Celestial Reveille

Some mornings I feel drawn from my bed as if by a celestial reveille! 

Today flickers upon a wick where dawn flings shutters wide

Live/love well before its candlestick is snuffed by eventide

Today is another shivery offering!

I think everyone is winter-coat weary!

Even the daffodils look a little forlorn,

slumped against the morning chill

The maple-blossoms seem to cringe as the bud breaks and 

nudges them from its nest...

But, before today is brushed from Time's slate

we have an opportunity to make the best and most of it!

Thank-you, Lord!

Ah, who knows what today will bring

Before it folds its gilded wing

Over a world surrendering

To the tug of dusk’s evening star

Where now dawn’s coffers overflow

With fresh offers of joy and woe

And God’s kind grace, whereby we go

No matter where or who we are

Beneath the diligence of clocks

Time’s tutelage of ticks and tocks

Startles its students with hard knocks

Offset by spring's welcome delights  

While the grave gapes, we brave the day

Rife with life’s constant come-what-may

Where rivers run and children play

And buds burst with gold, pinks and whites 

Ah, who knows, as dawn’s tent is pitched

What will be tested, torn or stitched

Will hearts be broken or bewitched

Before dusk tucks to history

The echo of a pirouette

We have not touched or tasted yet

But soon will be forever set

In Bygone’s soldered gallery

Then dream and dance and work and play

And make the most of moment-fray

And don’t you dare forget to pray

And laugh and learn and love and sing

In spite of brutal fist-a-cuffs

Come, brave this newborn day because

Dusk is the douter that soon snuffs

Lifetimes beneath its gilded wing

Don't miss the music as it spills

From vaults unveiling vales and hills

A pilgrimage through daffodils

And mercy's myriad

Where we do not embark alone

Into the darkness of  Unknown

But by God's kindness we are shown

The way to rejoice and be glad

© Janet Martin

somehow painting and poetry don't mix the best...

This morning was a see-saw of  poem, patching holes, sanding,

pegging a bit more poem, priming patches,

and morning poem has turned to noon poem!

Isa.26:2-4

Open the gates,

That the righteous nation 

which [a]keeps the truth may enter in.

3 You will keep him in perfect peace,

Whose mind is stayed on You,

Because he trusts in You.

4 Trust in the Lord forever,

For in Yah, the Lord, is [b]everlasting strength.

Make Today a Celebration #2

 The previous poem sparked the same theme from another angle...

Our son turns 25 today sparking a bit of nostalgia

as well as rekindling fresh awareness for today's countless 

reasons to celebrate.

Like a bit of Pooh and Eeyore...

Like a raindrop spangled puddle...

Like a splash of violet stars...

Like the cackle of a grackle...

