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Posts tagged ‘giving’

Share Your Saltiness!

Share Your Saltiness!

.

(If you’ve followed my blog

for awhile, you know it’s my habit

to take poetic notes while listening

to Rev. Jean Johnson’s sermons

in our Ennis, Montana Presbyterian Church.

If you’re new to JanBeek, now you know!

Here are my notes from today’s message

based on the scripture in Mark 9:38-50)

.

I take salt for granted.

I simply know it’s good.

I understand it preserves

and flavors food – as it should.

.

Salt is a part of life.

It’s here among us all.

So, why did Jesus talk

About lack of salt this fall?

.

Where’s the Good News

In Jesus’ message of salt?

If salt loses its taste,

Am I, dear Lord, at fault?

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We, as the church, are called

To be the Salt of the Earth.

If we lose our saltiness,

We forget our Christian birth.

.

Born into the faith, we’re given

The spices of zest and grace.

We’re called to season every need,

To help each hurting face.

.

Our salt is meant to sprinkle

Both saint and sinner – the same.

Remember, we all are sinners, too,

So share your saltiness in Jesus’ name.

.

Amen?

(And this Sunday afternoon I’m wondering,

Do you s’posed Jesus might have had this

salty sharing in mind? Come on over!)

Oh goodness! Is that sacrilegious? Or just some of my saltiness spilling out?

Category:

Bible Lessons, Faith, Poetry, Serving One Another, Sharing

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Feeling Buried?

John 12:24-25

“Listen carefully! Unless a grain of wheat is buried in the ground, dead to the world, it is never any more than a grain of wheat. But if it is buried, it sprouts and reproduces itself many times over. In the same way, anyone who holds on to life just as it is destroys that life. But if you let it go, reckless in your love, you’ll have it forever, real and eternal.” (Eugene H. Peterson’s The Message translation)

In the eye of the storm, Hurricane Florence is burying houses, trees, streets, electrical connections, pig farms, and even people … in their homes, in their cars and pickups, on their escape routes. This scripture from John 12 reminds me that being buried, even if it means death to this earthly life, can result in eternal life – or at least a better life.

But, we don’t have to encounter a hurricane to feel buried. We can be buried by trouble, strife, grief, disillusionment, disappointment, greed. We can be buried by fear of the unknown, fear of change, fear of inadequacy.

John 12 asks us to listen carefully. Jesus is reminding His followers that we cannot avoid change – and when we try to do so – when we “hold on to life just as it is,” we destroy life. So, we are told to let it go. Go with the flow. Even the flow of flooding that threatens to drown us. Go with it… float the flood! Know that trouble is guaranteed, but trouble is temporary.

Look beyond the turmoil of today. Look beyond yourself. Look to God for guidance and comfort and direction. Look for others who need you. Serve them as you follow Jesus’ example. God will help unbury you as you help unbury others.

Who can you help today?

Category:

Faith, food, Giving, Life's Challenges, Love, Serving One Another

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Partners

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PARTNERS

Partners add dimension

To our self-focused lives.

They draw us out

To form a bigger circle.

If we are blessed indeed

With a loving partner who

Accentuates our strengths

And helps us build up

Our areas of weakness,

Then we have cause to

Celebrate with abandon!

Everyday is a gift

Of celebration with

My life-time partner,

Bob!

I wish for you
the blessing of
a “Bob”
in your life!!

Category:

blessings, Family, Giving, Gratitude, Living in Harmony, Love

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Gifts Give

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Gifts give to Giver

Gifts give to Receiver, too

Give to see gifts give

Category:

Giving, Haiku, Love

Tagged with:

Remaining Useful

When your hair is sparkling silver

And your chest is wrinkled skin,

How can your life be useful?

How can you keep your grin?

I’ll tell you all my secret –

It’s not too hard to know.

You have to find your niches

And stay useful as you grow.

You can’t let age impale you

And make you feel extinct.

You have to keep on growing

And keep your life distinct!

So find out where your passions

Lead you to volunteer –

And soon skin and hair tone

Will bring you cause to cheer!

It’s only when we’ve given

A life of service sincere

That we can join the chorus

In a heartfelt round of cheer.

We must resolve to remain useful.

We must share our time with glee.

Then the outer image fades away,

And our joy is all they see!

Category:

Aging Gracefully, Giving, Life's Challenges, Love, Serving One Another

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Unconditional Love

U ntil

N eeds

C olor

O n-going

N atural

D ecisions,

I t’s

T ime

I

O wn

N earsightedness

A nd

L earn

L ove

O penly

V isits

E veryone.

