Book of Now or Where No Today is Commonplace (because of God's grace)

Now is a sequence of little love-letters

unfolding and folding in sacred synchronicity!

My granddaughter's grin yesterday as her mommy surprised her

 with an unexpected visit (aka break for momma) to gramma's house

This morning's poem was penned amidst much Now unfolding, such as

a frustrated and discouraged daughter asking for prayers 

for wisdom and patience as she parents, 

especially a three year old daughter whose endless curiosity and energy

 results in the most unpredictable episodes.

Yesterday said grand daughter watched ever-so-closely as gramma put in her contact lenses. 

This morning while her mommy was busy with baby brother 

she decided to try to clean mommy's contacts!! 

Last week after her mommy glazed some meatloaf for supper, and

was helping Big Brother with some reading,

this opened a window of opportunity

to slather leftover glaze on the stove burner!

Other recent episodes, often harmless but patience trying...

let's see how much toilet paper fits in a drain.

let's get out all my summer clothes because the snow melted!!!

let's use mom's real taco -seasoning in my toy kitchen while I'm cooking!

(and this gal moves faster than the Tasmanian devil in the old bugs bunny cartoons😂😂)

These episodes are most often followed with a very penitent little girl saying

 "I'm thorry, mommy for'...

and then its hard for mommy to stay cross for very long after😅💓

Dear mommies and daddies, don't give up.

After prayer-folded hands, a loving and firm hand 

is the best thing you can give your children!

(Dear older moms and dads, 

let's remember to pray faithfully for younger parents!

because, do you remember the unrelenting challenge 

of parenting little children?!!)

Let's pray they may have the wisdom, the patience

 and the courage to do the hard parenting!

Every stage of Now, no matter how old we are 

seems to run rife with life's challenges/lessons!

By God's goodness and mercy aka grace, we go...

Lessons learned through laughter and tears

Tune tides soon turned to yesteryears

How swift sterling sunrises set

The stage unfurling folds of ‘yet’

Where gold and gray-spun Granting sweeps

Each new today to Bygone’s deeps

With Now, the ink that pulses through

What first we think and then we do

Until we ford that final rift

To meet the Lord who gave life’s gift

Where time’s tatters of touching lie

In stilled splatters where ink drops dry

…in a love letter God will read

Prompting us to pay better heed

To what deed writes before we bow

And God recites our Book of Now

…where, pray above all He will see

The acquittal of Calvary

That began, with Now’s earnest try

Eternity’s thank-you reply

Where no today is commonplace

In hope’s hooray, because of grace

As step by step and prayer by prayer

God folds away time’s sacred stair

© Janet Martin

some 'nows' are as sweet as maple cream fudge, (see recipe below)

being sampled here...

others, not!

(Above, Miss Mischief's Baby Brother who seems to take up a LOT of mommy-time💞💗)

Here is an annual Christmas treat favourite from my childhood;

Maple Cream Fudge recipe...

Proverbs 19:20
Listen to counsel and accept discipline,

 that you may be wise the rest of your days.

Not a Once-and-Done Thing-Surrender

 

This poem was inspired in part by a conversation with a friend yesterday,

who has suffered some severe disappointments in the past few years 

and what appears to the naked eye, to be setbacks

resulting in trying physical and financial challenges!

But, I was so struck by the beauty of her spirit of surrender to God's will

as she spoke about joys she is discovering through her walk by faith, not sight.

Not easy by any stretch, but real! and a reminder for all of us

to yield and trust rather than fret and doubt!

On our own journeys (my own journey) of surrender,

 I pray, Oh Lord, for more

'trust with all my heart rather than leaning on my own understanding'!

Ah surrender, you are not once and done, but pray

with each surrender we demolish another stumbling block to full surrender!

Only Trust Him-Alan Jackson

The joy of surrender, oh, how can it be

Relinquishing want’s anxious hold

To trust in the Lord, where, though faith cannot see

It rests in the truths He has told

The peace of surrender, oh, how is it so

To yield amidst trouble’s travail

To the kind assurance God’s word will bestow

To know that He will never fail

The heart of surrender, oh, sweet, sweet release

To commit/submit to God’s perfect will

To find in the place of my pining, His peace

As storms of selfish struggle still

The bliss of surrender, unreserved and true

The beauty of bowing, undone

Allowing God’s Spirit to will and to do

The work He has barely begun

© Janet Martin

I remember my grandmother reminding me

'surrender is only a battle if we put up a fight'.

Utterly impacted; oh, that it could be

That the love of God would work

 love’s miracle in me!

Psalm 37:5
Commit your way to the LORD; 

trust in Him, and He will do it.

