Happy Wordless Wednesday
Wordless in Placerville
Posts tagged ‘joy’
Embrace Bible Study
Tonight I enjoyed sharing the Bible
with friends at our local nursing center.
It’s a privilege to get to know these folks
whose hearts are soft and tender.
The Bible lesson tonight from Psalms
was about how to handle despair.
We all face such emotions at times –
especially during holidays everywhere.
When our families are far away
and we have no way of traveling,
it feels to some they are “trapped”
and their lives are unraveling.
But while Psalm 42 begins in sorrow,
expressing ways life is unfair,
the tone quickly changes to joy
when touting the wonders of prayer.
Psalm 42: 1-8
1 As the deerf pants for streams of water,g
so my soul pantsh for you, my God.
2 My soul thirstsi for God, for the living God.j
When can I gok and meet with God?
3 My tearsl have been my food
day and night,
while people say to me all day long,
“Where is your God?”m
as I pour out my soul:n
how I used to go to the house of Godo
under the protection of the Mighty Oned
with shouts of joyp and praiseq
among the festive throng.r
5 Why, my soul, are you downcast?s
Why so disturbedt within me?
Put your hope in God,u
for I will yet praisev him,
6 My soul is downcast within me;
therefore I will remembery you
from the land of the Jordan,z
the heights of Hermona—from Mount Mizar.
7 Deep calls to deepb
in the roar of your waterfalls;
all your waves and breakers
have swept over me.c
8 By day the Lord directs his love,d
at nighte his songf is with me—
a prayer to the God of my life.g
We talked about the way a waterfall
endlessly sends its spray below
and washes away all debris
in its consistent, cleansing flow.
God does that for each of us
when we turn to Him in prayer.
He washes away despair and
replaces it with love beyond compare.
At night God’s song reverberates
in our souls as we fall asleep.
“Joy to the World” we sang –
His peace is ours to keep.
May the peace of the Baby Jesus
be yours these precious holidays.
Live at peace with others –
and share Christ’s love always!
Tell others about the Good News
and let them know that God’s Word
is your ticket to peace and joy.
Let your actions be love that’s heard.
Lead or join a Bible Study
and let the message come alive
in the way you live each day.
Let’s all help the Good News to thrive.
Amen?
Merry Christmas season, my friends.
Be sure to take time for Bible Study each day…
It’ll brighten your path with the Lord’s Word as a lantern.
Do you have a favorite verse that speaks to you today?
See ya tomorrow (God willing)
Love,
JanBeek
Embrace The Joy
Embrace the joy of the season
Even if you feel overwhelmed
Hah! Who are you kidding?
Ever have a day when positivity seems a distant dream and joy eludes you?
Join the party!
In fact, when you have that kind of a day, that’s exactly what you should do: 🎉 Party 🎈!!
Do you have a hug to share today? Pass it along. Share the joy. I need it. See ya tomorrow (God willing). Love ya … JanBeek
Embrace Great-Grandkids
Oh, the joy of being great-grandparents is a joy many never live long enough to experience. We do not take this for granted. An afternoon with our granddaughter, Hope, and her two children, Xander and Sienna, reinforced for us why God gives children to the young!!
In Genesis 17,
when Godhimself appears to Abraham
and tells him that Sarah will bear a son,
Abraham falls on his face laughing
and exclaims,
“Can a child be born to a man
who is a hundred years old?
Can Sarah, who is ninety years old,
bear a child?”
(Genesis 17:17).
(Genesis 18:13-14)
After Sarah laughs,
God turns to Abraham, asking,
“Why did Sarah laugh, and say,
‘Shall I indeed bear a child, now that I am old? ‘
Is anything too wonderful for the Lord?”
Sarah has been caught
in the act of her private
laughter and mocking commentary,
a response which catches God off-guard.
We understand why when God granted Sarah the child she longed for all her life (she was in her 90s – so it was quite a miracle), she laughed (not believing God could really do that) and then she gave Isaac to the church. The priests there raised him!
