To Feel The Brunt of August's Kiss...

 How does one choose a few from a thousand frames filled with August fondness...

This sudden cloudy, cool spurt does something to the summer soul... 🍂🍂🍂

Besides August inspiration, today's poem is also a piece of my heart

as I watch our grandchildren, our neighbour's children,

 children that were once 'my childcare-children' etc....

 FLYING through sweet, fleet childhood!

Always a sense of letting go

Begins to tug, as August wanes

And pours a mellow, yellow glow

Through twilight’s leaf-and-petal-panes

While cricket-choirs serenade

The summer soul with stilted tune

And vistas gleam with earth’s aubade

Of misty morn, and hazy noon

…where wave on wave, we brave the slope

Held by the hands of August’s clock

That swirls hues in a kaleidoscope

Of zinnia, cosmos, hollyhock

Of larkspur, dahlia, hibiscus,

Of hills ablaze with goldenrod

While a strange sense of loss sweeps us

Though harvest heaps our hearts with laud

…as field and garden overflows

With Faith’s seed-rendered aftermath

And bare feet play arpeggios

Along the trampled garden-path

And heartstrings snag where beauty bares

Its soul but cannot drain its fount

And nothing in the world compares

With uncurbed blessings beyond count

…of menu-choices freshly-shucked

Or gathered in baskets and bowls

As day-by-day August is tucked

Beneath a blanket without holes

Thus, we cannot afford to waste

The essence of ‘remember when’

The timbre of have-and-hold’s haste

A cosmic crux/flux of Now to Then

Always a sense of ‘bittersweet’

Rushes the raw edge of delight

As earth and hints of Heaven meet

In touch and taste, sound, smell and sight

And script of ink, though it may fill

Fond phantom frames with picture-bliss

Cannot quite capture standing still

To feel the brunt of August’s kiss

To feel the brunt of August’s kiss

Is not for the faint of desire

The holy awareness of This

Can set the course of Yet on fire

With awe, where past and future meet

For one split-second, ere they part

 To Bygone's aeon, bittersweet

Like August's kiss etched in the heart

Benediction...

Dear Lord, make me kindly content

Where Augusts flicker as they fly

Through worlds of childhoods 

swiftly spent

To disappear 

in 

years 

gone by

And help me 

recognize anew

Momentous treasure running rife

In moment-measure pouring through

The hourglass of love and life  

Janet Martin

Happy 32nd Birthday, Melissa!

Dear Lord, make me kindly content

Where Augusts flicker as they fly...

Within or Without Hope's Happiness/Steadfastness

2 Cor.1:20

For all the promises of God are “Yes” in Christ. 

And so through Him, our “Amen” is spoken to the glory of God.

2 Peter 1:4

Through these He has given us His precious and magnificent promises, 

so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, 

now that you have escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.

Romans 4:21

...being fully persuaded that God was able to do what He had promised.

God's promises and commands are non-negotiable! 

If either one were, then hope's anchor would be loosed!

Heb.6:18-19

Thus by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, 

we who have fled to take hold of the hope set before us 

may be strongly encouraged.

We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure...

In Christ Alone

So much of life seems hung/strung from threads of-if-perchance-perhaps

Its care and strife can crowd our heads with visions of collapse

The volatility of all we see needs something More

To anchor Hope, and make the call of life worth living for

So much of joy seems tried by grief and disappointment's sting

The thoughts that we employ are chief of almost everything

Praise God! His Portion is enough to trump the soul's appeal

We are not at the mercy of the roll of fortune's wheel 

So much of what leaves us most awed transcends Thought's grandest ken

For all the promises of God are 'yes' in Christ. Amen 

So then, above all else we ought to feed Thought with God's Word

His promises, Perfection-wrought will keep hope undeterred

So much of what we fix our eyes upon is bound to fail

Where touch and taste and such disguise the Prize that will prevail

Where worldly lures of 'happiness' disillusion hope, when

They disregard God's promises of 'yes' in Christ. Amen

So much of bitterness of heart is caused by Thought amiss

What/Who we most love serves to impart hope's Fountain or abyss 

Praise God! When creature-quest is founded/grounded within truth and grace 

Of 'yes' in Christ, the rest is bound to fall in perfect place 

So much of what appears goodness, without the knowledge of

The power of God's promises, disenchants hope and love 

Without the Rock of God's commands, what-if, perchance, perhaps

Erects a house upon time's sands, predestined for collapse 

There is no in-between the lines of divine Yes and No

Oft lack of humility pines where praise should overflow 

But, if hope seeks its steadfastness/happiness within God's commands, then

It stands firm on the promises of 'Yes, in Christ'. Amen 

 

Janet Martin

Ps.119:19&32

I am a stranger in the earth:

hide not Thy commandments from me...

I will run the course of Your commandments,

For You shall enlarge my heart.

or NIV trans.

I run in the path of your commands,

for you have broadened my understanding.

