Tuesday, January 28, 2020

Today-List (or To-do List)


 This is the day the LORD has made; 
We will rejoice and be glad in it.
Psalm 118:24


Vivid blue and gold beginnings are thinning...

Let's make today the best we can, okay?
To honour the Giver of its gift!

Today list, or today's to-do list...

...to make its quest to give my best
To tasks both great and small
And bear in mind not far behind
A youngster’s footsteps fall
To recognize with patient eyes
The time it takes to learn
To humbly host and make the most
Of what will not return

To not give up but seize the cup
That brims with grace and light
To trust the One who draws the sun
From morn to noon to night
To make love’s care a living prayer
To make the prayer a hymn
To choose the right, fight the good fight
Until today grows dim

To see God’s art with thankful heart
And praise him for His works
To seek His Hand to help me stand
Where deceit’s army lurks
To keep my eyes fixed on a prize
Beyond death's camouflage
To keep hope sure and motive pure
To hate pride's decoupage

To tune this barge to heed the charge
To love God first, then man
And not to fret about the 'yet'
In some tomorrow-span
But to propose to smell the rose
Before its petals drift
And treat today in such a way
That we honour its gift


© Janet Martin

 
Psalm 106:2
Who can describe the mighty acts of the LORD or fully proclaim His praise?

Monday, January 27, 2020

Ah Faith! or, The Substance of Things Hoped For, The Evidence of Things Not Seen

For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him.  He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.
Col.1:16-17''

Luke 7:50
And Jesus told the woman, "Your faith has saved you; go in peace."


Luke 18:42
"Receive your sight!" Jesus replied. "Your faith has healed you

Luke 17:19
Then he said to him, "Rise and go; your faith has made you well."

Mark 9:23
Jesus said to him, If you can believe, all things are possible to him that believes.

Mark 9:24
Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears,
 “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!”

We cannot prove what faith alone compels us to believe
And who can spell the Essence of what doubt seeks to dethrone
The only faultless confidence that mankind can receive
Must be accepted on the merit of God’s Word alone

Intangible, Invisible its substance we embrace
And cling to where its evidence evades imagery
Impassable, invincible the power of His grace
Where only belief can accept what the eye cannot see

Then pray to God for healing through the faith that makes us whole
Ere death doth come a-stealing like a bandit in the night
And pray that we cling to it for the comfort of the soul
Until that glorious moment when faith will be turned to sight

Without faith we cannot please God; it is man’s go-between
He who created all things both in heaven and on earth
This substance of things hoped for; evidence of things not seen
Is all we have to testify and justify truth’s worth

Aha, aha, the scorner jeers and mocks what faith holds dear
Not knowing (without faith) the depth of unbelief’s decree
Then pray for faith that works will testify of, loud and clear
Hope’s Substance and the evidence told for eternity

© Janet Martin


“To one who has faith, no explanation is necessary.
 To one without faith, no explanation is possible.”
Thomas Aquinas~ 

Sharing a post from FB about faith
(I don't know who the author is)

