Showing posts with label death. Show all posts
Showing posts with label death. Show all posts

Tuesday, January 30, 2024

Of Payoffs In Waiting (or Something About a Gaping Grave)


Yesterday my dad's oldest brother (and Wayne's father) was laid to rest.
He is an uncle fondly remembered by his nieces and nephews
 for his good-natured, uncomplaining and optimistic outlook
 though his life had many hardships!
We cousins are in a stage where funerals have become our meeting place
and with these gatherings comes the solemn reminder
our childhood playmates are not children anymore,
all of us under the influence of Time's unflinching touch 
and we are reminded of this truth;
that death can come to the young
but it will come to the old
and the realization is dawning that our generation
 is on the heels of the one we are, 
one by one, laying to rest!
A ripe old age turns to mist
 in death's twinkling of an eye!
So then, as we turn again 
to shoulder our yokes of scarred delight
pray we do not lose sight 
of the only payoff that counts
when, for all 'momentary mountains/afflictions, 
the eternal payoff is unveiled!

Therefore we do not lose heart.
 Though our outer self is wasting away, 
yet our inner self is being renewed day by day.
 17For our light and momentary affliction is producing 
for us an eternal weight of glory that is far beyond comparison.
 18So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. 
For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

Just beyond what we can see ...

(No matter how bitter/sweet)
lies Payoff's Eternity...

Below, a bit of 'sweet'.
This dog can be sassy and silly one minute
and sound asleep at my feet the next!!😂




Though the payoff of push and shove
Through ups and downs of life and love
May appear, to the sphere of sight
Like a showcase of scarred delight
While grappling with the yoke of truth
By fresh parades of fading youth

And though the payoff may seem small
For prayers that rise and tears that fall
Where today holds no guarantees
That Circumstance will aim to please
The Hierarchy of Hope and Dream
We nurture with fondest esteem

…and though the payoff drags its feet
Where hold and letting go compete
Something about a gaping grave
When mourners meet, its scene to brave
Reminds us with sobriety
Of a payoff we cannot see

The payoff for man’s hope and hurt
Is not a fresh-turned mound of dirt
Is not a final farewell tear
Is not the boon of now and here
Oh no! Death is the turn of key
Where push and shove/life and love’s payoff will be

So then, before it is too late
Pray we would reevaluate
The quests and payments we applaud
And rest our confidence in God
Who will, for all eternity
Unveil what the payoff will be

© Janet Martin

We sang two of my favourite hymns yesterday









Saturday, December 23, 2023

Keep On!


Yesterday I attended the funeral of Wayne.
Friends and family received words of comfort and encouragement
as we reflected on a man, not perfect, but committed humbly
to honor God, though his lot in life was not what anyone would choose,
he desired above all to;



The service opened with the reminder that Wayne has done what still awaits all of us! 
He has met his Maker, but His Maker was/is also his Savior. 
We were challenged that the same may be true of us;
that when we meet God we will meet Him not only as our Maker 
but, as our Savior too!

The second speaker reminded family and friends 
that our God is a God of promises; 
Sweet words of comfort esp. for Wayne's wife, children, Dad, siblings, etc.

...so, reflecting on a funeral at Christmas is not morbid
but in reality, is what the joy of Christmas is; Jesus, the hope of mankind
come to earth to be our Saviour
not for this brief life only, but to all who believe,
 forever and ever! Amen!
This reality makes our Christmas reflections more precious than ever!!
And rekindles faith's fervor to keep on till we too can say,

'I have fought the good fight, 
I have finished the race,
 I have kept the faith. 
8Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, 
which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day,
 and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing.
2 Tim.4:7-8


Keep on, we, not yet victorious
Upon Jesus fix faith’s eyes
For the joy still set before us
Keep on pressing to the prize

Keep on praying to keep seeking
God’s kingdom and righteousness
Keep on trusting, wholly leaning
Of His steadfast promises

Keep on looking to the Saviour
To imbue our walk and talk
To correct rebel behaviour
Lest we leave a stumbling block

Keep on casting cares on Jesus
Praise Him with each thought and breath
Until His last mercy frees us
From these bodies doomed to death

Keep on hoping, keep on loving
Every sin, humbly confess
Until the day of faith’s proving
Wins a crown of righteousness

Keep on with fixed dedication
To fight dark forces of sin
Until faith’s last invitation
Hears these blessed words ‘enter in’

© Janet Martin



Thursday, December 21, 2023

Hope's Stomping Grounds

Today's post is as bittersweet as they come...
most recently mentioned in this post
is free from suffering at last!
Gathered to God on Monday, Dec.18

Ps.116:15
Precious in the sight of the LORD Is the death of His saints.

