Friday, April 30, 2010

What About....Me?


In my heart Lord, I know you want all of me
For You gave Your all on Calvary
So why, as I kneel today at your altar
Do I find myself wavering as I falter
At the thought of leaving it ALL in Your hands
ALL my desires and ALL of my plans….
Surely there’s no better place they could be……
Or am I perhaps thinking…..what about me?

What about the things that I like to do
Do I need to hand them over to You?
Lord, I know there’s no secret place
And nothing escapes Your tender gaze
And it’s only through You and Your holy will
That all of my dreams will be fulfilled
So that I may be the best I can be….
Then why am I asking…..what about me?

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Janet Martin

I once heard someone say,
“The three deadliest words in any relationship
Are, ‘what about me’…..

Thursday, April 29, 2010

Morning Prayer


Dear Heavenly Father, guide me today
Stir in my heart to desire Your way
Open my eyes so that I may see
The fullness of You abiding in me
A vessel not filled with fruits of my choosing
But formed to your will and ready for using
Mold my ambitions to obey your will
It seems like this world is ready to fill
The mind and the heart with carnal desire
Lord, draw me apart with a holy fire
Breathe your promises into my ear
Tune my mind so that I may hear
And humbly reply, not my will but thine,
As into Your hand this day I resign.
Amen.

Janet Martin



This is the day the Lord hath made.
We will rejoice and be glad in it!!! Ps. 118:24

Wednesday, April 28, 2010

This Side of Heaven


On this side of heaven there will always be trouble
On this side of heaven we toil and we sweat
Sorrow and heart-ache will each have its moments
Hurtful misgivings and painful regret
Faithful words from the Garden of Eden
Cursed is the ground on this side of Heaven

Here we must work midst the thorns and the thistles
Here we must bear the fruit of our sin
But oh, what sweet hope rests in every believer
In spite of our labor, there is victory within
Peace through the power of His great promise given
We will not stay on this side of Heaven

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Janet Martin
Genesis 3:17-19 (New International Version)
17 To Adam he said, "Because you listened to your wife and ate from the tree about which I commanded you, 'You must not eat of it,'
"Cursed is the ground because of you;
through painful toil you will eat of it
all the days of your life.
18 It will produce thorns and thistles for you,
and you will eat the plants of the field.
19 By the sweat of your brow
you will eat your food
until you return to the ground,
since from it you were taken;
for dust you are
and to dust you will return."

In Vain


If we’ve climbed the corporate ladder
Tasted fruits of its success
If we’ve gleaned the things that matter
To acquire happiness
If we’ve stop to count our blessings
Did it fill our hearts with pride?
As we see our empires sprawling
‘Cross the country far and wide

If we’ve filled our vast storehouses
To the point of over-flowing
Crying ‘eat, drink and be merry
For the vineyard is till growing
Let the others do the labor
Come and dine, the wine is sweet
There is plenty for our neighbors
And the fellows down the street’

If we’ve never walked to Calvary
To bow beneath the cross
To whisper, ‘Jesus, I believe’
And count all else but loss
If we have never tasted
Just a portion of His pain
Then we are not His servants
And this life will be in vain

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Janet Martin

for what is a man profited if
he shall gain the whole world
and lose his own soul? Matt.16:26

Well Done


Though my back is aching
And my feet are sore
And I don’t feel like taking
It anymore
Though my hands are calloused
But the work never ends
It will be worth it
Someday, my friend

Though my eyes have wept
Till the tears are gone
And when I have slept
My pillow’s a stone
Though I am weary
With body worn
Someday I’ll forget
All the trouble I’ve borne

Though trials are many
But comforts are few
And being lonely
Is nothing new
Someday we will shout
With joy loud and fervent
As God says, ‘Well done
Good and faithful servant’

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Janet Martin

Well done, thou good and faithful servant.Matt 25:23

Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Have You Known Love?


