Thursday, June 30, 2022

Ode to June


Life's busyness just doesn't allow for all the June poems that beg to be written...
but one final ode to June as its farewell tugs on heartstrings,
in spite of July joy waiting at dawn

June is a flower-friendly lease...

...a strawberry lover's paradise

...a freedom-elated school-boy

June is the tempo of bare feet
June is the laughter of a child...





June is the perfect centerpiece
In the living-room of a year...


June joins the ranks where ages rest
A quick collage of memories
Like pansies, between pages pressed
Like madrigals of peonies
While gardens reach toward the sky
While mornings roll toward July
While all the while we my-oh-my
At how time flies with ease

Like a plot decked with petals strewn
Like a teapot, tipped, poured and drained
June spills and fills each afternoon
With gold and green and blue unchained
While days and dreams mingle and merge
While shadow-breakers ebb and surge
Across shorelines of sun-glossed verge
Of what yet waits to be

June stuns the soul with poetry
Strawberry-lovers’ paradise
June is a leaf-lush canopy
A backdrop splashed with butterflies
June is part ballad and part waltz
Blip of cartwheels and somersaults
June is a woman without faults
Save one; Her swift demise

June is the tempo of bare feet
June is the laughter of a child
June is a love song, bittersweet
As clocks and hollyhocks run wild
A bubble on a breeze, ahoy
A freedom-elated school-boy
Lithe, and leaping from joy to joy
All reason reconciled

June is a flower-friendly lease
Of pure contentment now and here
June is the perfect centerpiece
In the living-room of a year
June is dusk’s long-lingering flight
June is daybreak while it is night
June is the bull’s eye of delight
And farewell’s fondest tear

© Janet Martin









Wednesday, June 29, 2022

Thankfulness and Praise



1 Pet.1:17-19
And if you call on the Father,
who without partiality judges according to each one’s work, 
conduct yourselves throughout the time of your [e]stay here in fear;
 knowing that you were not redeemed with [f]corruptible things, like silver or gold, 
from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers,
 but with the precious blood of Christ,...

Imagine if every Sunday morning the minister would,
with trembling hands open a letter of encouragement
such as Peter wrote to remind the early church,
the first Christians facing opposition and persecution,
of the believer's living hope, so they/we would
'rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you
 at the revelation of Jesus Christ; 'v.13
Oh joy, we have that letter not only for Sunday morning but every single day!
v.20-21
He indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the world, 
but was [g]manifest in these last times for you who through Him believe in God, 
who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, 
so that your faith and hope are in God.

Then as we think on these things 
may our lives overflow with humble thankfulness and praise!
he did not seek to vindicate himself but trusted God and served Him, even in prison!
'because the Lord was with him; and whatever he did, the Lord made it prosper.'
Gen.39:23

Lord, help us strive to live our days in such a humble, trusting way...


As this morning's much needed rain is a plant's 'living hope'
so is God's Word/truth to the one who puts their trust in Him!


Lord, help us strive to live our days
With hearts of thankfulness and praise
Remind us of faith’s recompense
A heavenly inheritance

Lord, make the motive of life’s call
To glorify You above all
Lord, in the dark thick of the fight
Help us to be a shining light

Lord, let the kindness of Your grace
Equip, encourage and embrace
Let holy conduct testify
Of the hope on which we rely

Lord, lest some deadly vice creep in
Convict us of each subtle sin
Lord, then as we discern Your ways
Fill us thankfulness and praise

Amaze us with the end that tolls
With the salvation of our souls
Bought, not with world-wealth sacrificed
But with the precious blood of Christ

Lord, keep us from spite's ready snare
Then, help us strive to live our days
With hearts of thankfulness and praise
Forever and Always,
Amen

© Janet Martin

Matt.5:16
In the same way, let your light shine before others,
 that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.

Father, what we know not
Teach us
What we have not
Give us
What we are not
Make us,
For Your Son's sake,
amen
(excerpt from message below)

Another excerpt: sometimes a bad thing happens for a good reason!

(Listen around and after the 30 min. mark for very vital, somber, relevant caution!)



Do you love your pastor/s?
Do you pray for them so their
preaching may be the gathered result of our prayers?!!
Does a Sunday morning sermon bring fruit of 'their labour' or 'our labour'
as fellow-labourers for our Lord!?



Tuesday, June 28, 2022

Beauty Pageant

 Wishing you a wow-run-wild kind of day!

This time of years is a salad-lover's paradise!!








snaring buds as I snip off faded peonies...


