What Do I/We Know But This...

'Being a follower of Jesus is so sweet and wonderful and easy!' I said to myself yesterday,

...while sitting quietly in the comfort of a church pew

...being fed from God's Word!

Then BOOM!! As soon as I get up reality hits!

 I stick my foot in my mouth,

 I blunder,

 I err in judgement and desire,

I let Satan mock me, 

unnerve me, 

discourage me, 

oh!! the battle is real 

and relentless 

and hard!

Prayers often reduced to nothing more than 

 a flood of tears and groans...help me, God, help me 

to know how to honor and glorify You and only You.

this morning His answer seemed to flow distinctly through the

Bible in a Year: Genesis 39 - 40; Matthew 11 passages 

summarized in two words 'trust' and 'obey'!

(I originally wrote this in first person but then changed it to 'we'

because together we weather the wants and woes and taunts and blows 

of faith's highs and lows...)

What do I/we know but this; when I/we trust and obey

The blessing of God’s presence is sufficient for the day

When God’s Words contradict what logic deems as right

Obedience and trust commit to walk by faith, not sight

God’s higher thoughts and ways hone hope’s humility

Blessed is the one who obeys unconditionally

Satisfied to believe what is not understood

Knowing God’s promises achieve His purpose for our good

Oh God, forgive me/us when I/we err in what I/we seek

The spirit is willing, amen. But oh, the flesh is weak

Lord, rebuke stubborn pride and teach me/us how to pray

Because wisdom is justified when I/we trust and obey

© Janet Martin

Trust and Obey

(sharing another good old hymn by David Wesley)

I think I started over 5 times with today's poem...

resorting at last to what we were repeatedly advised to do

when I was part of a writer's group years ago

'write what you know'...inspiring the first line instantly

'what do I know?? but this...

Oh, Let Love's Incense Rise

Wake up, wake up, break out in song!

Judges 5:12

There is only one way to keep the believer's worship hymn alive!

And that is revisiting the place where by faith we were made whole

at the foot of the cross of Calvary

and to marvel again and again at our Saviour's 

love that suffered so on our behalf

Alas and Did My Saviour Bleed?

Oh, let love’s incense rise poured out in prayerful throng

Let worship fill the earth and skies with hope’s unflinching song

To He who paid sin’s debt we owe a debt of love

To be as wise as serpents yet as harmless as a dove

To lay aside sin’s weight that easily ensnares

To believe rather than debate what God alone declares

To trust Him and obey; A conscientious thing

To pour on altars of Today Worship’s drink offering

For we are reconciled through grace no one can earn

Through Jesus Christ, who when reviled did not evil return

But yielded unto death to conquer Satan’s strife

So that faith with its dying breath would step from death to life

Because God is not slack concerning promises

Mercy holds heaven’s armies back in prolonged faithfulness

For He so loved the world He gave Himself to win

Deliverance from hell unfurled in punishment for sin

His precepts do not shift while He waits patiently

For all who do not have the gift purchased at Calvary

Oh, let love’s incense rise; poured out with joy and awe

As worship fills the earth and skies with praise for mercy's law

May love's song never cease but ever brim and brim

As more and more receive the peace that only comes from Him

Who is able always to do His perfect will

Then let worship with prayerful praise His glory spill and spill

(...for we have been set free from the death that did wait;

Divorced for all eternity from love, to Satan's hate)

The glory of the cross transforms love's agony

How little is the servant's cost compared to Calvary

 Then sing with heart and soul, the hymn of conquered dread

Because the faith that makes us whole will raise us from the dead

© Janet Martin

And he said unto him, Arise, go thy way: 

thy faith hath made thee whole.

Luke 17:19

Ode to a Sunrise

It must be memorialized;

the first sunrise of 2023!!

gold floods the waking world

welkin wealth spills and swells

like a glimpse of heaven unfurled

to crown earth’s hills and dells

a fervent friendliness

kindles ageless romance

hope dons the humble happiness

that bids the heart to dance

as morning laughs and sings

and makes us feel so fine

creating castles fit for kings

with glorious sunshine

...the fog-sullen rampart

dissolves; earth held at bay

Is unveiled like a work of art

Entitled Sunny Day

...a vaulted coffer tips

a dazzling surf of stars

across dawn's common ground that drips

from the Artist's paint jars

© Janet Martin

Psalm 105:2

Sing unto him, sing psalms unto him: 

talk ye of all his wondrous works.

Psalm 96:1
Sing to the LORD a new song; 

sing to the LORD, all the earth.

Psalm 143:5
I remember the days of old; 

I meditate on all Your works; 

I consider the work of Your hands.

Psalm 145:17

The Lord is righteous in all His ways,
Gracious in all His works.

One of my favorite hymns by one of my favorite artists!!

Thankyou David Wesley!

Goodness of God

We Will Go Forth (and a few more Thursday Thoughts)

We cannot outlive the Unknown

or challenges we face 

But look, each moment's steppingstone

is anchored in God's grace

Faith's substance of things we hope for

will someday rend the veil

Revealing the complete splendor

Of love that did not fail

***

The sunless stretch continues...

not sure what happened to last week's forecast for this week's yellow...

