Equipped to Endure...

It is wise and good as we wake, to yield to God our everything 

Then to put on His armour before we face what today will bring...

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

He makes me lie down in green pastures.

He leads me beside still waters.

He restores my soul;

He leads me in paths of righteousness for His Name's sake

Ps.23:1-3

I sense a collective groan from spring-hungry Ontarians this morning...

(unless you're a maple syrup producer!)

We are SO ready for green pastures!

so THIS is what was in yesterday's captivating clouds!

...and golden-dusk shadow-play

and green pastures and still waters!

It is not for the faint of heart to climb time’s winding flight of air

Not knowing what may try the part that smarts with holy groans of prayer

There is no certainty but this; the loving faithfulness of He

Whose promises span the abyss twixt Today and eternity

It is not for the faint of faith to brave daybreak’s virgin release

Not knowing what may try the grace whereby we find true joy and peace

But this we know; God keeps His word with love beyond perception’s ken

His Sovereignty is undeterred and works for our good. Amen

It is not for logic to judge God by façades of creature care

While the deceiver tries to budge hope’s anchor with doubt and despair

God’s Word abides; Truth does not shift like rolling waves or shadowed glade

Arise; embrace the gleaming gift of this new day the Lord has made

Arise and know it is for us He keeps His covenant of old

No need to fear or fret and fuss for He is in perfect control

His suit of armour is enough to equip us to stand and fight

For this we know; faith, hope and love pierce death’s darkness with life and light

It is not for the faint of heart to wonder where today's 'stair' leads

What peace to know God will impart the means to know faith's dues and needs 

Lord, give us ears to hear need's cries and eyes to see beyond Self's world 

Then find, to faith's humble surprise unspeakable treasure/wonder unfurled 

Janet Martin

Someday, by the grace of God we will look and marvel...

so THIS is what those clouds held/veiled! 

It's Not An Easy Road

“The Lord Is My Shepherd” | Sermon by Charles Spurgeon | Psalm 23:1

A sermon rich with reminders and challenges;

One quote esp. caught my ear since we are praying, trusting 

and waiting on the Master to provide a fulltime teaching pastor

 for our church/flock at WBC.

'When we look to the pastor but not to the Master,

the Master says, 'They are looking to the wrong person

so they shall get nothing.' But, when we look to the Master

He often supplies our needs through the pastor."

With So Much We Have in Common...

It was a bittersweet Easter weekend;

A medley of sweet laughter and heart-wrenching tears;

because such is love.

It rejoices with those who rejoice

and weeps with those who weep.

Rom.12:15

One of many things we have in common??

Love's joys help cheer love's sorrows...

 Innocence is soon confronted with the brunt of carefree dash...

 

We all have so much in common as we travel life’s highway

Learning how to brave time’s summons; growing older day by day

Innocence is soon confronted with the brunt of carefree dash

Joy runs rife with blessings counted, grief shoulders dream's dust and ash 

Hope fosters hardy allegiance to tomorrow’s gleaming wraith

Today tests courage and patience with reality of faith

And the agony of waiting for the thrill of touch-taste-see

While God is kindly creating wisdom’s opportunity

We are all in this together, history of smiles and frowns

While, like it or not we weather a fresh dose of ups and downs

We are all students of reason that we oft cannot explain

Aboard Live-and-learn’s four-season carousel of sun and rain

In the care of the same Giver and Taker of days on earth

In the love of the same Saviour of the soul’s eternal worth

We are all sometimes heartbroken when precious dreams/prayers are denied

With so much we have in common, let’s put diff’rences aside

Let’s all be sister and brother in a worldwide family

Let’s be kind to one another and love intentionally

Because no one is a no one in this flight/fight of right and wrong

With so much we have in common let’s help each other along

Let’s be prayer-warriors instead of hurling harsh, verbal attack

We all hurt and we all need love and its kind pat on the back

Let’s remember, we’re all human, prone to stumble, prey to harm

With so much we have in common let’s travel life arm in arm

Janet Martin

There is a thrill in the hunt as long as the hunt pays off!

To seek and not find is nobody's pleasure...

Here mom helps Daughter search for a treat specifically for her

because long fruitless hunting was turning to frustration! 

Salvation's Vocation

1 John 4:11-12

Dear friends, since God so loved us, 

we also ought to love one another.

 No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, 

God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.

Love turns religion into relation!

If That Isn't Love ~ Elvis Presley ~ lyric video

God proved His love for us through Jesus.

Jesus proved His love through utter surrender to God's will/love.

Likewise, as we utterly surrender, we do so

 not with base and groundless ignorance

but with unwavering faith in the perfect will of God.

