Nothing like being prepared! It allows a sense of ease after all the struggle of getting there!
Where’s a gourmet sit-down restaurant when you need it? Heck we can get fast food anywhere. We wanted something special. Message: relax and be patient. Save the fancy meal for when you’re with DeDe!! OK…
Flight takes off in an hour … we’re praying all goes smoothly. Thank you for the good wishes.
I’ll talk to you tomorrow.
Love, JanBeek
James 5:16b
“The prayer of the righteous is powerful and effective.”
I embrace prayers
And I embrace the pray-ers
Reaching out to God
As Bob & I prepare to embark on our trip to London and Switzerland, we are humbled by the number of prayers being offered on our behalf by family and friends. Bob came back from his Alaska trip a week and a half ago unfit to travel again… but with care and prayer, he is so much better – – – and his doctors have given him the ok to take this next trip. It’s been booked since last March! We leave Sunday. Oh, time is swiftly passing!
We know God hears – and we know our dear Lord is holding us in the palm of His hand. We are grateful for the intercessory support.
I know you have faced challenging times, too, and you know the power of prayer when you are navigating rough waters.
I know Jesus is a pray-er. He modeled the effectiveness of prayer for us. I am not sure how many times in the Bible it says Jesus went to a quiet place and took time to pray… but I know it’s a lot! If He counted on speaking to God in order to determine His next steps, who am I to try to go it alone?
So, I am up this evening talking to God, knowing Jesus intercedes for me, too… and I can feel the prayers of friends and family who have shared comments such as, “Let us pray that all goes smoothly,” and “Praying for you and Bob… Seeing family is worth the effort. God’s peace,” and “I hope all of your test come back negative and your travel plans run smoothly.” Thank you, WordPress friends!
With a community of believers out there, friends sharing their prayers and good wishes, and with my faith in scripture such as James 5:16, I can go to bed this night and sleep peacefully. I know the One who holds me also holds the future … and wants only my good.
Thank You, Lord, for the love, support, and comfort You send through my spiritual family.
Thank you for helping me relax and put these COVID test results and travel requirements in God’s hands. If this trip to London and Switzerland is meant to be, all my worries are for nothing. As the meme above says, “Worry is a conversation you have with yourself about things you cannot change.” Instead, Jan, put your hand in the hand of the Man who stilled the waters!
Now that I am safely tucked into the Man from Galilee’s hand,
I can relax and go get a good night’s sleep!
See ya tomorrow (God willing)
Love,
JanBeek
Do you love to travel?
What is your motivation to travel?
Some people travel to study history.
Some travel to see the scenery.
Bob traveled recently to “catch the big one!”
Others travel for business purposes.
Why do you travel?
This week my grandson, Mike,
who lived in Switzerland
took a trip to Greece
with his fiance’ Tania,
and sent me some wonderful photos.
Why do you think they traveled?
At the same time,
our daughter, DeAna,
sent us pictures
of her travel experience.
She and Andre’ (our son-in-law)
are traveling to Corsica this week.
Why do you think they traveled?
Bob & I traveled to Bozeman today.
That kind of travel counts, don’t you think?
It’s an hour’s drive…
We went for several reasons:
Get my new iPhone,
Get help programming the phone,
Get a haircut,
Buy new clothes for our trip to Switzerland.
Why do you think we’re going to Europe?
No, our trip to Switzerland
has nothing to do with Swiss cows.
Guess again!
I am praying that all these COVID tests
required for flying to London,
and then required for staying there,
and then required for leaving
and going to Switzerland
will arrive on time
to each of their destinations.
I have faith that God hears my prayers,
and God knows how much
we need to see our daughter
and the rest of our Swiss family.
Please pray with me
for all to go smoothly!
And stay tuned…
I hope to show you my favorite sites along the way.
Bob says it’ll be pretty hard to beat
that wonderful, surreal trip
he just took with his buddies to Alaska.
Rex sent a photo of Bob fishing
(there was a bear on the shore
right across the river from
where he was)!
Just imagine that!
I can’t post that fisherman-bear photo today
(gotta figure out how to reduce the size of the file
and eliminate some of my WordPress photos
so I have room to add more in my media library)…
But, it is
pretty hard to beat
those kinds of experiences,
huh?
God willing,
and test results arriving on time,
we’ll be sharing our fun
in the days to come.
Where have you traveled recently?
Or what’s your favorite trip?
See ya tomorrow (God willing)
Love,
JanBeek
May sound really weird
For a Christian to embrace
Doubting; How can I?
What does doubting mean?
I believed it’s unbelief.
But, let’s think again.