Oh sure…. she gave her child to God in gratitude for God’s generosity. Suuure!!
I’ll bet she didn’t have the stamina to care for that lively little guy!
Hah! We loved visiting with our great grandkids, but we’re sure grateful it’s Hope who took them home – not us! Embrace those great-grandchildren… and then kiss ’em good-bye. You bet!!
I’m headed to bed. I’m exhausted!
See ya tomorrow (God willing)
Love, JanBeek
Her mama had to help me
get her in my lap!
Embrace Good Cheer
1 Thess. 5:16-18a
Let godly thinking shape your attitudes.
“16 Rejoice always, 17 pray continually, 18 give thanks in all circumstances…”
With the right attitudes, we can be young at heart no matter what our chronological age may be.
Young at heart!
Can’t you see it?
Psalm 92:12-15
“12 The righteous will flourish like a palm tree,
they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon;
13 planted in the house of the Lord,
they will flourish in the courts of our God.
14 They will still bear fruit in old age,
they will stay fresh and green,
15 proclaiming, “The Lord is upright;
he is my Rock, and there is no wickedness in him.”
Psalm 70:4
Let all who seek You rejoice and be glad in You.
Let those who love Your salvation say evermore,
“God is great!”
Each day has its own personality.
There will be happy and sad days.
Some will be quiet and restful,
while others will be filled with activity.
Some will be brimming with health,
others will find you facing unexpected challenges.
But, whatever the circumstance,
you can find moments of delight –
and you can thrive as you see the
blessings hidden – even in the worst of times.
This week I learned that my friend, Paul,
who was scheduled to replace our wood floor
(while we are gone next month on a trip to Europe)
fell off a ladder and broke some ribs.
In addition to the body aches, he was suffering
massive headaches. So, the doctor took x-rays.
The x-rays revealed that Paul had a brain tumor!
If he had not fallen off that ladder, there might not
have been the x-rays to reveal the tumor.
He had brain surgery yesterday morning.
The report came that “all is well.”
I don’t know if that means the tumor was benign,
or if it means they got it all and he will be fine.
Maybe it means all three!
But, I know Who has the answers…
and I know He hears my prayers.
I know everything happens for a reason…
and I know God is in charge.
I am so grateful the tumor was discovered!
So, I can EMBRACE GOOD CHEER!
I am grateful for the faith I have that allows me to
behold life through the eyes of hope and positivity.
Colors are brighter,
laughter comes easier,
and the joy of simply being alive
sets the tone for daily celebration
of life’s infinite possibilities.
On this day of remembrance (9-11),
may you – with love and reverence –
embrace the good cheer of memories
that cherish the family members,
friends, co-workers, and tireless volunteers
who have made a mark upon your life.
May those memories inspire you
to live with such
integrity,
creativity,
faith,
and love,
that one day
the memory of you
will bring good cheer
to all who know you.
Be in prayer for those who are hurting.
Be in prayer for all who are in danger.
Be in prayer for all who live in fear.
Be in prayer for those who need
happiness to knock on their door today.
You’re in my prayers.
God bless you with good cheer!
Love and hugs,
JanBeek
Embrace Stories
More on the saga of my bruised face!
A friend texted me and suggested,
“The fun part of getting
not one,
but
two black eyes,
is making up some wild,
harebrained event that caused them.
Sky diving accident?
Or when they turn yellow…
trying out for a clown part
in an adaptation of a Stephen King novel.”
I think I could pull off a clown part
in a Stephen King adaptation, don’t you?
I don’t need to wait til they turn yellow…
just match the magenta with my lipstick,
clothing, and earrings,
and (as Derrick suggested)
EMBRACE THE BRUISES!!
If you’re just tuning in to this messed up face saga,
I need you to know that I got into a wrestling match
with a tiger – and I won. The tiger
ran off into the woods, never to attack a human again!
