Category Archives: Current Events

REALITY CHECK!


TIME FOR  A REALITY CHECK CHURCH:

WHERE ARE WE? 

We are on a planet largely controlled by powerful men who consider themselves God.  We in the United States, are  located within western society as it continues to abandon the principles of The Christian Faith.  We in America, are in a nation often governed by crooked and perverse men, and we are surrounded by a confused generation.

WHEN ARE WE?

We are in a time that bitter is called sweet, and evil is called good.  We are in a period of great deception, and are initially concerned with covering our sin rather than repenting of our sin.  The mad is deemed reasonable.  The criminal is protected and the victim is punished.  We are occupying during the upside-down, and we may truly be nearing the end of the church age.

HOW ARE WE?

Following the traumatic events of two world wars, our corporate society began the primary pursuit of personal peace and affluence.  Separating ourselves from the principles found in God’s Word, we spiraled into a sexual revolution and we witnessed the demoralization and eventual break down of the family.  The generation of free-love and casual sex was followed by a homosexual revolution.  We are in the midst of a transgender revolution. Our traumatized society may result in a collective reprobate mind.  Our earthly leaders appear to be considering a third world war.

WHO ARE WE?

We are the redeemed.   We are the saved.  We are bought at great price.  We are Saints.  We are Believers.  We are the precious children of THE MOST HIGH GOD;  possessions of GOD marked with His permanent seal.  We are friends of Jesus Christ.  We are the family of GOD.  We have the mind of GOD.  We are those who can not be separated from the LOVE of GOD.  We are the ones who will stand.

WHY ARE WE HERE?

To be the light of the world.  To be luminaries and blessings.   To enjoy GOD.  To be witnesses to TRUTH.  To live before a watching world with eternity in our hearts.  We are here to share THE GOOD NEWS to the glory of GOD! We are in Christ the HOPE of the world!

WHAT ARE WE TO DO?

  1. Love:  Love GOD with ALL our hearts, our souls, our minds, and our strength.  Love ourselves appropriately as GOD loves us; desiring for ourselves what GOD desires for us.  Love our neighbors better than we love ourselves; putting their needs ahead of our own.
  2. Obey:  Pray and focus on The Word Of GOD in Our LORD Jesus Christ; and putting one foot in front of the other, do the next thing- as unto The LORD.

This is our high calling and reasonable service.  This is our mission.  Our orders have not changed.  We are to occupy expectantly as we await our LORD’s return.

And since GOD is with us and for us, who can be against us?

Copyright 2023.    L.L. Shelton.

On Revival

What is revival in a religious or spiritual sense? First, a revival by this definition is a renewal of something and/or a return to it with new fervor.  What is revival in a Biblical sense? Simply put, it is a renewed and conscious focus on my First Love, coupled with a sincere longing for His Holiness in my life; a desire for my sanctification.  This is a different work than justification; that is my initial coming to Jesus, The Christ, beseeching Him to save me from my sin and become my Lord and Master.  Justification is the saving event that begins my journey as a Christian, literally a little Christ.  Sanctification is the continual process of being saved by my cooperation with The Holy Spirit of God who now indwells me, guiding and directing me in my new life with my Lord, and who has sealed me for the day of the final phase- my glorification.  Yet, in some sense all three phases are continual.  Salvation, like the trinity, is three-in-one.

When the people of God (Christ’s body the church) are functioning appropriately, according to instruction from The Word of God, cooperating with their sanctification- others from outside the body and imposters residing inside the body will be justified. People will be delivered from their sin and spiritually healed.  Prayers of praise and thanksgiving will be plentiful.  There will be a hunger for Scripture and an active interest in and emphasis on its application in our lives.

Revival may occur corporately in the sense that many people are experiencing personal revival together, in other words, a group of people in congregation are having separate personal revival as individuals.  This may be what is now occurring on the campuses of Asbury College, Lee University, and other American institutions of higher education.  As my Granny was fond of saying, “the proof is in the pudding.”  We shall see if this has been the case by the fruit  (See Matthew 13: 18-30).

If you are unable to be a part of a corporate revival event, but are experiencing an intense desire for God to do a new work in your life, pray for personal revival.  I have done it and have experienced it.

