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Archive for the ‘nature’ Category

It’s a New Day!

Rick Malone wrote
in his “Spiritual Matters” article,

“There is something very special about the dawn.
The sun seems to climb over the horizon
with open arms, inviting us to share
in the wonderful opportunities of a new day.

Every dawn puts the things of yesterday
in the past and allows us to begin afresh.
The Bible uses this imagery of the dawn
to communicate the reality of new beginnings.

The psalmist teaches us that each new day
should be a source of rejoicing,
for it is a “day that the Lord has made;
and we should rejoice and be glad in it”
(Psalms 118:24).

And Jeremiah tells us
that the mercies of the Lord,
“are new every morning”
(Lamentations 3:23).

Michael Buble’ sang of the new day in his song:
“It’s a New Day.”
Listen and discern his idea of a new day.

Then design your own idea of a new day …
and praise the Lord for each new beginning!

Rick Malone went on in his post
to explain his image of a new day:

“This imagery of the dawn
not only symbolizes new beginnings
for us personally,
it symbolizes a new beginning
for the brokenness of God’s creation.
The bliss of the Garden of Eden
crumbled in the hands of Adam.
Creation now groans under a curse.
But we are given the promise
that at the dawning of the age to come
creation itself will be made new.”

You can find Rick Malone’s
full article at this link:
https://boropulse.com/2018/05/spiritual-matters-dawning-new-day/

We have incredible sunrises
above the Madison Range
that I can see from my home.
I love this time of day.
Below is what the sunrise looked like
from my sanctuary window this morning:

I sent this picture to my friend, Lisa, in North Carolina. We exchange sunrise pictures and prayers for one another most mornings. I apologized for the way my roof line from my sanctuary kind of spoiled the view this morning. She wrote back and sent me a cropped picture of my sunrise saying, “Simply GORGEOUS!!!”

Like most things in life, what we behold is often a matter of perspective, right? When we screen out the distractions and zero in on the positives, we see the true beauty around us, within us, and within others.

Lisa lives near a lake. Often her sunrises and sunsets are reflected in the water, creating a double image. I can look at the gray clouds beyond and expect a rainy, dismal day, or I can focus on the colorful reflections in the lake and anticipate a colorful, joy-filled day (or night) ahead.

Rick Malone explained it this way:

“Each new day is the perpetual promise of new beginnings. It is a new opportunity to turn the disappointments of our lives in a new direction. We can all identify with the failures of life—bad decisions, broken relationships, unfortunate circumstances. But God gives us a continual opportunity to start life fresh every day and put the past in our past. He is the God of new beginnings, the God of new life, the God of forgiveness. He is the God who covers our yesterdays with His grace. And, He is the God who graciously covers our tomorrows with every new dawn He gives us. Every sunrise beckons us: ‘Turn your life away from yourself and to your Maker who loves you.’ “

Another of Lisa Glines’ sunrises

Psalm 118:24

“This is the day which the Lord has made;
Let us rejoice and be glad in it.”

Montana Sunrise by Ken Hall

Above our bed, Bob & I have a painting by Ken Hall. It depicts the sunrise over the Madison Range. On clear mornings, we see this scene out our bedroom, dining room, living room, and sanctuary windows. But, even on fogged in or snowy days when the mountains are hidden and the sun is behind the clouds, we can look at Ken’s painting and thank God for this new day – new dawn – new beginning.

I pray your new day is a blessed one.
I pray you are healthy and happy.
I thank you for your friendship –
and for coming to share your day
with me here on JanBeek.

What are your plans for this new day?
See ya tomorrow (God willing)
God Bless You!

P.S. Please pray for my daughter-in-law, Monika.
She spent most of the day yesterday in the ER.
Today our son, Ty, will take her to the hospital
to find out why the massive headache and the
pain in the area of her gall bladder. Pray for a
clear diagnosis and for healing, please.
Thank you!

Category:

Bible Lessons, blessings, Faith, Family, God, Gratitude, Jesus, Love, Montana, mountains, music, nature, optimism, Poetry, prayer, relationships, writing

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Peaceful Snowy Day

In the snow there’s light

When sun shines and leaves diamonds

Sparkling so brightly

Last night it snowed less

Than it did a year ago

But BRRRR, it’s colder

It was minus eight

When we woke up this morning

Back in bed we went

Climb up the staircase

To my angel room above

It’s much warmer there

Bob joined me upstairs

For peacetime to read God’s Word

Angels surround us


Each one has meaning

The name of someone on earth

Some already gone


But I know they’re near

In our hearts and in this room

Watching over us

Sue is SandAngel

GlassAngel is named Toni

Joe’s the wooden cross


Each item in here

Has a story to tell you

Holy Spirit speaks


Do you have a place

Where you can go and know peace

On cold snowy days?

