Why Poems?

2025 November PAD Chapbook Challenge: Day 20

For the 2025 November PAD Chapbook Challenge,

 poets write a poem a day in the month of November. 

Day 20 is to write an explanation poem.

To those who sometimes wonder, or ask, WHY?!!

Why poems?!!

poetry is far more than ink arrangement of verse-rhyme

(though some perceive its purpose as sheer waste of precious time)

because some so-called poets desecrate ballads with blight

through unholy vulgarity and disregard for right

poetry is love's passion poured upon a page; its quest

to rekindle a heart of awe within the human breast

to waken us to worship God with more humility

to draw wonder from unplumbed wells of Divine Deity  

to grasp, from sod and sky and sea, sacred glimpses, though dim

Of He whose workmanship is but the outer fringe of Him 

and then to bow before the parchment altar with amen 

touching the hem of God's garment through whispers of a pen

poetry is far more than vaunt to vex the hungry eye 

it is the aftermath of prayer, the dredged deeps of a sigh

the heart that skipped a beat as it beheld the holy stage

where ink survives the author of words committed to page 

poetry is the pleasure of  God rushing through thought's veins 

a holy happiness that the Ultimate Bard sustains

through nature's endless evidence of He who woos the soul

and keens ears to an ocean where uncharted poems toll/roll

poetry is far more than lyrical extravagance

it is a brush that paints a scene, a soulful song and dance

it is a kind endeavor to address lament and laud

and benefit the reader with witness that points to God 

poetry is the language of lovers of humankind

longing's collective sympathies, the music of the mind

so when you ask 'why poems? all that I can think to say

 is, 'to ignore the ocean's roar would be to cease to pray'

or, when you ask 'why poems' the simplest truth I can give

Is, 'to ignore the ocean's roar would be to cease to live'

Janet Martin

“When I run, I feel God’s pleasure.”

Eric Liddell (1902–1945)

When I write poetry I feel God's pleasure

Janet Martin (1966-....)

Of First Receiving ...

John 4:24

God is Spirit, and those who worship Him 

must worship in spirit and truth.”

If we were nothing more than what we could achieve

 by our own merit, we at best, would be pitiful.

Every opportunity we make the most of

 is possible only by abilities first God-granted.

The athlete, the artist, the architect,

the scholar, the teacher, the laborer, 

the business magnate, the journalist, the preacher etc.

pursues, performs, accomplishes and excels, 

only through the grace of first receiving

the gifts of health and strength, 

of intellect and perception, etc.

Because of these mercies/provisions/blessings we, 

not by our own merit but by the grace of God,

ought not hide in fear, but with constant courage 

each day ask God to make us a vessel He pours through.

 Then, whatever we get right is to His glory

and whatever we get wrong is to our refinement

as we keep learning, no matter who or how old we are.

so, no matter how great (like winning the World Series, 

(oops!! like trying to win the World Series)

 or small (like preserving pumpkins) 

we owe our best to He from whom we have first received  

So, no matter 

how great or small

The task at 

present seems

We owe our 

Very Best of All

To He who 

grants the means

To seize each 

opportunity

With noble 

intention

Because of who 

grants you and me

Ability. 

Amen

Janet Martin

Matt.6:9-13

In this manner, therefore, pray:

Our Father in heaven,

Hallowed be Your name.

 Your kingdom come.

Your will be done

On earth as it is in heaven.

 Give us this day our daily bread.

 And forgive us our debts,

As we forgive our debtors.

 And do not lead us into temptation,

But deliver us from the evil one.

[a]For Yours is the kingdom

and the power 

and the glory forever. 

Amen.

Rock of Ages Cleft For Me

Simply, A Vessel

It seems the older we grow, the faster time flies!

How are we over halfway through October already?!

How are we nearing the end of another harvest season

that it seems we just planted not so very long ago?!

Gal.6:7

Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; 

for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.

There is no getting around it;

whether we plant conscientiously,

carelessly, or with carefully-crafted cunning,

cover/bury deeply the seed/deeds we strew/do

we reap what we sow! 

We have all at one time or another sown seeds we later regretted,

and we would surely lose heart as we reflect on those seeds

 but for this:

2 Cor.7:10

For godly sorrow produces repentance 

leading to salvation, not to be regretted;

 but the sorrow of the world produces death.

In the spring I planted a perennial mum from my mom's perennial garden.

Its flourishing autumn beauty is such a pleasure to behold!

When good seeds are planted then good fruit and flowers follow!

Sometimes what we plant in the spring of our lives doesn't bloom until the autumn...

