Daily Guideposts 2021 devotional today inspired this blog topic. After I chose “Multiplying” as my EMBRACE theme today, every place I looked, I saw evidence of answers to my question, “But what needs to be multiplied?”
When you hear/read the word “multiplying” what comes to mind? I asked Bob that question this morning after my devotional time while we were chatting at the breakfast table.
“Increasing comes to mind. Numbers come to mind,” he answered.
What comes to your mind?
In her blog this morning, Marva Seaton wrote about multiplying. She didn’t use the word, but the concept definitely was there.
The first devotional that inspired this theme was in Daily Guideposts. The scripture passage was:
John 15:12 (MSG)
Love one another the way I loved you.
❤
The prayer at the bottom of the page for today, June 24th read:
“All loving God, we thank You for those You’ve graced us with, who offer encouragement, inspiration, and hope.
Amen”
Embrace the people who share that encouragement with you.
In my mind, that’s what needs to be multiplied: faith (in God and the Holy Spirit in you), self-confidence, strength, hope, and love.
You have to believe in yourself.
Multiply your self-confidence.
Multiply your prayers. Multiply your requests to God.
He is there to listen, to respond, and to make you great!
You can live your dreams…
What you need is all in you!
You can multiply your power if you understand God’s power is in you!
Starting last week, her first week on the job, our new pastor, Mary Grace Reynolds, sent out a “Weekly Word.” It will be e-mailed to us every Thursday.
In it, she gives the congregation glimpses into what the week will hold. She shares announcements and then she shares a scripture and her “take-away” from that passage.
Today’s “Weekly Word” message fit right in to the “Multiplying” theme:
Yes, Embrace Multiplying!
Multiply your faith. Reach out and touch. Share. Believe in the power. Take courage! Multiply the love, the affection, the healing, the embracing.
My hugs are included in this post to you. Have a beautiful day!
When you think of the word, NEED, what comes to mind? Do you think of what YOU need or what OTHERS might need? Have you internalized the difference between NEED and WANT?
Now there’s a belief in some parts of the USA that gas cans NEED to be filled and waiting for future use. Because of a security breach, stations were shut down. Folks NEEDED gas to get to their jobs or wherever…
What is on your NEEDS list?
I NEED hugs. Physical touch is sooo important!
My husband thinks he NEEDS ice cream after dinner each night.
Learning the Difference Between Necessity and Luxury
When our son, Ty, graduated from high school, he spent a year as an AFS (American Field Service) foreign exchange student in what was then Yugoslavia. He lived with a family who was communist. They wanted their son to learn English because the next year he intended to travel to the USA to attend college.
The family was “well off” by that country’s standards. The father was head of what we might call our EPA: “Environmental Protection Agency.” They lived in a small (less than 500 square feet) apartment in Beograd (Belgrade). The family of four had two bedrooms (one for the parents and one for their daughter), a very small kitchen, one bathroom, and a living room which converted into a bedroom at night for their son. Ty shared that space with the son.
Our son learned very quickly how very privileged he was growing up with us in California with plenty of space and a swimming pool in the back yard. He learned overnight the difference between necessity and luxury. He learned his NEEDS were much smaller than he once thought – and people could live happily with soooo much less.
We all NEED a friend- and if you have a true friend, you are rich, indeed!
Happiness does not NEED a big house, a fancy car, or a lotta money in the bank. But, it does NEED at least one true friend… and a bunch of ’em is a bonus!!
Happiness does not need a room full of toys. Children who can build their own tent, play together in the woods, and go home at the end of the day of play to a loving family and a nourishing meal are blessed indeed!
I used to think that I NEEDED a glass of wine and a sushi meal every now and then…
… or a cucumber roll
But then I googled my needs and I discovered:
Hah! What do you NEED?
A pup to snuggle with?
All you NEED for Christmas is your two front teeth?
Maybe all you need is a blanket and a good book!
Sometimes all I NEED is a nice warm bath!!
A baby only needs milk, loving hugs, a clean body, and a swaddling cloth!
And we all need a dream – Someone who believes in us – and encourages us – and teaches us how to live our dreams.
I NEED time in the wide open spaces, time each morning in my sanctuary to pray and to ask the Holy Spirit for guidance, and I NEED music in my life… because it lifts my spirits and strengthens me.
I don’t NEED a tattoo! But, isn’t that a hoot? I NEED laughter!
Hah!
See ya tomorrow. Have a great rest of your day wherever you are.
Embrace NEEDS. See the needs of others – and fulfill them if you can!
Thanks for visiting JanBeek. I NEED your comments!
