Spreading love, joy, peace, faith & unity

Posts tagged ‘Hatred’

Life without Enemies

handwritten message in black ink
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On his blog today, Rahul Gaur  invited his readers to create a poem inspired by another poet.. using opposites. Rahul”s blog site is titled:

SMOKE WORDS EVERY DAY.

THE HOME OF POETRY

His description of the Day 3 poetry prompt intrigued me:

NaPoWriMo Day 3: Find a shortish poem that you like, and rewrite each line, replacing each word (or as many words as you can) with words that mean the opposite. For example, you might turn “Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?” to “I won’t contrast you with a winter’s night.” 

Then Rahul shared a poem he wrote using that “Opposite” prompt: On his blog site you can see a link to the original poem.

When I am standing on the edge ⁣⁣⁣
Revelling at the vista, which the mist blurs ⁣⁣⁣
I forget the lovely image, hers, as⁣⁣⁣
She fades… fades… fades away⁣⁣⁣
⁣⁣⁣
Over me, joy has taken me in its veil⁣⁣⁣
More a creature of this world ⁣⁣⁣
And one less angel on the earth⁣⁣⁣
I want nothing more, nothing less⁣⁣⁣
⁣⁣⁣
When I am standing on the edge ⁣⁣⁣
Revelling at the vista, which the mist blurs⁣⁣⁣
I think I recall the image, hers, again⁣⁣⁣
She passes…passes… passes by⁣⁣⁣
I want nothing less, nothing more


I picked up on Rahul’s prompt and decided to write a poem inspired by poet, Holly Haley.

The original poem: “Friendships”

Write life without friendships
And who would read it through?
Paint life without its friendships
Where is the rainbow hue?
Build life without its friendships
Who would live therein?
For friendship’s glow leads to the goal
That each of us would win.

poet: Molly A. Haley

And mine:

“Enemies”

Live life with enemies
And no one would join in
Scribble life with its enemies
And forget to add a grin.
Tear down life with its enemies
And regret the choices you choose
For death darkens your door
When you’ve no friends to lose.

Jan Beekman

Want to try your hand at this opposites poetry?
If so, I’d love to have you share it in the comments section here.
happy multiracial friends embracing on bench after basketball training
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Friends are such an important part of every happy life!

On the other hand, enemies are sometimes hard to find (at least for me).
If you look at everyone through your Jesus glasses, you will see the divine in them.
You will pray for them, and you will realize that they are placed in your world to teach you.
What do your enemies teach you? Well, for one thing – they teach you what you don’t want to be!!

text in frame on wall
Photo by Brett Sayles on Pexels.com
Hmmm… what does that mean, “Front Toward Enemy”??
a massage therapist massaging a client s back
Photo by Anna Tarazevich on Pexels.com

You want that person at your back to be your friend, right?
When your friend says, “I’ve got your back,” what’s that mean?
To me it means, when my back is turned and someone intends to harm me,
my friend will be there to protect me.
Turning your back on your enemy can be dangerous!

How do we avoid having enemies?
Can we really live a life without them?
The PollyAnna in me says, “Of course!”

What do you think?

Just love one another!

Hugs to you,
JanBeek

Red-Yellow-Black-White

Jesus loves the little children
All the children of the world.
Red and yellow, black and white,
They are precious in his sight.
Jesus loves the little children of the world.

Jesus came to earth to show us how to live.
He gave His life – what more must He give
To teach us the lesson He came here to teach?
Just love one another! Live that lesson and preach!

Preach to the world the need for compassion.
Preach respect, integrity… Make them current fashion.
Don’t let fear and ignorance take the reigns
And infect our society and poison our brains.

White Replacement Theory? What a bunch of bunk!
Don’t let such absurdity enter you. It’s just junk!
God created each of us with blessed diversity.
He created us equally. Believe that with certainty!

Those who fear other skin or folks from outside the USA
Are showing us their ignorance by what they do and say.
They don’t understand the message God sent to earth
When He brought to this world His Son to give us second birth.

They don’t accept the well-known fact of Oneness,
The same blood, same love, same spirit of “Done-ness.”
We are were “done” by the Potter’s wheel and skill.
We all were created by our God, our Savior’s Will.