Have you held it on your finger-tips
Soft as a butter-fly
Or a breath that faintly slips
Into a longing sigh
Has its fire coursed like thunder
Through your veins down to your knees
Have you knelt in awe and wonder
At its power and its peace
Have you known love?

Have you felt a new-born baby
Quiver gently in your arms
As a mighty ocean filled you
With this miracle so warm
Have you borne its searing whip-lash
Slowly, sadly torn apart
While you watched a cruel alien
Invade a tender heart
Have you known love?

Have you worn its pain and pleasure?
Have you trembled neath its touch?
Have tasted its full measure
Wept because it hurt too much
Have you known the sweetest sorrow
Trickling down from up above
As heaven opens up its window
So that we may know True Love
Have you known love?

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Janet Martin

God is love.1 John 4:16

Sunday, April 25, 2010

Shine On....


Though the dark gray night
Sprawls across the lawn
And the circle of light
From a fairer dawn
Dissolves as the wave on a storm-tossed sea
Rises in turrets that melt to the deep
And goodness seems lost in the devil’s spawn
As our ship is tossed to and fro….shine on

Has the warm firelight
Faded in the cold air?
Is the flicker of starlight
A beam of despair?
As silence replaces the echo of mirth
Are the tears on our faces the fruits of our worth?
Does the dew of sorrow lie heavy at dawn?
Hope fears not tomorrow, nor the dark….shine on

Are the diamonds we hold
Simply frozen tears
Does the shimmer of gold
Rest in by-gone years?
Where are the blossoms that kissed our feet
As we danced on the bosom of a summer retreat?
They rest with the Giver that cradles the dawn
Night is not forever, God lives so….shine on

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Janet Martin

Saturday, April 24, 2010

Behold.....


Look, oh look at the lily, the rose
As perfect today as in Eden’s repose
Immorality, shame, greed and lust
Leave their traces in the dust
Yet as man’s wickedness increases in power
They never can alter the form of the flower

Look, oh look at the breath of spring
Painting the earth in ever-green
Though man may strut and march and trod
And smear the handiwork of God
They can never quell the birth
Of the seed beneath the earth

The Hand of grandeur sweeps the world
As His glory in sweet spring is unfurled
He nudges the bud on the naked tree
And clothes the hills in an emerald sea
Over the fields of somber brown
He spreads a green and floral gown

Wickedness spoils and hatred kills
But it cannot hold back the wonder that fills
The earth; from generation to generation
No one can deter the Hand of creation
As He brushes His love on the dormant sod
And proclaims from above, BEHOLD, I AM GOD

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Janet Martin


I am so glad sin cannot taint
the beauty of a sunset,
the freshness of spring,
the glory of God!!!!

Friday, April 23, 2010

Love Song


Ten feet under a pale crescent moon
Lone star in the west
That’s when I heard it; an old love tune
Sung by the very Best
Drifting across the evening sky
Written in royal blue
Heaven’s gentle lullaby
Played its ageless tune

I heard it on the winsome breeze
That swept across the lawn
It whispered in the budding trees
It echoed in the dawn
It sang of faith and mercy
And everlasting grace
As I heard an old, old love song
Breathe against my face

It flowed from the Garden of Eden
Into my silent night
Unchanged since the very beginning
Melody of delight
The song of a Heavenly Father
Gracing the twilight dim
And I know there is no other
Song more awesome than Him

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Janet Martin

The other night Victoria and I went for a walk
As the sky turned from daylight to a deep royal blue…
A crescent moon hung above seeming close enough
To almost touch….one lone star graced the fading sunset…
It truly was a beautiful love song…..and my daughter’s chatter
Added the harmony

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

One Day Closer



In gathering dusk I hear a sigh
Another day is passing by
No more to hear its song or dance
No offering of a second chance
To return perhaps once more
To race along its fleeting shore
Its song is written, its shadow cast
Forever and ever this day is past

One day closer to eternity
One day closer….oh where will we be
When God sounds the final trumpet call
And on our awe-struck faces we fall
Every knee shall bow, He has proclaimed
As every tongue utters His sacred name
Will we bow in joy or fear
As we see Him re-appear?