Prov.3:1-8

My son, do not forget my teaching,

but let your heart keep my commandments;

2for they will add length to your days,

years and peace to your life.

3Never let loving devotion or faithfulness leave you;

bind them around your neck,

write them on the tablet of your heart.

4Then you will find favor and high regard

in the sight of God and man.

5Trust in the LORD with all your heart,

and lean not on your own understanding;

6in all your ways acknowledge Him,

and He will make your paths straight.

7Be not wise in your own eyes;

fear the LORD and turn away from evil.

8This will bring healing to your bodyb

and refreshment to your bones.

Leaning on the Everlasting Arms-Alan Jackson

Unto Us

Pondering Peace on this second week of Advent

Luke 2:14

“Glory to God in the highest, 

And on earth peace, 

goodwill toward men!”

Rom.15:13

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.

Rom.15:33

The God of peace be with you all. Amen.

Let There Be Peace

Isa.9:6-7

For unto us a Child is born,
Unto us a Son is given;
And the government will be upon His shoulder.
And His name will be called
Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
 Of the increase of His government and peace
There will be no end,

He Who Is Mighty

  

Unto us, so undeserving

Unto vile humanity 

God, with love and grace unswerving

Planned our peace, through Calvary

Unto us, like lost sheep wand'ring

Unto us, the angel's King

God did not withhold the offering

That would cost Him everything

Everything, for our redemption

For the sinner's sacrifice

God, for the sake of salvation

Gave His Son to pay the price 

Crushing Lucifer, so cunning

With love's plan for sin's defeat

Unto us, God's purpose, stunning

Evil's curse with mercy sweet 

Unto us, the awesome promise

Of his government's increase

Heaven came to earth through Jesus 

Unto us, the Prince of Peace

Then, from whence come wars and fighting?

Whence the lust that lures the eye?

Doth it not come from delighting

In what cannot satisfy?

Unto us a Son is given

Unto us a Child is born

Unto us, the hope of Heaven

Jesus, Star of endless Morn

Unto us, peace through God's pardon

Unto us peace to transcend

The battle of Armageddon 

Unto us, love without end

Purchased and secured, God's favor

Perfects faith and truth's amen 

Unto us, God's peace forever

As we fully trust in Him

Come, let us reason together

For shared mercies grace imparts

Let us dwell in peace, and ever

Worship God with thankful heart 

© Janet Martin

Silent Night, Heavenly Peace

 

  
 

Awed Awareness

Today's post Inspired in part by Gen.19

And while he lingered, the men laid hold upon his hand,

 and upon the hand of his wife, 

and upon the hand of his two daughters; 

the Lord being merciful unto him...

Luke 19:16

Lest sluggishly we loiter

Lest apathy besot

Lest we grow numb and thus become

Futile in our thought

Lest we seek sorry solace

In the Sodom of sin

Lest terribly we fail to see

The state that we are in

Lest resolution flounders

Lest influence cajoles

The Still Small Voice that affects choice

That affects deathless souls

Lest we no longer shudder

At evil’s evilness

Or recognize the tempter’s lies

Disguised as ‘happiness’

Lord, wake in us awareness

Of Sodom’s fate, to flee

Lest, like Lot’s wife we mourn that life

And look back longingly

Seize us with holy horror

Of sin’s sad judgment day

Lord, chasten us and hasten us

To repent and obey

Lest the nonsense of notions

And opinions, absurd

With worldly vice, lulls us with ‘nice’

Lord, keep us in Your word

Lord, like Lot when he lingered

Be merciful, I pray

Let your command, like a firm hand

Seize us from Sodom’s sway

Lord, where there is a carcass

The vultures congregate

Lord, wake in us awed awareness 

Before it is too late 

© Janet Martin

Luke 17:20-37

The Coming of the Kingdom

(Genesis 19:24–29)

20When asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, Jesus replied, “The kingdom of God will not come with observable signs. 21Nor will people say, ‘Look, here it is,’ or ‘There it is.’ For you see, the kingdom of God is in your midst.d”

22Then He said to the disciples, “The time is coming when you will long to see one of the days of the Son of Man, but you will not see it. 23People will tell you, ‘Look, there He is!’ or ‘Look, here He is!’ Do not go out or chase after them. 24For just as the lightning flashes and lights up the sky from one end to the other, so will be the Son of Man in His day. 25But first He must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation.

26Just as it was in the days of Noah, so also will it be in the days of the Son of Man: 27People were eating and drinking, marrying and being given in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark. Then the flood came and destroyed them all.

