Sing to the Lord
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Easter morning’s here
It is a great time to sing
Let your voices ring!
Happy Easter!
Posts tagged ‘Christianity’
Let Me Wash Your Feet!
Foot Washing
“You wanna do WHAT?”
“I’m going to wash your feet!”
“No way! You’re my Boss. I can’t have you washing my feet. I should be washing YOURS!”
“No, you need to let me wash your feet. If you don’t, then you’re fired! You will no longer belong in my company!”
“OK, Lordy me!! If that’s the case, don’t just wash my feet; wash all of me – my head to my toes, and polish my toes, too!”
“Well, since you have taken a bath, you are clean – except for your feet. You and your friends (except for one) are all clean. I just need to wash your feet!”
“Well, my Lord, if that’s the case, alright then, go ahead.”
After he had washed my feet, He said, “You don’t understand what I have just done, do you? You call me your Boss, your Teacher, and your Lord. It is right that you do so, because that is what I am. But, what I have just done for you, I mandate that you do for others.”
“You want me to wash my friends’ feet?!”
“That’s right. I have set an example for you, so that you will do just what I have done for you… Now that you know this truth, how happy you will be if you put it into practice.”
“I’d be happy to do just that, my Lord! With love, I want to find some feet to wash.
Does it matter what age they are?”
Maundy Thursday
Today is Maundy Thursday. Have you heard that term? Do you know the origin of the word Maundy? I didn’t, so I looked it up on the dictionary app on my iPhone. Here’s what I discovered:
maundy =
- the cermony of washing the feet of the poor, especially commemorating Jesus’ wahing of the disciples’ feet.
- also called maundy money (I read that and wondered if it was the origin of the term “money laundering” – but I read on) money distributed as alms in conjunction with the ceremony of maundy (foot washing) – as in Maundy Thursday
- origin: 1250 – 1300; Middle English maude <Old French mande>, Latin mandatum – command – Jesus’ words to the disciples after He washed their feet (John 13:14-17)
- mandate
Happy Maundy Thursday, my friends.
It’s the day Jesus washed the disciples’ feet.
It’s the evening of the Last Supper.
It’s the night Judas betrayed Jesus with a kiss.
It’s the night Jesus was arrested.
What’s happy about it?
You wanna do WHAT?
Let me wash your feet!
I’m gonna wash that kiss right offa them!
Hah!
Meaning
What does Jesus mean when He mandates us to wash one another’s feet?
Is it symbolic of some other kind of cleansing?
Or does He really mean for us to wash feet?
The kiss is the symbolism for Judas’ betrayal …
. . . Why do you think Judas
(who was one of Christ’s followers – an Apostle, for cryin’ out loud)
betrayed Jesus with a kiss?
Celebrate Palm Sunday
Celebrate Palm Sunday with branches
Like the ones His disciples laid
Across His path in Jerusalem –
A path on which our sinful debts were paid.
.
Let each branch represent
A deed you’d like to see undone.
Give all regrets to Jesus, and
Lay those sins upon God’s Son.
.
He knew as He was riding in
Upon a humble donkey’s back
That He was headed to fulfill
His earthly purpose – that’s a fact.
.
With that triumphant entrance,
He willingly trudged Golgotha’s Hill.
Today Holy Week is beginning.
Receive its message. Heed and listen.
… Heart, be still.
I listened to the sermon in church this morning,
and as usual, I took notes in poetry.
Here is what I “took away”
from Rev. Jean Johnson’s message:
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“Commitment”
– reflections on Luke 22-23
Pageantry and wildly waving palm branches
Are not the acts that really matter.
Palm Sunday is about the difference
Between Christ’s commitment and our chatter.
People were involved as Christ entered
The city of Jerusalem to die;
But their focus soon returned home.
They forgot Jesus, abandoned Him without a cry.
Commitment is a hard road to tred.
It requires we stay when we’re through.
Stay beyond the time we think we’re done.
Tenacity’s hard for me and you.
Sometimes when we feel abandoned,
The emptiness of our heart makes room
For the One who never left us.
He is there through our joy and in our gloom.
Christ gave His all on Golgotha Hill.
He died for us, for our salvation.
We need to walk that path with Him;
Live the pain, know the cost, delay elation.
Our faith voyage leads through Jerusalem.
We must walk the way of the cross.
Walk in commitment to Calgary,
Suffer the insults, and know the loss.
Amen?
Garnering Gratitude
Have you tried your hand at
Haiku/Senryu Poetry?
