I Love May

💖

Happy May Weekend to you, wherever in the world you are!

Below is a glimpse of May from southern Ontario

 I love raindrop-dallop kerplops, like a liquid hip-hop dance...

I love lilac's starry laughter...

I love gardens after winter’s wish-and-dream starts coming true...

I love first bursts of green grandeur every rapt gaze can afford

I love hoary blossom-halos; pink perfume profusely poured

I love flower-garden benches, I love outdoor living rooms

And the thirst that nature quenches from bud-founts gushing with blooms

I love bold gold and red tulips,

 vistas draped in mint and sage...

I love how the trill of birdsong thrills list’ners of every age

I love countryside’s calm broken by tokens of ‘God is good’ (aka tractors and planters)

I love raindrop-dallop kerplops, like a liquid hip-hop dance

I love dandelion speckles, freckles on earth’s countenance

I love lilac’s starry laughter wafting ‘neath yon rafters, blue

I love gardens after winter’s wish-and-dream starts coming true

I love first bursts of green grandeur every rapt gaze can afford

I love hoary blossom-halos; pink perfume profusely poured

I love flower-garden benches, I love outdoor living rooms

And the thirst that nature quenches from bud-founts gushing with blooms

I love bold gold and red tulips, vistas draped in mint and sage

I love how the trill of birdsong thrills list’ners of every age

I love countryside’s calm broken by tokens of ‘God is good’ (aka tractors and planters)

I love sounds like bare feet thrumming to and fro through sweet childhood

I love hope’s eager renewal fueling both hand and heart

I love lush marsh-marigolds perched on brook banks in works of art

I love brooks that weave and glisten, winsome, without weight of care

Beneath weeping willow whispers, through woodlands and meadows fair

I love Lily of the Valley fragrance on a breath of breeze

I love the refurbished cadence of leaf-zephyr symphonies

I love pausing lest haste wastes awe, to taste moments as they drip

From a spigot from a frigate that resembles a cloud-ship

I love look-and-listen landscapes; I love work-and-worship praise

I love mid-afternoon escapes; I love backyard getaways

I love witnessing life’s Author as creation peals and rings

I love standing knee-deep in a coffer filled with May trimmings

I love fresh-picked-mint-tea-parties, I love growing very small

In a world of agog artists conceding One outshines all

I love rambling without reason other than to touch the Hem

Of the artist of each season’s beauty-jeweled diadem

I love petal-fashioned farewells; flower hellos are so sweet

I love May, rife with life-giving vim, as earth and heaven meet

I love hymns of newborn wonder, watching kittens roll and play

I love firmaments that thunder with redemption; I love May

©Janet Martin

A Prayer (because perspective can easily run askew)

Delighting in these double tulips!

The Creator of heaven and earth and the Saviour of the soul;

This is our Heavenly Father who cherishes our prayers and

 desires us to put our faith in Him!

Today's poem-prayer was inspired in part by the verse below

Acts 28:24

And some were persuaded by the things which were spoken, 

and some disbelieved...

Dear Lord, bid I commit to walk by faith and not by sight

Dear Lord, confound my idle talk with holy appetite

And give me ears to hear and eyes to see, lest deaf and blind

To sacred things regarding Thee, I look but cannot find

Lord, where deception’s vice is sweet, keep me from falling prey

Thy Word, a Lamp unto my feet, a Light to show the way

A safeguard in a world of choice where temptations implore

Tune me to hear Thy still small voice and love Thee all the more

Lord, you know the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak

Lord, make belief more than a thrilling piety I speak

More than a nod that You exist, Let Thy salvation be

My joy complete, through the gift that through your death, pardoned me

Lord, when this world, because of sin, seems more than love can bear

Delight me with Your peace within, cheer me through ceaseless prayer

And keep my eyes fixed on a Prize beyond Time’s troubled toll

Feed me with bread that satisfies the hunger of my soul

Dear Lord, in You alone, trust’s confidence will never fail

You are the Cornerstone against which hell cannot prevail

Earth's sorrows that must be are never greater than Your grace

The triumph of the cross of Calvary none can erase

Dear Lord, hear my heart’s cry for hearts still hardened, dark and lost

Forgive my unbelief when I am fearful of faith’s cost

Deliver me from evil, Lord, as Your love runs me through

With gratitude humbly outpoured in love right back to You

In your Name I pray,

Amen

© Janet Martin

It's been a while since I shared this song...