He gave

 His all

Once and 

for all

Death's power to erase

And all who repent and believe

Receive love's gift of grace

The cross

 He bore

forevermore

No other 

can annul

The sinner's 

debt, Lest 

we forget

He died to

pay in full 

1 Cor.15:54-58

When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable

 and the mortal with immortality,

 then the saying that is written will come to pass:

 “Death has been swallowed up in victory.”

55“Where, O Death, is your victory?

Where, O Death, is your sting?”

56The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 

57But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory 

through our Lord Jesus Christ!

58Therefore, my beloved brothers,

 be steadfast and immovable. 

Always excel in the work of the Lord, 

because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.

The Son

of God

shed His 

own blood

To pay sin's penalty

Bought with such price, His sacrifice

Should transform you and me

So that

we give

the life 

we live

humble 

and earn-

est heed

Wit love's

reply to

testify

that Christ

is LORD

indeed! 

1 Peter 1:18-19
For you know that it was not with perishable things

 such as silver or gold that you were redeemed 

from the empty way of life you inherited from your forefathers, 

 but with the precious blood of Christ, 

a lamb without blemish or spot.

Romans 12:1
Therefore I urge you, brothers, on account of God’s mercy,

 to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God, 

which is your spiritual service of worship.

Ephesians 1:7
In Him we have redemption through His blood, 

the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace

On The Eve of Good Friday; A Meditation ( a guest post by Emily Curry)

Tonight a first for this blog; it is an honour to share

a guest post by my daughter Emily

 ““Abba, Father,” he said, “everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.””

‭‭Mark‬ ‭14‬:‭36‬ ‭NIV‬‬

On the eve of Good Friday, we find Jesus in the garden, pleading, praying to his Heavenly Father, his Abba Father.
The definition of abba is an Aramaic term of profound intimacy and endearment, translating to “papa or daddy” signifying a close relationship with God rather than a distant one. A trusted, loving, perfect father.

When you pray, is this how you view God? Or do you picture a distant God on a throne, looking disapprovingly at humanity making a mess of things down here on earth?

Or in contrast do you know him as Abba, a gentle, loving, kind Father, perfect in every way with a depth of love for us that is unfathomable, despite our broken, sinful, messy lives?

In the garden we see Jesus, who knows the excruciating suffering he is about to endure, knowing God’s plan of redemption has to unfold this way, showing us in his human likeness the only worthwhile place to go when we feel utter despair and heartbreak.

We don’t have to look very far to find difficulty and hardship. Wars wage around the world, people keep getting sick, families are breaking apart, people are full of anger and hatred. We are hurting and lonely and it can feel so unbearable.

But our Heavenly Father doesn’t want us to try to bear this life on our own. His arms are reaching down, like a father reaching for his dear child, wanting to help us, carry us, meet us in our suffering.

Over the last 18 months I have experienced heartbreak after heartbreak, losing some very special people in my life. I’ve been in pieces, crying out to God in the midst of my despair. I have seen God as my Abba father in a way I never had before.

In the fall of 2025, I was still grieving the loss of a good friend who passed away a short 7 weeks before. My heart was still healing after the sudden loss of a dear aunt one year before. Then on October 4th, my husband Rob and I received more devastating news. Two friends of ours were in a car accident and didn’t make it, leaving behind 3 beautiful girls, one being our daughter’s best friend.
Through tear filled sobs I said to my husband “ I can’t do another grief journey already. It’s too soon. I can’t do this.”
Really God? More heartbreak, more loss? Those poor kids. That poor family.
I cried out to God in disbelief, anger, pain. I couldn’t understand. I felt so broken.

A few days later while I was doing dishes, my daughter cried out “Mom, look at the sunset!”
Something we had started doing together, especially after my aunt Lucy had passed away ;a woman who cherished the beauty of this earth, finding joy in so much of God’s creation, was to drop what we were doing and run outside to marvel at something as simple as a sunset. So out we ran, my oldest son, daughter and I. It was stunning, fiery, and breathtaking.

I was snapping pictures when my dear daughter exclaimed “Mom, turn around! There’s a rainbow behind you!!”

A rainbow? Seriously?
I turned around, and sure enough, peeking though the clouds was a tiny rainbow.

Faint, and hardly visible.