Oh, pray it is more than wild oats we've sown!

***

We are, in a sense all vessels through which seeds pour...

2 Tim2: 20-21

But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver, 

but also of wood and clay, some for honor and some for dishonor. 

 Therefore if anyone cleanses himself from the latter, 

he will be a vessel for honor,

 [h]sanctified and useful for the Master, 

prepared for every good work. 

Yesterday I harvested the last of my garden produce...

Not all harvests are as quickly cultivated and collected 

as that of the garden variety! but, 

Gal.6:9

Let us not grow weary while doing good, 

for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.

God does not require a crowd to fulfill Purpose true 

But simply a vessel, unproud, willing to be poured through

Each legacy of faith begins with self-surrendered 'yes' 

As we repent of our sins and and turn from worldliness/carelessness

To walk by faith or run its race with endurance does not

Depend upon athletic pace or skill, but trust in God  

To trust God is to trust his Word; to trust is to obey

To keep His precepts, undeterred by all who turn away

How sweet to hone hope's happiness, not in fleeting delights

But in God's steadfast promises where faith fixes its sights 

How holy is time's ebb and flow unfolding Now to Then

How surely we reap what we sow; God is not mocked. Amen 

...nor does He require a crowd, His purpose to fulfill 

But simply a vessel, endowed with faith's surrendered will   

Janet Martin

'Very much of our future life will depend upon our earliest days',

said preacher Charles Spurgeon on January 15, 1893,

then quoted Mr. Ruskins, not quite verbatim,

' people often say we excuse the thoughtlessness of youth,

but he says no, it never ought to be excused.

I'd far rather hear of thoughtless old age when a man has done his work,

but what excuse can be found for a thoughtless youth?

The time for thought is at the beginning of life

and there is no period which so much demands

or so much necessitates thoughtfulness as our early days...

I would that all young men would think so.

They say that they must sow their wild oats.

No! No, my dear young friend.

 Think before you sow such seed as that,

 what the reaping will be.

See if there is not better corn to be found 

than wild oats and sow that,

then think how you will sow it 

and when you will sow it

for if you do not think about the sowing,

what will the harvest be? '

Hope In Spite of Hardship And A Hug for the Hurting...

All the comforts of this world

cannot replace the comforts of the Soul,

wherewith Faith is cheered!

All the wonders of the world

cannot eclipse the wonder of His Word,

whereby Faith is taught!

All the wealth of this world

cannot compare to the riches of His grace;

Faith's inheritance!

***

1 Cor.13:12

For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face:

now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.

There is SO much more to this life than what/who meets the eye!

(like potato-diggers or flowers)

Heb.11:6

And without faith it is impossible to please God,

because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists

and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.

***

Sometimes, when hardships come some doubt God

and his existence.

In the verses below David reflects, first on Joseph

who was sold as a slave, thrown into prison,

through false allegations,

before eventually being released

and given a place of highest honour!

Until the time that his word came to pass,

The word of the Lord tested him

Ps.105:19

...and then, also on the Israelites 

and God's faithful provision for them

in spite of their complaining and ungratefulness !

But (the Israelites) lusted exceedingly in the wilderness,

And tested God in the desert.

And He gave them their request,

But sent leanness into their soul.

Ps.106:14-15

Yesterday I visited a friend who recently moved into hospice.

She knows her time on this earth is almost over,

Yet,

Her room seemed filled with Hope's Palpable Presence; Peace! 

Through Christ's shed blood and her confession of faith,

when she repented and believed,

'in the valley of the shadow of death she fears no evil

for the Shepherd is with her; His rod and staff comfort her...'

(Still, please pray for her and her family!!)

In spite of this, these are hard days 😭🙏

Dear 'S' 💓

Johnny Cash - If We Never Meet Again This Side Of Heaven

Oh God, help us desire You and trust in You

with all our heart 

and not lean on our own understanding,

lest you satisfy our hands with things we see

and send a leanness of soul! 

What awful dread to live, not led

By He who satisfies the Soul

To think and be, by what we see

Rather than faith that makes us whole

What utter loss, to scorn the cross

And settle for this wicked world

To count for naught, salvation wrought

Through Jesus' blood-bought grace unfurled 

What sad effect if we reject

Glad, Living Hope, through faith in He

Who, in death's hour preempts its pow'r

With life, for all eternity

But oh, what peace and joy increase

As we release the part we brave

To Jesus Christ who sacrificed

Himself to overthrow the grave

Janet Martin 

Leviticus 17:11
For the life of the flesh is in the blood, 

and I have given it to you to make atonement for your souls upon the altar; 

for it is the blood that makes atonement for the soul.

