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Ellis Glenn Colley

Bless Your Heart by Cindy Colley

Peter and James…and Ellis

Posted on December 18, 2025

The profundity of the comments that children make in Bible discussions never ceases to amaze me. Last night, at my son’s house, there was a discussion of Peter and James in Acts 5 and 12; how that God saw fit to deliver Peter from prison in Acts 5, but did not deliver James in Acts 12.  Instead, He allowed his execution. Maggie, who is seven, thought it was interesting and began to think of reasons why that would be the case. Together, they thought of all kinds of reasons God might have had, in His sovereignty and complete knowledge, to allow this disparity. I’m sure they listed reasons having to do with the spread of the gospel and reasons having to do with the strengthening of those left behind. But Ellis, who is four, said, in a trembling and weepy little voice “Wait! God didn’t save James?!!”

But, in the end, their mama and daddy pointed out the important truth that James was happy in his death because He got to go to be with the Lord and all of his suffering was over, for good. “See? James was happy that he got to leave prison and go to be forever happy. It actually made him happy that he was chosen to get to leave this world.” 

Ellis, in a trembling little voice responded “Well, maybe it made James happy. But it doesn’t make me happy.” 

Sometimes I fail to look at things through the eyes of God.  Often, I’m looking at death and suffering around me and, with trembling voice, I say “This doesn’t make me happy.” Like Ellis, I am full of compassion toward God’s people and I wonder why the evil and death is all around. 

It is through the words of Peter that I take comfort:

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls (1 Peter 1:3-9).

I love the word outcome. See, the ultimate outcome for James and Peter was the same. It was the salvation of their souls. Something was being kept in heaven; reserved for each of them. In the grand scheme of things, their entrances into the realm of glory was separated by only the briefest moment in time—just a few years in the vast sea of eternity. 

But I would not have those words in this epistle of suffering if Peter had not survived the imprisonment of Acts 5 and gone on to write them later. And, perhaps, the Holy Spirit could then use Peter to write them, in part, because Peter had witnessed and survived the early Jewish and Herodian persecution, even in the death of James. Remember, James was one of his fishing buddies in the early days, before they made the huge life-change there in Capernaum, by the sea of Galilee. The loss of Peter, in James’ death, was the ultimate gain for James. Death is no thief to the faithful, for his sting has been taken (1 Corinthians15:55). Peter was learning that through every trial and loss. He was getting ready to write 1 Peter and give comfort and courage to many generations of Christians to come.

We are grieved by various trials. As Ellis says “They don’t make us happy.” But one day they will.

Bless Your Heart by Cindy Colley

“I don’t want to just survive!”

Posted on May 27, 2025

Recently during worship, our grandson, Ellis, who has just turned four, was singing “Our God, He is Alive”. Looking up to his mama he asked , “Mama, what does survive mean?”

His mama quietly answered “It means that we are able to keep being alive.” 

Ellis urgently responded “I don’t want to just survive. I want to live!” 

Me, too, Ellis. Me, too!

And Jesus said he came to earth so that we could do just that. 

The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep ( John 10:10,11). 

Don’t just survive life in this old sinful world. I’d love to study with you about the abundant life. I have no personal handle on it. But my Lord is the one Who came and gave me access. He gave His life for me. Don’t let the greatest gift be wasted on you! 

Bless Your Heart by Cindy Colley

Ellis – Lions, Sheep and Goats

Posted on May 8, 2025

Ellis is four. He has a stuffed Simba (from Lion King) on his bed. He sleeps in the top bunk of a grey house-shaped bed. He has a window to look out and everything! Each night, when I went in last week, to tuck him in, I’d make up some wild story about how Simba had disobeyed; he had gone too close to the edge of a cliff or he had jumped on a barge in the river. He disobeyed through the week in a plethora of ways. Each  night, Samba would get a sound spanking and he’d have to sit in the corner and face the wall until Ellis woke up in the morning. Each night, Ellis would ask, in all seeming sincerity, “Why?…Why does he always disobey?” Then we’d have a little talk about the folly of disobedience and Ellis would affirm his own resolve to not disobey.