Standing on the Promises - Alan Jackson - Lyrics

Hope's-Hearty-Hello-Hails-Hymn

Ps.116:5

Gracious is the Lord, and righteous;

yea, our God is merciful.

Ps.117

O praise the Lord, all ye nations: 

praise him, all ye people.

 For his merciful kindness is great toward us:

and the truth of the Lord endureth for ever.

 Praise ye the Lord.

Ps.118:4

Let them now that fear the Lord say,

that his mercy endureth for ever.

Ps.119:49

Remember the word unto thy servant,

 upon which thou hast caused me to hope.

Hope's hearty hello hails

Fresco of moon and star

Dissolves...

Hope's hearty hello hails

Fresco of moon and star

Dissolves. The Hand that never fails

Draws daybreak's gates ajar

Today's teeming tide rolls

Across the sea and land

It rushes through our hearts and souls

Beneath mercy's command

...where poised Unknowns run rife

With life and death, and God

The age-old feet of trouble's strife

Are hope and mercy shod 

Hope and mercy endure

Transcending mortal woe

All who fear God, He holds secure

As praises overflow

...where joy and sorrow wings

Earthward with virgin zeal

Hark! from yon Heaven's belfry rings 

Hope and mercy's appeal

Thus we do not despair

No matter what appears

To rule the powers of the air

God's prevailing love/Word cheers

...and courage is renewed

Hope's anchor, though unseen

Rekindles hymns of gratitude

Where mercies intervene 

Janet Martin

First 'Things' First

Almost every time I face this screen

there is a battle between good and evil;

God and man...

When I succumb to the pride of fear or timidity

my words, whether written or spoken are sorely-flawed and lacking

'For God has not given us a spirit of fear,

but of power and of love and of a sound mind.

2 Tim.1:7

So here's to a new week of seeking God first,

Knowing we can cast our cares on Him

because he cares for us, qualifies us, equips us for

whatever befalls...

We are human; we fumble and stumble oft,

but when we give it all to God, 

He works through our weakness for His purpose and glory!

(for when we are weak, then we are strong!)

2 Cor.12:10

If eloquence is self-assured

Relying on the confidence

Of material knowledge-secured

Through life's school of experience

If the expression of our thought

Is restricted by mortal choice

Then we cannot think as we ought;

'God, tune our hearts to hear Your voice'

If we, without humility

Approach the podium of speech

How very wary we should be

Of what we are about to teach

If, without God to intercede

And take the lead, our gab to gird

We are ill-qualified indeed;

'God, tune our lips to speak Your Word'

For, if we live and move and have

Our being stayed in God, so great 

Then, by His eloquence we brave 

The charge of The Immaculate 

Aware of our rightful place

A vessel fit for service when

We rely on His truth and grace 

'God, help us seek You first. Amen'

Janet Martin

Acts 17:27-29

God intended that they would seek Him 

and perhaps reach out for Him and find Him,

 though He is not far from each one of us. 

‘For in Him we live and move and have our being.’

 As some of your own poets have said,

 ‘We are His offspring.’...

Read the whole glorious chapter HERE

Equipped to Withstand...

1 Pet.1:18-21

18For 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, 

19but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or spot.

  20He was known before the foundation of the world, 

but was revealed in the last times for your sake.

21Through Him you believe in God, 

who raised Him from the dead and glorified Him; 

and so your faith and hope are in God.

Rom.12:1

Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters,

 in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, 

holy and pleasing to God—

this is your true and proper worship.

Faith's battlefield and alter look very much like

common ground of today...

Let's lift a hymn of praise to the Giver of the Victory/Harvest

Equipped to win the victory

To shoulder worship’s price

Equipped to offer faithfully

Love’s living sacrifice

The armour of the Lord is sure

No chink or blemish mars

That which equips us to endure

Faith’s suffering and scars

…for we all were bought with a price

Not gold or silver weighed

But with the blood of Jesus Christ

Redemption’s cost was paid

And all who repent and believe

Confessing creature-sin

Are born again and will receive

God’s power from within

Equipped for crucifixion too

Of everything but Christ

Equipped to be a Soldier who

Lives to be sacrificed

Knowing that life depends on death

Whether of seed or will

Equipped to prove with gifted breath

Whose purpose we fulfill

Equipped with the power to pray 

With faith's Defence, unflawed

Equipped to withstand evil's day 

With the Armour of God

Janet Martin

Eph.6:10-18

Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.

 11 Put on the whole armor of God, 

that you may be able to stand against the [b]wiles of the devil. 

12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, 

but against principalities, against powers, 

against the rulers of [c]the darkness of this age,

 against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.

 13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, 

that you may be able to withstand in the evil day,

 and having done all, to stand.

14 Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, 

having put on the breastplate of righteousness,

 15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 

16 above all, taking the shield of faith 

with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. 

17 And take the helmet of salvation, 

and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; 

18 praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, 

being watchful to this end with all perseverance 

and supplication for all the saints—

August Aubade

 A few frames that helped inspire today's poem...

