Spreading love, joy, peace, faith & unity

Archive for March, 2018

Be the Change

I complained to God

Little children in our midst

Needed to be taught of Christ

With no church school, teaching’s missed.

Lord, how can we expect

To keep the children here

If no one’s willing to

Teach the Word they need to hear?

No young people stepped up

To lead the Bible class

I’d done my turn at teaching

Now it’s a younger person’s task.

Still no one stepped forward

I was getting quite upset

There are people out there capable

They could teach the class, I’ll bet!

“Be the change you wish to see,”

Came the message loud and clear

So Bob & I took it on…

The best move we made all year!

Every week these darling kids

Lift our spirits, bless our heart.

What’s the change you wish to see?

Do it now! It’s time to start.

Giving Accolades

Each day during Lenten season

I sent a letter of appreciation

To one of forty people who

Make my life better just by

Being in it.

Giving accolades to those

Who bless my life was easy

The hard part was limiting

My list to only forty

Dear family and friends.

Today is “Silent Saturday”

The last day of Lent –

The day before Easter –

The last of my accolades –

And it goes to TazE.

Yes, I am truly blessed

By the presence of this

Four-legged furry friend

Who makes my life better by

Being in it.

Happy Lent, little friend

Dear and precious “Man Dog”

If only I could learn to be

As unconditionally loving

As you are!

Thank you for your kisses

Thank you for your cheer

Thank you for lifting me

Whenever you are near

Happy Easter!

Jan Beekman

March 31, 2018

We’re Here to Lose

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Create a bumper sticker

Make it inspirational

It’s only meant for you

No need to be sensational

Keep it fairly simple

Let it touch your heart

Then take the message seriously

Ready? Believe it. Start!

A Honey of a Sermon

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Proverbs 16:24
“Gracious speech is like clover honey –
Good taste to the soul, quick energy for the body.”

Many of you know about my habit
of taking notes during the sermon each Sunday.
I hear better if I record on paper
what I process through the ears
to the brain through the fingertips.
Often the preacher wouldn’t recognize
the message as I interpret it.
But that’s okay – when my mind wanders
It’s generally related to something
she just uttered – and eventually
I get back to the voice in front of me.
Your mind doesn’t ever wander during
speeches or sermons, does it?
Here’s what I heard/processed
from Rev. Jean Johnson’s sermon today.
By the way, the scripture was not
the Proverb listed above!
The scripture that inspired the sermon
was actually John 12:20-30.
But, nevertheless, what I heard was:

A Honey of a Sermon

From the cardiac care room
Patients looked out to see a cross
Lighted and perched atop the church
On the street across.

The patients were looking
For new life – a new heart.
Waiting for a new spirit after
Their chest was torn apart.

What would you do
With a heart and spirit anew?
Would you take advantage
Of the fresh start given to you?

As we live our lives aware
Of the sin that we repeat,
Do we work to try and get
A clean heart with loving beat?

Working to receive a clean spirit
Is not the way to receive it.
All we need to do is accept
The forgiveness Jesus gave; just believe it!

Jesus gave each of us a chance
To have a clean start each day.
His death on the cross gave us
A chance to walk straight in His Way.

The crucial function of His relationship
To give us new life and a new heart
Was demonstrated by His resurrection.
Relate to Him in acceptance today for your fresh start!

Amen?
Amen!

Jan Beekman
3/18/18

Taste

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TASTE

It’s a matter of observant living
To determine your preferred taste.
Experience, family, childhood
All form the world we’ve faced.

Some choose spices like ginger.
Some put honey in their tea.
Some wear clothes of pinks and blues.
Reds and greens are right for me.

Is religion a matter of taste?
Do we make God what we like?
Do we choose our Scriptures
As we’d select a trail to hike?

Do we choose to interpret
What we think the words should mean?
Is ours a God of condemnation,
Or does He wipe our sin slates clean?

Is your God one who loves us all
Or does He only favor those
Who are righteous through and through –
From their heads down to their toes?

The “Chosen People” are the ones
Who are called to show what it is
To be totally, wholly, unconditionally
Loved by God, to be forever His.

