Monday, September 22, 2025

Sweet Summer is Over...


“Summer afternoon—
summer afternoon;
 to me those have always been the two
 most beautiful words in the English language.”
― Henry James

Autumn Afternoon,
Autumn Afternoon
To me those have always been the second two
most beautiful words in the English language!
-Janet Martin 😂

Hello, pumpkin lanterns... 



and fronds orange and gold




Sweet summer is over, 
Farewell, fields of clover
Where butterflies hover and honey bees buzz 
Farewell, blue lake splashes 
Popsicle mustaches,
 Farewell, barefoot dashes through Summer That Was

Farewell, sweaty noses
And roses on roses
And dusk's gate that closes Today, late and slow
Farewell, flower-bower
And warm, welcome shower 
And treetops that tower o'er shade-pools below 

...where blithe breezes dally
where leaf-whispers rally
In rivers that sally through meadows of air 
To cheer all who listen
With lyrics that glisten 
With glimpses of Heaven on earth, full of care  

Farewell, garden growing
With seeds overflowing
With mercy bestowing the fruit in its hold  
Farewell, front porch planters
And dew-drop decanters
Hello, pumpkin lanterns and fronds orange and gold 

Hello, season dappled
With reason, red-appled
And gratitude grappled from goodness, profound 
Where summer is over
But hails to the lover
Of autumn, where favours of wonder abound  

Hello, nature's banjo
Hailing the crescendo
Of scarlet and yellow, of harvest's full swing 
As wind-tumbled pleasure
And hope-humbled treasure
 Kindles the fine measure of awed thanksgiving  
 
Janet Martin

....of harvest's full swing



As wind-tumbled pleasure...




...and hope-humbled treasure








 
  

Hope In Spite of Hardship And A Hug for the Hurting...


All the comforts of this world
cannot replace the comforts of the Soul,
wherewith Faith is cheered!

All the wonders of the world
cannot eclipse the wonder of His Word,
whereby Faith is taught!

All the wealth of this world
cannot compare to the riches of His grace;
Faith's inheritance!

***
1 Cor.13:12
For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face:
now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.


There is SO much more to this life than what/who meets the eye!
(like potato-diggers or flowers)


Heb.11:6
And without faith it is impossible to please God,
because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists
and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.

***

Sometimes, when hardships come some doubt God
and his existence.
In the verses below David reflects, first on Joseph
who was sold as a slave, thrown into prison,
through false allegations,
before eventually being released
and given a place of highest honour!

Until the time that his word came to pass,
The word of the Lord tested him
Ps.105:19

...and then, also on the Israelites 
and God's faithful provision for them
in spite of their complaining and ungratefulness !

But (the Israelites) lusted exceedingly in the wilderness,
And tested God in the desert.
And He gave them their request,
But sent leanness into their soul.
Ps.106:14-15

Yesterday I visited a friend who recently moved into hospice.
She knows her time on this earth is almost over,
Yet,
Her room seemed filled with Hope's Palpable Presence; Peace! 
Through Christ's shed blood and her confession of faith,
when she repented and believed,
'in the valley of the shadow of death she fears no evil
for the Shepherd is with her; His rod and staff comfort her...'
(Still, please pray for her and her family!!)
In spite of this, these are hard days 😭🙏

Dear 'S' 💓




Oh God, help us desire You and trust in You
with all our heart 
and not lean on our own understanding,
lest you satisfy our hands with things we see
and send a leanness of soul! 

What awful dread to live, not led
By He who satisfies the Soul
To think and be, by what we see
Rather than faith that makes us whole

What utter loss, to scorn the cross
And settle for this wicked world
To count for naught, salvation wrought
Through Jesus' blood-bought grace unfurled 

What sad effect if we reject
Glad, Living Hope, through faith in He
Who, in death's hour preempts its pow'r
With life, for all eternity

But oh, what peace and joy increase
As we release the part we brave
To Jesus Christ who sacrificed
Himself to overthrow the grave

Janet Martin 

Leviticus 17:11
For the life of the flesh is in the blood, 
and I have given it to you to make atonement for your souls upon the altar; 
for it is the blood that makes atonement for the soul.

Hebrews 9:22
According to the law, in fact, nearly everything must be purified with blood, 
and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.

Matthew 26:28
This is My blood of the covenant, 
which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.

Ephesians 1:7
In Him we have redemption through His blood, 
the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace

1 John 1:7
But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, 
we have fellowship with one another, 
and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.
 

Thursday, September 18, 2025

Shadow-Forge

I LOVE September mornings, where shadows sprawl, tall across the waking land...
This, along with the memories of Lucy that people share helped inspire today's poem

John 9:4
I must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day;
 the night is coming when no one can work.




