Spreading love, joy, peace, faith & unity

Archive for the ‘truth’ Category

The Moment of Truth

Today’s sermon preached by Rev. Steve Hundley
at the Madison Valley Presbyterian Church
in Ennis, Montana was titled
“The Moment of Truth.”
It was based on the scripture passages:
Matthew 16:13-20

13 When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?”

14 They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”

15 “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”

16 Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”

17 Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven. 18 And I tell you that you are Peter,[a] and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades[b] will not overcome it. 19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be[c] bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be[d] loosed in heaven.” 20 Then he ordered his disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah.

Photo by eberhard grossgasteiger on Pexels.com

The Moment of Truth

What are you afraid of?
Is it something quiet and small?
Is your fear founded and grounded?
Do you understand it at all?

The greatest fear most folks say
Is speaking in public – sweating starts!
The stakes seem highest when asked
To speak from the depths of our hearts.

Stating facts – what somebody else has said –
Is not as hard as speaking your own
Thoughts and feelings out loud
(Unless it’s on social media or the phone).

There was a time when Jesus asked Peter,
“Who do YOU say that I am? Be true!”
Simon Peter readily proclaimed to Him,
“You are the Messiah, Son of the Living God, that’s You!”

Peter had no fear of speaking his heart.
His faith he readily proclaimed.
In a harsh world, draw your breath in pain.
Tell what you believe. God’s asking YOU. You’re named!

There’s a feeling some people have
That God is in the sunset and the trees.
They say they don’t need church –
And they don’t need to worship on their knees.

But Jesus told us it’s not enough
To see God in the river and the dawn.
We need to see God in Jesus Christ.
He’s the One we rest our salvation on.

How can we know who God is
In Christ, the Messiah and teach
Our children about the Savior
If we’ve never had His Word within reach?

We need to talk to Jesus in prayer.
We need to imitate Him, too.
We need to take hold of God’s love
Through Jesus and the Holy Spirit in you.

How can we see the world today,
Watch the brutality of teens with guns
And still believe in God and His goodness?
It’s faith. It’s knowing what God has done.

What are you afraid of?
Is it speaking in public from the heart?
Is it expressing your faith?
This is the Moment of Truth – time to start!

I believe in Christ – Son of the Living God.
I believe Jesus is my Lord and Savior.
Step out and boldly speak from your soul.
God will reward your brave behavior.

“On you, this rock I will build my church,
And the gates of Hades[b] will not overcome it.”
Speak up with firm conviction…
You’ll be so relieved once you’ve done it!

Amen?
Amen!

Photo by Pressmaster on Pexels.com

For special music today, we had Jaime Roberts on keyboard, Jim Forsberg singing and playing the saw, and George Ennis (with his amazing bass voice) singing. It started with Jaime’s lovely solo. I woke up to thinking I should record this for you when Jim started playing. Have you ever heard a musical saw? Tune in! God bless our musicians! As you can see, we are worshiping outside these days. We had about 40 people in attendance (behind me).

Hope you’ve had a lovely Sunday.
Mine was.
See ya tomorrow.
Thanks for visiting,
Love ya,
JanBeek

Category:

Belief, Bible Lessons, Faith, God, Jesus, Life's Challenges, Living in Christ's Family, Love, music, Poetry, sermon notes, truth

Tagged with:

Youth

Y outh:
O urs
U ntil
T ime
H iccups

Photo by Nataliya Vaitkevich on Pexels.com

Love and Light to you,
See ya later.
JanBeek

Category:

children, life, Love, Poetry, truth

Tagged with:

S.O.S.

What does S.O.S. mean to you?
It’s an urgent message for help.
But yesterday, a Facebook friend said,
“It means Same ole Shit!”

Oh my! I had not heard that before!
She was referring to a message I posted
On Facebook about the U.S. Postal Service.
She is convinced it’s all legit – not “shit” at all!

Photo by Jaymantri on Pexels.com

The post received 66 responses within a few hours
And it deteriorated to the point where I
Called a “Truce” and wished I had not started it.
But, hey, ya gotta stand up for what you believe, right?