Make today a celebration

Count or write them in a book

Masterpieces of creation

That sometimes, we overlook

Like a smile, or isle of nature

That kindles the poet’s yen/pen

Like the rolling green of pasture

Stayed by shores, cerulean

Like a tot, a pup, a flower

Like an ocean in a shell

Or the beauty of an hour

Without duty to compel

Like the brook-bank for a pillow

Like blossom-embellished breeze

Or wind-song that turns the willow

Into cello-symphonies

Like a morning warm and yellow

Or an afternoon blue-gray

Like the eager little fellow

That no mother’s hand can stay

Like the echo of spent reason

Arousing a rampant ache

For the font of present season

Melding to what moments make

From daybreak so swiftly woven

Into twilight’s hushed caress

Stirring us to note life’s common

Ground run rife with loveliness

Like the cackle of a grackle

Or the singing of a lark

Or bite of juicy, red apple

Or a color-dappled park

Where a future generation

Riding childhood’s carousel

On steads of imagination

Soon will bear youth’s fond farewell

While we gaze with tear-dimmed hunger

At time’s ever-changeless way

Where no one is growing younger

On its run of day-to-day

While a momentous occasion

Invites us to sing and dance

In a conscious celebration

For each day and what it grants

Like a bit o’ Pooh or Eeyore

To make us chuckle out loud

Like a stroll along the seashore

Far, far from the madding crowd

Like a big ole brown pet bunny

Like a fresh-steeped cuppa tea

Like fresh bread drizzled with honey

Like phrases like you-and-me

Like the utter-ness of knowing

We have more than we deserve

In the soft spring zephyr flowing

Through pink orchard’s petal-verve

Like a wicker basket laden

With tastiest of munch-fare

And the delight of a maiden

Waiting to sample her share

Of a slice of almost heaven

On a quilt, worn picnic thin

Where mean foibles are forgiven

As the sun kisses our skin

And we feel life’s comforts, simple

Like a friendly, firm handshake

Like a baby’s darling dimple

Like a slice of birthday cake

Like a raindrop spangled puddle

Like a splash of violet stars

Like a sentimental muddle

Of  Love’s heartstring-tug-of-wars

Like a lilt where Lyric dangles

Bursting with unplumbed surprise

While the balladeer untangles

Tendrils of ink-cloven sighs

Like a stunning revelation

Or sudden epiphany

Make today a celebration

Of gratitude-poetry

© Janet Martin

"What?!!" gasped Dolly one to Dolly two

"What do you mean, you don't want a tweat/treat?!!"

(this I overheard while trying to sneak a pic) 😂💖

Make Today a Celebration

Inspired in part by King Solomon's Prayer of Dedication in 1 Kings 8:22-61

below, a small excerpt (click link above for full chapter)

1 Kings 8:56-61

“Praise be to the Lord, who has given rest to his people Israel just as he promised.

 Not one word has failed of all the good promises he gave through his servant Moses. 

57 May the Lord our God be with us as he was with our ancestors; 

may he never leave us nor forsake us. 

58 May he turn our hearts to him, to walk in obedience to him 

and keep the commands, decrees and laws he gave our ancestors. 

59 And may these words of mine, which I have prayed before the Lord,

 be near to the Lord our God day and night, 

that he may uphold the cause of his servant 

and the cause of his people Israel according to each day’s need,

 60 so that all the peoples of the earth may know 

that the Lord is God and that there is no other. 

61 And may your hearts be fully committed to the Lord our God, 

to live by his decrees and obey his commands, as at this time.”

It was also inspired in part by Isa.26

simply entitled a Song of Praise

May today, for each of us be a reverent hymn of praise

to He who is the same God today as in the days of old

and will ever be!

Father, We Praise Thee

Make today a celebration

Pour from forms of mortal dust

Reverence and adoration

For God, holy, true and just

He, whose glory beyond telling

Transcends heaven's highest parts

Yet He comes and makes His dwelling

In temples of human hearts

Praise Him where ten thousand reasons

Barely skims His majesty

He who twirls time’s reel of seasons

Lowered twixt eternity

Praise Him for His mighty power

Staying judgment’s righteous wrath

Until the appointed hour

When not one will scorn nor laugh

Make today a dedication

Of Self, humbly sacrificed

For there is no condemnation

For all they/we who are in Christ

Who do not walk in ways worldly

But according to God’s word

Strive to be a servant, wholly

With devotion undeterred

Make today a celebration

Ringing with authentic praise

To the Author of creation

For the wonder of His ways

He, who rich in mercy hears us

As we cast on Him our cares

He whose love unfailing cheers us

Though life’s pilgrimage of prayers

He whose judgements will not falter

By Him everything was made

He who witnesses the altar

Where worship's off'ring is laid 

Raise unrivaled adoration

Let praise, like an ocean roll

In a hymn of celebration

To the Saviour of the Soul

© Janet Martin

To the only wise God our Saviour, 

be glory and majesty, 

dominion and power, 

both now and ever. 

Amen.

Jude 1:25

The Best News the World's Ever Heard

 

This poem was inspired in part by this message

and in part by a broken heart for those

who don't know or simply don't care about

The Best News the World's Ever Heard

"Isn't this the best news the world's ever heard?!!"

Alistair Begg from the message/link below

Dealing with difficult people-Alistair Begg

Here is the best news that the world’s ever heard

Sealed in sacred script of God’s eternal word

In Him is the life, and that life is the Light

That shines in the darkness to give faith insight

To guide and direct, to rebuke and advise

To keen our conscience, lest sin blinds our eyes

To reprove excuses for commands we shirk

To train and equip us for every good work

To walk in a manner worthy of the call

From He who shed his own lifeblood once for all

So, all who believe in Him will never die

Saved from the curse wrought through the serpent’s first lie

Here is the best news that this world’s ever heard

Hope anchored in truth of God’s eternal word

His counsel to help us to trust and obey

To guard us from pitfalls on charming display

Because the law of the Lord is love’s delight

Awe’s sweet meditation by day and by night

To quicken the prayer for bold scorners that laugh

In the face of He who will sift them like chaff

When the day of grace that runs wild through each breath

Is severed as life’s silver cord yields to death

And it is to late to be suddenly stirred

By salvation’s best news this world’s ever heard

© Janet Martin

Psalm 1 KJV

Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly,

 nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.

