Yes, indeed,
Pay attention to the noble steed.
The one who comes prepared to do us harm,
Will ride into eternal fire unarmed.
He is nothing and his strength will fade,
As Our God in Christ his future’s made.
An utter end to him is sure to come,
His will now is finished and undone.
Copyright 2022. L.L. Shelton.
Bright Light from above
Ore a land with a steeple,
Sweet home that I love;
Our colorful people
Are jewels in her crown.
No one to be crucified,
Much less upside down!
Her beauty most evident
To all who come ‘round,
In smiles of her loved ones.
A place we have found,
To live free of constraints
Kings impose with a frown;
To know God and His reign
Till His joy is renown!
Copyright 2022. L.L. Shelton.
(A Word For Uncle Charlie)
Oh, the Love that never sleeps,
But deep within Its bosom keeps,
Mysteries of ancient chorus,
Angels sang as His thoughts bore us,
Into tale of His Life Glorious!
Often marvel, oh my soul,
That as each tiny life unfolds,
One hour passed within the hold,
Of His affection sweetly told,
Gives aid in death and worth to whole!
Copyright March 2022. L. L. Shelton.
Some may know that we graduated from our suburban Itty Bitty Farm a few years ago to our rural homestead property, Little Bigger Farm, where we are able to produce more- still on a small scale. We happily raise some of our own fruits, berries, and vegetables, as well as ducks, geese, American Guinea Hogs, a small flock of Dorper-Katahdin sheep and a few dairy goats. My mother resides on the property with us and she cheerfully raises chickens. We are learning and loving more everyday.
Being in this position has given me an excellent opportunity to study the behavior of both sheep and goats, to become aware of their commonalities and to note where they are truly unique. I easily appreciate these wonderful animals and find each species a joy to raise, however there are stark differences. I thought some of you, particularly those of you who are practicing Christians, would be interested in my careful and sincere observations; as Christ so often contrasted the goat with the sheep, and while never stating a dislike for goats, claimed the sheep as analogous to his own brothers and sisters. These are my discoveries thus far:
Goats are excessively curious about the world. Sheep are mildly inquisitive regarding the world.
Goats are usually flamboyant. Sheep are generally reserved.
Goats are bold and quickly into everyone’s business. Sheep are wary and hesitant to involve themselves in the affairs of others.
Goats crave attention and prefer to be the center of it. Sheep prefer to be inconspicuous.
Goats are particular and express a great variety of preference. Sheep are easily satisfied.
Goats are flirtatious and often without appropriate boundaries. Sheep are carefully friendly.
Goats are boisterous partiers. Sheep are pleasant.
Goats will stand on their heads any time to make you laugh. Sheep will wonder at your easy frivolity.
Goats are chatty and sometimes carry-on unduly. Sheep are quiet until it is absolutely fitting to raise a voice.
Goats will interrupt peasant or King and possibly trample him, no matter the solemnity of the occasion. Sheep stay near and maintain a respectable stance.
Goats are affectionate and indulgent with their off-spring. Sheep are tender toward their young, yet command their respect.
Goats appreciate it when their humans occasionally help out by kidsitting, and are completely trusting that they will have the best interest of their little ones at heart. Sheep are pleased to take care of their own little ones ninety percent of the time, and when the situation demands it, care only to pass them off to another sheep.
Goats are quite happy to include any merry-maker and appear to be open to accepting all as family. Sheep are kind to others and spend time with all, but remain truly interested in flocking and maintaining relationship with one another on a separate and primary level, which on occasion annoys the goats.
Goats are rowdy. Sheep are gentle.
Goats are clever. Sheep are thoughtful.
Goats are immediately attractive. Sheep will grow on you.
As I continue to care for both goats and sheep, I hope to remain astute and to capture further information of a similar nature to impart to you, my dear readers. Perhaps the next entry will offer a comparison of the two species.
Copyright 2022. L. L. Shelton.
Would you like a sense of order
To rule your weary mind?
Do you hope to be relieved
Of your thoughtful crime?
Turn to Him and rest assured.
Transformation is sublime.
Copyright 2022. L.L. Shelton.
THIS IS FOR DONALD.
I’ve gathered the wise,
Professing The King,
I’ve dined with fools,
Who mock everything.
