No, seriously, The question should have been “What bookS…” I can never limit myself to just one at a time! I love reading!
So, what bookS am I currently reading? Let me list a few:
The Bible (always … daily)
Devotionals that help me understand better and apply the Bible lessons to my life: a. In Touch by Charles Stanley b. Ever Faithful by David Jeremiah c. Mornings with Jesus and Walking in Grace and Strength & Grace by Guideposts d. Today in the Word by Moody Bible Institute e. These Days by Presbyterian Publishing Corp.
The Last Caretaker: A Novel by Jessica Strawser
I have Jessica Strawser’s book on my Kindle reader. I prefer having a paperback or better yet, the hardcover book, but Kindle books are so affordable – – – and I can enlarge the print to make deciphering easier. So I am getting used to reading from my laptop. The Last CareTaker is a gripping story about a lady who agrees to be the caretaker at a remote nature preserve, but finds herself in the throes of a secretive shelter for battered, abused, and at-risk women. I’m enjoying it.
How about you? What bookS are you reading right now?
Bye for now… I’m off to read some more.
(Oh, and by the way, Happy Birthday to my mom. 11-15-15 Elizabeth (Betty)Totten DeAngeles She would have been 108 today!)
Here we are when I was about 2 or 3. Quite the hairdo, huh? Sweet!
Do you take time each morning to read your Bible, pray, and study at least one devotional? It is such a powerful way to start each day.
Let God help you begin your day with your heart focusing on a message you receive during the time you begin with Him. I’ve been using Guideposts’ devotionals for over a decade now. I find it to be constantly spirit-lifting!
Daily Guideposts’ format includes a selected Bible verse, a reflection on that scripture, a prayer, and a couple of related scriptures in a section called Digging Deeper.
Before leaving the daily page, I write my “Take Away” on the page. It’s a message I carry with me that day – a lens through which I encounter what the day brings. Here are the daily take-aways from this month of March 2022:
Daily Take-Aways in March 2022
Trust God’s Perfect Timing
Wear Your Faith
Enjoy a Grace-Filled Perspective
Forgive Always
Seek His Help First
Where He Leads Me,
I Will Follow
Seek God’s Wisdom
For Everything – A Season
“Bee” Compassionate and Patient
“Bee” a Servant Leader
“Bee” Not Dismayed
Stay the Course
Pray for our Troubled World
Give Cheerfully
Trust His Perfect Timing
Pray for World Peace
Take Delight in Others
Life is An Adventure
Jesus Never Leaves Us
Show Agape Love
Believe: I Am Fearfully & Wonderfully Made
Avoid Procrastination
The Spirit Flies
God Supplies Our Needs
Focus and “Bee” Clear
Adopt the Courage of the Cross
He Equips Me
Wake Up Eager
Share Your Smiling Face
Enjoy the Unexpected
If you follow my blog and have a read a few of my posts this past month, you recognize that many of those take-aways were the inspiration for JanBeek’s posts. Which of those topics resonated with you the most?
Will you consider creating a “take-away” from your Bible or devotional reading each day? Try it! See if it helps you focus in a new and different way.
Before I leave you this evening, I need to wish you a Happy April, my friends. Tomorrow’s a new day. It’s a new month. And as I write this my youngest granddaughter, Faith, is in labor – expecting my #4 great-grandchild. We are expecting a beautiful little girl. I am praying she is born quickly, as painlessly as possible, and as perfect as God creations can be. Won’t you pray with me? I’ll keep you posted.
Faith’s older sister, Hope, has given us two great-grandchildren:
Here is Xander Great-grandchild #1
Here’s Sienna, Great-grandchild #2
Faith’s brother, Jordan, has gifted us with great-grandchild #3 :
Here’s Cosette! Look at the RunAway Bunny – Too cute, huh?
I can hardly wait to meet Great-grandchild #4. Here is her mommy, our granddaughter, Faith, when she was a baby:
Aren’t I a blessed lady?
What’s your take-away today? Happy April 1st, dear ones. No fools among us!!
See ya later today with my good news, OK?
Love, JanBeek
Don’t take-away love! Give it generously instead! Good night!!
Love is a gift from God. Love is an action word. Bob Goff wrote a book: “Love Does” – have you heard?
Have you heard the Word That tells us how to love? It’s in Corinthians 13 – Instructions from above.
