Spreading love, joy, peace, faith & unity

Archive for the ‘writing’ Category

Speak Up!

Today I wrote a letter to the editor of our local paper, the Ennis, Madison County Montana Madisonian. I decided it is time to write to my state and federal representatives, too, and write to my friends and neighbors locally about my concerns for the present divisiveness and for the future of our country (and the world). The USA is headed in the wrong direction. We must reverse course and reunite with our friends at home and abroad. We must do our part to stop the insanity. Here is what I wrote:

“Dear Editor,

In the February 12th Madisonian Opinion page, Doris Fischer’s letter to the editor, titled “Ignore the Drumbeat at our Peril” was very inspiring. She warned and encouraged us all. In her final paragraph she cautioned, “We citizens all need to pay close attention to what is happening.” She quoted other local citizens whose cautionary posts reminded us that we need to speak up and we need to choose our federal representatives wisely. Doris concluded that we “…must study up on the candidates running for this year’s Primary and General Elections… (and then) Vote.”  It’s never been more important than it is now for us to pay attention to what is happening to our democracy, to our foreign relations, and to our moral base. If you are as concerned as I am about the divisiveness in today’s politics, then it’s time for you to speak up, too. We desperately need fervent voices to promote love and compassion. Join me! Write a letter to your representatives. Tell ‘em what you think. Promote neighborly sanity, world-wide peace and unity, and respect for all. Yes, as Lois Stephens wrote in her letter, “Enough is Enough!” 

Jan Beekman”

Hugs and lotsa love to you from
JanBeek

Category:

Life's Challenges, Living in Harmony, Love, relationships, writing

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1940 Tribute to Parents

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Below is a letter I found in Grandma Foster’s Scrapbook. It was written in 1940 by Sheldon H. Kinney… the Fosters’ next door neighbor in Pasadena, CA… quite an accomplished young 25 year old. Here is a newspaper article published in the Chicago Tribune about him:

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Interesting how they published his parents’ home address, huh? I don’t think we’d see that in today’s press, do you?

While at sea, during World War Two, Sheldon wrote this heartfelt letter to his parents:

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How Grandma Foster got ahold of that letter so she could include it in her scrapbook is a mystery. But, it is there… preserved for me to share! I hope you find it as inspiring as I do. Makes me wish I had written something similar to my parents when I was 25! But, did I have the insight at that age to “see my parents as man and woman” the way Sheldon did? I doubt it.

How very precious to read Sheldon’s praise of his parents, and to feel the warmth they must have felt when reading those accolades!

As I continue to sift through the scrapbook’s treasures, I will gladly share others with you. I hope you are enjoying these as much as I am!

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Lots of love to you…
from JanBeek

Category:

blessings, Family, Gratitude, relationships, writing

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Embrace Your Uniqueness

What makes you unique?
Your fingerprint and your eyes,
Your hair and your smile.

Your conversation,
And your own brand of whimsy.
Do you embrace these?

Bob Goff wrote today,
“God made you this way
On purpose, freckles and all.”

He had lots of spots –
As a kid, lots of freckles.
He was teased a lot.

His grandma told him
“Those spots are angel kisses.”
So be proud of them!

“Don’t tell anyone,”
She cautioned him not to share –
“Friends would be jealous!”

That very mean boy
Who teased Bob, calling him Spot,
Wilted his soft heart.

With grandma’s advice
His insecurities left,
Finding acceptance.

Accept uniqueness!
Embrace how you’re different.
Congratulations!

Love,
JanBeek

P.S. Bob Goff puts this message at the end of each of his books:

CONNECT WITH BOB
“Bob’s passion is people.
He’d love to hear from you
if you want to email him at info@bobgoff.com.
You can also follow him on Instagram and X: @bobgoff.
Here’s his cell phone number if you want to give him a call:
(619)985-4747.”

Now how unique is that??

