Come and See

I stood with the others

Protectors of the night

Guarding the livestock

I am a locator of the lost,

A simple Shepherd

Assisting in the natural world

I am one of the night watchers

As I gathered near the city of David

A humbled servant of God, tending my flock

I was unaware of Angels in the realm of glory

Receiving their orders in the darkest of hours

Earth is to be ignited by their celestial presence

I, a guardian of the herd

Witness the shadows of the night

Vanish in the illumination

My gaze is Heavenward

As the skies erupt with thundering light

I, a caretaker of sheep

Lost and found,

Cower in panic

Frightened by a Heavenly presence

I tremble in fear and fall to my knees

These messengers of God

Offer words of peace

Do not be stricken with fear. I bring you good news

The Lamb of God has been born

A Saviour who will take away the sins of the world

Go to Bethlehem

There is a baby swathed in clothes

A feed trough for his makeshift bed

You will know him as Christ the Lord

Seek Him where the hungry come to feed

I look in disbelief at my fellow Shepherds

A feed trough for a bed?

How could it be?

My mind cannot fathom a place of such lowliness

In a place where animals are sheltered

Slobbering as they eat the hay

What an odd place for a baby

A stable- for a throne of a Saviour?

My doubt is shattered by the heralds of light

Speaking of glory, peace and goodwill

The Angels ask us shepherds to bear witness

To seek the Light of God in this baby

The King of our humanity

Christ the Messiah

As the Angels withdraw from our presence

I say to my fellow shepherds:

Let our feet travel on Holy ground to the place

Where our eyes are fixed upon the child

This instance which has come to pass

Where upon the Lord has made known to us

Let us come and see what God has done…

TL Alton 
 

 

As I write sheltered by the heavens above me; surrounded with my rocks, branches of fir amid an array of Christmas cards… the songs of His grace are my company. I am letting settle into my Christmas spirit, the evening service I attended at Saanich Baptist Church.

The tradition of me attending Christmas Eve has never faltered. This year’s “Come and See” theme saw me contributing with words sent to me from my Creator.

In November, I was invited to a group of creative souls who the Lord has touched with individual gifts. At first, I was unsure about offering up my passages about the angels and shepherds. It was a sermon by the Youth Pastor Kennan, who thru the word of Our Saviour, inspired me to turn my ‘Can’t into CAN.’

As a writer, sometimes it can be hard to share the creative process with others, but I needed to trust and open myself to letting go. In doing so, the final version of Come and See flowed in continuous harmony, of all of those who contributed to it.

Our church was transformed into a wonderland of the season and a celebration of what Christmas Day represents to us.

Luke Lampard and his worship team multiplied the joy with a selection of music the honouring the birth of Jesus. The live performance of “Noel” had people swaying and in awe of the young lady whose angelic voice had us mesmerized. The momentum changed when a hilarious video was shown of the cutest kids giving their interpretation of the night the Saviour was born. I cannot recall such laughter filling the rafters of a church on Christmas Eve service! A stirring duet between Luke and his sister Amy had many overcome with emotions. 

Those attending all four services were taken on a journey where our faith instilled in us, the Glory that one day will, be ours. 

I was fortunate to sit with two ladies who were in my GriefShare support group. These women made amazing progress in their bereavement. A former participant remarked how it looked as if God himself had wiped the grief from one of these ladies faces. I was reminded of the importance of carrying on, despite what we have endured.

"If you cannot fly, then run. If you cannot run, then walk. If you cannot walk, then crawl. But whatever you do, you have to keep moving forward."

- Martin Luther King Jr.

While people gather for meals and unwrap gifts, much like the advent series of Saanich Baptist Church I have been ‘Re-thinking Christmas.’ The tradition I began last year, with spending this day with those in need, is something that connects me both to my beliefs and my precious daughter Shayla. The gifts I have received throughout the whole year, by a variety of caring souls, reminds me that we need not solely one day to give from the heart.

"Noel (feat. Lauren Daigle)" by Chris Tomlin 'ADORE: Christmas Songs of Worship'

VIDEO Link >>>  https://youtu.be/5Vwu-t7QRaE

By TL Alton

The Secret Sceptre of Grief ~ Part 1

The face is the mirror of the mind, and eyes without speaking confess the secrets of the heart. ~St. Jerome

Secrets. We all have encased within us a barrage of them. Concealed from the tender mercies of our world, we bear unspeakable disgrace that stains our core with sin.