Come join the Beekmans

Our home may be messed up, but

Not the Angel Room!

Come and sit a spell

On this peaceful snowy day

You’re always welcome

The Word of God brings comfort:

6 Do not be anxious about anything,
but in every situation,
by prayer and petition,
with thanksgiving,
present your requests to God.
7 And the peace of God,
which transcends all understanding,
will guard your hearts and
your minds in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4:6-7

Thank you for continuing to pray for Bob
as we work together trying to get the medication
he needs for his heart ailment.
Did I tell you that after co-pay the first month
of the medication costs over $3,000 ??
Pray that we can get assistance from Pfizer,
the manufacturer of the medication, OK?
This is a life-saving treatment plan
that we need… God knows that!

Thanks for visiting JanBeek
See ya tomorrow (God willing)

No reason to be afraid!
Take peace… He’s in control!

Where do you find your peace, my friend?
I hope it’s in your heart today!
Let faith rise up in you…

Category:

Bible Lessons, contentment, Faith, God, Haiku, health, Life's Challenges, Living in Harmony, Love, mental health, music, nature, peace, Poetry, relationships, writing

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Choose a Tree

If you could “Bee a Tree” what would you bee?

Check out my answer on the Bloganuary site at
https://bloganuary.wordpress.com/2022/01/30/bee-a-tree/

If you have known me a while, this answer will bee a no-brainer!

Thanks for buzzing in to visit JanBeek today.
I will post my sermon notes later today.
I hope you had a lovely Sunday morning.
We did!

It was so good to bee back with our Ennis church family!

What tree would you bee??

Here’s a darling children’s picture book about trees.
Do you have a child nearby
(like maybe inside you)
who would enjoy learning some basics
about trees?

Category:

blogging, flowers, Love, trees, writing

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What’s Mysterious?

Nothing is more mysterious to me than the Creation of the Cosmos and the Creator.

Surely there is life on some other planet out there somewhere.

The God who created this Universe and the dodo bird and the butterfly and the sting ray and humans surely created life elsewhere as well. But, the thought of it is a mystery to me. Well beyond my capacity to understand.

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

No, it wasn’t a Big Bang! Just look around you…
If you don’t feel the awe of creation, look again!!
It is mysterious, indeed!

Thanks for visiting JanBeek
See ya tomorrow…

Tell me,
What’s Mysterious to you??

Category:

Belief, blogging, Faith, God, Love, nature

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Embrace Clear Roads

The sky is gray – The roads are clear – Your prayers are felt – our God is so dear!

Our Creator is magical- This world is astounding – We see His handiwork – His care is resounding!

Everywhere we look we marvel – at the beauty everywhere – So travel with us, dear friends – We’re happy we can share.

See ya later.

Love, JanBeek

Category:

God, Gratitude, Love, nature, photography, Poetry, Travel

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Embrace the Flow

Although the flow
May feel like a free fall,
Embrace the flow.
There’s Someone at your call.

He’s right there to catch you
When you’re about to land.
He won’t let you crash –
He’ll hold out His hand!

Yesterday Bob & I dashed off to Bozeman for three reasons –
and there ended up being four… oh actually five:

  1. Drop off his pickup at “Dark Horse Snug Tops” to replace the hinge on his hatch cover
  2. Go to an appointment with the nephrologist (what’s that? -the doctor who deals with the branch of medicine related to physiology and diseases of the kidneys-)
  3. Keep an appointment with the cardiologist (you all know that’s a heart doctor), and an unexpected
  4. X-ray of his abdomen… oh, and I was there for a 5th reason:
  5. To shop for the veggies to make vegetable soup for tomorrow’s fellowship at church

We were hoping that the nephrologist would say his kidneys show no signs of protein or amyloid deposits – and so a biopsy would not be necessary. God answered that prayer!

We were hoping the cardiologist would say all the preliminary tests are done and show no signs of AL Amyloidosis (the cancerous kind) – and so no more labs and scans before our trip to Mayo Clinic in January. God answered that prayer.

The unexpected x-ray showed yes, the abdomen area is full of air (that’s why it sounds like a kettle drum when you tap on it) – but it’s not fluid – and he’s not showing signs like pain or vomiting – so we won’t deal with that issue right now. God is good! We trust His timing on this – (and all our other decisions).

I got my veggie shopping done (Thanks, CostCo, for your lovely fruits and veggies) – and …

The pickup latch cover hinge was fixed and BONUS: they replaced the key mechanism that was troubling (God answers prayers you didn’t know to mention … He’s way ahead of you!)

So, go with the flow…

John 7:38

“Out of the believer’s heart
will flow rivers of living water.”

Today’s word in Unity‘s Daily Word is FLOW. The introductory thought is, “I flow with the nourishing life of God.” John 7:38 is the featured scripture. The devotional (quoting Lao Tzu) says, “The supreme good is like water, which nourishes all things, without trying to.”