Recently I received the book below,
*Reflections of Jesus,
a gift from the author, as a way of saying thank-you!
(I am delighted to have the poem Bethlehem Star included in it)



When I received the news that Wayne passed away I picked up this book
and looked and looked at the painting on the cover
weeping sad-glad tears as I pictured him like this,

His hurting is over!
Please pray for healing for the family 
as they mourn the loss of husband and father,
son, brother, etc.
as they bear both deep grief and deep relief!


'our loss is his gain' said a family member last night at the visitation.
 'a great wait/weight lifted at last' murmured his sorrow-worn wife


We mourn, but not as sorrow grieves, without hope, by God’s grace
The rending tear that death achieves and mortal eyes surmise
Does not reveal the Whole; the Unseen of faith’s resting place
As Sight, with no dark glass between beholds The Promised Prize

As God, gathers a suffering Soul into eternity
Healed from the hurts that take their toll on this side of death’s door
Freed from the weight of waiting for the Final Victory
Beyond futile debating of life’s why-when-and-wherefore

How precious in the sight of God is the death of His saints
For those who love Him; thus, no bitter barter tunes or taints
The tears that flow, because through Christ the Soul from hell is spared

The interim that Time employs until this life is through
And loss no longer vexes joys with Heaven’s sweetest gains
Is but Hope’s Stomping Grounds, a tie that Heaven will undo
When in the twinkling of an eye, death rends life’s binding chains

Then, comfort one another with the hope in Christ alone
God hears our prayers and mothers our sorrow-broken hearts
He tromps Hope's Stomping Grounds with us, (not one step on our own
Until the hope found/bound in Jesus, faith's finished fabric parts  


© Janet Martin


May we all make our calling sure while time is still on our side!
May the reason for the Christmas Season become profoundly dearer
as we believe, and receive the inheritance 
only the Saviour of the Soul will/can give;
Living Hope

Rom.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.

1 Thess.4:13-18
But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren,
concerning those who have fallen [b]asleep,
lest you sorrow as others who have no hope.
14For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again,
even so God will bring with Him those who [c]sleep in Jesus.
15For 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 [d]asleep.
16For 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.
17Then 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.
18Therefore comfort one another with these words.



*if you would like to order the book
Reflections of Jesus






















Monday, June 5, 2023

Like a Dead Man Walking...



2 Chron.6:18
Behold, heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain You.

When one lives, indifferent to and unaffected by such a God
as described in the verse above,
such an one is surely like a dead man walking💔😥

wild flowers...just one example of how
our Creator delights to delight us!






May we never live unaffected by our awesome God!

Unrepentant of rebellion, undelighted by God’s word
Unexcited about spending eternity with the Lord
Unattached to wonder’s wellspring surging from the hand of He
Who created earth and heavens with His sovereign ‘let there be’

Unmoved by mercy’s renewal, unawed by redemption’s flood
Unbowed by confounded humble awareness of Holy God
Unchanged by His grace and goodness, untouched by unfailing love
Unpersuaded by the power that can earth and heaven move

Unstirred by the pretty flower, by the songbird’s sanguine trills
By the beauty of a bower lavished with leaf-layered frills
Undevoted to His kindness, undefended by His Shield
Unaffected by thought-blindness unoffended by sin’s yield

Unguarded by angel-armies, untransformed by hope’s pure joy
Inattentive to heart-gardens of innocent girl and boy
Indifferent to the Shepherd, who, without counting the cost
Leaves the fold to search until He gathers the sheep that was lost