And we have a responsibility to fact check.
Yes, some of the removed boxes were being replaced.
The guy in charge of our postal service now, DeJoy,
Has spread his “S.O.S.” and intelligent people believe him.

Other equally intelligent people weighed in on the conversation.
“I worked for the P.O. and I know these claims are false.”
“The sorting machines being removed are not being replaced.”
“This has been going on routinely for decades. Why blame Trump?”

I don’t care who is to blame, I just care about our U.S.P.S.
And I want to speak up to defend our right to vote by mail.
I need all the boxes protected and all the sorting machines left.
I need to know our election in November is not being compromised.

Photo by fotografierende on Pexels.com

So, I came out of my box of comfort and said, “Stop!”
I came out and expressed my outrage at what’s happening.
Enough other people have expressed their concern that DeJoy
Announced he will stop this nonsense until after November elections.

Jeremiah 29:11

“I have good plans for you, not plans to hurt you.
I will give you hope and a good future.”

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

We need to TRUST God’s Word and expect the best.
We need to pray to God for His wisdom
And for our courage to step up to the plate
When His perfect time comes.

But, before we grab the bat
And swing at the falsehoods,
We need to ask the SUPREME COACH
To guide us, teach us, and give us TRUTH.

We need to persevere in the face of the S.O.S.
People throw at us – and don’t be deterred.
We need to listen to His voice and grasp
As clearly as we can His purposes for our stand.

STAND UP FOR WHAT’S RIGHT!
Silence is no longer a viable option!!
I love you, even if you think I’m wrong.
Let’s exchange ideas with respect.

Some GOOD people will disagree with me.
May my optimism about a brighter future be contagious.
Let’s draw on the Word and promises of God.
Stand up and carry on with perseverance!

Hebrews 12:1

“Let us run
with perseverance
the race
marked out for us.”

Photo by Jaymantri on Pexels.com

Send me a love letter!

In my Guideposts Mornings with Jesus today,
Jolynn Strandberg wrote:

“Even when I am surrounded by people
who do not understand my convictions,
I hope I will always have the courage
to stand up for my beliefs.”


See ya tomorrow.
Love,
JanBeek

Category:

Belief, Bible Lessons, Faith, God, Jesus, learning, Life's Challenges, Living in Harmony, Love, Poetry, respect, Serving One Another, truth

Tagged with:

Difficult People

Thank you, Bob Goff,
for this meme:

Bob Goff posted this on FaceBook

We are told we should
Just love difficult people –
No judging allowed.

That’s really hard, friends!
It’s easier to love you.
You’re not one of them.

Or are you?

But only sometimes,
I imagine that I am…
Right?? What do you think?

The Devil’s in there!

Thanks for your faithful visits
to JanBeek
See ya tomorrow 🙂

Category:

friendship, Haiku, Life's Challenges, Living in Harmony, Love, mental health, Poetry, relationships, truth

Tagged with:

On Being UnTeachable

We’re unreachable
When we are unteachable.
Let’s check our mindset.

Is our mind open
To attentive mindfulness?
Live expectantly?

Anticipate good?
Humbly work for improvements
In self and others?

Develop ideas –
Hopeful and doable ones
In a right spirit.

We close open doors
When we are unteachable.
Let’s check our mindset.

Photo by Jonathan Andrew on Pexels.com

Keep your mind focused
On the good that you can do.
Let’s be teachable.

Let’s be reachable.
Let us reach out to others
With humble mindset.

Photo by Matheus Viana on Pexels.com

Pray with me:
“Lord, help us to develop
a heavenly perspective
to look at life’s trials and difficulties
through the Truth and Hope
of God’s Word.
Peel away all barriers to Your wisdom, Lord,
And make us teachable and reachable!
Amen!”

See ya tomorrow.
Love,
JanBeek

Category:

Bible Lessons, God, Haiku, learning, Life's Challenges, Love, Poetry, prayer, relationships, Serving One Another, truth

Tagged with:

Children of Light and of Darkness

Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò
Titular Archbishop of Ulpiana
Former Apostolic Nuncio to the United States of America
has written a letter to President Donald Trump:

In his letter, Archbishop Viganò addressed President Trump saying,

“In recent months we have been witnessing the formation of two opposing sides that I would call Biblical: the children of light and the children of darkness.”

