Tuesday, October 28, 2025

Along Life's Way






Somewhere along life's way the truth
gathers up innocence, then youth
falls easy prey to changeless ways
no one can thwart or trick or faze

Naivety, once stupid bliss
is wizened by Time's surly kiss
through lessons, futile to refute.
Life's teacher is a patient brute

...chasing seasons through hasting years
while doling out laughter and tears
 in ways not unlike days of yore
as truth takes us on its grand tour 

of Herculean leaps and bounds
while its fearless finesse confounds
answers once slick and full of prose
cut to the quick by knockout blows/no's  
 
where everybody is fair game
and no one can exemption claim
when it comes to proving the truth
that starts with Innocence, then youth

With subtle ease the seasons turn
no one too young or old to learn
to love, to hope in God, to pray
And bless someone along life's way

Janet Martin


 

Beholden Hallelujahs



Ps.66:1-3
Make a joyful noise to God,
all the earth!
2Sing the glory of His name;
make His praise glorious.
3Say to God, “How awesome are Your deeds!

Today's poem is a bit like a tot I love dearly, 
but at the moment have lost the delight in,
because my patience has been worn to a frazzle! 
Maybe because there really are no words to truly capture
October-kindled hallelujahs...
(First the poem began to spill in 15-syllable lines 
but when I returned to it I had lost that rhythm 
so I tried to balance it with an extra syllable, 
but in the end attempted to smooth it, by reducing it to 14-syllable lines...)
Anyone who writes knows we prefer when words flow and meld
like music from an invisible orchestra. 

October rouses Beholden Hallelujahs streaming
Earth is God’s vermillion-golden Magnum Opus gleaming...


Autumn’s color-palette captures awe’s speechless attention
Amber ambience enraptures heart and soul’s dimension...


Sunbeam kindled leaf-lamps flicker, 


fragile grandeur scatters...




October rouses Beholden Hallelujahs streaming
Earth is God’s vermillion-golden Magnum Opus gleaming
Autumn’s color-palette captures awe’s speechless attention
Amber ambience enraptures heart and soul’s dimension

October regales creation with hues, mesmerizing
Vivid bursts of exaltation preface white baptizing
Sunbeam kindled leaf-lamps flicker, fragile grandeur scatters
Flowers falter, bluejays bicker; orchards brim with ladders

Woodlands woo us with ensembles where arrangements dazzle
Consummate percussion trembles; tinseled treetops frazzle
While we, beholden Beholders grapple with sheer wonder
Where the hearth of summer smolders with autumnal plunder

Delight spills in exclamations perfectly enchanted
Autumn-lover’s expectations bittersweetly granted
Happiness of fall eclipses farewell’s tug of sorrow
While a sense of favour fills us with hope for tomorrow

The heavens declare God’s glory; utterly spellbinding
October, like a love story, leaf by leaf unwinding
Ash and aspen lampposts wander from beaten path’s bustle
Hailing us to follow, under, over Autumn’s rustle

October bids us to dally in its guiltless pleasure
Scale the hill, explore the valley rich with beauty-treasure
None of us are growing younger; we should seize each offer
To appease awe’s thirst and hunger from October’s coffer

Leaf by leaf and hour by hour darling October dwindles
Petals from a mammoth flow’r that nature’s gusto swindles
While we, Beholden Beholders, hallelujah-smitten
Dredge the dimming of October for hymns still unwritten

Janet Martin

The heavens declare God’s glory; utterly spellbinding...





October, like a love story, leaf by leaf unwinding...



Monday, October 27, 2025

Thank-you Lord, For Your Patience

2 Pet.3:9
The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, 
as some understand slowness.
 Instead he is patient with you, 
not wanting anyone to perish,
 but everyone to come to repentance.

His mercy is new every morning!
Hallelujah!


Lam.3:22-24
Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed,
Because His compassions fail not.
23They are new every morning;
Great is Your faithfulness.
24“The Lord is my portion,” says my soul,
“Therefore I hope in Him!”