If this where my post ended, it would not be uplifting and quite miserable.
In the four years of writing on The Heart Pebble Movement, I have exposed more than the flesh and bones that comprises me. 
The actuality is although I did enter this world as a ‘perfect’ polished, shiny stone; I became rugged, chipped and flawed along the way. Having grown up with closets full of secrets; my innocence was tarred in wickedness. I did not fear the monsters lurking outside in society, but as a terrified little four year old girl-I desperately tried to keep out the evil I knew as ‘family.’ While most individuals have roots similar to the Cleaver's, I could relate more to ‘Flowers in the Attic.’ The bottled secrets of my damaged soul, were placed on a graveyard shelf, with ‘Do Not Open’ labels on them. 

Yet, there existed light -piercing each covert jar- shards of the cross upon which Jesus died for me and my sins. I have been saved by my Saviour and the faith, which has seen me survive ‘unspeakable things.’ My heart has been opened to the dreams of a life, I could only imagine. 

Where once misery was inflicted upon my innocence, now there is a strong relationship in Christ. With everything cloaked in Sin, the only man who could shatter the barriers of those who have hurt me, is the love of the Lord. 

In the times I have expressed myself openly in my posts, I have received messages of support, caring and hope, from others reaching out to me. Some who have replied are dear friends, then there are comments I have kept by my former partner, while other remarks are by complete strangers. People in this world who have read entries on my blog… which were created with my fingertips, dipped into a kaleidoscope of words. 

I have shared my grief- ricocheted off of the brokenness of my journey- as a bereaved mother; reeling from the sudden death of my only child. I exposed the raw and ugly truth of what it is like to have a child die. 

Throughout all of it, I have contemplated the individuals that my words have been read by; those I will never know the impact of what I write. I reflect on other parents who may have read my posts and wept together or the woman whose feels trapped and caged in a toxic relationship. I have thought of those who have found comfort, when I have shared my own loss of someone I once loved, with every fiber of my being. I hope these women realize they are not alone in never having anyone stand up for them; yet find the grace in extending forgiveness, to those who hurt them...along the way.

My thoughts have wandered to those young girls, who can relate to the despair of trying to cope with emotional issues- having found strength in turning on the light of faith; instead of hurting themselves in the clutches of darkness. 

I shudder for the  women who sleep deeply, unknown to their spouses accessing the computer, to download pornography- with each click of the depraved images, impaling the hearts of those they are suppose to value , respect and love. 

I fold my hands in prayer for the little girls and boys, who lay petrified in their beds when hearing the opening of their doors and the depravity on the other side, known as ‘family’ …feeding their sickly desires. 

All of these things I have wrote about as they are ‘secret chapters’  in my life, which I have revealed… because keeping them hidden, only breathes life into the sins that I was once bound to. This does not make me now a ‘perfect person free of sin’- instead it discloses that I am not flawless. However, the stains covering me have been lifted slowly, as I continue to be a ‘work in progress.’ 

I can relate to what is happening in some of the recent news headlines, because of similar things I have been subjected to, throughout my life.
This past Sunday, I heard our Pastor Steve Sundby, speak.
In spring, I began going every week to Saanich Baptist Church and have found a place where I am welcome- flaws and all. 

Pastor Sundby’s sermon was on “Thy Kingdom Come” and it was Part 1. This man delivers words that run through the heart of those who are are there.  With his commanding presence and thundering voice, I see the eyes of those in attendance, focussed on the word of God. 

He spoke of the Ashley Madison hacker scandal, which has seen unfaithful people like renowned Josh Duggar’s foundation fall apart- as if built on a cotton candy pedestal -subjected to the tears of those he hurt- it is now dissolved! Josh Duggar has also admitted to sexually abusing young girls; including some of his own sisters. This is a man whose tongue is swaddled in Sin! The Pastor’s sermon also drew on the insensitivity to the plight of the world’s current afflictions. His words struck a fire amongst those in attendance and have us waiting, in anticipation for Part 2, at our next service. 


At the beginning of my grief journey- nearing four years ago, I was lost, fearful, traumatized and full of anger. Time has healed the scars that most would not believe…yet now after making some of the hardest decisions, I have emerged proudly ‘wearing the scars upon my sleeves.’

In Part 2 of my blog, much more will be revealed, as to the transformation I have undergone this summer and the ‘letting go’ of things- I once held with reverence. 

Those broken wings I once carried with me… have finally healed and left the ground… still holding onto my Dreams...I dance in the downpour of Life!

TL Alton