In Jesus' Name, I Pray

We Are Either Blessed or Cursed...

Daily we are blessed or cursed

by what/who we most dearly love/serve💓💔

What/who on life's highway will claim our passion today?!!🙏

SO many choices but only two masters!

And we all, by the voice of choice, serve only one

Matt.6:24

“No one can serve two masters.

Either you will hate the one and love the other,

or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other.

You cannot serve both God and money.

Jesus~

***

We are either blessed or cursed by what keens hunger and thirst

By the guests Thought entertains, by the quests desire unchains

By the reasons we confess in our search for happiness

By the voice that choice augments in courses of consequence

We are either cursed or blessed by replies by love professed

By the merits we applaud pertaining to self or God

By the setting of the goal, either for flesh or the soul

By what purpose primes pursuit that in time, turns into fruit

By what pleasure we employ by how we measure true joy

But what character we mold by what principles we hold

By how we view circumstance whether by design or chance

By the armor that we wear wrought by human hands or prayer

By what fuels hope or dread by who rules in heart and head

By what matter cheers or grieves by what faith or sight believes

By what edicts we endear, by what Author we revere

By what promotes worst or best we are either cursed or blessed

By what keens hunger and thirst we are either blessed or cursed

© Janet Martin

Acts 26:28-29

Then Agrippa said to Paul, “You almost persuade me to become a Christian.”

29And Paul said, “I would to God that not only you, 

but also all who hear me today, 

might become both almost and altogether such as I am,

 except for these chains.”

Almost Persuaded 

Matt.5:1-12

And seeing the multitudes, He (Jesus) went up on a mountain,

 and when He was seated His disciples came to Him. 

2 Then He opened His mouth and taught them, saying:

3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit,

For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

4 Blessed are those who mourn,

For they shall be comforted.

5 Blessed are the meek,

For they shall inherit the [a]earth.

6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,

For they shall be filled.

7 Blessed are the merciful,

For they shall obtain mercy.

8 Blessed are the pure in heart,

For they shall see God.

9 Blessed are the peacemakers,

For they shall be called sons of God.

10 Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake,

For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

11 Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, 

and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake.

 12 Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, 

for great is your reward in heaven,

 for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

A Beautiful Life-Jim Reeves

Today's prayer: 

Lord, grant us wisdom, 

from your Word

through Your Spirit

so we may treasure 

Spiritual Blessings

over material blessings.

Amen

While Opportunity Affords...

whether its a hug,

flowers,

a text,

a thank-you,

a smile,

we'll take it,

right, moms?

(and dads, aunts, uncles, grandparents, siblings, spouses, etc.)

any day of the week

any time of the year💝

and, while we have the opportunity

in like measure let's give to our moms

(and dads, aunts, uncles, grandparents, siblings, spouses, etc.)

what we appreciate receiving...

tokens of love

Happy 26th birthday, Matt

(with celebrations better late than never)

Waiting for Uncle Matt to say....

OKAY! Blow!!!

Happy Birthday to you

Little Big Boy is two!

(whenever Little Big Boy's  mommy asked what kind of birthday cake he would like

his reply was quick and to the point, 'Candy!!' 😅😂💖

In the past week we've celebrated a few birthdays 

and a few mothers...

Each celebration's joy over-shadowed with the awareness

of a grief-stricken family in our neighborhood

who recently lost 'mother' without warning

on their way home from a day spent together.