This post on Facebook inspired me
to try my hand at Senryu
using the human emotion of gratitude.
Great God Gives Gladness
Gracious Goodness-Giving God
Garners Gratitude
Haiku/Senryu Poetry –
Every word in the Haiku must begin with the same letter.
When written in English, it generally follows the syllabic pattern 5-7-5
Haiku/Senryu Poem (also called Human Haiku) is an unrhymed Japanese verse usually written in the present tense and only references to some aspect of human nature or emotions. Senyrus possess no references to the natural world and thus stand out from nature/seasonal Haiku.
(Published with gratitude for the magic of 11:11 am on the 11th of this marvelous month)
Try it, my friends.
Share yours with me!
Faith Amidst Suffering
You know I take sermon notes each week
as I listen to the Sunday message
at our Madison Valley Presbyterian Church,
Ennis, Montana.
No, this isn’t our church, but I thought it would be fun to show you the church in
Chippis, Switzerland where we attended with our daughter and family.
Ah, but I digress…
Today our pastor, Rev. Jean Johnson, was ill, so one of our church leaders, Lucy Ennis, read the message Rev. Jean had prepared.Jean was among today’s “suffering.” The sermon was based on John 12:1-8.
As usual, I listened with intent to take away the message I needed… a message to help guide my actions this day and into the coming week.
The bottom line of today’s message was quite clear,
“Surrounded by suffering,
go reach out to others.
Ready?
Start!”
Jesus faced Jerusalem
Knowing what’s ahead.
His disciples were warned
He soon would be dead.
Jesus returned to the home
Of Martha and Mary:
Friends who’d always be there,
His sorrows to carry.
He knew they would respond;
They’d give him a dinner.
They’d throw a party
For their Savior, their Winner.
Mary went out of her way
To show Jesus her devotion.
She bought expensive perfume
And poured it on Him in loving motion.
Judas was horrified, and cried,
“Why waste this? You should sell it!”
Jesus told Judas to be silent.
Mary knew His end was coming; she’d tell it.
The last reminder of what’s good
In this troubled, earthly life
Was a gesture of love by Mary,
She poured sweet fragrance on His strife.
Such gestures of love and assistance
Help get us through life with courage.
Reach out to others as Mary did.
Don’t let your troubles discourage.
Whatever you do, my friends,
Do it out of a pure and loving heart.
Surrounded by suffering, go –
Reach out to others. Ready? Start!
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So, I did as my heart directed. Following church, I practiced with our little church choir. We are going to sing at the town’s Easter Sunrise service. Then, I went downstairs and helped serve at fellowship. (I had made and brought two pots of soup to share.)
No, that picture is not my soup. I’m afraid our little Sunday School kids and some of my church friends would not have appreciated all those hot peppers and garlic! But, doesn’t it look good? Mine was a more mundane potato soup.
What did you do to reach out to others and show your love today?
Living With Purpose
Saints walk among us
Thank You, God, for Your Angels
Who live with purpose
“Each person on this planet is here for a purpose… That purpose is to care for other people and to help this world become a better place through service to others.” Gary Sinise quote in The Upside in theApril 2019 Guideposts Magazine.
With yesterday’s flooded basement, we had God’s angels working overtime. I told you about Steve, Joe, Joel, and Randall. They worked like troopers.
I didn’t tell you about True Value having sandbags – and the Good Samaritan who loaded them into my car for me. I didn’t get his name. God bless him!
I didn’t tell you about Joe Smithson, the carpet cleaner, unloading those sandbags and placing them out against the rushing river of melting snow that was pouring in. God bless Joe!
I didn’t tell you about my buddy, Lexi Sundell, who rented a sump pump and came to set it up with a 100 feet of hose to suck that lake out into the field.
It worked! Thank you so much, Lexi!
It doesn’t do any good to wring your hands and repeat, “Poor Me!”
Reach out to your friends! Let them know your needs.
Watch God’s Angels come to the fore!
I can’t be more grateful!
I am living with purpose. As Gary Sinise suggested, my purpose is to care for other people and to help this world become a better place through service to others. I am so grateful to those Saints of God who reached out to help me. Who can I help today?
Who can you reach out to help today?
Look for the Good Samaritans out there, and see what you can do to give them a little recognition. In so doing, you may be inspired to do likewise… and you may encourage others to step out as Saints of God, too.
Have you seen this YouTube video?
Check it out…
31 Daily Take-Aways
Happy 31st of March to you!
How do you start your day?