28It was the same in the days of Lot: People were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building. 29But on the day Lot left Sodom, fire and sulfur rained down from heaven and destroyed them all.

30It will be just like that on the day the Son of Man is revealed. 31On that day, let no one on the housetop come down to retrieve his possessions. Likewise, let no one in the field return for anything he has left behind. 32Remember Lot’s wife! 33Whoever tries to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life will preserve it. 34I tell you, on that night two people will be in one bed: One will be taken and the other left. 35Two women will be grinding grain together: One will be taken and the other left.”e

37“Where, Lord?” they asked.

Jesus answered, “Wherever there is a carcass, there the vultures will gather.”

Praise God Forever (for His Word)

Psalm 119 is a glorious collection of reflection

on the beauty and authority of God's Word

(surely the poorest in all the world are those without

the wealth of God's word hidden in their hearts

to both console and convict!)

 

This poem was also somewhat miserably and reluctantly inspired

by the first two lines, but, lest we becomes victims of defeat 

through the lies of the deceiver we plead God's forgiveness,

trust His Word and press on!

1 John 1:9

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just 

to forgive us our sins, 

and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

For the times when our stumbles humble us unpleasantly

For days we dread and ways we tread, then regret utterly

For guidance and instruction for the times that we are in

For truth to thwart deception and convict us of our sin

For the greatest love story that mankind has ever heard

To give God all the glory, praise His name, we have His word

For battles with discouragement, worriment, and despair

For eagle-wings of hope, for empowerment in our prayer

For truth, absolute truth, no matter what naysayers tout

For joy unspeakable and for dismal duels with doubt

For Light unto our path to keep faith’s focus undeterred

For reminders of how much God loves us, we have His word

For peace that passes understanding in a world of strife

For earnest exhortation for this very sacred life

For preaching and for teaching, for food for undying souls

For God’s tangible presence, for full armor without holes

For the wondrous depiction of the cross, to keep hearts stirred

To count this world but loss, for this, praise God, we have His Word

For training up a child in the right way that they should go

For wisdom undefiled where man's logic shifts to and fro

For strength to fight the good fight till we lay these bodies down

And obtain pardon's prize of an incorruptible crown

For the constant awareness of sin's debt that was transferred

And suffered by the son of God; for this we have His Word

For fellowship with God until we see Him face to face

For thought, speechlessly awed as we contemplate Mercy’s grace

For company of a great cloud of faithful witnesses

For warning to the proud and for enduring promises

For love’s law of sweetest delight, lest judgement becomes blurred

Until faith becomes sight, oh, praise His name, we have God’s Word

For history and prophecy, for everything we need

For the supreme authority of love and judgment's creed 

For kindness and compassion, for correction and reproof

For order for the decency of both elder and youth

For health and wealth and wonder to comfort and undergird

For this and so much more, praise God forever, for His Word 

© Janet Martin

The Word of God

So That We Are Without Excuse

1 Tim.4:12-16 (NKJV)

12 Let no one [a]despise your youth, but be an example to the believers

 in word, in conduct, in love, [b]in spirit, in faith, in purity. 

13 Till I come, give attention to reading, to exhortation, to [c]doctrine. 

14 Do not neglect the gift that is in you, 

which was given to you by prophecy with the laying on of the hands of the eldership. 

15 Meditate on these things; give yourself entirely to them, 

that your progress may be evident to all. 

16 Take heed to yourself and to the doctrine. 

Continue in them, for in doing this you will save both yourself 

and those who hear you.

Today's Daily Bread Devotion Scripture reading (posted above)

  first laid the groundwork for today's poem,

(click link for beautiful encouragement

to persevere faithfully, right where we are)

...then I looked up to see a burst of pink permeating the atmosphere

 ...as I gazed I was smitten with this passage in Romans 1:18-20

For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven 

against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, 

who [d]suppress the truth in unrighteousness, 

19 because what may be known of God is [e]manifest [f]in them, 

for God has shown it to them. 

20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen,

 being understood by the things that are made,

 even His eternal power and [g]Godhead, 

so that they are without excuse,...

