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Archive for the ‘Belief’ Category

Dec. 11 Word of the Day

Using the prompts from @sanctifiedart,
I am enjoying the opportunity to share
the “Words for the Beginning”
each day with you during this Advent season.

Today’s word is:
PEACEMAKER

I don’t know who this guy is that AI generated when I put the word in. Do you? He doesn’t look like someone I’d turn to when I was wanting some peace. Does he look like a peacemaker to you?

My idea of a peacemaker is:

… the One who holds the world in His hands
… the One who made the world and sent His Son to save us
… the One who gave His life that I might have eternal life

My Peacemaker lifts me up when I fall
He reaches out to the lost and brings them in
He reaches into our hearts and saves us from our sin
He shows us the Way to live in love and harmony

I hope you know my Peacemaker
He lives in my heart
I hope He lives in your heart, too
I pray His peace permeates our world
We need Him now more than ever!

The peace of Christ be with you.

Spread His Love.
Be a peacemaker, too!

See you tomorrow with another Word of the Day.
Hugs,
JanBeek

Category:

Belief, Bible Lessons, Faith, God, Jesus, Living in Christ's Family, Love, Serving One Another

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National Poetry Month

National poetry month is wrapping up. Where did April go? I am so glad I was able to hear our state’s poet laureate, Chris La Tray, this month. He certainly inspired me. Have you tried your hand at writing some poetry this month?

Our Advent study in poetry certainly enhanced that ADVENTure this year for me!

Proverbs 16:9

“In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps.”

My morning devotionals in Dec. 2023 have guided my steps in 2024. The Advent team challenged us to “…hold space for our weariness and our joy… seek a thrill of hope in our hurting world… cry out for comfort… and find many ways to rejoice.”

This is the poem Rev. Sarah wrote to kick off the theme that has inspired my 2024 thus far:

So, unzip the weight you carry around, and let God inspire you also to rejoice in this weary world!

My response to that poem was to let Rev. Sarah Speed inspire me to write my own
“The Last Time I Saw God”

The last time I saw God face to face
I opened the bedroom shades.
God was every color of orange.
I was merely a mortal in awe of it all.

The sun was just rising over the Madison Range.
God was in the sunrise.
I climbed my sanctuary stairs.
God was waiting there for me;
He was the brightest yellow.

The time before that,
A three-year-old was explaining her
understanding of love.
God was the brightest red
in her precocious explanation.
Love is helping others – being kind.

And in between these small gifts
were glimpses of God
in the warm morning hug,
the gathering of church friends,
the joy of guitar accompaniment,
and the sound of congregational singing.

Why yes, we are blessed.
We are more than blessed
for the moments when
God appears and speaks
through the purple haze
in a voice sweet as morning dewdrops,
“Listen, my beloved,
I am with you.
See me, my beloved,
I am here in your every breath.”

That was not the first
nor will it be the last
time I will see
and hear God.

When is the last time you saw God face to face?
Write about it!
God bless you!

Happy National Poetry Month!
Love,
JanBeek

Category:

Belief, Bible Lessons, blessings, Faith, God, Gratitude, Living in Christ's Family, Love, Memories, Poetry, writing

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April 1st – A Day to Choose

Choose wisely! Don’t let yourself be fooled!

Today is a special day in our family. My great-granddaughter, Mable, turns a big TWO today. She is the child of our chosen granddaughter, Faith. What a blessed day it was when she, as a newborn, was gifted into our Beekman family!!

Mable is such a love!!!
BUT, don’t be fooled, Mable.
Those blocks are not for eating!!

Also in the picture below is my “chosen” granddaughter, Kayla. Her 28th birthday is today. Mable and Kayla were born on this special day to be conduits of God’s love!

I am with our daughter #2, Laina, and her daughter, Kayla. Don’t be fooled… that was several years ago! But, hey… aren’t we a happy trio? Laina and Kayla (and her sister Katy) are dear ones we have chosen to be part of our family. We are so blessed by them!

Do you have “chosen ones” who have added love and joy to your family?

Do you know that YOU are a chosen one, too?

light person red art
Photo by Marek Piwnicki on Pexels.com


In her message today, “Corine @ Therapy For Christians” cwilliams@therapyforchristians.com had this message for us about the idea of being “chosen”:

“…as you navigate the complexities of life, know that you are not merely a recipient of grace but also a conduit of it to those around you, you are called to bear fruit – fruit that will last. Just as God’s grace has chosen you, you are empowered to extend that same grace to others. 