Today's 'poem/prayer' was inspired in part
by *my church family's weekly prayer digest.
The 'adore' section begins with this truth;
God is patient.
The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God,
slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness.
Ex. 34:6

Thank-you Lord, for Your patience with us;
For your patience when we are impatient.
When we are complaining instead of thankful,
When we are selfish instead of generous
When we treat serving like a burden instead of a privilege/blessing
When we are lazy instead of intentional/industrious
When we have good/best intentions without discipline to see them through
When we are worldly instead of holy/carnal instead of spiritual
When we are talking instead of listening
When we are careless instead of careful
When we are willful/stubborn instead of surrendered
When we are blind instead of seeing
When we are doubting instead of trusting
When we are hurrying instead of being still and knowing you are God
When we are worrying instead of worshipping
When we are boasting instead of praising
When we are bitter instead of forgiving
When we are judgmental instead of helpful/prayerful
When we are thoughtless instead of thoughtful
When we are neglectful instead of faithful
When we are hateful or apathetic instead of loving

Thank-you Lord, for your patience with me,
Your daughter, Janet

*Do you have a  'my church family'?
Do you feel loved and supported by a faith-community?
(If not, I am praying that you will find one!)
Do you, in order to feel truly connected with your church family, 
commit to gathering with them every week, (health permitting)
making 'gathering' a priority, over other enticing options?
Lord, convict us where we need convicting.
Correct us where we need correcting.
Forgive us, as we confess.
Encourage us as we endeavor anew to
seek first your Kingdom
'for thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory
forever and ever,
Amen.





Saturday, October 25, 2025

To Be Obedient and True...

My oldest grandson is having a life-lesson
in what it means to give his fears to God
After a tragic accident the other week claimed the life of both parents
of a family they were/are quite closely connected with
he expressed his fears this morning, as he and his siblings are preparing
to spend the day at our house to give our daughter and husband a day to themselves
to be refreshed a bit during this season of grief...
'but what if you get in a car crash?'
They explained to him they will do their part to drive carefully
and then we need to trust in God and not live in fear.

To trust God is faith's first step of obedience,
as we trust Him for our salvation!
Through faith's reverence for God's Word/promises
His love for us grows our love for Him! 

My prayer is for my grandson to begin discovering
God's joy and peace in his childhood, 
as he learns to trust because none of us can see
what lies ahead!



To be obedient and true to God whose commands never shift
Would be impossible to do without love for His glorious gift
Through Jesus Christ, who sacrificed His life to break the curse of sin
And, all who repent and believe, receive His divine pow'r within

To be obedient and true wreaks havoc with our stubborn/fearful will
Until we yield without holds to He who alone can joy fulfill
Then as we walk by faith not sight, trusting, knowing God will provide
His law will be our chief delight and Self more readily denied 

To be obedient and true to God's commands is to secure
The riches of His promises through tests faith is bound to endure
Because we, without tragedy and loss would not find wealth untold; 
The proven character of faith, more precious by far, than much gold

To be obedient and true, to seek God and His Kingdom first
Would seem a thankless thing to do while idolizing/idealizing goals, sin-cursed
But, when we repent and believe, we receive faith's glorious goal
That none but God's grace can achieve or grant; salvation for the soul 

We all like sheep have gone astray and turned from our Shepherd, the Lord
Who died upon a cross to pay a debt that no one could/can afford
Like a Lamb led to slaughter He bore the chastisement we deserve 
Oh, pray faith's eloquence will be obedience without reserve 

Janet Martin

And being found in appearance as a man,
 He humbled Himself and became obedient to death—even death on a cross.

Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author 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.

After the anguish of His soul, 
He will see the light of life and be satisfied. 
By His knowledge My righteous Servant will justify many, 
and He will bear their iniquities.

Eph.2:1-10
And you were dead in your trespasses and sins,
  2in which you used to walk when you conformed to the ways of this world and
 of the ruler of the power of the air, 
the spirit who is now at work in the sons of disobedience.
  3All of us also lived among them at one time, 
fulfilling the cravings of our flesh and indulging its desires and thoughts. 
Like the rest, we were by nature children of wrath.