And if you believe that, you need to buy my latest novel…
published by Porterhouse … available on your next steak.
If you can’t embrace sunglasses
and hide the damage,
then ya gotta smile and bare it,
right?
And while we’re at it, I have another story to tell you:
You know I’d not be likely to buy a case of beer –
but good wine, now that’s another story!
Now if you think I have any flawless dance moves left in me,
I have a glass of Kool-Aid to sell you.
I have waaaay too many birthday stories to tell –
and a whole lot of receipts for the Kool-Aid I’ve sold.
How about you,
you got any artificial parts
so they make you go through
the metal scanner at the airport?
Bob & I both get the fun of being frisked
every time we take a trip!
But, we’ve decided flying is a better way to go
instead of driving these days.
Driving requires sitting next to one another
and trying to talk to each other.
After nearly 60 years of marriage,
what’s left to talk about?
On a plane, if you’re lucky,
you get the center aisle –
and somebody new to talk to.
Seeing better was a perk of younger years.
Hearing better is a perk of aging…
but it takes a set of $4000 aids to do it.
As the birthdays pile up,
we have to be sure we have our bifocals
and our hearing aids
before we leave home.
Next it’ll be our walking stick
or a walker!!
Try not to lose your glasses
or your car keys –
That’s one of the problems
we multi-birthday folks have.
But that’s not as bad a losing
your memory.
Did I tell you the story about
how I got these black eyes?
Oh, I did?
It was back on the blog called
EMBRACE HARD HEADS –
Remember?
You don’t?
Oh well…
That’s a story for another day.
Do you have a story to tell?
Come on, be a sport…
Entertain me!
See ya tomorrow (God willing)
Love,
JanBeek
Embrace Encouragement
Do you ever get into a funk?
Life can feel downright discouraging.
Life can feel out of control.
The world is burning up here in the western USA
And life is tenuous at best
In places like Afghanistan and Haiti.
Smoke fills Madison Valley
Bless firefighters
through the smoke-filled, sad, gray sky
It cleared a little
My response is funky mood
Looking for more rain
The loss of life and freedom
Brutalization
To leave Kabul rapidly
Not a chance of that
It’s horrifying! to see
Worse yet to live it
In the midst of this
Devastation, what’s the word?
It’s ENCOURAGEMENT
How can that be true?
Where to find encouragement?
Get out of this funk!
In tragedy’s midst
Where can I find strength and hope?
Circumvent sadness?
How can anything
I do or say dent sorrow?
Search within myself?
I live in such peace
That I feel enormous guilt
For prosperity.
What strength is in me
To bring firefighters hope?
To save Haitian lives?
People who have lost
Their homes and their businesses
Still have lives to live.
Can they get through this
With their faith in God intact?
Where’s encouragement?
At Bible Study
We focused on Ephesians
6:10-20
The Whole Armor of God
10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. 14 Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. 16 In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; 17 and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, 18 praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, 19 and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, 20 for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak.”
Find hope biblically
Look for encouragement there
All is not hopeless
Don’t abandon faith.
Let it bolster your spirits
Encourage others
In our Bible Study, I was encouraged with this definition of joy:
“Joy is resistance to:
* hopelessness
* hatred
* divisiveness
* greed
* despair
* rigidity
* darkness
* complacency
* lies, and
* discouragement.”
I asked my Bible Study friends,
“In the midst of all this despair,
what can we really DO
to encourage others
and to avoid the pitfalls
of discouragement
and despair?”
They responded with these suggestions,
“Pray,
Write,
Block negativity
(especially on Social media),
Volunteer to help others,
and PLAY!”
To trade your funk for pleasure
Than to learn to play!
Take a look within –
How do you avoid despair?
Click below and share!
God loves you!
(And so do I!)
Embrace that Big Blue Sky!
We went up, up, up
into the Tobacco Root Mountains yesterday
(west of McAllister, Montana)
and we touched the sky
on the top of the world!
