Bloganuary#17 – “What is a Secret Power You’d Like to Have?”
I want the secret power to have wisdom in all circumstances.
I want the secret power to turn all tears to laughter and joy.
I want the secret power to end all wars and create everlasting peace on earth.
I want the secret power to make Believers of all doubters so we all can meet in eternity someday.
What secret power do you want?
One of my favorite Christmas songs is “Mary Did You Know?”
The lyric I like most in it is, “Mary, did you know,
when you kiss your little baby, you kiss the face of God?”
And one of my favorite versions of the song is sung by the Pentatonix…
Have a listen… the words are powerful
and this quintet is magnificent!!
Did you know, the sleeping child you’re holding is the Great I Am?
Have a very meaningful Christmas!
Remember the meaning of the One.
Embrace the Christ Child – and
Thank God for His Only Son!
John 3:16
“16 For God so loved the world
that he gave his one and only Son,
that whoever believes in Him
shall not perish but have eternal life.”
God bless you and your loved ones this Christmas.
I am praying for your health and happiness…
and for your faith in Christ which gives you eternal life –
Guaranteed!
Thank you, God!
See ya tomorrow (God willing)
Have a beautiful Christmas eve!
Love,
JanBeek
“Being confident of this,
I take great comfort knowing
He who began a good work in me
will carry it out to completion…”
Philippians 1:6
Aren’t those comforting words?
God is doing a good work in me, this I know.
But that doesn’t mean I am going to be without troubles.
Hurt and pain are guaranteed in this world.
Through scripture, we can be comforted
by knowing that God is faithful,
and is always looking over us.
Our Heavenly Father truly cares
and is our protector and comforter in times of need.
Whatever the circumstance may be,
we can use comforting Bible verses
to find a peace that passes understanding.
8 The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you;
he will never leave you nor forsake you.
Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.”
Deuteronomy 31:8
Are you facing a difficult circumstance?
Something over which you have little if any control?
Maybe it is job related.
Maybe it is health related.
You might be in a state of transition.
Perhaps there are relational issues …
Whatever it is, know this:
Loved ones who walked before you
faced some of those same challenges.
They walk with you today…
And they intercede for you.
I believe that.
I feel my mom and my sis, and
I hear the Holy Spirit.
I am not alone.
This rendition of “You’ll Never Walk Alone”
always inspires me and comforts me.
If Andrea, who is blind,
can face his daily challenges
and reassure us of life’s constant Companion
with such sincerity and conviction,
who am I to doubt the Comforter?
4 “Blessed are those who mourn,
for they will be comforted.”
Matthew 5:4
Maybe you, like my friends Scott & Cheryl,
have recently lost a loved one –
a parent, a sibling, a dear friend, a pet…
If so, I pray you will feel the comfort
of our Lord and His promises
of Eternal Life.
Be at peace.
3 “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort,
4 who comforts us in all our troubles,
so that we can comfort those
in any trouble
with the comfort
we ourselves
receive
from
God.
2 Corinthians 1:3-4
Every day we all need encouragement and words of comfort!
May you feel the loving arms of
our God of peace and comfort embracing you –
And may you pass along those comforting hugs
to all you meet who need your love and kindness.
See you tomorrow (God willing)
Love,
JanBeek
If you have followed my blog for a month or more,
you have seen this journal before.
The topics are inspired by life and living.
I have written about:
I CAN
Volunteer
Share
Bee Hospitable
Tackle Transitions
etc.
Little did I know when I wrote some of those how difficult some would become. Hospitality requires guests, right? Well, so much for that! Most of our friends are afraid in this pandemic world to socialize.
Little did I know how hard it would become to volunteer. Most of my volunteer activities are forbidden right now. I can’t be a “Purple Lady” at the medical center desk. Our auxiliary couldn’t hold its fund raiser this year. We couldn’t earn the money to donate for new equipment and/or medical supplies as we have done in the past.
Little did I realize how many opportunities I would have to “Tackle Transitions.” Back in June of 2018 when I wrote on that topic, God knew what was coming, but none of us had a clue. My transitions poem was prophetic:
Times of transition
Can be disconcerting –
Facing the unknown
Running, dodging, skirting.
Life is full of changes;
Nothing stays the same.
Rolling with the punches –
Listening for our name.
In the “roll call” of life,
Showing up to be
Ready for transitions
Sometimes is difficult for me.
But I know the Leader
Is my Maker who decides
What my next assignment is.
In Him my life abides.
