Loving One Another

Posts tagged ‘children’

Halloween is Coming


Halloween is coming; it was
My favorite holiday as a child.
The Wizard of Oz is a theme
That lets your imagination go wild!

Do you have a favorite costume
You wore for Trick-or-Treating fun?
My grandchildren loved to wear
Their costumes. What’s you favorite one?

Yesterday I posted a blog
About my sis and her holiday clothes.
She was a fun and quirky aunt
Who will be missed, Heaven knows!

Do you have a quirky, memorable
Person in your family who knows
Holidays are perfect times to celebrate
And whose cheerfulness always shows?

Our Boston, TazE, will have to be
The costumed member of our family
Who takes that quirky place this year.
Want to Trick-or-Treat with me?

Photo by u0410u043bu0435u043au0441u0430u043du0434u0430u0440 u0426u0432u0435u0442u0430u043du043eu0432u0438u045b on Pexels.com

Just 15 more days to get ready…
Do you celebrate Halloween?
It’s not my favorite holiday anymore …
What does it really mean?

Real Meaning of Halloween

“Hallow” — or holy person — refers to the saints celebrated on All Saints’ Day, which is November 1. The “een” part of the word is a contraction of “eve” — or evening before. So basically, Halloween is just an old-fashioned way of saying “the night before All Saints’ Day” — also called Hallowmas or All Hallows’ Day.

Modern day trick-or-treating is a confluence of various traditions. Ancient Celts dressed up as evil spirits in order to confuse demons, according to Smithsonian Magazine.

In medieval England, “soulers” would go around begging rich folk for “soul cakes” on Halloween. Instead of threatening to play tricks, however, they’d pray for peoples’ souls in return for the cake, according to “The Compleat Teacher’s Almanack.”

Throughout medieval Europe, mummering — dressing in disguises and visiting neighborhoods while dancing, playing music, and doing tricks — was popular on major feast days.

TIME reported Irish and Scottish immigrants brought “souling” to the States in the 1800s. But modern day trick-or-treating didn’t catch on in the US until the 1920s.

The practice was pretty controversial into the 1950s, though. According to the American Journal of Play’s “Gangsters, Pranksters, and the Invention of Trick-or-Treating,” many adults raised “stern objections” to trick-or-treating over the decades, as it was often viewed as a form of extortion.

Thing of the Past?

With adulthood and research, finding out the origins and true meaning of “All Hallows’ Day,” and with the onset of unsafe “treats” being distributed to innocent children by “sick” adults, and with the dangers of this current pandemic, Halloween may have to become a “thing of the past.”

What do you think?

Trick or Treat!
I’d rather have roses than candy!!

Aren’t these beautiful?
They were a gift of cheer –
Wishing us health and
offering condolences
during this crazy week
of roller coaster emotions.

Wasn’t that kind?
If I came “Trick-or-Treating to YOUR door,
what would be your favorite treat to offer?

Photo by Karolina Grabowska on Pexels.com


I’ve been known to hand out a tube of toothpaste and a toothbrush.
With all that candy, the kids’ll need my “treat!”

Love ya, my friends.
Thank you for all your words of comfort.
Hugs –
See ya tomorrow,
JanBeek

Category:

children, Family, flowers, holidays, Love, Poetry

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My Sis, Sally, Died Today


Me with Mom and Sally

Today my sis, Sally, died.
She was only a year and a half older than I.
As children, Mom often dressed us alike.
People thought we were twins.

As adults we looked so much alike, too, that our long-time friends sometimes called me Sally.

When you lose your only sibling,
A part of you dies with her.
Sally came every Thanksgiving from CA
To spend the holiday with us in Montana.

Sally with oregano

Sally always came with an extra suitcase.
She filled it with oregano that grew in her back yard.
She spent most of the week here at the kitchen table or counter
Picking the leaves off the oregano stems.

I have a couple of quart jars left of her herbs.
When they are gone, another part of her
Will disappear – You can’t find oregano that fresh –
Not in a store, that’s for sure! Can you smell it?

Sally with our son, Ty’s kids

Sally was a nut about holidays!
She had a closet full of clothes
Sorted by the holiday they represented
And she loved every one of them.

She joined her nieces and nephews
For Halloween and Christmas,
For Easter and birthdays, and
For special lunches and dinners.