On the last night I was there, He began to talk about the sheep and the goats during our little Simba-time, in the vein of Matthew 25. He said “Samba is really just one of the goats.”

I said, “Well, YOU are one of the sheep, though. You are an obey-er. You always do what Mama and Dada say! I know you will never be a goat.”

Ellis said, “Well sometimes I cross over into the goats.”

I responded “Well, I don’t think so. You are always trying to obey. I watch you do that every day. You especially want to obey God.”

He persisted. “But sometimes I am a goat. Like tonight, I was supposed to be getting in my bed and I went back in there.”

He was right. He did venture back down the hall…to ask for one final drink, or for something he forgot to show me or for permission to have Papa come read a book or something. He had gotten into trouble and maybe his mama had seen one little glimpse of a billygoat horn growing out of those curls.

We talked a while more and I assured Ellis that I know he will always make the choice to be a sheep and we will all be in heaven together.

Just an fyi for all of us who have been sheep for a lot of years now: There’s no accidental “crossing-over” from sheep status to being a goat. If you are a sheep, you cannot accidentally join the goat-herd. It takes much more than a conscientious slip-up to join the goats. If you are walking in the light, as Christ is in the light, the blood of Jesus keeps you clean and in the right flock (1 John 1:7).

Further, there are no half-sheep-half goats. You are not an in-between spiritual species. If you are not a full-fledged sheep, you are on the left-hand—a goat. He will set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left (Matthew 25:33).

I just want to be a sheep.

Bless Your Heart by Cindy Colley

Love Lifted Me

Posted on April 28, 2025

Today I got to sing “Love Lifted Me” just after hearing my husband preach about being born again. As we sang, both my husband and my son were standing in front of the full auditorium at the North Jackson church. watching for someone who might want to be born again, regenerated by the Holy Spirit in the waters of baptism.  I knew that my little grand-daughter and a group of Christians from that church had passed out invitations to the community yesterday. I met some who were there who needed to know the Lord. I am prayerful that this week might impact lives for eternity. 

As we sang, I looked down and my four-year-old grandson, Ellis, reached up to me and I  took him in my arms. He sang with gusto in my left ear  “…when nothing else could help, love lifted me.” I know he has no sin, but I trust one day the love will lift him, too. 

In my heart, I thought, “I love that, in front of me are the two favorite preachers in my world, standing right there together, one singing bass and one, tenor.  I love that I am flanked by my three grandchildren and my sweet daughter-in-law. But, most of all, I am thankful for the love that lifted me when nothing else could help; the love that completely saves.” 

Sometimes, life is hard. There are encounters that I endure rather than enjoy; mornings when the darkness lifts out my window, but not in my heart. I’m sure it’s that way for most of us in the testing ground through which we walk on our way home. But if we have been cleansed from the deep stain within and if we are no longer sinking to rise no more, the reasons to rejoice far outweigh the despair. 

I am currently editing the last chapters of our next Digging Deep study. I am praying hard that some soul(s) may come to know the love that lifts—that completely saves—as a result of the study that we will begin next September. Maybe there is someone who is studying along right now, as we enter the last trimester of our Conversations study, who, when being honest with self, knows that she has not been lifted by the Savior, cleansed from the deep stain of sin. I would so love to help you.  I’m just an email or facebook message away. This month we will study the women who anointed the Savior. One of them, having been forgiven, broke her expensive alabaster box and wiped the feet of Jesus with her tears (Luke 7: 36ff). Do you have tears today because of sin? Do you have an alabaster box—something precious to you—that you could offer Him? He is waiting with a love that will lift!

Let’s talk about this together! 

cindycolley@gmail.com.

 

Bless Your Heart by Cindy Colley

A Good Mammy’s Dose

Posted on March 17, 2023

We don’t believe in any special luck o’ the Irish, and we certainly have no spiritual allegiance to the so-called “St. Patrick” but we do have fun watching the children in our world get excited about the pinching-if-you-forget-to-wear-green, dressing like leprechauns and eating green cupcakes. Glenn is headed to an elementary school to read for several classes (one of his favorite things to do) and I am very blessed to be getting to visit with the Colley grandkids for a couple of days.