One day closer to time nevermore
One day closer than ever before
One day closer to no beginning or end
One day closer, are we ready, my friend?
What is this life but the beginning of death?
A flicker, a vapor, a fleeting breath
A moment of mercy where God’s love is free
As He holds the keys to eternity

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Janet Martin

Therefore God exalted Him to the highest place
And gave Him the name that is above every name,
That at the name of JESUS every knee should bow
In Heaven, on earth and under the earth
And every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord
To the glory of God the Father. Phil. 2:9-11

Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is with me,
And I will give to everyone according to what he has done. Rev.22:12

They will see the Son of Man coming on
the clouds of the sky
with power and great glory. Matt.24:30

Heavenly Gift


Last night I knelt before your altar
Laid upon its silent stone
The thing that I would not relinquish
Knowing it was not my own
And I cried, oh God, please take it
Not my will, but Yours be done
Take my stubborn heart and make it
More and more like Your dear Son

As I opened up my fingers
And released my foolish pride
I could feel His Presence linger
Like a dove close at my side
While I slept His peace surrounded
God, I did not understand
But when I awoke I found it
A gift returned within my hand

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Janet Martin


The life I live in the body
I live by faith in the Son of God
who loved me and gave Himself for me. Gal.2:20

Visitor


There is something about a knock that really gathers our attention
Hastening, we open up the door
To greet a friend or stranger with a cordial invitation
As they proceed to tell what they’re here for
Do we smile and nod and listen offering a cup of tea?
Do we quickly bid them farewell or enjoy their company?

Have we heard a steady knocking that we’ve chosen to ignore?
Yet still it seems this Visitor won’t leave
Why are we so reluctant now to open up the door?
To cry, “Come in” and whisper, “I believe”
What a moment of great sorrow, what a sad and dismal day
If we should wake tomorrow, but our Guest has gone away

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Janet Martin

Behold, I stand at the door and knock.
If anyone hears My voice and opens the door
I will come in....Rev.3:20

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

You Know


You know the beginning and the end of all things
What is past, what is present, and what tomorrow brings
Yet I seem to think I must do my part
To carry a portion of life’s cares in my heart
God, does it ever make you weep
When you look at the measure of worry I keep?

Is it my ignorance or is it my pride
That insists on keeping cares locked up inside
Why do I know and ignore willingly
Your call saying ‘Cast ALL your burdens on Me’?
God, You know far more than my mind can conceive
And yet I struggle to trust and believe

You know the number of all of my days
You know the error of my foolish ways
You know the measure of my faith and love
That with or without You I have nothing to prove
You know the fullness of salvation’s plan
It cannot be added to by any man

You know because YOU ARE the All in all
You are the ONE who saves man from his fall
You are the ONE who never forsakes
Even though You know all my endless mistakes
I cry out to You in repentance and grief
Lord, I believe, help my unbelief

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Janet Martin

Cast ALL your anxiety on Him
because He cares for you. 1 Pet. 5:7

Lord, I believe. Help Thou mine unbelief. Mark 9:24

Monday, April 19, 2010

Never Like This Before


I’ve been held,
But never like this before
When you hold me
There is nothing I need anymore
I’ve been hurt
But now the pain is gone
I’ve been mistaken
Forgotten and alone
Now all of this
Doesn’t matter anymore
I’ve been loved
But never like this before

I’ve been loved
But never without measure
You love me
And not for self or pleasure
You hold me
Without shame or compromise
My soul melts
As I look into your eyes
You fulfill
My deepest hearts desire
As you love me
With a pure and holy fire

I’ve been forgiven
Only to fall again
I’ve taken and given
And I’ve loved in vain
I’ve been betrayed
And the betrayer too
But I have never
Been betrayed by you
God, I don’t need
Anything anymore
For I’ve been loved by You
Like I’ve never been loved before

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Janet Martin

Who Is This One?