I read “A Spirit-lifting Devotional” each morning called “Daily Guideposts.”
Each morning as I meditate on the day’s message, I summarize the “Take-Away” for that day in one to seven words- and write it on the blanks provided on two pages at the end of each month.
I also use that page to pray about what God wants me to do that day. I plan the day out at the top of the page. Sometimes it happens just like that. Other days, God intervenes and unexpected things happen. Here is today’s plan:
I write the chosen words on the page provided and review the messages for the month. These are the 31 “Take-Aways” for this month of March:
Prayer for Today:
Today I am praying to keep a humble spirit.
I ask God to help me see the Extraordinary in the Ordinary.
I remember that Jesus hears and answers us every time we pray.
He may not always say YES, but if we pray with a humble heart,
and ask Him to put a right spirit in us, and we pray in His Will,
we are more likely to get a positive response.
What is your prayer for today?
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.
Have a blessed Sunday, my friends!
Keepers of the Aquarium
Are you a Fisher of Men
or
A Keeper of the Aquarium?
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“Too many churches have stopped being fishers of men, and have become keepers of the aquarium,” said Pastor Ray at Bayside Church in Sacramento, CA in his Refuel devotional today. http://baysideonline/devotionals/refuel-2018
(Go to today’s refuel: 3/28/19)
Check it out.
Pastor Ray suggested that as “Keepers of the Aquarium” we miss the chance to reach out beyond our own to help others. He suggested ways we might be effective “Fishers of Men.”
Our Aquariums
The imagery of us church-goers just swimmin’ in our own little tanks and feeding off of one another and keeping to ourselves tickled and troubled me. Tickled, when I realized we, like these jellyfish, all look about the same – very little diversity – and we’re swimming around in our own little circles, taking care of each other. Troubled, when I see that even in our own little space, our feelers are not quite touching most of the time!
Photo by Nguyen Tran on Pexels.com
Be Inspired
The devotional (I hope you clicked on the link and heard the message) inspired me to look again at my servant/service role.
Oh sure, Bob & I are teaching a Sunday School – – – three darling little 3 to 6 year olds – – – they feed our souls! But, how are we being Fishers of People? How are we reaching outside our aquarium to spread the Good News to others in the world?
Blog
One way is by the messages we post on our blogs. JanBeek is all about “Loving One Another.” Not just those in our aquarium, but in the lakes and rivers and big blue sea, too. I love my growing list of followers. I love that you represent countries outside the USA and states outside Montana! I hope you find inspiration here. I aspire to inspire and increase your belief in the grace of God, your faith in our fellow human beings, and the desire to reach out in love.
How Do We Show Our Love?
Yesterday I heard on FaceBook a fantastic message by the founder of https://www.charitywater.org/ I joined (with a small monthly pledge) the “Spring” to help provide clean water to more people in the world. Hopefully, the message of the Deliverer of Living Water will accompany the new wells provided by the teams who go to care for and share with these needy folks. Look at their website and see the teams of young people who are traveling to impoverished areas and bringing new hope. It’ll warm your heart!
So far, the statistics for CharityWater reports these successes:
35,281
Water projects
funded
9,562,163
People will get
clean water
37
Local partners
27
Countries
All donations (100%) go to the clean water projects. Salaries and administrative expenses are paid by companies, partners, philanthropists who contribute for that purpose. My little amount each month goes directly to the intended purpose: to fund clean water projects and delivery to those in need. Yay! That’s one way to swim outside your aquarium!
Find a Need Beyond Your Aquarium
Maybe you’ll look at ways you can improve your service to others, too. Reach out to your neighbors, your local Food Bank, Medical Center, Senior Living facility, Library, etc. There countless “fish” out there in your local sea of troubled waters who need what you have to give.
Reach Beyond Your Borders
Look for world-wide worthwhile projects that touch your heart. I am a follower and advocate of Bob Goff’s Love Does project. Another of my small monthly pledges helps this international project that touches my heart.
Bob Goff says, “We have been fighting for human rights and providing education to children in conflict zones for over 15 years.”
You’ll see him on his website – smiling his goofy smile and inviting you to get involved.
Bob Goff
Bob is a New York Times best selling author (Get his book titled, Love Does, if you have not already read it). He was a recognized lawyer for over 25 years. In 2001 he saw a need in India and founded what is now known as Love Does.
100%
Bob promises, “We understand it can be daunting to know where to give your time and financial resources. We promise that 100% of every dollar you give will go directly to fund our international programs.”