The elements of personal revival are simply outlined for us in The Word of God.  Apply them now:

  1. Prayer:  Offered In sincerity and humility, requesting that God make known to me my specific sin or pattern of sin (Ps. 139:23-24).
  2. Confession:  With discretion, of that particular sin or pattern of sin to another Christian or Christians (James 5:16).
  3.  Atonement:  With discernment and in compassion, seek forgiveness of anyone directly offended by me due to that sin or pattern of sin (Matthew  5:23-24).
  4.  Repentance:  An obvious turning away from that sin or pattern of sin to live apart from (separated from) that sin or sin pattern (Acts 3:19).
  5.  Witness:  Become a living testimony to the power of the event in your life, to The Saving Gospel of Jesus Christ; to the continual saving power of God’s Word actively lived, to sanctification in the life of a Believer (Ephesians 5:25-27).

May GOD bless us as we continue the journey of our salvation- saved and being saved and ultimately saved by His great love, mercy, and grace!

Copyright 2023.    L. L.  Shelton

From Babel to CERN

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.

RESIST OR FLEE


I always taught my children to remember their three things:

  1. Keep your eyes on Jesus.
  2. Obey your authorities- IN THE LORD.
  3. Use good manners.

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.

An Open Letter Regarding: HR 3755

October 11, 2021

Dear Ladies and Gentlemen,

I believe our situation in America (and elsewhere) is grim.  It is apparent to me that we are likely faced with a choice between evils; communism and fascism, though in the face of staggering evidence neither major party seems willing to own it.  We seem to have become a nation of self-serving extremists.  Though I realize there have been plots and conspiracies on every side, I know we have all played our part in bringing about this present day.

I do not believe we are a representative republic any longer, nor do I believe we are becoming a socialist-capitalist democracy.  I believe we are facing an absolutely authoritative  government in the not-so-distant future.  Our sins have grieved the heart of God and have created a sense of corporate fear.  We beg for our safety with little consideration for the freedom to do good that we are relinquishing.  If I lend my support to a particular candidate or party, it is likely because that one is less apt to bring harm, rather than the one from whom I expect benefit.

There is no greater evidence of our evils as a nation than the passage by the United States congress of the bill numbered 3755 and titled, The Women’s Health Protection Act.  The  HR bill passed by a count of 217 to 207, and 216 of those who voted to pass the bill are members of the Democratic Party.  This bill codifies Roe vs. Wade into permanent federal law and strikes down any restrictions on abortion at the state level.  It dismisses the need for parental consent in the case of a minor, dismisses the need for informed consent, allows for the abortion procedure in the case of any or no reason up to the moment of the baby’s birth, and repeals The Hyde Amendment.  Furthermore, HR 3755 eliminates conscience protection for medical professionals electing not to perform abortions or to refer patients to other professionals for abortions.  If the Democratic majority senate passes this bill, surely we will deserve to lose  autonomy over our own bodies, but I hope and pray for the unmerited mercy of God toward us.  Please call your state senators at 202-224-2131 and ask them to vote against this horrific bill!

My heart breaks for America, land that I do love, and at this juncture in her history, I wish to confirm publicly my own political position for the sake of posterity and as a reference during the days of greater division and probable unification around a totalitarian regime:

  1. I am first and foremost a Bible-believing Christian, saved by the grace of God in Christ.  Scripture is my rule for Truth.
  2. I am an American citizen and I pledge my allegiance to her, secondary to GOD alone.
  3. I am a citizen of the great state of Tennessee, and pledge my allegiance to her, secondary to God alone.
  4. Should it become impossible to remain loyal to both America and Tennessee, I will remain faithful to God and His Truth,  in the hopes that there my allegiance will be decided for me.
  5. Through my first allegiance, my loyalty to family remains secure.
  6. I am committed to resisting evil and will do so by       the two means allowed for in Scripture:  Resist the evil and/or flee from it.

I am grateful to you, the reader, for allowing me this brief liberation of conscience.

Sincerely,

L.L. Shelton

Copyright 2021.    L.L. Shelton.

Don’t Let It Be Forgot

Is it probable that we have so abused our liberty  that we have propelled our nation into a choice between thinly veiled fascism and slightly  obscured communism? Is it too late for any rational choice- too late for our healing? Has the time passed for our recognition of the other’s point of view and a sincere attempt to find a common moral ground? Professing Christians stand resolutely on both sides of the divide, each one sure of his perspective and of his thoughts regarding  it.  Each idealogical camp accuses the other of a lack of regard for the living.  Each group is sure that the other is a culture committed to death of one kind or another; therefore each assembly is pushing for its members to vote according to conscience.

