Spreading love, joy, peace, faith & unity

Posts tagged ‘friends’

Power Up!

lighted incandescent bulb
Photo by Gursharndeep Singh on Pexels.com

You have access to all the power you need
You just gotta be sure to plug in
Connect to the source of your power
It’s available to you even if you’re shut in

crashing waves
Photo by Ray Bilcliff on Pexels.com

Like a mighty wave or hurricane
Power can evoke awe or cause destruction
What’s the source of your power?
There’s a ready source… what’s your deduction?

I bet you know where I’m going
With this line of reasoning.
Yup, the power I have in mind
Is filled with the best spiritual seasoning!

baptism of jesus christ stained glass
Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

“And they were filled with the Holy Spirit…”

Acts 2:4

In yesterday’s
Mornings With Jesus devotional
comments by Karen Sargent,
she shared an experience she had with power cords.
She was preparing for a presentation
using various technology.
Thinking she might need an extension cord,
she added it to her equipment.
However, after setting everything up,
she realized she didn’t have
the part she needed.
Sargent wrote,

“… There was a problem. In one hand I held a three-prong plug on my laptop cord. In the other, a two-prong plugin. I checked the projector cord. Three prongs. Without the ability to tap into the electrical source… my technology was useless. I couldn’t power up.”

white power bank and blue coated wires
Photo by Markus Winkler on Pexels.com

Sargent extrapolated, “That wasn’t the first time I’d failed to tap into a power source. Sometimes I function on two-prong faith. I know Jesus can do anything… And through Christ who strengthens me, I can do all things (Philippians 4:13). But how often do I connect to the power of the Holy Spirit, the mighty third prong?”

Karen Sargent’s message spoke to me.
Yesterday friends helped us install
Our Christmas tree here at home –
Tucked in along the north-east wall.

We plugged the lights in after
A lot of struggle to assemble it.
Look closely at the lights there
A section is missing … do I resemble it?

Do I lack a portion of my power
Because I’m not plugged in totally?
The message hit me with a jolt.
It fit my plight anecdotally!

photography of red string lights hanging on green trees
Photo by Irina Iriser on Pexels.com

Karen Sargent ended her reflections with these thoughts:

“After His resurrection,
Jesus breathed on the disciples
and said, ‘Receive ye the Holy Spirit’
(John 20:22).
But it wasn’t until Jesus ascended into heaven
that the Holy Spirit empowered them.
Unlike that useless extension cord…
the ultimate power source,
The Holy Spirit,
is always on hand.”

close up photo of black cable head
Photo by Los Muertos Crew on Pexels.com

What stops you from plugging in?

Sargent invited her readers to
“Ask Jesus to reveal what being empowered
by the Holy Spirit would look like in your life.”


Enjoy the most awe-inspiring
Christmas season ever
as you fill yourself with
the Holy Spirit.

And let Him provide you with the
strength you need to reach out
in love to all those you connect with.


Power Up, my friends!

Love & Blessing to you,
and hugs from
JanBeek

Category:

Bible Lessons, Christmas, Faith, God, holidays, Jesus, Life's Challenges, Living in Christ's Family, Love, optimism, Poetry, relationships, Serving One Another

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Valued Trait

Today’s prompt on WordPress was:
What’s the trait you value most about yourself?

Each of us is given special gifts.
The trick is to recognize yours.
When you find it, then
make it your favorite trait.

And use it to the fullest!

This scripture is one of my favorites…
and it reveals a trait I cherish:

Hebrews 13:2

“Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers,
for by this some have entertained angels
without knowing it.”

My special gift is hospitality.
I love having family and friends
come to spend time with us.
Here is our dear 1980-81 AFS son,
Christian Zufferey (ZuZu), from Switzerland.
No, he’s no stranger to us!!

(Our DeAna married his first cousin!!
What a love story that is!)

This week DeAna, and her hubby, Andre’
surprised us by arriving with ZuZu
and his wife, Celia, for a four day stay.
Here they are this morning… leaving us (boo-hoo!)

But, we were blessed to have them
come and spend those days
(just not nearly long enough) –
and to have Chef Andre’ prepare great meals!

How wonderful it was also
to have our grandson, Mike,
and his wife, Tania, with us for a week
this month. They were so helpful!!

Now this hospitality business
would have a full opportunity
to be put into practice IF our son
Ty & his wife, Monika, would come!

The good news is that Peter,
one of Bob’s wrestling students
from back in the 1970’s in CA,
will be joining us in October for awhile.
Yay!

Why don’t you consider
Letting me use my favorite trait,
HOSPITALITY,
On you one of these days?

What’s your special gift – your favorite trait?

Love to you,
JanBeek

Category:

Bible Lessons, blessings, children, Faith, Family, friendship, Giving, Living in Harmony, Love, relationships, Serving One Another, Spiritual Gifts

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Life is Wonderful!

m.facebook.com/story.php

Check out today’s wonder on my Facebook post!