We are called to love as freely
As God loved us as sinners.
He didn’t reserve His affection
For only the faultless winners.

If that had been the message,
We’d all be lost for sure
Since none of us is spotless, perfect.
None of us is sinless, pure.

God sent His Son, Jesus,
To help us get a taste of living His Way.
Love extravagantly as Christ did.
Determine to taste and spread His love today.

Amen?

The Pipes Didn’t Speak

Wholesale supply plumbing materials and fittings

I wanted him to come
And check out why we wait
For five minutes or more
To have hot water pour
Out of our kitchen faucet.

He never showed to say
Just what the problem is,
And when I called to ask,
He said he didn’t come
Because the pipes didn’t speak.

Hello! I asked the plumber how
He expects to run a business
That relies on the audible voices
Of the pipes he’s paid to fix.
How does that really work?

It’s a little like a writer who sits
At the computer and waits to hear
The keys speaking the words
That will eventually end up
On the screen or on paper or blog.

The pipes didn’t speak to me.
The keys didn’t tell me what to write.
I need to be inspired by the tools
I rely on for my work.
Clear whatever’s blocking my pipes.

One New Tooth

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One New Tooth
Shining bright and clean
One Pug Nose
Smelling life, so keen

One Smiley Mouth
Returning lots of glee
Two Sparkly Eyes
Looking back at me

Two Pink Cheeks
Ready to be kissed
Two Darling Ears
No sounds are missed

Two Strong Shoulders
Holding tall the head
Two Flexible Elbows
Bending to be fed

Two Chubby Hands
Reaching for the moon
Ten Active Fingers
Holding bottle or spoon

One Husky Body
Smelling clean and sweet
Two Wiggly Hips
Ready to dance in the street

Two Sturdy Legs
Ready to go walking
Two Bony Knees
Bending, but not balking

Two Balanced Feet
Holding up this chunk
Ten Monstrous Toes
Like mommy’s – who’d a thunk?

One Grand Future
Impacting Mother Earth
One Perfect Great-Grandson
A million dollars worth

Thank You, Hope and Drew
Thank You for this boy
Thank You, God
He brings us so much joy!

Jan Beekman (GG)
March 7, 2018

Image

Wordless Saturday

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Feeling: The Language of the Heart

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In his book, Be!, James Dillet Freeman wrote, “Feeling is the unforgotten language of the heart; you could speak it before you learned words, the language of the mind.”

 

What are you feeling now? Feelings were there in your heart before your mind conjured the words to describe them. Sometimes feelings are never put into words. They just lie there in the heart – unforgotten.

 

Often the work of psychiatrists is to draw out those unforgettable feelings and help them take word form. Is it necessary? Is it helpful? Must we define all our feelings? What happens to the wordless ones? Do they impact us?

 

As a small child, I grew up in an Ozzie & Harriet family. My dad went off to work. My mom stayed home and nurtured my sister and me. Then, during World War II, my mom went to work at a bomb plant. My sister went to kindergarten, and I went to stay with my mom’s friend in town. Dad got a military deferment because of his family obligations. He entered into a business venture with his brother-in-law and spent long hours away from home. How did I feel about all that change? I don’t know. I never verbalized those feelings. Do they need words to be real?

 

It’s reassuring to realize that God hears the language of the heart. Before we learn to speak, He hears us. He understands our needs even better than a nurturing, attentive mother comprehends her infant’s cries. Before we know how to say what we’re feeling, God knows. In the depths of our souls, unspoken feelings are stored. Yes, they impact us. They are unforgotten by God as well. Knowing He helps our circumstances “work together for good, for those who believe in Him” gives me great comfort.

 

Remembering now those early days of change, I can see how Mom’s friend (I called her Aunt Artie) impacted my life for good. She took me regularly to the library. She encouraged my ability to read. Hers was a happy, safe haven. The unforgotten language of my heart feels her support and acceptance.

 

What unforgotten language lingers in your heart? My prayer is that you, too, have the reassurance of God’s understanding. May you feel comfort in the dormancy of wordless memories. Let the feeling lie in your heart – unforgotten – but working for good. Believe!

 

 

Jan Beekman

3-1-18

 

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