Spreading love, joy, peace, faith & unity

Posts tagged ‘God’

World Peace

Our world is so screwed up
There are wars without end
Only God can really see
If peace is right around the bend

Since Adam & Eve took that bite
And sin entered this world of ours
It has seemed to us mortal beings
That world peace is beyond our powers

Negotiations call for cease fires
Men promise they will abide
But then they turn around and
Drop bombs on the other side

Why can’t we live in love
Why can’t we all get along
Why do men with earthly power
Like to sing the Battle Song?

Like Rachel Platten’s fight song
They don’t care if you believe
They don’t care if lives are lost
They have egos that deceive

Deceive us with false promises
Live to satisfy your own desires
Sacrifice our sons and daughters
Drop those bombs and start those fires

How can World Peace be achieved
If we can’t live in brotherly love
Pray with me, my friends, please
Ask for peace from God above

Only God can change the hearts
Of selfish men with all the powers
Take their conscience – make them care
Care to save this world of ours.

Amen?

John 14:27 

“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.”

Love,
JanBeek

Category:

Bible Lessons, Faith, God, Life's Challenges, Living in Harmony, Love, music, peace, Poetry, prayer

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Positive Impact

Share a story about someone who had a positive impact on your life.

Kenny came and filled all the empty places in our home and hearts! Dogs do that!
Neighbors/friends step up and fill our lives with love
Bonus daughters reach out and help make each day brighter
Sweet daughter, De, makes each day happier
Terrific Ty, super son, positively impacts us and countless others
Our pastor and our God keep us grounded in love
These and countless others are daily gifts that impact my life. How can I choose just one?
Like the flowers in my garden, each loved one impacts my life daily by adding beauty and support.

Who or what impacts your life … or has left a permanent impression? I know you also feel blessed. Life is a gift… and so are you!

God bless you!

Love, JanBeek

Category:

blessings, children, Faith, Family, friendship, happiness, Love, pets, relationships

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How D’ya Wanna Die?

We’re all gonna die someday.
How d’ya wanna die?

When you’re in your mid-80’s
and both your parents
died before their 90th birthdays,
it’s natural to think about your own death.

It’s the winter season of my life.
Family and friends are leaving
this earth before me.
Many are a decade or more younger than I.

Yesterday I received a message from a friend.
Her husband has been battling lung cancer
I’ve been praying for him and his wife daily.
He developed pneumonia recently.

Along with his other health issues,
lung cancer and interstitial lung disease,
she wrote, “That wasn’t a good mix!”
Sadly, he passed away.

But soon the “sadly” changed to “gratitude.”
She continued, telling me, “… alert, no pain,
and telling stories right up to the end.”
What a wonderful blessing that was!


No, this isn’t him, but I can imagine the scene.
“All of us were with him,” she wrote.
“He said he was ready to meet Jesus.
His faith was unbelievably strong.

He let everybody know he was joyfully checking out.”
My friend played Merle Haggard’s song on her cell phone:
Sing Me Back Home, and put the phone by his ear.
He smiled, closed his eyes, “So long ’til we meet on the other side.”

How d’ya wanna die?
I’ve decided my friend’s scenario
is the one I want when I leave this earth.
How about you?

Luke 23:43 

And he said to him,
“Truly, I say to you,
today you will be with me in paradise.”


I want to hear those words, too.
But not too soon, okay?

Love,
JanBeek

Category:

Aging Gracefully, Bible Lessons, Faith, God, Jesus, Life and Death, Living in Christ's Family, Love, music, Poetry

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Happy Monday

Ah yes, April showers bring May flowers.

How about March showers
and hail and snow and rain
bring April’s flowers?

April is one of my favorite months.
Our family has so many April birthdays!
What was going on 9 months ago?

This month of March was filled with challenges.
March madness included our granddaughter, Faith,
who fell ill while vacationing in Switzerland.
“I’m a million times better” she says…
“today compared to yesterday.”
Yay! Answered prayers 👌🏽❤️🙏🏽

That’s my dear granddaughter in a hospital in Switzerland.
Please pray for Faithy…
She’s moving out of ICU and into a regular hospital room today.
Looking forward to continuing her vacation
with hubby, Kyle, 3-yr-old Mable, and Kyle’s mother.
They hope to visit our daughter, Faith’s Aunt DeDe, this week.
They currently are about 4 1/2 hours away.
God is so good!
This is an answer to more than I dared hope for!
I just was asking God to heal her enough
so she could safely fly home to California.
Auntie De will be so happy to see them
and meet Mable for the first time.