It could certainly have the potential to dampen our spirits if we let it!

But...

If we would fixate on the weather we might be quite glum

It's been a dose of dreary, drippy, damp, sunless ho-hum

But love and life are so much more than covers of a book

So much of what is written is hidden until we look!

Then as we turn the pages where God's goodness overflows

We find ourselves quite speechless, awed by blessings He bestows 

***

Seeds are so very, very small

Sometimes we doubt their clout

And dare to wonder where they fall

...until they start to sprout 

Seeds look like nothing much at first

Mere crumbs, mundane and mute

But from the crumb, when it has burst

Comes all manner of fruit 

Seeds seem to be too slight and slow    

To hold much harm or good

But as the sprout begins to grow

Seed's clout is understood 

***

Our worlds are often mirrored in the shimmer of a tear

Or lightened by the laughter of someone we love so dear

Or sweetened by the banter of a breeze, a child, a bird

Or brightened by the candle of a kind and gentle word

Hard knocks are often softened by a handshake and a smile

Making the world that shimmers in a tear, so worth its isle/while

***

Tick-tock tempo laps the shoreline of  a winter afternoon 

Like the summer-blue momentum of lake-lyrics lazy tune 

Like a breeze undresses tresses of its leaf-shaped souvenirs 

Tick-tock tempo falls and rises until winter disappears

***  

This morning's foggy shroud inspired the beginning of this poem...

We will go forth then, you and I

The view of what yet waits withheld

Like a masterpiece made of sky

Vaulted above the mist-veiled veldt

While the clocks unrelenting toll

Unfurls and collects, synchronized

In breath-sized billows as they roll

Through hopes salvaged from dreams capsized

Undoing what we thought we knew

With sudden, foreign points of view

We will go forth because, my dear

No choice awaits but to proceed

Faith spurs us on and spars with fear

As scars forge wisdom’s crown and creed

Where delight, like a diamond stud

Dazzles dark backdrops of dismay

Where hope, like an unbroken bud

Reminds us of blooms held at bay

Cheering us on as vast unknowns

Unfold flowers and steppingstones

We will go forth but not alone

Goodness and mercy follow still

Where thoroughfares of grin-and-groan

Are never all down or uphill

The valley where shadows are cast

Like creases in a color-world

While the Master pieces the Past

With present grace on grace unfurled

His able Hands cradle the sky

We will go forth thence, you and I

© Janet Martin

(For we walk by faith, not by sight:)

2 Cor.5:7

How Awesome is This Place

Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said,

 “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it.” 

And he was afraid and said, “How awesome is this place! 

This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven!” 

Gen.28:16-17

Echoing Jacob's words today 'how awesome is this place'

of God's redeeming grace

On That Day-City Alight

How awesome is this place

Where grace and mercy meld

To bring hope to a sin-cursed race

Through Jesus, not withheld

But, for glory’s increase

He suffered in our stead

The punishment that brings us peace

And triumphs death’s dark dread

How awesome is this place

Of grief, joy, love and hate

Where some believe with humble faith

And some doubt and debate

The way, the truth, the life

The hope that sets us free

Through the shed blood of Jesus Christ

And the grave’s victory

How awesome is this place

This is the gate of heav’n

Where, by the goodness of God’s grace

The sinner is forgiv’n

Not in part, but in full

Redemption’s torrents pour

To work in us the miracle

Of sins recalled no more

How awesome is this place

Eternity’s threshold

The darksome glass, ere face to face

His beauty we behold

Where no more tears will be

When all will be made new

Together forever with He

Who so loves me and you

How awesome is our Lord

Where His grace tarries still

While prophecy fulfills His Word

According to His will

Where earth is heaven’s gate

Then call upon His name

Before it is too late, too late

Salvation’s gift to claim

© Janet Martin

Rev.21:5

He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” 

Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”

Of Utmost Importance...

Anyone who is blessed with the company of children

in their day-to-day lives knows that much time is spent teaching and training!

Today's teaching moments at Janet's house included

how to crack peanuts from the shell...

(bite softly preferably with back teeth, to crack then pull apart with fingers)

how to hold on to the swing with arms when mittens are too poof-y or slippery

how to peel pomegranate...

how to draw a chicken...

how to take turns to help with the vacuuming...

The end goal of training children is a responsible, respectful adult.

The end 'goal' of an adult is ultimately,

 for better or worse, accountability to the Giver of life,

turning all training of all children into something with an eternal impact!

No wonder Solomon gives us this advice in Prov.22:6

Train up a child in the way he should go,

[a]And when he is old he will not depart from it.

How imperative it is then, 

to constantly reevaluate/reexamine 

our hopes and dreams,

to keep our priorities pure!

Four-season circuits wheel unfazed by centuries

Like chariots of gold and teal they pass through fields and trees...