Professor : You are a Christian, aren’t you, son ?
Student : Yes, sir.
Professor: So, you believe in GOD ?
Student : Absolutely, sir.
Professor : Is GOD good ?
Student : Sure.
Professor: Is GOD all powerful ?
Student : Yes.
Professor: My brother died of cancer even though he prayed to GOD to heal him. Most of us would attempt to help others who are ill. But GOD didn’t. How is this GOD good then? Hmm?
(Student was silent.)
Professor: You can’t answer, can you ? Let’s start again, young fella. Is GOD good?
Student : Yes.
Professor: Is satan good ?
Student : No.
Professor: Where does satan come from ?
Student : From … GOD …
Professor: That’s right. Tell me son, is there evil in this world?
Student : Yes.
Professor: Evil is everywhere, isn’t it ? And GOD did make everything. Correct?
Student : Yes.
Professor: So who created evil ?
(Student did not answer.)
Professor: Is there sickness? Immorality? Hatred? Ugliness? All these terrible things exist in the world, don’t they?
Student : Yes, sir.
Professor: So, who created them ?
(Student had no answer.)
Professor: Science says you have 5 Senses you use to identify and observe the world around you. Tell me, son, have you ever seen GOD?
Student : No, sir.
Professor: Tell us if you have ever heard your GOD?
Student : No , sir.
Professor: Have you ever felt your GOD, tasted your GOD, smelt your GOD? Have you ever had any sensory perception of GOD for that matter?
Student : No, sir. I’m afraid I haven’t.
Professor: Yet you still believe in Him?
Student : Yes.
Professor : According to Empirical, Testable, Demonstrable Protocol, Science says your GOD doesn’t exist. What do you say to that, son?
Student : Nothing. I only have my faith.
Professor: Yes, faith. And that is the problem Science has.
Student : Professor, is there such a thing as heat?
Professor: Yes.
Student : And is there such a thing as cold?
Professor: Yes.
Student : No, sir. There isn’t.
(The lecture theater became very quiet with this turn of events.)
Student : Sir, you can have lots of heat, even more heat, superheat, mega heat, white heat, a little heat or no heat. But we don’t have anything called cold. We can hit 458 degrees below zero which is no heat, but we can’t go any further after that. There is no such thing as cold. Cold is only a word we use to describe the absence of heat. We cannot measure cold. Heat is energy. Cold is not the opposite of heat, sir, just the absence of it.
(There was pin-drop silence in the lecture theater.)
Student : What about darkness, Professor? Is there such a thing as darkness?
Professor: Yes. What is night if there isn’t darkness?
Student : You’re wrong again, sir. Darkness is the absence of something. You can have low light, normal light, bright light, flashing light. But if you have no light constantly, you have nothing and its called darkness, isn’t it? In reality, darkness isn’t. If it is, well you would be able to make darkness darker, wouldn’t you?
Professor: So what is the point you are making, young man ?
Student : Sir, my point is your philosophical premise is flawed.
Professor: Flawed ? Can you explain how?
Student : Sir, you are working on the premise of duality. You argue there is life and then there is death, a good GOD and a bad GOD. You are viewing the concept of GOD as something finite, something we can measure. Sir, Science can’t even explain a thought. It uses electricity and magnetism, but has never seen, much less fully understood either one. To view death as the opposite of life is to be ignorant of the fact that death cannot exist as a substantive thing.
Death is not the opposite of life: just the absence of it. Now tell me, Professor, do you teach your students that they evolved from a monkey?
Professor: If you are referring to the natural evolutionary process, yes, of course, I do.
Student : Have you ever observed evolution with your own eyes, sir?
(The Professor shook his head with a smile, beginning to realize where the argument was going.)
Student : Since no one has ever observed the process of evolution at work and cannot even prove that this process is an on-going endeavor. Are you not teaching your opinion, sir? Are you not a scientist but a preacher?
(The class was in uproar.)
Student : Is there anyone in the class who has ever seen the Professor’s brain?
(The class broke out into laughter. )
Student : Is there anyone here who has ever heard the Professor’s brain, felt it, touched or smelt it? No one appears to have done so. So, according to the established Rules of Empirical, Stable, Demonstrable Protocol, Science says that you have no brain, sir.
With all due respect, sir, how do we then trust your lectures, sir?
(The room was silent. The Professor stared at the student, his face unfathomable.)
Professor: I guess you’ll have to take them on faith, son.
Student : That is it sir … Exactly ! The link between man & GOD is FAITH.
That is all that keeps things alive and moving.
P.S.
I believe you have enjoyed the conversation. And if so, you’ll probably want your friends / colleagues to enjoy the same, won’t you?
Forward this to increase their knowledge … or FAITH.
 By the way, that student was EINSTEIN.



Ah Death! or, The Touch That Fells The Flower...


By now most of us have heard the tragic headline news...
 ...of how retired N.B.A. star, Kobe Bryant, 41, and his daughter Gianna 
were among nine people in a helicopter that crashed near Calabasas, Calif. 
Also among the victims, a college baseball coach and his wife and daughter.
Whether Death visits publicly or privately 
We all will face its forever-ness as we come face to face with The Giver 
of this precious gift of life...


 Job 14:5
Seeing his days are determined, the number of his months are with thee, 
thou hast appointed his bounds that he cannot pass;

2 Samuel 14:14
For surely we will die and be like water poured out on the ground, which cannot be recovered. 
Yet God does not take away a life; but He devises ways 


It strews like ash upon the sea, the petals of the bloom
It bids us touch more tenderly the threads still in life’s loom
With sacred dread it bows the head of both sinner and saint
It cautions words still left unsaid in thought’s would-be complaint

…and suddenly the things we do demand sincerity
It wakens a more humble view of who we ought to be
Where once again we are reminded of what matters most
Lest we forget and become blinded by man’s feeble boast

It wakens an awesome awareness to time’s fragile hold
We all are subject to death’s sureness, whether young or old
Therefore, while the hour still blooms with Opportunity
Pray we prepare for what yet looms and none of us can see

The gift of life, ah, what a precious, purposed brevity
Where Time runs rife with moments closing in eternity
And who can know the hour when God’s power will patrol
The Touch that fells the flower that harbours the living soul

© Janet Martin


 Therefore take careful heed to yourselves, that you love the LORD your God.




