The Warrior's Way

Grace Moment by Moment-weekly column
When I think of war I imagine, like most people, it will never happen here or in my lifetime. I don't know why, I suppose that attitude comes from society's belief that humans are invulnerable, immune to harm. I've discovered that particular belief is a bald-faced lie.
History teaches that humanity's sense of right or wrong, its "moral compass" has constantly been corrupted, distorted and broken resulting in repetitive acts of war on humanity's weaker members. The people humanity deems unworthy or undeserved of life.
The reality is just the opposite. The people deemed unfit for "society's" idea of perfection are the very individuals God gave the abilities to guide and lead in times of crises. Ironic, isn't it?
When a soldier goes to war he/she is hailed as a hero; clapped on the back and told America is proud of the service him/her rendered to the country. However, when the soldier comes home he/she joins the ranks of all the others whom history would rather forget. The reason, if any is actually given for this disregard, is that the adjustment a soldier goes through while transitioning to civilian life is awkward at best, and frightening at worst. The most difficult said adjustment is, the more embarrassed society becomes at the soldier's inability to be perfect. At that point, society's "moral compass' turns upside down, and the soldier is deemed unworthy by everyone but God.
To the soldier struggling to fit in and find their place in a society that has turned its back on him/her I share these words from Psalms 91:1-2, 15-16
"He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress; My God in Him will I trust. . . . He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him. With long life I will satisfy him, and show him My salvation."
To God every soldier, whether on the battlefield, or struggling to fit in at home, is loved, wanted, needed and honored not because they chose the warrior's way, but simply because each one is a child of God, created in the image of God. Each soldier is considered one of his special joys. Never forget as you read this, like the poem I'm ending this article with says, "God will never leave you nor forsake you."

The Warrior King-a soldier's psalm
When the cover of night closes 'round about me,
and I hear the breath of mine enemy,
the Warrior King on high,
protects me.
When the guns explode and strafing fire slices the air over my head
and I am afraid,
the Warrior king on high,
shelters me.
When the burning of the sands
matches the grief I feel over the loss of my comrades,
the Warrior King on high,
comforts me.
When the tormeny of my captors seems endless and I am all alone
longing for Heaven and home,
the Warrior King on high,
reminds me: "My child, you are never alone."
When I returned home
and felt the strangeness of 'where do I belong?'
the Warrior King on high,
encourages me to sing this song,
"The Warrior King
of whom I sing
holds me in His Palm.
He wishes to share with everyone
this Soldier's Psalm!
A promise to all who serve King Jesus
is this,
"'He who perseveres
will no longer have to fear,
for one day wars will cease
and Peace
will reign
when Jesus comes back again.
On that day we will find
longed for hope and serenity of mind'
And in Heaven's house--a home
where all soldiers can have a place to belong and call their own."


Written by:
Belle Anne Leslie

Written on:
May 14, 1995

Scripture References:
Psalm 91 & John 14:1-4

9/11, Five Years Later-The Choices One Makes

Grace Moment by Moment-weekly column
My Personal Recollections
The year 2001 started with the loss of my mom on April 13th. I struggled with the grief and the crippling sense of fear. 'What would I do next?' Any person who has ever given care to another knows the emptiness I felt when mom died. For months I could barely cope with the myriad details of life. It was like I was in a vacuum, unable to see a way out. I grasped at straws looking for some sense of identity separate from the one of caregiver. I spent most of my time occupied with my own needs.
On September 11, 2001 that all changed. I remember sitting down to breakfast, and switching on the remote to NBC afilliate WNDU-Channel 16 to catch the morning news with Katie, Al and Matt. It was 9:00 a.m. The camera focused on the World Trade Center. I remember thinking, 'This picture is wrong. The smoke isn't supposed to be coming out of the top, but from the basement.' For some reason, perhaps my brain's attempt to shield me from the reality, my mind had flashed back instantly to the terrorist bombing in 1993. In the next breath I uttered, "Oh. My. God. No. This is happening right now."
Automatically, I reached for the phone and began calling friends and family. I was on the phone with one of my friends when the north tower fell. My mind latched onto one thought, "Thank God, mom is in Heaven. She would have had a fatal heart attack watching this." The reactions everyone I talked to experienced were mixed, ranging from absolute shock to disbelief to even scorn. Later, most would admit to not knowing how to cope with the fear.
A Glimpse into Evil
Even today, a glimpse of the twin towers of the World Trade Center with smoke billowing from their fractured heights sets my insides to quaking. Instinctively, I want to hide. 'Why?' I wondered. The answer I came up with is simple . . . yet arresting.
The images of the twin towers collapsing, with people screaming as they ran from the debris clouds, hold the same distinction in history now as those of hollow-eyed, emaciated survivors of Hitler's holocaust against Jews, Christians and other oppressed groups. The implied message of these images is chilling; it is one of unadulterated Evil against all that stands for God and good in this world.
No himan being, let alone a single nation, has the strength or courage to confront such a mindset bent on killing. But "if two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them" in battle. (Matthew 18:20, NKJV) United in prayer before God's Throne, a world can and will win against Evil.
A Call to Repentance
The decision then is clear, "If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land." (II Chronicles 7:14, NKJV)
It's been five years since that tragic day when America lost its innocence; its sense of invulnerability to Evil attacking its own shores. America is very much still a nation at war. We live with the uncertainty every day could be our last. President George W. Bush in his address to the nation Monday, September 11th, the fifth anniversary of the attacks, said, "America is safer but not completely safe." So, the choices one makes in life determine what a person's destiny will be. What will you choose?
If you decide you wish to make a profession of faith in Jesus Christ. Then pray and ask, "Jesus, forgive my sins. I choose to trust You with my life and my soul. Please come and live within my heart. I give You the right to lead me and guide me in all things, and I ask You to be my Savior. Thank You, in Jesus' Name, Amen."
An Additional Note:
If you are still searching for answers and not sure whether you can trust Christ to be the answer you are seeking. Contact me through the comments section on this website and we will talk. I will be praying for you.