He goes on to say,
“On the one hand there are those who, although they have a thousand defects and weaknesses, are motivated by the desire to do good, to be honest, to raise a family, to engage in work, to give prosperity to their homeland, to help the needy, and, in obedience to the Law of God, to merit the Kingdom of Heaven.

“On the other hand, there are those who serve themselves, who do not hold any moral principles, who want to demolish the family and the nation, exploit workers to make themselves unduly wealthy, foment internal divisions and wars, and accumulate power and money: for them the fallacious illusion of temporal well-being will one day – if they do not repent – yield to the terrible fate that awaits them, far from God, in eternal damnation.”

I find it inconceivable that the good man, Archbishop Viganò, goes on to align the first side he has identified with President Trump and the Republican party. If I was into labels, I could easily align them differently. Who’s to say which people as a group fall into which category? And what good comes of such lumping and labeling as a practice anyway? His divisive language is appalling to me – especially coming from a man of God.

Archbishop Viganò goes on in his letter:

“In society, Mr. President, these two opposing realities co-exist as eternal enemies, just as God and Satan are eternal enemies. And it appears that the children of darkness – whom we may easily identify with the deep state which you wisely oppose and which is fiercely waging war against you in these days – have decided to show their cards, so to speak, by now revealing their plans.”

He ends his letter by suggesting that President Trump should …

“… not accept being deceived by a minority of dishonest people with unavowable purposes. It is necessary that the good, the children of light, come together and make their voices heard.”

My friends, we are in a state of division and chaos in the United States. With COVID-19 putting people in isolation and the marches and riots protesting racial injustice pulling people together in proximity too close for comfort, we are in need of healing.

To suggest and label a portion of our society as people who are in the business of serving themselves, not holding any moral principles, demolishing the family and the nation, exploiting workers to make themselves unduly wealthy, fomenting internal divisions and wars, and accumulating power and money, is uncalled for!

What we need is words of love and unity coming from the clergy. Not more divisiveness! Not labeling. Not ushering Donald Trump and his followers into heaven while he condemns those who do not support his actions and policies to “eternal damnation.”

I worship a God who teaches people have the right to disagree with one another without name calling.

I worship a God who teaches me not to be the judge. That’s Jesus’ job!

I worship a God who teaches us to love one another – “Love your neighbor as yourself.” He teaches that you ALL are my neighbors.

I am a “Child of the Light” – and I am not here to to point fingers at anyone.

Why can’t we just love one another?

Category:

Belief, Faith, Jesus, Life's Challenges, Living in Christ's Family, Love, peace, relationships, respect, truth

Tagged with:

Please Remain Connected

These lilacs connect
To the vine of existence
In the vine is life

Apart from the vine,
Obviously these flowers die.
We are just like that!

“I am the vine, you are the branches.
If you remain in me, and I in you,
you will bear much fruit;
apart from me you can do nothing.”

John 15:5 (NIV)

“For where two or three gather in my name,
there am I with them.”

Matthew 18:20

This morning I thought
I had lost my WordPress posts.
I thought I’d lost YOU!

Words of comfort came –
Rushed in to reassure me:
We are connected!

My history is here…
Eight years of important posts
Help keep us in touch.

Apart from you – Pop!
The balloon of my WordPress
Loses all its air!

Photo by Tim Mossholder on Pexels.com

When I posted this
Blog from my iPhone today
Only Youtube showed.

It’s an important
Message about connection
From Ronald Reagan.

Whether you are from the USA or not;
whether you are Republican or Democrat or Independent,
You should watch this.
It was recorded in a different era,
at a time when it was not seen as divisive
to evoke God’s name in the White House.
The Bible was not used as a prop.
It was quoted as a means of
encouraging us to reach out in love…
Reach out and
JUST LOVE ONE ANOTHER!