Doesn’t it feel good to meet with your friends Who have had both their COVID-19 vaccines And feel comfortable hugging again? Don’t lose sight of what hugging means:
When I hug you my squeezing says, “I love you! I have missed our touch.” When I hug you my body says, I am so happy to be near you. I’ve missed you so much!
Song of Solomon 2:6
“Let his left hand be under my head And his right hand embrace me.”
Sometimes the hugs from our pets Have to take the place of others we love – But it’s that feeling of unconditional caring That’s wrapped in a hug – whether human or dove.
Reach Hold hands Hug your friends Even virtual hugs matter Express
Love Is comfort Comfort in Action Never underestimate your love Increase!
Last night Bob & I received word that his brother-in-law, Stan, was in ICU. He had fallen in the shower and was unconscious. The paramedics came, performed CPR, broke three of his ribs in the process, but made sure he was breathing. Took him to the hospital. Stan and Bob’s sister, Bonnie, live in Oregon. We can’t hop in the car and go there, but thanks to technology, we can reach out in love. We can pray and ask our friends to pray, too. God hears. God cares. We can show we care, too.
Today we learned that the family has asked for Stan to be taken off of life support. He never regained consciousness… and if he survived, his brain would not be functioning properly. Sometimes the answer to our prayers is not continued life on this earth, but the peace and comfort of eternal life. Thank God for our faith. We know we will meet again in heaven.
There are so many ways to show love. What are some of the ways you embrace comfort across the miles?
Knowing our dear Stan is departing his earthly body, I am sending this lovely video “If Tomorrow Starts Without Me” to comfort our sweet Bonnie and their children, Tammy & Todd… and all the Hunt/Smith/Beekman family with my love. May they find it comforting.
I love that old musical from the 1950’s, Annie Get Your Gun. It is an American musical Technicolor comedy film loosely based on the life of sharpshooter Annie Oakley. The Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer release, with music and lyrics by Irving Berlin and a screenplay by Sidney Sheldon based on the 1946 stage musical of the same name.
Does hugging come naturally to you? If so, from whom do you think you inherited that quality? Bob and I had that conversation after breakfast this morning. His mom and dad were not huggy folks. Mine were… especially my affectionate daddy.
Me and Daddy when I was about 14 or 15.
Bob didn’t learn to be huggy from me. He came that way… and I feel so blessed. Marrying someone who was stand-offish Would have been put me to a terrible test!
Doin’ what comes naturally Isn’t the same for you and me. I reach out and hug strangers – At least ’til this pandemic distanced me.
When our daughter, DeAna’s best friend, Laina, Lost both her adoptive parents at a young age, We were blessed to say, “Come be in our family.” Having a “Daughter #2” was a blessing quite sage!
Our Laina keeps in daily touch. She wrote A message to me yesterday. I asked her if I could share it here. This is what she had to say:
Embrace MomBee🥰
I keep waiting for your blog theme to be “Embrace Hugging” or similar. Technically embrace does mean to hold someone closely in your arms so it’s almost funny to use the 2 words together.
Well here’s my mini blog for the day.
We just don’t hug enough anymore. For one reason, we can’t because of social distancing but also we don’t because we won’t take the time to do something that’s so extremely important.
My genetic nature resisted hugs growing up. I inherited that from Marilyn my Irish born biological grandmother and apparently her daughter my biological mother was the same way. I was adopted by a very different personality.
I would feel myself stiffen up and become uncomfortable when someone hugged me. My (adoptive) mom was very loving and caring. She was a hugger and I reflect back on those hugs and feel bad for my involuntary reaction. I would squiggle (squirm+wiggle) away as fast as I possibly could leaving her unfulfilled. Being a teenager and young adult I was too self-absorbed to notice the sadness on her face or to recognize her need for physical contact. If only I could go back in time and have a “do over”! I would give her a proper hug. It would be a long squeeze and I wouldn’t let go until SHE squirmed to get free. Knowing her, she wouldn’t ever squirm! we’d still be hugging! Hugs instantly boost OxyContin levels. It’s scientifically proven. Hugs help to heal feelings of loneliness and isolation and anger. An extended hug increases serotonin levels and increases good mood. It strengthens the immune system. So why don’t we do it more? We need to do it more! I guess I can’t tell you to hug a stranger because they might smack you or scream but definitely hug those you love whenever they are near… I can’t wait to give you both long hugs in person. I promise I won’t squirm away.