Beauty burgeons, brims and billows
Glints and glimmers, sweeps and sighs
Beauty spills hills; plumped green pillows
Perched against cerulean skies

Beauty is sweet bliss unshaken
Beauty startles, stirs and awes
Beauty is the kiss that wakens
Worship’s wild, off-guard applause

Beauty bursts bud-vaults with flowers
Wonder loosens longing’s noose
Beauty decks and drips from arbors
Periwinkle and chartreuse

Beauty sprawls in shadow-steeples
Mapping out the march of time
Beauty falls in faded petals
From the frond that held its prime

Beauty ignores human nature
Often blind to God at large
Beauty does not force the creature
To enjoy the show, no charge

Beauty flutters, flits and flickers
Filling hearts with my-oh-my
Beauty warbles, wafts and whispers
Bitty bird and butterfly

Beauty bids bards brave the battle
That the font does not disclose
Beauty helps hope cope with trouble
The thorn tempered by the rose

Beauty murmurs and meanders
Like a brook snared by a pen
As the poet tames to paper
Beauty to relive again

© Janet Martin

I was reminded of this verse below because counting all that God does and creates 
cannot be contained in all the books and poems ever written!

John 21:25
Jesus did many other things as well. 
If every one of them were written down,
 I suppose that even the whole world would not have room 
for the books that would be written.

Monday, June 27, 2022

Everlasting Treasure

Psalm 143:8
Cause me to hear thy lovingkindness in the morning;
for in thee do I trust:
cause me to know the way wherein I should walk;
for I lift up my soul unto thee.

Psalm 144:15
Happy is that people, that is in such a case: 
yea, happy is that people, whose God is the LORD.

Psalm 139:23-24
Search me, O God, and know my heart;
Try me, and know my anxieties;
And see if there is any wicked way in me,
And lead me in the way everlasting.

Jim and I went on a rural Ontario drive yesterday...


We got caught in the middle of a bit of a different kind of traffic-jam!
after Sunday afternoon instruction classes for baptism were over...



This is the time of year when ditches become wild flower gardens







As enjoyable as the drive was, like all outings
its pleasure is momentary...
Earth simply cannot offer anything everlasting...

Here is a treasure worth seeking!


This is no fruitless endeavor
This is no fool’s gold we seek
When we search the Holy Scriptures
We will find strength for the weak
We will find the road to glory
We will find hope for the soul
We will find love’s sweetest story
For the faith that makes us whole

We will find God’s kind forgiveness
Righteousness, wisdom and joy
Counsel, comfort, Friend and fortress
That no power can destroy
We will find the Rock of Ages
Guidance, armour for the fight
When we search these sacred pages
Full of grace and truth and light

When we search the Holy Scriptures
When upon God’s Word we feed
We will find unfathomed riches
To supply our every need
Here is peace past understanding
Earth’s anchor to Heaven’s throne
Here is assurance unending
Refuge and Chief Cornerstone

When we ask we will be given
When we seek, there we will find
When we knock our God will open
The door of heart, soul and mind
…this is no fruitless endeavor
Here God hears us when we call
Here is everlasting treasure
Without measure, free to all

© Janet Martin

Isa.55:6
Seek the LORD while he may be found;
 call on him while he is near.

My soul longs for You in the night; 
indeed, my spirit seeks You at dawn. 
For when Your judgments come upon the earth, 
the people of the world learn righteousness.

I have not spoken in secret, from a place in a land of darkness.
 I did not say to the descendants of Jacob, 'Seek Me in a wasteland.'
 I, the LORD, speak the truth; I say what is right.

Turn to Me and be saved, all the ends of the earth; 
for I am God, and there is no other.

Saturday, June 25, 2022

Summer


Summer afternoon—summer afternoon; 
to me those have always been the two most beautiful words
 in the English language.”
― Henry James


Breakfast in the garden...

Campfire griddle-cakes...


Never pleading pardon
For extended breaks...

Fields flaunt floral fringes...

Flower begets flower...

Lily-lanterns gleam...

Smacking lips devour
Strawberries and cream...