Please stay connected!
Apart from you, my blog is nothing.
Apart from God, I am nothing!

I know He leads me!


Caralyn of BeautyBeyondBones
(do you follow her here on WordPress?)
wrote to me today and said,

“We are all part of His family,
and I pray we all realize that
and start to act accordingly,
with love for our fellow brother and sisters!”

AMEN, Caralyn.
Amen, my dear brothers and sisters.
I love you all.
Please stay connected.

See ya tomorrow.

Virtual hugs!


JanBeek

Category:

Belief, Bible Lessons, Faith, flowers, God, Haiku, Jesus, Living in Christ's Family, Living in Harmony, Love, peace, Poetry, prayer, Promises, relationships, truth

Tagged with:

Switch the Channel

Your mind is like a radio –
You can tune it as you like:
Rap or blues, talk or news,
Sadness of a virus spike.

Your mind has endless channels.
It’s a miraculous machine.
It can distort the truth and scare you,
Or explain what “Do Love” can mean.

Our Bible feeds our radio
With thoughts from God above.
He tells us to tune carefully
To the stations that spread love.

Photo by Eduardo Braga on Pexels.com

Philippians 9:8

“Finally, brothers, whatever is true,
whatever is noble,
whatever is right,
whatever is pure,
whatever is lovely,
whatever is admirable,
if anything is excellent or praiseworthy,
think about such things.”

Photo by Victoria Borodinova on Pexels.com

This verse in Philippians got me to thinking.
What are the things that I would consider in these categories?
Think about them… add your thoughts after each word.
Where do these words take you? What is:

  • true
  • noble
  • right
  • pure
  • lovely
  • admirable
  • excellent and/or praiseworthy
Photo by Suliman Sallehi on Pexels.com

Lift your thoughts to the highest peak.
Let your mind’s radio tune in to the thoughts that are
uplifting and worthy of consideration.
I tried that this morning.
Here is what I came up with.
I encourage you to come up with your own.
How are your thoughts different from mine?

  1. Think on things that are TRUE:
    a) The Bible
    b) The love of my family
    c) The need for friendship
  2. Think on things that are NOBLE:
    a) Active, Honest, Capable and Fair government leaders
    b) Bob Goff’s “Love Does”
    c) The work of doctors, nurses, caregivers
  3. Think on things that are RIGHT:
    a) The innocence of little children
    b) Agape Love (as demonstrated by the unconditional love of my pup, TazE… and my devoted spouse, Bob)
    c) The obligation to reach out and help the needy
  4. Think on things that are PURE:
    a) The motives of devoted, loving friends
    b) The love of Christ for us sinners
    c) Blessings from heaven
  5. Think on things that are LOVELY:
    a) Signs of spring = green leaves, daffodils, crocus, tulips
    b) Kisses from my grandchildren (and great-grandchildren)
    c) Phone calls, letters, texts from our children
  6. Think on things that are ADMIRABLE:
    a) The work of classified staff (such as nurse’s assistants and custodians) in nursing homes and hospitals
    b) The volunteer work of pastors, elders, deacons, and others who give so much time/effort to the church
    c) The donations of those who give time, food, and resources to help the needy
  7. Think on things that are EXCELLENT or PRAISEWORTHY:
    a) The efforts of teachers who are committed to continue helping students learn via ZOOM and other technology during this pandemic
    b) The scientists who are working tirelessly to find a COVID-19 vaccine
    c) The dedication of people who continue to serve in spite of the virus – – – food service workers, truckers, pharmacists, etc.

Your mind is like a radio –
You can tune it to what’s good.
Find the Philippians 9:8 channel
And think of love. You should!

Change Your Mind’s Channel
to Thoughts of Gratitude

Thanks for tuning in to JanBeek.
Tell me about your uplifting thoughts
based on Phil. 9:8

See ya tomorrow.

Category:

Bible Lessons, Faith, friendship, Giving, God, Gratitude, happiness, Life's Challenges, Living in Harmony, Love, mental health, peace, Poetry, relationships, Serving One Another, truth

Tagged with:

7 Qualities of Great Leaders

Coming Election

During this period of time from now to November 2020, we in the USA will be looking carefully for the qualities we seek in a good leader… wanting to elect a great leader … someone worthy of following.