Hebrews 9:22
According to the law, in fact, nearly everything must be purified with blood, 

and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.

Matthew 26:28
This is My blood of the covenant, 

which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.

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

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

1 John 1:7
But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, 

we have fellowship with one another, 

and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.

 

'Moment'ous Composition

Eph.5:15-16

15See then that you walk [e]circumspectly, not as fools but as wise,

16redeeming the time, because the days are evil.

With moments we compose, 

not only what we will be remembered for,

but what we will give account to God for!

Already the previous hour's moments are sealed

in a Ledger above!

Ps.90:12

Teach us to number our days, 

that we may gain a heart of wisdom.

Below excerpt from Making the Most of Life by J. R. Miller

 

We hold within creature-facades, an invisible cup

Filled with moments and countless odds, of how we use them up

Where what we do with the divine allotment of each breath

And the free will that runs it through, follows us, after death

How often in the heat of fond hopes and dreams, dearly prized

We lose sight of what lies beyond utopias, fantasized

Where a cup overflowing with momentous glints of grace

Grants in its brief bestowing that which transcends Time and Place

This cup, with copious amounts of moment-stars unfurled

Spills and fills personal accounts that wait beyond this world

Goodness and mercy-molded, each fleeting moment becomes

Eternally enfolded in a Book of Sacred Sums

We hold a cup rife with replies to moments yet to be

This ought to bid us scrutinize potentiality

Of what may seem so very small, but gathers in its wake

Our answer to God’s loving call; Eternity at stake

With moments we compose more than fodder for eulogies/memories

Lifetimes are achieved in the span of moments such as these

Right here, right now; what we will account for spills from a cup

While we choose from options galore, how we will use them up

Janet Martin

Who we live our moments for

is a Very Crucial Investment! 

Of Records Still in the Writing or Harvests Still in the Planting

Harvest: the fruition of seeds planted!

We cannot reap what we did not plant

both literally and spiritually!

Yesterday's harvest included onions!

Gal.6:7-8

Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; 

for whatever a man sows,

 that he will also reap. 

8 For he who sows to his flesh 

will of the flesh reap corruption, 

but he who sows to the Spirit 

will of the Spirit reap everlasting life.

Below excerpt by J.R.Miller

I cannot bear your weight of care

Nor you, mine; we must each

Shoulder lessons in trust and prayer

That God alone can teach

Our sacred share in live-and-learn

Holds more than meets the eye

 The rich reward of faith's return

Not now, but by and by

You cannot love on my behalf

Nor I on yours; no one

Can weep my tears or taste my laugh

-ter for a fight, well-won/task well done

When life is through then I will stand

To answer for the seeds

  Not strewn by someone else's hand

But for my words and deeds

I will not give account for you

Nor you for me; each one

When this God-granted life is through

Will answer God alone

No one to point a finger at

 When each life is laid bare

As God opens the record that

Reaches from here to there

Janet Martin

Ps.86:5, 9&11

For You, Lord, are good, and ready to forgive,

And abundant in mercy to all those who call upon You.

Among the gods there is none like You, O Lord;

Nor are there any works like Your works.

All nations whom You have made

Shall come and worship before You, O Lord,

And shall glorify Your name.

For You are great, and do wondrous things;

You alone are God.

Teach me Your way, O Lord;

I will walk in Your truth;

[c]Unite my heart to fear Your name.

A Masterpiece of Reverence (in the making)

 

Romans 12:11

Do not let your zeal subside;

keep your spiritual fervor,

serving the Lord.

Ephesians 6:7

Serve with good will,

as to the Lord and not to men,

1 Corinthians 10:31

So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do,

do it all to the glory of God.

Psalm 100:2

Serve the LORD with gladness;

come into His presence with joyful songs.

1 Samuel 12:24

Above all, fear the LORD

and serve Him faithfully with all your heart;

consider what great things He has done for you.

💝💝💝

Dear poet-(whether-we-know-it-or-not!)

Here's to Fresh Fervour/Favour for Today's Poem-possibilities!

