This Little Flicker of a Tree

 

Sometimes dread tries to drive a wedge between joy and hope’s promises

Sometimes it tries to trump the pledge of mercy’s renewed faithfulness

Or darken the doorway of dawn with doubt and fear for the unknown

Until I hear the voice of One who whispers ‘You are not alone’

Sometimes the weight of creature care could rob me of would-be delight

Love’s load in constant need of prayer, life’s road a walk by faith, not sight

Sometimes the winds and waves of love could defeat courage thoroughly

Until I am reminded of ‘no longer I, but Christ in me’

Sometimes a formless enemy hisses and kindles vain debate

This liar tries to threaten me with Logic while God whispers ‘wait’

Where sometimes discouragement bends this little flicker of a tree

Until I cry to God who sends angels to minister to me

© Janet Martin

Jer.17:5-8

This is what the Lord says:

“Cursed is the one who trusts in man,

who draws strength from mere flesh

and whose heart turns away from the Lord.

6 That person will be like a bush in the wastelands;

they will not see prosperity when it comes.

They will dwell in the parched places of the desert,

in a salt land where no one lives.

7 “But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord,

whose confidence is in him.

8 They will be like a tree planted by the water

that sends out its roots by the stream.

It does not fear when heat comes;

its leaves are always green.

It has no worries in a year of drought

and never fails to bear fruit.”

This cross in the sky felt like a tangible whisper this morning!!

Psalm 147:1

Praise[a] the Lord!

For it is good to sing praises to our God;

For it is pleasant, and praise is beautiful.

God's Precious Promises- Dr. Charles Stanley

Of Love's Impending Choices

After a stretch of rain last week

every farmer and gardener is paying close attention

to the condition of the soil with common quest;

"is it dry enough to till and plant?!"

And then we will not heedlessly toss seeds here and there

hoping for the best. 

Planting is done with careful heed,

the eye on its harvest!

Imagine if we kept our eyes on the soil of the soul

and planted with careful precision/decision

with our eyes on the harvest!

Across shorelines of morning mercy’s renewed breakers roll...

Across shorelines of morning mercy’s renewed breakers roll

Where wonderment and warning reanoint cause and effect

Of love’s impending choices soon strewn beneath high noon’s toll

Ere Dusk collects the voices that will waft in retrospect

This is no fickle bower that bends with dawn’s blushing ‘yet’

Today’s brief leaf and flower, metes far more than meets the eye

Where though time never lingers, its swift moment-presses set

What slips through lips and fingers into permanent reply

How sacred is the summons that draws us from slumber’s woo

Where this we share in common; we will reap the seeds we sow

This should give us good reason to pay close attention to

What follows planting season and what soon Harvest will show

Dusk holds far more than lullabies beneath its beckoning 

Morn metes far more than beaming skies beneath its gleaming burst

Where love's impending choices wait to author reckoning

Where soon the Harvest voices what was moment-sized at first

© Janet Martin

Gal.6:7

Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; 

for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.

There is never an isolated action.

For better or worse

Action yields consequence

Some 'consequences are pure joy

such as...cake!

from this...

to this...

 to this...

to this!

...in almost no time at all!

Now's Love Song or Masterpiece in the Making

Wherever we are at in life, what ever part of the song,

may we learn to trust the Maestro

till the Masterpiece is complete...

My music sheet is a bit messy and paint-splattered  these days...

...hoping to get it a bit more organized today

before a belated birthday supper for Matt tonight!

(finishing this post while waiting for the cocoa-mixture to cool before

I can finish mixing the cake)

Matt's fav; Cocoa Chiffon Cake

This poem niggled beneath my ribs

from drifts of music from noisier

days gone by...

It seeps through heart-shaped holes, through walls weathered and whisper thin

A little like a gong that tolls when dusk is closing in

It gathers missing faces from Bygone’s lost places near

A love song of awareness to embrace the now and here

This is the life. Unfolding not upon yon fairer clime

That morrow is withholding; now is all we have of time

To touch and taste, to hug and kiss, to revel in the thrill

Of a love song we dare not miss as its melodies spill

...while penning lyrics to a tune not fully composed yet

A crescendo of crescent moon, a petal pirouette

A rush of sound and color, a rippling arpeggio

A test of will and valor as we hold, but to let go

A smile-tear-prayer glistened yes-no, a courage-christened leap

Now high, now low, now fast, now slow Now's ballads lilt and weep

To seep through heart-shaped holes, through walls weathered and wonder-worn

Where every gifted half-note tolls with love songs being born

© Janet Martin

Eph.5:15-20

See then that ye walk circumspectly, 

not as fools, but as wise,

16 Redeeming the time, 

because the days are evil.