Unfamiliar with the Father and faith’s fellowship of prayer
Unappeased by Living Water’s promises beyond compare
Unimpressed by the true riches stored beyond time’s subtle haste
Preferring one that bewitches Want with instant touch and taste

Unaroused by utter worship to the Author of all things
Unamazed and uninspired by blessing each season brings
Unable to see the table that is groaning with a feast
Granted by He who is faithful from the greatest to the least

Unthankful, proud and unholy, unresponsive to the toll
That will strip Self of its boasting, leaving nothing but the Soul
Giving no glory and honor to God for the gift He gave
Living like a dead man walking but to wake up in hell’s grave

© Janet Martin


Wednesday, April 12, 2023

The Holy Whole (of Soul's eternity)

Gorgeous sunny, spring daybreak!



I'm sure everyone in our neck of the woods wants to make the most 
of FINALLY, a fabulous stretch of sunshine warming winter-weary bones! 
Lawn-raking never felt so fine, like spring-cleaning the outdoors!


The wise in this world endeavor to make the most 
of every day, no matter the weather! 
Because, no matter who or where we are, death is life's gravest matter 
and none of us knows how near its Door draws with each breath we take...

***

We live but once; the wise weigh well the measure of its lease
For there are none who can foretell how soon a life will cease
But only God, who grants each breath beholds the holy Whole
Of numbered days before the death that bares the deathless soul

Not one of us can know who next will hear His summons fall
To draw us from time’s brief context to meet the Lord of all
Death is life’s gravest matter borne on seasons as they roll
Its dust and ash we scatter, the torn garment of the soul

The holy Whole of moment-sums slip subtly, yet rife
Through the undoing that becomes the measure of a life
The wise, aware of today’s momentous fragility
Weigh well the flickering blaze of accountability

Oho, how soon the afternoon dons twilight's dusky hues  
How swift life's gleaming gift spawns the shadow of deathly dues
How surely no one knows That Rending Toll's proximity 
That will  unveil The Holy Whole of Soul's eternity 

© Janet Martin

Luke 12:35-40
Be dressed ready for service and keep your lamps burning, 
36 like servants waiting for their master to return from a wedding banquet, 
so that when he comes and knocks they can immediately open the door for him.
 37 It will be good for those servants whose master finds them watching when he comes. 
Truly I tell you, he will dress himself to serve, 
will have them recline at the table 
and will come and wait on them. 
38 It will be good for those servants whose master finds them ready,
 even if he comes in the middle of the night or toward daybreak.
 39 But understand this:
 If the owner of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming,
 he would not have let his house be broken into. 
40 You also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come 
at an hour when you do not expect him.”

Oho, how soon the afternoon dons twilight's dusky hues...  



Monday, February 6, 2023

Witness in the Making


The funeral service my husband and I attended today 
was closed with this sacred text from
the final words in the Holy Bible;
Rev.22:12-17&21
12 “Look, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, 
and I will give to each person according to what they have done.
 13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, 
the First and the Last, 
the Beginning and the End.
14 “Blessed are those who wash their robes, 
that they may have the right to the tree of life 
and may go through the gates into the city. 
15 Outside are the dogs, those who practice magic arts, 
the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters 
and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.
16 “I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you[a] this testimony for the churches. 
I am the Root and the Offspring of David, 
and the bright Morning Star.”
17 The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” 
And let the one who hears say, “Come!” 
Let the one who is thirsty come; 
and let the one who wishes take the free gift of the water of life...

21 The grace of the Lord Jesus be with God’s people. 
Amen.



What will be said of you and I when we are laid to rest
Oh, what will be the legacy that transcends mortal goals
After we cease the evidence of what we now love best
When the reward of Recompense its sacred summons tolls

What are we doing to prepare for what waits one and all
Nobody knows how near or far we are to earth’s farewell
Thus, this sojourn is no eat-drink-be-merry festival
It is the holy prelude to either Heaven or hell

Where what and who we love most consumes thought’s most earnest quest
As thought’s most earnest quest turns into choice and consequence
And writes what will fill memories as we are laid to rest
And only God can break the seal that reveals Recompense

What will be said of you and I when death collects its due
Depends on here and now and how we use life’s little lease
Oh, pray that what will be remembered most of me and you
Is our love for God portrayed in love, hope, joy and peace

When we face what we all will face but once forevermore
What will God say when you and I step from this transient shell
When we witness the evidence of what we most adored
Will the reward be Heaven's joy or agony of hell?

