Wedding Veil/Vale

 

Sometimes when I look at these precious tots I mourn for them,

and the world they are growing up in...

but they will have the same Enduring and Faithful God over all...

(Your faithfulness endures to all generations... Psalm 119:90)

and just like generations before them,

they will need to learn to lean and listen, 

trust and obey.

Trust and Obey

Dear Lord, we come to Thee in meek, earnest and grateful prayer

Entrusting all we cannot see into your faithful care

Before Your throne of grace, we place our heap of humble pleas

And thank you for your faithful Keep throughout the centuries

This veil/vale of day-to-day runs through a darksome hourglass

Where none of us can see the way before it comes to pass

Lord, help us not to yield to fear, save You, reverently

For time is but the sheer veneer that veils eternity

Forgive us Lord, when we neglect to praise your Worthy name

Blindly intent on what we see instead of why You came

To bear sin’s vast and ghastly cost for each and everyone

So that our souls will not be lost when life on earth is done

Dear Lord, for health and strength, or when health and strength start to fail

We thank You for your promises that nothing can derail

For you will never leave or forsake, come whatever may

You comfort sorrow’s heartache and you hear us when we pray

...and You reply, sometimes with yes so very plain to see

Sometimes it seems you finesse faith with Mercy's mystery

But you are faithful even when we cannot understand

Thy All-wise acumen moving Giver and Taker's Hand

Dear Lord, then let love’s hymn resound, abound in word and deed

The Rock of Ages is the solid ground that we all need

The gates of hell cannot against Your Will and Word prevail

Your church oh, Lord is founded on a Rock that cannot fail

Lord, let us live as if we are The Eager Bride that waits

Devoted to the Groom, as She dearly anticipates

Love’s final covenant, proclaimed, acclaimed like none before

When this dark Veil/vale of Days is rent/raised and time will be no more

Amen

© Janet Martin

On Christ, The Solid Rock I Stand

John 14:27
Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you. 

I do not give to you as the world gives. 

Do not let your hearts be troubled; do not be afraid.

John 15:18
If the world hates you, understand that it hated Me first.

My Dad

Happy Father's Day!

Dad in his woodworking-shop...

His love for God and family and fellowman shines through

His unspoken humility and reverent point of view

His sense of humour quick yet kind, not off-colour or mean

Where God’s Word feeds and fills his mind to keep his conscience keen

Father of ten and yet again, it seems like so much more

Blessed by beloved grand-children and great-grandchildren galore

Hard-working and hard-praying, his hallmark of workworn hands

Committed to obeying His Father in Heav’ns commands

His words worth listening to because his speech is not idle

But in sincerity and truth he draws from wisdom’s well

With honour to the One who makes his love and laughter glad

Each one of his ten children are so proud to call him Dad

The older that he gets the older turns his darling brood

And we begin to cherish him with deeper gratitude

For his faithful example; so we work hard and we pray

For our dear dad (and mom), God's keeping, each and every day

For generations yet to come, with shepherd's staff and rod

He seeks first the kingdom that leads to, not from Holy God

He teaches us to keep in mind the footsteps that we spawn

Where precious souls follow behind long after we are gone

 

© Janet Martin

Numbers 6:24-26

The Lord bless you and keep you;

25 The Lord make His face shine upon you,

And be gracious to you;

26 The Lord [a]lift up His countenance upon you,

And give you peace.” ’

Psalms 127:3-5 - 

Sons are a heritage from the LORD, children a reward from him.

 Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are sons born in one's youth.

 Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them. 

They will not be put to shame when they contend with their enemies in the gate.

A June Jingle

A glimpse at bits of inspiration for today's poem

As she sees in each petaled star the way time disappears...