This week, contemplate on practical ways to become vessels of God’s love and grace. Choose to share His grace through acts of kindness, words of encouragement, or simply being present for someone in need. In doing so, you actively participate in God’s redemptive plan, becoming a tangible reflection of His love in a world that often hungers for acceptance and understanding.

Allow His grace to permeate every aspect of your being, guiding you toward a life that bears fruit and brings glory to His name. Trust in His sovereign plan for your life, knowing that you are chosen, loved, and appointed to walk in His purpose. And remember, growth in any area of life, starts with growth in Him…”

So, on this April Fool’s Day, be careful what and who you choose. Be mindful! Don’t be fooled!

John 15:16 KJV
“Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.”

We are chosen! Hallelujah! Now let’s go out and spread the love!!

Happy April 1st!
It’s a day for choosing.
Choose love, not pranks!
God Bless You!

Love,
JanBeek

Category:

Belief, Bible Lessons, blessings, children, Faith, Family, God, Gratitude, Living in Christ's Family, Living in Harmony, Love, peace, relationships

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Silent Saturday

In silent awe,

JanBeek ❤️

Category:

Belief, Bible Lessons, Faith, God, Gratitude, Jesus, Life and Death, Love

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The Best Gift

Daily writing prompt
Share one of the best gifts you’ve ever received.
View all responses

The best gift of all
Jesus gave to us one day
With His sacrifice

It’s eternal life
Promised by His life and death
Free for those who thirst

“Therefore I tell you,
whatever you ask for in prayer,
believe that you have received it,
and it will be yours.”

Mark 11:24 

2 Corinthians 9:15

“Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!”

Gifts come wrapped with bows
Must be untied and unwrapped
You’re the receiver

Even God’s own Son
Won’t come and break in your door
You must open it

Revelation 3:20

American Standard Version
Behold, I stand at the door and knock:
if any man hear my voice and open the door,
I will come in to him,
and will sup with him,
and he with me.

Accept your best gift
Untie the bow; Open door
Accept faith with joy

Return the favor
By the joy you radiate
Your gift back to Him!

God Bless You!

Love,
JanBeek

Category:

Belief, Bible Lessons, blessings, Faith, Giving, God, Haiku, Jesus, Living in Christ's Family, Love, Poetry, Promises

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An Open Door

Photo by Dmitry Zvolskiy on Pexels.com

Happy Ash Wednesday and Valentine’s Day, my friends!
Today’s writing prompt from JetPack
asked for a suggested title
for a biography should there be one written about me.

Daily writing prompt
If there was a biography about you, what would the title be?
View all responses

One of my devotionals this morning was about “A Closed Door.”
It used this scripture as a prompt for the commentary:

Matthew 6:6
“But whenever you pray, go into your room and shut the door
and pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father
who sees you in secret will reward you.”

There may be a need for some people to pray behind a closed door,
but my favorite prayer room is up my circle staircase in our entryway
to my cozy 12’x12′ “Sanctuary” where I am never alone.
The Holy Spirit is alive and well up there…
and the front door in that entryway
always is open for you to come and join me.
My life is An Open Door – an open book!
If you’ve followed my blog for awhile,
you know I am quite a transparent person.
I have nothing to hide!
And my Father is not “in secret.”
He has an open door for you, too!
Go – and sit with His heart –
and Let Him into yours!!
Open up your heart and let the Son shine in!!

If you have time, and if you can,
click on this delightful children’s song below
It will make you smile.
It’s guaranteed to make you want to sing along,
and open up your heart…
the door to heart can remain open
without fear
if the Son shines there!

“An Open Door – a biography about Jan Beekman“
Waiting to “bee” written – someday – hah!

Meantime,
let me share openly with you about
this little light of mine
that I always try to shine.

1 Corinthians 15:14

“Let all that you do be done in love.”

Today is Ash Wednesday when we begin a 40 day period of waiting with love for Easter (Lent). It is a time to reflect on the great gift of eternal life that Jesus made possible through His life and death and resurrection. May we celebrate Lent with the same fervor that we acknowledge February 14th each year as Valentine’s Day! 