What if each individual and morally grounded voter is honestly compelled to consider an issue that he believes is a promotion of our culture of death, and is certain that the other party is oblivious to said issue; therefore he casts his ballot in the opposite direction? In this case, are we not obliged to consider that each congregation’s view of death is different.  As our president so aptly stated during a press briefing  related to the possibility of reopening the country during the COVID Crisis, and for these words I applaud  him, “There are many ways to die.”

While good Christians are united in their belief in their need of Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord, and in their belief in His divinely appointed position as the only begotten Son Of God, good Christians are diverse in their genetic compositions as well as in their life experiences, lifestyles, and in their personal and cultural histories.  These differences allow for the development of a curious array of perspectives.  What if each of us on both sides of the aisle- that is each one who is truly sane- understands that death is the ultimate evil ushered into the world by sin and longs for life to prevail? What if our greatest need is to sit with the other at a round table and discover the other’s understanding of the nature, structure, and definition of death? What if, presently, our greatest common good would be to cultivate a true comprehension of the other Christian American’s view? (This is not to say that the table should accommodate those who do not profess Christ as Savior and Lord.  The table I imagine would seat my friends and family members who are fruit producing, baptized Believers, as well as their loved ones who are in the same position, and as the true church we would come together to discuss our opinions of God’s communication of what constitutes oppression and death, and to further our understanding of the other tribe’s dialect concerning such things.)

I find that I agree with Ayn Rand (who by her own admission, thought under the influence of Aristotle) in specifically this:  For one man to demand that another man give up his own life and personal happiness for the sake of another is the ultimate selfishness and is evil.  That said, I wholeheartedly believe that the Creator God who exists does ask this of each man for the other, and encourage the Christian education that exposes others to this Biblical Truth, and the subsequent explanation of all Scripture.  I hope for the church to continually propagate her beliefs founded in The Word of God to man, and that many will give up their own self-centeredness to the better man in Christ Jesus, to the power of His Holy Spirit, and to the will of God.

In conclusion, it is apparent that some good Christians are assured of the science evident in the natural physical world and other good Christians avow the “magic” of Aslan, and that some of us embrace both; of course both in the purest sense are True, as both in the purest sense can be known.  Come, let the church of America reason together.  Let us remember our history, and in all gravity, think on the mistakes of the past and learn from them.  Let us consider the abundant evidence of resulting corruption and reject fascism, communism, and all other terrible notions.  Let us avoid the evil of a totalitarian regime, as it is an absolute government of man in the place of God; and may He Himself have mercy on our souls!

Copyright 2020.    L.L. Shelton.

Some Grow Small

How is it that you read

Lady Chatterly’s Lover,

And come away simply aroused by a passionate affair?

That you are acquainted with

The Diary of Anne Frank,

And note only the introspections of a young girl becoming familiar with her body?

That you have knowledge of 

Are You There God, It’s Me Margaret,

And are moved merely by the description of menses?

That you read

Huckleberry Finn,

And place your focus on one foul word?

That you study Orwell and are stunned only by illustrations of suffering?

Perhaps you, as Alice, drank a vile potion?

Copyright 2020.   L.L. Shelton.

I Choose You

In the midst of this novel coronavirus outbreak, if being in the high risk group, I must isolate, must choose between my right to go anywhere and to do anything, and my healthy neighbor’s right to work and earn an honest wage- I choose for my neighbor.  I will stay home voluntarily or take my chances.  If I leave our property, I will wear a mask to be kind to the other fellow.  I will contribute to our shared economy in whatever way I am able from my weaker position.  If I am sick, I will stay home.

Why ?

Because I choose you.

Where do we- the American government- get our money? We take it from ourselves- the workers:  The common laborers, the tradesmen, the producers, the service providers, the professionals, and small business owners, large privately owned companies, corporations owned by a board of shareholders.  The workers.  The money that we provide to fund the government is paid in the form of taxes; therefore, if these individuals and groups- the workers- do not earn money- neither will the government.  The government will have no money.  No one will have anything.  Now, I will be first to state that our tax system is in constant need of reform- and that need should be consistently addressed, but that fact does not change the former truth.

If our stronger brothers and sisters are not allowed to work, they cannot carry those who are weaker.  The abled must be given opportunity to provide for the disabled.  Younger adults must have a way to provide for children, and the elderly.  We the people, must have a way to provide for the expense of our common government.  It’s only logical.

I choose you.

Copyright 2020.    L.L. Shelton.

 

Some Will Dream


For Tricia Mikkelsen

By way of introduction, may I tell you that this is the truest account of my own extraordinary and personal experience that I am able to render.