Time tries our hopes and dreams

While from dawn’s lowered barge

God replenishes mercy-streams

Sufficient for the charge

…to keep, comfort and bless

With Shepherd’s staff and rod

All who seek first His righteousness

And the kingdom/sheepfold of God

Four-season circuits wheel

Unfazed by centuries

Like chariots of gold and teal/silk and steel

They pass through fields and trees

From east to west to east

A feast of shadows spills

Where want is a voracious beast

No fortune-flaunt fulfills

…while hopes and dreams arouse

A surf of smiles and tears

That roll where dust-to-dust soon bows

Beneath death’s wreath of years

How miniscule the stack

Of numbered days of man

That charge the barge that draws us back

To where we all began

How futile zeal defends

Life’s dream-bedazzled splash

If no hope at its halt transcends

Earth’s vault of dust and ash

© Janet Martin

While We Wait (let us not grow weary...of love)

Just as an army general must rally his troops from time to time,

so too, those who put on the armor of God, need to be 'rallied'

lest we grow weary of servanthood and doing good!

Hopefully today's poem serves as a bit of a 'rallying of faith's troops'!

2 Tim.2:3-5

You therefore must endure[a] hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.

 4 No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, 

that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier. 

5 And also if anyone competes in athletics, he is not crowned

 unless he competes according to the rules.

For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people.

12 It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions,

and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age,

13 while we wait for the blessed hope—

the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ,

14 who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness

and to purify for himself a people that are his very own,

eager to do what is good.

Titus 2:11-14

And let us not grow weary while doing good, 

for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart. 

 Gal.6:9

'What on earth are you doing?' asked Hubby on Saturday

as I pulled down the window and stood on the sill so I

could see as much as I could see😅

'I'm feasting on the view', I replied, 

'Don't you see this every day?!' he asked, a little mystified.

'Well, yes, but never quite like this before!!'

...and on that note here's to a new day, a new week, a new year,

much the same as many previous but never quite like this before!

Come, Ye that love the Lord

While we wait for Thy appearing, let us not grow weary, Lord

Weary of love’s awed revering of Thy everlasting Word

Weary of love’s faithful praying for those of faith’s dear household

And for those still lost and straying in a world, corrupt and cold

Weary of love’s exaltation for salvation’s blood bought gift

Of love’s devout consecration to Thy calling, lest we drift

Weary of worship and living to give glory to Thy Name

Weary of love’s glad thanksgiving for what faith alone can claim

Weary of love’s meek pursuit of God-ordained obedience

Of examining the fruit of choice that leads to consequence

Of encouraging and cheering one another on with joy

As we wait for the appearing of Christ’s glorious convoy

As we wait for the unveiling of the hope that we profess

To behold Thee; love’s unfailing Keeper of Thy promises

Let us with unwearied purpose do good without doubt’s despair

For love’s Due Season of harvest will be worth the getting there

Will be worth the persevering of each second mile we trod

…while we wait for the appearing of the glory of Thee, God

By the grace of Thy salvation and the power of Thy Word

With love's renewed dedication, let us not grow weary, Lord

© Janet Martin

There is Rest By and By

Of Real-Time Poetry (and learning to read it)

The end of the old year and the beginning of the new 

have seen very little sunshine in our area!

 Celebrating happiness in today's post! 

Hopefully, it will be like a splash of sunshine in spite of the weather!

The 7-day forecast coming up has yellow in it. yay!

I want to be impacted by the thunder of the clock

I want to be distracted by fallen leaves on the walk 

This is the day the Lord has made.

Let us rejoice and be glad in it.

Psalm 118:24

The hard-pressed quest for happiness can sometimes overlook

The day’s unbridled loveliness in Real Time’s poem-book

Of beauty borne on loved one’s voice, of gladness turned to prayer

Of cherishing the charge of choice with conscientious care

Of birthday boy, wild with pure joy of turning sweet, sweet six

Still unbothered by life’s employ of moment-metered tricks

And diehard quests for happiness where happiness runs free

In the strange font of noise and mess of Real Time poetry

Of little girl who tugs the hand of honored smiles run wild 

(Surely there is nothing so grand as hand-in-hand-with-child)

Where Real-Time poetry can mete no sweeter happiness

Than tugs and hugs and dancing feet and pretty princess dress

Time’s wizened ways, where yesterdays accumulate, become

A surreal haze charged with displays of Real-Time’s soldered Sum

Where change mingled with changelessness teaches us as we age

In hard-pressed quests for happiness, to treasure every page/stage

The changelessness of change adapts to every size and shape

And draws dreamland’s fantastic mats out from beneath rapt gape

Reminding us not to get caught up in fond fantasy

Lest we miss the momentous jot of Real-Time Poetry

The quest for happiness is like a thief that steals the show

While buds turn into leaf and hold turns into letting go

While happiness fills coffers with lyrics that spill and brim

When love becomes the author and when life becomes a hymn

Happiness makes the most of now and here’s imperfect ‘yes’

It takes in stride both smile and tear with humbled thankfulness

Not overcome with yearning for what simply cannot be

Happiness is in learning to read Real-time Poetry

I want to be impacted by the thunder of the clock

I want to be distracted by fallen leaves on the walk 

I wanted be dumfounded no matter which way I look

By poetry unbounded in life's Real-Time Poem Book

© Janet Martin

I learned the first song as a little girl at school!

Happiness is the Lord

Happy Days are Here Again

The Happiness of Having You

 

If You're Happy and You Know It