2 But his delight is in the law of the Lord; 

and in his law doth he meditate day and night.

3 And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, 

that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither;

 and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.

4 The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away.

5 Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment,

 nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.

6 For the Lord knoweth the way of the righteous: 

but the way of the ungodly shall perish.

Such is Perhaps

I've come to the conclusion that love and life

are a fine mingling of disappointment and delight!

Torrential down-pours to and from Pennsylvania

 hampered/dampened what would have been even more spectacular views,

on our weekend getaway to attend our nephew's wedding!

Dodging the timing of the wipers to capture the *perfect shot became a bit of a game...

*(I quickly gave up on 'perfect' and simply hoped for a few unblurry shots)😅

But Saturday was less wet than forecasted 

so we didn't get drenched in the morning while doing touristy things

 nor in the afternoon did guests get drenched. 

The wedding was beautiful!

This beautiful couple have already been through some deeply refining disappointments

requiring dream-rearranging...(shot blurred for privacy sake)

Weather-disappointments are a part of life and overall

rather small on the scale of disappointments!

And God's handiwork is stunning, even in the rain!

(both literally and metaphorically)

Sometimes dreams don't turn out how we imagine/anticipate!

But if we place our dreams into God's hands

 perhaps, no, surely He will use the disappointment

to deepen our awareness and appreciation for

the myriad of mercies we are showered with daily! 

Dreamworlds collapse; Such is ‘perhaps’

…perhaps life’s bitter-sweetest means

Of teaching us to hope and trust

In more than destiny of dreams

Perhaps to help us hone the heart

To kinder, meeker give-and-take

Because we know the stinging smart

That ‘perhaps’ can leave in its wake

...to make us more aware of how

We wield the onus of replies

Where perhaps ‘perhaps’ is the ‘wow’

Still wearing broken-dream disguise

...while we weather warpaths of wish

Vexed by detours, potholes, barred gates

Perhaps we should remember this;

 Perhaps something far better waits

© Janet Martin

Life's disappointments develop and test

the mettle of our character.

Everyone is hunky-dory when life goes the way we like, right?

When it doesn't...ah! what then?!

1 Thess.5:18

...in everything give thanks; 

for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

A lot of our deepest disappointments are only fully witnessed

by He who truly loves and cares!

Thank-you, faithful Heavenly Father🙏

He Whispers To Me

Legacy of Faithfulness

No matter who we are or whatever our call,

both practically and spiritually,

it takes a lifetime to leave behind

a legacy of faithfulness.

Is faithfulness scarred by many a blow/wound?

Yes. But faithfulness is both gauntlet and goal!

Its achievement possible only through persistent perseverance.

Persistent perseverance only truly possible through many-a-prayer

and the sacred awareness of the giver of our abilities and its charge!

If we are faithless, He remains faithful; 

He cannot deny Himself.

2 Tim.2:13

(click link to the whole glorious chapter on guidelines for faithfulness)

Whether carpenter, housewife, spouse, 

preacher, poet, parent, 

teacher, butcher, baker,

truckdriver, candlestick maker, you-name-it...

faithfulness is never an overnight success!

My carpenter good naturedly allowed me to take his picture 

and said he doesn't mind if I use it on today's post...

He has just started his own business and is hoping, 

task by task to leave behind

a legacy of faithful care to his calling.

Below is his business card if you live in the area

and are looking for someone to do a home-project!

 

(With so many carpenters in my family & friend circle its hard to choose who to ask!!)

but while Shawn (family friend) was trying to decide whether to take this leap of faith

and go on his own we promised him if he does, 

we will give him this bathroom to do😊

A legacy of faithfulness is not hastily wrought

It cannot be accomplished by the high of noble thought

The reeling rush of feeling as it meets matters of fact

Cannot be counted on to keep meek faithfulness intact

A legacy of faithfulness does not attract applause

As it weathers the thick and thin of Is becoming Was

No one grand leap of faith is faithfulness, over and done

But step by step and day by day its legacy is won

A legacy of faithfulness perseveres, come what may

In its steadfast commitment to love, honor and obey

Through ebb and flow of high and low, faithfulness grins and groans

While learning the footwork/knee-work of stumbling blocks and stepping stones

A legacy of faithfulness, forged from prayers, smiles and tears

Awakes awareness of how moments are the sum of years

And years become far more than numbers on a birthday cake

Years are the culmination of what meted moments make

A legacy of faithfulness takes a lifetime to fill

Where today, always center stage gathers its scenes until

Life’s summary of seasons has collected in its sway

The very best of reasons to live/give our best each day

No matter who, or what we do, or where, we share this lot;