In her post today, Caralyn of “Beauty Beyond Bones” explained her thoughts on the subject of the Source of our love. She remarked about the newest Time Magazine featuring a cover photo of Jesus. The caption, “Who Do You Say that I Am?” caused her to give us a wonderful Valentine’s Day answer:
Caralyn wrote:
“You are my best friend. The source and foundation of my recovery. You are my hope in hard times, my gratitude in the good, my comfort in fear, my joy in the everyday, my courage and fortitude. You are the fullness of my heart. You are the grace running through my veins. You are my everything.”
In my devotional time with In Touch, the daily readings by Charles Stanley, the subject of love was linked to our faith. Yes, it is within all things – because all things were made by our Creator – made with love and care! But the reflection on today’s scripture reminded us that “… accepting God’s love is a matter of faith. Even when you can’t feel it, believe it.“
1 John 4:7-10 “7 Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9 This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. 10 This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.”
Love is a gift from God. We can do nothing to earn it – But it is ours to share!
Charles Stanley wrote: “No one is worthy of God’s grace and mercy… To consider yourself beyond the reach of grace is to trample on the Son’s sufficient sacrifice and the Father’s generous gift.”
Wear your love on your sleeve. Radiate love with each smile. Let love stay behind when you leave – It’s renewable – it’s your style!
Take my heart – and please don’t break it!
Love was make for you and me!
Thanks for visiting JanBeek today.
I send my love to you.
Happy Valentine’s Day! See ya tomorrow (God willing)
For Christmas this year our son, Ty, and his wife, Monika, gave me this book.
The back cover has a an explanation of the author’s purpose.
Each day David Jeremiah, (the author of Turning Point another devotional I have been following for years), selects a scripture, and reflects on it.
Today’s reflection was especially meaningful to me:
It is trusting the Lord’s direction day by day in our lives together that has allowed Bob & me to remain ever faithful to one another for these 60 years!
This Friday we will celebrate our 60th anniversary.
This was last year on our 59th.
Here we are 60 years ago!
Yesterday we celebrated my granddaughter, Faith’s baby girl – due April 3rd – with a virtual baby shower. It was attended by about 20 friends from all over this part of our world – from Alaska and Hawaii to NY and across to CA – and states like ours (Montana) in between.
Our daughter-in-law, Monika (Faith’s mom) did a wonderful job researching ahead of time, planning, inviting, and coordinating the event. She linked in to an app that invited her to post a baby picture of the prospective mom as a baby and the prospective dad as a baby at the same age. Then the app blended the two parents and showed what the baby might look like if she favored the mom more. Another picture showed what she’ll look like if she favors dad’s side more.
Because Faith and Kyle actually resembled one another as babies, the two renditions were quite similar. That was fun!
Another activity had all the participants answering questions about the honored couple. The running scores were exhibited and the “winners” were awarded Amazon gift certificates. I didn’t participate in that… couldn’t figure out how to access the game screen! So much for technological prowess!! But folks who engaged had a lot of fun with it.
We were able see Faith & Kyle virtually unwrap each of their gifts, as each told us a little about the gift-giver… and because we were all on a ZOOM share screen, we could see each other. I was terribly impressed with Monika who was able to put all this together and move the activities along at a good pace.
My blog yesterday, “A Virtual Baby Shower,” showed you this expectant mom & dad. Here’s another photo of them:
Faith & Kyle McSparron
I know you join me in wishing them a happy, healthy pregnancy. Of course, I will share pictures of their baby girl with you when she is born in April.
Meantime, my prayer for them is that they remain “ever faithful” to one another – and are loving, devoted parents when their new little bundle arrives. God bless Faith & Kyle!!
Bee well my friends. Thanks for visiting JanBeek. I’ll see you tomorrow (God willing) What are your Tuesday plans?
Hugs to you!
Oh, before I say good-bye, Here’s a tribute to this age-old tradition: marriage!!
“What Book Will You Read Next?” was the Bloganuary prompt yesterday. I was away from my computer all day, so I didn’t get a chance to answer it then. But here is my answer – a day late:
The book next on my reading list is Amanda Gorman’s “Call Us What We Carry.” Amanda is the young lady who wrote the poem that she read at the 2021 USA Presidential inauguration, “The Hill We Climb.” Her book of poems “captures a shipwrecked moment in time and transforms it into a lyric of hope and healing.” According to the inside flap of the book, “This book is a message in a bottle. This book is a letter. This book does not let up.” I loved Gorman’s poem for the inauguration message last year. I know I am going to enjoy delving deeper into her poetic prowess!
