Peace-Hope-Joy... This

Should cares of life

And tares of strife

And shares of gray and gold

Cause us to fret

And then forget

The blessings that we hold

Should mortal fear

And morbid tear

And lords of want and woe

Blind Surety

By what we see

Rather than what we know…

Should giving up

Become the cup

That tortures our thirst

Then we should pause

And pray, because

God loves us, loved us first

Then, in this flight

Of morn to night

In spite of trouble’s fuss

Pray we know this;

Peace-hope-joy is

The love of God in us

© Janet Martin

Oh, let the Reason for this season

Descend from above

 To light our way from day to day

With peace, hope, joy and love

And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,

Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.

Luke 2:10-15

Prayer-dare...

© Janet Martin

Gold-wrapped Present

This morning the air, like flaming shook foil wrapped The Present...

Look, where on yonder berm the air

Is like a golden-tinseled Thing

A gift that beckons us to dare

To reach and tug at mercy’s string

…then, as the wrapping falls away

To reveal what Time sets adrift

Pray, that in this new day we may

Find He who graced us with its gift

© Janet Martin

Always...

Not always

Our preference

But always,

Obedience

Not always

Quite understood

But always

For our good

Not always

What we would choose

Where consequence

Collects its dues

Not always

Our happiness

But always

God’s faithfulness

© Janet Martin

 If we are faithless, 

He remains faithful, 

for He cannot deny Himself.

2 Tim.2:13

Learning As We Go...

Aren't you glad that we don't get an agenda in the morning detailing what lies in store for the day?

What mortal dread each morning would hold! 

Instead we can pause beneath gold-refurbished heavens with nothing but wonder to fill our gaze...

And the assurance of loving God's faithfulness

The LORD’S lovingkindnesses indeed never cease,
            For His compassions never fail.

   They are new every morning;
            Great is Your faithfulness.

      “The LORD is my portion,” says my soul,
            “Therefore I have hope in Him.”

      The LORD is good to those who wait for Him,
            To the person who seeks Him.

Lam.3:22-25

We roll with life’s punches

What more can we do

Than learn from the stumbles

Love humbles us through

Oh, sometimes life’s lessons

Are hard, we admit

Not ours to question

What mercy deems fit

But rather, to gather

With blather subdued

A much meeker, kinder

Thankful attitude

© Janet Martin

Life's thrown some hard knocks lately...not the least of which included yester-evening's crash where hubby totaled an eighteen-wheeler on a side-road of pure ice.

(this he realized when he touched the brakes to slow on a downhill for a stop-sign.)

 (no other vehicle involved and no livestock-loaded trailer!)

He is okay. PTL!

While I take photos of the sunrise an air ambulance passes overhead...

When Christmas Comes...

When Christmas comes it seems that we try harder to be nice

And give a little more without counting its sacrifice

We think of ways to cheer those who are down on life or love

And sing Joy to the World as if its message was enough

When Christmas comes our hearts are drawn to a kind, simpler way

As on the projector of thought, soft childhood scenes replay

And we, for just a little while, are young as fancy frees

In worlds of cookie-cutter stars and bells and Christmas trees

Christmas, it seems stirs in us something unlike other things

Maybe it is the snow that falls like feathered angel-wings

Or kitchens warm with scents of gingerbread and cinnamon

Or visions of arms open wide to welcome home loved ones

 Maybe it is the starlight strung like midnight chandeliers

Or maybe it’s the charm of bygone days that time endears

Maybe it is the love in the glad tidings of great joy

That heaven lent to earth in a wee Christ-child baby boy

When Christmas comes we think of others more and less of self

As everybody tries to be somebody’s Christmas elf

And for a little while the sorrows of this world are borne

Upon the hope and joy and peace of that first Christmas morn

© Janet Martin