It is Today; where rooms expand with gleaming opportunity
And grace extends a helping hand, because life is no Easy Street
All that has passed to yester-path is beyond reach; the part we see
(So potent in its aftermath) unfolds fresh favour 'neath our feet

It is today; a fleeting hold soon melded to Eternal Past
As moments, like nuggets of gold, mold all that we cannot undo
While forging with subtle finesse a sort of shadow we all cast
An indelible sacredness we ought to pay attention to

It is Today; nothing we say can un-happen Bygone unfurled
The best we all can do is pray and trust the One who knows/shows the Way
Because the shadow that we weave will follow us beyond this world
Of the Influence that we leave, through how we loved and lived Today

We cannot wish or wash away, or detach ourselves from it
By deeds we do and words we say, shadows of influence soft-fall
For better or for worse; life shapes that which transcends its transient flit 
A shadow sprawled across thought-scapes that those who yet remain, recall  

Janet Martin









Wednesday, September 17, 2025

It's Been a Year...

Today marks a year of trusting God's purpose
in taking Lucy from this earth...
Thank-you everyone, for your caring and support throughout this year!
God bless you all!

Deut.29:29
 (The verse that Lucy's funeral message was drawn from)
“The secret things belong to the Lord our God,
 but those things which are revealed belong to us 
and to our children forever, 
that we may do all the words of this law.

Dear Lucy...
(Beloved Daughter, sister, wife, sister-in-law,
daughter-in-law, mother, mother-in-law, aunt and Grammy 
and beloved friend, missed by many) 


It's been a year of succumbing to grips
With 'what is', again and again
Of trusting in God when His Sovereignty strips
Sure answers from every 'amen'

It's been a year of  meek joy, sorrow-awed
By loss that has left a huge hole
While finding firsthand, the faithfulness of God
Whose rod and staff comforts the soul

It's been a year of considering oft
This life and what fashions its worth
Before The Intangible is borne aloft
And body returns to the earth

...before the measure of Lifetime is weighed
In a Balance, sacred and just
Before Truth reveals where treasure is laid
Before Soul-to-God, dust-to-dust 

It's been a year of relinquishing 'why?'
To God's higher purpose and will
Until hymns come true, In the Sweet By and By

It's been a year where we felt the full force
Of Hope's/Faith's utter un-commonplace 
Of drinking in moments, more tuned to the Source
Like nectar from fountains of grace

...of four-word love-letters like 'thaw, heat and serve'
'How are you doing', 'I'm praying for you'
While weathering many-a-sharp learning curve
 While suffering love's decreed due  

...while we stuffed our faces into peonies
While we gathered to reminisce 
While we laughed and wept, and made new memories
Honored with , 'Lucy would have loved this!' 

It's been a year of hope's anchor reviewed 
Of love abounding more and more
Why does it take loss to renew gratitude 
For each other, like never before?

It's been a year of hug-warm tender care
Of heartaches no poem can spell 
Of kindness on kindness, of prayer upon prayer
Of tears for the flower that fell 

Of feeling a keen sense of urgency
For all still like sheep, wandering 
 Ignoring impending eternity
As if it were not a sure thing 
 
It's been a year of learning to let go
While holding the part left behind
Of frames filled with pictures and echoes that flow
Through sorrow and joy intertwined 

It's been a year of oft coming to terms
With what we can never undo 
While leaning on the everlasting arms
Of God, who is faithful and true

It's been a year of learning to revere
A law we should never dismiss
Of, 'If the Lord wills we shall live and go here
Or there, and do that or this'  

Janet Martin

James 4:13-15
Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, 
spend a year there, carry on business, and make a profit.”
 14You do not even know what will happen tomorrow!
 What is your life? 
You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.
Instead you ought to say,
 “If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that.”

Deut.33:27
The eternal God is your refuge,
And underneath are the everlasting arms;






Tuesday, September 16, 2025

Snatches of September Song...

Happy over halfway-through-September and
the first day of the last week of summer
so, slow down and enjoy!! 


Ps.89:11
The heavens are Yours, the earth also is Yours;
The world and all its fullness, 
You have founded them




The flowers, as if sensing summer’s impending demise
With orchestral-like vim, reach for crescendos, no holds barred...



As asters, at long last release glimpses of paradise
In Masterpieces tossed across landscapes, white-purple-starred...