Matthew 28:17
“When they saw him,
they worshiped him;
but some doubted.”
Who is “they” who saw?
It was Jesus’ disciples.
What does “doubted” mean?
In my devotional time this morning, Daily Guideposts explained that the original text was in Greek. The word “doubted” in Greek is “distazo.” That does not mean unbelief. It is more accurately translated as “hesitation or uncertainty about how to respond.”
In today’s world, as the cartoon shows, the disciples would not have to think twice about how to respond. They would simply get out their cell phones and record this momentous reappearance of their Savior!!
But in the world of Jesus’ time, how would you respond when someone you watched die on the cross suddenly walked out of the tomb? “Distazo” seems appropriate to me. Whoa!! I’d be pretty unsure about how to respond, wouldn’t you?
Sometimes I am quite unsure about how to respond to situations in today’s world. How about you?
Our test kits came today for the COVID-19 test we have to self-administer and then mail FedEx in the envelope provided so it can go overnight to the place where the results are determined and then sent to me before our flight out of Chicago to London on Sunday night. (Whoa… that’s a long, complex sentence – did you grasp it?)
I am doubting … I am unsure about how to respond to the instructions.
Unfortunately, my test results won’t come in a fortune cookie. They will be sent to an app on my iPhone. Problem: my iPhone is 8 years old and it won’t upgrade to an IOS high enough to download the app. I am feeling doubtful. Very uncertain about how to respond. The new iPhone 12 and last year’s version (iPhone11) are not available here in Ennis. Checking with our nearest city, Bozeman, I discovered we don’t have an Apple store… and the Verizon Wireless store doesn’t have the phone I want in stock. I have to order it on-line from Apple. Will it arrive in time for our departure? What will I do if it isn’t here in time?
In this COVID-19 world, “distazo” is a natural response. We are unsure of how to respond in so many ways. Get the vaccine or not? Wear a mask or not? Get a booster or not? Join friends for a dinner out or not? Worship in church with others sitting close by or not? Travel or not? Get a new phone or not? Forget the whole thing?
I pray to God for help with decision-making, but I am not sure I am hearing His response. Should I keep asking? Should I reword my questions? Am I missing His answers?
As Daily Guideposts has written in today’s devotional, “Doubt, distazo, is part of our faith journey.” It’s OK to question how to respond when we’re baffled by the challenges we face. Like the disciples, we are faced with some unbelievable situations. These are unprecedented times!
Embrace Doubting!
Let your hesitation
and your uncertainty
cause you to
question more,
research more,
and pray more.
Let your hesitancy
and your uncertainty
cause you to
trust more,
experience more,
and increase your humility
as you allow yourself
to admit
“Crap!
I don’t have all the answers after all!”
Do you find yourself doubting about anything?
What causes you to experience “distazo“?
See ya tomorrow (God willing)
Love,
JanBeek
Elfchen or “Elevenies”
are poems with eleven words
in a pattern of
1+2+3+4+1
Embrace
Spontaneous Leisure
as you relax
and enjoy life today:
Sunday
Sunday
mornings always
are hurried “UP
‘N AT T’EM” days.
Rush!
Shower.
Get up.
And get dressed.
Then gobble your breakfast.
Church!
(Click the arrow below)
Listen
“Rush Hour”
for a minute …
Then click it off.
Frenzy!
Happy?
Not likely.
That “Happy Hardcore”
Destroys any residual sanity.
Yuck!
(Go back and click outta that sound!)
Repetitive,
nerve wracking…
Who needs it?
Put your feet up.
Relax!
Wallow
in silliness
for a while;
Find yourself some laughter.
Chuckle!
Find
some friends
to join you.
Good for your soul.
Laze!
A few friends took me up on my suggestion yesterday. My silly blog was titled, “Embrace a Camel” and I really went off the deep end. One little friend got into a box and joined the insanity club!
It’s called “Spontaneous Leisure”
and I recommend it!
Today we slept in.
We dressed in a casual, leisurely fashion.
We ate brunch at 10: am
(our church didn’t ZOOM the service today
or we would’ve tuned in to it)
and then we went up to our sanctuary
and had our own worship service up there.
Embrace
Spontaneous Leisure.
Just treat yourself
Take an unintentional break –
Relax
Jesus
Accepts worship
Wherever it occurs.
God condones taking breaks.
Recline!
Question: “What does the Bible say about rest and relaxation?”.
Answer: “Rest” is defined as “peace, ease or refreshment.”
“Relax” means “to become loose or less firm,
to have a milder manner,
to be less stiff.”
The Bible speaks quite highly of rest.
