Loving One Another

Archive for the ‘Faith’ Category

Love Transforms


It is Well With My Soul
“Love Transforms”

heart of love

Listen to:
“It is Well With My Soul”
https://youtu.be/AHe_qmo3gX4

It’s Sunday.
Time for the Sermon Notes…
and as I post these, I remind myself
that I must continue to live in an attitude of gratitude
and a response of generosity,
faithfulness, obedience, and
integrity.

In that effort, I must not just attend church
and take sermon notes,
but I must walk the talk!
Love Transforms.
God’s Love…
as it lives and breathes in me
and as I exhibit it honestly to others.
Especially to the hurting,
the lonely,
the ill,
and the downtrodden.

Lord Help me BE the Love!

Here  are my sermon notes from today
– a reflection on Luke 8:26-39 –
as preached by Rev. Jean Johnson,
and interpreted by me…

Love Transforms

Sometimes folks with illness
Are defined by what is wrong.
Haunted by their ailments,
They can’t join or go along.
.

They feel as if they may as well
Be dead … they’re barely alive…
So many problems – terrible issues;
They long to live and thrive.
.

People who ignore the sick ones
May think they’re doing what’s right,
But Jesus sees new life in them.
He heals them – so now their future’s bright.

.
But naming the nameless, and
Loving the loveless can bring fear.
People don’t know how to react
When the broken are filled with cheer.

.
Transformation can be scary.
Hope can be frightening to some.
But the ones who are held down
Can be freed when the Son says, “Come!”

.
Free in Christ, and healed by God,
The dwntrodden can know new joy.
God doesn’t intend for us to dwell
In death, while alive. Fear’s a ploy.
.

Fear’s a ploy that shackles us;
It comes in many forms.
But God can bring new life to you.
Accept and proclaim it. His love transforms.

.
God blesses you!
Reach out to an ailing friend.
Bring God’s love to them.
Bring them joy without end.

.

Amen?
Amen!

heart of love
See ya tomorrow!

 

Category:

Bible Lessons, Faith, friendship, God, Jesus, Life's Challenges, Love, music, Poetry

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Taste the Source


Taste the Source

“Jesus is not our sauce,

He’s the source,”

Pastor TC Mooney reminds us.

I knew that, of course.

.

Mooney says we often push God

To the back of our fridge shelf.

We only take Him out to sprinkle

Some on our lives – to flavor ourself.

Sometimes we forget He’s there.

We leave Him in the back too long.

But, unlike sauce, the Source

Never expires; His flavor’s never gone.

.

I can taste the love of Jesus

Without worrying about the date

He might get stale. He’s always fresh.

My reach is never too late.

 

Jesus is not my sauce.

He’s The Source.

I Drink from His

Everlasting Fountain of Love

Every Day!

Do you?

Thank God

Happy Father’s Day weekend.
You’re part of the Goodness.
You know that, right?
.

Spread the love!

heart of love

See ya tomorrow

Category:

blessings, Faith, God, Gratitude, Jesus, Love, Poetry

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Your Heart NEEDS This:


Your Heart NEEDS This:

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Hmmm…

What keeps your heart beating?

What makes it beat faster?

What calms it down?

What does your heart NEED?

person using stethoscope on bear plush toy

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Have you checked your pulse lately?

What’s it telling you?

At the root of my “heart need”
is the longing to be loved,
to be valued,
to be needed.

Victoria+X on 4 wheeler @Xander's2nd

Like my little grandson NEEDED a friend
to help him learn to get his new four-wheeler moving,
my heart needs to be needed.
Does yours?

slow dance in kitchen


In today’s Guideposts devotional, the message said,
“Emotional needs can be every bit as acute as physical ones…
the Lord hardwired into human beings the desire for
love, acceptance, and a sense of safety.
These necessities are what cause us
to seek out friendships, marriage,
and , ultimately,
a relationship with God.”

What’s Your “Heart Need”?

Is it something that can be satisfied with the things of this world?
A friend, a spouse, a large bank account, a satisfying job?
Those “needs” are real… but they are not the “heart food that lasts.”

Heart Food That Lasts

Love and acceptance, a feeling of being valued, cannot last if it only comes from worldly things. A solid sense of self-worth is critical to heart health. We cannot fully receive love and acceptance without a sense of self-worth.

If you are uncertain about your own innate, precious value, you will project onto family and friends the “God-sized task” of proving you are valued. And, the problem with that (as stated clearly in the Guideposts devotional today) is, “No human being can be an inexhaustible emotional resource.”

Heart food that lasts comes from God’s unconditional love. So, accept it. Dine on it daily. Let it fill your plate – and satisfy your heart. Do not be anxious about anything!

Proverbs 12:25 says,
“An anxious heart weighs a man down,
but a kind word cheers him up.”

Have an Open Heart

God wants to be your unlimited source of sustainable heart food! Let your self-worth be based on His love in you. You are a Child of God, beloved, holy, worthy. Open wide the heart doors and let that knowledge seep into your soul.

What keeps your heart beating?

What makes it beat faster?

What calms it down?

What does your heart NEED?

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Dine at God’s Table of Love today.
YOUR HEART NEEDS LOVE!!

Have a Blessed day, my friends.

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SEE YA TOMORROW

 

Category:

Bible Lessons, Faith, God, Love

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Life is a Book


Life's a Book.jpg

Life is a book;
Each day a new page.
The story’s not written
By some far off sage.
.
You write it each moment;
It comes from your heart.
Today’s page is blank
‘Til you get up and start…
.
Start by breathing deeply;
Thank God for each breath.
Begin each day with gratitude –
From your birth to your death.
.
Praise God for Creation.
Look around and then start
To praise Him for His presence
In your life – every part!
.
Ask God for His wisdom
To help you every minute
As you choose your day’s tasks
And the JOY He puts in it.

man in red crew neck sweatshirt photography

Photo by bruce mars on Pexels.com

Have a joy-filled Tuesday, my friends.
Write this page with intention and love.

pexels-photo-887349
See ya tomorrow.