The onus of a legacy of faithfulness, or not

Where it is futile to despair; but rather bear in mind

The beauty/duty of this moment and how we leave it behind

A legacy of faithfulness is not impossible

He who is faithful helps us, like a daily miracle

By His sufficient grace we go, entrusting to His keep

Life's legacy of faithfulness; till faith's last flying leap 

© Janet Martin

Colossians 3:17
And whatever you do, in word or deed, 

do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, 

giving thanks to God the Father through Him.

Rapt Gaze/Praise

This is the day the Lord has made'

we will rejoice and be glad in it

Psalm 118:24

It's a brisk frost-embossed world this morning...

enough to drive wonder mad!

Granted to you and I, a gift to unwrap with rapt gaze/praise

To rouse replenished worship for mercy’s unwearied ways

Earth and sky like a smorgasbord groaning with beauty’s feast

Reminds us that life is far more than debt to duty’s beast

This is the day the Lord has made; tis by His grace we go

And mankind is never betrayed by He who loves us so

But trustworthy and true He helps us each step of the way

All you and I are called to do is trust Him, and obey

No melancholy mandate this, no grin-and-bear-it grind

For He who keeps His promises is merciful and kind

Where a parade of proofs displayed drives rapt gaze/praise wonder-mad

In this new day the Lord has made to rejoice and be glad

© Janet Martin

 

 

Eternal Good News, Eternal God

 

O taste and see that the LORD is good: 

blessed is the man that trusteth in Him. 

Psalm 34:8

For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting;

 and His truth endureth to all generations.

 Psalm 100:5

The LORD is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; 

and He knoweth them that trust in Him. 

Nahum 1:7

The LORD is good to all;

 and his tender mercies are over all His works.

 Psalm 145:9

He is an awesome Creator...

Grackle cackle over snack-le😂

 Robin Redbreast, photographed below, looks about as impressed as the photographer

with the cold rain-snow splashes...

Creation is budding and singing in spite of the nose-dived temperatures!

One small glimpse of a great God's faithfulness! 

He is a Heavenly Father, Anchor, Author, Helper, Friend

He is love, without beginning, Everlasting, without end

He is Perfect in His purpose, Confidante and Counsellor

He is patient. His compassion like an ocean with no shore

He is a steadfast Companion, Savior, Shepherd undeterred

An Infallible Example, gentle, humble. He is Word

He is Changeless, Wondrous, Warrior, Merciful, Misunderstood

He is Mighty and Majestic, Powerful, and Always Good

He is an awesome Creator, Mediator, Righteous Judge

Father, Son and Holy Spirit, He is Truth that will not budge

He is Omnipotent, Sovereign, Supreme, Divine, Deity

The Same as when first He uttered earth and heaven’s Let There Be

He is joy and peace, His grace is a gift no law can undo

He is Life Eternal purchased as His death, death overthrew

He is the Healer of nations, He is the Hope of the soul

He is Alpha and Omega, Absolute, in Full Control

He is worthy of all power, wisdom, honor, glory, praise

Where were we when first he laid the foundation of numbered days?

Where were we when He, all-knowing groaned to see salvation’s price

When in the garden of Eden, He slayed sin’s first sacrifice

He is the Risen Redeemer, King of kings and Lord of lords

He, like a Lamb led to slaughter crushed the dominion of swords

He is holy, hallelujah, nothing and no one transcends

The glory of a love story that faith’s every breath defends

He never leaves or forsakes us, He keeps all his promises

He hears the prayers of the righteous; He forgives if we confess 

He is never late or lazy; from His fullness blessings pour 

Trust Him, for from, through and for him are all things forevermore  

He is mortal's lifelong Good News; no woe can His joy erase 

He is faithful, aren't you thankful for the gospel of His grace

He is the call all will answer; His summons none can evade

Have you bowed, believed and thanked Him for the sinner's debt He paid?

 

Some still doubt and dare to trample underfoot the Son of Him

Some still hate and do not tremble at the mention of His Name

Some reject, despise, refuse Him, choosing what demons applaud

Some believe, receive, and love Him for He is the One True God

© Janet Martin