So, embrace the coming changes;
Set aside all fear and sorrow.
Joyfully put your hand in His;
He’s gotcha covered for tomorrow.
Choosing JOY in the midst of this pandemic is not easy.
My list of “I Can” do’s has changed this year.
But, I try to keep it positive:
I CAN
Believe
Only Imagine
ReJOYce
Whistle!
You recognize some of those. They became blogging themes.
This morning’s I CAN prompted today’s post:
I CAN
Keep it Simple
No large family gatherings
No stockings stuffed with toys
No sounds of giggling laughter
From excited girls and boys
No trudging through the snow
With accordion on my back
No carols at windows
Or St. Nicholas with his sack
It’s a different sort of year
COVID-19 has changed us quite a lot
We cancelled our travel plans
And we altered what we bought
Christmas Day will be different
We can mourn the things we miss
Or we can vow to keep it simple
Pray for those we cannot kiss
The virus and death took too many –
They’re in Heaven with our Lord
Let us focus on Christ Jesus
And the grace He richly poured.
Believe the Christmas promise
Jesus came to save our souls
Eternity knows no endings
His love comforts and consolesKeep it Simple!
Have a Beautiful Christmas Week!
Thanks for visiting JanBeek today.
See you tomorrow.
Today a good friend of ours
Is having to say good-bye
To her furry companion
Such days make me cry
The doggy’s name is Hannah.
She’s been a faithful friend.
Companionship and a love –
Giving comfort to the end
I wrote this poem for my friend, Fran, as a comfort as she sees Hannah off on her final journey. Bon Voyage, dear pup. You’ve been a treasured friend for over 15 years. You’ve earned you eternal reward!
I Believe
I don’t have to understand
In order to believe.
I just have to trust –
And know it’s okay to grieve.
When tragedy strikes –
Like the death of a friend –
I don’t have to comprehend
Why my friend’s life must end.
I can just believe
There’s a heaven and a hell.
My friend will ascend
To eternity to dwell.
In heaven are the ones
Who lived by the Cross.
They accepted God’s grace,
So their death is not loss.
There are people and pets
In that paradise up high.
I don’t have to understand –
Just anticipate the sky!
Rest in Peace, Sweet Hannah.
Your cross to bear has ended –
Your life you shared and blended.
Your soul to heaven ascended.
Have a blessed Saturday.
Say a prayer for my friend, Fran.
These pictures below are from a book by Cynthia Rylant titled, “Dog Heaven.” It was a gift to us from the Colorado State Veterinary Hospital staff after our beloved Boston, Angela, died following a two year bout with cancer.
And thank God there are fields for romping in Heaven.
See ya round the bend.
(Do you have a pet waiting for you in Heaven?)
God bless ya!
JanBeek
Today’s sermon message by our guest pastor, Rev. Phil Taylen at the Madison Valley Presbyterian Church in Ennis, Montana, focused on the theological basis for our assurance of Eternity in Heaven.
It was timely, especially given the fact that this is the week my only sibling, my sister Sally, went to her eternal home.
If you die today, do you know where you’re going from here?
My guess is that the choice is pretty clear. I was looking for a picture of a black hole… because some people believe this is it! We’re here and then we’re nowhere. A black hole… that’s where they think they’re going. They don’t believe there is a place called Hell where they will burn in the fires of an afterlife separated from God.
Rev. Phil Taylen’s sermon was titled, “Soaring with Eagles.” He began with that question, “Where Will You Spend Eternity?” His answer was part of a movement he called “The Evangelism Explosion.” Even though he grew up in the Presbyterian Church, he was ordained by an Evangelical Ministry – and his sermon lecture today definitely got down to the basics!
B asic
I nstructions
B efore
L eaving
E arth
G od’s
R iches
A t
C hrist’s
E xpense
Grace is God’s Unmerited Favor poured out on us.
Grace can’t be earned or deserved.
Heaven is a free gift.
He cited Ephesians 2: 8-9 as further proof of the point he was teaching and preaching:
“For by grace are ye saved through faith;
and that not of yourselves:
it is the gift of God:
Not of works,
lest any man should boast.”
Good works are important, but they will not save us.
I am a sinner.
I can’t save myself.
He cited John 8:24 to prove his message that man cannot save himself:
“Unless you believe that
I am who I claim to be,
you will die in your sins.”
God gave us basic instructions to live by before leaving earth.
God is Love.
God is just and righteous.
In the Bible, our instruction book, God told us:
Psalm 46:10
Be still, and know that I am God. …
The Word became flesh and dwelt among us.