Transparent
I promote LoveDoes.org because I have confidence in the work it is doing to improve the lives of countless people in need. Especially his work providing educational opportunities for children is near and dear to my heart. I receive regular updates.
Bob Goff says, ” At Love Does we strive to be transparent. We have years of a proven track record and we want to invite you in to be curious. Ask questions! We want you to feel comfortable with where you are investing.”
Search Your Heart
Find the places, the people, the needs that touch your heart. Act today to reach out. Don’t get stuck in your aquarium!
Photo by Guillaume Meurice on Pexels.com
Be a Fisher of People – not just the Keeper of Your Aquarium!
Know Whose You Are
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Sundays are special days.
We go early to church in the morning
because we have the privilege of teaching
the cutest little 3 1/2 to 6 year olds
in the whole wide world!
Here are a couple of the dearhearts…
Aren’t they adorable?
They provide the highlight of our week!!
Then we attend worship service,
and I take sermon notes
to share with my husband on the way home.
(He tunes out and goes out to
the Madison River or Big Sky ski slopes
in his mind…
and says on the way home,
“What was the sermon about?”)
.
So, here it is, my friends.
If you didn’t make it to church this morning,
or if you did – and missed the message
as your miind wandered as minds will do –
Here are my notes for you:
“Stand Firm: God is With Us” – based on Luke 13:1-9; delivered by Rev. Jean Johnson
I renamed it: Know Whose You Are
I can withstand anything
Except temptation!
No man knows how bad he is
Until he strives to be good.
Yes, we need forgiveness
And repeated second chances.
It’s not the temptation –
It’s our response to it that matters.
Temptation is a common
Human experience.
To wish it away
Is to wish for death.
God promises a way out.
He doesn’t tolerate a
No-win situation.
It’s our task to endure.
Through the grace of God,
God provides a way.
In the story of Joseph,
We see a man of honor.
He was a good man who
Was wrongly accused of sin,
Thrown into prison because he was
Persistent in his resistance.
Joseph remained loyal
His God without turning back.
When we know whose we are,
Then we know who we are.
That’s what makes persistence possible.
Joseph left temptation.
She was left holding his coat.
He knew it was time to leave.
Embarrassed by his refusal,
She managed to get him jailed.
But, in the prison, Joseph
Fulfilled more of God’s plan.
Resistance is rarely rewarded
By those who’ve been resisted.
Our reward often is not on earth,
But sometimes it is. Hold fast!
God is faithful, and
In the end we won’t be
Disappointed, if we’re true
To our God. The Lord is with you!
Stand firm!
Praying for Others
Do you have a friend or loved one, a child or grandchild
who is part of your daily prayers?
I do!
Do you remember, Chris, my “Montana Mountain Man”?
He’s my youngest grandson,
who was born and raised by our daughter
and her husband in Switzerland.
He came to Montana to live with us last year
for a month or so. He needed to get a new lease on life,
and look afresh at his life’s options.
After some exploration (remember he is a US citizen),
he decided to join the Job Corps in Anaconda, MT.
Chris got a new look and began his new venture.
This week he started his real training.
Up to now, Chris has spent six weeks in orientation.
He has washed dishes until he was ready to scream!
He has cleaned floors and learned rules, rules, rules.
It is important to learn that rules are necessary
if you intend to live peacefully with one another.
Photo by Miguel Constantin Montes on Pexels.com
If we had no rules,
we would be in even worse shape
as a people,
as a nation,
as a world –
than we are now!
Photo by Artem Bali on Pexels.com
So, Chris learned the rules.
He paid his “dues” as a new inductee,
and he made new friends.
Now he is starting his chosen training:
Heavy Equipment Mechanic.
When Chris finishes this training,
he will be set to get a job in an area
that has been deemed to have great need in our USA.
I pray to God that even if he chooses not to go into this field,
the experiences he is having and the skills he is gaining
will prepare him for a more productive and fulfilling life.
My prayer is for
his health,
his success,
his happiness,
and his continued growth
and maturity as a Christian.
Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com
Why am I sharing this with you,
my blogging friends?
Because I am convinced that prayer matters.
I am convinced that our prayers
are heard by God,
and His desire is to give us
positive answers to the prayers
we bring to him from the bottom of our hearts.
So, I encourage you to think about the loved ones,
the friends and family who need God’s intervention in their lives.
Bring your petitions to the Lord in prayer.
Ask for God’s will to be done in their lives.
I believe God hears.
God cares.
God responds,
and our prayers matter.
Do you believe that, too?