Sam, Faith, Hope and Jordan with Aunt Sally at Burger King
Sally loved giving gifts and playing games
Sally & Jordan shared a Dec. 20th birthday
They continued to share even as Jordan entered his teens and young adult years.
Bonnie was Sally’s best friend. They enjoyed many River Cats games together.
Sally & Ty

Naturally Sally was there to celebrate her daughter, Jodie’s wedding.
Here she is at the wedding reception, dancing with her nephew,
our son, Ty, the daddy of those nieces and nephews.
And she was there of course, for her grandson, Liam’s baptism.

Bill & Jodie Welge (Sally’s dughter) and their infant son, Liam

Sally loved spending time with her grandson, Liam.
During the last few years of her life, she moved
from California to PA to be near her daughter, son-in-law,
and her dear grandson, Liam.

Besides her family and holidays, Sally had a love of dogs.
She inherited her poodle, Gigi, from our mom after Mom died.
Gigi was stolen from Sally when Gigi was about 4 years old.
Gigi was gone nine years, but Sally never gave up the idea of
finding her!

Sally & Gigi

Sure enough, nine years after the theft, Sally received a call from a veterinarian.
Gigi had a chip, and when she was found wandering, dirty, toothless, and infected,
the person who found her brought her to a vet. The chip had Sally’s number.
Can you imagine her joy at that reunion after nine long years? Gigi lived to be 15.
Dear friends of ours here adopted her and gave her a loving last 9 months of life
when Sally moved to PA and could not take Gigi with her to the Masonic Home.

Sally & Jodie at Christmas in Pennsylvania
Sally with me at Christmas in California
Can’t deny we’re sisters, can we?
Last Thanksgiving in Sewickley, PA

Although Alzheimer’s robbed my sis of her memory and ultimately of her ability to converse, she was tuned in and enjoyed the concert Liam and I presented in her nursing home last Thanksgiving. I am so glad Bob & I were able to go – and we had that time with her. My life is filled with wonderful memories of times we shared together.

I’m pregnant with Ty – Bob’s next to Sally & Dave with Denise
and that’s our Mom & Dad in front
Bob & me with Sally & Dave – one Easter waaaay back when!

Sally had a life filled with service to others through her church, the Hospital Auxiliary, the Girl Scouts (she led a troop for at least 50 years) and her favorite organizations, Rebekahs and Eastern Star.

Her life also was one of tragedy (her oldest daughter died at age 19 and her husband, Dave, was only 60 when he died suddenly and unexpectedly of a heart attack). But Sally was a trooper. She continued to volunteer and give of her time and talents to others.

I was blessed to grow up with a sister who had such a big, giving heart,
She will be missed by all of us who loved her. But her spirit will live on.

Sally and Jan
at my daughter, DeAna’s wedding in 1987

I know her spirit will recognize mine when I join her in Heaven someday.
Meantime, rest in peace, dear Sis. I will carry your love with me always.

Thanks for visiting today my friends.
Treasure every sunrise.
Enjoy every sunset.
Tell your siblings how much you love them.

See ya tomorrow, God willing!
JanBeek

Category:

children, Family, God, Gratitude, Heartache, Life and Death, Life's Challenges, Living in Harmony, Love, Memories, relationships

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Helping Children


Ty with Cosette

This is my son, Ty, with his grandchild, Cosette (my great-granddaughter). Ty sent me this photo yesterday. It warmed my heart so much!

Cosette with The Runaway Bunny by Margaret Wise Brown

Isn’t that the most precious photo and the most adorable expression? Someday with the help of her mom and dad, grandparents, her Uncle Sam, and friends who love her enough to read to her, Cosette will know the difference between an up-side-down view and one that is right-side-up. But meantime, this Great-Grandma (call me “GG”) takes enormous joy in seeing the delight in this child’s face – and her interest in books at her young age!

Uncle Sam, Cosette & her daddy, my grandson, Jordan

When children are surrounded by love, they grow into loving adults who know how to love in return. Yesterday, while Cosette was receiving this kind of nurturing, my friend, Kathy and I took the hour and a half’s drive from Ennis to Helena. We visited Intermountain Children’s Home and delivered some backpacks with school supplies for a boy and a girl who are there.

