Travel | JanBeek

Spreading love, joy, peace, faith & unity

Archive for the ‘Travel’ Category

Be Unoffendable!

I took my sermon notes as a series of Haiku
today in church.
Let me share those notes with you.
It was a wonderful message
delivered by our interim pastor,
Brian Conklin.

Live in unity
Choose love over labeling
Walk in the spirit

Be a peacemaker
Listen to one another
Hear others’ stories

Share humanity
See Christ’s imprint in others
Exhibit goodness

Show agape love
It’s the highest form of love
Unity and grace

Two hundred forty
Plus nine years ago there was
Freedom declared here

Our nation declared
One land – indivisible
But, we divided

We let politics
Rule over our heart, soul and
Our identity

We need freedom TO
Exercise our highest good
Not just freedom FROM

We need open hearts
Hearts that seek to heal others
Not drive them apart

Stop all the fighting
Show love, not hated discord
Celebrate freedom

Hear one another
Just lift one another up
Be calming healers

Unoffendable
Means listening openly
Try understanding

Openly share faith
Faith in each others’ goodness
Hope for our future

Live in hope and peace
Just be unoffendable
Wear love on your sleeve!

Amen?

Love,
JanBeek

Romans 12:18

If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.

Category:

Belief, Bible Lessons, blessings, Faith, Haiku, kindness, Living in Harmony, Love, peace, Poetry, respect, Sharing

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World Peace

Our world is so screwed up
There are wars without end
Only God can really see
If peace is right around the bend

Since Adam & Eve took that bite
And sin entered this world of ours
It has seemed to us mortal beings
That world peace is beyond our powers

Negotiations call for cease fires
Men promise they will abide
But then they turn around and
Drop bombs on the other side

Why can’t we live in love
Why can’t we all get along
Why do men with earthly power
Like to sing the Battle Song?

Like Rachel Platten’s fight song
They don’t care if you believe
They don’t care if lives are lost
They have egos that deceive

Deceive us with false promises
Live to satisfy your own desires
Sacrifice our sons and daughters
Drop those bombs and start those fires

How can World Peace be achieved
If we can’t live in brotherly love
Pray with me, my friends, please
Ask for peace from God above

Only God can change the hearts
Of selfish men with all the powers
Take their conscience – make them care
Care to save this world of ours.

Amen?

John 14:27

“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.”

Love,
JanBeek

Category:

Bible Lessons, Faith, God, Life's Challenges, Living in Harmony, Love, music, peace, Poetry, prayer

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Retirement

Here’s my idea of retirement… BUT…

R etirement

E nters

T yonneee

I nto

R elaxation,

E xcept

M aybe

E veryday will

N ot be different:

T otally wired!!

Our son, Ty, and wife, Monika, have
**A special announcement!** 📣
*“He’s retiring from over 30 years as an educator!”*
(She’ll continue to teach.)

He and Monika are part of a team
that planted a new church
just about 30 minutes
from their Placerville, CA home
– in Pollack Pines.

They’ll always be “On the Move” serving our Lord. Ty will be leading elder, preaching most Sundays.
No doubt they’ll be leading a weekly Bible Study.
Monika will be right there supporting the ministry in every way. God bless them!

Pray they’ll take SOME time to relax and enjoy “Retirement.”
Maybe a trip to Montana to see us??

What will you do (or are you doing) in retirement?
I’m having a very relaxing Father’s Day weekend with my sweetheart.
Happy Father’s Day to all you dads out there!!

Love,
JanBeek

Hmmm… this post seems to be hiding the photos. What’s going on? When I click edit and look at it, the pictures are there, but when I save it and open it, there are no pictures visible. Have you ever had that experience?

Category:

Aging Gracefully, blessings, contentment, Family, God, Love, Poetry, Serving One Another, work

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Let Love In

… we hug love in. We follow along for a lifetime!

See that cute little boy up there with his loving mom & dad? Well, look at him now!

That’s Liam, our grand-nephew, who just graduated from high school.

We are overjoyed that we were able to travel to Pittsburgh, PA to help Liam celebrate.

While there, we got to attend a couple of Liam’s hockey matches.

My niece, Jodie (Liam’s mom) and her hubby, Bill, have a gorgeous 1790’s BarN. They held a graduation party for Liam there. About 200 attended!!

Uncle Bob & I are mighty proud of this successful young man!

While in PA we also got to visit the National Aviary. What a beautiful, elegant collection of birds!

Meantime back at home, our pup, Kenny, enjoyed playmates and our son, Ty in CA, counted down days til retirement.

Ty’s ready for the next chapter in his life.

I pray that Ty & his wife, Monika, can find a way to go visit his sister in Switzerland. DeAna would love it!

Hey, Bro, come visit us! Put it on your 2026 calendar!

Let Love In!!!

I hope your June started out as beautifully as ours!

Let Love In!

Hugs,

JanBeek

Thank you, Jodie & Bill, for your love and generosity.

Category:

blessings, Family, friendship, Gratitude, happiness, Love, relationships, Travel

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Love Our Poet Laureate

Montana Poet Laureate Chris La Tray at the Elling House Arts and Humanities Center in Virginia City tonight, Saturday, April 27th at 7:00 PM. I will not be able to attend, but I will be with him in spirit. He is a gifted man. I love his poetry.

La Tray, the Montana Poet Laureate since 2023, is a Métis storyteller and a member of the Little Shell Tribe of Chippewa Indians. He’s the author of ‘One-Sentence Journal: Short Poems and Essays from the World at Large’ and‘Becoming Little Shell’. Why don’t you Google those books… or find ’em on Amazon. You’ll love ’em just as I do!