4But because of His great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 
5made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in our trespasses.
 It is by grace you have been saved! 
6And God raised us up with Christ 
and seated us with Him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus,
  7in order that in the coming ages 
He might display the surpassing riches of His grace, 
demonstrated by His kindness to us in Christ Jesus.
8For it is by grace you have been saved through faith, 
9not by works, so that no one can boast. 
10For we are God’s workmanship,

Thursday, October 23, 2025

Beautiful Innocence...


Mark 9:36-37
36Then He took a little child and set him in the midst of them.
And when He had taken him in His arms, He said to them,
37“Whoever receives/welcomes one of these little children in My name 
receives/welcomes Me;
and whoever receives/welcomes Me, 
receives/welcomes not Me but Him who sent Me.”

What holiest of holy honour to diligently pour our best
into the ministry of their equipping/training, 
at home, school and church!,
And, as we do so, often we are trained in the way we should go,
 as we seek to train them in the way they should go...

“Children are not a distraction from more important work.
They are the most important work.”
– Dr. John Trainer

To leave children without principles is
not to make them free
but it is to render them helpless!!
I am often breathlessly honoured and awed
as my life/arms are run through with Innocence,
a sacred charge from God!










beautiful innocence
precious and pure in heart
tender target 
for influence
so subtle at the start

sweet curiosity
how eager childhood's haste
so much to hear! 
so much to see!
so much to touch and taste

how sacred is the role
of training children, oh
 to tell of faith 
that saves the soul
of God who loves them so

to teach Innocence truth
is life's most somber charge
to earnestly 
equip fair youth 
to face the world at large

How vile to shirk love's due
to watch innocence dim
then, loose/lose them 
without virtue to
ungoverned want and whim

sweet innocence indeed
precious and pure, so then
 we ought to give 
most earnest heed
to how we lead. amen 

Janet Martin


Ps.78:1-7
Give ear, O my people, to my instruction;
listen to the words of my mouth.
2I will open my mouth in parables;
I will utter things hidden from the beginning,b
3that we have heard and known
and our fathers have relayed to us.
4We will not hide them from their children
but will declare to the next generation
the praises of the LORD and His might
and the wonders He has performed.
5For He established a testimony in Jacob
and appointed a law in Israel,
which He commanded our fathers
to teach to their children,
6that the coming generation would know them—
even children yet to be born—
to arise and tell their own children
7that they should put their confidence in God,
not forgetting His works,
but keeping His commandments...





Tuesday, October 21, 2025

This Life Is Not Carefree

1 Pet.5:6-9 NIV

Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, 
that he may lift you up in due time. 
7 Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.

8 Be alert and of sober mind. 
Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion
 looking for someone to devour. 
9 Resist him, standing firm in the faith, 
because you know that the family of believers
 throughout the world
 is undergoing the same kind of sufferings.

Any good we receive,
Any good we give
Is possible only
because of God's faithful goodness first!

Ps. 119:67-72

Before I was afflicted I went astray,
But now I keep Your word.

You are good, and do good;
Teach me Your statutes.

The proud have forged[k] a lie against me,
But I will keep Your precepts with my whole heart.

Their heart is [l]as fat as grease,
But I delight in Your law.

It is good for me that I have been afflicted,
That I may learn Your statutes.

The law of Your mouth is better to me
Than thousands of coins of gold and silver.

Between what was, and waits
Today unfolds faith’s due
Where joys and sorrows rush dawn's gates
Where trial’s tests pursue...


This life is not carefree
Beneath Refinement’s rod
Happiness grants no guarantee
Unless/until we trust in/yield to God

Between what was, and waits
Today unfolds faith’s due
Where joys and sorrows rush dawn's gates
Where trial’s tests pursue

God, in each hour of need
Attends humility
He grants us power to proceed
Where life is not carefree

So then, press on, assured
For we are not alone
As we face cares not yet endured
And battles not yet won

If God is on our side
Defeat will not prevail
For He is near; his truths abide
His purpose will not fail

His loving kindness hears
Devotion’s agony
Beneath refinement’s rod appears
An angel of mercy

…and faith is overjoyed
What God deigns, we will do
As we, cast down but not destroyed
Faith and courage renew

For life is not carefree
Where sin’s consequence pains
God’s love, proven at Calvary
Still faithfully sustains

Author of earth and Heaven
Love oft must suffer loss
With every care, Thy grace is given
To help us bear its cross

We thank Thee, faithful Lord/God above
For Thou art good always
Though life is not carefree, Thy Word/Thy love
Anoints our souls/goals with praise

Janet Martin




Thursday, October 16, 2025

Simply, A Vessel

It seems the older we grow, the faster time flies!
How are we over halfway through October already?!