Breakfast in the garden
Campfire griddle-cakes
Never pleading pardon
For extended breaks

Beauty is not wasted
Kitchen duty waits
So much to be tasted
On blue-sky heaped plates

Sun and shadow dapples
Green leaf canopy
Sheer contentment grapples
With time’s fleeting spree

Flower begets flower
Lily-lanterns gleam
Smacking lips devour
Strawberries and cream

Lyrics spill in laughter
Sprinkler diamonds splash
Bare feet pitter-patter
Popsicle mustache

Swallows skim dusk backdrops
Bloom lures butterflies
*Puppy chews on flip-flops
Owner scolds and sighs

Fields flaunt floral fringes
Gilt-embroidered glove
Touch of heaven tinges
Earth’s fullness thereof

Dusty, dewy essence 
Stokes soft breeze caress 
Sun-steeped effervescence 
Evokes happiness

Picnic basket pleasure
Outdoor living-rooms
Every day a treasure
Where sweet summer blooms

© Janet Martin

*'Rats' I said to myself in bed last night
after everyone had gone home and campfire was tidied up.
I hope someone saw my flip-flops and brought them inside
(I kicked them off to run a race with grand-kiddos)
Someone didn't and neighbor farm-pup did 😠

My bad for not just getting up and making sure!
The consequence of laziness...

Swallows skim dusk backdrops...


Friday, June 24, 2022

When We Find The Key To Favor

Yesterday's 'favor' was juicy and sweet!


Not all fruit for our labor seems quite as visible and flavorful as fresh strawberries
but is every bit as sweet if we find the key to God's favor...
Then, what an indescribable treat, to savor joy!


Not in vain is noble effort
Though no ovations resound
Not for nothing is the labor
Though no compliments abound

What a diadem of honor
Crowns what appears commonplace
What pure purpose bids us onward
Though no eager crowds give chase

Though the push and pull of duty
Seems a thankless exercise
What a boon of hidden beauty
Tunes the struggle to the Prize

...when we find the key to favor
When from the moment we wake
Our joy is but to labor
For the name of our Lord’s sake

...when to labor is the favor
When love is its own reward
When work is worship, we savor
Joy, through Jesus Christ our Lord

© Janet Martin

Psalm 5:11-12
But let all those rejoice who put their trust in You;
Let them ever shout for joy, because You [f]defend them;
Let those also who love Your name
Be joyful in You.
For You, O Lord, will bless the righteous;
With favor You will surround him as with a shield.

Prov.8:35
For whoever finds me finds life,
And obtains favor from the LORD;

Col.3:23
And whatever you do, do it heartily,
as to the Lord and not to men,

Luke 11:27-28
As Jesus was saying these things, a woman in the crowd called out
, “Blessed is the mother who gave you birth and nursed you.”
He replied, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it.”

Thursday, June 23, 2022

God's Fingerprints



Now I see His (God's) fingerprints all over this experience. '
wrote my friend as she looks back on 3 years 
filled with tumultuous tests of searching for God's will 
and waiting on His timing...

It made me think of all of us in the middle of
a finished frame...
Some waiting/hoping to find their one true love
Some who have found and married their one true love
and are weathering the challenges/disappointments
that marriage is bound to bring
and some whose marriages are broken
Couples who would love to be parents but that dream is withheld,
Parents whose wisdom, energy and patience are stretched to the max
by 'dreams' not withheld...

Many of us find ourselves in some kind of 'frame' of waiting.
What good cheer to visualize God's fingerprints
putting what looks to us like broken or forgotten pieces, in perfect place
if we trust, seek and wait on Him...




Sometimes in the middle
Of a broken heart
We can't grasp the goodness 
In God's works of art

In dark disappointment
Of dreams not come true
We can't see the glory
Waiting to shine through

Sometimes in the middle
Of 'Remember When?'
God is gently drawing
Wonder's awed 'amen'

Sometimes colors baffle
Sometimes pages crease
Living in the middle
Of the masterpiece

Sometimes God's kind whisper
Transfigures pied glints
Unveiling a picture
Of His fingerprints

Janet Martin








To Know Makes All the Difference (for the Unknown)

Who knows what Come-what-may waits to unfold today...
(well!! one unknown unfolded already;
 An unexpected day off due to two sick tots)

Here are a few fond frames of yesterday




Side note on photo below: while we 'swang' we sang every song we could think of...
including what might be the longest version of Old MacDonald's Farm ever known 😂




The Knowing keeps dark deeps of Come-What-May in tender check
Morning unmoors the bark of Day with renewed call and beck
Where none can see what waits to be, but He who spreads the skies
Where no sudden calamity His will can compromise
(or, where no sudden calamities can take Him by surprise)

His promises are like a bulwark where dread’s fathoms roll
To know God keeps his every Word comforts the fainting soul



© Janet Martin

Romans 15:13
Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, 
that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.





  

Wednesday, June 22, 2022

Pondering Paupers (of Spiritual blessing)


“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
 who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ”
(Eph. 1:3).

When we ignore His divine power, who gives us everything we need to
live a godly life it is no small wonder we stumble...

