Poetry and Short Stories

Do you find yourself in this story can you relate?

Chapters
(I do not want you to know me)

There was a time when I wanted to know you and I prayed that you would know me. A time when things could have been different. A time when there was hope and not sadness. It seems like chapters out of books when I look back now. Each one for me was filled with so much love for you and a strong yearning to be part of your life. For you to know me, that I was very much every single day thinking about you. The dreams I was building in each chapter you were the center of it all. I fought every day to be heard, every moment, every second through each line on those pages, I fought. Till I learned that it would result in a not happily ever after in the last chapter. I was silenced, silenced into a dark place. I kept turning the pages praying I was still the author of our story. But I was no longer important in this story, my character was not only defamed but removed. The chapters I had written for you and for me were changed. As you turn each page I begin to fade, like a ghost wandering the halls of an empty house. No one hears me when I call out, no one hears me when I cry. No one sees me anymore. As you read into the next chapters of this book you will see I have been erased slowly. Silenced in my dark place still wandering, I no longer have a voice in this book. I have not been killed off; I have been sadly removed.

In this book of two lives that never really knew each other only for just a brief few chapters, for me still to this day they feel like lifetimes. I do not visit those chapters as much as I used to because I knew you then, but I do not know you today, I do not want you to know me if you do, I will have to defend me. That will mean I will have to relive the chapters I have not read in a long time. I would rather die with an open ending of my own imagination to this fragile novel than to step back into this book of make-believe of how things could have been for and for me.

Today, I chose the sleeve of this book with so much love and hope for you. But for me, I close this book that is never ending to you. For me I know all the answers, the truth is with me, that is why I do not want you to know me, if you did, I would have to defend me.
© Shannon Wendler

I did not write this, I do not know who did. I came across this years ago and I have kept it.
The image I did though!

I Want Your Children

I have come to visit your children
And I’m pleased with what I see.
They abuse all kinds of drugs,
And are getting drunk with me.

They live as in Gomorrah or Sodom,
Their minds are perverse and blown.
I will claim their souls anytime now,
You shouldn’t have left them alone.

I am glad you worked long hours,
I am glad you were busy a lot.
It would have been harder to sway them, if not.

At your schools, I have been at work,
Making sex an acceptable game.
You slept while I fought to keep prayer out,
To add to your neglectful shame.

You don’t seem to notice the witchcraft;
I broadcast on your own TV,
"It’s just an innocent program,"
Twitch your nose as they follow me.

Add a couple of violent sitcoms,
It’s funny to see heads blown in two.
Now your little Tommy has his own gun
And there’s nothing you can do.

They’re mine and you cannot reach them;
Their hearts are cold, hard, and black.
I’ve shown them how to party,
With pot, cocaine, and crack.

You have been a tremendous help, though;
I couldn’t have done it alone.
If you hadn’t forsaken your prayer life,
These seeds I could not have sown.

So stay away from the Bible’s teachings;
Don’t listen to what God has to say.
Your children are no longer your problem,
A price they’ll eternally pay.

Without Christ, they are mine to devour.
Without God, there is nothing you can do.
Today I will take your children.
Tomorrow I will be coming for you.

Sincerely,
Satan

🔊He's crazy about you and doesn't want to live without you! He came from His throne to die so you wouldn't have to. He came for a chance to win your heart and to hold you close. He's never been mad at you, he's only been madly in love, enough to wear your scars!

👉🏼 You are the one He chose! There is no moment when you're not on His mind; there is no second-guessing His sacrifice. He has paid it all ten million times over and over. He came so you could be born again, make you His, and enter His Kingdom as a child of God and be with Him FOREVER.

👉🏼Being born once makes us children of Adam, born in the corruption of sin. Being born twice in HIM spiritual birth makes us children of God.

📖"Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." John 3:3

🩸It's never been about what you have done, your past, or your sins it's always been about what He's done for you: the cross, and His overwhelming love for you.