How are we nearing the end of another harvest season
that it seems we just planted not so very long ago?!



Gal.6:7
Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; 
for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.

There is no getting around it;
whether we plant conscientiously,
carelessly, or with carefully-crafted cunning,
cover/bury deeply the seed/deeds we strew/do
we reap what we sow! 
We have all at one time or another sown seeds we later regretted,
and we would surely lose heart as we reflect on those seeds
 but for this:
2 Cor.7:10
For godly sorrow produces repentance 
leading to salvation, not to be regretted;
 but the sorrow of the world produces death.


In the spring I planted a perennial mum from my mom's perennial garden.
Its flourishing autumn beauty is such a pleasure to behold!
When good seeds are planted then good fruit and flowers follow!


Sometimes what we plant in the spring of our lives doesn't bloom until the autumn...
Oh, pray it is more than wild oats we've sown!
***

We are, in a sense all vessels through which seeds pour...
2 Tim2: 20-21
But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver, 
but also of wood and clay, some for honor and some for dishonor. 
 Therefore if anyone cleanses himself from the latter, 
he will be a vessel for honor,
 [h]sanctified and useful for the Master, 
prepared for every good work. 

Yesterday I harvested the last of my garden produce...


Not all harvests are as quickly cultivated and collected 
as that of the garden variety! but, 
Gal.6:9
Let us not grow weary while doing good, 
for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.


God does not require a crowd to fulfill Purpose true 
But simply a vessel, unproud, willing to be poured through

Each legacy of faith begins with self-surrendered 'yes' 
As we repent of our sins and and turn from worldliness/carelessness

To walk by faith or run its race with endurance does not
Depend upon athletic pace or skill, but trust in God  

To trust God is to trust his Word; to trust is to obey
To keep His precepts, undeterred by all who turn away

How sweet to hone hope's happiness, not in fleeting delights
But in God's steadfast promises where faith fixes its sights 

How holy is time's ebb and flow unfolding Now to Then
How surely we reap what we sow; God is not mocked. Amen 

...nor does He require a crowd, His purpose to fulfill 
But simply a vessel, endowed with faith's surrendered will   

Janet Martin

'Very much of our future life will depend upon our earliest days',
then quoted Mr. Ruskins, not quite verbatim,
' people often say we excuse the thoughtlessness of youth,
but he says no, it never ought to be excused.
I'd far rather hear of thoughtless old age when a man has done his work,
but what excuse can be found for a thoughtless youth?
The time for thought is at the beginning of life
and there is no period which so much demands
or so much necessitates thoughtfulness as our early days...
I would that all young men would think so.
They say that they must sow their wild oats.
No! No, my dear young friend.
 Think before you sow such seed as that,
 what the reaping will be.
See if there is not better corn to be found 
than wild oats and sow that,
then think how you will sow it 
and when you will sow it
for if you do not think about the sowing,
what will the harvest be? '












Wednesday, October 15, 2025

To Love...


God created us with free will!
Free will to choose who or what we love most.
 No one can force anyone to love, whether people or God.
To love is a choice.
God never forces us to love Him,
but oh, when we do
Life is as good as it gets! 

1 John 4:7
Dear friends, let us love one another, 
for love comes from God. 
Everyone who loves has been born of God 
and knows God.


to love is life
the glorious breath 
of Heaven in our souls
to love is death
a daily death 
to selfish wants and goals

to love is joy
the purest state 
of humble humankind
to love is grief
the surest mate/fate
of love and joy combined 

to love is to
see God, for God
Is love; futile to doubt
For love is the
one thing no one
Can be fulfilled/content/happy without 

Janet Martin