June flutters by like a butterfly on wings of gossamer/go-summer

A dashing smile of chamomile and pink peony blur

It tinges views with silver blue of distant mist-kissed green

And tests the thrill of what yet is with will of what has been

This month of months blushes with blooms, the belle at nature’s ball

Enticing us to linger where its limber shadows fall

Where longing and surrender spar like Woman wearing years

As she sees in each petaled star the way time disappears

June sweeps through morning, noon and night as spring becomes summer

And it seems that we never quite get quite enough of her

Where she climbs trellis, fences, gates; delightful, verdant vine

Oblivious to ever-zealous appetites of Time

June slips between the sheen of green glory of woodland tress

Her laughter spills and rolls down hills in daisy-happiness

She strums the breeze with melodies we never weary of

While, for a while we all grow younger and all fall in love

June sparkles in rain-dazzled rose, and in strawberry pie

It glimmers where the cornfield grows and flows out to the sky

It dances through the garden where both plants and children thrive

And makes even the hardened grumbler glad to be alive

June is a gift-table brimming with beauty of the earth

Where we are all invited to partake of wonder’s worth

The hollyhock is cobbled with buds primed with perfect pink

Methinks June is a fountainpen suffused with flower-ink

Then let’s bury our faces in its perfect poetry

And marvel at the perfumed pages of bloom-balladry

Let’s let its lyrics tickle tips of noses, lips and chins

Before summer’s slow, subtle, certain unrav’ling begins

© Janet Martin

The World Needs Her (and You and Me)

'The world needs her', 

someone commented on Facebook beneath

  this post from Ann Voskamp's blog.

It's OK Nightbirde

Yes, the world needs her; her giving-God-the-glory 

in the gutters-of-joy testimony!

Her God-given gift of reaching into the reader's body 

and pulling, tearing, ripping at our hearts

where Self is too often enthroned. 

Yes, the world needs more of her cry of courage and worship

 in the depths of suffering. Oh yes...

The world needs her

and you and me

A love-one-another

community

for God designed

each one of us

to fulfill a 

unique purpose

and no one does

not have a place

in the masterplan

of God' s grace

The world needs her

and you and me

Shoulder-to-shoulder

family

A pray-for-

help-each-other-clan

to help us do

the best we can

for no one does 

not have a part

in the Masterplan 

of God's heart

© Janet Martin

Of Law and Love...

  

When I bought this wisteria last year the green-house owner

cautioned me I will need to be patient 

but hopefully in a few years it will cover the arbor!

This is the first year of what I hope is just the beginning of

more and more growth!

The law of nature and the love of nurturer

sometimes working together and sometimes at odds!

How fruitful/flower-full are the branches attached to the vine!

But I am aghast that I was so transfixed by the bloom-beauty...

that I missed the caterpillar-evil all around...

The law without love is a rod of merciless demand

But love is the fulfillment of Jesus’ greatest command

First God, then fellowman, on these two commandments depend

All of the law and prophets from beginning to the end

The law, without love is adherence to appearance-art

Favor based on performance with an unaffected heart

Where, only by the Spirit, after we are born again

Is the righteous requirement of the law not in vain

The law alone is powerless, redemption to achieve

Forgiveness, the first-fruit of love as we cry ‘I believe’

Where God, so rich in mercy, loved us with a perfect love

And gave his perfect Son to save us, His great love to prove

For all the blood of goats and bulls could never justify

And law alone cannot atone for sins of you and I

It judges and condemns; love offers an alternative

The Son of Man was lifted up so all may look and live

Even the law failed to find fault in Him; love’s Sacrifice

The law had come through Moses, grace and truth through Jesus Christ

Oh, praise the Name of He who came to set the sinner free

And accomplish the perfect law of love in you and me

Alone we can do nothing, but when rooted in the Vine

Life flows through us, love flourishes with fruit of God’s design

Where, while the law points out the flaw and exposes the sin

Only the love and grace of God transforms us from within

© Janet Martin

Gal.5:18

But if you are led by the Spirit,

you are not under the law.

Rom.6:14

For sin shall no longer be your master,

because you are not under the law,

but under grace.

John 1:17

For the law was given through Moses;

grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.

Romans 8:1-4

Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus,

2because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life

has set you a free from the law of sin and death.

3For what the law was powerless to do because it was weakened by the flesh,

b God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh to be a sin offering.

c And so he condemned sin in the flesh,

4in order that the righteous requirement of the law

might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the flesh

but according to the Spirit.

John 13:34-35

"A new command I give you: Love one another.

As I have loved you, so you must love one another.

By this everyone will know that you are My disciples,

if you love one another.”…

What shall we say, then? Is the law sinful? Certainly not!

Read clarification here; Romans 7:7-25

Aha, Aha, There Still Is Nothing New (Under the Sun)

Eccles.1:9

What has been will be again,
    what has been done will be done again;
    there is nothing new under the sun.

Where flowers, I think still must be the love language of God...

The wonder in the flaring of first light ere dusk enchants...

It’s nothing new, the scolding of a puppy, garden-wild...

The nurturing and shaping of the green vine of a child...