Intermountain ccottages

Intermountain is a school and residential facility for children who did not have the privilege of a loving start. They are between the ages of 4 and 14 and are critically “at risk.”

I first visited Intermountain about 14 years ago- with my Presbyterian Women’s group. We delivered “Wish List items” to the home for the children. This chapel was not there at that time… it was added to the campus about 6 years ago. I have loved visiting every couple years or so and watching Intermountain grow and thrive.

Intermountain was established in about 1908. It’s been around a long time! It was essentially a home for abandoned children initially. Today it is home to 24 children who need intervention for a variety of reasons. (The numbers were double that before COVID forced the space to house less children for social distancing and safety). There are four cottages with 8 children in each… and a staff of trained professionals who work as counselors, teachers, cottage parents, and administrators.

My friends, Kathy from our PW in Ennis
and Tyler Zimmer, who is Intermountain’s fund-raising coordinator
and an excellent tour guide!
Play is an important part of the children’s rehab.

Children who have been abused or neglected need guidance to learn how to play together peacefully, how to get along, how to trust again.

This is the bell tower in the center of the Intermountain campus
This plaque is at the bottom of the bell tower

Harry “Dibbs” Mitchell is just one of thousands of children who have been helped by the Intermountain brand love and care. Many, like “Dibbs” went on to live successful lives and enjoyed being able to “give back” to the place that changed their lives when they needed that intervention the most. They have about an 80% success rate – sending children out into the world with less traumatic symptoms than they came with. Not every child is receptive and able to change yet. We need to keep all our children in prayer. God’s not through with them yet… nor are we!

Intermountain’s website can tell you how to add your financial help if you are looking for a way to help children that has a long history of success: https://www.intermountainresidential.org/

Meanwhile, back to Cosette:
Grandma Monika, Uncle Sam, and daddy Jordan
(and Grandpa Ty, photographer)
took Cosette to the pumpkin patch
You can see how she loved it!
Cosette got to choose one to take home with her. to show mommy Joss.
I hope their ride home
was as pretty as ours
from Helena back to Ennis
I love this chapel tucked back into the aspen!
I wonder if it still is used every Sunday for worship?

I hope you are inspired to think of a way that you can help children in your life. If you’re a mom or dad with family still at home, you have your task facing you daily. Love ’em, read to ’em, and limit their screen time. Give ’em lots of hugs, encouragement, and face-to-face time!

Cell phones and internet games have their place –
but they are not nearly as good a baby-sitter as you are!
Take a child to a pumpkin patch this month!!
Take a child on a picnic NOW before the snow comes!
It’s predicted for Sunday here in Ennis!

God bless you, Ty & Monika, for being good grandparents.
God bless you, Jordan, for being a loving daddy.
God bless you, Sam, for being an adoring uncle.

Here’s a cute little Halloween kitten to bid you farewell for today.

Have a Happy October Friday!
See ya tomorrow.

Love,
JanBeek

Category:

Animals, children, Family, food, friendship, Giving, happiness, health, Life's Challenges, Living in Harmony, Love, mental health, Montana, pets, relationships, Serving One Another, teaching, trees

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Are You Trustworthy?


Today’s sermon was based on the story of two sons, asked to help their dad. One said yes and didn’t do it, the other said no, but did it anyway. Do you know that story? Imagine those were your sons.

Which of the two sons would you consider trustworthy? How would you react to their replies and subsequent behavior?

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

Our pastor, Rev. Steve Hundley, at the Madison Valley Presbyterian Church in Ennis, MT spoke on that topic today, inspired by the story in Matthew 21: 28-31.

The Parable of the Two Sons

28 “What do you think? There was a man who had two sons. He went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work today in the vineyard.’

29 “‘I will not,’ he answered, but later he changed his mind and went.

30 “Then the father went to the other son and said the same thing. He answered, ‘I will, sir,’ but he did not go.

31 “Which of the two did what his father wanted?”

“The first,” they answered.

As usual, I listened to the sermon and took my notes in poetry. He started out by telling us about his grandmother’s advice to him when he announced (after graduating from college) that he had decided to go to seminary:

“When you stand up to preach,
Don’t scold those who don’t come.
They aren’t there to hear it,”
My grandmother advised (she wasn’t dumb!).

