Cage-Rattling Joy...

John 16:33

I have told you these things,

 so that in me you may have peace. 

In this world you will have trouble. 

But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

1 Thess.4:13-18

3 But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, 

concerning those who have fallen [a]asleep,

lest you sorrow as others who have no hope.

14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again,

even so God will bring with Him those who [b]sleep in Jesus.

15 For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive

 and remain until the coming of the Lord 

will by no means precede those who are [c]asleep. 

16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, 

with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. 

And the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive and remain

 shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. 

And thus we shall always be with the Lord. 

18 Therefore comfort one another with these words.

***

Imagine if we could not comfort one another with God's words from scripture!

Surely, then life would be a hopelessly fearful undertaking,

each day's impending unknowns dark with dread and discouragement!

SO many tragedies could leave us disillusioned,

 our hearts irreparably broken,

Faith would be crushed with despair,

 but for the treasure of sure hope through the shed blood of Christ!

2 Cor.4:7-9 (read the whole tender chapter HERE)

Now we have this treasure in jars of clay 

to show that this surpassingly great power is from God and not from us. 

8We are hard pressed on all sides, but not crushed;

 perplexed, but not in despair;

 9persecuted, but not forsaken; 

struck down, but not destroyed.

Where flowers bloom midst dire tides of doom and gloom forecasters spew

Where God's unfailing Word abides; each morning His mercy is new...

Before a fresh burst of unknowns rattles the cage of Time and Place

Where, praise the Lord, faith's stepping stones are set in sands of hope and grace

Where flowers bloom midst dire tides of doom and gloom forecasters spew

Where God's unfailing Word abides; each morning His mercy is new

Where justice will prevail some day so we do not need to despair

Where good or ill, come what yet may, God helps us through each creature-care

Where God, who cares for you and me is greater than faith's crooning foe 

A Very Present Help to we who need His truth and comfort so 

Where we would be deceived without His Word to guide, correct and cheer

And save us from pitfalls of doubt, pride, ignorance, folly and fear 

Where many who have ears are deaf it seems, to thund'ring wonder-storms 

And many who have eyes profess no knowledge of works God performs 

Where all will someday give account to He whose breath of life we draw 

While drinking from a glorious fount of favours that pray, authors awe 

...and courage, to fight the Good Fight, strong, pure and faithful to the end

Armed with the power of God's might and peace thought cannot comprehend

Where, praise the Lord, faith's steppingstones are set in sands of hope and grace

Where joy transcends bursts of unknowns rattling cages of Time and Place

Janet Martin

Where Could I Go-Emmylou Harris 

(Temporary) To-do List/Must

The gray, sunless stretch of weather continues!!

sometimes it seems to threaten to seep into our spirits😏😐

Do you ever wake up feeling defeated before you begin

a new day, a new week, as struggles and battles seem to hit 'repeat'?!!

Call on God, call on a friend, 

call on a mother, spouse, sibling

but whatever we do, let's not try to do it alone!

Father Along

Do you ever wish for a life without care?!!

(I confess, sometimes I do! But,

a life without cares would make us 

pretty careless and self-reliant, wouldn't it?!

On the other hand, sometimes we can create cares

 by being careless and self-reliant!

Here is the balance challenge:

To not become complacent,

 yet, to not become discouraged

as we shoulder the yoke of faithfulness!

 The only way to accomplish this requires

constant refueling in God's company/His Word!

(To keep our eyes on faith's prize is impossible

if we love the world...more)

1 John 2:15-17 (BSB)

Do not love the world or anything in the world.

 If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 

16For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh,

 the desires of the eyes, 

and the pride of life—is not from the Father but from the world

. 17The world is passing away, along with its desires;

 but whoever does the will of God remains forever.

Happy Monday!

Let's make the most of to-do lists 

not simply with what we have wherever we are,

but with Who we have wherever we are,

 (if we have believed in He who is able!)

💓🙏

this hard-to-do to-do list kind of unfolded as I contemplated

what to write about, as I weighed wishes and wants with what is, etc.

Some successes, no matter how hard-fought 

seem to evade, maybe because we're not ready for it yet!

...to loathe the pride that lurks inside accolades of success

To hunger for still waters and green pastures of His Word

While feasting on a five-star meal of hope with thankfulness 

And to pray without ceasing, leaning wholly on the Lord

To love our neighbor as ourself without selfish reserve

To be more kind and patient where we all have much to learn

Where only by God’s favor we have more than we deserve

A glorious inheritance that we could never earn

To fight against desires that wage war against the soul

To count spiritual blessings and to covet more and more

Its measure, life’s true treasure beyond time’s transient toll

When at last, we will see what now we are yet striving for

To make Heaven our goal, so that we labor not in vain

To remember, the garment of the soul will soon decay

And what once seemed so far off and arduous to attain

Will be an everlasting crown that never fades away

© Janet Martin

1 Cor.9:24-27 (NIV)

Do you not know that in a race all the runners run,

 but only one gets the prize? 

Run in such a way as to get the prize.

 25Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. 

They do it to get a crown that will not last, 

but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.

 26Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly;

 I do not fight like a boxer beating the air.

 27No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave 

so that after I have preached to others,

 I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.

Courage, With Joy

Below is a message from my friend Jane, sent to me years ago

after I confessed how terribly terrified I am to share the poetry publicly...

I printed and scotch-taped her reminder beside my computer screen

and it has been a powerful reminder more times than I can count...

Because of the prolific nature of this 'poem-porch' 

one might assume it's easy to hit 'publish' and bare heart-pieces to the world. 

