Christ First at Christmas
Family, Food and Fellowship
Fun Around the Tree
I hope you had a Christmas filled with Family, food, and fun, too. I pray your memories are as sweet as mine. Merry Christmas, my friends. May the spirit of the holidays live in your heart and bring you joy – all year long!
Have a great day after.
See ya tomorrow.
‘Tis the best season
Cinnamon and marshmallows
Top it off just right
‘Tis a great time for
Pinecones and holly berries
And candles aglow
It’s a holy time
For remembering the Child
Whose name’s the REASON
‘Tis the season’s joy,
The Christ Child, who’s our Savior –
Don’t leave out Jesus!
Santa’s well and good
As long as he also knows
That Christmas needs CHRIST!
YOU, Lord Jesus, are
The Reason for the Season.
All I want is YOU!
What do YOU want for Christmas, my dear blogging friends?
Thanks for visiting JanBeek today.
See ya later!
Who hears your sorrow
When it’s hidden in your heart?
Only those who care
Be the one who cares
Listen closely with your heart
Practice love each day
Be that very one
Who hears the hidden sorrow
And reaches to love
Have a Blessed Saturday.
See ya later.
Are we Using our Gifts?
Today’s sermon notes from the message delivered at
The Madison Valley Presbyterian Church
Ennis, Montana
by Rev. Steve Hundley
inspired by the message Paul wrote to
the church in Corinth: 1Cor.1:1-9
It’s really not OK to live in your own little world, keep your gifts to yourself, and fail to step out with courage and faith to share the spiritual gifts God has given you. Today’s message focused on the problem we have when we hoard our gifts, keep the to ourselves, fail to use our talents to glorify God and benefit others. Steve Hundley called his sermon “The Gifted Church.”
I listened and noted the message through my own filters writing:
Paul wrote four letters
Amen
To the Corinth people.
The church there had problems;
They struggled ‘neath their steeple.
But it wasn’t a typical
Place with steeple on a peak.
Instead, they met in a house
Large enough to fit those who who seek
To worship God through Christ.
It was an urban setting.
The church was being attacked
By the townfolk who were vetting
Their frustration at Christians.
There was a gap between rich and poor.
It was a hindrance to worship
When the poor were scorned by those with more.
Corinth was a diverse city.
The church was diverse as well;
But their real problem was their gifts
With which they were gifted. (Do tell!)
We are weakest at the point
Of our greatest gift, when it
Is a crutch, not shared, not used
To glorify God, help others, and send it
Out to make the world better.
But when we use our gifts
To be part of something bigger –
And we thank God who lifts
Us up, then our gifts are used
To make our talents worthwhile.
Like the people of Corinth,
We must not let our gifts go into a pile
Where they are lost and wasted.
Talents not shared are wasted gifts.
There are talents everywhere,
But until we use them for others,
who will know? Who will care?
This is a church full of talented people
Whose gifts are very apparent.
You use them here and in the community.
You spread your joy; your love is transparent.
If Paul were alive today,
He would write a letter to praise you.
Keep on sharing, caring, using your gifts –
And let His loving spirit raise you
To His blessings.
What talent are you willing to share this week? Make your gifts count!
.
The Trinity – My Motivation
Looking around for motivation I see
A glorious cross looking back at me.
Its stem and crossbars represent
The trifold Diety – the trinity.
This unique symbol of my faith
Was a gift from a student dear to my heart.
He created it as a thank you to me last year —
That was nearly 50 years since we had our start.
He was my kindergarten student
When I began teaching in 1961;
And I was so enamored with him
That in 1965 I used his name for my son.
.
Now, some 50+ years later,
He and his wife came to visit us here
In Montana where we’ve retired.
His thank you cross keeps him here – ever near.
Do you have folks from your past
Who remain ever near in your heart?
If so, have you reached out to them lately?
Do it now! It’s never too late to start. .
Have a good night… And a wonderful weekend.
Tell me about someone who has remained near to your heart for as long as you can remember!
See ya tomorrow.
The young man who introduced the “PresbyCats” to us today was wearing a t-shirt that had “Presbyterian Church Disaster Assistance” written on it. He and two of his colleagues presented a three part sermon about their experiences recently in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
Here are my sermon notes – my “take away” of the messages they shared:
“We went to Baton Rouge
To help the people there.
They had experienced a flood
With little help anywhere.
We repaired some of the damage,
And we did it in Jesus’ name.
Jesus demonstrated love with action
And asked us to do the same.
Preparing for natural disasters
Is a job that needs our love.
Rebuilding the damaged houses
Requires love from God above.
Looking out at this world
It’s often disheartening to see
The lack of true compassion
(I don’t want that to be true of me).
Sometimes I cringe at fluff,
The touchy-feely kind of stuff,
But I know it’s not enough
To just DO – with a heart that’s tough.