The camera doesn’t do it justice!
The ride up on our ATVs became bumpy and rocky, but it was fun!
Through the trees, across the mountainsides, and up to the top.
We could not have asked for a prettier day.
After weeks of smoke-filled skies, this was a relief!
I was glad I wore a jacket, a scarf and a hat.
The wind came up and it was quite chilly
the higher we went.
Their delightful friends, Mike & Jane Dodson,
were visiting from VA.
Tucked behind, check out Charlie, the Jack Russell.
There were 9 guys –
eight of whom drove the ATVs…
Our “Lucille” is the redhead at the front of the line –
on whom we have a “Ball!”
blue-sky, perfect day’s vista with me!
and didn’t travel to this very top with us…
But here are seven of the troopers
with TazE being babied by Bob!
two who needed to head back down
from Lookout #1.
It was good to see them!
at the mountaintop
before heading back down.
that brought us up to the top.
It’s actually easier going down!
Maybe one of these days,
you can come to Montana
and join us for a ride.
What do you think?
Embrace Contagious Joy!
Want to be happy?
Just embrace contagious joy.
Hang with happy folks!
Find reasons to smile.
Folks will smile back at you.
Smiles are contagious!
Psalm 144:15
“Happy are the people whose God is the LORD.”
The Good News:
God is the true source of
happiness,
strength,
hope,
and wisdom.
Those who are in His favor
will always have these things.
Just as mopey people can pull you into the doldrums,
Happy People can lift your spirits and make you smile.
Happiness is a choice… choose it!
Beeeee Contagious!
Spread JOY!
SMILE!
See ya tomorrow (God willing)
Love,
JanBeek
Embrace Ukiah
As I strive to spread love, joy, peace, faith and unity, I often embrace haiku as a means of expression. Today I learned about a poetry form that is new to me: ukiah. It is reverse haiku. Instead of pattern of 5-7-5, it uses a 7-5-7 pattern. It is a joy to me to learn new things … and to put new ideas into practice. Do you find joy in newness?
Try applying new concepts
Making room for joy
Embrace ukiah today
Then I learned, Oh no! There’s another requirement for ukiah. It has to rhyme! All three lines? Or just two of the three?
I researched it and found the definition written by the person who invented it, Robert Ropars :
“My idea is the opposite of the haiku. I was thinking it should be a “Roparsku” but my lack of ego (and my very wise girlfriend) kept me grounded. So since I’m talking about the opposite, then reversed it would a “Ukiah.” Now searching around online I see some people have played with variations (calling this a “reverse haiku”), but only changed the syllabic construction. I think a true “reversal” would also take into account the rhyme aspect. In addition, this adds an extra level of challenge to the endeavor.
Wow… all three lines rhyme. That changes everything!
It would be composed of:
•3 lines in length
•rhyming
•lines 1 and 3 contain 7 syllables
•line 2 contains 5 syllables
Haiku example:
Winds blowing lightly
Leaves whispering in the dark
Stars twinkling above
Ukiah example:
Leaves are drifting in the night
The stars are so bright
Shivering I hold you tight
This poem of Laura’s is free verse.
I took its ideas and tried to create a Ukiah using it:
You can’t see me; I hear you –
And you can’t touch – true,
But I feel you near clear through.
You do not taste my sad tears,
But I cry your fears.
Your sadness pierces like spears.
In this very empty room,
Silence is perfume:
A claustrophobic deep gloom.
I smell and feel it around.
Miss your loving sound.
Hate social distance ground!
When ukiah is so sad,
Where’s joy to be had?
Just creating makes me glad.
Practice keeps newness churning.
Embrace the yearning.
Apply newness while learning.
7-5-7
and add rhyme…
Try it!
Embrace Ukiah!!
Be a sport!
Share your try at ukiah in the comments below.
Thanks for visiting JanBeek today.
See ya tomorrow (God willing!)