Jesus Christ is God.
Faith is the Connector.
Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
I don’t see the whole staircase. I believe in Jesus Christ, God’s Only Begotten Son, but I do not believe God will send all the Jews or Muslims or Hindus or Buddhists to Hell because they do not share my belief in Jesus as a part of the Trinity.
I believe God is bigger than religion. I believe God is omnipotent. I believe God knows all people – and He sees them through His eyes, not mine. That may make me a non-believer in some evangelical eyes. But I believe God is more inclusive than we can fathom.
I find enormous comfort in my faith – my belief in our Lord Jesus Christ – and I want to share that comfort and love with all I meet. I believe 2 Cor. 1:3-5 as quoted below:
Do you believe in Christ?
Thanks for visiting today.
Have a Blessed Sunday.
See ya tomorrow.
Love,
JanBeek
Today I received in my “Messages” a picture of a dear friend who is fighting cancer. She is in a hospital bed at home. Her family is gathered around and her BFF (best friend forever) is on her way to be at her bedside. My heart goes out to the BFF and to my friend’s husband and children. Seeing a friend preparing to leave this earth is soooo hard!
But, my dear friend is a devoted Christian, and she knows where she is headed. She does not fear death, because she has a friend in Jesus – and she believes in God and His promises. It’s comforting to know where you will spend eternity. It’s just hard on those left behind.
Today’s sermon at Madison Valley Presbyterian Church was the perfect topic for this day when my heart is aching because my dear friend and her family are suffering.
Today we had a guest minister, Phil Taylen. Here are my
Friendship is a special thing.
In it we all are connected.
In the New Testament, we see how
In God’s friendship, we all are protected.
The best part of friendship is
Sharing with each other the Good News,
Asking one another and telling them
Of how Jesus opens new views.
God cares about our friendship.
He opens His arms to you.
Through Christ, He came to show us
How to love as He loves: True.
As believers, we need YES faces;
Our countenance should show Trust.
God’s light should shine through us.
Radiate His love; We MUST!
To communicate God’s love
We must be trustworthy and fair.
We must share our eternal vision,
And tell our friends we’ll all be there!*
(*there is our eternal home
with Christ and one another)
Share the simplicity of scripture,
Be sure the promise of God is heard.
He gave His only begotten Son
To save our souls. Believe His Word!
What a Friend We Have in Jesus!
Lean on Him and His promises.
Know that when your Christian friends
Leave this earth, they are going
To heaven … where eternal life never ends.
See you “there,” my friends!
Pray for my friend, Gloria, will you?
And I pray for you…
that you have faith in His promises, too.
Love ya,
JanBeek
No one can ever say it all.
What if I die this afternoon?
What words will die with me
That I should have shared at noon?
What words will die with me
That I might have said too late?
Is there a right time for silence –
A perfect time for words to wait?
Have I left unspoken affirmations
That should have been shared?
Have I failed to let folks know
How very much I cared?
If I die this afternoon,
I want you to be sure and know
That my love for you and God are deep.
I hope the depths of it will glow.
I hope my unwavering faith
Was an inspiration to you,
And my prayers were comforting
When you were feeling blue.
If I die this afternoon,
May you smile when you think
Of the things I did so sweet –
And forget the things that stink!
May my words on blogs and cards
Live on in your loving hearts,
And keep you remembering how
Reaching out’s where loving starts.
If I die this afternoon,
Take care of my dear Bob.
He needs me to help him dress,
And do any technology job!
Take care of my TazE, too.
She relies on me for her meals.
I spoil her with hamburger
And know just how she feels.
Let my blogging friends know
That JanBeek will no longer send.
Give them this last post,
“Jan’s gone to her eternal end.”
If I die this afternoon,
Be sure to help it to be true:
As folks celebrated my birth,
They’ll cheer my departure, too.
They won’t cry that I have left.
Don’t mourn and feel bad –
Know that I am in Heaven
Reunited with Mom and Dad.
Know that I will be at the gate
To greet you when you ascend.
And live your life with dreams
Unfulfilled until the very end.
Never stop dreaming big,
As Bob Goff wrote in his book.
Live fully each day you’re here,
With new thoughts and delights to cook.
If I die this afternoon,
Let Bob know it’s alright
To find another love in life –
Someone to hug and hold him tight.
Tell my kids that I always did
My best to leave a loving legacy.
I pray they’ll smile more than frown
When things come up to remember me.
But of course, the chances that I am going to die this afternoon are slim. I am a healthy 81-year-old who expects to live happily to celebrate my 100th birthday, BUT…
“If my doctor told me I had only six minutes to live, I wouldn’t brood. I’d type a little faster.”
Isaac Asimov
A post about quotes on “The Art of Blogging” yesterday inspired my poem. Cristian posted it and several other good quotes on Cristian Mihai… https://artofblogging.net/2020/09/23/writing-quotes-to-inspire-you-to-punch-the-damn-keys/
What inspires your writing?
I have an old faded cardboard with poems on it posted inside my kitchen cabinet door. They are poems gathered by my mom in 1936, the year she & Dad married – and she moved from her family in Washington to live the rest of her 89 years in California. She had most of those poems memorized.
One of my favorites reads:
“When I quit this mortal shore,
And mosey round the earth no more,
Don’t weep, don’t sigh, don’t sob –
I may have struck a better job.
Don’t go and buy a large bouquet
For which you’ll find it hard to pay,
Don’t mope around and feel all blue –
I may be better off than you.
Don’t tell the folks I was a saint
Or any old thing that I ain’t.
If you have jam like that to spread,
Please hand it out before I’m dead.
If you have roses, bless your soul,
Just pin one in my buttonhole,
While I’m alive and well today.
Don’t wait until I’ve gone away.”
Poet unknown
What would you want people to remember about you if your doctor told you your days are numbered? All of ours are, you know.
By God’s Grace,
I’ll see you tomorrow.
Hugs,
JanBeek
The older we get,
The more ready we must be
For our angel friends
To leave you and me.
They ascend to heaven
Where loved ones wait
To greet them in song
At the pearly gate.
When our hair turns silver
And wrinkles show our age,
We have to be ready
To turn the eternal page.
The eighties are great;
It’s a decade of reflection
And a time to appreciate
Every earthly connection.
But it also is a time
When we look at this season
As the winter of our years,
And we search for life’s reason.
We look at life differently
Than we did in our teens.
We see through our experience
What life is – what purpose means.
It’s not about what we can get,
Or what riches we acquire.
It’s about the love we give
To the people we admire.
It’s about reaching out to strangers
Who are falling between the crack.
It’s about filling their needs –
Helping give the things they lack.
Reaching up in prayer and praise
I thank the Lord for all His gifts.
As long as I have life and breath,
I’ll reach out to give others lifts.
I hope you’ll use your senior years
To do the same – to spread your love –
Because we are blessed to be a blessing.
For every day, I thank. God above.
When your time comes
To say good-bye to earth,
May the angels welcome you
And your friends rejoice at your New Birth!
Amen
Welcome to Heaven, Phyllis.
I miss you here…
But I rejoice at your Eternal Reunion.
May all who were blessed by your presence
And who entered the pearly gates before you did
Be there to welcome you HOME.
God bless you!
Keep the light on!
Love,
JanBeek
Ace the Course
Happy Sunday, my friends. Did you get a chance to go to church? Our sermon today at Madison Valley Presbyterian in Ennis, MT was based on the Good Samaritan story in Luke 10:25-37 and the questions, “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” and “Who is my neighbor?”
You all know the story of the Good Samaritan, so you may be wondering as I did, “How can there be a new twist on this old scripture lesson?”
Well, these are my poetic notes as I listened and recorded my “Take-aways” from today’s sermon, titled “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?”
ACE THE COURSE
What do I have to do
To ace the course?
Depends on the
Course, of course!
What do I have to do
To get to Heaven?
Ah, that course requires
Forgiveness – more than 70×7.
What do I have to do
To forgive and to love
As was demonstrated
By our Lord above?
I need to love
My neighbors ALL.
Who are my neighbors?
Whom should I call?
Call on the needy.
Call on the one in the ditch.
Call on the leper –
Help him scratch his itch!
Call on the lowly,
The good-for-nothing guys.
Don’t limit your call
To the powerful and wise.
Call on the lazy ones.
Call on the poor of heart.
Call on the merciless –
That’s the place to start.
If you wanna ACE
The course to Eternity,
You gotta reach out
And do good to ALL for FREE.
Don’t reach out for gain.
Don’t expect your reward to start.
You’re in this course to gain
An A+ with your loving heart!
BEE the LOVE
See ya tomorrow.
See ya tomorrow.
Hugs to You !!
Inspire to Love
Let the SonShine!
You inspire me to respond
Learning to Live; Living to Learn; Learning to Love; Living in Love
janbeek 