(So much to be thankful for/aka life, turned this poem into a two day 'adventure')

It’s nothing new, the scolding of a puppy, garden-wild

The nurturing and shaping of the green vine of a child

Still no amount of wishing can undo what has been done

Aha, aha, no, there is nothing new under the sun

Where faithful moms and dads are heroes seldom hailed or cheered

Where love’s lifetime commitment is oft not glory-veneered

Where patience is a virtue tested and retested, hon

Aha, aha, no there is nothing new under the sun

Deception’s fraud still masquerades as fruit to make us wise

God is not mocked; He keeps his promises, in spite of lies

We grow to be astonished at how swift time’s seasons run

Aha, aha, there is still nothing new under the sun

The words a poet snares to shape into new twists of rhyme

Are wheedled from the fathoms of a fount as old as time

As we seek to bring honour to Author of sky-sea-sod

Where flowers, I think still must be the love language of God

The noise and joys of little boys and girls chock-full of vim

Like June before the countenance of summer starts to dim

The way a day can fade before it has barely begun

Aha, aha, no, there is nothing new under the sun

The hunger in our bearing for something Time never grants

The wonder in the flaring of first light ere dusk enchants

The awe as nature's shuttle whirs and Beauty's best is spun 

Aha, aha, there is still nothing new under the sun

A time to plant, a time to reap, a time to live and die

A time to laugh, a time to weep as the Soul learns to fly

*Where time still crawls while watching clocks and waiting for someone

Aha, aha, no there is nothing new under the sun

The conclusion of life’s matter has not altered its plan

‘Fear God and keep His commandments, the whole duty of man’

For God will judge good deeds and bad of each and everyone

Aha, aha, there still is nothing new under the sun

© Janet Martin

Eccles.12:13-14

Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: 

Fear God, and keep his commandments: 

for this is the whole duty of man.

 For God shall bring every work into judgment, 

with every secret thing, 

whether it be good, 

or whether it be evil.

*This poem was inspired by the second last line in the second last verse...

(don't ask me why the line landed there.

Sometimes poems have a mind of their own)

It started yesterday morning when Little Girl

who arrived at 6:15 was excited for it to be 9:45 

because she was going to swimming lessons with her cousin.

So, for the next 3.5 hrs. approximately every 5-10 minutes

she would ask 'is my best friend Ellie going to be here soon?'

So cute💗💗💗

(I didn't always answer)😂

"Is my best friend Ellie going to be here soon?"

I'm thinking Gymnastics after swimming lessons???

  

Keeper of the Bloom

Morning ignites the deep

With fringes of sheer gold

Where, like a bud, still half-asleep...

The day starts to unfold

God’s Hand of mercy holds

Time’s invisible stem

As petal by petal unmolds

Dawn’s hidden diadem

Where, come whatever may

As buds blossom and fall

The kind Keeper of time’s bouquet

Is faithful through it all

Morning ignites the deep

With fringes of sheer gold

Where, like a bud, still half-asleep

The day starts to unfold

God’s Hand of mercy holds

Time’s invisible stem

As petal by petal unmolds

Dawn’s hidden diadem

Where, come whatever may

As buds blossom and fall

The kind Keeper of time’s bouquet

Is faithful through it all

© Janet Martin

Your faithfulness endures to all generations;

You established the earth, and it abides.

Psalm 119:90 NKJV

I Was Glad When They Said Unto Me...

I was glad when they said unto me, 

Let us go into the house of the Lord.

Psalm 122:1

Is He Worthy?

I was glad when they said unto me

Let us go to the house of the Lord

 Let us worship He who has set sinners free

 With humble devotion outpoured

I was glad when they said unto me

Lockdown restrictions have eased

Fifteen percent of capacity

Will keep the health-board kindly pleased

I was glad when they said unto me

You may go now and sit in the pews

Six feet apart (but with God's family)

Cherishing Mercy's Good News  

I was glad when they said unto me

Assemble together once more

Come, kneel at the cross of Calvary

Think of the anguish He bore

Honour the Maker of heaven and earth

Precious Savior of the soul

Fellowship sweetly, rejoice in the worth

 Of faith that makes believers whole

Ponder, with wonder His love, full and free

Delight at the sound of His Word

Sing, 'I was glad when they said unto me

Let us go to the house of the Lord'

To lift up glad voices in hymns dear and true

To lift the roof with worship's chord

I was so glad, oh weren't you too?

To go to the house of the Lord

(I wish this last verse was true...maybe next week?)

I was glad to see parking lots packed

Standing room only outside

As people gathered, starved for what they lacked

Worshipping Christ crucified

Worshipping Christ, unified

© Janet Martin

Forgiven!!!