Category:

blessings, blogging, Haiku, life, Love, mental health, Poetry, self-esteem, Sharing, writing

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In the Shadow…

Ps. 17:8
Keep me as the apple of your eye;
    hide me in the shadow of your wings

The smiling face below belongs to our interim pastor, Brian Conklin, who delivered a beautiful sermon Sunday inspired by the prayer of David found in Psalm 17. I posted my sermon notes here and then (while messing around on WordPress on my phone), I accidentally erased the post. Some of my friends saw it before the mishap, I hope. Anyway… heeeeeere’s Brian…

And heeeere’s “A prayer of David”

1 Hear me, Lord, my plea is just;
    listen to my cry.
Hear my prayer—
    it does not rise from deceitful lips.
2 Let my vindication come from you;
    may your eyes see what is right.

3 Though you probe my heart,
    though you examine me at night and test me,
you will find that I have planned no evil;
    my mouth has not transgressed.
4 Though people tried to bribe me,
    I have kept myself from the ways of the violent
    through what your lips have commanded.
5 My steps have held to your paths;
    my feet have not stumbled.

6 I call on you, my God, for you will answer me;
    turn your ear to me and hear my prayer.
7 Show me the wonders of your great love,
    you who save by your right hand
    those who take refuge in you from their foes.
8 Keep me as the apple of your eye;
    hide me in the shadow of your wings
9 from the wicked who are out to destroy me,
    from my mortal enemies who surround me.

Heaven knows, I need to be one of those protected chicks under “the shadow of your wings!”

Can’t redo what I lost… Need to get to bed.
Oh well…

See ya tomorrow. It’ll be a better day.

Love,
JanBeek

Category:

Bible Lessons, blessings, Faith, God, Jesus, Living in Christ's Family, Love, Montana, Poetry, sermon notes, writing

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Finishing Well

Run the race with grace
So you know you’re finishing well
Goal: the finish line!

Today’s sermon at church was titled, “Running the Race”
But the main topic of interest was “Finishing Well.”
So my sermon notes today reflect that focus.
Come and read the highlights as I heard and recorded them:

2nd Timothy 4:6-8, 16-18
“6 As for me, I am already being poured out as a libation, and the time of my departure has come. 7 I have fought the good fight; I have finished the race; I have kept the faith. 8 From now on there is reserved for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will give me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who have longed for his appearing… 16 At my first defense no one came to my support, but all deserted me. May it not be counted against them! 17 But the Lord stood by me and gave me strength, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the gentiles might hear it. So I was rescued from the lion’s mouth. 18 The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack and save me for his heavenly kingdom. To him be the glory forever and ever. Amen.”

Why do people run? Pain, elation,
Personal challenge, delirium…
Concentrate on how far you’ve come
Rather than on where you’ve been.

Feeling stiff and in pain, but knowing
I have the ability to endure hard things
Gives me the ability to show up for myself
So I can therefore show up for others.

Let’s end our journey with peace in our hearts
Knowing we have run the race well.
The Lord stood by us, gave us strength
And gave us perseverance as we served with trust.

Serving in faith, fighting the good fight
For mercy, for love… We often stand alone.
Feeling lonely and isolated in life’s race,
We reach out in ministry to others.

Christ calls us to run the race in faith.
Faith transforms us in our disappointments
Into opportunities of grace and hope.
So finish the race with faithfulness.

See through the things we’ve started
With integrity, keeping the faith through change.
The glory of your finish will last forever.
Run the race… and finish well.

Amen?

Love to you – and best wishes for a race well done!
JanBeek

Category:

Bible Lessons, Faith, Life's Challenges, Living in Christ's Family, Love, Poetry, sermon notes, Serving One Another, writing

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A Tanka: Open Book

One of my blogging friends today wrote this message,
“Wrote a tanka today to get into the rhythm
of saying more with less.
It’s a japanese short form poetry system
with 5-7-5-7-7 syllable scheme.
Give it a try!”

So I decided to do just that.
How about you?
You wanna give it a try, too?

I’m an open book
Filled with whimsy and color
Easy to be read
Very hard to be ignored
Noisy and provocative

God bless you, my friends.
Have a Super Saturday.
It’s “No Kings Day” here
No, not “Hate America!”
Protect our Constitution!

Love,
JanBeek

Category:

Aging Gracefully, blogging, books, Haiku, Living in Harmony, Love, mental health, peace, Poetry, self-acceptance, self-esteem, writing

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Six Sentence Story

I discovered a new challenge. From inlinkz, there is a weekly invitation to write a “Six Sentence Story.” Each week the word prompt that must be included changes. This week it is the word NEED.