My dear friends, Lee & Loleta, know how to celebrate Valentine’s Day in style.
And Bob & I celebrated Valentine’s Day early in 1962
by using that red & white, hearts & flowers theme
for our wedding.

Here we are 62 years later:

Yup, still celebrating our love…
with an open door to our hearts and our home.

Today we’ll get a cross of ashes on our foreheads
that will symbolize our devotion to the One
who brought us together and whose mercy and grace
has kept us together all these years.

Yes, He prays with us
He stays with us
His heart is an open door
Mine is, too.
Is yours?

I pray that it is!!

Happy Valentine’s Day!
Happy Ash Wednesday!

I send my love your way,
JanBeek

Category:

Belief, Bible Lessons, blessings, Faith, God, happiness, Jesus, Living in Christ's Family, Love, music, prayer, relationships

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Break from Negativity

The prompt for today gave me a knee-jerk reaction.
Immediately my answer to the question
popped into my mind.
Hence, today’s blog title!

Daily writing prompt
Do you need a break? From what?
View all responses

I need a break from negativity!!
There is too much negativity in this world.
It comes in many forms
and
bombards us
from all corners of the globe.

If we let it,
the negativity,
the bad news,
the wars and killings,
the inequalities ,
the catastrophes
that the daily news
brings into our living rooms
can make us really depressed.
There’s so little we can do about it!

But…

… then there are people like Bob Goff!!
He is doing something about a lot of things!
Do you know his book, “Love Does”?
Do you know his podcasts and his life’s work?
He is one of my antidotes to negativity!
His positivity is contagious!!

Do you tune in to his podcasts? https://www.bobgoff.com/listen They are guaranteed to silence the negativity around you – and replace it with hope and love, motivational ideas, and positive energy. Here’s today’s podcast news:

Bob is joined by Jason, the president of BrandHaven, about the heart and process behind the “He Gets Us” campaign. The campaign aims to increase the respect and relevance of Jesus in our culture by promoting unconditional love, radical forgiveness, and confounding peace. He emphasizes the importance of being a student of faith and focusing on the biography of Jesus. Listen in for a conversation that encourages us to be students of faith, cultivating a culture of love, forgiveness, and kindness.Learn more at hegetsus.com and follow along on social media, @hegetsus.

Bob Goff is one of those positive people
who has no idea how wonderful he is!
His Love Does organization builds schools,
educates children in impoverished countries
(especially girls where there were previously
no opportunities for them to get an education),
distributes food to the needy, etc. etc.
His voice is a song of cheer.
His chuckle will make you smile.
His message will inspire you.
Check him out
and be prepared
to let his whimsical ways
lift your spirit and inspire your soul
to spread positivity and love,
encouragement and grace
to everyone you encounter!

God bless you!
And God bless Bob Goff!

Cheers,
JanBeek

Category:

Belief, blessings, Faith, kindness, Living in Christ's Family, Love, mental health, optimism, Serving One Another

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Music Lifts

Photo by Papa Yaw on Pexels.com

Nothing lifts my spirits more than beautiful music. Do you want to be lifted up this day? Click on this link. Goose bumps guaranteed!!

youtu.be/2esOJcVEhL0

I hope that link opened for you – and I hope you were inspired to sing along!

What does the Bible say about singing?

Singing is part of our human experience. Songs have been used to express some of the deepest human joys and sorrows from the beginning of time. Of course, the Bible has a lot to say about music and singing. You may wonder what God thinks about that toe tapping song you sing every Sunday morning. What does the Bible actually say about singing? Here are a couple of m favorite scriptures:

Psalm 71:23 

“My lips will shout for joy, when I sing praises to you; my soul also, which you have redeemed.”

Psalm 105:2 

“Sing to him, sing praises to him; tell of all his wondrous works!”

Do go back up to that youtube link, if you didn’t click on it before… and this time, do sing along!
Nothing will lift your spirits quite like that! Sing to the Lord… He’ll lift you up and you’ll smile in spite of yourself. Really!! Try it!

Sending Love
and happy songs your way,
JanBeek

Category:

Belief, blessings, Faith, Living in Harmony, Love, music, Sharing

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It’s Never Too Late

If you could make your family and friends understand one thing, what would it be?

The prompt asked about making a pet understand. Well, we don’t have a pet right now. So, I substituted “family and friends.”

I want you all to know, “It’s never too late.”

