Sometimes life just gets too serious.
When I feel like I need a break from that serious stuff,
I tune in to FaceBook… but only the places there that bring me joy.
Here is one of them… try it out! It’s a place for CRANKY OLD LADIES
If clicking on that title didn’t take you there, try this link:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/691523582050399/posts/1125503371985749
Enough for today… Go out and enjoy this gorgeous springtime day!
Love,
JanBeek
I am befuddled,
Baffled and feeling dreary.
Nothing can help me!
Except some sunshine
Or a good heavy rainfall –
Anything but gray.
Gray, cloudy, and cold:
Recipes for feeling blue.
How do these treat you?
Reach beyond the gray
Rest assured the sun’s up there
Even if eclipsed!
Sending love your way.
Even from my gloomy day
I can find beauty!
Hugs,
JanBeek
No way!
No way can
One word describe
Me
or You!
We are waaay more complex than that.
Don’t you agree?
Take a look…
Can you come up with one word?
How about YOU?
A single word?
I doubt it!
Love ya,
JanBeek
This week one of our writing prompts was:
What strategies do you use
to cope with negative feelings?
My daily routine helps me nip any negativity in the bud! I invite you to adopt this 12 step program, too. You don’t need a 12 step staircase like mine to do it. You can do it sitting in a chair! I say this 12 step prayer every morning on my way down the circular staircase from my sanctuary:
1. Thank You for the love
2. the joy and
3. the peace that are mine. Help me with
4. Patience,
5. Kindness,
6. Goodness, and
7. Faithfulness that brings blessings.
8. Gentleness and
9. Self-control.
10. Help me live humbly with an attitude of gratitude, and
11. a response of generosity, forgiveness,
12. Obedience and integrity.
In Jesus name,
Amen!
May your day be filled with love and joy!
May you adopt a daily routine that helps you chase any negative feelings away!
God Bless You!
Hugs,
JanBeek
(and Bob ‘n Owen, too)
“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing,
so that by the power of the Holy Spirit
you may abound in hope.”
– Romans 15:13
One of the devotionals I read every day is from “The Upper Room,” a book of daily devotionals printed every other month, and a gift many churches provide for their members and guests. In today’s message, the topic was “Words of Love.”
I can think of no better way to “Take & Spread Joy” than to speak and read and hear WORDS OF LOVE. How about you?
“Pleasant words are like honeycomb,
sweetness to the soul
and health to the body.”
Proverbs 16:24
In the Upper Room,
the thought for today is:
“With God’s help,
I will speak words
that build others up.”
The Upper Room devotional reminded me that
“Words carry weight.
How we use them
deeply impacts
the people around us.”
But, I am aware that my words
also deeply impact me!
I can speak words of love to myself…
or I can speak disparaging words
that discourage me!
The devotional ended with this prayer:
“Loving God,
we pray that You
will empower us
to speak love and life
to those around us.
Give us compassionate
and encouraging words.”
My word for 2024, some of you may recall, is the acronym SIFT.
The T stands for “Take time to think” (and pray) before I speak or act.
I carry that “T” thought with me every day.
And I hope you, too, will be inspired to
use compassionate and encouraging words
directed at yourself as well as others.
Your caring and thoughtful words
will lift your spirits
as they lift the hearts of all you meet.
Take and spread joy!
Love to you,
JanBeek
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!
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
It’s okay to “Bee”
Just “bee” without any fret
Just “bee” contented
Release any pain
Let go all uncertainty
Turn over the keys
Relaxing is hard
Whence comes the ability
To just simply “bee”?
Psalm 42: 5-11
5 Why, my soul, are you downcast?
Why so disturbed within me?
Put your hope in God,
for I will yet praise him,
my Savior and my God.6 My soul is downcast within me;
therefore I will remember you
from the land of the Jordan,
the heights of Hermon—from Mount Mizar.7 Deep calls to deep
in the roar of your waterfalls;
all your waves and breakers
have swept over me.8 By day the LORD directs his love,
at night his song is with me—
a prayer to the God of my life.9 I say to God my Rock,
“Why have you forgotten me?
Why must I go about mourning,
oppressed by the enemy?”10 My bones suffer mortal agony
as my foes taunt me,
saying to me all day long,
“Where is your God?”11 Why, my soul, are you downcast?
Why so disturbed within me?
Put your hope in God,
for I will yet praise him,
my Savior and my God.
To “Just bee” in peace
Gratefully receive God’s good
Live life without lack
Gratefully receive
The grace God is giving you
To see your blessings
“Just a little more”
Is not the way to JUST BEE
Praise God for your gifts
The real truth is
We have more than enough
To live gratefully
Take a look around
You might just be overwhelmed
When you really see
See all your blessings
We are so much better off
Than most other folks
Let Us Pray
(from In Touch devotional by Charles Stanley)
God, it is easy to focus on that is wrong in my life
rather than what is right.