To begin:  Reasoning, following the careful study of God’s Word, that I, being a pitiful sinner, would most likely find it overwhelming to focus on both the necessity of avoiding my personal sin in the here and now, and giving attention to the magnificent scope of the future; I largely put away any emphasis on eschatology.  Were I not to do so, to my way of thinking, I would surely fail in the primarily important endeavor to pursue the near maddeningly elusive business of holiness.  However, I have  lovely friends in the fellowship who have found it not only challenging to study the things to come, but invigorating, as it further encourages their own faiths and thrills their souls and I’m delighted to tell you that while I’ve avoided such, I was not foolish enough to turn a deaf ear to their joy and have therefore been privileged to listen to many interesting briefings on the subject, and I did form a loose opinion of the end (or if you prefer, the beginning, or starting over, the second coming, etc.) as it did appear as a formidable part of the whole.

All of this is a preface to my decision to tell you of a possibly prophetic dream I experienced.  Because this dream appeared especially vivid and significant, I noted it in my journal, as I’ve had a habit of keeping a diary since becoming a Christian as a young woman.  (Now, it is another story, but I will tell you that many would not have my testimony as I give it because I walked an aisle and professed faith as a child then later believed I had been mistaken.   Again, knowing as I do that I am “chief of sinners,”  I had no more desire to continue in such argument then as now, as it was and is apparent to me that I had best be about the job of cooperating in the challenging process of my sanctification.) Also, as it was especially brilliant, I relayed this particular dream to my eldest son on the morning following its happening.  It was not customary for me to tell others of my dreams and certainly not for me to write of them.  Over the years, I believe I have written of only two- possibly three- and this is the one dream I have felt pressed to consider as a word for the future.

While I am accomplished at communication, my preferred manner of lending a hand to a fellow is that of listening skillfully and asking thoughtful questions, thereby trusting both the individual and God Himself with the conclusion, and I have never considered myself any kind of prophet.  Though I have wondered at the supernatural, I have known and preferred the greatest knowledge and power available to man which is found in devotion to God and to His Word, and ultimately culminates in wisdom.  I have actively sought for Him to reveal Himself to me by communion with His Holy Spirit made possible by the atoning blood of Jesus Christ; through His written Word, communion with the saints, and the evidence of His existence and will in the natural world.  I have had no occasion of which to remark that I have felt myself to possess some sort of psychic power.

These things recognized, let us move to the heart of the matter:  As related to my son, who was drawing close to his twelfth birthday that particular morning, this is how it transpired:  I was aware of myself cleaning an apartment on the upper level of a building.  The sublet was small and neat, sparsely furnished, reminding me of an economy hotel suite. There were large plate glass windows on one wall and the drapes were pulled revealing a view of the sky.  I knew that I had my little ones- Anna, Jonathan, and Alexander with me (Jaxon was there “in the secret place” though I am not sure I knew it and Madelyn was still only a thought in the mind of God.).  As I was on my knees busily completing a task, I felt someone staring at me and l looked up and toward the window, simultaneously I heard something startling and tremendously loud and realized that a plane had crashed into the end of the building where I labored.

Standing before the window and to the right was a stunningly attractive woman, very neatly groomed, in a chic dark business suit.  She had short, closely clipped, glossy black hair and fair skin.  Her hair was parted to one side.  I am not sure, I suppose oddly, of the color of her eyes, however her gaze was penetrating and her tone commanding.  As I looked to her, she gestured toward the scene outside the window and stated plainly, “This is how you can always know that a storm is coming.”

I turned my attention from her to what was to be seen through the looking glass; and there presented was a scene I can not yet find sufficient words to describe.  I tried once a few years past to paint the scene and could not nearly reproduce it, but yet I am no great artist.  The best I have been able to report is that it seemed as though,as noted in my journal, “the sun had exploded and was consuming the sky” (and I was aware of the occurrence being of an explosive nature).  There was a great deal of light, warm color, and possibly flame- all against an expanse of black (I wonder if I should be ashamed of having shared such a thing with my child and would not normally have done it, but a sense of urgency prevailed.).

Less than a week after relating the pressing dream to my son, and having nearly forgotten it amid the daily bustle of life in our home of many children, other creatures that come along with them, and a high volume of traffic, I answered the persistent alarm of our landline (in those days we still had one) and heard my husband, Lee, who is so consistently even tempered to my regular displays of terrific passion that I am continually vexed, with an uncharacteristic urgency ask me to immediately turn on the television.

