Beautiful Innocence...

Mark 9:36-37

36Then He took a little child and set him in the midst of them.

And when He had taken him in His arms, He said to them,

37“Whoever receives/welcomes one of these little children in My name 

receives/welcomes Me;

and whoever receives/welcomes Me, 

receives/welcomes not Me but Him who sent Me.”

What holiest of holy honour to diligently pour our best

into the ministry of their equipping/training, 

at home, school and church!,

And, as we do so, often we are trained in the way we should go,

 as we seek to train them in the way they should go...

“Children are not a distraction from more important work.

They are the most important work.”

– Dr. John Trainer

To leave children without principles is

not to make them free

but it is to render them helpless!!

Alistair Begg in Teach Your Children Well Part 2 of 4)

I am often breathlessly honoured and awed

as my life/arms are run through with Innocence,

a sacred charge from God!

beautiful innocence

precious and pure in heart

tender target 

for influence

so subtle at the start

sweet curiosity

how eager childhood's haste

so much to hear! 

so much to see!

so much to touch and taste

how sacred is the role

of training children, oh

 to tell of faith 

that saves the soul

of God who loves them so

to teach Innocence truth

is life's most somber charge

to earnestly 

equip fair youth 

to face the world at large

How vile to shirk love's due

to watch innocence dim

then, loose/lose them 

without virtue to

ungoverned want and whim

sweet innocence indeed

precious and pure, so then

 we ought to give 

most earnest heed

to how we lead. amen 

Janet Martin

Ps.78:1-7

Give ear, O my people, to my instruction;

listen to the words of my mouth.

2I will open my mouth in parables;

I will utter things hidden from the beginning,b

3that we have heard and known

and our fathers have relayed to us.

4We will not hide them from their children

but will declare to the next generation

the praises of the LORD and His might

and the wonders He has performed.

5For He established a testimony in Jacob

and appointed a law in Israel,

which He commanded our fathers

to teach to their children,

6that the coming generation would know them—

even children yet to be born—

to arise and tell their own children

7that they should put their confidence in God,

not forgetting His works,

but keeping His commandments...

Shadow-Forge

I LOVE September mornings, where shadows sprawl, tall across the waking land...

This, along with the memories of Lucy that people share helped inspire today's poem

John 9:4

I must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day;

 the night is coming when no one can work.

It is Today; where rooms expand with gleaming opportunity

And grace extends a helping hand, because life is no Easy Street

All that has passed to yester-path is beyond reach; the part we see

(So potent in its aftermath) unfolds fresh favour 'neath our feet

It is today; a fleeting hold soon melded to Eternal Past

As moments, like nuggets of gold, mold all that we cannot undo

While forging with subtle finesse a sort of shadow we all cast

An indelible sacredness we ought to pay attention to

It is Today; nothing we say can un-happen Bygone unfurled

The best we all can do is pray and trust the One who knows/shows the Way

Because the shadow that we weave will follow us beyond this world

Of the Influence that we leave, through how we loved and lived Today

We cannot wish or wash away, or detach ourselves from it

By deeds we do and words we say, shadows of influence soft-fall

For better or for worse; life shapes that which transcends its transient flit 

A shadow sprawled across thought-scapes that those who yet remain, recall  

Janet Martin

The Heart of a Child

Yesterday I was so touched and astounded

by the eager astuteness of our Sunday School kids age Gr.1-3,

as they answered the questions they were challenged with!

God bless you, diligent moms and dads aware

of the sacred blip before the heart of a child

becomes the heart of a young man or woman!

Eccles.12:1

Remember now your Creator in the days of your youth, 

Before the difficult days come, 

And the years draw near when you say,

 “I have no pleasure in them”:

The heart of a child is like a pure, precious plot of sod

Pray, there we start to plant the seeds of faith and love of God

For when the soil is tender seeds of goodness gently root

And even in the green of life begins to bear good fruit

The heart of a child is such sweet and sacred innocence

Pray, there with utmost care, we are aware of Influence

To guard its supple yard with caution’s kind integrity

And to remember seeds are strewn by what they hear and see

The heart of a child is not soft and tender very long

How swift the gift of childhood turns into yesterday’s song

Then pray, we nurture well the plot where seeds we scatter grow

For the heart of a child is the most sacred soil we sow

© Janet Martin

Sum of Influence

 

My mother gave all of her siblings and children a 'book' binder for Christmas;

a story she has been writing for over a decade that began

the day she was born and shared in her words some of her life

up until her marriage to my dad!