I find myself overwhelmed
by all the injustice, pain, and division in the world.
Forgive me for the times I’ve chosen to feed negativity,
to spread hopelessness among my friends and family.
But I’m not alone in my grief,
You are heartbroken by these things, too.
So Lord, I pray for Your guidance in sorrow.
I want to lament all that is wrong –
without being consumed by it.
Teach me to balance grief
with the assurance of Your love.
May my heartbreak, empathy, and faith
play a role in Your healing of the world.
Amen
So, let us just “bee”
Bee friends; Reach out to others
Live life without lack
We’ve more than enough
Of God’s love and compassion
Jesus gave it all!
To just make your world
“bee” a better place today,
What can you just give?
Love,
JanBeek
Why did my Bible study this morning suggest
it’s not just OK,
but advisable
that sometimes we feel uncomfortable?
I thought of my son-in-law, Andre’,
when I thought of discomfort!
But then I realized,
No, not that kind of discomfort!
The scripture that prompted the remark
about being uncomfortable is this one:
“The Samaritan woman said to [Jesus],
‘You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman.
How can you ask me for a drink?’
(For Jews do not associate with Samaritans).”
John 4:9 (NIV)
Obviously, the woman was uncomfortable talking to Jesus. But Jesus intentionally engaged in conversation with the woman. According to Ericka Loynes, who wrote the commentary for the devotional in Guideposts “Mornings With Jesus,” His intent seemed to be to “change the landscape of the current culture.”
“Embracing change can be difficult,” Loynes went on to write. She acknowledged, “The more often I get out of my comfort zone, the easier it will be to adjust to the changes around me.”
Stepping out may seem scary, but as this meme reminds us, it is imperative if we want to become stronger and grow. So, Loynes ends her commentary by asking the reader to take a faith step: “Ask Jesus to help you get comfortable with being uncomfortable.”
It’s worth thinking about, don’t you think?
Like Jesus, who can you step out
and talk to today
who is not among those
you generally hold in conversation?
Try it!
Try stepping out of your comfort zone.
There are plenty of folks out there
who could use your brand of positivity!
Do you see folks
who look like they could use
some encouragement?
Follow Jesus’ example!
You may find some comfort in being uncomfortable.
I’m gonna try it.
You with me?
Love,
JanBeek
I am not indispensable.
I used to think I was…
If I wasn’t there,
the school would have
shut down!!
Hah! Not true…
The custodian and the secretary
Are indispensable …
Not the principal!
So unlock the misconception!
Set yourself free!
You, too, my friend
Are not indispensable!
What lesson do you wish you had learned earlier?
Lighten up!
Live, love, laugh…
Peace to you!
Hug lots,
JanBeek
Today I decided to FOLLOW the PROMPT:
Do you see yourself as a leader?
Whether we know it or not, we all lead –
at least sometimes.
And whether we know it or not, we all follow
at least sometimes.
What is a leader?
That’s the question.
If you read David Jeremiah’s “Turning Points”
you will learn the trademark secrets
of great leadership and
of being a faithful follower.
These following pictures
from September’s Turning Points
introduce the various topics
of leadership by logo or trademark.
The not-so-secret to leadership
is LOVE worn in behavior.
Don’t we all want to follow
the person who exudes love?
We all wear our logo
on our sleeve or our faces,
in our hearts,
and in our actions .
Your identity as a follower is important.
It’s Who you follow that counts!
Follow the wrong leader
And you end up in the dumps!
Get the copy RIGHT!
Leaders often don’t realize they are.
Some leaders quietly go about
being great by caring for others.
Their example leads others
to want to follow in their footsteps.
I wish Jesus lived next door to me.
He’s the leader I choose to follow.
Where He leads me,
I want to obediently go!
My faithful Leader helps me
By putting upright friends
In my life – in my neighborhood –
Friends whose love I want to emulate.
Who do you follow?
Who leaves footprints on your heart?
When do you lead?
We all do both, right?
Hebrews 13:7
“Remember your leaders,
Leader or follower?
those who spoke to you the word of God.
Consider the outcome of their way of life,
and imitate their faith.”
Which are you?
Did you answer the prompt?
What did you say?
Thanks for visiting today.
Let me hear from you!
And have a Fabulous Friday!
Love,
JanBeek
Oh, and by the way,
I love “following” my WP friends.
You all inspire me to blog with love.
And I thank you who “follow” me.
I love you!
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