The flowers, as if sensing summer’s impending demise
With orchestral-like vim, reach for crescendos, no holds barred
As asters, at long last release glimpses of paradise
In Masterpieces tossed across landscapes, white-purple-starred
And orchard throughfares bustle with brief activity
As ballads of ‘kerplunk’ kindle an ageless, pure delight
As crickets serenade all of beloved humanity
For everyone is precious in their Choir-conductor’s sight
Thus, we are all beholden to join in as best we can
To worship The Creator of the heavens and the earth
To echo dear old David as He marveled ‘what is man?
That He is mindful of us, and grants tasks of sacred worth

Goldenrod-tapers gleam along freeways and boulevards
That wander from the beaten path through rural solitude
The silver-poplar shimmers, tugging at heartstrings of bards
Evoking poetry, plumbed from scents of summer subdued
From misty morning meanders, from musky, dusky strolls
From fields farmers denude; from gardens, spilling final spoil
From an emerging aura of autumn, rolling through souls
Where once-upon-sweet-summer’s day we reveled in its toil
Atop the tides that tug beneath in Holy Ground of Now
To-everything-a-season and purpose under the sun
As September keens us more closely, to Time’s Scythe somehow
As trees, once green adapt a sheen of hues, not quite begun

Devotion/emotion chokes on wonder; ‘what is man’ that God should bless
Our neglect of worship, with Beauty’s unplumbed reserves
Meeting bold expectation with pear-plum-kissed happiness
With more to thrill awe’s senses than any of us deserves
While we are drawing nearer to a line we cannot see
For some of us September will draw one last door ajar
For some of us September will unveil eternity
Thus, we should all remember God, no matter who we are
Before Time’s silver cord is loosed and its golden bowl breaks
Before September’s embers dim and yield to He who grants
Each apple-dappled, dewdrop-dazzled frond; who gives and takes
Who founded every favour of Divine Extravagance

Corn-rows arrange a symphony of whispers, like a toast
To butterflies bobbing beneath heaven’s boundless blue swell
Harvest, hope’s culmination humbles calloused, mortal boast
As mercy, new each morning twirls September’s carousel
As nostrils fill with nuances of nature’s fine vermouth
As we consider God, and love’s divine extravagance
As we learn how to worship Him in spirit and in truth
As September unveils a smorgasbord of evidence
As we, agape, witness the One whose Sovereign order rules
Where through worlds clearly seen even a child can understand
As Innocence, immune to the pitiful plight of fools
Catches snatches of music from September’s beaming band

Janet Martin

Meeting bold expectation with pear-plum-kissed happiness...


As nostrils fill with nuances of nature’s fine vermouth...



...like a toast
To butterflies bobbing beneath heaven’s boundless blue swell



Harvest, hope’s culmination humbles calloused, mortal boast...







Saturday, September 13, 2025

On Conditional Promises

We all desire a beautiful life,
as glorious as a chocolate-cherry hibiscus in full bloom!
But there are certain conditions necessary for flowers to
bloom profusely, such as adequate sun and rain!




So too,  there are conditions when it comes to a truly, beautiful life
 rich with spiritual blessings; 
the beauty of true hope, joy and peace

Each of the preciously comforting promises below, 
(a few of many)  are conditional;
God's part contingent on our response to Him,
reserved for all who fear God and keep His commandments. (Eccles.12:13)

Ps.145:18
The LORD is near to all who call on Him,
to all who call out to Him in truth.

Ps.103:17-18
But the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting
On those who fear Him,
And His righteousness to children’s children,
18To such as keep His covenant,
And to those who remember His commandments to do them.

Rom.8:1
There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus,
who[a] do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.

Rom.8:28
And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God,
to those who are the called according to His purpose.

Matt7:21
“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven,
but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.

John 14:15-17
“If you love Me, [d]keep My commandments. 
16 And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another [e]Helper, 
that He may abide with you forever— 
17 the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive,
 because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; 
but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.

In light of promises such as these, a prayer,
(because God sees my heart and who/what I most truly worship)
Without His help and righteousness, my faith is impossible to please Him! 

Lord, help me do my part to trust You and obey
Then You will satisfy my heart and hear me when I pray 
The comfort You instill grants joy and peace divine
Impossible to know, until I yield my will to Thine
You are the God of hope; there is none besides Thee
Without You, Want is doomed to grope in faithless misery
But with You, come what may, Your promises abide
To all who trust You and obey You faithfully provide
And satisfy our need beyond our wildest ken
You hear our prayers and intercede with perfect love. Amen  

Janet Martin

Rom15:13
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, 
so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

My camera is on its last gasp!
I'm so thankful it worked well enough to capture
this beauty before it fades








Friday, September 12, 2025

Beyond the 'But In Part' We See

Below, a photo of a handmade card from a friend,
given almost a year ago...


(the above verse one of my favs)

On Sunday morning one of my students asked me if I have a favorite Bible verse.
 I replied that favourite verses vary, depending on what is happening, etc! 
On that particular morning I had meditated on Ps.119:165.
(because, I asked, 'who doesn't want 'great peace' ?
and that verse tells us who has it and how) 

Today I turned to this familiar and beloved Psalm, 
also an enduring favorite, 
filled with consolation and worship 
as we weather a world filled with sin and it's consequences
 such as sickness and sorrow!