No color is more beautiful; No skin is a favored one.
No cuisine is more tasty. God differently flavored some.
So wrap your mind around the true acts of love…
Love others unconditionally – Give all hate a shove!

My heart goes out to the families and friends of the 10 who were senselessly murdered by a sick, crazed, fearful 18-year-old in NY this week. Additionally, worshipers were shot down in church two days ago… and the list goes on. It makes my stomach churn. It makes my head hurt. It puzzles my mind. I just don’t begin to understand. I want to help. I need to do my part.

So, with my left hand in a cast and my little finger throbbing, I hunt and peck with my right hand. I send my love out into the world – and I beg my readers to do what you can, too. Try to drown out hate with loud acts of love. Try to squelch fear with gigantic messages of compassion and understanding. Try to stamp out ignorance with numerous exchanges of God’s messages in His Word and through His Son. Do something. Do what you can.

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Dear Heavenly Father,
help us to set aside
fear,
hatred,
ignorance,
and
divisiveness,
and start
as a nation
and as a world
to
just love one another…
Amen

Hugs,
JanBeek

Embrace Anger

Today’s sermon was titled, “Please Go to Bed Angry.”

What??? We all know what the Bible tells us:

So how could our pastor, Mary Grace Reynolds tell us to go to bed angry?
What a weird twist on a well-known scripture, huh?
What was the point she was making?
Here are the notes I took as I listened to today’s sermon:

Sit with yourself in silence
Long enough to feel the anger
That’s hidden inside of you.

If you’re not angry,
You’re not really livin’ –
Anger is a quiet, deep given.

Anger leads to rage and hatred.
Anger leads to destruction –
And we might not know it’s there.

I’m angry, and I name it.
I see it; I control it.
Paul tells us, “Walk away!”

Don’t let your anger lead you to sin.
Some people hurt us intentionally
And the gospel says, “Walk away!”

But there are people in our lives
Who need to be there –
And we may find some of them “angry.”

What do we do with anger?
Acknowledge it, define it, use it.
Let it build for the common good.

When I “feel” anger,
It doesn’t have to define me.
Sleep on that anger and address it.

Weather the conflict and
Don’t let it divide us.
Initiate the pain confrontation.

Managing anger demands strength
And a clearness of mind.
Let it be the light illuminating
a better way forward.

Amen?

Anger is like boiling water inside you.
It bubbles up and alerts you
To the need to get it up and out.

Righteous anger is addressed
In the Bible very clearly when
Jesus overturned the tables.

The money changers were
Ripping off the worshipers.
Jesus would have none of that!

John 2:15 15 So he made a whip out of cords, and drove all from the temple courts, both sheep and cattle; he scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. Matthew 21:12 12 Jesus entered the temple courts and drove out all who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves. Mark 11:15 15 On reaching Jerusalem, Jesus entered the temple courts and began driving out those who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves…



If Jesus had slept on that anger,
Might he have responded differently?
I doubt it. The situation was untenable!

Some actions and incidences
Deserve our righteous anger.
No need to sleep on it!

But other reasons for anger
Are not so clear cut!
Let the resolution stew a while!

After sleeping on it,
You may find there is a better solution
Than the one you thought of yesterday.

Let God speak to you.
Listen to His calming influence.
Respond biblically!

So, while we may embrace the right to be angry,
And we may feel justified exhibiting righteous anger,
The real path to a peaceful, joyful, and fulfilling life
Is the path described in Colossians 3:12. It’s my choice!

How about you?

A Day to Remember

This is a day to remember –
Remember the lives lost on 9-11-2001.
Remember the heroes who risked –
Risked their own lives to save others.

Today is a day to acknowledge
We as a nation are not impenetrable.
I used to think we were;
I used to think wars were someplace else.

Now I know wars rage right here.
Wars rage in our hearts and homes.
Wars rage on our streets.
Wars don’t need tanks and guns.

Wars are acts of hatred and violence
Against those we wish to oppress.
Wars rage where love is absent.
Love is the only way to douse wars.

So today, remember the feeling
Of fright and disbelief – – – the horror.
Remember how we came together
Joined hands as a nation to help.