Friday, January 24, 2020

What, in All This World of Wonder


It's the time of year we need to take a closer look at the toys and reinvent them a bit
so we took everyone we could find on a trip to the farm and the zoo!
Today's chuckle: as I ran my fingers through Little Girl's curls 
I told her how lucky she is to have such beautiful curls! 
she sighed and replied, 'they're going gray'... 😂
 Life gives all of us seasons where we sometimes have 
to take a closer look at what we see every day to refurbish our thankfulness and wonder,
and there is nothing like loss to remind us of what we have!


What in all this world of wonder
 will we recognize today
Dawn delights us with pink thunder
soon by blue skies breathed away
What will spawn a sudden solace
as we look with eyes and heart
Where nature’s four-season showcase
is like a book of fine art

What will stir our souls with gladness
in the middle of love’s fuss
What in all this world of madness
will still thrill and humble us
What will wake us to the onus
of momentous moment-sum
While we are still in the process
of the life they will become

What will render longing speechless
as we witness God first-hand
Where the spender of days reaches
to the Lender in command
What will make us far more grateful
in a world of hate and greed
Where a multitude of people
prove we are creatures of need

God, without hearts of thanksgiving
nothing else will be enough
We will miss the joy of living
in the fullness of Your love
Where, in all this world of beauty
as far as the eye can see
We are surely to be pitied
if we miss Your Majesty

© Janet Martin


Psalm 136:4
He alone does great wonders. His loving devotion endures forever.
 


Thursday, January 23, 2020

A Whatty-what?!!



"You have options", I explained to Matt when he asked what's for supper.

 
"You can do your meal in a wrap or a power-plate. 
"A whatty-what?! he asked looking confused (justifiably) 
"Well, you know how some restaurants have power-bowls on the menu...
its like that but we're using plates!"

I chose the plate option, he chose the wraps.

Tonight's supper was inspired by a picture of a power-bowl 
and the sudden remembrance that it's Thursday and 4:00 
and I don't have anything planned for supper!
So with the help of some veggies in the fridge 
and the power-bowl ad from Red Lobster
this happened...
 Thinly sliced/chopped veggies (rutabagas, cabbage, carrots, broccoli, red onion)
light drizzle of olive oil, sprinkle of kosher salt (optional) and freshly-ground black pepper...
steam till tender...
For the power plate I topped a huge serving of veggies with black beans,
 browned ground beef seasoned to taste (I used salt and taco seasoning)
 (instead of shrimp, like the Red Lobster picture;-)
and a light garnish of shredded old cheddar and goat cheese.
Some things I wished I had on hand to add; chick peas, red pepper and quinoa!
That would have made it perfect!


Sometimes summer almost seems to spill through winter’s whitewashed gates
Catch of August through October thrilling, filling supper plates
Making us feel like the gardens are not sleeping after all
While the chill wind shakes the ramparts from which star-shaped flowers fall

Sometimes we are humbly honoured because we have eyes to see
...see where beauty spills its colours in a world of artistry
And that we can smell and taste and hear, what marvels are these things
Suddenly a simple supper seems a favour fit for kings

…now the culinary artist dons a sort of sacred air
 Peeling, slicing, dicing, stirring turns into a tender prayer
Where the perfect words escape us so we praise Him while we cook
Thanking God for bount’ous blessings we too often overlook

Sometimes, when we lose sight of love's countless, somewhat common range
It is time to look longer at what is apt and bound to change
Then as we begin to ponder Mercy and wonder's buffet
Suddenly, something like supper feels like a fine holiday

© Janet Martin

Two gorgeous versions of the doxology...
a great blessing before a meal hymn
but also a great any time of day tune
to the One who, each day grants mercy renewed
behooving us to serve Him with a heart of gratitude!


Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever.
Psalm 107:1


Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever.
Psalm 136:1


Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever.
Psalm 118:1