“When you preach – remember
To stomp on your own feet first.
When you do that,” my grandma said,
“You’ll serve living water to those who thirst.”

In today’s scripture, we heard
Of two sons and their replies.
One said yes and didn’t do it.
The other, “No!” but did it. Which one cries?

The one who failed to follow through
Was the one who’ll live with regret.
Unlike him, we need to be obedient.
Don’t say yes – and then forget!

Paul Tillick said, “In every human heart
Is a faint recollection of our Maker.”
If that’s true, we can see God
Even in the disobedient faker.

The second son may have said “Yes, but…”
In his response of a silent “No,”
Other things may have taken precedence,
But he didn’t want his “No” to show.

How many times do we say yes
And then fail to follow through?
Better to say No and then do it.
I want to be trustworthy; how about you?

What jobs are you being asked to do?
Are they tasks you look forward to?
Or are you dragging your feet?

Photo by Rodolfo Quiru00f3s on Pexels.com
Photo by Karolina Grabowska on Pexels.com

Schedule it for tomorrow
After a relaxing Sunday afternoon/evening.
And then…
Just Do It!

Hugs,
JanBeek

Bye for now!
As your trustworthy blogger,
I’ll see you tomorrow.

Category:

Bible Lessons, God, Life's Challenges, Living in Christ's Family, Love, Poetry, Promises, relationships, sermon notes, Serving One Another, work, writing

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Memories


Susan Hardwick & Phyllis Wasick

In March Susan got to visit
With Phyllis, our dear sister,
Before our dear friend’s life
Ended on earth. Oh how we missed her!

Tomorrow we’ll remember
Stories of Phyllis’ life
And share them with each other.
She was a loving wife.

Her husband died too young,
Over thirty years past.
Phyllis made his ring a heart
And wore the love that last.

The heart hung ’round her neck
All these many years –
She willed it to her Yana
Through memories and tears.

How many of us have
A memory to share
Of a loved one gone too soon
To their heavenly home up there?

If life is lived so fully
That when time comes, we are ready,
It’s easier to say good-bye.
Live your life with grace. Be steady!

Be loving and kind-hearted.
Be compassionate to those you meet.
Then, like my good friend, Phyllis,
Your friends’ memories all will be sweet.

Her children know the treasure
Of a mom whose love was always true.
She shared her life with God and friends.
I hope there is a friend like her for YOU!

Keep your memories of friends
Alive and smiling in your heart.
Make memories others will treasure.
Today’s a perfect day to start.

Rest in peace, dear Phyllis.
I’ll love you forever!

Phyllis was a grown up who did not “act more like children than children”
BUT
She was one of those people who needed people… just as I am.
We are/were “the luckiest people in the world!”
We each have (had) the person who made us whole…
… thank God for that “very special person.”


Share your memories of a loved one with me.
I’d love to read some of your thoughts on this subject
in the comments below.
Hugs,
JanBeek

Category:

Aging Gracefully, blessings, Faith, friendship, happiness, Life and Death, Living in Christ's Family, Living in Harmony, Love, Memories, music, peace, Poetry, relationships, Serving One Another, Sharing

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For the Joy


For the joy of life

I give You thanks, O my God

Thanks for Montana

For the Joy of Life

In the beautiful outdoors

Thank You, O My Lord

We thank Thee for all
The blessings You give us, Lord.
Thank Thee for Jim Reeves!

What a voice!

What a beautiful land we live in…
Let’s take care of it, okay?
Protect the animals,
the trees and flowers, and rivers,
And let’s protect one another, too.

Bob & I are so happy that we were able to sing “Happy Birthday” to our daughter, DeAna this morning. Thank God for the internet! Today is the 53rd anniversary of her birth. She is celebrating it with her son, Chris, and her choir at a retreat in the Alps. Wish we could be there to celebrate with her!

Newborn DeDe with her brother, Ty..
Her tongue was always out… I thought maybe we needed to have the doctor shorten it!!!
But eventually she grew some teeth and the tongue stayed in!!
Yup, she grew lots of teeth! And the cutest smile, too!!
This was when she was in second grade.
About that time (2nd or 3rd grade)< her Grandma Beekman
made her a slip to match her own and curled her hair.
That’s becoming a big girl!!
I love this photo of DeDe as a high schooler.
Such a sweet and talented kid!
Yes, we are blessed!
And here she is today…
Celebrating her birthday in Switzerland
at a choir retreat with her son, Chris.