Our phone was cordless and the TV located in our finished walk-out basement.  I hurried downstairs from the kitchen to where the children were gathered to begin school, and did as I was asked.  The children quietened in response to my evidently anxious mood,  and together we watched in shocked silence as a plane flew directly into one of our World Trade Towers located at One Financial Center, Wall Street in New York City, New York.  We watched aghast as the horrific events of what would quickly become etched in the memories of all Americans as 9/11, unfolded before us on live television.  Understandably, I temporarily forgot my dream until some time after when my son reminded me of it and of the odd coincidence.

It had been several years and a move to a new state before I revisited my old journals and was prompted to consider my dream, the message, and the incredible timing, once more.  As I sat with my old journal in my hands wondering anew at those days of upset and unrest, at the tumultuous state of the world and at the odd coucidence of my peculiar, pressing dream, I realized that I had included something else in the entry- the end.   In my dream, I eventually turned away from the compelling site in front of me and grabbed little people shouting for children to run along with me to where I had parked our over-sized green van.  It seemed to take an eternity to traverse what was truly a brief distance and I remember thinking that we might not make it in time.  In time for what? I clearly recall that as we drew closer to our vehicle, I noted that my two oldest children, Emily and Donald, were not with me as they had been cleaning a different apartment at the opposite end of the building.  I was disturbed at our being separated and awakened feeling agitated.

Until that day of rediscovery, I did not think to question GOD concerning the details.  Now, I immediately wondered why the sense of urgency related to the dream, that I had felt at the time, had suddenly returned as I sat with the book of my collected messy musings open in  my lap.  In His Presence, I wondered, and after a time, three things were made clear to me.  First, I knew that the storm was not the events of 9/11, but that the events of 9/11 were a precursor to the storm and second that the storm would involve the entire globe, and third that it would arrive prior to Anna leaving our family to begin a life of her own.

I soon reminded my family of my dream and shared fully my further thoughts regarding it.  I cautioned them not to tell anyone else what I had disclosed and one child rolled her eyes in exaggerated fashion, giggled and quickly exclaimed,  “Don’t worry, Mom!” The others nodded their agreement and their terrific contagious laughter enveloped me as well.  Can you blame me for being unwilling to risk being committed to an institution for those not-quite-right-in-the-head? Seriously, I was concerned that I may be obsessing a bit, but I was well assured that I was as sane as the next guy, and was, after some prayer, content to put it away and to rest in Jesus- until recently.

Only our youngest two children live at home with us now, as the others are pursuing higher education or working and living with a roommate or a sibling   Our oldest is a young widow with a son- our first grandchild, and our second child is  married.  My mother and I, along with the two still living at home, were at her river cabin this year, the week of March eighth, observing the first presidential address to the nation concerning the novel coronavirus since February the twenty-ninth.  My brother and his wife were with us there as we gathered around the television and heard our President suggest that no one go to work if he or she felt unwell and that schools should consider closing.  That night, I marveled at this new turn of events for a considerable time before sleep claimed my restless mind.  In the morning, as I was preparing to enjoy a cup of coffee with my mom on the spacious front porch overlooking the exquisitely beautiful river, my dream returned- slamming into my consciousness with a force akin to a plane crashing into a building, nearly knocking me sideways.  I reminded my mother of my dream.  Of further interest, when we returned to our home from the river, Anna was engaged to be married.

I am sharing with you, with my readers, now as I believe GOD is prompting me to do so and to trust Him with the outcome, as for my own journey in His Spirit, this experience, this dream and all that has surrounded it, encourages my faith and thrills my soul! But I do not profess anything beyond what I have told you.  I have no idea if the second coming of Christ will be tomorrow, or ten years from now, or ten thousand years from now, but this has been for me greater evidence of the reality that is His Existence and Truth, and of the fact that He truly loves His children and communicates with us still.

May God continually manifest Himself to you, to me, and to a world continually in need of His Presence through Jesus Christ Our Lord,

Amen.

Please see The Book of Acts, 2: 14-21

Copyright 5/1/2020.    L.L. Shelton,

This Just In

There may be no other day to practice stealth.

We were never promised second breath.

In our robust pride we easily forget,

Our only common surety is death.

The argument is sound,

For humility in man.

There is no way around

This blatant truth.

Now is the time we know we must admit,

Our lives often lived as hypocrites.

Run quickly! Fall into His loving arms

And claim The Only Shield from lasting harm.

Copyright 2020.    L.L.  Shelton.