Who is this One we worship
Who sits upon a throne?
And looks upon the sons of men
Yet loves them as His own
Who is this One we bow before
And raise our earnest plea
Who is this One that we adore
On humble bended knee?

He is Three yet He is One
Father, Holy Spirit, Son

Who hears the cry of sinners
Though He has known no sin?
Who is mans Great Deliverer?
Our Prince of peace within
Who opens up our blinded eyes?
And gives us eyes to see
Beyond a tempters cold disguise
And man’s futility

He is Three yet He is One
Father, Holy Spirit, Son

Who gives us hope and purpose?
Though constantly we fail
Who lovingly forgives us
Through the imprint of a nail?
Who knows our deepest sorrow?
Who hears our faintest cry?
As changeless in tomorrow
As in ancient days gone by?

He is Three yet He is One
Father, Holy Spirit, Son

He, who spoke and it was done
As earth and heaven replied
He, who offered His own Son
At Calvary, crucified
He, who poured out perfect love
Our sin-stains to erase
Resides within us and above
In everlasting grace

He is Three yet He is One
Father, Holy Spirit, Son

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Janet Martin

I am Alpha and Omega,
the First and the Last,
the Beginning and the End. Rev.22:13

Sunday, April 18, 2010

Somebody Loves You


When you’re feeling lonely
When you’re feeling blue
When you think you’re only one
Who knows the silent truth
Remember there is Someone
Who knows more than me or you
And you are never all alone….
Somebody loves you

When the rose that you are holding
Fades within your hand
When the dreams that you are molding
Are washed away like sand
When you’re left with a burden
Hidden from our view
He knows all your hurting
Somebody loves you

Somebody loves you immensely
He is never far away
Somebody knows you intensely
Beyond your wall of grey
Somebody loves you forever
Oh, and do you know?
He’s watching up above you
And He loves you so

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Janet Martin

For I am convinced that neither angels
nor demons, neither the present nor the future,
nor any powers,neither height nor depth
nor anything else in all creation will be able to
separate us from the love of God,
that is in Christ our Lord. Rom 8:38

Friday, April 16, 2010

Hope is not Dead


It shines in the eyes of pansies and children
It smiles from the cloud that drifts over-head
It whispers in showers that fall from the heavens
Oh, be not dismayed for hope is not dead

It is not dead in the flowers of autumn
Nor at the graves of sorrow and dread
The seed that is buried someday will re-open
Into a new life, oh hope is not dead

It lives in the words of age and of wisdom
Springs from a fountain of crimson red
It rests on the shores of another Kingdom
Oh be not dismayed for hope is not dead

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Janet Martin

I love pansies and children...
they both speak to me of hope......
I planted some today...pansies, that is:)

Wednesday, April 14, 2010

You Love Me


When I think of all the shameful things I’ve done
And how I really don’t deserve Your love
And when I think about Your only Son
How He died His perfect love to prove
I wonder how that it could be
That You should love a wretch like me….

I view the vast and distant shimmering sea
The earth that melts to green beneath Your touch
I gaze into the sky’s eternity
And realize that Your great love is such
That I could never begin to see
The start or the end of Your love for me…

Then I think about Your blood that poured
To provide for me, amazing grace
And how with Your great mercy You restored
A wretch like me, and softly kissed my face
I weep; for I am sinful and defiled
Yet still You love me as You call me ‘Child’

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Janet Martin

I know...I use this verse a lot....