I’ve pondered the old,
And welcomed the new,
I’ve injured and mended,
Both lied and been true.
I’ve wandered some ground,
And danced a fair mile,
Directed my steps,
Yet prayed without guile.
Now I greet the future,
Wearing a smile,
Abandoned to Hope;
I am His all the while.
Copyright 2022. L.L. Shelton.
God of all glory,
God of all might,
God of the silence,
God of the night,
God of left,
God of right,
God of our journey,
God of our plight,
Come quickly to rescue,
Come quickly to save,
Come quickly, Lord Jesus,
Come quickly, we pray!
Copyright 2021. L.L. Shelton.
(This is for Zeek.)
Earth is but a little star.
Do we wonder where You are?
Like a diamond in the sky;
You do twinkle up on high!
When the fiery sun is gone,
When it nothing shines upon,
You are still the One Great Light,
Shining shining, no more night!
How the traveler in the dark,
Thanks You for your splendid spark!
Faithfully, You twinkle so,
He can now see where to go.
In deep of my heart You keep,
Scripture living as I sleep,
For You never shut your eye,
Though night overcomes the sky.
May your Spirit ever spark,
Light a path inside the dark;
As stars fade and lose their light,
May I shine for Truth and Right!
Copyright 2021. L.L. Shelton.
From tremendous tower to palatial particle accelerator, we are determined to find God through contrived methods and limited modalities. We are sure that we can discover and sing the science without being in relationship with its composer, unwilling to admit that we are only familiar with a derivative of authentic music. Science is perfectly beautiful but should be studied in relationship with God as the magnificent and extravagant language of God. Science should never be approached separately from a genuine relationship with God. Science is knowledge, literally “to know.” Knowledge apart from wisdom, divided from God, is missing an element essential to its core; something completely necessary to a proper application of knowledge.
The tree of the knowledge of good and evil, growing in paradise, was a tree of science, a tree of knowing. This tree was a tree of many branches, of numerous disciplines, all capable of overwhelming our human sensitivities and bringing us to desolate places of ruin apart from the loving leadership of our Creator. When we disobeyed GOD, made him sad, in other words-sinned- when we took and ate from this tree, we internalized the fruit, the knowing. This knowing encompassed the good and the evil and implanted in us an awareness of the difference between the two, as we were endowed with a conscience; therefore we are accountable to God for our knowing. It is our responsibility to acquire wisdom.
We must never give ourselves to the creation, for the creation- life- is absolutely vulnerable to all forms of death and dying apart from her Creator, with physical death at some point guaranteed; rather there is a way to give ourselves back to the Creator. The way home is to be reunited with GOD, to become one with our Creator; we must accept the blood sacrifice of Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God, as the substitutionary atonement for the sin that produced our original separation from GOD, and maintains our perpetual separation from Him. We must believe in Christ’s atonement, through His sinless life, death, burial, and resurrection, accept it and bow our knee in acknowledgment of the Lordship of Christ; GOD’s plan for our salvation from this world and our translation into the next, where we will continue to enjoy our Creator and glorify Him forever. Let the true music begin!
Copyright 2021. L.L. Shelton.
I always taught my children to remember their three things:
I taught them who Jesus was and who Jesus is. I taught them the definition of authority and that some authority is good and of GOD and that some is evil; as every good thing fell in the beginning and can now be perverted. I told them to follow authority ONLY when authority did not ask them to sin or to go against THE GOD of THE BIBLE. I taught them that though manners and customs can be very specific as pertaining to different societies, ultimately manners are a way of behaving that does not offend another, and that good manners are defined in the Golden rule. The Golden rule reminds us to do to others only that we would in our reasonable mind do or want done to ourselves.
In this present world, It is becoming increasingly difficult to know when the authority is in opposition to GOD and to HIS good. Yet, as always, we must be able to recognize sin, and sin is anything that is displeasing to GOD, and to resist sin or flee from it. I ask now that my children and all people pray for discernment- BEG for wisdom- and resist any authority in opposition to the good that is GOD.
https://patentimages.storage.googleapis.com/68/80/73/6a17a66e9ec8c5/US11107588.pdf
Copyright 2021. L.L. Shelton.