Even in my frustration, seeing my granddaughter doesn’t always insist that my great-grandson wear the glasses designed to correct his lazy eye problem, I must check my own vision. Am I so nearsighted that I fail to see her unconditional love? Am I so blind that I can’t recognize the fact that she’s doing her best? Am I so oblivious that I can’t observe her own struggles? Am I too judgmental to tilt the scales toward compassion? Lord, I hope not! What needs need to color my observations? What “natural decisions” need to be modified by unconditional love?

Maybe all of them. You think?

Sit down and play with those thoughts for awhile.

Category:

children, Family, Giving, learning, Life's Challenges, Love

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Self-Love

photo of person holding multicolored heart decor

Photo by Marta Branco on Pexels.com

Self-Love

You’ve been told many times
That you have to love yourself
Before you can freely give
Love to someone else.

Well, toss that idea away.
It’s a lie – it’s pure deceit.
If that’s an idea you cling to,
You’re headed for defeat!

The love you have to give
Did not come from yourself.
It came from your divine Maker.
He gifted you with this wealth.

You were made in His image.
You were loved from the very start.
You have love that’s overflowing
From your Heavenly Father’s heart.

Accept with joy the unconditional gift.
Then pass it on to all you meet.
You’ll find by giving back that love,
Love is a two-way street.

I love you, dear and precious reader.
I love that you came to visit.
I freely give my love to you…
Pass it on!
Self-love’s not a prerequisite.

Category:

Giving, Love, Sharing

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FATHER

The poem below is one I found in a box of my mom’s favorite poems. She had this one memorized and used to recite it (along with others she had committed to memory) at various public gatherings and her Rebekah’s Lodge meetings.

FATHER

Used to wonder just why Father

Never had much time for play;

Used to wonder why he’d rather

Work each minute of the day.

Used to wonder why he never

Loafed along the road and shirked.

Can’t recall a single time whenever

Father played, while others worked.

Father never dressed in fashion,

Sort of hated clothing new;

Style with him was not a passion,

He had other things in view.

Boys are blind to much that’s going

On about ’em day by day.

And I had no way of knowing

What became of Father’s pay.

All I knew was when I needed

Shoes, I got ’em on the spot

Everything for which I pleaded

Somehow, Father always got.

Wondered, season after season,

Why he never took a rest

And that I might be the reason,

That, I never even guessed.

Wanted me to go to college

Dad was great on learning stuff

Always said that having knowledge

Helped a man through places rough.

But I thought it too much bother,

And I loitered day by day,

Wasting time, ignoring a Father,

Now I know I’ll have to pay.

Saw his cheeks were getting paler,

Didn’t understand just why;

Saw his body growing frailer,

Then at last I saw him die.

Rest had come, his tasks had ended,

Calm was written on his brow;

Father’s life was big and splendid –

And I understand it now.

Poet Unknown

Category:

Family, Gratitude, Life and Death, respect

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Nut Cracker

When my dear daddy, Sal,

Left behind his earthly pain

He took with him some items

But left behind the main.

He took his smile and chuckle,

His twinkle and his hugs,

But he left behind his calendars

And the fancy cut glass mugs.

He took his constant excuses,

Like “I missed that day in school,”

But he left his love of convertibles

(Our son thinks they’re pretty cool).

He took his love of walnuts

But the nuts he left behind;

They’re his daughters, Jan & Sally,

-And we’ve got his nutcracker, too-

(We knew he wouldn’t mind!)

Happy Father’s Day and Happy Crackin’ to all the nutty dads out there!

Category:

Family

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Outsiders

Jesus on the Cross

Jesus – simple, yet complex

Outsiders

A prophet is known
by the company he keeps.
If Jesus were a true prophet,
the right people would be His sheep.

But baaaaad people hung out
with Jesus – sinners of the worst sort.
Jesus scandalously kept company
with tax collectors, folks report.

His circle included prostitutes.
He dined with people of ill repute.
How did He respond to complainers?
Did He have a good word of refute?

No, He told the story of the lost –
Lost coins, lost sheep, lost kids.
Find the coin, search for lambs,
Be relentless finding others, Jesus bids.

But, though we’re concerned,
We have our limits, right?
Do we seek unending until we find?
No, it’s not about us and our plight.

It’s about God who searches.
It’s about our Lord who actively calls.
He needs us all …  you and me.
Invite the outsiders. Break down walls.

Amen?

Category:

Faith, Giving, Living in Christ's Family, Love, Serving One Another, Sharing

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