Reading a good book Takes you to gardens And castles and wonders Around the world.
Reading a good book Increases your vocabulary And helps you soar To heights beyond your reach.
I’m not telling you Anything you didn’t know. So, tell me about a book That carried you skyward.
I’m all ears! Recommend a good book to me.
Embrace Reading!
That’s me – reading “The Wing Ding Dilly” by Bill Peet to a 4th grade class in California. Their teacher, Mrs. Souza, invited friends on FB to ZOOM read to her class. I volunteered. You should try it! It was such fun!!
If you’ve followed my blog for a week or so, you already know that I journal most days in this little book that is dedicated to my dear and daring daughter, DeAna. I don’t write in it EVERY day, but often I do, when I am up in my sanctuary, motivated by my devotionals. Today was such a day.
Look ahead, my friend Live Life Forward Stare out the windshield Not the rear view mirror
Look toward the future Find the unexpected gifts Share the love and grace You find at every turn
Share the laughter Share uninhibited joy Share compassion Ease each others pain
Find the hidden treasures ‘Neath the tears of sorrow Let them wash you clean Ready for tomorrow
Look ahead, my friend Don’t let the past upset Live life forward And bury all regret
With his permission, I am sharing with you the first part of a Christmas letter I received this week from my former pastor, Rev. Brent Mitchell. He is a master wordsmith! He said what’s in my heart so much better than I could have said it.
“Mark it how you will, 2020 was a year not lost, but forever to be remembered for both its absences and its unexpected gifts.
By the middle of March, it became apparent that what we thought as normalcy had left its predictable confines for parts unknown, leaving no forwarding address.
Masked and gloved, we were left to fend for ourselves absent even the comfort of shaking hands or intimate conversations, the communion around tables, camaraderie of birthdays celebrated, the sacred closeness of hospital visits.
Absent of the humanizing connectivity, of those familiar and holy intersections, we were left to laugh alone, to cry alone, and hope in seclusion. It cost us treasures we never knew were so valuable and time that cannot be recalled.
“But admit it: There were unexpected gifts. There were letters we finally wrote, the books we never touched until now, the prolonged stillness that allowed us to think again, and listen to what our hearts were saying.
We talked to God because the hours got quiet enough to hear His still small voice. It happened because we watched enough TV to realize we had watched TV enough, and golden silence gave us gifts that weren’t insipid.
“I think, in short, that if we were paying attention, not only did we get older, but almost certainly wiser because even a painful awareness of what lurks in our hearts and minds is worth more than gold.
The gift was rediscovering at a visceral level that we really are never alone; nor in the absence of everyone, are we left unloved.
“My prayer is that when this is over, and it will one day be over, we won’t forget the things we learned the hard way this year: that God willing, we’ll never go back to the tired normalcy of endless distractions, of busyness as usual, and the noise that never ends.”
The Mitchell Musings December 2020
Peace to you. Good Night, my friends. Have a wonderful Christmas Eve Day.
Thanks for visiting JanBeek. I leave with you my hopes and wishes for a most Blessed Christmas.
On this day in the year 1937, Walt Disney’s animated movie, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, was introduced to a delighted American public. My sister was one day old. I was born a year and a half later.
Yesterday I posted a poem about God whistling through the trees – and added some other whistlers to the post. Here’s one of my favorite tunes to whistle:
I grew up with loving this movie and the song…
The drawings that created the animation for the movie were mostly done by Bill Peet. I met Bill Peet in the late 1960’s at a California Teachers’ Association Reading Conference. What a delightful man! Bill worked for Walt Disney as an artist most of his career. In his early 50’s, he retired from Walt Disney Studios and began publishing children’s picture books. This was one published in 1967, the year my daughter, DeAna, was born.
Bill Peet
Have you ever heard of him? Are you familiar with any of his books? I think many of the more than 30 books he wrote and published for children are available today on Amazon Books… especially in the Used Books section. I don’t think any are still being printed. But, I should research that. His home page lets you see this creative author/illustrator: http://www.billpeet.net/
Many of my Bill Peet books were autographed. I bought them at the CTA conferences and had the author personalize them to me and put his signature on them. I have given most of those to my daughter-in-law, Monika, who home-schooled our four California grandchildren.
