May Love Be...

“A person without a sense of humor is like a wagon 

without springs. It's jolted by every pebble on the road.”

-Henry Ward Beecher (1813-1887)

I 'borrowed' this quote from my friend Cyndy's blog!

Have you benefited from her GORGEOUS Montana-pics 

and food for thought therapy recently?

I've noticed something after years of living...

loving/humble people have a greater sense of humour.

So may humility/love be our greatest quest

not only for the sake of happiness of others

but as we love, we ourselves become best-blessed beneficiaries!

Joy and peace are by-products of love!

Due to the misfortune of misunderstanding 

Victoria and I were quarantined for eight days...

thankfully we were healthy and happy 

and did a whole LOT of fall-cleaning

in places suffering a whole lot of neglect.

And to top it off my sister Lucy

 sent of box of 'love'  to spoil us!

all the above, plus spinach and cheese which turned into next day's lunch!

(Sisters know things about sisters that others may not like

she knows how much I LOVE spinach and cheese😍)

May love be the sweet instilling in the fulfilling of tasks 

May it make us more than willing to do more than duty asks 

May it be the flawless fuel in the battles that we brave 

Where sly adversaries duel with satisfactions we crave 

May we model, just like Jesus, compassion for fellowman 

Spread the glad tidings of Christmas all year through to all we can 

May love be a wordless witness in a walk worthy of Christ 

Who has called us out of darkness into His marvelous light 

May love, without reservation, be the fortune that we seek 

May we shun discrimination and the pride that makes us weak 

May we look with humble honor to the author of our hope 

As we cherish one another so that everyone can cope 

May love be the flame that kindles what refills our cups of joy 

When goodwill or patience dwindles, may love its forces deploy 

Transforming the ‘ordinary’ into honor’s role renewed 

May love be mercy’s outpouring that fills us with gratitude 

© Janet Martin 

and last but not least,

a LONG sentence of thanks for the love of fellow-believers😇

Col.1:3-8

We give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 

praying always for you, 

since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus 

and the love which you have for all the saints; 

because of the hope laid up for you in heaven, 

of which you previously heard in the word of truth, the gospel 

which has come to you, just as in all the world also it is constantly bearing fruit 

and increasing, even as it has been doing in you also 

since the day you heard of it and understood the grace of God in truth; 

just as you learned it from Epaphras, our beloved fellow bond-servant, 

who is a faithful servant of Christ on our behalf, 

and he also informed us of your love in the Spirit.

Secret To True Success

Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. 

Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, 

 not looking to your own interests 

but each of you to the interests of the others.

Phil.2:3-4

The photo below is my dad, taken a few weeks ago in his wood-shop.

He is a living example of someone always willing to help someone else!

When he's not helping someone you will find him here.

When we do not view our labour 

Simply as living-to-earn 

But as ways to love our neighbour 

We find joy at ev’ry turn 

When love, rather than work’s wages 

Kindles the fire within 

Time will never waste its ages 

As it roars through our skin 

Then we find with humble wonder 

The secret to true success 

As we collect giving’s plunder 

Love’s kind profit; happiness 

When we live to make a living 

Over loving humankind 

Toil will be an endless striving 

For Something we cannot find 

© Janet Martin

Here is a photo of the wooden clothes dryers he makes and

sells a lot of...

This is size Lg. 48" wide- 65.00

small size is 36" wide and priced at 50.00

Pleasures Forevermore

You make known to me the path of life;
    in your presence there is fullness of joy;
    at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

Psalm 16:11 

pleasure forevermore

oh pray that we will find

fullness of joy as You employ 

the power of the mind

pleasure forevermore

where Your abundance feeds

hunger and thirst both blessed and cursed

with fundamental needs

pleasure forevermore

oh God, help us discern

in what we love, the offshoot of 

the fruit of its return 

pleasure forevermore

Lord, be the joy we seek

so much to choose in tempting hues

to make the strong man weak

forbid we chase the wind

 lured by an empty roar

 But help us stand at Your right hand

for pleasures evermore

© Janet Martin

Heart-art...(and Headboards)

 One day last week Matt came home from his boss's house (where he was working)

 with a two-seater leather reclining couch with one recliner that no longer un-reclines!

Suffice it to say he was far more excited than Mother,

but with enough noise to wake up all of the village we live on the out-skirts of
(because we were stuck in the front doorway and it was pouring!!!)

we got it through the doors and upstairs!

I was sure it would NOT fit into his already too full room

and he was delight-fully-determined to prove Mother wrong.

In the process (yes, he got it to fit and thinks all the furniture on one wall

 minus a headboard for the bed looks just fine!)

He grinned bigger than I've seen him smile in ages.

 So who am I to interfere with such happiness, right?! 😉

ALL this to say, now I have a headboard sitting in the garage 

which has suddenly made cleaning up the garage a priority. 