What is a rainbow exactly?
A rainbow is “an optical phenomenon that appears when sunlight and atmospheric conditions are just right-and the viewers position is just right to see it. It requires water droplets to be floating in the air, which is why you see it right after it rains. The sun needs to be behind you and the clouds cleared away from the sun for the rainbow to appear.” (NESDIS)
Speechless.
In front of me, a cloud filled sky, but within it tucked a small symbol of promise and hope.
The clouds in front of me, the sun behind me was the most profound metaphor for what it felt like was facing in my life. And as I stood there, tears streaming down my face the rainbow grew and grew, still very faint…

And as I stood there it felt as though my loving, Heavenly Father reached down, wrapped his arms around me and said “ Though it’s hard to see the light right now, though life feels stormy and uncertain, do not lose hope. I am with you. You are not alone .”

“Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭23‬:‭4‬ ‭NIV‬‬ (emphasis added)

And then, as quickly as the rainbow appeared, it was gone. We had been out there a total of about 3 minutes. Yet, we were positioned just right to see it. We almost missed it, though I knew it was no coincidence. It was a gift straight from heaven.

Abba Father. Love that we simply cannot fathom.

Through sniffles I said softly to my oldest two kiddos something along the lines of , “God knew we needed this gift. He sees our pain. This is how much he loves us.”

God doesn’t always show up in such tangible and miraculous ways, but I promise you, He’s always there. He never leaves us, he never forsakes us.

As Easter is approaching we are reminded of the depth of our Heavenly Father’s love.
Sending his Son, his perfect Son to take our place on a cross meant for sinners, a cross meant for you and I. 

Rising again and defeating death.
Making a way for us to experience relationship with Him, a closeness with him, like a father and a child.

He is so worth knowing and pursuing and living for.

I pray that whatever you are facing in your life right now, whether you are on a mountaintop or valley or somewhere in between, you would recognize your need for Jesus in your life. That you would let him step in and carry whatever you are carrying. We were not meant to walk through this life alone. Fall at the foot of the cross, and give it all to him.

Beneath the Cross...

Matt.1:21

And she will bring forth a Son, 

and you shall call His name JESUS, 

for He will save His people from their sins.”

Jesus, Joy of the Highest Heaven lyric video

O Sacred Head Now Wounded - Fernando Ortega

John 1:29

The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said,

 “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!

Behold the Lamb of God

Nailed to a cross so mean

Be still, and gaze upon the blood

That washes sinners clean

Ah, can you see Him now

Raised up for all to see

His bleeding side, hands, feet and brow

Behold His agony

Pierced with thorns, nails and sword

Blood-thirsty, the mob screams

Not knowing, as they strike the Lord

Redemption’s fountain streams

Not comprehending love

Nor the power of He

Whose death would conquer death and prove

The truth of prophecy

Behold the sinless Lamb

Paying the sinner’s price

He knew no sin and yet became

Sin’s final sacrifice

Behold Him hanging there

Suff’ring salvation’s fee

Hark! Can you hear His dying prayer

'Forgive them' was His plea

Hatred meets love unflawed

Where holy horrors meld

Hell's showdown with the Son of God

No drop of blood withheld

Where death and Life compete

And death appeared to win

Come, kiss His side, his hands, his feet

And be cleansed from your sin

Come, bow beneath God’s Son

And feel His blood drops flow

Beneath the cross red rivers run

To wash us white as snow

Then repeat, humbly awed

The Name above all names

Jesus, Jesus, the Son of God

Who saves us from our sins

Janet Martin

Bill & Gloria Gaither - Nothing But the Blood [Live] ft. Buddy Greene

With Heart Laid Bare

What grand irony that, in spite of, and in the plight of unutterable grief

in a world filled with hurt and brokenness,

we have free access to inexpressible peace and joy.

What sweet consolation; the sufferer of 'the Easter Story' 

is our Saviour and the Sustainer of faith's hope of glory.

Small wonder as we come to Him that sometimes we are speechless!

The world groans with the need of Jesus!

Jesus, sinless Lamb of God,

who suffered in our stead to break the curse of death,

that whoever believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life!

Nothing and no one in all time in all the world

 can make or keep such a loving promise,

It Was For Me {with lyrics}

The highest thoughts I think or pray at best are still so small

And oft I know not what to say as on my knees I fall

With heart laid bare before the One who knows and loves me best

Whose grief is greater than my own, whose joy transcends the test

Whose promises do not betray, whose purposes prevail

Whose grace, sufficient for the day will not falter or fail

Who does not leave me comfortless but does not turn blind eyes

To loves and habits ruinous or lesser gods I prize

Who knows the flesh is full of wants and wills that disobey

Prone to indulge the voice that taunts with ‘did God really say?’