© Janet Martin




Tuesday, September 20, 2022

Common Wealth

Through the majestic arches of Westminster Abbey
rang words of everlasting truth and hope, not just for those attending Her Majesty,
the late Queen Elizabeth II's funeral but for everyone in all walks of life
Hallelujah! 


A few powerful pointers and reminders to take with us!
"The pattern for many leaders is to be exalted in life and forgotten after death.
The pattern for all who serve God, famous or obscure, respected or ignored,
Is that death is the door to glory…

…People of loving service are rare in any walk of life.
Leaders of loving service are still rarer.
But in all cases, those who serve will be loved and remembered while those who cling
To power and privileges are long forgotten.

Her late Majesty’s broadcast during covid lockdown ended with ‘we will meet again’!
Christian hope means certain expectation of something not yet seen.
Christ rose from the dead and offers life to all. Abundant life now and life with God in eternity....

...As the Christmas carol says, ‘where meek souls will receive Him still the dear Christ enters in.
We will all face the merciful judgement of God. 
We can all share the Queen’s hope which in life and death 
inspired her servant leadership. Service in life. Hope in death. 
All who follow the Queen’s example and inspiration of trust and faith in God
 can with her say, ‘we will meet again’."

Archbishop of Canterbury-The Most Reverend Justin Welby


His Closing Prayers
Heavenly father, kings of kings, Lord and Giver of life,
who, of Thy grace in creation didst form mankind in thine own image, 
and in Thy great love offerest us life eternal in Christ Jesus.
Claiming the promises of Thy most blessed Son,
we entrust the soul of our sister Elizabeth, here departed, to Thy merciful keeping
In sure and certain hope of the resurrection to eternal life
when Christ shall be all in all, who died and rose again to save us,
and now liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit in glory forever.
Amen.

Go forth oh Christian soul in this world.
 In the name of God, the Father Almighty who created Thee.
In the name of Jesus Christ, Son of the living God who suffered for thee, 
In the name of the Holy Spirit who was poured out upon thee 
and anointed thee in communion with all the blessed saints 
and aided by the angels and archangels and all the armies of the heavenly hosts.,
May thy portion this day be in peace 
and thy dwelling in the heavenly Jerusalem.
Amen.


***

Life's charge of duty and demand
Bestows a grand decree
The onus of time's sifted sand
Accountability

The common wealth of shoes to fill
Anoints the common blessed
As we march to Dues beat and drill
Until eternal rest

We, subjects of the King of kings
Each have a sacred role
Until death's doleful belfry rings
With summons of the soul

Each morn time's runway is unfurled
A hallowed thing to see
Poured through the fanfare of this world
Into eternity

How solemn is the chartered span
Of moments in the sun
Where soon the numbered days of man
Are snuffed like stars at dawn

How holy is the beckoning
Until God's final call
How surely is the reckoning
That waits for one and all

How worth this while, the hurt and hope
Of serving faithfully
Because, beyond earth's grave-strewn slope
How sweet Heaven will be
 
© Janet Martin

The precious portion of Scripture below was also read...

For this corruptible must put on incorruption, 
and this mortal must put on immortality.
54 So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, 
and this mortal shall have put on immortality, 
then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, 
Death is swallowed up in victory.
55 O death, where is thy sting? 
O grave, where is thy victory?
56 The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law.
57 But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmoveable, 
always abounding in the work of the Lord, 
forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.

'Life goes on' I said to my sister yesterday
as we texted while watching the funeral
midst many interruptions...
for me-

harvesting tomatoes

emptying mousetraps-ugh!!


...and all ultimately for the Lord!


Monday, August 22, 2022

Death's Grave Inevitable

 

2 Cor.5:9-10
Therefore we make it our aim, whether present or absent,
to be well pleasing to Him.
For 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.