These things should serve as sacred reminders

to love while opportunity affords...

(yes, every 'howling' bit of it, some with laughter, some with tears 😅)

in tot's defense, he just got pulled from playing golf with a set he just received for his birthday

Here's to the beginning of a lifetime of 'looking for the ball!'

While opportunity affords occasion to love as we ought

To test the reasoning that lords over empires of want-prone thought

While we are able to partake of moments shaping What Has Been

While love allots hope and heartache and all its tender points between

While give-and-take are running rife

Let's make the most of love and life 

While celebrating motherhood and everyone that makes Her thus

While learning to love as we should amidst the humanness of 'us' 

While weathering (but by God's grace) the rise and fall of highs and lows

While ever-approaching the place we all will face; life's curtain-close

While have-and-hold unfolds its lease

Let's cherish every masterpiece 

While laughter spills lyrical thrills and we embrace the gift of 'touch' 

While we encounter clash of wills because human nature is such

While years estrange each brief What Is, while leaving so much still to teach  

While we shoulder imperfect bliss before it slips beyond our reach

Let's taste simple pleasures with love

While God refills Time's treasure-trove 

While mercy meets us where we are and grants fresh opportunity 

While we are never very far from fond farewells waiting to be

While growing older with each breath that draws closer dust-and-ash dues 

Let's live today's prelude to death as if love has no time to lose 

Before its sorrowing tears pour

Let's love now, like never before    

Let's evaluate moment-art

then take each gift of love to heart

Janet~

...and last but not least, our master chef!

Yesterday morning the service was opened with one of my favorite Psalms-16...

Preserve[a] me, O God, for in You I put my trust.

2 O my soul, you have said to the Lord,

“You are my Lord,

My goodness is nothing apart from You.”

3 As for the saints who are on the earth,

“They are the excellent ones, in whom is all my delight.”

4 Their sorrows shall be multiplied who hasten after another god;

Their drink offerings of blood I will not offer,

Nor take up their names on my lips.

5 O Lord, You are the portion of my inheritance and my cup;

You [b]maintain my lot.

6 The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places;

Yes, I have a good inheritance.

7 I will bless the Lord who has given me counsel;

My [c]heart also instructs me in the night seasons.

8 I have set the Lord always before me;

Because He is at my right hand I shall not be moved.

9 Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoices;

My flesh also will [d]rest in hope.

10 For You will not leave my soul in [e]Sheol,

Nor will You allow Your Holy One to [f]see corruption.

11 You will show me the path of life;

In Your presence is fullness of joy;

At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

Of Heaven's Declarations...

This morning I can't help but lament a little, (a lot!!)

 because exhaustion drew me to my bed last night

while others stayed up and watched a grand display of aurora borealis/northern lights...

but I did grab a few declarations of God's glory earlier while mowing lawns!

and one this morning! 

The heavens are pitched like a tent that often captures our gaze

The surface of yon firmament evokes worship’s unsullied praise

Masterpiece after masterpiece in a glorious free-for-all

Proclaims a Name that will not cease as generations rise and fall

The glory the heavens declare is by and for the LORD alone

Without a word beyond compare, He makes His Holy presence known

So that all are without excuse; with universal eloquence

The heavens speak; God’s glory loosed in constant, simple evidence

Beyond the reach of human hands, the heavens grant a glimpse of He

Whose thoughts and ways none understands; who ever Was, Is and Will Be

His glory the heavens declare, His Handiwork second to none

His divine testament set where it can be seen by everyone

© Janet Martin

It's thrilling to think about how many worshippers witness

God's glory every day; 

how, each time we marvel, we worship Him, the Creator! 

Psalm 19:1-4

The heavens declare the glory of God;
    the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
2 Day after day they pour forth speech;
    night after night they reveal knowledge.
3 They have no speech, they use no words;
    no sound is heard from them.
4 Yet their voice[b] goes out into all the earth,
    their words to the ends of the world.