But if it were possible to pull apart the place where feelings lie you would see

so much would-be insecurity, timidity and fear! 

However, whatever our creative outlet is, 

we only ever create with what God first has created. 

We are like children playing with His crayons 

and thereby we create 

and owe God an answer when He asks,

'What are you going to do with it?'

The most terrifying, exhilarating thing we will ever do

is to 'let go and let God!'

My friends host our church's podcast for women.

 Another friend is the guest on the latest episode 8.

I was so touched by her reminder that,

'as we are aware that we create with what He gives

creativity becomes a source and form of constant worship'

Yes, and

 This worship helps to fill life with constant joy!

George Macdonald wrote over a hundred years ago

"A poet is a man who is glad of something and

tries to make other people glad of it too"

That quote is still as true as ever

and reveals why an artist has the courage, with joy,

to share what they/we have created...

...to recognize with holy awe that all we are and touch

Is created and granted by He who loves us so much

We are so very diff'rent, yet still so very 'the same'

Created in His image to bring glory to His name

How loud doubt's voice would shout with fearful insecurity

Without His still small voice that whispers 'just do it for Me'

Then suddenly dark demons flee and joy transforms despair

As we honour His majesty with talents He put there 

Forbid, when face to face we give account for what we did

That pride or doubt or lack of faith kept our talents hid

Or that Comparison, (the deadliest kill-joy of all)

Would have succeeded in making us ashamed of His Call

So pray for courage to proceed with joy to glorify

The Giver with the gift that He has given you and I

Then, as we hold the crayons, may we be filled with sheer awe 

To feel His Hand over our fingers, teaching us to draw

Janet Martin

Let's all seek to bless others by glorifying the Giver

with our gift/s.

This poem could also be called

Why my to-do list grows longer and longer

because in the middle of Very Busy...a poem might nudge😊

The Tender Risk

 This morning I had in my inbox a poem written by my niece

for a history assignment;

a strong piece of writing in Reverse Poem and well done!

It tempted me to attempt this form I had long forgotten.

In much shorter version.

 (also forgot how challenging it is;

the trick to keep one line flowing

into the next...)

So much to celebrate… and grieve

With what we suffer to achieve

And weave love’s longing, bittersweet

As hunger and fullness compete

To penetrate with piercing ploy

The climax of sorrow with joy

To fragmentalize and finesse

The highs and lows of happiness

Where what we have and hold is but

Slow loss that waits to sheer and gut

The heart that dares to trust enough

To take the tender risk to love

Again

© Janet Martin

Again

To take the tender risk to love

The heart that dares to trust enough

Slow loss that waits to sheer and gut

Where what we have and hold is but

The highs and lows of Happiness

To fragmentalize and finesse

The climax of sorrow with joy

To penetrate with piercing ploy

As hunger and fullness compete

And weave love’s longing bittersweet

With what we suffer to achieve

So much to celebrate… and grieve

© Janet Martin

 Even in laughter the heart may ache, 

and rejoicing may end in grief.

Poverbs 14:13

If We But Ask

No matter how much we brace ourselves for what we might face we are fitted only as we need it!

Sometimes it's comforting to visualize His nail-scarred Hand 

reaching down to hold our so-small hand as we reach up...

It's also comforting to visualize those same hands 

enfolding the rebel/prodigal/atheist as we pray!

(For we still live in the day of grace)

The Hand that lowers twilight’s bars

Then fades yon fathoms filled with stars

As daybreak like a weightless tide

Unfolds the muffled countryside

That tells the season by the shell

That cloaks the woodland, field and dell

And steals the wand’ring, wond’ring gaze

With nature’s invincible ways

That Hand that grants the benison

Whereby plant and harvest is done

That guides the earth’s orbit of teal

That spins upon The Potter’s wheel

That shapes with rise and set of sun

The legacy where said-and-done

When we are stripped down to bare clod

Are too small to shake fists at God

The Hand that weathers mortal glove

By the sheer joy and grief of love

That lends all that He gives and takes

In this go-round of sacred stakes

And instills shoal of dust-to-dust

With soul’s indelible Must

Where none, with rebel set of heart

Can shuck That which sets us apart

This Hand that does not slip or fail

That tunes the wind that fills the sail

That vexes vanity’s intent

And perplexes want’s prideful bent

Has scars left there by hate fulfilled

As He made Heaven possible

This Hand that fits us for trust’s task

Will hold our hand, if we but ask

© Janet Martin

For I am the LORD your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you,

 Do not fear; I will help you.

Isa.41:13

 

 

Hope, Courage's Candle...

...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.

Isa.40:31

Then Jesus told his disciples a parable 

to show them that they should always pray and not give up.

Luke 18:1

Hope fords the streams where dreams have died

It forges faith from yielded fear

Where morning spills Time’s virgin tide

It bids us to be of good cheer

And where we reach but cannot see

Hope whispers through the pining air

And beckons us to trust in He

Who keeps us in His tender care

Hope puts its arms around our dread

And ushers step-by-stepping stone

Where no one knows what lies ahead

Hope is God’s hand over our own

And as we rise to meet the day

Where night becomes a molten sea

Hope is a Voice that seems to say

Be of good cheer and trust in Me

Hope helps us look toward The Prize

Though trouble takes no holiday

As sure as the spark upward flies

Hope holds a lifeline through the fray

And where the ash of days gone by

Can sting our eyes with founded fear

Hope lifts courage’s candle high

And beckons still, ‘be of good cheer’

© Janet Martin