Chris sees poetry like the spiritual life of an Anishinaabe person: if you live an Anishinaabe life, focusing on the seven guiding principles of the Seven Grandfather teachings – Humility, Courage, Honesty, Wisdom, Truth, Respect, and Love – then every step you take becomes a prayer.

If you approach poetry in a similar way, seeing that everything that happens can be seen as a poem, and that every moment in life is an experience worth paying close attention to, then every step you take becomes a poem. Whether you write it down or share it with others, poetry becomes another way to tell and share stories. La Tray’s programs remind people that their stories matter, that they’re the only ones who can tell them right, and that poetry, no matter how you define it, is a beautiful way to do so.

Chris La Tray encourages us to focus on
Humility,
Courage,
Honesty,
Wisdom,
Truth,
Respect,
and Love.

Let’s do!

Humility sits in humble silence
While courage asks us to stand
And honesty demands
We approach life with wisdom

Truth is hard to find
In a world that lacks respect
The only way to discover it
Is with love, I suspect.

Reach out in love
Tell others how you feel
We know the world needs
More love. Make it real!

It was true in 1966 when Dionne sang this song…
And it’s even more true today.
Sing along with Dionne…
… and then go out and spread some love.

We all need it!

Hugs,
JanBeek

Category:

Living in Harmony, Love, music, Poetry, relationships, writing

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How D’ya Wanna Die?

We’re all gonna die someday.
How d’ya wanna die?

When you’re in your mid-80’s
and both your parents
died before their 90th birthdays,
it’s natural to think about your own death.

It’s the winter season of my life.
Family and friends are leaving
this earth before me.
Many are a decade or more younger than I.

Yesterday I received a message from a friend.
Her husband has been battling lung cancer
I’ve been praying for him and his wife daily.
He developed pneumonia recently.

Along with his other health issues,
lung cancer and interstitial lung disease,
she wrote, “That wasn’t a good mix!”
Sadly, he passed away.

But soon the “sadly” changed to “gratitude.”
She continued, telling me, “… alert, no pain,
and telling stories right up to the end.”
What a wonderful blessing that was!

No, this isn’t him, but I can imagine the scene.
“All of us were with him,” she wrote.
“He said he was ready to meet Jesus.
His faith was unbelievably strong.

He let everybody know he was joyfully checking out.”
My friend played Merle Haggard’s song on her cell phone:
Sing Me Back Home, and put the phone by his ear.
He smiled, closed his eyes, “So long ’til we meet on the other side.”

How d’ya wanna die?
I’ve decided my friend’s scenario
is the one I want when I leave this earth.
How about you?

Luke 23:43

And he said to him,
“Truly, I say to you,
today you will be with me in paradise.”

I want to hear those words, too.
But not too soon, okay?

Love,
JanBeek

Category:

Aging Gracefully, Bible Lessons, Faith, God, Jesus, Life and Death, Living in Christ's Family, Love, music, Poetry

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Pray for Others

In the midst of the storm
Of life’s uncertainties
There is a comforter
Always available

When your heart is tuned
To the One who always hears,
You never need to feel alone
Or helpless or powerless

I pray in the morning
I pray at noon
I pray all day long
The answers come soon

Ah, I feel ‘em!
Love across the miles.
Love back atcha.
Embeace the comfort.

Hugs,
JanBeek

Category:

Belief, Faith, God, Living in Christ's Family, Love, Poetry, prayer, relationships

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News in a Sijo

What’s a Sijo?

It is three lines of 14-16 syllables each, for a total of 44-46 syllables.

Here is my news in a Sijo:

Our six-month Boston puppy, Kenny, arrived on Saturday
He is not house trained, nor crate trained, so don’t turn your back
But he’s so cute, cuddly and loveable that we’ll keep him!

Only once have we seen his ears straight up!

No, this is not him.
He’d never tolerate a hat!
But ain’t she cute?
We love Boston Terriers!!

He loves that chew toy… and stretches out full length to get it!
That’s a long body for a six-month old!
He already weighs nearly 12 pounds.
Gonna be a big boy!

Oh, he’s squirming…
Time to take him out.
But it’s snowing and ccccold!
Oh Kenny, I don’t want to go out either!
But we better.
See ya later.

Love,
JanBeek
(and Kenny)

Category:

Animals, learning, Life's Challenges, Love, pets, Poetry

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Quiet Time

Gone from home for three weeks
Wonderful holidays and birthdays
Shared with family and friends
Missed my daily sanctuary quiet time

Back home and falling into routine
Up around 8: and make coffee
Climb the stairs to my “sanctuairee”
Spend time with Jesus and His Word

Spend time with David Jeremiah
Spend time with Guideposts devotionals
Spend quiet time with God in prayer
Ask God to be with each of you

Meditate with “All God’s Creatures”
Contemplate love and life with Bob Goff
Compare scriptures with Eugene Peterson
“The Message” paraphrasing inspires me

What’s your favorite way to spend
Quiet time?
Do you carve out space for it
everyday?

Where?

When?

With whom?

Regardless of when, where, and with whom,
May your day always include space for
Quiet Time

Pray with me, will you?
For all those who are in distress:
the homeless, the sick, the frightened,
the lonely,
those who feel helpless or hopeless.
“Bee” the Light.
Shine His Light
wherever you go in this world.
Lord, help us to reach out
and
to love as You love!
Amen