please, my friend.  Choose LIFE!

Blessings to ya’ll,

Chaff Rantley

 

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The Basic Christian Library

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

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Compelling Christian Fiction Reads

"The Circle" 4-book series by Ted Dekker.
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