One of my blogging friends today wrote this message, “Wrote a tanka today to get into the rhythm of saying more with less. It’s a japanese short form poetry system with 5-7-5-7-7 syllable scheme. Give it a try!”
So I decided to do just that. How about you? You wanna give it a try, too?
I’m an open book Filled with whimsy and color Easy to be read Very hard to be ignored Noisy and provocative
God bless you, my friends. Have a Super Saturday. It’s “No Kings Day” here No, not “Hate America!” Protect our Constitution!
“Take genuine interest in other people… turn to the person next to you in the grocery store and ask what the highlight of their day has been… Your question … will probably be the highlight of their day.”
That quote is from Bob Goff’s Catching Whimsy, 365 Days of Possibility.
He challenges us with today’s action step:
“Engage the people around you with love and inexplicable curiosity today.”
Time with Saskia & Laszlo is so precious!
I need to be sure and practice “With-ness” with them. God sent them to us so we could really BE with one another.
Who are you going to really be with today? Bob Goff uses Galatians 6:10 to remind us of Jesus’ words to the people: “So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone.”
Let them know you are 100% with them … and curious about how life is going with them.
How is life going with you!?
My life is quite lovely. Kenny’s is, too. I hope yours is, also.
“We cannot escape the frustrations of this life. It is wise to lean on the Lord for help and guidance…”
Message from When God Thinks of You, He Smiles, a book of 365 devotions from Broadstreet Publishing. I received this as a gift last week from my “dear bonus daughter,” Elaina. Each page has a scripture, a commentary, and ends with a prayer. Boy Howdy, I needed this one today!
“Don’t worry, because I am with you. Don’t be afraid, because I am your God. I will make you strong and will help you. I will support you with my right hand that saves you.”
Isaiah 41:10 (NCV)
Ah yes, reach your hand out. Touch me. Assure me. Encourage me! I am frustrated and need to remember no one is promised a seamless life. But the strange thing is: I invited this frustration into my life!!
What was I thinking? The dead of a Montana winter is not the time… not the time to get a new puppy who has not been crate-trained, let alone house-trained!
Oh, I can be all smiles when he’s in my lap and feeling lovable and wanting to be cuddled! But, believe me, Kenny is a 6 1/2 month old 12 pound ball of energy who has decided his crate is his bathroom and our floor is his toilet – – Help!
My devotional today said, “Prayer gives us strength when trials… come our way.” Believe me, I have prayed at length about this pup! The devotional said, “When you struggle, it doesn’t mean your faith is lacking. Even when you faithfully follow God… life can still be rocky.”
I need to put this pup struggle in perspective! It’s not life or death. We will survive. Count your blessings, Jan, because he is smart and will learn… and you are smarter and can teach! Be patient!
I may have told you earlier that my friend, Terry, sent me this book: “How Dogs Think.” The cover photo looks just like Kenny must have looked at 2 or 3 months… and the subtitle of the book is: “Inside the Canine Mind.” It’s a TIME special edition. Surely this will have some good advice to add to all the things my friends are saying… and Isaiah said it, too: “I will make you strong and help you…”
The prayer at the bottom of the devotional today was: “Gracious One, thank you for the faithfulness of your love… I don’t want to spend my life worrying or full of fear. Empower me and encourage me when I struggle.” Amen!
Happy September 1st to you! The word for the month is Devoted. The question for the month is, “To what or to whom are you devoted?”
Some might answer, “I am devoted to earning money” while others might say, “I’m devoted to spending money… Put on my gravestone: Being of sound mind, I spent it all!”
Some are devoted to coffee, getting their daily dose at Starbucks, while others are devoted to gardening or to reading or to raising their families.
What’s your answer?
Some of the things that capture our devotion are worth the time and trouble. Others are not.
“Ezra had devoted himself to the study and observance of the Law of the Lord, and to teaching its decrees and laws in Israel.” Ezra 7:10
The word devotion means “earnest affection for a person or cause.” It’s a better word than commitment. We can be committed to a cause out of sheer duty; but to be devoted implies commitment plus affection.
September connotates “Back to School” for me. As a retired educator, I never tire of teaching. My children are grown and my grandchildren are not close by, so my teaching audience has changed. I am devoted to teaching the seniors in “The Manor.” It is our local nursing home. The people there are delightful!
Because I am devoted to teaching, I agree with the commentary I read recently on the Ezra 7:10 scripture above: “As our children head back to school, it’s time for us to don our backpacks and enroll in the Ezra School of Bible Study – devoting ourselves to the study and observance of God’s Word and to teaching it to others.”
The people that garner your devotion and the causes to which you are devoted help to define who you are. The word for September is “Devoted.” How do you define yours?
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!!