And let’s do it again!
Let’s join hands to save our souls.
Let’s reach out to heal our wounds.
Let’s just love one another.

Never forget 9-11
Never let it happen again!

He Could Have Been Me

As the “Black Lives Matter” protests gain less and less news coverage and the reason for the demonstrations that are still happening become obscured in the face of violence, looting, burning of buildings, and disjointed opinions, let’s revisit the subject!

Black Lives Matter

A chilling thought flashed into Isaiah McKinnon’s mind the first time he watched the Minneapolis video seen around the world of George Floyd’s death.  

“George Floyd could have been me,” the former Detroit police chief wrote at the start of a Free Press guest column. 

McKinnon joined the Detroit city’s force in the summer of 1965, four years after graduating from Cass Tech High School and entering the Air Force. He served as chief from 1993-98 and was deputy mayor from 2014-16.


Isaiah ‘Ike’ McKinnon asked: “What were they willing to do to Black civilians?” (Photo: Facebook/2014)

Ike McKinnon today

A Personal Account

In Isaiah McKinnon’s vivid commentary, the 76-year-old retiree — still a Detroiter — recalled blatant racism when he entered law enforcement five and a half decades ago:

“As a rookie officer, I encountered overt and casual bigotry and routine denigration and brutality. Many white officers refused to ride alongside Black officers. Some made cardboard dividers in patrol cars — designating the ‘white’ section from the ‘colored.’ Others used Lysol to ‘disinfect’ seats where Black officers sat. Some of my white colleagues refused to speak with me during shifts, dared not eat near or with me, and frequently used the ‘N-word’ to describe me and the African American citizens they were sworn to protect.

Two years later, I felt the sting of betrayal as an officer during the 1967 rebellion. One night, after a grueling shift, two white DPD officers pulled me over. I was still in uniform, badge affixed to my chest, and a #2 pin on my collar, indicating that I worked in the 2nd Precinct. I identified myself as a fellow officer, thinking they would see me as an equal. Instead, one pointed his gun at me and said, ‘tonight you’re going to die, N….’ before discharging his weapon. I dove back into my vehicle and miraculously managed to escape. I realized then that not even our shared uniform could save me from their racism. And I wondered if they were willing to shoot and kill a Black police officer, what were they willing to do to Black civilians?

As a supervisor a few years later, I stopped a group of officers from beating three Black teens. I was finally in a position to hold them accountable for their excessive use of force. But my precinct commander yelled at me for attempting to ‘ruin the lives of those good officers.’

I witnessed this kind of complicity repeatedly. When other officers reported abuse, as they should, they were ostracized, transferred to lesser assignments and treated so poorly that many quit.”

McKinnon, known widely as “Ike,” wrapped up his account with a call for “a change at all levels.”

Now is the time to get to the heart of the matter: There must be a major effort to fundamentally restructure police departments so that they actually do what they promise: serve and protect all people.

Listen to the Ones Who Know


McKinnon knows what he’s talking about! He is credible. He has lived the scenes of discrimination and experienced the violence first-hand. “Ike” has met six U.S. Presidents and Nelson Mandela, and has appeared on the “Today Show”, “Good Morning America”, “Oprah”, and “The History Channel.” He is a national motivational/inspirational speaker to Fortune 500 companies and schools.

Ike began his five decade career in public service as an officer with the Detroit Police Department in 1965. He held more than ten different positions in the department including patrol operations and various supervisory, administrative, command, and executive roles, before retiring as an Inspector to start his own security firm. In 1993, McKinnon returned to the Detroit Police Department to serve as Chief. Under his five years of leadership, hundreds of police officers were directed to go into city neighborhoods and introduce themselves to residents in an effort to bridge the gap between law enforcement and the community. In addition to shifting the focus of the department to community-driven policing, he advocated for and implemented training programs for officers responding to domestic violence.