A little glimpse at yesterday's ballad 💗

Today, like a fresh page is laid beneath each poet’s pen
Where this new day the Lord has made glistens with grace again
For we, apt to forget the bent of breath, cut down to size
Composing, as Today is spent, a poem of replies
Intangible and permanent, moment-ink spills and dries

‘Oh God, have mercy on us all’ as lyrics rush reply
Blotting fresh pages as they fall, with love oft run awry
As mortal clashes with Sublime; with grace we cannot daunt
While give and take’s rhythm and rhyme, perplexes wishful want
We loot inkwells as old as Time, supplied with virgin font

‘Thy word is a lamp to our ‘pen’, a light unto our ‘page’
Thy Word is truth; foolproof, amen. Faithful from age to age
Then, with this day Thy goodness grants, may we, though sadly-flawed
Recognize Dried Ink's permanence; then seek to write, love-awed
A Masterpiece of Reverence to Thee, most gracious God

© Janet Martin

I Peter 3:8-12

Finally, all of you be of one mind,

having compassion for one another;

love as brothers, be tenderhearted, be [b]courteous;

9not returning evil for evil or reviling for reviling,

but on the contrary blessing,

knowing that you were called to this,

 that you may inherit a blessing.

10For “He who would love life

And see good days,

Let him [c]refrain his tongue from evil,

And his lips from speaking deceit.

11Let him turn away from evil and do good;

Let him seek peace and pursue it.

12For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous,

And His ears are open to their prayers;

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

For One and All, the Same

Ten thousand people doing something wrong does not,

as the number of wrong-doers increases,

eventually make the wrong right!

'They do it too' is a dangerous excuse if 'they' are doing wrong!

2 Cor.5:9-10 (read the whole sacred chapter HERE)

Therefore we make it our aim, whether present or absent, 

to be well pleasing to Him. 

10For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, 

that each one may receive the things done in the body, 

according to what he has done, whether good or bad...

We are well known to God

Our hearts, an open page

Then bow before Him, wholly awed

For He holds judgment’s wage

A wage we justify

With simple clarity

The track-record of our reply

Will prove if we loved He

…who suffered Calvary

To pardon our sin

So that all who believe will be

Heirs and co-heirs with Him

(To believe is to know

For all that we do not

That by the grace of God we go

Regardless of our lot)

The hour we believe

Repenting of our sin

Is the same hour we receive

Eternal life with Him

Through God’s Son, sacrificed

Salvation’s gift was wrought

Repentance, through the blood of Christ

Redeems each soul, blood-bought

How Mercy must have groaned

Knowing love’s albatross

To gain the joy of sin atoned

He must endure the cross

But there, belief begins

A lifelong wonderment

In He who forgives our sins

And makes the heart content

He arms us for faith’s strife

Through the might of His name

He is the Way, the Truth, the Life

For one and all, the same

© Janet Martin

John 3:14-18

14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, 

even so must the Son of man be lifted up:

15 That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, 

but have eternal life.

16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son,

 that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; 

but that the world through him might be saved.

18 He that believeth on him is not condemned:

 but he that believeth not is condemned already, 

because he hath not believed in the name 

of the only begotten Son of God.

Are You Washed in the Blood of the Lamb?

 

Weighing the Measure of Life

Discipline, not desire determines destiny.

~Dr. Charles Stanley~

I have a friend whose prayer requests often include

a request that God may help them establish healthy rhythms

in their marriage and family-life.

In pondering the phrase 'healthy rhythms' 

I have been scrutinizing my own rhythms;

how these rhythms impact and become my life!!

Rhythms shape and reveal where my deepest devotion/affections lie.

Rhythms prove...

What/who fuels my desires, my goals, my choices?

What arouses my deepest concerns; the temporal or the eternal?

Who do I turn to for counsel?

Who gets my first hour of the day?

Who directs my joy?

Who/who do I most admire?

Are my rhythms Christ centered?

Is He my first waking want, worship and wonder?

It takes dogged discipline to establish new rhythms,

and all the more so as we grow older and set in our ways! 

It's never too late to confess apathy to our loving Heavenly Father

And beseech Him to lead us in the path of His commandments and righteousness!

As we open his Word

He will open the eyes of our heart if we ask.

He will give us ears to hear Him!

1 Thess.5:24 

He who calls you (us) is faithful, who also will do it.

Jer.17:5-10

Thus says the Lord:

“Cursed is the man who trusts in man

And makes flesh his [b]strength,

Whose heart departs from the Lord.

6For he shall be like a shrub in the desert,

And shall not see when good comes,

But shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness,

In a salt land which is not inhabited.

7“Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord,

And whose hope is the Lord.

8For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters,

Which spreads out its roots by the river,

And will not [c]fear when heat comes;

But its leaf will be green,

And will not be anxious in the year of drought,

Nor will cease from yielding fruit.

9“The heart is deceitful above all things,

And [d]desperately wicked;

Who can know it?