As I lamented/envied the night-owls,  treated to a rare show for Ontario-ans

I recalled to mind this little gem by Edgar A. Guest

...on that note, let's take whatever fun/joy comes our way today

and be thankful, and leave the rest to others!!💝

I am hoping for the joy of freshly washed and waxed floors 😅

Hope's Frame...

Good/Happy gorgeous, Friday May morning to you...

Across the eastward brink of earth, a sea of unplumbed moments tolls

Something about a new day’s birth wakens awareness in our souls

For He who sets before our gaze, Hope’s Frame filled with mercy renewed

To author a glad hymn of praise and unspeakable gratitude

Ahoy! The hours fleetly fly between daybreak and twilight’s knell

Soon their plumbed aftermath will lie like husks strewn where dusk’s shadows fell

Leaving behind the words and deeds we tossed like seeds along the way

A blend of fruit, flowers and weeds that will be threshed on That Great Day

…compelling us to pay close heed to track-records not finished yet

To study and ponder the seed that that we are so prone to forget

To regard with attentive care those who are following behind

And to be solemnly aware of sheaves we leave for them to bind

Across earth’s eastward brink a sea of unplumbed mercies bares God’s heart

His love for all humanity should bid us do our earnest part

To fill the Day that fleetly spans the distance between faith and sight

With love because His mercy fans the flame that fills hope’s frame with Light

© Janet Martin

Morning Has Broken

Eph.1:17-19 

I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, 

may give you the Spirit[f] of wisdom and revelation, 

so that you may know him better. 

18 I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order 

that you may know the hope to which he has called you, 

the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, 

19 and his incomparably great power for us who believe.

today's poem was inspired in part by the passages above and below;

Does the phrase, 'God, who is rich in mercy'

not offer food for glorious meditation

as we wonder and ponder the riches of His 

great power and glory?!!

Eph.2:1-10

As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, 

2 in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world

 and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, 

the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. 

3 All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh[a] 

and following its desires and thoughts. 

Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath.

 4 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy,

5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—

it is by grace you have been saved. 

6 And God raised us up with Christ 

and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, 

7 in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace,

 expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. 

8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—

and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 

9 not by works, so that no one can boast. 

10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, 

which God prepared in advance for us to do.

Redemption's Second Best Hue...

Happy Ascension Day!

Acts 1:9-11

After He had said this, they watched as He was taken up, 

and a cloud hid Him from their sight. 

10They were looking intently into the sky as He was going, 

when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them.

 11“Men of Galilee,” they said, “why do you stand here looking into the sky?

 This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, 

will come back in the same way you have seen Him go into heaven.”

Isa.55:12

You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace; 

the mountains and hills will burst into song before you, 

and all the trees of the field will clap their hands.

Celebrating green, among other colors in today's post;

sharing a few shots from an excursion yesterday, with a friend and

kindred spirit, we oohed and aahed and squealed and sighed to our heart's content

at details we didn't need to explain...

Redemption’s flood is red that flowed/flows for all at Calvary

So that we who are/were dead in sin might live eternally

For, all who repent and believe by faith have been made whole

The grace of God through Christ achieves hope’s anchor for the soul

But, for the earth reborn in spring, redemption’s flood is green

A death-defying deluge thundering from founts unseen

A tidal wave of emerald as hallelujahs peal

Through fields and woodlands heralding their Orchestrator’s zeal

Trees clap their hands, grass-cushioned grandstands beckon everyone

The river’s wrinkled sashes twinkle silver in the sun

Tulips in bold profusion bloom, as bud after bud pops

On verdant, velvet banks are strewn pools of forget-me-nots

Fair nature celebrates redemption’s second-best hue; green

Regaling trees with melodies where bare branches had been

Unfettering a plush, lush splurge, surging from east to west

While rabbit hops from bush to bush, a nibble-happy guest/pest

© Janet Martin