17 Wherefore be ye not unwise, 

but understanding what the will of the Lord is.

18 And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; 

but be filled with the Spirit;

19 Speaking to yourselves in psalms 

and hymns 

and spiritual songs, 

singing 

and making melody

 in your heart to the Lord;

20 Giving thanks always for all things 

unto God and the Father 

in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;

Wind-song of Hope

It rings in nature’s thoroughfare

It sings in dawn’s hurrah...

It steals into each dewdrop kiss...

It flickers on the woodland wick

Aura of imminence

Ignites the budded candlestick

In mossy ambience...

It rings in nature’s thoroughfare

It sings in dawn’s hurrah

And rouses in the heart a prayer

Of never-ending awe

It flickers on the woodland wick

Aura of imminence

Ignites the budded candlestick

In moss-green ambience

It steals into each dewdrop kiss

It heals the broken dream

And to a world with much amiss

Florets unfettered stream

It lilts in warbling rondelay

It bursts with fresh belief

It waves winter’s chill wind away

With silky handkerchief

It refuels the poet’s pen

Benison of blue sky

Crowns worship’s refurbished amen

With wonder’s my-oh-my

Nothing compares to its cajole

This rival of defeat

Revives, restores, renews the soul

With anthems, warm and sweet

It tickles even stiffest lips

With hint of giddy grin

And kindles kind companionship

To all who let it in

It brings a bounce to farmer’s gait

Eye on yon graying slope

And satisfies war-sighs of ‘wait’

With Spring’s Wind-song of Hope

© Janet Martin

After a frigid, rainy week we are welcoming 

a warmer, sunny start to a new week!

Job 37:21-24

Now no one can look at the sun,

bright as it is in the skies

after the wind has swept them clean.

22 Out of the north he comes in golden splendor;

God comes in awesome majesty.

23 The Almighty is beyond our reach and exalted in power;

in his justice and great righteousness, he does not oppress.

24 Therefore, people revere him,

for does he not have regard for all the wise in heart?[b]”

Simply Profound

Happiest of Weekend to you

as you/we rediscover and explore 

the eternal wonder of 

Love,

making worthwhile 

every mile

every smile, 

every tear, 

every task

And stunning us 

with so much more

Than we could think of ask

-ing for...

This not-so-secret ingredient

makes mundane 'musts' an honor to perform

Suddenly because of love

joy takes the heart by storm

as wonder wakens worship

and worship begins to brim

turning the very common chore

to hallelujah-hymn 

Today's chores include potluck prep for

tomorrow's lunch...

It makes the sacred difference

In everything we face

The action and the consequence

Humbled and honed by grace

It heaps the heart with thankfulness

And softens Want’s reply

With a replenished happiness

That money cannot buy

It sweetens would-be commonplace

And purifies intent

And tunes the motive in life’s race

With awe and compliment

It is simple, yet so profound

Cheering pauper and king

It turns time into holy ground

And sweetens suffering

...because its joy runs rife with pain

Yet none can get enough

Of what none can fully explain

The greatest of these; love

© Janet Martin

Love equips/compels us to willingly walk

where without it, we would not

1 Cor.13:13

And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; 

but the greatest of these is love.

2 Cor.5:14-15

For the love of Christ compels us, because we judge thus: 

that if One died for all, then all died; 

15and He died for all, that those who live 

should live no longer for themselves,

 but for Him who died for them and rose again.

Obedience or Not

Obedience or not.

These are the only two options we've got

The consequence of Choice's sum

affects generations to come...

Eph.1:3

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 

who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, ...

It is not long until Innocence suffers the consequence

of what we do and teach...

God, help us!!

Ah yes! You have!

We have your eternal and abiding Word...

Psalm 119:89-96

Forever, O Lord,

Your word [a]is settled in heaven.

90 Your faithfulness endures to all generations; (can I hear a hallelujah!!)

You established the earth, and it [b]abides.

91 They continue this day according to Your ordinances,

For all are Your servants.

92 Unless Your law had been my delight,

I would then have perished in my affliction.

93 I will never forget Your precepts,

For by them You have given me life.

94 I am Yours, save me;

For I have sought Your precepts.

95 The wicked wait for me to destroy me,

But I will [c]consider Your testimonies.

96 I have seen the consummation of all perfection,

But Your commandment is exceedingly broad.

