On Kissing Golden Curls and Such

The death of John McCain has fired some fresh for/against political-debate

for some people who enjoy such things.

 "personally", I told hubby on the onset of another such-flavored conversation,

 "I prefer the gentle world of kissing golden curls and such"
(before they have to brave the battle where Bible-based truths and politics war..)

(plus, I just don't have the energy for such discussions after a day of kissing-holding-scolding😊)

When Grandson wanted to get dressed the other morning

I told him he may take his pj's off...

I laughed til I cried as round and round he went trying to pull his foot free...and it would not!

Ah, moments like these make so worthy-the-earthy as well!

Kissing golden curls with love

Fitting small hands into these

Laughing at the antics of

Pirates sailing green-grass seas…

Shores a-buzz with honey-bees

Moments full of joys of boys

Trucks and bugs and hugs times ten

Never mind the mess, the noise

Can’t rewind today again

Soon life turns boys into men

Peek into a petal-porch

Marvel at the color-world

Caught inside a teeny torch

Where the bitty bud uncurled

Glimpse of mighty God unfurled

Kiss those curls, boo-boos and such

Do not fret the Yet, my dear

Life is like a Maestro’s touch

Composing ballads of Year

With the notes of Now and Here

Stop to watch a cloud drift by

Talk to butterflies, walk slow

Peek-a-boo and hush, don’t cry

Kiss those golden curls, for oh

Willing winds of change do blow

© Janet Martin

Knowing Full-well...(what makes worthy the earthy)

This is a case where the previous poem fired another...

 Reading Hebrews 12, verse one, led to reading Hebrews 12 verse two, 

which led to writing this poem...(based on Phil.2)

(I guess tomato-picking is one poem later than I thought it would be😏)

Pondering The Promise of Eternal Life 

and He who authored it, and how, 

Sure does make worthy, earthly strife

and sure does make Holy the Now!

(Knowing full-well Hell's triumph but for death upon a cross!)

The Author and the Finisher of faith endured the cross

Thus, all we bear of this world’s care…He wore its sorrow too

In very nature, God, He donned a robe of mortal cloth

Knowing full well the horrors of the vale He would pass through

Knowing full-well the pain and rejection that He must bear

Knowing full-well, hell would prevail without His sacrifice

Knowing full-well His Deity, yet left Heaven to wear

A crown of thorns, a cross, knowing full-well sin’s awful price

Knowing full-well through death Life Everlasting would be bought

Knowing full-well how many would be saved and justified

Knowing full-well the agony before Triumph is wrought

Knowing full-well the wrath of God would-must be satisfied

Knowing full-well sin’s debt could not be paid by bull-ram’s blood

Knowing full-well his Father’s will and all it would entail

Knowing full well, He, King of kings would be the Lamb of God

Knowing full-well that once for all His Death would rend the veil

Knowing full-well that Final Sacrifice for sin was made

And living sacrifice will be the price believers pay

Knowing full-well that through His love our debt of guilt is paid

Knowing full well the full reward in Heaven some sweet day

© Janet Martin

A Gift From God

I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.

Luke 15:7

Heaven's joy-bells must be clanging overtime these days...
Again yesterday we attended a baptism-service; this time our niece and some of her friends! 
I was struck anew by how, with all the differences that may be visible on the outside 
due to culture, denominations, etc 

The Invisible is the same; the only name whereby we can be saved; 
(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 4:12)

Everyone baptized in every service we have attended 
in four different settings over the past few months were baptized in
the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit; 

(Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit

Matt.28:19)

so what is Baptism? A visible declaration of an invisible transformation when we
repent and obey the command to then be baptized!
(Peter replied, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Acts 2:38)

What a gift! The power within us to fight temptation and run this race with perseverance!