Oh, For Blessed JOY!!!
The joy of a child’s birthday…
Always our baby!

We remember so well the day of her wedding!
That’s my wedding dress from 25 years earlier…
Ah, sweet memories!

What are some of the JOYS that fill your heart today, my friends?
Is it the great outdoors, the animals, the beauty of God’s creation?
Is it family and the love of staying connected in spite of this pandemic?
Tell me!

See ya tomorrow.
Thanks for visiting!!
Hugs,
JanBeek

Category:

Aging Gracefully, blessings, children, Family, flowers, God, Gratitude, Haiku, happiness, Living in Harmony, Love, Memories, Montana, mountains, music, nature, photography, Poetry, relationships

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Hindsight’s 2020


This You.Tube video poem on Tom Foolery was introduced to me by Ann at https://annkoplow.wordpress.com/ today. Thank you, Ann.

I LOVE LOVE LOVE it!! I think you will, too. Please take time to listen.

Powerful message, don’t you agree?

Thanks for tuning in.

Please leave me a comment about what you thought about this daddy’s bedtime poem for his son. Why DID it take a virus to wake us up and bring people together? Or has it??

Good night! Love ya!!

Come back tomorrow!
JanBeek

Category:

children, learning, Life's Challenges, Living in Harmony, Love, Poetry, relationships

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The Resilience of Children


When families break down,
Children are so resilient.
But, sometimes they need help!

Today at Madison Valley Presbyterian Church
in Ennis, Montana, we had two guest speakers.
They were from Intermountain, a program/place for children in need.

.

As you know, if you have been with me a week or more,
I take sermon notes in poetry every Sunday
as I listen to the message.
Here are the notes I took
as I listened to Tyler, Zimmer,
one of the Intermountain representatives
who spoke to our congregation today.

Prior to the message scripture
I was happy to be the scripture reader
sharing these two passage:

Deuteronomy 6:5-7
“Love the Lord your God with all your heart
and with all your soul and with all your strength.
These commandments I give to you today
are to be upon your hearts.
Impress them on your children.
Talk about them when you sit at home,
and when you walk along the road,
when you lie down
and when you get up.
Tie them as symbols on your hands,
and bind them on your foreheads.
Write them on the doorframes of your houses
and on your gates.”

Mark 10:13-16

People were bringing little children to Jesus
to have Him touch them, but the disciples rebuked them.
When Jesus saw this, He was indignant. He said to them,
“Let the little children come to me,
and do not hinder them,
for the Kingdom of God
belongs to such as these.
I tell you the truth,
anyone who will not receive
the Kingdom of God like a little child
will never enter it.”
And He took the children in His arms,
put hands on them,
and blessed them.

Photo by June on Pexels.com

“The Resilience of Children”

We need to commend children’s good,
And scold them when they are bad.
When children come to Intermountain,
They are victims of the life they’ve had.

Abused children are engineers of their demise
When they act out of their hurt and pain.
The Bible explains in Deuteronomy
The impression of love for children’s gain.

A girl from Haiti came to Intermountain
Who had been abused horribly as a child.
She was a master of her demise
As she rejected compliments and acted wild.

One little guy came as a selective mute.
He was a master at keeping quiet.
But when he beat me 4x in Battle Mountain,
He told me how bad I am! What a riot!!

These children who’ve been so abused
Are not throw-away kids. They are LOVE.
They can, with help, overcome challenges.
Let’s all pray for them for help from God above.

Amen!

It is not only God who helps them as we pray for their souls and their ability to trust and to bond, but it is the staff of Intermountain, and the people who donate to keep the program alive and effective. Intermountain provides housing, education, clinical counseling, recreation, love and support for the children. AND, it provides folllow-up when the children return to family settings. Intermountain continues their counseling and support in the school setting as well.