Matthew 11:28-30
“Come to me,
all you who are weary and burdened,
and I will give you rest.
Take my yoke upon you and learn from me,
for I am gentle and humble in heart,
and you will find rest for your souls.
For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
Doctor
ordered relaxation:
Just sit back –
Put your feet up –
Chill!
Embrace Spontaneous Leisure
Do it today!
See ya tomorrow (God willing)
Love,
JanBeek
Trying to arrange for a trip abroad in this COVID world today will guarantee stress.
Today I used links sent to me by a friend who just returned from a trip to Canada and from our daughter who is planning to join us next week in London, and I tried to make the arrangements for the COVID tests required. Oh me, oh my! Can they make it more difficult?
Seems to me they are just trying to send us senior citizens over the sanity edge ridge into complete derangement!
Not only do we have to have proof of our vaccines, but we have to prove we tested negative within 72 hours of our departure from the USA to London. Then when we arrive in the UK, we have to have a test there within 2 days – and it has to be ordered in advance. We have to prove (before we leave the US) that we have ordered the 2 day test to be delivered to our place of destination in London. Oh bludder!! And none of these tests are free, of course!
So, I took a break from all that computer stuff and spent some time with a few friends… a great antidote to hysteria and complete lunacy!
Back at home, I let my mind wander as I checked out some of my favorite bloggers. That was definitely a stress reliever! I especially enjoyed reading:
Gottfried, Banter Republic and Roth Poetry and derrickjknight and Big Sky Buckeye– four of my favorite guys!
Those guys’ blogs are great indicators of “where my heart is!”
Also it was fun to let my mind wander and reduce stress with three of my favorite gal bloggers:
Pat Cegan, Source of Inspiration and
Ann Koplow, The Year(s) of Living Non-Judgmentally and
Phyllis Rogers, Life On The Lake
Are you looking for ways to embrace stressing less? Here’s a helpful list I found:
I’m smiling now … just asked for and got that hug.
It’s soooo good to have Bob back home again!
He returned Wednesday night
from his fishing trip in Alaska,
and I was quite worried about him.
We spent a lot of yesterday at our medical center
here in Ennis, trying to see how we can
reduce his fluid retention,
get his kidneys and heart
functioning normally,
and help him prepare for the trip
to be with our daughter next week.
See why I am posting
EMBRACE STRESSING LESS
?
What do you do to reduce stress?
Try playing this video in the background
while you go about your next task.
“Come to me all of you who are weary
and carry heavy burdens,
and I will give you rest.
Take my yoke upon you.
Let me teach you,
because I am humble and gentle,
and you will find much rest for your souls.
For my yoke fits perfectly,
and the burden I give you is light.”
Matthew 11:28-30
I found another resource on line today to reinforce today’s post:
marvaseatonLess News Might Reduce Stress
I totally agree with Marva. Watching less news is a GREAT way to reduce stress. But, don’t be an ostrich. Total lack of information can be a miserable stress inducer!
Do they really stick their head in the sand?
Remember #4, 5 and 6 on that list above?
I’m headed off to do them right now.
What are some of your techniques
that help you
embrace stressing less?
I’ll see ya tomorrow (God willing).
Hugs,
JanBeek
Embrace each sunset
Trust the sun will rise again
Pray for clearer skies
Psalm 65:8
“They who dwell in the ends of the earth
stand in awe of Your signs;
You make the dawn and the sunset
shout for joy.”
Embrace each sunset
Know the sunrise is coming
Count on God’s promise
One season follows
After another each year
Changing day by day
Enjoy the beautiful voice of Aled Jones
in this lovely song that reinforces the
Sunrise follows every sunset focus…
Close your eyes and imagine
your most beautiful sunset.
Tomorrow’s sunrise
Brings with it great promises
Embrace each sunset
Tonight I am praying for my friend, {{{Derrick}}}
Do you follow his blog?
Check it out.
The photography is as captivating as the text.
I can hardly wait for the sunrise
when we get to see him & Jackie in person!
Stay tuned… I’ll share it with you.
His mum peacefully retired over her last sunset on earth.
My heart goes to to Derrick & Jackie and their family.
Rest in peace, Mum. God bless you.
Leave the light on!
Love,
JanBeek
Angels in the room
Praying with Jesus and me
Embrace Christ’s presence
My sanctuary
Is a sacred, divine place
Jesus lives up here
Surrounding angels
Fervently with Christ and me
Pray daily to God
God knows every need
Even before it’s spoken
Bow in prayer with me
“Christ, my loving Lord,
Thank you for Your sure presence
Bringing daily peace.