Now sin no longer reigns

Where grace, not law is Chief

And faith in Jesus breaks the chains

That binds blind unbelief

Not visibly transformed

Yet oh, somewhere within

Mercy’s miracle is performed

Redeemed from curse of sin

Now the Old Man is dead

And buried in the Past

The New Man rises in his stead

And holds Faith’s promise fast

Where we no longer sin

So that grace may abound

But trust the blood that makes us clean

Where Time is Holy Ground

And grace not some cliché

Tossed lightly to and fro

But grace alone atones for aye

And washes white as snow

Through grace no one can boast

Or mortal works applaud

But glorify Hope’s Uttermost

Grace is a gift from God

© Janet Martin

  For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—
and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—   
not by works, so that no one can boast.

Eph.2:8-9

 The above version of this hymn written by William Cowper (pub.1772) 

skips a few gorgeous stanzas...

1. There is a fountain filled with blood,
   Drawn from Immanuel’s veins,
   And sinners plunged beneath that flood
   Lose all their guilty stains:
   Lose all their guilty stains,
   Lose all their guilty stains;
   And sinners plunged beneath that flood
   Lose all their guilty stains.
2. The dying thief rejoiced to see
   That fountain in His day;
   And there have I, though vile as he,
   Washed all my sins away:
   Washed all my sins away,
   Washed all my sins away;
   And there have I, though vile as he,
   Washed all my sins away.
3. Dear dying Lamb, Thy precious blood
   Shall never lose its pow’r,
   Till all the ransomed church of God
   Are safe, to sin no more:
   Are safe, to sin no more,
   Are safe, to sin no more;
   Till all the ransomed church of God
   Are safe, to sin no more.
4. E’er since by faith I saw the stream
   Thy flowing wounds supply,
   Redeeming love has been my theme,
   And shall be till I die:
   And shall be till I die,
   And shall be till I die;
   Redeeming love has been my theme,
   And shall be till I die.
5. When this poor, lisping, stamm’ring tongue
   Lies silent in the grave,
   Then in a nobler, sweeter song,
   I’ll sing Thy pow’r to save:
   I’ll sing Thy pow’r to save,
   I’ll sing Thy pow’r to save;
   Then in a nobler, sweeter song,
   I’ll sing Thy pow’r to save.

Nobody Said It's Easy

Love authors life's greatest joy

And its deepest grief

Of all calls that we employ

Love must be its chief

Then, whatever else life brings

Whether fly or fall

Love will heal its broken wings

If we heed its call

© Janet Martin

 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."
John 13:35

 Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”

 Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart 

and with all your soul and with all your mind.’

 This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

Matt.22:36-40

Frames of Fading Awegust...

I spelled August 'Awe-gust' because that's what it is;
a gust of awe that leaves us a little
aw-don't leave-us-yet stricken!

The pulse of Mother Nature thrums

Buds breaks from bloom to burnished crumbs

The torch of golden rod is lit

The cricket minstrel does not quit

Long after day has met its mark

Its tweet-tweet-tweet stipples the dark

The garden groans with dreams come true (or work to do)

The sky, a sweep of satin-blue

The creek-bed overflows its edge

With streams of burdock, milkweed, sedge

The fence flaunts wild-bloom bric-a-brac

Where lands make up for much we lack

Bones ache with wear of honest toil

As we pluck summer from the soil

To snare its fare in jars and bins

And bear the brunt of curse for sins

Where through the pain of blood-sweat-tears

We gain the battle-wounds of years

The flower spreads its rainbow wings

The hour too; where summer sings

A hymn of farewell-flavored bars

In ditches stunned with petal-stars

In fields still filled or harvest’s sheaf

In butterflies of soybean leaf

The pulse of Mother Nature throbs

In musky, dusty dusk it sobs

In mid-day mid-task quick retreats

To backyard front-row window-seats

Where like forbidden sweets we taste

A second fistful of time’s haste

…and let a tear or two escape

To plop on non-stop echo-scape

As bud to bloom to seed runs rife

And death of days soon makes a life

Where August drapes its cape of sighs

Across earth’s scar-pocked paradise

© Janet Martin