As I read it I marveled over and over what a lovely, wonderful mother we had

long before she was a mother!

(this, I am sure was not her reason for writing the book)

this is my observation as she shares some of the memories 

and lessons she documented over the years

and put in a book as a memento for future generations, to peek into the past

and help us appreciate the pieces of lives that have helped to shape our own!

My mom and dad were such faithful

(not perfect, but faithful) examples of faith

and the older we get the more we value the priceless gift

our childhoods were and the foundation they laid for our

own journeys of faith for this life. 

Life can evoke a sense of sacred threads placed into our hands

that only by God's grace and through His Word  

can we weave them into something of value

for future generations to cling to!

Our grandson turns four today!

The next generation is wasting no time in growing up too fast!

From this...

...to this in the twinkle of an eye

(and a few groans😉)

He is quite a character!!

How manifold the pieces of 

what makes our life and shapes our love 

How hidden are so many parts 

of other people’s hopes and hearts 

that ever-deftly intertwine 

the tendrils of the family vine 

to weave with circumstance and choice 

the mentor of tomorrow’s voice 

as influence unfolds its sum 

in generations yet to come 

© Janet Martin 

More Than Moments Can Estrange

Just as the constant surge of water shapes the shore

so our words and deeds shape so much more...

Two years ago we were enjoying the stunning scenery of Canada's east coast.

They are now bracing themselves for (or weathering) Hurricane Teddy

Praying for safety and warm, dry places for all to have shelter!

Like waves that wash across the shore 

The impact of exchange 

Twixt man-to-man is always more 

Than moments can estrange 

The tender or the angry glance 

The cruel word, or kind 

Leaves impressions called influence 

Upon the heart and mind 

This wave that rushes and retracts 

By virtue, will impart 

And influence what it impacts 

...the shoreline of the heart 

Therefore, we at the mercy of 

The touch of fellowman 

Should heal, not wound, not hate but love 

By every means we can 

© Janet Martin

We Are Who/What We Read...

 What/Who are you reading these days?

As I read this post by Dr. Alan K Snyder 

I was suddenly struck anew by how deeply we are influenced/affected by what we read!

 (or who we listen to, often reading/quoting what someone else wrote)

In Jesus' final prayer before He went to the cross He prayed,

 I have given them Your word and the world has hated them; 

for they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.

I am not asking that You take them out of the world, 

but that You keep them from the evil one. 

 They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.

"Sanctify them by the truth; Your word is truth."

As You sent Me into the world, I have also sent them into the world.

For them I sanctify Myself, so that they too may be sanctified by the truth.

I am not asking on behalf of them alone,
but also on behalf of those who will believe in Me through their message,
that all of them may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I am in You. 

May they also be in Us, so that the world may believe that You sent Me. 

 John 17:14-21

No matter how many books we collect and read...

 ...if we miss God's book we've missed it all!

They say so much; these teeny twists of ink turned into jot

They arrange on a barren page the images of thought

To touch the reader of the written word with much to tell

And just as ‘we are what we eat’ thus, what we read as well

The Moral Law of right and wrong instills a hounding need

To find, for sake of peace of mind, The Truth; and so we read

But all the greatest authors with The Latest Modern Whim

Can never change The First and Final Word written by Him

Debates of truth and reason fill many a musty tome

The living soul creates a Whole/hole, nay, mammoth astrodome

For Truth is Absolute; and till doubt’s dispute is destroyed

Nothing, no matter what we read or write will fill its void

Ah, wishful thinking seeks colleagues, when nursed to dogged thirst

God’s Truth is not a pillow concerned about comfort first

His Word is undeterred; though wheedling nature of mere men

Will try to barter with His truth through think-twists from a pen

…for the imagination is a wondrous, wily Force

It fosters the creation of many a fine discourse

And if we are not well-versed in the Truth, then, me oh my

We might exchange it for a well-dressed stranger’s valid lie

Hail, to the theologians and scholars; how much you read

The college of the mind is such a large classroom to feed

Yet fathoms of ‘sound knowledge’ cannot rearrange the Truth

And facts are stubborn subjects in spite of progressive youth

If we dismiss The One who holds the keys of death and hell

We miss it all; for God’s Word is a never-ending well

Where, after we believe, then Truth will affirm theory

For nothing else we read exceeds Supreme Author-ity

‘Without faith it is impossible to please Holy God’

Without His Word ignorance feasts on many a feckless fraud

But through His Word the evidence of things we cannot see

Nurtures man’s mustard seed-sized faith to a deep-rooted tree

They say so much; these teeny twists of ink turned into jot

They quicken, with written homage, the aptitude of thought

To fill the theater of Think, with much, so much to tell

And just as ‘we are what we eat’ thus, what we read as well

© Janet Martin

 Matthew 12:3 He answered, “Haven’t you read...?