Category:

blessings, Family, friendship, happiness, Love, relationships

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We All Lead

Today I decided to FOLLOW the PROMPT:
Do you see yourself as a leader?

Whether we know it or not, we all lead –
at least sometimes.
And whether we know it or not, we all follow
at least sometimes.

What is a leader?
That’s the question.

If you read David Jeremiah’s “Turning Points”
you will learn the trademark secrets
of great leadership and
of being a faithful follower.

These following pictures
from September’s Turning Points
introduce the various topics
of leadership by logo or trademark.

The not-so-secret to leadership
is LOVE worn in behavior.
Don’t we all want to follow
the person who exudes love?

We all wear our logo
on our sleeve or our faces,
in our hearts,
and in our actions .

Your identity as a follower is important.
It’s Who you follow that counts!
Follow the wrong leader
And you end up in the dumps!

Get the copy RIGHT!

Leaders often don’t realize they are.

Some leaders quietly go about
being great by caring for others.
Their example leads others
to want to follow in their footsteps.

I wish Jesus lived next door to me.
He’s the leader I choose to follow.
Where He leads me,
I want to obediently go!

My faithful Leader helps me
By putting upright friends
In my life – in my neighborhood –
Friends whose love I want to emulate.

Who do you follow?
Who leaves footprints on your heart?
When do you lead?
We all do both, right?

Hebrews 13:7 

“Remember your leaders,
those who spoke to you the word of God.
Consider the outcome of their way of life,
and imitate their faith.”

Leader or follower?
Which are you?
Did you answer the prompt?
What did you say?

Thanks for visiting today.
Let me hear from you!
And have a Fabulous Friday!

Look up for your purpose!

Love,
JanBeek

Oh, and by the way,
I love “following” my WP friends.
You all inspire me to blog with love.
And I thank you who “follow” me.
I love you!

Category:

Belief, Faith, friendship, Jesus, Life's Challenges, Love, mental health, music, peace, Poetry, relationships, writing

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Time for Pie

What’s a good time for pie?

Well, if you ask Bob,
He’ll say, “Any time!”
Is there another piece available?
PIE FOR BREAKFAST? Not a crime!

Today there’s a festival
Here in Peter T Park
Our Presbyterian Women
Sell pie from 5: til dark

Come support our mission
The proceeds go for causes
That are important to support
Your purchase earns applauses

Pies are gifts
Romans 12:6-8  

“Having gifts that differ according to
the grace given to us, let us use them:
if prophecy, in proportion to our faith;
if service, in our serving;
the one who teaches, in his teaching;
the one who exhorts, in his exhortation;
the one who contributes, in generosity;
the one who leads, with zeal;
the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness.”

How about the gift of cooking or baking?
That’s Kathy Humphrey’s gift!
She baked that delicious, beautiful lemon meringue pie!
Here we Presbyterian Women are
– in some years past –
selling our pies at
the Madison County Fly Fishing Festival.
Today’s the day again…
Come buy a pie!!

Thank you, Kathy, for sharing your baking gift!
See you at the Festival, my friends.
Don’t miss out!

Love,
JanBeek

Category:

blessings, food, Giving, Living in Christ's Family, Love, Montana, Poetry, Serving One Another

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5 Ways to Lower Blood Pressure

I posted this two days ago…
before I was bit by a nasty 24-hr. flu bug.
Felt like I was hit by a diesel truck!
My birthday “Flu By” yesterday.
Today this blog sits in “Jet Pack”
saying it wasn’t posted.
I know it was…
some of you responded.
But, it’s not letting me
respond to your comments.
So, here it is again
…maybe a little different;
(JetPack didn’t keep my latest revisions…
siiiiigh!)


I’ve discovered
there are many more ways
to lower your blood pressure
than there are ways to raise it!

Those of you who read my last few blogs
know I had a bout with increased blood pressure
that went up to over 200/80.
Dangerously high!

Well, it’s going down.
Soon it’ll be back to normal.
Besides meds, here are five ways
I have found that are very helpful:

1. Relax. Stay in my pj’s and robe til noon.

2. Spend quiet time in a special spot.
Pray.
Read my Bible.
Meditate on a favorite scripture or poem.

“The Lord bless you and keep you;
the Lord make His face shine on you
and be gracious to you;
the Lord turn His face toward you
and give you peace.”
Numbers 6:24-26

So many friends/family
prayed for my health yesterday
as the Flu Bug hit me like a diesel truck!
God is good… He answered. Today I feel much better!

3. Latch on to your favorite friend
and accept the invitation
of other friends to go
and do something fun together.
(Thank God I got to do that
before the diesel truck hit!)

4. Hug a dog …
and the friends who brought the dog along
while we all went out on their ATV,
four-wheeling up into the mountains
to a beautiful lake.

