Tuesday, April 27, 2021

Will You Believe?

  PAD Challenge 27:

For this Two-for-Tuesday prompt:
Write a believe poem and/or...
Write a don't believe poem.

John 14:27

John 16:33




This world
will wound
And disappoint
And betray
And pretend
But I 
will bind
Grief’s gap
-ing groans
And be 
Your 
Faithful 
Friend

This world 
will pass 
away;
This life 
on earth
Ephemeral
But I AM 
Alpha
and 
Omega
I AM 
Eternal

This world 
at best
Brings out 
the worst
In mortal’s 
sin-cursed 
glove
But I 
transform
Fear, 
doubt,
and hate,
Into 
faith, 
hope 
and love

This world 
is chaotic 
and cruel
with wars 
that will not 
cease
I AM gentle
patient 
and kind
I AM
Your perfect
peace

This world
makes promises
that it 
cannot keep
or control
I AM
the Word, 
Way,
 Truth 
and Life
the Daddy
of your
Soul

Will you 
embrace 
this world's 
illusions; 
trust death's 
loveless 
lies 
Or will 
you believe
 and receive
 life's
 everlasting
 Prize?

Love, God

© Janet Martin

Compact Version😊

This world will wound and disappoint and betray and pretend
But I will bind grief’s gaping groans and be your Faithful Friend

This world will pass away; This life on earth Ephemeral
But I AM Alpha and Omega; I AM Eternal

This world at best brings out the worst in mortal’s sin-cursed glove
But I transform fear, doubt and hate into faith, hope and love

This world is chaotic and cruel with wars that will not cease
I AM gentle, patient and kind; I AM your perfect peace

This world makes promises that it cannot keep or control
I AM the Word, Way, Truth and Life, the Daddy of Your soul

Will you embrace this world's illusions; trust death's loveless lies 
Or will you believe and receive life's everlasting Prize?


Love, God 

 © Janet Martin

John 1:12

But as many as received Him, 
to them He gave the right to become children of God, 
to those who believe in His name:





Onus of Belief (and unbelief)

 PAD Challenge 27:


For this Two-for-Tuesday prompt:
Write a believe poem and/or...
Write a don't believe poem.



 


Some are afraid to Believe
For the onus it will bring
Because belief is grounded in
The soil of reckoning
And reckoning becomes
When this mist-kiss is through
The price of Belief’s soldered sums
Not in the what, but Who

Still, some avoid Belief
As if this will annul
The Soul that cannot die
And reply's inevitable
They scorn love’s Beckoning
Disregard the reward
But oh, unbelief's reckoning
Ought not to be ignored

© Janet Martin

John 3:16-21

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son,
 that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 
 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, 
but to save the world through him. 
Whoever believes in him is not condemned, 
but whoever does not believe stands condemned already 
because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. 
 This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, 
but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. 
 Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light 
for fear that their deeds will be exposed. 
 But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, 
so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done 
has been done in the sight of God.


Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved,
but whoever does not believe will be condemned.

that if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord,"
and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead,
you will be saved







Beauty of Believing...


For this Two-for-Tuesday prompt:
Write a believe poem and/or...
Write a don't believe poem.

For Beauty of being is climbing the hill
But then, taking sweet time to enjoy the view


Believe in the largeness of faith's little leaps
Of finish-lines not too far-off to forget
For Beauty of living lies not in yon deep
But Here, in Now's Very Present Pirouette

Believe in a Power that surpasses thought 
Believe that God's goodness will never depart
In Beauty of loving; its masterpiece wrought
Not in fairness of form or face, but the heart

Believe in small syllables like 'us' and 'we'
Believe in the potent potential of ink
The Beauty of learning in poetry
In eth'real elixirs, sky blue, gold and pink

Believe in Becoming; not in standing still
Braving the battle of Seasons, strange and new
For Beauty of being is climbing the hill
But then, taking sweet time to enjoy the view

Believe He is able, Who breathes life to dust
And spreads out a feast for taste buds of the soul
Beauty of Believing accomplishes trust
While poised on Percussion of Unknown's drum roll

Janet Martin

Ephes.5:15-17

Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, 
 making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. 
Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is. 




 


Monday, April 26, 2021

Echo-mementos

Blessed are those who mourn. 
Matt.5:4

(my daughter's friend's dad)
this community mourns the loss of a husband, dad, son, brother...
reminding us anew to cherish each other
because none of us are guaranteed tomorrow!



This making of mementos as momentous moments meld
Is quite an under-taking of things granted and withheld
Like clay upon the potter’s wheel or knife on whetting stone
We wear the stars and scars of love and living’s grin and groan
And often do not give much thought to what its grit bestows
Until our breath is stolen by sweet echo-mementos
And we are then compelled to look more closely at the sand
And all the color-sparkles of love’s moments in our hand

© Janet Martin

Wonder-Full World

  PAD Challenge 26;


For today's prompt, take the phrase "(blank) World," 
replace the blank with a word or phrase, 
make the new phrase the title of your poem, and then, write your poem.