Maggie and Ellis are a little farther away and I do not get to see them as much as the other three. But if you’re a grandmother, you know that going for walks, playing games, picking weeds for their mother, rocking and singing and making crafts to decorate the mantel are among the most therapeutic of life’s blessings. Today, we did all that. So fun.

The best part was Bible Time. Maggie’s and Ellis’s mom tells me that what Maggie and Ellis know about the Bible is not a big deal. “Every normal child can learn the scriptures if time is devoted to the process.”  I agree, but Rebekah Colley is so good at Family Bible Time (and every other part of motherhood) and I love the way these two kids are growing in the Lord. They look to their dad as the leader, but their mama surely is creative and diligent and it shows in the fairly vast Bible knowledge of these kids, who are two and four. This is a sampling, but this was late at night for two who had played hard all day. Still, you can tell they are being filled with the Word. Click when you have a minute.

Here’s Ellis, with his Old Testament overview : IMG_1147

And here’s Maggie with the New Testament :IMG_1150

It won’t be as fun for you as for me. My Mammy heart will be full as I go home tomorrow. But maybe you have something very similar happening at your house! If so, you’re blessed. If not, why not get going? There are lots of tips on this site, if you search “Family Bible Time”. It’s a great time to start.

Bless Your Heart by Cindy Colley

Dear Ellis,

Posted on February 15, 2021

Dear Ellis,

I’d do anything within reason for most people who had a real need. But YOU. You needed nothing that wasn’t being given you already and, just to see you, your Papa and I drove 17 hours, part of which was driven in the wee small hours of the morning. Your papa doesn’t do that for anyone but you (…ok, perhaps for four other little people we love)! It was worth the drive. You, the only Colley name-carrier in all of our extended family, have wonderful dark eyes, brown hair, and you have a sister who’s two and dotes on you. That look in her eyes is pretty fun to watch, too. 

I’ll make your letter short and sweet. We don’t want too much. We only want you to move closer to your mammy and papa. We want to get to witness some of your first laughs, bites, crawls and steps. We want to get to play games with you and swing you in the big tree swing in our yard. We want to take romps in the woods behind our house and take you to the lake and watch you catch your first fish and then to the adjoining playground and slide and climb and play in the sand with you. We want to be able to come to your ball games and take you to the putt-putt course and the bowling alley.

We can’t be geographically close to you right now, so we’ll just take advantage of every little chance we get. But more than we want you to grow up close to us, we want you to grow up close to God. This very biggest wish of ours is something we already know (assuming you get to grow into a man) is a happening thing. This wish eclipses all others in our hearts. We watched your sister Maggie say almost all of the books of the Bible last week. We listened to her quote her “Bible words.” She explained to us what it means to repent and that most of all “we want to be just like Jesus.” Most of all, we want that for you. MOST. OF. ALL!

Your great-grandfather used to say “God’s best people are children.” We agree. you are completely and humbly dependent. You are pure and innocent. You are eager to learn and free of worry. You are so much of what we want to be. “Except (we) become as little children, (we) cannot inherit the kingdom.” 

Your mother and daddy are determined. As I watched you in your very first Bible time when you were just over 24 hours old, I thought about the big job your mama and dad are taking on. You will hear His word every night for the next 18 years or so. That’s about 6570 family Bible times.  You will have a couple of pairs of grandparents say your name to God, along with your praying parents, every single night. That’s about 20,000 times (at least) that the Father will hear your name before you leave home.

Ellis, if you preach the gospel, you will be a fifth generation gospel preacher. But, whether or not you do, you will be a fifth generation child of God. That’s all we want, because every Christian, by definition, is a follower of Christ. That’s all we want because, if you’re a follower, then you will follow Him one day all the way to a place where your papa and mammy will be waiting for you. It will be a place where we really can live close to you, forever and always. 

We love you. 

Mammy and Papa

P.S. Your grandfather put your sweet face up on the big screen before he preached today. I thought his buttons would pop off right there on that pulpit stage!