As believers, we know that “supreme good” is God. We know God is “The Flow.”

Unity‘s Daily Word goes on to say, “Whether I experience this flow as a current of a river, the swelling of ocean waves, or my body’s life-sustaining circulation, I am in sync with this flow, which by its nature knows which way to go and what to do.”

How refreshing is that thought to you? It nourishes my soul. By the Holy Spirit, I know God’s life is in me – moving, changing, dancing and singing. I am one with the flow. I need not dash and rush and worry about things happening on time! I need not worry about Bob’s heart and kidneys, his abdomen or his pickup. I need not worry about his lack of stamina on the drive home. Just go with the flow – and trust. Follow along in the car – and honk if his pickup drifts and he seems to be falling asleep!!

Sometimes the flow is slow and steady … and I am out there in a fiery mood, trying to rush it along.

Don’t be in a rush
To try to get too much done.
Let the smooth flow of God
Stop you mid-run!

Delight in the sneakiness
Of a red sunset’s glow,
And take time to relish
The soft taste of snow.

Embrace the joy
Of vegetables’ texture and smell,
The magic of herbs as they cook,
And bid stressing farewell!

Embrace the flow
Of God in your life.
Let Him slow you down
As you eliminate strife.

Don’t worry about health.
Don’t stress over unfinished tasks.
Just go with the flow –
And take time for some laughs!

Overflow this Advent season
with the love of Christ Jesus,
the guidance of the Holy Spirit,
and the easy flow of God
answering prayers
in your life.

See ya tomorrow (God willing)
Love,
JanBeek

Embrace the Flow!

And Have a Relaxed, blessed Advent Season!

Category:

Belief, Bible Lessons, children, Christmas, contentment, Faith, Family, God, Gratitude, happiness, health, Jesus, Life's Challenges, Living in Christ's Family, Living in Harmony, Love, music, nature, optimism, peace, Poetry, prayer

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Embrace Similes & Metaphors

The wind is like a lion
The wind is a howling hyena
The wind is like a frisky lamb
The wind is a cotton ball

The part of Montana where we live (Madison Valley in Madison County) is a wind tunnel. Right now as I sit here at my computer, I can see it. I can hear it. I can read my barometer telling me that it ranges between 15 and 25 mph this morning. Occasionally gusts of 35 mph rock the flaps on the exhaust pipe above the stove in the kitchen. People who visit us here in Ennis often comment, “How can you stand it?”

We really don’t mind it when we stop and think about what it does. The wind blows the rain clouds in. It blows the storm off to the east and over the mountain range. We can see the clouds moving and we marvel at the way those wind gusts keep us from becoming an overgrown city! Our response to those visitors’ comments is, “Oh it’s terrible! You wouldn’t want to live here!”

The wind blows the storms in
and it blows the clouds out again.

The wind is like a scooper
The wind is a funnel
The wind is like a filter
The wind is a sieve

The wind sifts out
the weak of heart & spirit!

No, we don’t get tornadoes here!
Our winds are not that bad!
But they can be inhospitable.
We’d move if that’s all we had!

Welcome to the Madison River –
Flyfishing capitol of the world!

The wind is like a welcomed monitor
The wind is a necessary friend
The wind is like a vacuum cleaner
The wind is a friendly lion

Simile/ˈsiməlē : a figure of speech involving the comparison of one thing with another thing of a different kind, used to make a description more emphatic or vivid (e.g., as brave as a lion, crazy like a fox ).
Metaphor: compares two things directly without using “like” or “as”; the subject IS the object. Metaphors are more direct than similes, which can make them seem stronger or more surprising. Example: The sunrise this morning was an ocean of honey dusted with powdered sugar.

Nope, you wouldn’t like living in Madison County!
Hah!

Thanks for visiting JanBeek.
I am sending love, joy, peace, faith and
a sense of unity your way this day.
Don’t let them get blown away!

Blogging is like a private jet.
It can take you anywhere!

See ya tomorrow (God willing)

Category:

Gratitude, humor, Life's Challenges, Love, Montana, music, nature, Poetry, relationships, writing

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Embrace Living Water

Photo by Gabriel Peter on Pexels.com

From Wikipedia: Living water … is a biblical term which appears in both the Old and New Testaments. In Jeremiah 2:13 and 17:13, the prophet describes God as “the spring of living water”, who has been forsaken by his chosen people Israel. Later, the prophet Zechariah described Jerusalem as a source of “living water”, “half [flowing] east to the Dead Sea and half of it west to the Mediterranean Sea, in summer and in winter” (Zechariah 14:8). The Pulpit Commentary notes that the city of Jerusalem “was, as we know, abundantly supplied with water by many conduits and subterranean channels; but standing, as it does, surrounded by hills higher than itself, it is physically impossible that the waters could literally flow as stated. The description is symbolical…”[1] …”

In John’s Gospel,
the phrase is attributed to Jesus
speaking with the Samaritan woman
whom he meets at Jacob’s Well in Sychar:

“If you knew the gift of God
and who it is that asks you for a drink,
you would have asked him
and he would have given you living water”
(John 4:10).