Somehow 'firsts' of a season always fill me with fresh wonder...
first snowfall, 

first buds,

 blooms and bouquets,


first garden crop sprouts,

...
 then first pickings

... to first fallen leaves

the world is wonder-full!

'something to stare at in earth's every crease...


Wonderful wonder, how wondrous art Thou
Melding the mundane to Marvelous Wow!
Stealing the thunder of man’s vanity
Breath-taking wak’ning to Your majesty
Yielding to You honour and glory’s due
Worship in its purest form, tried and true

Wonderful wonder, the world is a fount
Brimming with Beauty, too ‘bundant to count
Who can step over the threshold of day
Into a morning, wild with Mercy’s yea
Never astounded and never amazed
By over-under-around-us, un-phased

Wonderful, wonder-full world at our door
So much to experience and explore
Something to stare at in earth’s every crease
Winter to spring, bud to bloom masterpiece
Heavens above hills and rills, land and sea
Thund’ring with wonder still waiting to be

Wonderful, wonder-full gateway to awe
We, lavished by love’s extravagant law
Dare not become so numb as not to feel
Hands of the Potter ‘round clay on the wheel
Smiling, methinks, as He opens our eyes
To the glad wonder of life’s next surprise

© Janet Martin





Wonder-World


For today's prompt, take the phrase "(blank) World," 
replace the blank with a word or phrase, 
make the new phrase the title of your poem, and then, write your poem.


I wonder what today will bring
As morning spreads glistening wings
Above earth’s-re-emerging bars
As heaven blushes away stars
And darkened awnings thin until
Dawn fills a worldwide windowsill

I wonder at mercy renewed
My heart, a cup of gratitude
That while we slept God didn’t scorn
His promise and withheld new morn
(Though we have made a sorry mess
Of reverence and righteousness)

I wonder at the way the world
Now wide awake and dew-drop pearled
Invites the likes of you and me
To endless possibility
As sky-wide gates are flung ajar
And mercy meets us where we are

I wonder at the world at large
Where we, aboard its season-barge
And fellow-travelers; as such
I wonder why we fight so much
Instead of using Time’s Short-Sweet
To help each other to our feet

I wonder what today will bear
Before it slips into thin air
And earth is tucked beneath a quilt
Of stars on blue and echo-gilt
I wonder, nay, pray it will be
Memento-of-love memory

© Janet Martin


Blessed be the Lord God, the God of Israel, 
who alone works wonders. 
And blessed be His glorious name forever; 
and may the whole earth be filled with His glory. 
Amen and Amen.
 – Psalm 72:18-19


Sunday, April 25, 2021

Thought-scope/scape

 

 PAD Challenge 25For today's prompt, write a thought poem. 

A thought can be...a bloom bouquet
(first fresh-picked bouquet from my garden)
I love these cheery little pansy-pixies 
that wander at will through my flower-border
and eagerly burst into smiles as soon as the snow is gone!



A thought can try to fool us into trusting our own eyes
Or not; a thought can climb above complaint, or criticize
A thought can be a candle in the dark, a bloom bouquet
A blow below the beltline or a high-five hip-hooray
A noose around the neck of dreams or hope and trust’s lifeline
A labyrinth of vengeful schemes, both trellis and the vine
A lavish wander-land of want, a ladder to the stars
A dungeon where dark demons taunt, a cart that bumps and jars
A thought, intangible at first, but if indulged at length
Can be an unquenchable thirst, great weakness or great strength
A thought can be a comrade or a bitter enemy
A playground or a battlefield, it’s up to you and me

© Janet Martin

To Hosts of Homage

 PAD Challenge 25For today's prompt, write a thought poem. 



'Everything we do/become begins with what we think,
and which thoughts we entertain! we do not fall prey to
a passing thought, but the one which we indulge'
our father would caution us, as teens.
'We all have terrible things that enter the mind but as the old
proverb goes;
Just because a bird flies over our heads
doesn't mean we need to allow it to build a nest'

***
So many thought-guests drop by!
We need to be careful to whom we offer a chair!

***
We become what we feed thought...
Such a huge buffet!
choose well

Something like this is nice for
thought's breakfast...




One life to live;
A gift to give
Our uttermost attention to
Where thought gives birth
To waste or worth
Of everything we say and do

Thought entertains
In boundless veins
Guests of both honor and deceit
Its rendezvous
(no matter who)
Soon bursts through gates of mouth-hands-feet

This control tow’r
Of holy pow’r
All other boasts of might exceeds
Therefore, we ought
To give much thought
To what we think and where it leads

© Janet Martin

Whatever is noble, 
whatever is right, 
whatever is pure, 
whatever is lovely, 
whatever is admirable — 
if anything is excellent or praiseworthy —
 think about such things.

-Philippians 4:8