To learn more about Intermountain,
go to their website
at https://www.intermountain.org/contact-us/

Hope you had a love-filled Sunday.
See ya tomorrow.
Love ya,
JanBeek

Category:

Bible Lessons, children, Faith, God, health, Jesus, learning, Life's Challenges, Love, mental health, Montana, relationships, sermon notes

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Revisit HodgePodge on Tuesday


Ya gotta read this post!
It’s full of gorgeous flowers from
derrickjknight

and you don’t want to miss seeing more!
It’s full of a variety of humor and thoughtfulness!

Do you know the word “HodgePodge”??
Is it real or is it one that my mom made up?
When I put it in Pexels to look for a picture,
nothing came up.
But my iPhone dictionary had it!
Here are some synonyms:

  • jumble
  • mishmash
  • collection
  • combination
  • medley
  • miscellany
  • potpourri
  • melange

Don’t you love the concept? It doesn’t say “junk” (which is often what I thought of when I used the word hodgepodge). No, not junk… just a mishmash of unrelated ideas or an assortment of things that can actually be related – like this meat on a grill.

Photo by cottonbro on Pexels.com
A hodgepodge of meats

Need to Share

Today’s blog is a mishmash – a hodgepodge of various things, ideas, photos that caught my eye this week. I saved them because I either loved them or hated them, laughed or groaned at them, and I wanted to share them for your viewing, too.

Love One Another

My blog’s subtitle is “Loving One Another” – so I try to share ideas that represent ways we can reach out in love more fully and unconditionally to one another.

A friend (who was born in Canada but is now a USA citizen) sent me these pictures/memes/jokes/thoughts today. I decided if the election goes the wrong way next November here in the USA, Canada may be my next residency! It appears they have a handle on how to “Love One Another.” Even their graffiti is kinder than ours!!

And if they wear a hat with something written on it, I guess it is positive, too…

Going on with my hodgepodge, I received this meme from a friend today. It made me laugh. I think laughter is what keeps me going these days!

You can’t fix stupid. Don’t even try…
unless it’s YOU!!
Then get some help…
But God says we gotta LOVE everybody!
So, cover those unused socket holes!!
One of my blogging friends wrote a comment this week.
She said to me, “You’re a mess!”
Should I laugh or be insulted?
You have four choices for how to survive this virus:
champ, chump, clump, or chimp.
What will it be?

Oh, Other Options?

You say you have other survivor options? One way my blogging friend, Derrick Knight and his wife, Jackie, are surviving this pandemic is by being voracious gardeners. And Derrick is a phenomenal photographer. Let me add to my hodgepodge today by sharing a couple of my favorite photos he posted recently from his rainy vistas in Great Britain:

Derrick’s peach rose
Magnificent!!
Derrick’s Mamma Mia
Amazing!!
Derrick’s gladiolas
I love ’em!
Derrick’s California Poppy –
My favorite.

Pictures Bring Back Memories

In my past life, some of you know I was a teacher for 24 years and a principal for 9 years and worked in the district office as curriculum coordinator (wearing a hundred hats with all kinds of responsibility and no authority to back ’em up!)… and then I decided to do what I loved most – and go back into the classroom before I retired. I taught a first grade and took them on to second. Oh, what a joy that was! Many of those students are my FaceBook friends today… 21 years later!!

That poppy brought back those memories because the school where I was principal for 9 years was Caswell Elementary in the Ceres Unified School District in California. Our school song was:

“Poppies, Golden Poppies,
Gleaming in the sun.
Closing up at evening
when the day is done.
Pride of California,
Flower of our state,
Growing from the mountains
To the Golden Gate.

We’re the Caswell Cougars,
We are Number One.
Green and yellow banners
Waving in the sun.
Caswell is a place for
Learning and for fun.
We’re the Caswell Cougars,
We are Number One!!

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com
The Cougar… our mascot

And the HodgePodge Continues…

Cord and Ruby

Yesterday, if you read my blog, you know we went for a farewell ice cream social to say “See ya later” to our two favorite little Sunday School friends, Cord and Ruby. We are praying for their happy resettling on their dad’s home ranch in Jordan, MT. It’s a six-hour drive from here. They’ll have horses and cattle and dogs and cats and lots of room to roam. Our love and prayers go with them. We gave them great big farewell hugs and told ’em how much we love and will miss them.

Vissoie, Switzerland

Great HodgePodge Finish

A great end to my hodgepodge for today is this wonderful photo that I JUST received via the magic of WhatsApp from my daughter, DeAna. She wrote,

“I took this photo
from the parking lot
near our restaurant
this morning
while thinking of you.”

