Reaching out to help others Is a gift some people cultivate. No matter what they are going through, They take time to stop and make a date With friends who seems to need them. Because their friends know they care, They know they will sincerely listen And pray for them. It helps to talk and share.
They set aside their own struggles And they focus in on your trouble. They look into your eyes and see your heart. They pull you close into their compassionate bubble. You know they hear with ears of love. You know they link to God in sincere ways. They will take your concerns to our Lord and Savior. He hears their cries … and with them prays.
I want to be that kind of a friend. I want you to know how much I care. I want you to open your heart and know I’m a person with whom you can share Your problems and your struggles. I will listen with my very soul. I will pray to Jesus for God’s help. Yes, showing love and kindness is my goal.
Some people find it hard to reach out; They want to solve their troubles on their own. But sharing is an important part of healing. Don’t try to do it all alone. Even if you just go to a friend and sit, Say nothing… just find peace in being there, A good friend will hear you with a heart That reaches yours. You’re a synced pair!
What have you outgrown? Did you toss or leave behind? What is worth keeping?
Life is a journey With daily choices; Keep what’s important!
Make new; keep the old Friends are never discarded – Not your soul sister!
Thais is my friend – She was my college roommate – My wedding bridesmaid.
Bruce and Ann are friends Who also are related: Bob’s younger brother.
Never Outgrow
We never outgrow our good friends They live and grow in our heart And if we are very fortunate Our family and we never part . We never outgrow deep abiding faith It stays in our souls and it grows With each passing day in wonderful ways It sustains and inspires as love flows. . With luck and the grace of our Lord, We retain the most important part: Good health, curiosity, a keen alert mind, And a life full of friends who never depart.
Marcie’s table set for tonight’s dinner
We’re ready for a table full of good friends, long-time buddies with whom we’ve kept in touch through the years. If you had a table for a dozen friends tonight, who would you invite?
I decided I’d like this month of travel in California to be safe, fun, full of family and friends, and memorable. I prayed to God for an answer to this prayer.
BELIEVE
I believe God hears prayer, and answers it.
Of course, I know it is not always YES.
Sometimes He says, “NO!” because He has something better in mind for us.
Sometimes He says, “NOT NOW… be patient. WAIT!”
But, He answers… I believe He gives us what we ask for if we ask in faith with His Will in our hearts.
When I want what He wants for me, it’s easy to BELIEVE in the power of prayer!
TRUST
Trust in the JOY of His Love.
Trust in the whispers of the Holy Spirit. Listen carefully!
Live in the COMFORT of His promises.
Live in the SERENITY of His peace.
Live in the TRUST that dreams do come true. We are living ours.
Yesterday I posted a picture of friends who came to share this beautiful place in Rancho Mirage, CA with Bob and me.
This morning I logged in to WordPress and found the most delightful responses to that post, as well as the Sunday post about baptism. My blogging friends’ responses were so upifting!
Thank you, dear readers, for taking the time to read and respond. You warm my heart! I blog to share my joy, my love, my blessings … because they are overflowing. I can’t contain them! God gives me more than I can keep to myself!
Proverbs 3:10
“Then your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine.”
Yesterday’s post from Derrick was a barn at sunrise that filled my heart to overflowing. I love his photography and blog. Do you know it?
And to have vats that overflow with new wine, I must remember to stay connected to the Vine!
Sharing the joy of God’s beauty with friends present and far away is prompted by my relationship to the Vine… Dear God who is the source of all joy. Indeed He fills my cup with love…
I pray that you feel the joy of God’s grace today, too. I pray that your cup is overflowing with love. I am so grateful for your visit to JanBeek and the sharing your uplifting comments. Thank you!
This Sunday we attended church at the Bloom in the Desert Ministries in Palm Springs, CA. As usual, I took notes while listening to the sermon.
The scripture was Matthew 3:13-17
“Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John. John tried to dissuade Jesus by saying, I should be baptized by you, and yet you come to me!” But Jesus replied, “Leave it this way for now. We must do this to completely fulfill God’s justice.” So John reluctantly agreed. Immediately after Jesus had been baptized and was coming up out of the water, the sky suddenly opened up and Jesus saw the spirit of God descending as a dove and hovering over him. With that, a voice from the heavens said, “This is my Own, my Beloved, on whom favor rests.”
Through my poetic filter, this is what I heard as Reverend Kevin A. Johnson’s message:
The proper completion of a called journey Is the return… the coming back. In our creed, Jesus went down and came back. The Jews and Greeks both were taught that fact.
Today’s scripture tells us that baptism Is personal, and effective for life. Some believe as babies, others think when older, Is the appropriate time to wash away strife.
Baptism is a remarkable, memorable event. It’s a ritual recorded long before Jesus was born. A thousand years earlier, immersion was practiced. The dove hovering was a symbol that glorious morn.
It symbolized the love of God entering in. Baptism is a commitment – a starting point. It doesn’t matter if it’s in the Jordan River, Or if it’s in some crumby back-street joint.
Baptism is a time to promise a mind-set That puts love, compassion, and respect first. It’s a universal embrace of Jesus’ teachings – A chance to promise, and then daily rehearse.
Baptism can occur as a teen or an adult when the person is “of the age of reason” and chooses to publicly agree to live a life of love in God’s grace, with compassion and respect for others, following God’s commandments.
Or – baptism can occur as an infant. In that case, it is the promise of the parents to raise this child in love, teaching the child to obey the commandments … living in grace and obedience.
Remembering
Do you remember your baptism? I don’t remember mine. My sister and I were baptized when she was about two and I was an infant. There are no pictures, no certificates, no proof… but my sis says she remembers it, and my mom said it happened. So I should believe them.
However, as Rev. Kev said at the beginning of his message, baptism is a part of a journey… and it requires the return, the coming back. Rev. Kev showed us the certificate of his baptism. He can tell you the date, the place, and the time – and he went through confirmation later as a youngster (maybe about age 12) at which time he reaffirmed his parents’ baptismal promises.
I tried to locate my baptismal records. However, the church where my baptism supposedly occurred no longer exists. Decades ago a fire destroyed it and all the records that were in it.
Baptism is an act of obedience symbolizing the believer’s faith in a crucified, buried, and risen Savior. It testifies to the believer’s death to sin, the burial of the old life, and the resurrection to walk in newness of life in Christ Jesus. It is a testimony to the believer’s faith in the final resurrection of the dead. Do I doubt my faith in the risen Savior or question my membership in God’s family? Not for a minute!
Baptism has been a symbolic way of joining the Church from the very start of Christianity. The water used is a symbol of washing away sin and the start of a new life. Do I think perhaps I am not “a Child of God” because I don’t have the paperwork to prove my sin was “washed away”? No!!
But would I like to be able to say I have experienced a “proper completion of a called journey” by finishing the trip, coming back to my baptismal roots? Yes!
Baptism is Once and for All
Sometimes I question if infant baptism is once and for all. I wonder if perhaps I should be baptized as an adult now. Do you think at 80 I should reaffirm the baptismal vows that my mom agreed to when I was an infant?
Today’s sermon reminding us to remember Jesus’ baptism and affirming the importance of baptism has me pondering these questions.