Here is a poem I wrote several years ago, I hope you enjoy it.

Lightning
Lightning forks slash the sky,
splitting wide the veil between God and I.
His face glows with the Love of a Father,
for His adopted sons and daughters.
as the thunder rolls,
the time of reckoning comes for mankind's souls.
We have been presented with a choice
in the quicksilver flash that follows, will we heed God's voice
and turn from our wicked ways,
to follow Him until the end of our days?
Or will we allow the brevity of time to close
the Door between this world's and God's? Yet only He goes
for the chance still remains,
for us to gain
the Promise of Eternal Life,
through the Gift of His son, Jesus Christ!
When we surrender our lives to Him,
He will gladly forgive and cleanse our sin.
A new creation we will be
for all eternity.
And when the portal again opens and Christ returns to stay,
we will sing with the angels on that Day,
"Jesus Christ is Lord of Lords and King of Kings,
now and forever He reigns!
The Peace that passes all understanding rules our hearts,
filling it with the knowledge He will never depart!"

Written by:
Belle Anne Leslie

Written on:
June 2, 1994.

Scripture Reference:
2 Chronicles 7:14 & Matthew 18:20

A Bit of End of Summer Fun

Grace Moment by Moment-weekly column
Everyone I know has experienced a rough week so I've decided on a change of pace for my column. Here is a taste of summer to keep my readers happy until next year. Enjoy!

Middle of the Night Fright-short story
One summer night in South Carolina I awakened with a start, my heart pounding in fright, to a sudden crashing noise. Reaching under my bed, I grabbed "Old Louie" the Louisville slugger bat Dad gave me for protection. As I rose from bed and crept out into the hallway a strange cloying scent tickled ny nose. I moved slowly in the moonlit darkness to Mom's bedroom and peeked in. Good, nothing but Mom in bed asleep.
The bare bathroom received a quick check, only the chrome gleamed in the light of the window. Only the kitchen and living room remained to be cleared of danger. I crept soundlessly down the carpeted hallway into the living room. In the semidarkness, the only shapes visible were those of furniture and the TV. However, as I approached the kitchen the odd odor I had noticed earlier, grew stronger and more unpleasant.
Mentally the thought of a burglar raced through my mind, as I warily prepared for anything. I raised "Old Louie" level with my head in a fighter's stance, swallowed hard and jumped out of the living room into . . . the trash can!
As my pulse raced with adrenaline I lowered "Old Louie" and started to laugh at the absurdity. Apparently, the trash can had tipped over, unbalanced when the dust pan slid down underneath it and crashed to the floor.
The kitchen clock read 3:15 a.m. and here I was standing in my pajamas, my hair a rat's nest with an old bat ready to do battle with a trash can. Shaking my head with silent mirth, I cleaned up the mess and went back to bed.

Written by:
Belle Anne Leslie

Written on:
April 10, 2006


After reading the book and viewing the movie based on C.S Lewis's The Chronicles of Narnia "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe", here is a poem I wrote that I thought you might also enjoy.

Summer Roses

Images of summer roses,
and snowdrops on noses,
glimmering lights
and angel eyes
mingled with hope in a dream.
All of it echoes my grief stricken screams:
Dad's ashes on snow
scatter, as brisk winds blow
my mind numbs with fear
as my blank eyes stare
at a bewitching cat
perched on a hardwood slugger bat
who dreams of mischief in the rain
while nonsensical words rhyme in my dream:
cottonwood dregs,
and prairie schooner wrecks
or maybe it's the image of woodchuck foes,
those misbegotten voles!
How do you describe the image of honor in glass
before a wind driven mast?
These thoughts and more,
drive me to my knees on the floor.
A simple cry, "Help God!" brings the thought, Harry Potter meets Christ
darkness turns into Life
The cat runs away, as ravens haunt the misty shored glen
I live in.
Time stands on end
as Aslan the Lion, my childhood friend,
trumps Satan, the old witch.
Aslan reminds me that the stone table split.
At last the battle is over. Life eternal wins
and Christ returns to rule again.

Written by:
Belle Anne Leslie

Written on:
April 10, 2006