Ah, our children certainly know how to melt a mothers heart, don’t they? Nothing could make me happier than to know that when my daughter sees a symbol of our faith, she thinks of me! What a gift, huh?

Maybe I am not so disturbed after all!!

A Puuurfect Ending

What HodgePodge of thoughts captured your imagination today?
I hope they were
a medley of
love and laughter,
memories and musings
that lightened your soul.

See ya tomorrow.
Love,
JanBeek

Category:

Animals, blessings, children, contentment, Faith, Family, flowers, God, Gratitude, happiness, humor, Life's Challenges, Love, Memories, photography, prayer, relationships, Sharing

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Was Jesus Rude?


Matthew 15:10-28

“15 Peter said, “Explain the parable to us.”16 “Are you still so dull?” Jesus asked them. 17 “Don’t you see that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and then out of the body? 18 But the things that come out of a person’s mouth come from the heart, and these defile them. 19 For out of the heart come evil thoughts—murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander. 20 These are what defile a person; but eating with unwashed hands does not defile them.”

The Faith of a Canaanite Woman

21 Leaving that place, Jesus withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon. 22 A Canaanite woman from that vicinity came to him, crying out, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is demon-possessed and suffering terribly.”

23 Jesus did not answer a word. So his disciples came to him and urged him, “Send her away, for she keeps crying out after us.”

24 He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel.”

25 The woman came and knelt before him. “Lord, help me!” she said.

26 He replied, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs.”

27 “Yes it is, Lord,” she said. “Even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table.”

28 Then Jesus said to her, “Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted.” And her daughter was healed at that moment.

Photo by freestocks.org on Pexels.com

How in the world do you take that scripture and make sense of it in a sermon?

Well, Rev. Steve Hundley at our Madison Valley Presbyterian Church in Ennis, Montana tackled it today. Preceding the sermon, Elaine, Steve’s wife, read the scripture using The Message, Eugene Petersen’s version of the Bible. In part, it said,

“It is not what you swallow that defiles a person, but what you vomit up!”

The Canaanite woman who came to Jesus, crying out, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me!” was indeed vomiting up a whole lot of agony. Why did Jesus suggest that helping her would be like feeding bread to the dogs? Listen to what I heard Steve saying about this is his sermon today:

Jesus called a desperate woman a dog!
She was a Canaanite who child’s life was grim.
Why would Jesus insult her like that?
She threw His words right back at Him.

We can relate to her and her dark side.
We all have a little bit of the devil in us.
But, not Jesus … No! He was perfect!
So why did He call her a dog?

Was He rejecting her because she wasn’t Jewish?
No, it can’t be true. He must have been saying,
“I have a special spot in my heart for the Jews.”
Maybe He used this to show the disciples their playing.

Playing with the idea of parroting back to them
Their rejection of others – their callous attitude.
Jesus seemed to be sending the mother away.
Gladly, we can see Jesus help her and sense her gratitude.

We are living in strange times – a nation divided.
There are desperate voices shouting out. You have a choice.
Whose voices will you hear? How will you respond?
Are your words and attitudes matching Jesus’ voice?

When you hear the desperate mother cry,
Do you hear her pain and heed her pleas?
She boldly calls with faith for her child’s healing.
May we also listen, hear, and respond with help to such as these.

Amen.

Lord, speak to our hearts that we might know Your heart more clearly.

“Open my mouth and let me bear gladly the warm truth everywhere.
Open my heart and let me prepare love with Thy children thus to share.”

I am off this evening to say good-bye to our favorite Sunday School kids.
Love with Thy children thus to share…
This adorable pair is moving from Ennis to go with their parents
to Jordan, MT where their dad will take over the family farm.
I can’t tell you how much we will miss them.
But of course, we will pray for them
and hope their transition to their new home is a smooth one.

God bless Cord and Ruby!

Thanks for visiting JanBeek and reading the sermon notes.
Please add Cord and Ruby
and their parents, Suzanne & Casey,
to your prayer list.
And ask God to send some new little kids to our church, okay?

Thank you.
See you tomorrow.
Love,

Cheers!

JanBeek

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