Isn't it a beauty????

oh, what manner of love the Father
bestows unto us that we should be called
the children of God. 1 John 3:1

Monday, April 12, 2010

Dancing all around It







God said “go”
I shook my head
And danced around
His wish instead
I tiptoed, twirled
Painted my nails
Even curled
My ponytail
I cleaned the house
Redecorated
Every room
Was re-created
I embellished
Them with flowers
Stood admiring
It for hours
But as I paused
To take a rest
Again I heard
His soft request
Again I heard
His Voice say ‘go’
I knew that I
Could not say ‘no’

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Janet Martin

We have quite a time of it
To get Victoria to sit long
Enough to get her
Home-work done!!!!
I missed the hanging up-side-down
Off her chair shot,
the twirling around the living-room..etc

Maybe this is what I look like to God
When I am trying to avoid the thing
I know He wants me to do!!????

Mass Ignorance


Years and miles can’t come between
Creator and created
From a mighty Hand unseen
We are not separated
Life nor death, no height or depth
Nor graves of sea or sod
From our first cry to final breath
Can shield us from our God

The kiss of dawn across the sky
As breezes softly whisper
The trembling heart, the waking eye
Will not escape its master
Though man may mock in ignorance
The very hand that holds them
Mercy gives a second chance
And Love softly enfolds them

Another day of grace He gives
The fool curses His name
Denies the One who loves, forgives
A victim of his shame
As he defies his second chance
With every step he’s trod
He boldly flaunts his ignorance
And says, ‘there is no God’

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Janet Martin

The fool says in his heart,
‘There is no God’…….

The Lord looks down from heaven
On the sons of men….Ps. 14:1-2

His Compassion


A riveting whisper of coral
Breathes on the horizon
Beneath a bank of pewter cloud
Which suddenly are blazing
In flames of bright magenta
As His breath softly expands
Into a shout of glory
Melting ‘cross a slumbering land

The silken robes of midnight
Garbed in purple-blue
Cannot resist the morning light
In ever-changing hue
As heaven’s hand of mercy
Tenderly testifies
A sign of His compassion
Brushed across the wakening skies

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Janet Martin

Because of the Lord’s great love
We are not consumed,
For His compassions never fail.
They are new every morning.
Great is Your faithfulness. Lam.3:22-23

A very inadequate attempt at penning
The spectacular scene unfolding
Outside my window!!!....
and a VERY inadequate picture!!!
My camera couldn't pick up the
radiant and distinct bands of color!!!

Sunday, April 11, 2010

Timeless


Eternal, everlasting flood
Streams of mercy pour
Sweet deluge of holy blood
Flows forevermore
Generations come and go
Endless ages roll
Timeless is redemption's flow
This tide which saves our soul

Ageless everlasting love
Hope for every man
Flowing from a throne above
Oh, what an awesome span
Master of Infinity
Lord of earth and Heaven
Died so all humanity
May have their sins forgiven

Everlasting timeless power
His victory still stands
Won at Calvary’s dark hour
Bought with nail-pierced hands
Timeless, His amazing grace
Until Time is no more
Until we meet Him face to face
And He bolts mercy’s door

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Janet Martin

…whoever comes to me I will never drive away. John 6:37


We have very talented musicians in our assembly!
their songs and music always inspire me!
Thank-you God!!!

Friday, April 9, 2010

Enough for Me


Time and money are two things, it seems
Always in short supply
Why is it while the dreamer dreams
The well of both run dry
I’d be a dreamer if I could
Where all of its pleasures are free
But God is great and God is good
And He is enough for me

The well of His mercy never runs dry
His love is everlasting
I pause with a distant look in my eye
As daylight its mantle is casting
A whisper draws me from my brooding
And useless fantasy
For God is great and He is good and
He is enough for me

He is enough when life’s weary mile
Is tedious and trying
He is enough, so I can smile
Though inside I feel like crying
Oh, I hear the beat of a distant drum
Beyond a misty sea
It beckons to me from somewhere beyond
Where He is enough for me


