ALONE: Easy - Not Old-time - Religion

I Met Easy Religion!
Just Like THAT
We Almost Became Eternal Best Friends!
I Didn't Have To Work At It!
I Just Coasted Along
For There Was Nothing In It 
About It
To Offend!

Easy Religion
Was So Much Fun!
In His Presence
I Could Kick My Heels Up
Until
I Stumbled And Fell Down!
There Was No Condemnation
So
I Did Not Even Have About Me To Look Around!

There Was No Laboring
With Easy Religion!
No Talk Of Faith Without Work
Being Dead!
No Loving A God To Exclusion
AND
No Setting Aside Self
Less That God Doth Upon You Frown!

I Was Living It Up
AND
Loving It!

No Cares!
No Tears!
No Why's?
No Wherefores!
No Ifs, No Ands, Nor Buts!
No Waits!
No Weights!
AND
No Worries!

All That I Was Required To Remember Was:

God Is Love!

Life Is Good!

Things With Easy Religion

Were All Well And Good - Or So I Thought -
Until One Glad Morning
Night Before
Early Last Week
When
I Found Myself With BIG ABLE  Problems
And Suddenly 
Desperately
Realized That
With Easy Religion
I Had No One
With Whom I Could
In My Moment of Deep Distress
Honestly
Urgently
Fervently Speak!

"Easy Religion!"
"Be A Bud!" I Said.
"I Need Your Comfort!
Things With Me Are Dread - Not Sweet!
Life Just Got Up In My Face
And In My Way!
Come On!
Help Me!
I Need Your Comfort!
Help Me! 
Please, Help Me!
I Know Fear!"

Easy Religion - Quite Calmly - Replied:

"Sorry, Ducks!
I Got My Golf To Go Out And Play!
Make An Appointment!
Or You Can Even Talk To God - I Won't Be Offended!
I Just Can't Fit You Into My Schedule Right Now!
Let Me Know How Things Turn Out!
I'll Cross My Fingers For You!
Gotta Run!
Gotta Catch The Light!
Sun's Coming Out!"

Devastated ...
I Turned To The Bible I Had For So Long
Willingly Rejected!

Devastated ...
I Turned To The God To Whom I Used To Pray
Before Feel-Good Theology
Swept Me Away
AND
Believe It Or Not
He Did Not Reject Me!
He Did Not Turn Me Away!

Forgotten God Encouraged Me
Telling Me That 
We Can
AND
Should
Talk A Lot!

He Said To Me:

"Dear Child,
Just Because Someone Has A Big Voice
It Does Not Mean They Have Anything
Worth Saying That You Need To Hear!"

"Just Because Their Lives Seem Tranquil
It Does Not Mean That They Don't Walk Around
With Mortal And Moral Fear!"

"Just Because They Don't Seem To Work
That Does Not Mean They're Not Working!"

"It Just Means That They Are Not Working For Me!"

"Just Because They Have Great Elocution
It Does Not Mean That Their Word Is Not Dirty!"

"Dear Child,
In The Kingdom Of Light
There Is No Dark Night!
The Residents There Walk Around Without Fear
For
They Know That I AM Faithful, And
That Their Well-being Is By Me Blessed!
They Have Faith In My Holy Word!
They Trust Me And In Me!
They Run Not With The World's Herd
AND
Peace Is Theirs
For They've Set Aside Self
AND
The Lusts Of Their Flesh Are 
- By My Spirit -
On The Fleshly Things Forgotten Shelf!"

They Have Faith!
They - In Faith - Work
AND
Try As He Might
Satan Cannot Get Them
Even If He Against Them
Goes Berserk!"

"What Is Mine I Keep
AND
The Holy Angels Surround All My Beloved Ones
Whether In Valley Low
On Mountain High
Or Crossing Jagged Hill Steep!"

"They Are Always In Prayer
Like David
And
Daniel!
They Know That I AM Only A Prayer Away
AND
They Have Rest
Sweet Rest
For They Surely Know That For Them I Do Care!"

"Now, Beloved
Put Aside The World!
Cast Away Your False Pride
AND
Give Me Your Heart!
I Will It Renew
AND
I Will
- With Your Permission -
Keep It Clean And Right  - True!"

"Give Me Your Flesh!
Live In The Spirit!
I AM Here!
My Love Has No Limit!
Work In Faith Until Earth's Night Comes
AND
You'll Join With ALL The Redeemed
In The Kingdom Where The True Riches Come From!"

"Remember, 
Faith Without Works Is Dead!
Don't Cast Away Your Hope!"

