October-set

Jim, my most faithful compliment-or and critic

said this morning, 'bless their hearts, whoever they are

(who bother  take the time to read another autumn poem by Janet

And have any idea what she's saying)'

And I say Amen. 😀

(I usually try to finish writing before he is home but I got lost

outside too long this morning...

He said if he wrote an autumn poem it would say

In Fall 

We Rake 

Leaves. 

I told him most people would prefer his style to mine. 😂

He is for the most part very patient when it comes to my rhyme-fetish.

This morning's frost did it;

Earth is embossed in golden snow!

 

Earth’s halls are decked with Autumn-set 

Beneath our feet is splayed 

The fading strains of what remains 

Of foliage-promenade 

Ballrooms of air are gleaming where 

Leaf-ballerinas twirl 

And lure us in to laugh and spin 

With life’s Forever Girl 

Impressions of fond days we love 

Are transformed, leaf-by-leaf 

The Dancer shucked and gently tucked 

Into the Planter’s Sheaf 

The Best and Worst of Blessed and Cursed 

Are lavished with fine art 

Where time performs its season-storms 

Until death do us part 

Now dawn is tossed in yawns of frost 

The Silence, silver-kissed 

As green becomes the brittle sums 

Of Autumn’s amethyst 

Where gardens glow with golden snow 

Midst heart-throbbed hugs and sighs 

Because we sense the transience 

Of autumn’s paradise 

Weightless and soft medallions waft 

As nature’s tresses fall 

Into a wreath settled beneath 

The Framework of it all 

© Janet Martin 

More Than Swift Sweep of Seasons...

The older I get the more it feels like seasons sweep through years

like the wind through leaves...

 

Thankfully life is much more than a legacy of leaves

Seasons but the effecting of what dust-to-dust conceives

In this swift sweep of seasons spurred by rise and setting sun 

Of appetites we feed or curb with seeds soon spilled and spun 

Whether shadows of doubt dark-fall, or clear appears the view 

God knows the ins and outs of all with which we have to do 

The break of day with seamless sway folds into noon, then dusk 

While we, students of Learning taste the grains that drain the husk 

And in the course of smacking lips, of samples bitter, sweet 

We start to sense an Immense Grip instilled in hands and feet 

The Matrix from which moments flow is without form or cast 

Where from a foothold we call Now future turns into past 

And from the Hand that gives, a world of hands reaches to take 

Where everyone who lives is loved by He who holds time's ‘cake’ 

…and no one is forgotten on earth’s awesome glockenspiel 

No matter who we are the Author holds and turns a wheel 

Which ushers tears and laughter through the flue of day-to-day 

Until the Ever-after brushes out Mercy’s buffet 

Ah, what a feast for thought is this; The One who grants Because 

Metes more than the analysis of scientific laws 

In this swift sweep of seasons spurred by rise and setting sun 

He knows the inmost ins and outs of each and everyone 

And what some deem as nothing but a blue dot flung to space 

Is Human Being’s common ground abounding with God’s grace 

Where He is the Good Shepherd of Time’s season-thoroughfare 

And we are all together sheep in pastures of His care 

© Janet Martin 

Psalm 95:6-7

Come, let us bow down in worship,

let us kneel before the Lord our Maker;

7for he is our God

and we are the people of his pasture,

the flock under his care.

Oh, Gentle Shepherd

  

Psalm23

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want

2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: 

he leadeth me beside the still waters.

3 He restoreth my soul: 

he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.

4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: 

for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.

5 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: 

thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.

6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: 

and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.

Garden Siesta Song

 

After the garden is plowed...