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Janet Martin

Every good and perfect gift is from above. James 1:17

Thursday, April 8, 2010

Fly Away


Come; fly away to the moon with me
We’ll sit on the edge and dangle our feet
Then I think perhaps we would see
While we share a cup of moonlight tea
That life indeed is sweet

….for in the middle of the universe
In a vast abyss
Is a little blue dot, filled with shame and rot
And here ….God is……
As the masses fret and plunder and hurry
As they wish and forget and wonder and worry
Surely if we sat there we’d finally see
Without God, life is mere futility

For if He created this awesome expanse
If He died for our recompense
Then surely if we had any sense
We’d leave all our worry to Him

So come, fly way to the moon with me
Leave all our worries right here
As we sit and view reality
The rest will be made clear



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Janet Martin

"Am I only a God nearby?"declares the Lord,
..."do I not fill heaven and the earth?"
declares the Lord. Jer.23:23-24

I've Been Loved


There are so many places
That I have never been
So many grand attractions
That I have never seen
And whilst a tinge of restlessness
May stir beneath my feet
My heart is filled with thankfulness
My life has been complete….

For I’ve been loved by many
And my cup of joy is full
I’ve been the silent envy
Of the sad and lonely soul
As the wide world beckons
And I quell a longing sigh
I turn to see a blessing
Shining in a loved ones eye

I’ve been loved in childish hugs
And vacant teen-age stares
In tender eyes of azure blue
In words and thoughts and prayers
I’ve known quiet faithfulness
Unwavering loyalty
When deepest loves are put to test
I’ve known victory

I’ve been loved by one great Love
Free to everyone
It flows to us from God above
Through Jesus Christ, His Son
Yes, I’ll admit I’ve never seen
The sights I’d love to see
But, I’m so blessed for I have been
So loved, in spite of me

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Janet Martin

Oh, what manner of love the Father
has bestowed upon us,
that we should be called
the children of God. 1 John 3:1

Wednesday, April 7, 2010

The Only Jesus


If I was the only Jesus
That some folk would ever see
How would they perceive Him?
What kind of man would He be?
Would they see Him as kind and sharing?
Filled with true compassion
A hand of tender caring
In soft and humble fashion

If they should chance to meet me
As I’m walking down the street
And if they pause to greet me
Would my tone be warm and sweet?
Or would I nod in hurry
With no time to pause a while
Absorbed in present worry
With no pleasant word or smile

If I was the only Jesus
That my neighbors ever met
Would He be a comfort to them?
Someone they can’t forget
If I was the only Jesus
That they will ever see
Would they see His great love shining?
Or would they just see me?

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Janet Martin

Let your light shine before men
That they may see your good deeds
And praise your Father in Heaven. Matt.5:16

Tuesday, April 6, 2010

Wash Me


Wash me in life-giving blood
And in Your word divine
Wash me in love’s holy flood
Ah, what a gift is mine
For all the guilt and sin and shame
I offer up to you
You give hope found in your name
Eternal life with you

Wash me in this Holy flow
As glory trickles in
Wash me whiter than the snow
And cleanse me from my sin
Then, as You whisper to my heart
“You are a child of mine”
Lord, oh let me not depart
From such a love as Thine

Wash me in Your promises
Your Word that never fails
There’s no other love as this
When bowed beneath life’s gales
Wash me Lord, and make me clean
With Your amazing power
Then where a wilted stem had been
You create a flower

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Janet Martin

Uncertainties


There’s not much I’m certain of
These days are troubled seas
Wrought with hate instead of love
With pestilence, disease
But I know whom I have believed
And know He is able
When my new body I’ve received
He’ll seat me at His table

I don’t know what tomorrow holds
Or even my next breath
Its story has not yet been told
Whether life or death
But through it all there is a truth
As certain as can be
Jesus died each soul to save
And pay sins penalty

So midst the cries of fear and doom
I’ll lift this banner high
He is risen from the tomb
And watches from on high
Though fraught with life’s uncertainties
We have a hope unwavering
To every sinner who believes
There waits a home in Heaven

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Janet Martin

Yes, one certain thing in life is....
its uncertainties!!
Yesterday I was certain I would
get a head start on some digging
in my perennial gardens!
I did digging alright!...well, helped.
I went from barely getting started with
some weeding,when someone yelled "Mom!!! What
does it mean if there is disgusting water bubbling
out of the bath-tub drain???!!!!!"
We ended up digging up the septic tank
to get it pumped out!
Thanks Rob, for putting your tennis game on hold!