Doing for others in God’s name
Requires a softened heart of caring.
Action mixed with love requires
A spirit of love and true sharing.”
My granddaughter, Faith, works for the state of Nevada. Her job involves the assessment of disaster preparedness in various places around Nevada. She would have enjoyed meeting these “PresbyCats” who are students at Montana State University in Bozeman. They would have had lots in common. Here’s a picture of Faith as a baby, just a month or so after she was adopted into our Beekman family. What a gift from Heaven she is!!
Faith worked for the American Red Cross, among other organizations, in apprenticeships before getting her diploma and a full-time job. There is a great need for people like her and these students I met today… young people with a heart for others – ready and willing to reach out and help in time of need.
Do you have such experience? Or do you know someone who also serves in this way? If so, reach out to thank them today. The world is a better place because young people like this are in it. God bless them!
The best kind of gift
Is the unexpected one
The gift from the heart
The Givers
It was Mother’s Day weekend. I went into Bozeman, our nearest city, to do a little shopping, get my nails done, and run a few errands.
After dear Jayson finished my manicure, while I was sitting there letting my nails dry, he and his adorable wife, Hannah (who is a pedicure expert), went into the back room. They came out wearing great big grins and carrying a gorgeous orchid plant and card.
“Happy Mother’s Day,” they said, as they handed the card and plant to me.
What a sweet, unexpected gift! The orchid sits on my kitchen counter… a daily reminder of these two lovely people.
Another time a “Gift from the Heart” was received totally unexpected was when my former kindergarten student – from 1962 – came to visit us. Ty (he was so adorable, I named my son – born in 1965, after him) came to Montana from California with his wife, Roxanne. Can you imagine the joy that brought us?
I can’t think of a gift more precious than a visit from a former student! The gift of your presence, your time… So heartfelt!
Have you revisited a teacher who impacted your life? You should try it. Believe me, it is indescribably wonderful!!
Later, after Ty left, he and his wife sent us a thank you gift… a gift from his hands and heart. Knowing how strong y faith is, and sharing the love of the Trinity, Ty made me a cross. I have it hanging in a spot of honor on my dining room wall where I see it multiple times every day… and thank God for Ty and Roxanne, and their gift from the heart.
Have you been given a gift from the heart?
One that was totally unexpected?
Or have you given one to somebody “just because”??
Tell me about it!
Thanks for visiting JanBeek.
See you tomorrow.
Today was a joint birthday party for
my granddaughter, Hope,
and my great-grandson, Xander
It was a crazy busy day…
but I can’t go to bed without sharing a few photos
to let my JanBeek followers in on the fun!
It was a beautiful blue sky day (thank you, God)
and the children loved playing out in our back yard.
This little girl, Victoria, was a hoot to watch!
Her moods were many … what a cutiepie!!
She was curious about everything!
She loved riding with Xander on his new four-wheeler.
He wasn’t always too sure he always wanted her on it with him!
But he got used to it!
(Awww… what’s not to love?)
He actually needed her help to figure out how to get it to move!
Besides the four-wheeler, his other favorite thing was the cake!
But, he had trouble getting it into his mouth!
His mom was smart to take his shirt off before this mess started!
He wasn’t too keen on opening presents.
That’s his mom, Hope, on the right.
Victoria’s mom, Mary is on the left.
Xander couldn’t figure out why these things
had to have paper around them!
He liked the ones that didn’t come wrapped the best!
Like the “Build a Bear” he received
from his maternal grandparents…
Sweet!
It was a beautiful day … and everyone had a good time.
But now I’m pooped! I know why God gives kids to the young.
Time to go to bed.
Kids wear ya out, don’t they?
But, aren’t we lucky to have such a nice big yard…
and such good weather today?
Happy Birthday, Hope and Xander!
And Happy Mother’s Day all you moms out there.
See you tomorrow!
Are you ever lonely?
Photo by Download a pic Donate a buck! ^ on Pexels.com
I invited God
Into my heart
And daily
Acknowledge
His presence
Within me.
I know God
Sent His
Holy Spirit
To dwell
Within me
Forever.
Photo by luizclas on Pexels.com
The Good News means
I am never really alone!
No need to be lonely.
Photo by Stokpic on Pexels.com
Reach out!
God is with you.
What a gift!!
Have a wonderful week, my friends.
Thank you for visiting.
I feel your presence!
Trust is gained
Through integrity;
Integrity is given
As a Godly gift.
No one can take
Integrity from us.
We give it away;
We waste it;
We chip away at the
Fullness of our integrity
When we fail to:
Trust begins internally;
We can’t trust others
Until we trust ourselves first.
We can’t trust ourselves
If we lack integrity.
The two are integrally related.
Ask God daily for help
With faith, honesty, and integrity.
Divine guidance increases
Our trust and integrity.
God bless you!
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