Thanks for hearing me
When I’m calling out Your name.
Thanks for answered prayers.”
Bruises nearly gone –
Lump diminishing daily –
Families back in homes.
Neighbors reaching out,
Keeping loneliness at bay.
Sunshine on this day.
Blogging friends respond
With words of comfort and joy.
My heart overflows.
Thank you, my dear friends –
You are here to lend a hand
With words of kindness.
Embrace Christ’s Presence
In your life as well as mine.
We are blessed indeed!!
See ya tomorrow (God willing)
Love ya,
JanBeek
1 Thess. 5:16-18a
Let godly thinking shape your attitudes.
“16 Rejoice always, 17 pray continually, 18 give thanks in all circumstances…”
With the right attitudes, we can be young at heart no matter what our chronological age may be.
Psalm 92:12-15
“12 The righteous will flourish like a palm tree,
they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon;
13 planted in the house of the Lord,
they will flourish in the courts of our God.
14 They will still bear fruit in old age,
they will stay fresh and green,
15 proclaiming, “The Lord is upright;
he is my Rock, and there is no wickedness in him.”
Psalm 70:4
Let all who seek You rejoice and be glad in You.
Let those who love Your salvation say evermore,
“God is great!”
Each day has its own personality.
There will be happy and sad days.
Some will be quiet and restful,
while others will be filled with activity.
Some will be brimming with health,
others will find you facing unexpected challenges.
But, whatever the circumstance,
you can find moments of delight –
and you can thrive as you see the
blessings hidden – even in the worst of times.
This week I learned that my friend, Paul,
who was scheduled to replace our wood floor
(while we are gone next month on a trip to Europe)
fell off a ladder and broke some ribs.
In addition to the body aches, he was suffering
massive headaches. So, the doctor took x-rays.
The x-rays revealed that Paul had a brain tumor!
If he had not fallen off that ladder, there might not
have been the x-rays to reveal the tumor.
He had brain surgery yesterday morning.
The report came that “all is well.”
I don’t know if that means the tumor was benign,
or if it means they got it all and he will be fine.
Maybe it means all three!
But, I know Who has the answers…
and I know He hears my prayers.
I know everything happens for a reason…
and I know God is in charge.
I am so grateful the tumor was discovered!
So, I can EMBRACE GOOD CHEER!
I am grateful for the faith I have that allows me to
behold life through the eyes of hope and positivity.
Colors are brighter,
laughter comes easier,
and the joy of simply being alive
sets the tone for daily celebration
of life’s infinite possibilities.
On this day of remembrance (9-11),
may you – with love and reverence –
embrace the good cheer of memories
that cherish the family members,
friends, co-workers, and tireless volunteers
who have made a mark upon your life.
May those memories inspire you
to live with such
integrity,
creativity,
faith,
and love,
that one day
the memory of you
will bring good cheer
to all who know you.
Be in prayer for those who are hurting.
Be in prayer for all who are in danger.
Be in prayer for all who live in fear.
Be in prayer for those who need
happiness to knock on their door today.
You’re in my prayers.
God bless you with good cheer!
Love and hugs,
JanBeek
Yesterday was a day to read, relax, and mind the advice of my Unity devotional… rest, recharge my battery, my whole being. I didn’t blog… but I took time to slow down and take breaks. I wasn’t totally alone. My friend, Julie, came by for a few hours and helped me empty my china cabinet in preparation for when we have to clear out all our dining/living room furniture to have the floors redone. Here is the inspirational message that asked me to “experience the peace and tranquility that rejuvenates me.”
Summer’s behind us
Leaves are turning bright colors
Welcoming Autumn
Quiet’s essential
To hear the angels singing
Rejoicing in God
Aloneness is grand
If you realize one thing:
You’re never alone!
Take time to wander
An imaginary path
Jesus by your side
Treasure the silence
Embrace precious aloneness
Feel the Holy One
Recall beginnings
Embrace blessed aloneness
Rekindle yourself
Know you are perfect –
Made in God’s perfect image.
Embrace Aloneness!
Thanks for visiting JanBeek today.
See you tomorrow (God willing).
Sending gentle hugs and quiet moments of peace
(My bruises are almost all gone!!)
Bob’s in Alaska for the next 7 days.
Pray for his health and safety, please.
And remember … walk on with hope in your heart
and you’ll never walk alone!
Thank you, Andrea Bocelli, for the gift of your voice, your music, your heart!!
Hugs to You !!
Inspire to Love
Let the SonShine!
You inspire me to respond
Learning to Live; Living to Learn; Learning to Love; Living in Love