Laina and “MomBee”
That picture of me with Laina is one of my favorites. I often use it as the “sign off” photo on my blog – edited to just be me. I had forgotten that it was taken on the occasion of my 80th birthday when Laina came to be with us and help us prepare for and carry out a party that included about 50 of our best MT friends. Laina lives in Maryland – and her trip here was such a gift. Helping us was for her, “Doin’ what comes naturally.”
Hugs may not come naturally to all of us. But it is something we can learn… and enjoy… and realize how important that intimacy is.
Our daughter, De, with hubby, Andre’
Yesterday our grandson, DeAna’s youngest son, Chris, went to Vissoie to have dinner at his parents’ restaurant and to give them a long overdue hug. It had been over a month since he had made the trip up the mountain to see them. I wrote to him afterward and said, “Thank you for going to be with your parents and for giving your mom great big, heart-felt hugs. We all need them.“
DeAna and Chris
This morning he wrote back and said, “Oh! It was my pleasure! It’s been too long since I saw them, I needed to squeeze their booooooones. Can’t wait to squeeze yours, too!”
(Chrissy got that expression, “Squeeze yer bones!” from his GrampyBob… It’s one of his favorites.)
Whose bones do you need to squeeze today? Go do it! Go and make hugging one of those things that is “Doin’ what comes naturally!”
Thank you, Laina for sharing your story with us. Thank you for enhancing our family.
Thank you, blogging friends, for visiting JanBeek today. Hugs to you! See ya tomorrow.
My word for 2021 is “Embrace.” Each day during my devotional time, I am prompted with a word or two that tells me what to embrace today. Yesterday it was “Silence.” Did you miss me? I was silent. No blog.
Today I am prompted to say, “Embrace One Another.” You may be thinking, “But… How can we embrace one another in the midst of this pandemic when Social Distancing is required?” How?
Is there someone in your life that you can hug like that today?
However, I am afraid that many people will respond, “No, I can’t hug anyone like that right now.” So, are there other ways to “Embrace One Another” besides hugging? Think about that! What can you do? Write!
… we need to embrace God! We need to lean on Him and let Him enfold us in His loving care. We need God now more than ever! Feel God hugging you as you reach out to Him.
Today during our ZOOM worship service, Rev. Steve Hundley delivered a powerful Pastoral Prayer. As he explained to us (the two dozen members of the Madison Valley Presbyterian Church in Ennis, MT who logged in) during his introduction to the prayer, “I am relying heavily on the prayers of the Reverend Dr. Peter Marshall, who was elected Chaplain of the United States Senate on Jan. 4, 1947.”
PASTORAL PRAYER:
“We know, Almighty God, that in this desperate hour, we as a nation need You. We need Your strength, Your guidance, Your wisdom. These are problems far greater than any human wisdom can solve, for what shall our leaders do in such an hour? May Your wisdom and Your guidance come upon the President, the President elect, the Senators and Congress men and women, to whom have been entrusted leadership. May the responsibility in the midst of this pandemic and civil unrest lie heavily on their hearts, until they are ready to acknowledge their helplessness and turn to You. Give them courage, and the moral integrity to confess that they don’t know what to do. Only then can they lead us as a nation beyond human wisdom to You, who alone has the answers.
Strengthen the courage of all our elected representatives—sincere men and women who want to do what is right, if only they can be sure what is right. Make it plain to them, O Lord. And then, start them out on the right way, for You know that we are hard to turn.
Forgive them for the blunders they have committed, the compromises they have made. Give to them to courage to admit mistakes. Take away from us, both as a nation and individuals, that stubborn pride which, followed by conceit, imagines itself to be above and beyond criticism.
Save our leaders, O God, from themselves and from their friends—even as You have saved them from their enemies.
Let no personal ambition blind them to their opportunities.
Help them to give battle to hypocrisy wherever they find it.
Give them divine common sense and a selflessness that shall make them think of their call to service and not gain.
May they have the courage to lead the people of this Republic, considering unworthy the expediency of following the people.
Lord, we pray for the families of the thousands who have died this week alone of this terrible and relentless virus. We pray too, for the families of those who lost their lives and were injured in our nation’s capital. Bring an end to the violence that would cost just one of our citizens their lives. We pray for a peaceful transition of leadership, in our nation’s capital in the coming weeks.
We pray for those within our own community who have contracted and been exposed to the Corona virus. Heal them and protect them from any long-term effects of the virus.
We pray too for those people whose needs You place on our hearts. Hear and answer, we pray, that You will forgive us all our unworthiness; cleansing us from every ignoble thought and unworthy disposition that we may be renewed in spirit and mind and heart, through Jesus Christ, our Lord… Amen.”
Thank you for visiting JanBeek today. I will post my sermon notes a little later.