God is amazing, isn’t He?
He hears our prayers
and answers with even more than we dare ask!

Here’s my daughter, DeDe, in Switzerland.

I’ve always believed Mark 11:24

In it, we are reassured that God answers our prayers:
24 “Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer,
believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.”

But I didn’t ask God for Faith and family
to be able to resume their vacation.
I thought that would be asking too much.
I just wanted her to get well and be able to travel home safely.
Instead, Faith told us today that she expects
to be able to resume her Swiss travels.
Amazing!!

2 Corinthians 9:8 ESV

“And God is able to make all grace abound to you,
so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times,
you may abound in every good work.”

What have you asked God for recently?
Has He answered your prayer?

Have you ever asked for something
and been given more than you requested?
Tell me about it!

And have a Happy Monday
and a Blessed April!

Love,
JanBeek

Category:

Bible Lessons, blessings, Faith, Family, flowers, Giving, God, Gratitude, Living in Christ's Family, Love, prayer, relationships

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Pray for Others

Prayer is Powerful

In the midst of the storm
Of life’s uncertainties
There is a comforter
Always available

Any time is the right time

When your heart is tuned
To the One who always hears,
You never need to feel alone
Or helpless or powerless

Have faith!

I pray in the morning
I pray at noon
I pray all day long
The answers come soon

Can you feel them?
Pause with me.
Pray. 🙏🏽

Ah, I feel ‘em!
Love across the miles.
Love back atcha.
Embeace the comfort.

Hugs,
JanBeek

Category:

Belief, Faith, God, Living in Christ's Family, Love, Poetry, prayer, relationships

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Our Friends: Canadians

My prayer:
Both countries: strong and free!

It breaks my heart that the song below was created … and the divisiveness that prompted the song. I pray for our return to camaraderie and mutual support. Meantime, maybe you will find some humor in the lyrics… a friend of mine did. What do you think?

God is in charge. I have to believe that.
God is in control. I have to believe some good will come of this.
God is in control. But He does give humans free will.
Lord, help us!

Pray with me.
“Lord, please give our world leaders wisdom and diplomacy and intelligence.”
Amen

Love,
JanBeek

Category:

God, Life's Challenges, Living in Harmony, Love, music, prayer, relationships

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Trustworthy Support

Have you ever felt this frustrated?

“We cannot escape the frustrations of this life.
It is wise to lean on the Lord for help and guidance…”

Message from When God Thinks of You, He Smiles,
a book of 365 devotions from Broadstreet Publishing.
I received this as a gift last week from my
“dear bonus daughter,” Elaina.
Each page has a scripture,
a commentary,
and ends with a prayer.
Boy Howdy, I needed this one today!

“Don’t worry, because I am with you.
Don’t be afraid, because I am your God.
I will make you strong and will help you.
I will support you with my right hand that saves you.”

Isaiah 41:10 (NCV)

Ah yes, reach your hand out.
Touch me. Assure me. Encourage me!
I am frustrated and need to remember
no one is promised a seamless life.
But the strange thing is:
I invited this frustration into my life!!

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What was I thinking?
The dead of a Montana winter is not the time…
not the time to get a new puppy
who has not been crate-trained,
let alone house-trained!

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Oh, I can be all smiles when he’s in my lap
and feeling lovable and wanting to be cuddled!
But, believe me, Kenny is a 6 1/2 month old
12 pound ball of energy
who has decided his crate is his bathroom
and our floor is his toilet – –
Help!

My devotional today said,
“Prayer gives us strength when trials… come our way.”
Believe me, I have prayed at length about this pup!
The devotional said, “When you struggle,
it doesn’t mean your faith is lacking.
Even when you faithfully follow God…
life can still be rocky.”

I need to put this pup struggle in perspective!
It’s not life or death.
We will survive.
Count your blessings, Jan,
because he is smart and will learn…
and you are smarter and can teach!
Be patient!