Gently, like a silvery sea

August morn rolls across the lea

It gilds each bloom and leaf and stem

With liquid-jeweled diadem

Kissing yesterday’s soldered sums

With essence of peaches and plums

Binding the skyline to the land

With gauzy, turquoise-tinted strand

Across the gleaming dell and dale

God tosses a gossamer veil

A sparkling mantle, dewdrop-spun

Soon stolen by the climbing sun

But for a bit we gaze, agape

At August morning’s sequined cape

God’s handiwork bound to confound

And wake a sense of holy ground

...beneath the tread we oft assume

Without conscious awe of the loom

That weaves the threads of August morn

Through mead of wheat and field of corn

And rainbow-hued zinnia-fringed walks

And sentinel-like hollyhocks

It’s shadow-shuttle rustles leaves

With ties that bind Time’s soul-shaped sheaves

Janet Martin

James 4:14
You do not even know what will happen tomorrow! 

What is your life? 

You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.

1 Peter 1:24
For, “All flesh is like grass, 

and all its glory like the flowers of the field; 

the grass withers and the flowers fall,

Job 14:1-2
“Man, who is born of woman, is short of days and full of trouble. 

 Like a flower, he comes forth, then withers away;

 like a fleeting shadow, he does not endure.

Everyone is Welcome (in Mercy's Throne-room)

Recently a friend remarked to me,

' It seems, the older we grow the more we pray'

Yes! I replied, and it seems to me,

 the more we pray the less our words!

God knows our hearts 

so He knows exactly what we need

and exactly when we need it!

What peace this knowledge brings!

Sweet Hour of Prayer with Lyrics by Alan Jackson

No fancy phrase demanded

No verbose agility

No reserved rank or status

Or exclusive pedigree

No exam or diploma

Or prerequisites to meet

To cry to God in Heaven

Or to fall before His feet 

No interview or survey

Before we can qualify

To enter Mercy's Throne Room 

Through the door of creature cry 

No uniform required

No strict format to appease

To lift our heart to Heaven

As we pour out praise and pleas 

...and seek Hope's sacred solace

With surrendered heart and soul

Reaching to touch the hemline

Of the One who makes us whole

No pious prose is needed

Nor grand phraseology 

A groan is interceded

When cried in humility   

...and everyone is welcome

To believe and call on He

Who beyond comprehension

Ever cares for you and me 

Janet Martin

1 Pet.5:6-7

Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, 

so that in due time He may exalt you. 

Cast all your anxiety on Him, 

because He cares for you.

Psalm 55:22
Cast your burden upon the LORD and He will sustain you; 

He will never let the righteous be shaken.

Philippians 4:6-7
Be anxious for nothing, but in everything, 

by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 

And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, 

will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Matthew 6:25-27
Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life,

what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear.

 Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? 

 Look at the birds of the air: 

They do not sow or reap or gather into barns, 

and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. 

Are you not much more valuable than they? 

 Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?

Psalm 116:1-2
I love the LORD, 

for He has heard my voice—my appeal for mercy. 

Because He has inclined His ear to me,

 I will call on Him as long as I live.

Psalm 28:6
Blessed be the LORD, for He has heard my cry for mercy.

1 Peter 3:12
For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, 

and His ears are inclined to their prayer. 

But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.”

Just As I Am with Lyrics by Alan Jackson

Fernando Ortega Pass Me Not With Lyrics

Intricately Intermingled...

Breath-robbing joy/awe

and soul-penetrating sorrow

or

breath-robbing sorrow

and soul-penetrating joy/awe.

This is love.

This afternoon I picked up our grandchildren and their parents,

from the airport, after a two week visit in Nova Scotia with

her husband's family.

My heart thrilled with joy as they emerged from the airport 

(I missed them!!)

and I couldn't help but think of their Mimi and Poppy at the

other end of love's spectrum; the tender sorrow of farewells.

This is love; the fine intermingling of joy and grief.

Last week as I sat in our lawn with dad

(whose dementia often leaves him confused)

the joy of loving such a dear dad

rushes through my heart with breath-stealing sorrow

as he struggles to complete the sentence,

with 'I just can't seem to think how to say what I was going to'...

Across the road wedding prep is escalating as the last of

their children plans to be married/fly the coop on Saturday,

and our neighbours will be empty-nesters!! 

Again, bittersweet are the joys of love!

The end of one era and the beginning of another 🙏💖 

1 Cor.13:7-8

Love...

bears all things, believes all things,

 hopes all things, endures all things.

Love never fails.

Intricately intermingled

Joy and sorrow's part

Rushing, crushing,

Waking, aching

Taking us by heart

Making us, of diverse nature

Stature, trait and frame

Bitter-sweetly

and completely

Very much the same 

  So then, having love in common

We weather life's storms

Laughing, weeping,

Giving, keeping 

Love, in all its forms

Manifesting Something Greater

Beyond love's façade

 Ceaseless Wonder

Over, under

Ultimately, 

God

Janet Martin