Alternative Blog~

Greetings everyone! Because of the hustle and bustle that comes with the holiday season, it's been tough to get posts out there. However, go follow a new blog of mine made specifically for my poetry. 

www.afewshortpoems.blogspot.com 

Thank you! I hope everyone had a very merry Christmas celebrating the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ.

A Midwinter's Poem:

(Partially inspired by Songs and People)

Chilly Fingers~

And the warmth of the fire pours through my soul,

The windows glitter in the sleepy lull.

I'm left to my vices, a forte to my virtues,

As my chilly fingers begin pulling for tissues.

Memories flood the gates of contentment,

And I hear the tickling of ivories at last,

And so, for now, in unexpected loss,

I let my chilly fingers finger through my thoughts.

They rustle the pages of past and future,

Dog-earing the dreams that have suffered the worst.

In Midwinter's Chill, as I fall ill to nostalgia,  

Present's icy lock melts, and I grab a spring umbrella.

Slipping Under~

A shadow in our dimension is but a dark patch that forms when an object moves in front of a light source. But life's shadow, as a whole, is much different. Life's shadow gets in the way of imperishable light, and hinders a person from seeing clearly while imposing a dark sillouette of itself. Many of us are stuck in this shadow, and are sinking deeper and deeper into its depths. Life's shadow doesn't have the effect of a mere human shadow. Life's shadow is a thick ink, infinitely deep, and life will do all it can to cast this shadow over us so that our souls are enswarmed in the oozing ink and we slip under. Once we fall under, we can't even see the edges of the shadow anymore, which means life has successfully made us unaware of the saving grace and light of the world, for Christ's light against the edges of life's shadow is the contrast that starts the spiritual fire. Slipping under fogs this contrast.

As I walk down the halls at school, I engage with some truly amazing people. However, I can't help but notice that many are ever so slowly sinking into life's shadow as they get caught up in athletics, academics, and human relationships. It's those students who are pushed to the edge by their parents to engage in their sports 24-7...or else. Or those who perform daily for the admiration of peers. This is not okay. Life's shadow is taking people under more than ever this day in age. It's an attack on the human soul, the "glittering instrument" within us all. What are you going to do to stop this? Are you already slipping under? I know I slip under often weekly. I just get so caught up in life. But no matter how shrouded you are in life's shadow, Christ's light will always find a way.

Our Natural Image~

James 1:23-27~

23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror.

24 For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like.

25 But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.

26 If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person's religion is worthless.

27 Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world. I think a vast majority of Christians today find themselves looking intently into life's mirror and they see themselves in their selfishness, but refuse to accept the tattered image before them. Many of us don't want to change, because that means straying from life's cliques and doing away with society's ways. May I remind you that Christ called us to count up the cost, drop everything, and follow him in faithful pursuit? Christ is the only one who's natural reflection portrays perfection. The rest of us should desire to exemplify even a mere fragment of this image. Our goals should pertain to being more focused doers, rather than just hearers, and the holiday is the perfect time to take action. Raise money for your favorite charity. Go caroling. Make an extra special surprise for your loved one. The writer of James, and ultimately God, make it clear that we should seek to remain unstained from the world. Christianity isn't just group or a label; it's even more than a lifestyle. It's what life is all about. And something with that high of a standing on life's spectrum deserves our everything.

The Greatest Priest~

I never knew that Hebrews was so revealing! In the beginning of Chapter 8, the main point of Chapter 7, (the chapter I would like to discuss), is summed up in two powerful verses.

Chapter 8: 1 Now the point in what we are saying is this: we have such a high priest, one who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven,

2 a minister in the holy places, in the true tent[fn] that the Lord set up, not man. Not only does this verse establish Christ's sovereign power over humanity, but it proclaims Christ as being a priest. Not just any priest, but "such a high priest, one who is seated at the right hand of the throne of Majesty in heaven". Along with "Prince of Peace", and "Lion and the Lamb", we have a new way to look at Christ. I don't know about you, but for some odd reason, I've never really heard of this name before now. When looking at the eternal power and wholeness behind this name, I think many of us overlook what is being proclaimed. Christ, being the highest priest, shines light on principles that are bearing complete truth. So why, then, are so many Christians ignorant to the commands of Christ, and anxious to follow in the steps of man? Christ was clear that we are to love, and allow the Holy Spirit to bring about conviction in the hearts of men. So why are many Christians today seen as overly-judgmental and critical? What about the ten commandments, the commands that are to shape and meld the church as a whole? It's important that as Christians, we acknowledge Christ's role as the highest priest, and respect and follow His commandments to the best of our abilities.

An Anchored Soul~

13 For when God made a promise to Abraham, since he had no one greater by whom to swear, he swore by himself,

14 saying, "Surely I will bless you and multiply you."

15 And thus Abraham,[fn] having patiently waited, obtained the promise.

16 For people swear by something greater than themselves, and in all their disputes an oath is final for confirmation.

17 So when God desired to show more convincingly to the heirs of the promise the unchangeable character of his purpose, he guaranteed it with an oath,

18 so that by two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us.

19 We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain,

20 where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf, having become a high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek. As I read through Hebrews, and explored the glory and unbounded power of Christ, this passage jumped out at me. Is it not amazing, that God's covenant with Abraham, was in a binding partnership with the coming of our reedeeming Savior? In the midst of a broken and crumbling world, we can have this blessed assurance, because not only has Christ died for us, but he will return. "We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul..."~can I put this on a Christmas ornament or something?