Monday, April 5, 2010

I See Hope


Here is my garden
Empty, unplanted
Tell me what do you see?
A plot of soil?
Just plain old dirt?
Last summer’s memory?

I see hope
In all its glory
An empty field of dreams
Gone is last year’s
Disappointments
Hope before me gleams

For just as Jesus
Lay concealed
For three days in the tomb
The seed of hope
Gloriously reveals
Triumph in full bloom

Here beneath
The dormant sod
The seed is silent, waiting
To be stirred
By hands of God
New life of His creating

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Janet Martin

because of the unseasonably warm weather
we've had for the past month
I am thinking
gardening'
about a month earlier than normal!!:):)

Is He More?


Is He more than an emotion
That will bring us to our knees
Or a form of strict devotion
Where we strive to do and please
Is He more than the Messiah
That the prophets long foretold
Or a distant heavenly Being
Treading highways paved in gold

Is He more than Rock of ages
Or the Hand that rules the world
More than stories on the pages
Of the greatest truths ere told
Is He more than the wee baby
Born to Mary long ago
Or a vague and mystic maybe
In a mind tossed to and fro

Is He more than the Creator
Of the land and sky and sea
Or the blessed Mediator
And the Holy Trinity
Is He more than King of glory
The Beginning and the End
I guess what I’m really wondering
Is simply this; is He our Friend?

All Rights Reserved
Janet Martin

Sunday, April 4, 2010

The Third Day


If You had missed the third day
There’d be no dry land or seas
No lovely weeping willow
Swaying gently in the breeze
No carpet lush with clover
No scent of up-turned sod
No thousand, thousand colored blooms
Designed by our Great God

If You had missed the third day
There’d be no meadows sweet
No trees, no grass or autumn hills
No calm woodland retreat
The lupine, rose and daisy
Never would exist
If You for unknown reasons
The third day would have missed

If You had missed the third day
Deaths seal would not be broken
The message of the prophets
Should have remained unspoken
There would be no assurance
In obeying Your command
No desire to bow beneath
The scepter in Your hand

If You had missed the third day
There would be no victory
No glory in the power
Of the Holy Trinity
If You had missed the third day
What dismal, hopeless gloom
If You had missed the third day
Never rising from Your tomb

But there was a third day
For such a worm as I
Jesus rose the third day
So I will never die
I bow on tender grasses
And hug Your meadows sweet
Thank-you for the third day
To make Your love complete

By Janet Martin All Rights reserved

Inspired while reading the story of Creation!
THE THIRD DAY.....hallelujah,
what a Savior!

Saturday, April 3, 2010

Lead Me To The Cross


Across the darkened plains of woe
A Voice rings, “God, forgive
What they do, how can they know?”
Because He died, I live

The hand that touched and healed the weak
Is pierced with cruel nail
Yet love pours from each word He speaks
“Oh, Father, not my will”

The arms that drew the children near
Are spread in agony
And from his eyes flow holy tears
As Jesus dies for me

Here is the perfect Son of God
Beneath man’s heartless blows
As earth receives redemption’s flood
In colors of the rose

And as the scarlet blood-drops fall
The seed of hope is born
Amazing grace for one and all
From limbs so bruised and torn

Lead me to the blood-stained cross
Pour out my sin and pride
Nothing I give is counted loss
As I see him who died

Lead me to the arms of love
Where freely He forgives
And seals my place in Heaven above
Because He died, I live!!!!
BECAUSE HE DIED, I LIVE!!!