He loves me still with thoughts and ways no mortal comprehends

And understands my stuttered phrase and makes perfect amends

With heart laid bare, Lord, well You know how wretched I would be

But for redemption You bestow, purchased at Calvary

But for fellowship you restore through faith that made me whole

With heart laid bare, I bow before the Saviour of my soul 

Janet Martin

Eph.3:20

Now to Him who is able 

to do exceedingly abundantly

 above all that we ask or think,

 according to the power that works in us,

 21to Him be glory in the church 

by Christ Jesus to all generations, 

forever and ever. 

Amen.

Lord, shield us from the perils of self-pity and doubt

lest they foster bitter despair.

Instead, as we follow your footsteps that lead to Calvary

may the incomparable love that purchased hope's incomparable gift

transform our perspective and humble our plea.

Jesus, Keep Me Near the Cross

1 Pet.1:8-9

Though you have not seen Him, you love Him; 

and though you do not see Him now, you believe in Him 

and rejoice with an inexpressible and glorious joy, 

9now that you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

Come, Holy Spirit, Intercede

Heartbreak; It's all around us!

The world groans!

God's Spirit if we ask/trust Him

will intercede with unshakeable hope

Hope; it's above us, beneath us and hems us in on every side

It lifts us up on eagle wings.

It is no magic cure for life's ills and aches

but it is strength, joy and peace in the thick of them!

It is love's/God's gift to us when we put our trust in Him.

Isa.40:31 NIV

but those who hope in the Lord
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
    they will run and not grow weary,
    they will walk and not be faint.

Remember your word to your servant,

for you have given me hope.

  Psalm 119:49

Come, Gracious Spirit

Come Holy Spirit, intercede

Anoint my fumbling quest

And through redemption's favours plead

On my behalf, Thy best/the rest

Come, Holy Spirit, stir my soul

To hope in Thee alone

As I relinquish full control 

With this; Thy will be done

Once I, a woman at the well

Would vainly draw and draw

But could not satisfy or quell

My thirst with loot or law 

Until, my Lord, You bid me come

To trust and taste and see

The Living Water flowing from

The fount of Calvary 

The Fount that drew Thee from Thy throne

Hope's groaning breach to span

To be the Lamb that would atone

 And save the soul of man 

To rend the temple's veil and then

To overthrow the grave

You crushed the serpent's head. Amen

With love, mighty to save

Come, Holy Spirit, intercede

With discipline divine

Till Gethsemane-like groans concede

 Not my will, Lord, but Thine

Come, Holy Spirit, intercede

Until 'then, face to face'

I hear Thy final verdict plead 

Salvation's gift of grace

And then forevermore to lift

My voice, with ceaseless breath

To praise the Giver of love's gift

That saved my soul from death

Janet Martin

John 11:25-26

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life.

 He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live.

 26And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. 

Do you believe this?”

There Is A Fountain Filled With Blood

Lead Me To Calvary with Lyrics (Hymn) - Don Moen

This Year, Lucy, on your Birthday...

Dear Lucy,

How can this be your 2nd birthday we celebrate in memory of you?!!

This year, Lucy on your birthday we will miss your sweet delight

Of grateful appreciation for a card that is just right

We will miss your breathless questions leaving no time to reply

As you pause to exclaim over something that has caught your eye

'Love your skirt, your purse, your jacket; where did you buy it?!! how much?!!

Love your hair, the way you wear it, love your scarf, dress, shoes and such

Come sit down! would you like coffee or tea?? and a fresh-baked 'yum'?

WOW! Time flies I can't believe how faster birthdays seem to come!!'

This year, Lucy, on your birthday both tears and laughter will spill

In the tender recollection of scenes ceased against our will 

Longing for your lovely/lively presence to grace the room like a breeze

As we trace the treasured essence of echoes and memories

This year, Lucy, on your birthday we will wonder *how/where you are

How yesteryears and forever feel so very near and far

Tugging us in two directions; what will be and what has been

Close enough to hug and kiss you but for farewell's void between 

This year, Lucy, on your birthday only memories must do

As we yearningly remember and relive moments with you 

And with reverent appraisal ponder opportunity

Before we too join the ranks of 'Happy Birthday-used-to-be'

This year, Lucy, on your birthday we will thank the Lord above

For the beauty of the blessing of your lifetime and your love 

For God knows how much we miss you and He comforts longing's pain

With the hope and joy of knowing someday we will meet again

This year Lucy, on your birthday, we will kind and humbly pray

For the treasure in the measure of the gift we call today

And the pleasure of thought-pictures that no hand of time can steal

While a pang soft-rends heart-sutures Time can never fully heal...

Janet Martin

Dear Lucy,

Love fills holes loss leaves behind

love always,

your sis

*How Beautiful Heaven Must Be...

Johnny Cash - In The Sweet By And By