Off we go…

Beautiful scenes along the way…

Wonderful fields of wildflowers…

Gorgeous SureShot Lake

Zeke is such an intelligent, sweet dog!
He loves riding in the canoe.

I rode in the canoe, too!!
What a beautiful get-away!
(Can’t get that picture to post here…
You can just imagine it!)

Oh, and the fifth way to lower your blood pressure?

5. Get a good night’s sleep after enjoying a beautiful sunset.

Do you have some ideas
for how to lower your blood pressure
if it’s too high
or how to keep it at a normal range?

Let me hear from you.

Thanks for visiting JanBeek
I send my love and appreciation for you.

Category:

Aging Gracefully, Animals, contentment, Faith, friendship, Gratitude, health, Love, Montana, nature, pets, Travel

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No Authority

The prompt today was:

“On What Subject are You an Authority ?”

We just said good-bye to our guests from Switzerland who stayed with us for a week. We did a lot of sharing with one another while they were here. But, even though each of us has had a lifetime of experiences in various fields (technology, social work, teaching, coaching, and beekeeping), none of us tried to come across as an authority on anything! What a turn-off that attitude would be!!

If you have the attitude that you have more knowledge than anybody else around you on a certain subject, and you speak with unabashed authority, I hope you’re being asked to do so, and you’re paid a lot for your opinion! I hope that knowledge gives you an opportunity to have authority with your authority! But…

… in my experience, the one who flaunts his authority (rather than living as an open-minded, humble, life-long learner) seldom finds life very satisfying. Tim McGraw spells it out pretty clearly in his song, “Always Stay Humble and Kind.” You can listen to it below.

Proverbs 22:4 
ESV

“The reward for humility
and
fear of the Lord 
is riches and honor and life.”

I am rich in friends
I am rich in love of life
Christ is my life’s authority.
Where do your riches lie?

It was an interesting prompt today.
How would you have answered it?

Look up for your purpose!

Keep looking up!
Keep learning.
Stay humble and kind!

Thanks for your visit today to
JanBeek

Category:

Bible Lessons, Faith, friendship, Gratitude, happiness, Jesus, kindness, learning, life, Life's Challenges, Love, music, relationships, respect, Sharing, Spiritual Gifts

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Answering the Prompt

janbeek.blog/2023/06/25/what-is-wasted/

Category:

blogging, Haiku, Love, Poetry, Serving One Another, Sharing

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What is Wasted?

How do you waste the most time every day?

Time is not wasted

Not if you live purposely

What is your purpose?

Today I’m working

Preparing for our dinner

Ready to feed all

No, it won’t be that

Rack of lamb’s too expensive!

Come for spaghetti

It’s a simple dish

Nutritious and tasty, too

No one leaves hungry

Don’t consider time wasted

Resting is important, too

Blogging’s not wasted

Scrabble’s not wasted

Games keep my brain from dying

So do chats with Bob

Tell me, what is waste?

Your garbage is my treasure

Come waste time with us!

No bull! Time’s wasting

If you live without purpose

Who’d want to do that?

Not me!!

How do you waste time?

Tell me in comments below

Love ❤️ from me, JanBeek

Category:

blogging, friendship, Haiku, Life's Challenges, Love, mental health, optimism, Poetry, Serving One Another, Sharing

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Wonderful People

I so love people
And I really need people
More as I’m aging

Certain things I do
I can do all by myself
If I remember

Other things I need
Someone’s help to accomplish
Like cleaning my house

a person cleaning a toilet bowl
Photo by Liliana Drew on Pexels.com

Toilets are the worst
And the most necessary
What’s the worst for you?

Bob says it’s weeding
He loves having help for that
Wonderful helpers

Wonderful helpers
Worked in the back yard with Bob
Priceless dear family

Wonderful Janet
Came to help today
Priceless kind neighbor

Make sure blood pressure
Is an accurate measure
Bob needed her help

Learning to request
And accept the help you need
Is not a “Guy Thing!”

Set aside ego
Admit you can’t do it all
It’s OK to ask

We all need each other!

It’s not so easy
To admit we need some help
Even for children

Our great-granddaughter
Needs help learning what to eat
Blocks are not the best!

But it’s not her fault
She just doesn’t know better
Wonderful folks teach

But not all folks learn
Oi, some adults still eat blocks
Or equivalents

Wonderful people
Never stop trying to teach
Always offer hope

Wonderful people
Tell us of HOPE’s origin
They are Living Hope!

Who are your true friends?
Who are the wonderful folks
Who’ve left their footprints?

Be sure to reach out
Tell them how much you love them
Yes, do it today!

So, “Thank you, Laina!”

And thank you, Jodie & Melissa!
You’re wonderful!

Love,
JanBeek

Category:

Bible Lessons, blessings, children, Family, Gratitude, Haiku, Love, music, Poetry, relationships

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