Death can spring like a hidden trap; eternity unfurled
Without warning; light or darkness the soul’s forever-world
No in-between; one of two destinies, Heaven or hell
Waits at the Gates of Final Breath’s Grave Inevitable

Where we will all appear before the judgement seat of Christ
To receive just reward for deeds just as He has promised
Where time will roll up like a scroll, when God at last is seen
As Death’s Grave Inevitable rends the frail veil between

So, pray that we aspire to please Him, first and foremost
To make the God of our salvation our utter boast
Because He loves us so and has conquered Death so that we
At its Grave Inevitable will taste its victory

Death can spring like a hidden trap; eternity unfurled
Without warning it flings ajar the soul’s forever-world
Today we choose one of two destinies; Heaven or hell
Waits at the Gates of Final Breath’s Grave Inevitable

© Janet Martin

Tuesday, August 16, 2022

Awesome Anticipation...

Though this poem was inspired by daybreak it applies to every breath and step we take...


As the sun rose I was impacted by the profound realization of
One Day Nearer...

One day nearer to the coming
Of our Lord; and what will be
One day nearer to our going
From time to eternity
One day nearer to beholding
He who saves us by His grace
Each new daybreak is unfolding
One day nearer to His face
And the sacred understanding
Of all that we cannot tell
When the Truth will be unending
In either Heaven or hell

One day nearer to departure
From this world of toil and strife
From the woes of war and hunger
And the cares of love and life
From the hope of our salvation
To faith’s armor laid to rest
From the cross of tribulation
To the crown of righteousness
From this temporary running
To the everlasting Prize
When at last we shed the garment
Of faith’s living sacrifice

One day nearer to the hour
Of reckoning and reward
For man’s days are like a flower
One day nearer to forever
Ere the silver cord is severed
And all but God falls away
One day nearer to the Awesome
Crossing of faith’s Finish Line
…the last petal of the blossom
Caught in nail-scarred hands, divine

© Janet Martin

2 Tim.4:8
Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness,
which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day:
and not to me only,
but unto all them also that love his appearing.

1 Thess.5:1-10
Now about the times and seasons, brothers, we do not need to write to you.
  2For you are fully aware that the Day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. 
3While people are saying, “Peace and security,” destruction will come upon them suddenly,
 like labor pains on a pregnant woman, 
and they will not escape.
4But you, brothers, are not in the darkness so that this day should overtake you like a thief.
  5For you are all sons of the light and sons of the day; 
we do not belong to the night or to the darkness. 
6So then, let us not sleep as the others do, but let us remain awake and sober. 
7For those who sleep, sleep at night; and those who get drunk, get drunk at night.
  8But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, 
putting on the breastplate of faith and love,
and the helmet of our hope of salvation.
9For God has not appointed us to suffer wrath, 
but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. 
10He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, 
we may live together with Him. 
11Therefore encourage and build one another up, 
just as you are already doing.




Monday, June 13, 2022

Let's Live Today In Such A Way (as if we could die of a heart attack)


Jim didn't know his out-of-the-blue-question last night
(after we had ceased chatting for a little while and I was snoozing
 between pages of the book The Gauntlet
would spark today's poem.
He suddenly asked 'what if tomorrow is the day when people say
 'did you hear?!! Jim died of a heart attack today!'
Maybe you're laughing a little but...
It's not an impossibility for any one of us 
and perhaps a prudent/valid question to contemplate before
' the dust returns to the ground it came from, 
and the spirit returns to God who gave it.'

Remember Him before the silver cord is snapped
and the golden bowl is crushed,
before the pitcher is shattered at the spring
and the wheel is broken at the well,
7before the dust returns to the ground from which it came
and the spirit returns to God who gave it.