All Rights Reserved
Janet Martin

Inspired after seeing
The Easter play written, directed
And performed by
Our youth group!

Friday, April 2, 2010

Look at the Cross


Look, look at the cross, no, no don’t look away
See loves sacred offering on gruesome display
See the thorns, wicked thorns so humbly worn
By the One who loved all; All the sick and forlorn,
The foolish, the wealthy, all those who would scorn
His dear name; so look at the cross on public display,
Not in some dark corner tucked dimly away
But up on a hill for the whole world to see
Perfect love, awesome love for you and me

Look, look at the cross, at this dear Ones face
Bearing the shame of public disgrace,
A face that was spat on, yet knew only love,
The face of a King from a kingdom above,
A face which has power earth and heaven to move
In a whisper; yet on it flow crimson tears
As He weeps, not in pain but in love so sincere
He calls out to His father from upon this tree
A symbol of hope for humanity

Look, look at the cross, at the hands that are bleeding,
Pierced through with nails and yet He is pleading
That man will find mercy in this holy flood,
Forgiveness and hope in a perfect Lambs blood,
Love pouring from the Son of God
His hands stretch out for all to see
That this is He who sets men free
Hands that ministered to every need
Have fulfilled their greatest work indeed

So look at the cross, behold the Lamb
The beginning, the end, the Great I AM
Look at his body, pierced and bleeding
Love flowing down for all who are needing
The hope of a Savior, as still He is pleading
Forgive them; and as darkness and thunder descend
His cry is heard through all the land
‘It is finished,” and now there is hope for the lost
If we look at the cross, if we look at the cross…….

……….and if we look at the cross, at the out-stretched limb,
Behold the blood and the suffering,
If we gaze on His love and the wonder of Him,
Will we think to be saved on that final Day
If we look, turn our backs and walk away?

Janet Martin

Thursday, April 1, 2010

Conversation With My Son



Did it hurt Mommy, when He wore that crown?
Did the thorns really pierce, did the blood run down?
Yes, my dear son, that crown of thorn
Hurt so much, but for us it was worn,
Did it hurt as much as the nails Mommy?
As much as those nails in His hands,
I’m sure those nails hurt even more, son
With a pain we cannot understand,
Why did He choose this way to die?
With such awful pain, why Mommy, why?

I gaze into the face of my one precious son,
A new understanding begins to dawn,
Not only did Christ bear His physical hurt,
His Father, His only dear Son would desert
As He bears the weight of EVERY sin!!
My mind can scarcely take it in,
Why did He do it Mommy, why?
Why did he choose this way to die?
Well, my son, I think it was so
He would suffer every pain we could ever know,
He gave His all and did not with-hold
One single comfort in His anguish untold,
He gave His all, poured out his life-blood
So we may find life in that crimson flood,
He gave his all, son, so that we
May taste His great love and forever be free

All Rights Reserved
Janet Martin

How great is the love the Father has lavished on us,
that we should be called the children of God. 1 John 3:1

In Tones of Red


In tones of red His blood was shed
A painful tortured robe
But still He wore and still He bore
For this a-curs-ed globe
The color of the shade of love
The color of the rose
As He bled in tones of red
Redemption's scarlet blows

In tones of red His sacred head
Bore a crown of thorns
Stripped of the flower in this dark hour
The scarlet that adorns
The Son of God, His holy blood
In sin’s last offering shed
A perfect Rose man’s hope bestows
In deepest tones of red.

All Rights Reserved
Janet Martin

God Bless You all

May God bless you this Easter season!

On this blog Are over 600 poems for you to enjoy......I will still post here but I am dividing the 'traffic' so to speak by posting on my other blog...Another Porch! Come see me on anotherporch.blogspot.com! It will be a mix of random and inspirational poetry. To God be the glory!