What to Do Now

Let’s continue the leadership McKinnon demonstrated during his tenure with the Detroit Police Dept. Let’s make sure we engage across the USA in some of the practices that will help:

  1. Send police officers into neighborhoods to bridge the gap between the law enforcement and the community
  2. Shift the focus of the departments to community-driven policing
  3. Continue funding our police departments as we train officers to respond in appropriate ways to various needs
  4. Advocate for and implement training programs for officers responding to domestic violence
  5. Hire officers who demonstrate compassion – and fire those who do not!
  6. Oh, and do not forget about ME! I am part of the problem if I do not check my “White Privilege” at the door – and examine my own heart and actions. Am I guilty of prejudice unintentionally? If so, how? And what can I do about it in my own life??
Keep George Floyd’s memory alive!
Don’t let this continue to happen!
Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

No more needless deaths!
No more hatred!
No more discrimination!

Reach out in love
Call Unity into Action.
Just LOVE ONE ANOTHER!!
Be the change you want to see in the world!

See ya tomorrow.

Sending Love


Have a Marvelous Monday.
Hugs,
JanBeek



For the Joy of Human Love

For the beauty of the earth,
For the glory of the skies,
For the love which from our birth
Over and around us lies:

CHORUS:
Lord of all, to Thee we raise
This our hymn of grateful praise

Pray with me:

Lord of all, to Thee we raise
This our voice of righteous rage.
Hear our anguish, hear our pleas.
See us down on bended knees.

We are angered and hurting now
By the lack of love that somehow
Has made life unfair for our brothers,
Made life a nightmare for too many mothers.

The hymn says we are supposed to have
Love “from our birth.” We need a salve
To spread that love to ALL our kin.
We all are one – and we all live in sin.

It is the sin of overlooking
The hatred and the needless booking,
The deaths and harassment many face,
The fear and hatred in this place.

Take away our bent toward sinning.
Take away our need to be winning
An upperhand when we all are ONE,
ONE in Christ, Your Saving Son.



Check out this heart-wrenching account of what it means to be a black man in today’s divided, prejudice-filled society. God bless R. Eric Thomas and all those who feel the injustice he experiences:

It Does Not Matter If You Are Good

On Omar Jimenez, George Floyd, Christian Cooper and the myth of being non-threatening by R. Eric Thomas

R Eric Thomas is a Senior Staff Writer at ELLE.com,

Love is power within us all –
Do not let it be silent!

For the beauty of each hour,
Of the day and of the night,
Hill and vale and tree and flower,
Sun and moon and stars of light:

Lord of all, to Thee we raise
This our voice of grateful praise.

For the joy of ear and eye,
For the heart and mind’s delight,
For the mystic harmony
Linking sense to to sound and sight:

Lord of all to Thee we raise
This our song of grateful praise.

Look at the earth and all our blessings.
Let us thank God:

“All things come of Thee…
Help us, Lord, to be grateful
And to share our love and joy freely
With ALL God’s children.”

Amen

Work together for peace.
Pray together for unity.


Love ya lots, my brothers and sisters,
JanBeek

See ya tomorrow.

Are You Stuck?

Is my blog stuck?

Is writing on the same topic,
“Adding Meaning to Life,”
everyday related to being in a rut?

red car on muddy road near trees

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At my request, professional blogger of excellence,
The Art of Blogging, Cristian Mihai,
gave me ten tips on how to improve my blog.
One of them was,

“… choose one day of the week
to write some weekly type of blog
that [your] ideal reader would love.”

Before making that suggestion, he asked me to define my “ideal reader.” You, my blogging friend, or my daughter, or my creative, encouraging friend, you are it!

1390553f-787d-4807-b92b-df0906206227
That’s DeDe, my dear daughter

You know I often use Sundays to post my sermon notes. You know I listen intently to capture what the minister is saying to me, and I record my notes in poetry.

It’s not a stretch to call this my “different weekly type of blog.” I hope you look forward each Sunday to seeing/hearing what the message was in church this morning. Here is today’s:

Rev. Jean Johnson, Madison Valley Presbyterian Church

Ennis, MT, April 28, 2019, John 20:19-31

STUCK?

The disciples were stuck

In the same room as they

Were a week ago when

It was a glorious Easter Day.

.

Why were they still there?

What difference did Christ make?

What difference has his death

Made for your life’s sake?

.

Has His resurrection made

A difference in your days?