Why does it matter so much?!
Because the soul is deathless with only one of two destinations
depending on the preparation we have made!
Salvation-heaven
Rejection-hell

I can't even remember if or what I answered 
but Jim's last words last night set the tone for my first thoughts this morning!
And inspired today's poem🙏💗

Take time to thoroughly appreciate life's simple, temporary joys
but first, address soul-sacred Eternity


(Grandson checking out gramma's birthday espresso)

Second-cousins sharing a swing...
(Photo used with permission💖💖💖)

My sister's grand-daughter pulled a goofy face just as I clicked😂


To live today in such a way, that it could be our last
Transforms our sighs and what we prize where morning hoists its mast
For none can tell how near farewell draws its finality
As we embark toward that mark, we know but cannot see

To live today as if we may not have another, wakes
A sacred sense of recompense in every breath one takes
And stirs us to a humbler view of time’s momentous fount
moments become the holy sum of which we give account

To live today as if to say ‘thank-you’ to God, who grants
Its gift of grace, each lovely face we kiss, each ‘second chance’
Will help us weave the steps we leave behind into a prayer
For those still in the thick and thin of love and living’s care

To live today in such a way will beckon us to be
More mindful of the thinning glove that cups eternity
How sweet the flask that metes the task for loved ones near and dear
How fleet the feet that rush to greet the mists of yesteryear

Where sorrows surge and morrows merge with splurge of seasons spent
This is the toll that weans the Soul from mortal filament
Pray, let’s be kind and keep in mind what lies beyond yon past
And live today in such way, that it could be our last
And live today as if to say ‘I love you, you, and You’
And live today as if we may meet God when it is through

© Janet Martin

I remember wise words spoken by my dad years ago...
"live in such a way that if God told you today or tomorrow you will die,
you would carry on exactly as you would otherwise have.
Live life always ready to meet God!


Eccles.3:11
He has made everything beautiful in its time.
Also He has put eternity in their hearts,
except that no one can find out the work
that God does from beginning to end.


Heb.9:27-28
Just as man is appointed to die once, and after that to face judgment,
28so also Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many;
and He will appear a second time, not to bear sin,
but to bring salvation to those who eagerly await Him.


She will give birth to a Son, and you are to give Him the name Jesus,
because He will save His people from their sins."


Acts 4:12
Salvation is found in no one else,
for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind
by which we must be saved.”


Acts 16:30-34
Then he brought them out and asked,
“Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”
31They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved,
you and your household.”
32Then Paul and Silas spoke the word of the Lord
to him and to everyone in his house.
33At that hour of the night, the jailer took them
and washed their wounds.
And without delay, he and all his household were baptized
. 34Then he brought them into his home and set a meal before them.
So he and all his household rejoiced
that they had come to believe in God.




Friday, May 27, 2022

Poem of Comfort When We Mourn the Death of a Child



But Jesus said, 
Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me:
for of such is the kingdom of heaven.
Matt.19:14

Keith and Kristyn Getty

 


Safe from earth’s pain and grief
Safe from its fear and fraud
Safe from its snares of unbelief
Safe in the arms of God

Safe from man’s violence
Safe from horrors of war
Safe from corruption’s consequence
Safe, safe forevermore

Safe from hunger’s distress
Safe from time’s trouble-trove
Safe from hatred’s unhappiness
Safe in the arms of love

© Janet Martin

Tuesday, February 22, 2022

Of Unrelenting Death

 

The bloom none can restore after its petals fade and fall...


It sweetens our senses to fleet moments as they meld
And stirs us to remember what we far too oft let slip
It reawakens us to notice love; a world beheld
With kinder eyes when Unrelenting Death makes known its grip

It readjusts the grasp on what we clasp and count most dear
It causes us to reevaluate goals we purse
How beautiful common responsibilities appear
When Unrelenting Death once more impacts us with its due

It leaves us gently smitten with life’s sheer vitality
The Other Side still hidden drawing nearer with each breath
It strikes the sacred chord that tunes us to eternity
For there is no relinquishment from Unrelenting Death

It solemnizes wish-lists with people rather than things
Love cannot be fulfilled without best words like ‘us’ and ‘we’
It keens us to the imminence of what the unknown brings
Where someday Unrelenting Death will come for you and me

It urges us to think beyond time’s splurge of dust-to-dust
Where the undying soul indwells shells of mortality
It bids us bow our heads and reaffirm the sacred trust
In He who anchors hope beyond Death’s unrelenting sea

The bloom none can restore after its petals fade and fall
Ah Death, thy unrelenting score rends ties 'neath touch unfurled  
But never love; life's fond and fairest flower of them all
Unveils a glimpse of Eden before sin entered the world  

© Janet Martin

Genesis 2:17
but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil; 
for in the day that you eat of it, you will surely die."