Looking at that list, I remember hearing Bill read to us “The Wingdingdilly.” I remember his infectious laugh. That”s such a cute story! Here are a couple of his books that I still have. All his books have a wonderful moral to them. Many of them are written in poetic rhyme. His wonderful sense of humor comes through, just as it did when he produced the drawings for Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.
Don’t you love his whimsical artwork? Jennifer the automobile was already old in 1933… Her best friend was a scrawny, stray cat named Josephine.
This is the story of a timid, scrawny little squirrel afraid to come down out of his tree… Adorable!
How can tiny little gnats save those big animals of the forest during hunting season?
Another of Bill Peet’s books that I still have is Fly Homer, Fly – copyrighted in 1969, its pages’ edges are mouse chewed – don’t know how that happened – but not so bad it ate into any of the words! Homer is a simple farm pigeon who lives in an abandoned barn. Homer befriended a bedraggled sparrow who was blown by a storm into the barn. The adventures begin when Sparky, the Sparrow, convinced Homer to fly off to Mammoth City with him in search of Pigeon Park where every day was supposed to be a feast day.
And then on this day in 2020…
You just gotta try to find Fly Homer Fly… The pigeon & sparrow adventures reminded me of my youngest grandson, Chris, who arrived today in Colombia from Switzerland.
Yesterday Chris flew via Geneva – Madrid – Miami. And then he realized he had forgotten his American passport. He could not fly on from Miami to his next scheduled stop. So he had to go back to Geneva and have his brothers drive there from Sierre (a two-hour trip) to deliver his USA passport to him… and 52 hours later he finally got to his destination. Whew!! Can you imagine?? Might even beat Homer’s adventures!
I introduced you to our grandson, Chris, back in November of 2018 when he came to live with us for awhile and joined the Job Corps in Anaconda, Montana. Then COVID-19 hit and the government threatened to close the Job Corps centers that were run by the Forest Service. Anaconda was one of them. That was right about when Chrissy’s parents were here visiting. So, he decided to go back to Switzerland. He’s now studying to be a nurse. He met Natalia on-line… and I told you about their romance back in early 2019. Refresh your memory: https://janbeek.blog/2020/02/23/love-on-the-internet/
Bob & Jan with Chris in December 2018
A Day to Remember
Our grandson will remember this day forever… and someday he will laugh about it with his grandkids, just the way his grandparents are enjoying the story today. It was a surprise to us that Chris made this trip! I hope you are enjoying the story, too… and like us, I hope you are saying a prayer for those crazy kids who choose to fly across the world in this COVID environment. Ah, love knows no barriers! God bless them!
And God bless us all. Bee safe this Christmas week, my friends. Do yourself a favor and go check out Bill Peet! See ya tomorrow. Keep your sense of humor alive. It’s vital!
Do you journal? Do you write most days – Only here on WordPress? Do you write in other ways?
Journaling on WordPress Is a great opportunity, But I might not say All that occurs to me.
My journal from Marcie & Monica
I have a wonderful journal – A gift from two good friends. They gave it to me last year Knowing my journaling never ends.
Today I wrote an entry About how November’s end – And how Christmas is coming Right around the next bend.
But, I don’t want to squander All the lesson November brought, So I recalled all the Take-Aways Each November devotion brought:
Which of those take-aways Speaks to your heart today? Which will you carry with you As you travel on your way?
Each day I read the message And in a word or five, I take the thought I need This day to live and thrive.
I invite you to also journal If it isn’t already a habit. Find a booklet that fits your taste Then think your thoughts and grab it!
Grab that booklet daily To augment the things you say On WordPress to your friends here. Your grandkids will love it some day!
This is another of my journals
Do you journal? Do you write most days – Only here on WordPress? Do you write in other ways?
Journaling can be very therapeutic. It can get things off your chest. Then you can refer back to it. It can be comforting at best!
If you don’t journal in a booklet, Try it, my friends, start today. You may discover, as I did, It’s a place to finish your “say!”
Reading your journal later Is like looking in a rear view mirror. It helps you see what was And makes today seem clearer.
Try it! You’ll like it!!
Bye for now. See ya tomorrow. Hugs fromJanBeek
This song by Roy Clark tells us, “I never stopped to think what life was all about…” Well, I find that journaling helps me to that as I can recall “Yesterday When I Was Young” by looking back…