Here is my 6 sentences to go to the “Blog Hop” –

Take my hand, I’m a stranger in Paradise.
I’m lost in a Wonderland.
It’s just being with you.
Tell me everything will be alright.
I need to know that’s true!

Love from
JanBeek

Category:

blogging, friendship, kindness, Love, optimism, relationships, writing

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Turn Back with Gratitude

My sermon notes try to capture the essence of what I hear each Sunday. Our pastor, Brian Conklin, delivered this inspiring message last Sunday:

Issues of faith, leprosy, and other skin troubles
Are the topics we are looking at today.
God is whispering to us to pay attention,
Live with humility, and show our gratitude.

Naaman, the man in 2Kings 5, was a man of great wealth
Whose skin disease stripped away his power.
A small, captured servant girl told Naaman
There was a man in Israel, Elisha, who could heal him.

Naaman went to Elisha’s house and was greeted
By a servant who told him to go to the Jordan river
And dip himself seven time for healing,
He does go, after anger and reluctance, and was healed.

It was his listening and obeying God in humility
That was his true source of healing.
Then, (in Luke 17) there were ten lepers who were healed
And only one turned back in gratitude, and was made whole.

Ten were healed, but only one was transformed.
Faith is about trusting in the next step,
Even in transition, fatigue, illness, and reluctance.
Healing is about the restoration of relationship.

God meets us in our obedience, humility, and gratitude.
Trust enough to step forward – then healing begins.
When you are blessed, do you turn back?
Do you stop, remember, and reflect in an
Attitude of Gratitude?

Give thanks always, knowing our faithful God
Will make you whole in your transformation.
Sometimes the solution seems too simple –
But if it takes seven dips in the river, do it!

And then, don’t forget to turn back to God
And express your heartfelt gratitude
For the ways He is faithful and always
Answers your prayers with His mercy and compassion.

Amen?
Amen!

What answered prayer are you especially grateful for today?

Love ya,
JanBeek

Category:

Belief, Bible Lessons, blessings, Faith, God, Gratitude, Life's Challenges, sermon notes, writing

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I Can Pick a Fight

I can pick a fight

No, it won’t be that kind of fight!

I’m picking to fight for more
love
unity
and respect
in this world!

With gentleness and respect
I choose to fight for
a better world

Fight to
replace controversies
and arguments
with more
love and joy.

Love,
JanBeek

ben Alexander (David)
from the Skeptic’s Kaddish blog
https://skepticskaddish.com/
invited us to write a poem or prose
with exactly 49 words today.
So, the blog above does that.
Thank you, David, for the challenge.

Category:

blogging, kindness, Life's Challenges, Living in Harmony, Love, optimism, peace, writing

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Great is Thy Faithfulness

Sermon notes on Sunday is a regular habit of mine.
I used to share them here every week.
I don’t know why I got out of the habit.
Time to start doing that again.
I hope you find them enlightening and inspiring.

Sermon by Brian Conklin at Madison Valley Presbyterian Church

Great is Thy Faithfulness

Lamentations is a beautiful book
Each of the five chapters is a poem
It’s a reflection of encouragement and hope
Written out of the pain of total loss

Rubble, grief, and despair are the topics
But in the middle of the book is a word of hope
The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases
Great is Thy faithfulness; it is new every morning

But we can feel letdown in the midst of hope
And God would rather have our honest tears
Than fake smiles. We live in times of pain…
The things we see in the news weighs us down.

We’re allowed to walk through pain and share
We can walk with empathy and compassion
See the loss and pain in others and empathize
Acknowledge your own – and remember God’s promises.

God is consistent and unchanging. He said
His mercies are new every morning, and so
We have fresh grace again and again and again
All I have needed Thy hand hath provided.

This week, keep track; look for moments
When you can see God’s grace at work.
Praise God! Thank God! Accept your inheritance.
The Lord is my portion. Take hope. Have faith.

Amen?

Lotsa Love,
JanBeek

Here’s Brian,
the dear interim pastor
who delivered the message today.

(I hope my notes did it justice)
God bless him!

Category:

Bible Lessons, Faith, God, Life's Challenges, Poetry, sermon notes, writing

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