10I, the Lord, search the heart,

I test the [e]mind,

Even to give every man according to his ways,

According to the fruit of his doings.

This poem can be one 3-stanza poem or 3 one-stanza poems 😊

The measure of a life is wrought

From word and deed; the fruit of thought

How swift the innocence of youth

Is shed and wed with timeless truth 

For no one is exempt from this;

'As a man thinketh, so he is'

***

The words of our mouth impart

The meditations of the heart

Then pray with all humility

'Lord, let these be pleasing to Thee'

So life will be a rhythm of

Unwavering faith, hope and love

***

Oh, may our steps be ordered by

The Lord on whom we can rely

May His law be Thought's chief delight

To guide and help us fight the fight

To the reward that will not fade

When the measure of life is weighed

Janet Martin

Praise And Harmony Singers "Savior Lead Me Lest I Stray"

Before The Winepress and Threshing Floor

Wheat harvest is in full swing! 

The 'winnowing fan' is separating the wheat from the chaff!

Many less visible 'harvests' are in full swing too!

John 15: 1-4 & 16

(read the whole beloved chapter HERE)

I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. 

 Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He [a]takes away; 

and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit. 

3 You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you.

4 Abide in Me, and I in you. 

As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, 

neither can you, unless you abide in Me...

16 Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, 

and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, 

and that your fruit should remain: 

that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.

James 2:17

So too, faith by itself, if it does not result in action, is dead.

Matthew 3:8
Produce fruit, then, in keeping with repentance...

As we study the ripple effects of carelessness, of sin/ disobedience to God,

its consequence is ghastly, rolling though generations with ease,

if left unchecked,

until the 'pit'-fall once disregarded by a few,

 is so crowded that the awareness of it ceases.

(why is it we are prone to lamenting sin's consequence, 

rather than the origin of the consequence- sin?!)

Wisdom always considers, beyond instant gratification, where the action or choice

if unchecked,  will lead and whether the fruit of it will ultimately,

draw us nearer to God or to the world...

is it a fruit of the Spirit or flesh?

If we have truly repented 

and if we truly love

our Saviour, then fruit in keeping with repentance

will/must be evident!! 

We live in a pleasure-driven age with exorbitant amounts of money

poured into the fleeting fruitlessness of many-a-joy toy...

Oh pray we never let the 'thorns/things' choke out the desire for God;

the Giver of every good and perfect gift!

We don't need to be wealthy to afford the gifts He promises to all

who hunger and thirst after righteousness.

'they shall be filled.' Matt.5:6,

while, the opposite is true when it comes to feeding carnal appetites;

the more we feast, the more we starve! 

If we are rooted in Good Soil we will grow and bear fruit...

Years ago one of the families I did childcare for, 

generously built/gifted me an arbour

and some grapevines, after I casually mentioned to them 

in a gardening conversation that someday I would LOVE to have a grape arbor.

What grand anticipation followed the planting of the vines!

but, nothing happened!!

For three years I watched as each spring a few valiant leaves appeared, 

assuring me there was still some life in the vine,

but it only ever survived each season, rather than thrived! 

Suddenly it dawned on me that perhaps the arbor is too close to

the black walnut trees bordering the neighbor's property!

Sure enough, only wild grapes are juglone tolerant!

In disappointment I dug them up and carelessly plopped them in a hole

in my 'miscellaneous' flowerbed assuming by the looks of them

that this time there was no life remaining...

I was wrong!

Finally the thing that hampered their growth was removed 

and they leaped from the earth like a visual hymn!

thankfully, wisteria is unbothered by juglone!

(walnut tree beauties in background)

the mouth may boast a myriad of profound piety

but fruit will always tell the truth of fig or thistle tree 

how careful then, we ought to heed, before the consequence

the seeds we strew, of righteousness or disobedience 

...because, no matter what we say, our actions do not lie

Who we live for is proven by the one we most deny;

the God of love or god of self; no one can serve two Lords/lords

And by the fruit the tree is known; not by the wind of words

    Producing fruit in keeping with repentance, none can do

apart from the True Vine; then call on Him; He helps us to

endure the painful pruning of the Vinedresser, before

the Grim Authentication of winepress and threshing-floor 

 

Janet Martin

Ps.33:18-22

Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear Him,

On those who hope in His mercy,

19 To deliver their soul from death,

And to keep them alive in famine.

20 Our soul waits for the Lord;

He is our help and our shield.

21 For our heart shall rejoice in Him,

Because we have trusted in His holy name.

22 Let Your mercy, O Lord, be upon us,

Just as we hope in You.