And, now I'm grinning! 

I have an idea what to do with the headboard.

(I won't say 'stay tuned' because I've done that before

then life comes along and I need to re-prioritize 

and nothing more comes of the 'tune that didn't stay')

Life is always full of priorities being juggled and balanced, isn't it?!

Priorities, they push and pull

An invisible tug-of-war

As common spars with beautiful

The trouble between much and more

Priorities, they ebb and surge

And wash the shorelines of the heart

With such a blessing-giddy splurge

We hardly know where we should start

Priorities, an awesome charge

Of mind and body, heart and soul

Because this little skin-bone barge

Is instilled with a sacred toll

Priorities, they change and shift

With the unraveling of days

And keeps us humbled by the gift

Of Mercy’s ups-a-daisy ways

Priorities, the ink of choice

Is permanent, so guard its art

Because what dominates gives voice

To the poetry of the heart

© Janet Martin

p.s. see what became of the headboard here!

The Sweeter, Calvary

 The heavens offer an endless buffet of awe...

from morning to evening yesterday, a constant declaration of God's glory!

"The heavens declare the glory of God; 

the skies proclaim the work of his hands."

Psalm 19:1

The less earth has to offer

The more we start to dwell

On what awaits hereafter

(Either Heaven or hell)

Heaven, the glorious promise

To those who trust in He

Who sent His Son to save us

From hell’s eternity

The less earth has to offer

The more we start to think

About the Divine Author

Above life’s little blink

We ponder the estrangements

That cut us down to size

And start to make arrangements

For Soul that never dies (if we are wise)

The less earth has to offer

The dearer Heaven waits

Time’s tear-anointed coffer

But the Segue to Gates

That will either swing open

To faith’s focus revealed

Or, past the point of pardon

Remain forever sealed

The less earth has to offer

The more our spirit yearns

For a Place so much better

Than this world’s brief returns

As eager expectation

Begins to override

Our natural inclination

To selfishness and pride

The less earth has to offer

The more we cling to God

The trials that we suffer

May seem a grievous rod

But wakes in heirs of heaven

A weight, worthy of care

The gift of sins forgiven

And hope beyond compare

Far sweeter than the laughter

That thrills this death-stoked dome

The endless ever-after

Of Heaven’s home-sweet-home

Forbid we stoop to scoffing

Truth’s Sole/Soul Supremacy

The less this earth's cold off'ring

The sweeter, Calvary

© Janet Martin

 Future Glory

And if we are children, then we are heirs: 

heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ

—if indeed we suffer with Him, 

so that we may also be glorified with Him.

I consider that our present sufferings are not comparable 

 to the glory that will be revealed in us.  

The creation waits in eager expectation 

for the revelation of the sons of God.…

Romans 8:17-19

Reflection's of The Reason For The Season

Snagged some writing time (between dishes) while these munchkins napped...

 (Blurred to respect privacy of non-family members)

This poem was written to refocus on what's important

instead of on what's not done yet!

Let the love of Jesus kindle kindness to each one we meet

Let the joy of Jesus anchor us where cares and prayers compete

Let the hope of Jesus shield our hearts and minds from despair’s woe

Let the peace of Jesus keep us from returning blow for blow

Let the light of Jesus banish doom and gloom with mercy's grace

Let the truth of Jesus vanquish doubt without a shadow's trace

Let the remembrance of Jesus birth in us a song renewed

As the Reason for the season fills our hearts with gratitude

© Janet Martin

The Perfect Want...

With always lots to tend to in an ever-aging body and mind
 it sometimes leaves this poet’s heart a little frayed with want
for an art that here and there needs more than a haphazard or hurried splash.

I just finished reading the book Becoming Mrs. Lewis.
I love books about people who understand the ‘need’ to write;
how this hunger howls for release and even writing does not always fill it
because so little of what we write seems to come out exactly like we wish!
Still, to everything there is a time and a season
and I want to want to honour the Giver in each season.
 He knows the heart of every single one of us and
He grants grace to proceed and succeed to everyone who asks.

Let our goal then be to seek God first to glorify

for what we seek to please our self will never satisfy 

One of last week's devotions has stayed stuck, hopefully not just in my head...

I never want to live as if I was the first in line

But rather, blend into the place God willed in His design

That always bids us look to interests of fellowman

And love each other humbly, holy ev’ry way we can

I never want to hunger for some self-indulgent Then

But learn to live like Jesus did when He walked among men

The King of kings took on himself the form of servant meek

And taught us with more than mere words to turn the other cheek

I never want to worship ‘the created’ rather than

The One by whom all things were made according to His plan

Thus in this little time I have before death plays its part

Lord, let me want the beauty of a truly tender heart

© Janet Martin