God's love is unconditional but His blessing is not

His blessing is reserved for they who fear and obey God

God sees the heart; futile to dress excuse in noble thread

And boldly break His 'thou shalt not' with proud and unbowed head

The consequence of disobedience without remorse 

And repentance, affects an unfathomable divorce

For God, righteous, gracious and kind is holy, true and just

He never winks at rebels or turns a blind eye to lust 

If we confess our sins, God, rich in mercy will forgive

For He is just and faithful, but not mocked; then how we live

Becomes the proof of who we serve, by what we say and do

We choose One Master; it is impossible to serve two 

God's love is unconditional and steadfast to the end

He will not always tarry, then be wary, fellow-friend

Though, oh, so many fall away, though the wicked increase

They who obey, He blesses with His righteousness and peace

God, help us pay more earnest heed to that which we have heard

So that we do not drift, anchored in Thy eternal word

Help us to trust in You and in the Way that You direct

Rather than lofty logic of unguarded intellect

Janet Martin~

2 Tim.4:1-5

I charge you [a]therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, 

who will judge the living and the dead [b]at His appearing and His kingdom: 

2Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. 

Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching. 

3For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, 

but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, 

they will heap up for themselves teachers; 

4and they will turn their ears away from the truth,

 and be turned aside to fables.

  5But you be watchful in all things, 

endure afflictions, 

do the work of an evangelist, 

fulfill your ministry.

Romans 2:13

for it is not the hearers of the Law who are just before God, 

but the doers of the Law will be justified.

James 4:4-10

You adulteresses!b Do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God?

 Therefore, whoever chooses to be a friend of the world renders himselfc an enemy of God.

  5Or do you think the Scripture says without reason 

that the Spiritd He caused to dwell in us yearns with envy?

  6But He gives us more grace. This is why it says:

“God opposes the proud,

but gives grace to the humble.”e

7Submit yourselves, then, to God. 

Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

8Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you. 

Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 

9Grieve, mourn, and weep. 

Turn your laughter to mourning, and your joy to gloom.

10Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will exalt you.

Today Page

 

oh look! Breakfast visitors!

Our lives are like a book

Each day a page we fill

With choice and consequence. Ah, look

Where morning’s mercies spill

Not willing that we turn

To where we were before

Love splays beneath the ways we learn

A pristine page once more

Duty and beauty brim

Ah look; the earth is green

Spring hoists a hallelujah hymn

Where Barren World had been

How much God’s grace allots

To be so thankful for

His goodness overflows with what

Has never been before

…yet age to age proclaims

The faithfulness of He

Who lowers death’s verge to life’s frames

Hinged to eternity

Where the ink we employ

Is poured from virgin grails

God beckons us to sing for joy

For His kindness prevails

Oh pray, as we advance

In years, life’s lessons earn

More than a weathered countenance

But wisdom’s rich return

Run through with thankfulness

For each new Today Page

From God’s enduring faithfulness

From age to age to age

© Janet Martin

Psalm 95:1-7

Come, let us sing for joy to the LORD;

let us shout to the Rock of our salvation!

2Let us enter His presence with thanksgiving;

let us make a joyful noise to Him in song.

3For the LORD is a great God,

a great King above all gods.

4In His hand are the depths of the earth,

and the mountain peaks belong to Him.

5The sea is His, for He made it,

and His hands formed the dry land.

6O come, let us worship and bow down;

let us kneel before the LORD our Maker.

7For He is our God,

and we are the people of His pasture,

the sheep under His care.

Song-sparrows are singing their little birdie-hearts out

this morning, but I couldn't get a long clip

because of a steady stream of noisy traffic...

Tangible Reminders (of Who God Is)

Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior,

who daily bears our burdens.

Psalm 68:19

Sometimes when we pass through seasons of (prayer)-discouragement,

God convicts and comforts us 

with tangible reminders of who He is; 

Faithful 

As surely as nature displays his faithfulness

in every season,

so too is His perfect timing in our lives!

These two poems by Edgar A. Guest remind us to take a breath

...and Behold!

The birthplace of today runs rife

(In spite of weight of care)

With much to make this little life

A lovely thing to bear

Beauty’s showcase is marvelous

Winter-spring-summer-fall

Makes it impossible to miss

The One who wills it all

The budded branch bursts into song

The tresses of its hymn

A shelter for the feathered throng

The nests in lofty limb

A masterpiece of petals spills

From frilly lily-loom

River-ribbons wind between hills

At night star-gardens bloom

…and as the afternoon unwinds

To twilight’s vestibules

The Artist of dusk’s murals finds

Constant originals

Beneath a canopy of sky

Oft aweing mortal gaze

We go; God sees the low and high

Of every trail we blaze

…and beckons us to trust the love

That moves His mighty Hand

In ways that grants grand glimpses of

Who none can understand

© Janet Martin

…and as the afternoon unwinds

To twilight’s vestibules

The Artist of dusk’s murals finds

Constant originals...

The budded branch bursts into song...

The tresses of its hymn

A shelter for the feathered throng

The nests in lofty limb...

1 John 5:14

This is the confidence we have in approaching God: 

that if we ask anything according to his will, 

he hears us.