He bestows to the heavens, rose and periwinkle hues

He fills them with splendor no one can ignore or refuse

He imbues earth and sky and sea with wonder’s pedestal

So that His divine nature will be evident to all

Since the creation of the world God’s hidden attributes

Are clearly seen and understood; we are without excuse

He stirs within the human breast, an urge to satisfy

Where none but He can fill the quest that tests longing’s reply

Though much will try to take His place, where the devil deceives

His peace, his hope, His joy, His grace only true faith receives

Where His goodness, mercy and love abound to one and all

Both on the good and evil the sun shines and rain drops fall

Ho, everyone that thirsts, come and drink where God’s grace runs rife

And gives us Living Water from a blood-bought Fount of life

Call upon Him while He is near, while He may yet be found

Seek Him with reverential fear (we tread on holy ground)

Beneath majestic heavens, while creation’s creatures groan

Until all will behold Him seated on His glorious throne

His love decreed that none should miss faith’s opportunity

So He instilled in what He made, His divine deity

So that we are without excuse; and no one is exempt

Oh, pray we do not look on Him with unbelief’s contempt

But bow the head and bend the knee before death’s final toll

When everyone will look upon the Saviour of the Soul

© Janet Martin

Is There Room in Your Heart?

Tis The Season

After the laughter and excitement of today's merry troops vacated the kitchen

I did too, to feel the powder-blue twilight tucking in the edges of the earth...

Tis the season of powder-blue twilight

Lowered like soft flannel over earth’s sills

Tis the season of pink-ribboned skylines

Tossing mauve ambience over stark hills

Tis the season of powder-blue twilight

Lowered like soft flannel over earth’s sills

Tis the season of pink-ribboned skylines

Tossing mauve ambience over stark hills

Tis the season of ‘fresh from the oven’

For cookie lovin’ kids like you and me

Tis the season of joy mixed with grievin’

For faces missin’ where they used to be

Tis the season of easin’ our hurry

For the fine reason of tasting today

Tis the season of fluffy, white flurry

Decking vast vistas once somber and gray

Tis the season of love turned to givin’

As thoughts turn Bethlehem-ward once again

As we reflect on a babe sent from Heaven

To be the Savior of the world. Amen

Tis the season when we start to ponder

What really matters in Bygone’s increase

Tis the season of pure, childlike wonder

As we consider hope, love, joy and peace

Tis the season of evergreen spires

Holly and mistletoe, silver and gold

Of motley, merry, bundled angel choirs

Singing the carols that never grow old

Tis the season of green and red buttons

On sugar snowmen and gingerbread duds

This the season of turkey and stuffin’

Poppin’ our buttons with gravy and spuds

Tis the season of laughter’s sweet gladness

Where sadness makes Christmas cheer sacred, oh

Tis the season of merchandise madness

Turned into gifts that say ‘I love you so’

Tis the season of tender surrender

As the last month of another year pours

Through toasts and tributes and winter’s first splendor

Powder-blue twilights on flannel white shores

© Janet Martin

Establishing Familiarity (in a world of change)

Happy, happy December!

...and below a few photos of inspiration for today's poem!

the joy of small child's curiosity...

(and his delight at his 'baby-in-basket'

just like yesterday's Baby-in-a-basket'💗💝)

Tried and true recipes and the surprise

Of trying something new and loving it...

(I wish I had the ingred. on hand for the mango salsa!

Some other time!

And when we wake, ah bliss, fresh-brewed coffee...

The Word of God, steadfast and absolute...

Things do not stay the way they used to be

Progress presses the old ways to adapt

And change; estranged familiarity

Can wake wishes for seasons, echo-wrapped

Thus, bidding us to seek with meeker awe

The things that are the way they used to be

The unthwartable ilk of nature’s law

The joy of small child’s curiosity

The thrill as winter-heavens spills white stars

The hope that every Christmas is about

The happiness of refilled canning jars

The yard where puppies romp and children shout

The farmer that still whistles as he works

The gardener as happy as can be

Where despite sweat and toil, Eden still lurks

In every petalled plume and bird and tree

The unrivaled wonder in new-born babe

The tiring, tender toll of parenthood

Fond memories that we would never trade

The unshakeable truth that God is good

Tried and true recipes and the surprise

Of trying something new and loving it

The art of learning, (even though time flies)

To slow our hurried steps and sit a bit 

The black and white beauty of snowy nights

The beckoning warm welcome of sweet home

The comfort of tea-book-slipper delights

The courage to bare hearts into a poem

The option to use ink, paper and pen

The sentimental sweetness in farewells

We know will turn into hello again

Either on earth or in yon citadels

The friendliness of flowers, every one

A perfectly profound intricacy

A well-earned rest by zest of labor won

And when we wake, ah bliss, fresh-brewed coffee

The Word of God, steadfast and absolute

Regardless of post-modern heresy

The evidence science cannot refute

I AM, who WAS, IS and ALWAYS WILL BE

Music, a foretaste of eternity

When worship’s melodies will never cease

The heavens declaring God’s majesty

In every wondrous welkin-masterpiece

The momentum of moments meting change

Where so much is not like it used to be

Lavishes us with what none can estrange

Establishing familiarity

© Janet Martin