I may have told you earlier that my friend, Terry,
sent me this book: “How Dogs Think.”
The cover photo looks just like Kenny
must have looked at 2 or 3 months…
and the subtitle of the book is:
“Inside the Canine Mind.”
It’s a TIME special edition.
Surely this will have some good advice
to add to all the things my friends are saying…
and Isaiah said it, too:
“I will make you strong and help you…”

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The prayer at the bottom of the devotional today was:
“Gracious One, thank you for the faithfulness of your love…
I don’t want to spend my life worrying or full of fear.
Empower me and encourage me when I struggle.”
Amen!

Now, my friends, that is
Trustworthy Support!

Love ya,
JanBeek

Category:

Animals, Bible Lessons, books, God, learning, Life's Challenges, Love, pets, prayer

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Twisted Values

The words to the hymn below hit me square between the eyes last Sunday as we sang this in our church… and thought about how desperately I want God to “hear our cry and heal our nation.” I hope you find these words meaningful, too. Churches were singing it a decade ago… It was true then. It’s true now. We, as a nation, have lost the truth we need… I do believe that. Lord God, help us!

In an age of twisted values

In an age of twisted values
we have lost the truth we need;
in sophisticated language
we have justified our greed;
by our struggle for possessions
we have robbed the poor and weak –
hear our cry and heal our nation:
your forgiveness, Lord, we seek.

2. We have built discrimination
on our prejudice and fear;
hatred swiftly turns to cruelty
if we hold resentments dear.
For communities divided
by the walls of class and race
hear our cry and heal our nation:
show us, Lord, your love and grace.

3. When our families are broken;
when our homes are full of strife;
when our children are bewildered,
when they lose their way in life;
when we fail to give the aged
all the care we know we should –
hear our cry and heal our nation
with your tender fatherhood.

4. We who hear your word so often
choose so rarely to obey;
turn us from our wilful blindness,
give us truth to light our way.
In the power of your Spirit
come to cleanse us, make us new:
hear our cry and heal our nation
till our nation honours you.


Let us pray this song as a prayer… pray for God’s forgiveness, love and grace. God, please hear our cry and heal our nation. Heal our world!

God bless our nation, our world, and God Bless YOU!

Love,
JanBeek

Category:

Faith, God, Heartache, Life's Challenges, Living in Harmony, mental health, music, peace, relationships, Serving One Another

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Quiet Time

Gone from home for three weeks
Wonderful holidays and birthdays
Shared with family and friends
Missed my daily sanctuary quiet time

Back home and falling into routine
Up around 8: and make coffee
Climb the stairs to my “sanctuairee”
Spend time with Jesus and His Word

Spend time with David Jeremiah
Spend time with Guideposts devotionals
Spend quiet time with God in prayer
Ask God to be with each of you

Meditate with “All God’s Creatures”
Contemplate love and life with Bob Goff
Compare scriptures with Eugene Peterson
“The Message” paraphrasing inspires me

What’s your favorite way to spend
Quiet time?
Do you carve out space for it
everyday?

Where?

When?

With whom?

Regardless of when, where, and with whom,
May your day always include space for
Quiet Time


Pray with me, will you?
For all those who are in distress:
the homeless, the sick, the frightened,
the lonely,
those who feel helpless or hopeless.
“Bee” the Light.
Shine His Light
wherever you go in this world.
Lord, help us to reach out
and
to love as You love!
Amen

God bless You!
Love,
JanBeek

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Category:

Bible Lessons, Faith, Family, Giving, God, Jesus, Living in Christ's Family, Love, music, Poetry, prayer, relationships

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Greatest Gift

What is the greatest gift someone could give you?

Love

Love, joy, peace… the greatest of these is love.

Show love in your food preparation & presentation. Yummy dessert at The Fish Wife in Pacific Grove, CA last night.

The Red House Restaurant in Pacific Grove showed love this morning!

Bob shows his love to me every day. What a gift!

My friend, Lisa, gives the gift of love as she allows us to travel vicariously with her.

Bob’s older brother, Bill, gave the gift of love as he picked the oranges and squeezed fresh orange juice for our breakfast yesterday.

Our bonus daughter, Laina, gives the gift of love with daily communication.

Thank God for the Internet! It allows us to share love with one another daily across the world!

And the greatest gift of all is God’s love ❤️

Happy, peace-filled, love-filled New Year to you all. God Bless You🥰

Love,

JanBeek

Category:

Bible Lessons, blessings, Faith, friendship, God, happiness, Living in Harmony, Love, relationships

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