Our Ideas & Biblical Principles

I asked Bob this morning, “If you had to name just seven qualities you think are essential for effective leaders, what would they be?”

His answers didn’t totally match the Biblical principles that prompted this blog title, but some were right on. I was reading 1 Timothy 3:1-3 during my devotional time up in my angel room this morning. This is what it said:

“… If anyone sets his heart on being an overseer, he desires a noble task. Now the overseer must be above reproach… temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not given to drunkenness, not violent, but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money.”

An overseer is one who sees over his followers. A supervisor, head, manager, head honcho! And s/he must lead with qualities worthy of emulation.

Photo by alexandre saraiva carniato on Pexels.com

Bob said,

  1. Honesty
  2. Integrity
  3. Intelligence
  4. Experience
  5. Compassion
  6. Interdependence (not someone who thinks s/he can do it all alone)
  7. Respect

The Bible went on to say in 1 Timothy 3:6-7 (The parenthesis are my additions):

“He must not be a recent convert (in other words, s/he needs experience in his/her area of leadership), or he may become conceited… He must also have a good reputation with outsiders, so that he will not fall into disgrace…”

Photo by Sippakorn Yamkasikorn on Pexels.com

If the leader’s reputation is tarnished, it is like handing his/her followers a handful of worms. They just come crawling out…

1 Timothy 3:8-10 says,

“Deacons, likewise, are to be [persons] of respect, sincere… and not pursuing dishonest gain. They must keep hold of the deep truths of the faith with a clear conscience. They must first be tested; and then if there is nothing against them, let them serve as deacons.”

Being a deacon is often considered synonymous with being an “elder.” In the Catholic church, it is a position below that of priest. In the protestant church, an elder is part of the ruling or decision-making body. A deacon is a part of a group of leaders elected to reach out in service to the congregation and the community at large. All religions have “deacons” whose job it is to be the hands and feet of God – serving those in need. Deacons are respected leaders whose job it is to serve those who count on them.

Photo by Suraphat Nuea-on on Pexels.com

Your Ideas & Mine

So have you come up with your own list of seven qualities a good leader needs? Will you let those qualities guide your decision when you vote in your next election?

Before you read on, make your own list. What are the seven qualities you deem most important in an effective leader?

These are the ones I gleaned from my study of the third chapter of 1 Timothy:

  1. competent (gained from applicable experience)
  2. wise (wisdom borne of Godly counsel, intelligence and study)
  3. mature (mentally and spiritually solid)
  4. gentle (compassionate & not quarrelsome)
  5. self-controlled (exhibiting peace and unity)
  6. respectable (leading a life worthy of emulation)
  7. generous (always giving his/her best to/for followers)
Photo by Anastasia Zhenina on Pexels.com

May we each live a life
That is worthy of emulation –
A life that is an open book.

One step at a time…

Tell me, what are the qualities
that are on your list for great leaders?
See ya tomorrow.

Have a Super Saturday!
Hugs,
JanBeek

Category:

Bible Lessons, God, Life's Challenges, Living in Christ's Family, Love, peace, relationships, respect, Serving One Another, truth, work

Tagged with:

Don’t Lie to Me

On my blog, I usually try to steer away from taking a partisan stance on issues. My blog subtitle “Love One Another” causes me to want to see the positives and spread loving energy. I don’t like to post things that pit us/them or reinforce labels. I believe in unity.

However… a good friend sent this Barbara Streisand video to me today, and I feel COMPELLED to share it!

Recently I have begun to I pray daily for our USA President. I ask God to give him wisdom and compassion. I ask God to speak to his heart and help him see the importance of Truth and Transparency. His words matter to us and to the world.

This video points out so clearly what some of the negative effects are when Truth is not the standard.

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

Pray with me for Light of Truth to be restored.

Category:

God, Life's Challenges, Living in Harmony, Love, music, peace, prayer, relationships, respect, truth

Tagged with: