Spreading love, joy, peace, faith & unity

Posts tagged ‘focus’

Stress Less

How do I stress less?
Will meditation do it?
Find stillness is me.

Luke 12:22

“Therefore I tell you,
do not worry about your life,
what you eat,
or about your body,
what you will wear.”

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Clasp your hands and pray
Ask God for peace, joy, guidance
Just be still and know

Know that God is there
Filling your heart, hearing prayers,
Really listening

We can take the time
Peace and calm are within grasp
Seek serenity

Move forward with peace
Pass it along to others
Pause and stay focused

Meditation is
Time set aside to focus
Beware your focus!

Focus on being loving
Not stress and anxiety
Let peace be your core

If you are so inclined, listen to Hope Darst sing “Peace Be Still” …
and be inspired!

I will trust the voice I heed…
that is my focus on my Lord who calms the seas
and He calms me when I let faith rise up in me.

It is my faith that
Lets me slough off any stress
And live in God’s peace.

I hope you can do that, too.

Have a wonderful weekend, my friends.
What will you do to bring less stress into your life?

Thanks for visiting JanBeek
See ya tomorrow (God willing)

Bye for now

Focus!

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The word for today:
FOCUS!

The question for today:
FOCUS on what?

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You know where I am going with this.
You know that I begin each morning in my sanctuary
where I focus on scripture, devotionals, and my angels.

I have a collection of these wonderful angels.
Most were given to me as gifts from dear friends.
Each has a story to tell – each reminds me of someone special.
Some have wings, others do not. I focus on their message.
“Lift someone up today.”
“Let the Chains of Love bind you to others.”

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It was my first devo today that caused me
to choose the word FOCUS as my focus.

Then each scripture I read –
and each of the other devotionals
seemed to reinforce those thoughts
until I got to the last one for the morning.
It was in a book titled,
Ever Faithful” by David Jeremiah.

And what do you think the title for today is?
“Clouded Vision”

And the scripture for today?

1 Peter 3:8

Finally, all of you,
be of one mind,
having compassion for one another,
love as brothers,
be tenderhearted,
be courteous.”

The story accompanying the title and scripture could not have been more perfect!
(Thank you, David Jeremiah, for this!)

Be Thou my vision, O Lord of Heart!
Music that calms the soul…

Have a great weekend, my friends.
I am off to clean my windows.
I need to see the world around me more clearly.
How about you?

What’re you focused on today?

Embrace Focus

While you are thanking God
for making you human,
giving you courage to try hard things,
helping you learn and grow and
understand the lessons life has for you,
don’t forget to count your blessings!

Goodness
Surrounds you.
You’ll find it
If you look thoughtfully –
Blessings!

Count your blessings
Name them one by one
Count your many blessings
See what God has done

If that is your focus,
You won’t have time to
See the other side of the coin!
You’ll be too busy giving back!!

We are blessed
To be a blessing.
Count your blessings
See what God has done!

Focus on what you have
Not what you wish you had!
Use your gifts for others
And watch them come back multiplied!

Let’s grow flowers!

Plant the seeds in your garden carefully.
Make sure they are in rich, fertilized soil.
Keep your soul seeped in the encouraging
Words of scripture… and you’ll grow fruits of the spirit!

I am thankful for you,
Grateful for your presence in my life.
You’re the flowers in my life’s garden.
I feel blessed to have you visit JanBeek
Leaving encouraging comments.
Thank you!!

See you later.
Have a blessed day!

I’m off to church…
I’ll share my sermon notes later today.
Come on back!

Love, JanBeek

P.S. Did I tell you yesterday was my dad’s birthday? He would have been 110!!
One of my many blessings is having him for my earthly father.
Check out my blog from way back when –
when I posted a poem I wrote about my dad:

https://janbeek.blog/2018/06/16/memories-of-daddy/

Happy Birthday, Daddy!
I miss your hugs!

What tops your list of blessings?
What are you focusing on today?

Embrace Focus

Do you focus easily?
Do you see things with clarity?
Do you hear with understanding?
Do you embrace the concept of focus?

Today’s sermon at Madison Valley Presbyterian Church
focused on the cross… but not just any old cross …
the cross of Christ, the one on which He died for us.
The one we are to pick up and carry.
Here are the notes I took
as I focused and listened to
Rev. Steve Hundley preach on the subject:
“The Cross of Christ”

The disciples heard Jesus say,
“Take up your cross and follow me.”
Matthew 16:24-26 says,
24 Then Jesus told his disciples, 
“If anyone would come after me,
let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 
25 For whoever would save his life[a] will lose it,
but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. 
26 For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world
and forfeits his soul?
Or what shall a man give in return for his soul?

What does it mean today to believe
And to accept Jesus – take His cross?
We’d like Jesus to be specific.
Would carrying it be like an albatross?
He said “Take up YOUR cross.
But, not ANY cross… What’s the difference?
My cross can be quite worldly.
Do I carry it with reverence?

The world we live in is full
Of crosses in every size and form.
How do we know we’re carrying
The one meant for us when we were born?
The cross that brings healing
And restoration to our world
Is the one Jesus asks us to carry,
Not the cross of destruction hurled.

A cross of love and reconciliation
Can be used and turned to mean
Violence or passivity, both can
Represent abuse and pain. Don’t lean
On a fatalistic cross – or else
You’ll find despair and even death.
Instead, pick up Christ’s cross.
It’ll bring peace to your last breath.


The Bible reassures us that
Pain and suffering will be ours;
But God will meet us where we are.
We’ll receive the peace He showers
On us when we take His cross
And follow Him and His voice.
Let’s FOCUS on God’s saving promise.
Take up His True Cross. It’s your choice!

Amen

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Thank you for sharing our worship service notes
and one of our hymns with me today.
I hope you are able to find church family
with whom to worship in these pandemic days.

If you’d like to join our ZOOM service next Sunday, send me your e-mail
and I’ll forward the ZOOM invitation, bulletin and song sheet to you.

That’s me up there taking this picture with Bob beside me!
ZOOM with us. We’re an informal bunch!
Share, drink your coffee, ask questions…
FOCUS on the message

Thanks for visiting with JanBeek today.
Have a beautiful Sunday afternoon/evening.
See ya tomorrow.

P.S. – Here is another version of “Were You There?”
Soooo Beautiful!!

Embrace Hearts

Happy Valentine’s Day!!

As I write this,
my heart is breaking.

Broken-Hearted

I just discovered this morning that my dear friend, Leena’s son, Vince, died suddenly on Friday. No warning! He was about the age of my son, Ty. Vince worked at our local grocery store. I saw him there often … always a smile, always a cheerful greeting. He was at work Friday. Friday night after dinner, he was sitting in his chair at home with his parents, and he just stopped breathing. Can you imagine the shock??

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Prayers for All Grieving

My heart is broken
for Leena and Bob and their family.
My prayers go out to all of you
who have lost a loved one this year.

Your hearts are grieving, too,
as you face this first Valentine’s Day
without that special person.
God bless you! Link heartstrings with mine.

Heart strings

In our ZOOM church service this morning,
I provided the “special music.”
It was inspired by the February 14th message
in Charles Stanley’s In Touch Daily Devotional.

“When facing all kinds of difficulties,
many of us have a tendency to power through
in our own strength. But the reality is
that’s never effective – at least not for long.
God wants us to come closer to Him.

When we stay focused on Jesus,
we can take comfort in knowing
He’ll lead us through the hard places.

As you continue walking with Him,
trust that He already knows
what will happen in your life –
and that regardless of what lies ahead,
He will never leave you.”

EMBRACE HEARTS
Lord, link mine to yours –
And link ours to one another.
Photo by ATC Comm Photo on Pexels.com
Where He Leads Me, I Will Follow

Embrace Hearts with one another –
Offer your love and support to heal.
Heal the broken-hearted by sharing.
Share your love with a song or a meal.

Not everyone has a heart full of love today;
Some are feeling quite empty.
Lord, fill their hearts with the love of God –
And encourage others to “Go With Him” today.

Hugs from JanBeek
See ya tomorrow.

Missing Or Giving?

This is Vissoie, Switzerland.
Our daughter and son-in-law have a restaurant here.
Isn’t it beautiful?

We missed our visit with them this year. We are not even able to go to California to celebrate Christmas with our son and his family there. I bet we are not alone. Many of you are missing your visits with your family this Christmas, too.

We’ll miss being with our son, Ty, and having my sister, Sally with us this year.

What are you missing?

Photo by Maximiliano Ignacio Pinilla Alvarado on Pexels.com

Like this sad looking dog, we can sit around and look all mopey.
We can focus on what we’re missing.
Or we can go to Ann Kaplow’s blog this morning,
try focusing on the positive,
and answer her question,
“Can you find something to celebrate in today’s images?”

Ann Koplow
Check out her blog below.

Ann KoplowThe Year(s) of Living Non-Judgmentally

Celebrate the fact that even though we feel the darkness of this Coronavirus and the isolation caused by this pandemic, we also can experience the LIGHT! The Light still shines – and we can reflect it!

Focus on the Reason for the Season

Let us not focus
On the things we are missing
But on our blessings

We have so much to give!
Photo by Jill Wellington on Pexels.com

Basic needs are met
And we have great resources
Enough to share them

When your needs are met
Leave the reptilian brain
And share your great smile

Food, clothing, shelter –
Not all people are so blessed.
Take these for granted?

No! Let’s treasure them.
Now we can go beyond them –
Reach out to others.

What do we have to give?

You have love to give
You have compassion to give
And you have kindness

Focus on giving
Blessings are overflowing
Share them with others

As long as you give
Know your cup will be refilled
You can’t out-give God!

In this weary world
People long for what you have
Share your love – give faith!

Have a little faith
Not in the things of this world
But in the True Light

Take the LOVE He gives
And let that love shine through you
Give a little FAITH!

Thanks for visiting JanBeek today.
Have a blessed Thursday.
Count your blessings!
See ya tomorrow.

Shine Light on Early Darkness

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We turned our clocks back reluctantly last night.
It’s the end of Daylight Savings Time for 2020.
It was dark here in Montana by 4:30 this afternoon.
I’m ready for it to be the end of 2020 – PERIOD!

I am not looking forward to these next couple of weeks.
Tuesday is election day in the USA –
but millions cast their ballots early.
I am among them.

I do not expect to know the outcome of this election
until all absentee ballots are in and counted.
It could be weeks… if not months.
I expect it to be contentious.

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So, to keep myself from falling
Into a mood as dark as the early sundown,
I decided to focus on the October Take-Aways:
Daily Guideposts’ messages to carry with me.


Maybe these “Take-Aways” will help you, too.
Take one-a-day like a vitamin capsule,
And let them fill your dark spaces.
Let them shine light on this “Early Darkness.”

Daily Take-Aways from Daily Guideposts 2020
A Spirit-Lifting Devotional

  1. Don’t Worry – Just Pray
  2. Show Passion for His Passion!
  3. Let His Light Shine Through
  4. Know God Blesses Our Work
  5. Keep an Open, Receptive Heart
  6. Admit Your Wrongs; Seek Forgiveness
  7. Trust God’s Timing
  8. Let Go Ego; Let God Rule
  9. Keep Doing God’s Work
  10. Thank God for Your Mental Health
  11. My Spirit Lives Connected
  12. Help Me Always Show Your Love
  13. See Through the Glass Darkly
  14. At My End, Give Me Peace & Anticipation
  15. Receive Love Gratefully
  16. We Need Family
  17. Be An Intrepid Christian
  18. Be Still and Trust
  19. Be Persistent
  20. Be Helpful; Lighten Another’s Load
  21. Be Grateful for Animals
  22. Be Confident in God
  23. Be Gracious and Generous
  24. Be Seated in His Security
  25. Thank God for Friends
  26. Reach Out to Neighbors
  27. Treasure Aging
  28. Discern What’s Important
  29. Look Beyond Exteriors
  30. Thank God for Those Who Share Our Grief
  31. JUST LOVE

Have a month of enlightenment.
Be the bearer of love.
Shine LIGHT wherever you go.
Have a Happy November!


What is your expectation for this election’s outcome?
Your comment of encouragement will shine light on me!
Thanks for visiting.
See ya tomorrow.
Love, JanBeek

Let the light of the kid in you shine…
Let the light of the kid in you smile…
Listen to this darling kid favorite and sing along…
Guaranteed to shine away the darkness!

Focus

FOCUS

(Haiku x4)

problems - possibilities
Opportunities
Are forever around us
Just focus on them

Problems ever near
Do not need our attention
When beyond control

But problems can be
Opportunities if they
Present solutions

person looking searching clean

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Can you solve problems?
Where is your focus today?
I’m for solutions!

How about you?
Are you looking for opportunities?

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See ya tomorrow!

What is Health?

What is Health?

Health-think:say

Health is about what you’re doing,
It is about what you’re thinking,
It is about what you say…
And what you don’t say.

.
Health is the greatest gift
From us to ourselves.
Sometimes we can control it…
But sometimes we can’t!

.
If you have your health, my friends,
Treasure it!
Guard it!
Never take it for granted.

.
Health is a state of mind
and of body.
It can  be a spiritual,
psychological state…

Thank God
Even as our bodies are decaying.

Focus on your blessings!
heart of love
See ya tomorrow!

God’s 12 Step Program

God’s Twelve Step Program
Keeps me focused every day
As I walk downstairs

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My first hour each day
Spent in my sanctu-aerie
Starts my day off right

Then as I walk down
The twelve steps to the “real world,”
This is what I pray:

  1. Thank You, God, for the LOVE
  2. JOY, and
  3. PEACE that are mine.
  4. Help me with PATIENCE,
  5. KINDNESS,
  6. GOODNESS, and
  7. FAITHFULNESS (which brings blessings),
  8. GENTLENESS, and
  9. SELF-CONTROL.
  10. Help me live HUMBLY
  11. With an ATTITUDE OF GRATITUDE, and
  12. A response of GENEROSITY, FORGIVENESS, OBEDIENCE and INTEGRITY.

In Jesus name, I pray. Amen!

When I get to the seventh step, this is what I see:
(the words above the front door spell “blessings”)

A metal sculpture gift from our friends, Terry & Jim

Blessings

And as I look down, I continue with steps 8 -12

stairs down

And at the “Amen” I come face to face with this:

Elke Angel

She’s one of three angels on the wall
at the bottom of the stairs
(a gift from Norbert and Elke of Germany).

Norbert was 6 years old in 1962 when Bob & I were married.
We lived in the downstairs of the Schallers’ chalet.
Bob was in the army; his base just over the hill.
We have stayed in touch with Norbert through the years.
Such a blessing!

I’ve named this precious angel “Elke,”
in honor of Elke Schaller.
She and Norbert created the three angels.
“Angel Elke” reminds me in my coming and going
to keep that 12 step program in my heart.

I walk to the kitchen and look out.
Here is a neighborhood treasure to greet me!

Deer at Raymond's

Have a blessed day, my deer!!

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