Some sorrows are very public
and others very private!
But God knows them all!

Ps. 46
God is our refuge and strength,
A[a] very present help in trouble.
2 Therefore we will not fear,
Even though the earth be removed,
And though the mountains be carried into the [b]midst of the sea;
3 Though its waters roar and be troubled,
Though the mountains shake with its swelling. Selah

4 There is a river whose streams shall make glad the city of God,
The holy place of the [c]tabernacle of the Most High.
5 God is in the midst of her, she shall not be [d]moved;
God shall help her, just [e]at the break of dawn.
6 The nations raged, the kingdoms were moved;
He uttered His voice, the earth melted.

7 The Lord of hosts is with us;
The God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah

8 Come, behold the works of the Lord,
Who has made desolations in the earth.
9 He makes wars cease to the end of the earth;
He breaks the bow and cuts the spear in two;
He burns the chariot in the fire.

10 Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth!

11 The Lord of hosts is with us;
The God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah

***

Take up Thy cross and follow He who grants sufficient grace
Beyond the ‘but in part’ we see before ‘then, face to face’
He helps us bear the suffering that faith must first endure
Beneath the shadow of His wing joy and peace are secure

Do not despair though dark may seem the valley of the hour
The trying of our faith will gleam with God’s sustaining pow’r
Here morning breaks and disappears; all is change and decay
But God remains the same; His years shall never pass away

Then, trust in God with all your heart; He is all-wise and good
From earth we know Him ‘but in part’; love oft misunderstood
So, fix your eyes upon the Prize of ‘someday, face to face’
And do not dread the test that tries the perfecting of faith

Be still and know that He is God; He is faithful and true
Take courage, for His staff and rod protect and guide us through
The valley of the shadow of the part He overcame
At Calvary, for all who love and believe in His Name

Janet Martin

1 Cor.13:12 NKJV
For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face.
Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known.



Heb.12:1-3
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, 
let us throw off every encumbrance and the sin that so easily entangles, 
and let us run with endurance the race set out for us.
  2Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the authora and perfecter of our faith, 
who for the joy set before Him endured the cross,
 scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 
3Consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners,
 so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

Thursday, September 11, 2025

We All Have Much In Common (or, We All Need God)

Rom.8:35-39
Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?
 Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution,
 or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?
 36 As it is written:
“For Your sake we are killed all day long;
We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.” (Ps.44:22)

37 Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors
 through Him who loved us.
 38 For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, 
nor angels nor principalities nor powers,
 nor things present nor things to come, 
39 nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing,
 shall be able to separate us from the love of God 
which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.


2 Cor.4:7-9
But we have this treasure in jars of clay, 
to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. 
8 We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; 
perplexed, but not driven to despair; 
9 persecuted, but not forsaken; 
struck down, but not destroyed;








We all have discouragements, doubts and wants and wishes, still withheld
And worlds within, where those without cannot behold dream-castles felled
Where we are often soundly taught by age-old laws of live-and-learn
Because wisdom cannot be bought, but is something we all must earn

We all have reason to lament when love is buffeted and kicked
We all need God to heal and mend the wounds life is bound to inflict
Thus, we should all call upon Him; before the silence of the grave
Because there is no other Name under Heaven able to save

Nothing is greater than God’s love, though sometimes hate appears to be
Because it is the servant of pride and deceit’s barbarity
Evil is handicapped by Time; but because God is love, love IS
His truth endures: He IS Sublime; greater IS He than all of This

We all have holy hurts and hopes, and long for happiness made whole
Where, without God the spirit gropes but cannot find rest for the soul
Therefore, we all should purpose to be kinder to our fellowman
Because we are all part of who God knew would need salvation’s plan

We all need hope; invalid, save through the power of Christ’s shed blood
But what a wondrous hope we have in the redeeming love of God
(He IS the Way, the Truth, The Life) His everlasting love prevails
No matter what trial or strife may test our faith, Love never fails

We have treasure in jars of clay, no worldly avenger can seize
We know that come whatever may God’s pow’r transcends all enemies
His truth endures forevermore; His is judgement and mercy’s seat
Then lift your voice and praise Him for His love no rival can defeat

We all have much in common in this very broken human race
But most of all the love of One who saves us through His Son, by grace
We all need God; without Him every earthly gain is utter loss
But with Him every grief and pain reflects the glory of the cross

Janet Martin

Matt.5:3-12
“Blessed are the poor in spirit,
For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 Blessed are those who mourn,
For they shall be comforted.
5 Blessed are the meek,
For they shall inherit the [a]earth.
6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
For they shall be filled.
7 Blessed are the merciful,
For they shall obtain mercy.
8 Blessed are the pure in heart,
For they shall see God.
9 Blessed are the peacemakers,
For they shall be called sons of God.
10 Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake,
For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

11 Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. 12 Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.