👉🏼He's never used your past against you only drawn you close to His heart! His purpose has always been to give Himself to you without turning away or stopping the fight for you UNTIL THE END.

💙He didn't want to live without you and you were not created to live without Him!

🔊Our Savior is eagerly waiting for us, for this moment when He can embrace us in His arms, that moment will erase all the struggles we've endured in this world. Keep your eyes on the prize! KEEP LOOKING UP! HE IS COMING FOR US!

🔊Church: Soon our wait will end, our pain will cease, and we will be dining together with our King! Let’s be thankful that He has saved us, protected us, kept us, and He will RAISE US UP on That Day! This is how we fight our battles, by LOOKING UP by keeping our blessed hope ALIVE!

📖"Looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ." Titus 2:13

💍The Marriage Supper of The Lamb:

📖" And I heard, as it were, the voice of a great multitude, as the sound of many waters and as the sound of mighty thunderings, saying, “Alleluia! For the Lord God Omnipotent reigns! Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready.” And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.

📖Then he said to me, “Write: ‘Blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb!’ ” And he said to me, “These are the true sayings of God.” Rev 19:6-9

🔊Church: Get yourself ready! There is not much time left for us. Let's keep praying, seeking His face, asking for His revelation, preaching the gospel whenever we can, and crying out for Him to come to us!

👉🏼Jesus says:
📖“Surely I am coming quickly.” Rev 22:20

👉🏼The Church says:
📖"Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus! " Rev 22:20

The Carpenter’s Hands
In a small village nestled among rolling hills, there lived a carpenter named Joseph. He was known for his skillful hands and the love he poured into every piece of furniture he crafted. But Steven carried a heavy burden the loss of his beloved wife, Mary, who had passed away during childbirth.

One day, as Steven worked in his humble workshop, a young boy approached him. His eyes held a wisdom beyond his years, and his simple robe seemed to glow with an otherworldly light. Steven knew this was no ordinary child.

“Steven,” the boy said, “I’ve come to learn your craft.”

Steven hesitated. “Why would a child like you want to learn carpentry?”

The boy smiled. “Because I have a purpose a mission. And I need your hands.”

Steven agreed, and day by day, he taught the boy the art of shaping wood. They worked side by side, creating tables, chairs, and crosses. The boy’s hands were gentle yet powerful, and Steven marveled at the grace with which he worked.

As they toiled, the boy shared stories and parables of love, forgiveness, and hope. His words touched Steven’s heart, and he began to see the world through new eyes. The boy spoke of a kingdom, not of this earth, where the broken would be made whole and the lost would find their way.

One evening, as the sun dipped below the horizon, the boy revealed his true identity. “Steven,” he said, “I am Jesus. I’ve come to heal hearts, mend souls, and offer eternal life.”

Steven fell to his knees. “But why choose me, a simple carpenter?”

Jesus lifted Steven’s chin. “Because your hands create more than furniture they create love, compassion, and beauty. You are part of my grand design.”

Years went by and together, they traveled from village to village. Jesus performed miracles, and Steven witnessed the blind seeing, the lame walking, and the broken finding solace. But it was the transformation within Steven that amazed him most. His grief turned to hope, and his hands became instruments of healing.

One day, they arrived at a hill outside Jerusalem. A rough wooden cross stood there, waiting. Jesus looked at Steven. “This is why I came to offer salvation.”

Steven wept as he helped fashion the cross. He knew its weight both physical and spiritual. And as Jesus hung upon it, Steven’s hands trembled. But in that moment, he understood the depth of love and the sacrifice that could mend a broken world.

Three days later, Jesus rose from the grave, and Steven’s heart soared. His hands continued to shape wood, but now they also held hope. He spread the message of love, just as Jesus had taught him.

And so, the carpenter’s hands became a testament to a bridge between heaven and earth. Steven’s legacy was not in the furniture he crafted but in the lives, he touched, the hearts he healed, and the faith he shared.

May we all find purpose in our hands, just as Steven did a purpose that transcends the ordinary and leads us to the extraordinary. 🙏✨