Category:

Faith, God, Gratitude, happiness, Love, peace, Poetry, prayer, writing

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Under the Influence


Happy Pentecost Sunday!

red and orange fire

Photo by Adonyi Gábor on Pexels.com

This is Pentecost Sunday.
It is the day Christian churches around the world
celebrate the tongues of fire that landed on the heads
of the people gathered in the temple.
The tongues of fire represent the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit allowed the people from
about eight different language regions
to hear in their own native languages
the disciples’ message –
– the Word of God.

The story of the coming of the Holy Spirit
is told in Acts 2: 1-21.
I read that scripture passage aloud
in our church service this morning.

woman reading a book

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

Then Rev. Jean Johnson
of our Madison Valley Presbyterian Church
in Ennis, Montana
preached a sermon on that topic.
These are the poetic notes I took as I listened to her message:

“Under the Influence”

The disciples were filled
With New Wine – the Word –
It’s known as Pentecost Sunday.
People thought they were absurd.

Sometimes we, too, become
Intoxicated with New Wine –
Drunk on self-importance,
Inebriated on everything fine.

Possessions, new cars,
Perfectionism, being right;
Approval, needing it from others;
Knowledge, seen as being bright.

We’ve all been intoxicated
By hobbies – like fishing.
What are you drunk on?
For what are you wishing?

birthday bow box card

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My drink of choice is
Writing and staying in touch.
But that liquid isn’t everlasting;
It doesn’t fill me up very much.

I know for certain I need
To be under the influence
Of those gifts from God that
Help me live in love and prudence.

I am asked to drink
A New Wine that fills
My heart with God’s grace.
The thought of it brings chills.

God’s Day of “Sober Drunkenness”
Is a day filled with paradox.
It’s a day to set aside
The drinks that wind our clocks!

It’s a day to open up
The bottle of forgiveness.
Drink deeply of God’s Power.
It is intoxicating Goodness.

Let His potion sweep you
Off your feet to see
Your Pentecostal Moment.
Feel the Spirit; drink with glee.

Under the influence
Of God’s transforming love,
Let His New Wine fill you
With His Holy Spirit from above.

Pentecost brings us sobriety and inebriation.
Where are your moments of “Sober Drunkenness”?

Do you feel the Holy Spirit’s presence in you?
Let the tongues of fire land on your head
and fill you with God’s Love!

Happy Day of Pentecost!

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Thanks for visiting JanBeek.

Do leave me a message telling me about your
“Drink of Choice” on this Pentecostal Sunday.
What fills YOUR cup?

See you tomorrow.

Category:

Bible Lessons, Faith, God, Living in Christ's Family, Love, Poetry, writing

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I See God


I see God

In the morning sunrise

backlit clouds dawn dusk

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In the rainbow after rain

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In the blossoms of springtime

white flowers in bloom

Photo by Louis on Pexels.com

In the smiles of children (and other friends, too, of course)

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In the gorgeous sunset here in Ennis, MT last night

Ah yes, I see God in the sunsets …

Sunset from Gerrons
In the water and in reflections,

And … at work in me and my loved ones

Us w Chris

Ernesto Cardenal, a Nicaraguan poet and priest wrote,
“Everything in nature has a trademark, God’s trademark:
the stripes on a shell
and the stripes on a zebra;
the grain of the wood
and the veins of the dry leaf;
the markings on the dragonfly’s wings
and the pattern of stars on a photographic plate;
the panther’s coat
and the epidermal cells of the lily petal;
the structure of atoms and galaxies.
All bear God’s fingerprints.”

Where do you see God’s fingerprints?
Where do you FEEL God?
.

 

I feel God

In the winds that blow

sky clouds wind windmill

Photo by Tookapic on Pexels.com

In a baby’s touch

grayscale photo of baby feet with father and mother hands in heart signs

Photo by Andreas Wohlfahrt on Pexels.com

In every genuine heart-felt hug

smiling woman hugging another person

Photo by Artem Beliaikin on Pexels.com

In the unconditional love of our four-legged furry friends

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I feel God in captured dreams

backlit blur close up dawn

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

Practice seeing and feeling God.

The more you do,

The more you will.

Where do you see and feel God?

2 Corinthians 4:18
“We do not look at the things which are seen,
but at the things which are unseen.”

In reflecting on that scripture,
Erika Bentsen wrote in today’s Daily Guideposts,
“Dear Lord, please forgive us when we are tempted to doubt.
Just as leaves are stirred by unseen winds,
stir our hearts with the breath of Your real presence.”
Amen

God Bless You!

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See you tomorrow

Category:

Bible Lessons, Faith, God, Love, Montana, nature, peace, prayer

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Times of Transition


Times of Transition

choices decision doors doorway

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Times of transition
Can be disconcerting
Facing the unknown
Running, dodging, skirting

.
Life is full of changes
Nothing stays the same
Rolling with the punches
Listening for our name

.
In the “role call” of life
Showing up to be
Ready for transitions
Sometimes is difficult for me

.
But I know the leader
Is my Maker who decides
What my next assignment is
In Him my life abides

.
So, embrace the coming changes
Set aside all fear and sorrow
Joyfully put your hand in His
He’s gotcha covered for tomorrow.

ball shaped blur close up focus

Photo by Porapak Apichodilok on Pexels.com

God Be With You!

pexels-photo-887349

See ya tomorrow

Category:

Bible Lessons, contentment, Faith, God, Love, peace, Poetry

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