...it always seems to beg a farewell-ballad

Like a pungent, umber blanket tucked in all along each edge

Autumn’s garden, slumber-readied tugs at Twilight’s loose heart-threads 

Sky-high noon of laughing summer has its sun-spun luster lost 

Now October yields to kisses brusque with dusk and leaf embossed 

Soon a crop of stars will sparkle on the midnight of the sod 

And the plot that popped with colour will be covered up by God 

Granting to the soil sweet respite while fruit-flower founts are sealed 

Interceding for the good of both the grower and the field 

Longing and relief entangle in the furrows, doffed and brown 

Where the silk of echo-spangles wafts aloft like thistledown 

As the murmur of spent summer like a brook, not frozen yet 

With a tempo of mementos plays a tender minuet 

Sleep, dear garden do not worry what the morrow holds for thee 

God has said as long as earth is, seed and harvest-time will be 

Snuggle up and take thy rest now, beneath downy sheets of snow 

While you earned winter’s siesta, I was learning to let go 

© Janet Martin 

Minuet in G

Skimming the surface of Echo-spangles...

The bright side of a poor potato patch...lots of play-space!

Universal Call/Cross

Wherever He Leads I'll Go

(can you whole-heartedly and honestly sing the hymn below without reserve?!)

Sometimes I feel like a hypocrite when I sing it.

I tend to get kinda stuck in My Ways😒

Taking up our cross and following...

Nothing speaks quite so powerfully as a person's choices.

When we watch someone lay all of their own personal desires

on the altar of daily sacrifice to wholly follow Him.

We have a young man with a young family who is about to start fulltime

service at our church after leaving a secure job to answer God's call.

Will you pray for him (Andreas) and his family in this leap  step of faith...

And while you do could you add another man (Gary) and his family to your prayers,

joining our church family in January.

The rebuilding at WBC, around the hole Ron left begins...

Matt. 16:24 

Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone desires to come after Me, 

let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.

Luke 9:23

Then He said to them all, “If anyone desires to come after Me, 

let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.

There is a universal call to all who love God’s Son 

Though He has paid the debt for sin the cost has just begun 

For all who follow in His steps must be willing to die 

To the desires of the flesh and their own will deny 

There is a cross not made of wood that we are called to take 

To do the things disciples should for their dear Master’s sake 

Not to adhere to high decrees some prominence to prove 

But to follow where His call leads with no motive/credit but love 

There is a thorough reckoning that someday will come due 

Where reply to His beckoning is more than verbal spew 

Whether we are courageous or remain somewhat aloof 

Our answer spills in pages we fill up with Living Proof 

There is a universal call to repent and believe 

And oh, how very beautiful is Faith’s Gift we receive 

Where, though Redemption’s price is paid and salvation is free 

The cost is still cross-shaped as we respond to ‘follow Me’ 

© Janet Martin 

Happiness Is Full Of Holes

Oh the irony; the Bloom that blesses 

with greatest happiness-es

Is the selfsame Sheaf

cradling our deepest grief!

Cherish the bloom...

Still a few tenacious blooms hoisting their pretty plumes💕

No precious posy is overlooked as we are poised on the brink of November!

Happiness seems to grow dearer 

As the days to years increase 

Where it seems joy’s perfect picture 

Is often missing a piece 

Missing faces and caresses 

From those too far off to reach 

Realizing happiness-es 

Are like waves that wash the beach 

Rush of pure and sweet enchantments 

Swirls and eddies; tender taunt 

Runs life rife with disappointments 

We did not expect or want 

Takes away a much-loved someone 

Leaves a teardrop in their stead 

Teaching us to cherish moments 

Weaving a gossamer thread 

…full of twists and tears and creases 

That no fingers can secure 

And though it is missing pieces 

Happiness can still endure 

For with loss comes the awak’ning 

To the other side of joy 

And the sacred undertaking 

Of the moments we employ 

Futile to unravel echoes 

Where time’s sparkle-skein unfolds 

Better to embrace the present 

And the happiness it holds 

Happiness, life's sweet Comforter

How its wonder warms our souls

Happiness, we soon discover

Is a blanket full of holes

© Janet Martin 

Grateful For The Afterglow...

 

"Oh! I'm so glad we're back to a golden glow instead of snow!"

I raved to Victoria this morning after yesterday's late-afternoon eyeopener!

Autumn’s color-riot quiets 

The crowd, loud with awed applause 

Pauses to raid wonder’s closet 

Finds a scarf of mauve-mist gauze 

Winds it ‘round the heart with gladness 

Grateful for the afterglow 

As October’s colour-madness 

Whispers suggestions of snow 

© Janet Martin 

Preparing For Combat

How do we prepare for combat?