Genesis 3:6
When the woman saw that the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eyes,
 and that it was desirable for obtaining wisdom, 
she took the fruit and ate it. 
She also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate it.

James 1:15
Then after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; 
and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.




Thursday, February 17, 2022

With Constant Reminders of Why



We know, sooner or later it will .
We just don't know when.
but Death serves constant reminders of its Certainty
Therefore when it comes for you or I
not one of us can say
'I didn't think you would!'

Our church-family is heartbroken 
as we mourn the loss of a dear 55 year old 'brother'. 💔

Psalm 34:18
The Lord is close to the brokenhearted
and saves those who are crushed/contrite in spirit.
Hallelujah!

Suddenly I hear my Grandma's voice reminding me lovingly always to remember
'the old will die but the young can die'
and to make the sacred soul-preparations 
that after death cannot be made!
He remembered!
I have remembered.
Have you remembered?!
I am old enough to have seen the truth of her caution over and over!

I want to live life to the full
but never for a moment forget
the nearness of Death
making sacred every single, gifted breath!

This is a secular song but its message bears repeating
Esp. now, it seems





I want to live life to the full
Where its archrival, death
Hastens the inevitable
With every gifted breath

I want to make the most of Now
To tune its push and pull
With intent not to miss the wow
That makes it wonder-full

I want to be committed to
The season I am in
Always humbly aware of Who
Allots its woven skin

I want to wear the kind of face
That time cannot defile
To speak in tongues of every race
The language of a smile

I want to learn to bite my tongue
When spite's counterblows burn
I want to remember the young
-sters and how swift they learn

I want to often stand agape
By mercies great and small
By greeting’s glistening landscape
Where farewell’s shadows fall

I want to keep in careful check
The beckoning of want
For soon my dust-to-dust will deck
What none can see beyond

I want to navigate life’s curves
With reverent reply
For Death with constant rigor serves
Raw reminders of why

I want, above all else to hear
When my last breath is drawn
Faith's goal fulfilled by words so dear
Well done, My child, well done

© Janet Martin

His gift (not works) makes possible for all
Heaven's goal, if we repent of our sins and believe!

May this beautiful hymn below be each of our heart's joyful cry
as the sands of time expire...  






VERSE 1
The sands of time are sinking,
The dawn of Heaven breaks;
The summer morn I’ve sighed for,
The fair, sweet morn awakes;
Dark, dark hath been the midnight,
But dayspring is at hand,
And glory, glory dwelleth
In Immanuel’s land.

VERSE 2
The King there in His beauty,
Without a veil is seen;
It were a well spent journey,
Though sev’n deaths lay between;
The Lamb with His fair army
Doth on Mount Zion stand,
And glory, glory dwelleth
In Immanuel’s land.

VERSE 3
O Christ, He is the fountain,
The deep, deep well of love;
The streams on earth I’ve tasted,
More deep I’ll drink above;
There to an ocean fullness
His mercy doth expand,
And glory, glory dwelleth
In Immanuel’s land.

VERSE 4
With mercy and with judgment
My web of time He wove;
And always dews of sorrow
Were lustered with His love;
I’ll bless the hand that guided,
I’ll bless the heart that planned,
When throned where glory dwelleth
In Immanuel’s land.

VERSE 5
Oh! I am my Beloved’s
And my Beloved’s mine!
He brings a poor, vile sinner
Into His “house of wine;”
I stand upon His merit,
I know no other stand,
Not e’en where glory dwelleth
In Immanuel’s land.

VERSE 6
The bride eyes not her garments,
But her dear Bridegroom’s face;
I will not gaze at glory
But on my King of grace;
Not at the crown He giveth,
But on His pierced hand;
The Lamb is all the glory
Of Immanuel’s land.