More Than Merely Potatoes and Chili

Writing poetry has given me the smallest of glimpses 

into what a teacher or pastor must struggle with daily...

downsizing large topics into bite-size pieces!

Speaking of bite-size pieces...

 (I got this potato-recipe from a friend so decided to try it for supper; Wash, dry, cut potato in half. Place cut side up on baking sheet. Brush with olive oil, season with salt pepper and your favorite seasonings. I used garlic powder, dill and paprika. Bake at 400 til tender then top with cheese and veggies. I used only cheese to keep it kid-friendly but green onion and peppers would be delicious!)

 A reader asked me yesterday if I live in England, because of words I used in this poem 

'March Mosaic' .words like thatch, heath, cottage

( I told her I'm pure Canadian 

but believe I was influenced by English authors I am reading and by the settings of the stories)

It got me to contemplating how subtle and powerful Influence is!

Often we are not even aware of how deeply it affects us.

I love cooking for my Thursday night boys! 

But its good to be reminded, I am feeding them far more than chili and potatoes!

... as the old proverb states; Much more is caught than taught(or fed;)!

...and they're always 'digesting' far more than dinner!
(Grandson Brantley loves making a mess and making us laugh)

It often looks like nothing much

The things we see and hear and touch

Yet we are shaped by its immense

Persuasion, known as Influence

That theater of thought, we know

Is capable of quite a show

The cast that masterminds intents

Is birthed and fed by Influence

We live, surrounded by a world

Of good and evil subtly-swirled

As we decipher and discern

We Influence others in turn

God, pray we are drawn to Your Word

To keep pure vision undeterred

For You are our best defense

An infallible Influence

Remind us, while Want’s whispers woo

We touch others by what we do

…where childhood’s lovely innocence

Soon wears whispers of Influence

© Janet Martin

 Philippians 4:8-9

Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things. 

 Romans 14:13

Therefore let us not judge one another anymore, but rather determine this--not to put an obstacle or a stumbling block in a brother's way.

Master of Mindset

You slip through us and trip us up or guide the seeking heart

You turn us to the right or left, build up or tear apart

And no one is invincible; the world is full of you

Sometimes you are a liar; sometimes you are kind and true

You hide in smiles and words, in scowls and howls of discontent

You ride on trains, in planes; you wear a worker’s filament

Or sometimes you are fat and lazy and talk far too much

And no one is immune to you and your designing touch

You play with thought as if it were a hapless, harmless toy

And fill the mind and heart with that which hand will soon employ

Therefore the wise will seek to define you and test your goal

The foolish are swayed by your wind and heedless of the soul

The way you are will shape the way we are or hope to be

You hide behind ten thousand names, both foe and family

For better or for worse you veil most certain recompense

A blessing or a curse, you immerse us in Influence

© Janet Martin

I'm struck anew as I watch Grandson Brantley absorb his surroundings, at how powerful Influence is.

It begins long before we become aware of it;

in family, then friends, schools, books, music, movies, churches,workplaces, etc.

Wherever we go, there it is!

What kind of influence do we allow to influence us as we influence those about us? 

Reminds me of this quote; More is caught than taught

Emily took these photos the other day to celebrate 7 months of Brantley!

 No wonder the author of this hymn was moved to pen these words...

My Soul, Be on Thy Guard
by George Heath

1. My soul, be on thy guard,
   Ten thousand foes arise,
   And hosts of sin are pressing hard
   To draw thee from the skies.
2. Oh, watch, and fight, and pray,
   The battle ne’er give o’er,
   Renew it boldly every day,
   And help divine implore.
3. Ne’er think the vict’ry won,
   Nor once at ease sit down;
   Thine arduous work will not be done
   Till thou hast got the crown.
4. Fight on, my soul, till death
   Shall bring thee to thy God;
   He’ll take thee at thy parting breath
   Up to His blest abode.