Or are you, like the disciples,

Stuck in your usual ways?

.

I should be doing better –

Living more authentically today.

I should be listening carefully

Like the disciples on their Emmaus way.

.

But changing old patterns

Is a process that takes time.

Is staying behind locked doors

A cowardly, unacceptable crime?

.

I wanted to wake up today

To a whole new world of joy.

But the news today was the same old

Sad, violent acts, and hates that destroy.

.

Change is well overdue.

I want to see instant relief,

But the hatred in this world

Tends to shake my firm belief.

.

The empty tomb tells me

That the risen Christ is here.

He’s working with you and me

To change our doubts to cheer.

.

Where you are is your

Starting place where you are.

It’s the place Christ comes

And lets you out to follow His star.

.

Have faith to see

Christ is risen;

He’s unstuck.

So should we be!

pexels-photo-301599

We cannot be stuck in this place of 
violence, synagogue shootings, and
a world of intolerance, prejudice,
wars, and hunger. Listen to the pleads
of the Rabbi who spoke to us today.
Don’t let this dark period hide the light.
Go out and BE THE LIGHT!!

Adding Meaning to Life. D=Decode

D = Decode

Thank you for exploring with me A to Z ways
of adding more meaning to our daily lives,
ways to decode the world around us,
ways to live more intentionally
to fulfill our purpose.

atlas ball shaped business compass

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D = Decode

Today we are on the letter D. I could have used the word DEVOTION, because it is so important that we express our praise and devotion to our Maker and offer thanks to Him every day. But, instead, I decided to use the word DECODE – – – with an emphasis on devotion.

Decode the World Around Us

D ecide
E veryday to
C ompassionately love
O thers and
D eal with
E verything fairly

Decide to
Look for
and fight for
Justice
Equality
and Balance

photo of rocks piled on top of each other

Photo by rasik on Pexels.com


Decode with Devotion

belief bible book business

 

In their book, Spiritual Literacy,
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
wrote the following,
“Express your feelings of …
adoration through devotional practices.
Pray with words and pray through your actions.”

Decode through Prayer and Bible Study

In a world filled with hate, cruelty, and divisiveness, we can find ways through prayer and Bible study to decode the world around us and live more lovingly, more purposefully, and more intentionally as Brothers and Sisters. Our adoration must be directed heavenward and to one another… not on things that are temporary. Pray fervently for our leaders, for world peace, and for the understanding of friends and family, allies and foes.

Pray for the wisdom to see and understand and act on God’s purposes for you today.

Yesterday was the 25th of April. Each day I read a chapter in Proverbs to correspond with the day of the month (Proverbs has 31 chapters). Chapter 25’s subheading in my Eugene H. Peterson’s translation, The Message, is “The Right Word at the Right Time.”

Find wisdom in the Book of Wisdom, Proverbs, which contains the wise sayings of Solomon:

Proverbs 25: 8
“Don’t jump to conclusions –
There may be
a perfectly good explanation
for what you saw.”

So, we reserve judgement – and as we seek to decode what we see and hear, we look for ways to be affirmative or compassionately corrective.

Verses 11 and 12 say,
“The right word at the right time
is like a custom-made piece of jewelry,
And a wise friend’s timely reprimand
is like a gold ring slipped on your finger.”

 

 

Decoding the World through Friendships

Proverbs 25:13
“Reliable friends who do what they say
are like cool drinks in sweltering heat –
Refreshing!”

woman drinking water

Photo by Daria Shevtsova on Pexels.com

Be a reliable friend.
See and fulfill your purpose through the gift of reliability!
Be a cool drink in the sweltering heat of friends’ lives!

Decode the World though Giving

Give generosity instead of animosity. You get what you give!
Give goodness instead of rudeness. You get what you give!
But, don’t give to get! Let your motives be pure love.
Give without expecting anything in return.

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Just Do it!

Step out in Faith!!
Your world will clear up,
detangle, be kinder,
and you will live in greater inner peace –
if you decode with devotion,
prayer, Bible study,
friendship,
and selfless giving.

close up photography of red and black nike running shoe

Photo by Shane Aldendorff on Pexels.com

Yes, as Nike says,
“Just do it!”

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