  3as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness,
 through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue,
2 Peter 2:3

If we do not stand tall in times of peace
defending our faith,
how will we stand strong in times of persecution?!

For if they do these things in the green wood,
what will be done in the dry?”
Luke 23:31

If we, professing believers, do not with utter care weigh each action,
whether it is a stepping stone or a stumbling block to spiritual blessing
what is Godliness?
The new creation ought not resemble the old
in desires, in habits and in fruit.
When it does it, pray we take it before our holy, righteous, loving heavenly Father,
confess our sins and He is faithful and just to forgive us (1 John 1:9)
Pray we covet the spiritual blessing that only devotion to God's commands can bring.

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation;
old things have passed away;
behold, all things have become new.
2 Cor. 5:17

Imagine if we coveted spiritual blessing like we do the material?





To be robbed of spiritual blessing
Is life’s greatest loss of all
To cower and never be hated
For the sake of standing tall

...so, lest sin subtly entangles
And hinders us in the race
Let us fix our eyes on Jesus
And boldly defend His grace

Lest we forfeit sacred riches
Lest we hinder pleading prayers
Lest we trod the name of Jesus
Beneath our feet unawares

Lest we cause another to stumble
Lest we choose depravity
And then, robbed of spiritual blessing
Become a fruitless tree

 © Janet Martin  

Eph.1:18
I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened
 in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, 
the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people,

Phoenix of Redemption


Do you ever marvel, (considering our track-record)
at the mercy that draws Redemption's phoenix of morning
from the dust and ash of Yesterday...
I began this poem yesterday morning before the sweetest 
summer solstice drew me into its eager embrace
and even though it was the longest day of the year, poof!
even though we lingered, while Gaze clung to day's glorious, fading fringes,
 Night fell



Some summer-solstice 'Shadows'/inspirations for this poem...

(my daughter is tending some chickens this week while their owners are away💖)



After the night the shadow hall of dawn unfurls anew
A runway for the beck and call of love and work to do
Into the arc of thinning dark the songbird’s greeting trills
To cheer us on as we embark upon mercy’s refills

After the night the color-world of dawn-to-dusk unfolds
Like laughter, morning is unfurled in blues, blush, greens and golds
Tranquility of slumber sheds its plush cloak; duty hails
To draw a world of sleepyheads toward beckoning trails

After the night like bright-eyed tots, time smiles, fretting forgot
The loveliness of re-Beginning exiles morbid thought
The wing that lowered over half the earth, speckled with stars
Is lifted, Mercy clucks; birth’s brood runs rampant o’er death’s bars

After the night the lust for life rekindles wilted joy
Trust is a well-rested housewife, and hope a whistling boy
How darling is the duty that waits to employ the hand
How virginal the beauty as daybreak unveils the land

Before fallible feet dash into meads where passions plead
Let’s fold our hands and bow our heads and pray the Lord to lead
Let's marvel where the phoenix of Redemption beams so bright
Let's praise the God of grace and love for Day, after the night

© Janet Martin

Grand-daughter wearing a dress I sewed for her mommy many years ago😊


Phil.4:4-7
Rejoice in the Lord always. 
I will say it again: 
Rejoice! 
5Let your gentleness be evident to all. 
The Lord is near. 
6Do not be anxious about anything, 
but in every situation, by prayer and petition, 
with thanksgiving, 
present your requests to God. 
7And the peace of God, 
which transcends all understanding,
 will guard your hearts and your minds 
in Christ Jesus.




Monday, June 20, 2022

Spring Adieu and Summer Hello

Spring wanders from the beaten path
Feet follow, where its aftermath
Is snared in campion bouquets...

Of almost Eden’s verdant sheaf
Of breezes tumbling leaf to leaf...

Of early-morn and late-dusk clock
Of arbors flanked by hollyhock...


Spring wanders from the beaten path
Feet follow, where its aftermath
Is snared in campion bouquets
In daisy chains and rose sachets
Where mint and chamomile are caught
Like artwork in a glass tea-pot
Where buttercups and fleabane stroll
Along the lane, up grassy knoll
To play ‘mongst Canterbury bells
‘neath bottomless blue-sky inkwells
And time is like a poem-book
A rhyme in every nook and crook
Of almost Eden’s verdant sheaf
Of breezes tumbling leaf to leaf
Of early-morn and late-dusk clock
Of arbors flanked by hollyhock
While laughter, like a butterfly
Bobs bloom to bloom with lilt and sigh
While gardens and picnics beguile
While summer-lovers smile and smile

© Janet Martin




a bit of feather-color at the feeders today
(Not quite as clear because I take the pictures through a screen)