For something will (without a doubt) test where we are at

Since time began man has been at odds with each other.

In the very first family Cain murdered his brother.

What gets our ire sparked most severely

What are the values we hold to most dearly

How in the muddle of this human race

Of political, ethical, theological debates

Can we be equipped for the battle at large

and know what to do when our tempers cry 'CHARGE!'

The Armor of God 

Eph.6:10-17

10Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 

11Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 

12For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, 

but against the rulers,

against the authorities, 

against the powers of this dark world 

and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 

13Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, 

you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 

14Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, 

with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 

15and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 

16In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, 

with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 

17Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

How long this trampled...

...sampled orb

has weathered seasoned ways...

(this morning the snow has returned to its rightful October place😊)

How long this trampled, sampled orb has weathered seasoned ways 

Where man forgets to give the Lord His righteous due of praise 

Where constant combat wages twixt desire and despair 

As human heart engages in fight-to-the-death warfare 

And never ought to leave exposed one vulnerable part 

Lest the sly serpent’s hate should penetrate with fatal dart 

How often we leap out of bed and seize the ready rod 

Then dash into the fight without the full armor of God 

Aha, man’s confrontation with temptation is severe 

If we rush into battle without God’s protective gear 

And not until we realize our dilemma is grim 

Is careless pride cut down to size as we call out to Him 

Who can afford to disregard the Lord’s prerequisite? 

The power of His might is not an accidental fit 

But with sober intention the wise soldier puts in place 

The infallible armor of God’s righteousness and grace 

So that we may withstand the arrows of the enemy 

And be equipped to fight the good fight unto victory 

© Janet Martin 

My Soul Be On Thy Guard

  

Lyrics in English

My Soul Be on Thy Guard

George Heath

1. My soul, be on thy guard,
   Ten thousand foes arise,
   And hosts of sin are pressing hard
   To draw thee from the skies.
2. Oh, watch, and fight, and pray,
   The battle ne’er give o’er,
   Renew it boldly every day,
   And help divine implore.
3. Ne’er think the vict’ry won,
   Nor once at ease sit down;
   Thine arduous work will not be done
   Till thou hast got the crown.
4. Fight on, my soul, till death
   Shall bring thee to thy God;
   He’ll take thee at thy parting breath
   Up to His blest abode.

This Song Is Not For Everyone

The wise will be put to shame;

they will be dismayed and trapped.

Since they have rejected the word of the Lord,

what kind of wisdom do they have?

Jer.8:9

Jer.17:5&7

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...

...But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, 

 whose confidence is in him.

The Solid Rock

This 'song' below is not for everyone 

But for anyone 

who puts their trust in God

To the ruler of earth and Heaven; Forgiver of sin 

Where the darkness is riven by His light without, within 

To He who instills bud and seed with miraculous mien 

And satisfies the need of all who by His blood are clean 

To He who helps us muster faith when we trust in his Word 

And grants us confidence because His Way is undeterred 

To He who does not lead the sheep of his pasture astray 

But is a Faithful Shepherd, no matter what scorners say 

To He who WAS, IS and Will BE, whose love will never fail 

Who paid sin’s debt at Calvary and rent the temple’s veil 

To He who understands the prayers we pray and always hears 

The pleas we cannot utter as they fall in groans and tears 

To He who receives everyone who believes in his Name 

And does not count against us damning track-records of shame 

As far as east is from the west as pardon’s rivers pour 

He washes our sin-debt and remembers it no more 

To He who does not change like shifting shadows but abides 

And is hope’s steadfast anchor in Time’s tumultuous tides 

To He who bends autumn with leaves and lends wonder’s fine art 

Who does not judge our harvest-sheaves by size but by the heart 

To He whose will is that no one should perish but that all 

If He postpones His coming will upon the Saviour call 

To He, so slow to anger, Mercy fills His treasure trove 

Who does not bribe, but beckons with an everlasting love 

To He who promises to bless we who trust in the Lord 

Thine is the kingdom, power and glory forevermore 

© Janet Martin