In this Christian season of Advent, the season described in Britannica as “Advent, (from Latin adventus, “coming”), in the Christian church calendar, the period of preparation for the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ at Christmas and also of preparation for the Second Coming of Christ” it is appropriate that we consider who Christ is, why He came, and what His presence as the Holy Spirit means in our lives.

Living Water
(an Elfchen = 1,2,3,4,1)

Living
For Jesus
A Loving Life
Accepting His Cleansing Grace
Water

I have a Bible that I gave to a friend years ago.
When she died, her family returned it to me
with a thank you.
The Bible is titled, “Living Water.”
Every scripture in it that contains the word “water”
is printed in blue ink.
All the photographs in the Bible are of water.
It is beautiful!

The family wrote a note to me
thanking me for this gift to my friend.
In this Bible my friend found her salvation.
Her family knows she accepted the
“Living Water” into her heart –
and accepted the gift of eternal life.
We will meet again in eternity!

Sometimes reading the Bible can feel like looking at “muddy water,”
especially the Old Testament when it gets into the wars,
the sexual escapades, the genealogical lists…
but stand still in the scripture;
study it with a devotional written by
a Biblical scholar,
and the muddy water can become clear!

Inside the “Living Water”
– for those who thirst –
I copied a quote from D.L Moody:
“This book will keep you from sin,
or sin will keep you from this book.”

May you find peace this busy season – peace as you intake Living Water for your soul. My prayers are with you this day… and always. Thanks so much for following JanBeek. I pray you find here love, peace, joy, faith, and the invitation for UNITY in this world. Let’s just LOVE ONE ANOTHER!

I am headed to our local nursing home to help with Bingo today. I have a few Christmas decorations displayed in my home. A dear neighbor/friend came and helped me. God bless her! What will you do to spread your love to others today?

Peace be with you!
Hugs,
JanBeek

We’re surrounded by “Living Waters.
Sometimes we feel like we’re swimming in them.
They’re not murky!
They are clear and calm.
The Lord is swimming with us…
He is our “Life Preserver!”
Praise God!

Category:

Belief, Bible Lessons, blessings, Faith, God, Gratitude, Jesus, Living in Christ's Family, Love, nature, peace, Poetry

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Embrace Yellowstone w Visitors

Today we went to Yellowstone National Park with our grandson, Nick, and his sweetheart, Celine.

The only entrances into the park that were open were the north gate by Gardner and the north-east gate by Cooke City. We were able to enjoy the Mammoth Hot Springs and the road to the Tower. Only on that last road were we able to spot a few bison. Not being able to go through West Yellowstone to Old Faithful was a disappointment, but Nick will just have to return with Celine some summer when the whole park is available. Highlights today were:

  1. TazE enjoying the Bighorn sheep that were right by the road (we did, too)

2. Enjoying a day in Yellowstone at Mammoth Hot Springs with Nick & Celine

3. Being healthy & vigorous enough to enjoy walking the Mammoth Hot Springs trail, too!

4. Stopping in Gardner for refreshments on our way home

5. And enjoying the changing colors of the night sky on our way home

Hopefully next trip we’ll be able to go through West Yellowstone and see Old Faithful in her glory. But meantime, we had a great day with bighorn sheep, bison (at a distance), antelope, mule tail deer, and a bald eagle delighting our visitors.

Nick took lots better pictures than I did… and his Instagram posts will delight his followers, I am sure.

Hopefully you can come some day, too… and enjoy this beautiful park with us.

Meantime, thanks for visiting with us today.
See ya tomorrow (God willing)
Love,
JanBeek

To see more of Yellowstone Park, click on that August 9, 2019 post. Our cousin, Sofia, visited the Park with us on that occasion. Old Faithful and the hot springs were in full array.

Category:

Animals, Family, Love, Montana, mountains, nature, pets, Travel

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Travel Backward!

Unable to post pictures here, I abandoned WP during these past three weeks and used FB to share our travels with friends. It’s been a magical time in England and Switzerland. If you, my WP friends, wish to travel vicariously with us, do click on my FB link and have a look… you can travel backward with us all the way to London and then to Downton where we were privileged to spend three days with blogging friend, Derrick Knight and his wife, Jackie. When I get home to Montana Thursday, I will resume my “Embrace” series.

www.facebook.com/601133053/posts/10159782999268054/

Category:

Family, food, friendship, happiness, kindness, Love, nature, relationships, Sharing, Travel

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