“Too late for what?” you ask.

Well, you fill in the blank!

As a life-long Christian, I have often heard the pastor say, “Remember your baptism” on various occasions. I can’t. Or I should say, “I couldn’t!”

Not until yesterday!

My mom & sister often told me,”Yes,” when I asked, “Was I baptized?” But there are no pictures. (Mom was an avid picture taker all the time!) And there is no certificate or other written record. I find that strange.

I tried to contact the little white Methodist/Presbyterian church in California’s Central Valley where it supposedly happened, but it burned to the ground years ago … and all records with it.

So, I decided to”It’s never too late. I want to have a baptism I can remember!” At 84, you think you wanna be dunked? You bet … by my son (who recently was ordained as a minister at his church here in CA, where we are visiting this week before we head home from our month’s reprieve from Montana’s ccccold Arctic blast).

Did it take courage and commitment? Was it a hard decision? You bet! But was it important for my spiritual health!? Definitely. I wanted to be able to “remember my baptism” – feel the obedience to the Christian command, “Go, and be baptized!”

It’s never too late!

Do you remember your baptism?

It’s never too late!

Love, JanBeek

My son, Ty, with me and 2 of my great-grandchildren- See my wet head? Yup, I remember being dunked!!

Category:

Belief, Bible Lessons, blessings, children, Faith, Family, God, happiness, Living in Christ's Family, Love, Memories, relationships

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Lessons Learned

Yesterday’s prompt was:
What skills or lessons have you learned recently?

My answer:
“It took four accidents
in a three month period,
but I finally got the message,
I think:

SLOW DOWN

AND

LOOK

WHERE YOU’re WALKING!!”

It’ll take a lot of divine guidance,
but I think I can slow down and watch!
Avoid any further falls!!

How about you?
What lesson have you learned recently?

Today the sermon topic was based on the Bible story of Zechariah and Elizabeth’s awe-inspiring birth of baby John (later known as John the Baptist). Zechariah learned not to doubt God’s messenger who told him that he & Elizabeth would at last have a child (they were in their later years of life… maybe as old as their 90’s).

When Zechariah doubted, he was struck dumb… unable to speak for the 9 months of Elizabeth’s pregnancy. But, even though Elizabeth questioned, she accepted and believed. So, she learned that great lesson, “With God all things are possible.”

Do you suppose she was awe-struck? How could she NOT be??

I would have painted them with gray hair… but nevertheless, I love this painting of Zechariah & Elizabeth. I can only imagine how awe-struck they must have been!

What causes you to be in awe these days? Have you learned to slow down and let awe envelop you?

(If you’ve followed JanBeek for awhile, you know I love taking notes in poetry as I listen to the sermon each week). So, on that awesome topic, here’s today’s encouraging sermon delivered by Rev. Mary Grace Reynolds at our Madison Valley Presbyterian Church.

I love the size & sound & the creatures in the ocean
I love climbing over the sand dunes to the beach
It is sitting on the grassy knoll by the shore
Knowing the salty water and waves are within reach

I love oogling at sunsets and standing in the river
The world gives me reason for wonder and awe
Everywhere I look, I see evidence of God’s wondrous creation
Regular bouts of awe are mine – they drop my jaw!

Elizabeth’s healthy baby boy brought awe
To all who saw Zechariah write and confirm “John”
Entering into the world of awe raises us up
Out of night’s darkness, into day’s dawn

Awe can be found every day from sunrise on
If we slow down and take time to really see
So don’t drown in the tedious mundane of life
Intentionally seek the awe – here for you and me

Let no day go by unmarveled at
Appreciate the luxury of every single day
We are so blessed to be here - alive
Let awe and amazement be yours today

Be the #1 Marvelor today!
Love and be loved – feel the pull
That helps you notice all in awe
Change awful to awe-full!!

Awe-men?

It may have been awful to be unable to speak for nine months. But, I’ll bet Zechariah learned new lessons every day as he watched Elizabeth grow large with child …. and as he marvelled at how amazing this turn of unbelievable events was!

Find something to marvel at today!
Learn something new.

Tell me about it.

Hugs,
JanBeek

No more falls!!

Category:

Aging Gracefully, Belief, Bible Lessons, blessings, children, Faith, God, happiness, Life's Challenges, Living in Christ's Family, Love, optimism, Poetry, sermon notes, writing

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