"My Word Does Not Change!
With Me There Is No Redo!
Work -  The Night Comes!
Live Right!
Let Us In Accord Be One
And I Won't Have From My Door To Shoo You!"

The Easy Church

The Church That Does Not Preach
Nor Teach

About

Sin
Confession
and 
Repentance

Death, Hell and Judgment

Personal Sacrifice and Temperance

Faith and Works

AND

Working Out 
Your Own Soul's Salvation

Through 
A Personal 
Faithful

Committed Relationship 
With 
Jesus Christ

Is 
No Church 
of
The Living God!

*********

The Self 

Before

The Savior

Is

A Labor

Without Loving Savor!

One Walks

Alone

Dressed

For The Liar

Fuel

For Damnation's Fire!

PRAYER: Grant Me This Favor, Lord!

Father,  I May Not In Work Perspire

But

At The Very Least

I Can A Brother Sister Gently Inspire!

Father, I Do Not With The Devil Conspire

To By Lie and Innuendo

Light Hell's Raging Fire!

By Your Grace, Lord

I Will Not Be Crass
Malicious
Fast

Behaving Like 
Greedy Dishonorable Balaam

Needing Stark Admonition 
From The Talking Ass!

So, Father, If You Will Make It Possible

Grant Me This Favor, Please!

Let Me 
In This Fallen World's 
Gotta Have It Sweepstakes
Make No Showing
and, Thus

Come In Dead Last
In
The Despised Last Class!

Thank You, Lord
For Your Everlasting Mercy!
AMEN

Who Can Catch The Wind?

John 3:3-8King James Version (KJV)

3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.

4 Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born?

5 Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.

6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.

7 Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.

8 The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.

Leaf, Wind and Bird are best friends!
Since time immemorial, Bird and Leaf have been trying
To beat Wind at their favorite pastime -
Catch The Wind!
It hasn't happened yet!

Why?

Well, it is like this:

Wind always starts out first.
Bird and Leaf can hear him coming, and
They can even feel him from afar off

But ...

Before they see Wind
Before they can catch Wind
Wind Tickles Leaf ... and he dances and sings
Wind Ruffles Bird ... and he's aloft and soaring before he knows it

Leaf and Bird love Wind - they just can't see him 
Coming
To catch him!

It's terribly frustrating
And fun
And invigorating!
They love Wind.

Sometimes Wind can get rambunctious
And move around mightily!
Sometimes Wind scares Bird and Leaf -
When he howls
And kicks up dust
And throws thing around!

And then ...

There IS Quiet and ... Peace and ... Rest.

So moves The Holy Spirit!
He's Our Friend
And we will never catch Him ... in a Lie!

He moves Gently and Confidently
When we walk ... in His Will!

He moves Rambunctiously 
When The Soul is calling to The King Eternal 
When The Soul contemplates The Worldly Tour
When The Soul is struggling with Active Sin
When The Master demands we Clean The House within 
When we are bearing The Message to The People for Him
When Faith is Faltering
When Grief is Exulting
When The Grave is Calling

The Holy Spirit Moves ...

Upon Us

In Us

For Us

For You

For Me!

Oh, Lord, Help Us to

Let Your Holy Spirit Lead

Always and Forever. 

AMEN

Name "IT" and Claim "IT!?"

My "friend" got angry with me
Because of the stance that I take
She thinks that for a Christian I am foolish
And she calls me a big fat fake!

My "friend" has been following the trend that
Is totally sweeping the church
Believing that if you can name it you can claim it
And you won’t be left behind, and in the lurch!

Well, I should tell you that we had
A great parting of the ways
Because I refuse to join in the movement
That purports to reach God in many ways!

I don’t care what my "friend" thinks of me
I don’t want my best life now
For anyone who wants their best life in the corporeal
Really doesn’t need Jesus anyhow!

So if you have a problem with my lack of possessions
If you have a problem with my empty purse
If you have a problem with my unfashionable clothing
Don’t feel sorry for me! I don’t view my lack as being a curse!

Jesus Christ has promised me a mansion
If I trust in, and believe Him, and walk
Straight along the narrow path way to Glory
And ignore the heathens, and their lotta long talk!

So I will make my own declaration
I will state here my own case
I will not follow the multitude to do evil
And I will not play at Satan’s Burning Place!

I am going to name King Jesus
And I am going to call Him my God
And I am readily going to claim Him
As my Savior, my Redeemer, and my Lord!

Mine, mine, mine!
King Jesus is mine!
He knows my name!
And He’s not leaving me behind!
To Him I give glory!
To Him I offer my praise!
Sorry, "friend!" I can’t join you at your party
'Cause I ain’t burning in that great blaze!