Loving One Another

Posts tagged ‘Light’

Why Practice Giving?


Why practice giving? What’s in it for me?

Many Ways

There are many ways to “give.” My mailbox is overflowing everyday this time of year for requests to give – donate to St. Judes or St. Joseph’s Indian School; donate to Foot and Mouth Painters or Salvation Army; make an extra donation to Guideposts or my church or the Food Bank. And don’t even ask me how many text messages and e-mails I receive each day from political candidates! Yes, giving money is one way to practice giving… and if you have dough to spare, there are needy, worthy causes out there.

But do you know for sure what percentage of your hard-earned bucks are going to the intended cause? Can you see the light in the eyes of the recipient?

Face-to-Face

Giving face-to-face changes your life as well as the recipient’s. Pay it forward in the grocery line. Give a hug. Share your talent at a nursing home … maybe it’s a visit and a hug or a half hour of your time to read a little from your favorite poems. Maybe it’s a meal in your home with friends you’d like to have a chance to know better. And you’d like them to know each other. Maybe it’s transportation to an appointment for someone without a car. Perhaps it is time with a child (yours or someone else’s… doesn’t matter… just be there!).

Think of giving in non-monetary terms. Give of yourself. Give joyfully! Why?

Give as the Lord’s Example

Photo by nappy on Pexels.com

Generosity Encouraged

2 Corinthians 9:6-9
6 Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. 7 Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. 8 And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. 9 As it is written: “They have freely scattered their gifts to the poor; their righteousness endures forever.”

Photo by tear cordez on Pexels.com

God Bless You, dear Friends.
Have you decided on
an answer to “What’s in it for me?”

I hope you’re having a “good” day.
Thank you for being such generous givers!
Tell me about the last time you “gave” – what was it?

Merry Christmas!
See you tomorrow.

Category:

Bible Lessons, Giving, God, Living in Christ's Family, Love, Serving One Another, Spiritual Gifts

Tagged with:

Shine Your Light!


In today’s sermon,
Elaine told a story of
A lighthouse keeper:

On a stormy night,
He climbed the rocks to the light;
Turned it on and fell.

He fell and he died
That night on the rocky hill
After doing his job.

A sailor that night
Saved his passengers and crew
Because of the light.

The lightkeeper died
So that others might be saved
From falls in darkness.

Is your light shining in the dark?

Elaine Hundley, who delivered the message in church today reminded us that, like this lighthouse keeper, Jesus died that we might live. He gave His life for us. Likewise, we are reminded to share our lives – give what we have – to brighten the lives of others.

Elaine read from Luke 12:13-21,
and she reminded us –
“All we have is on loan to us
From the Lord, the Almighty.
If we have extra, we are told
To give it away; don’t hold tightly.“

These are eleven of the WordPress bloggers
who provide sunshine in my life –
They share the writing talents they have been given;
They are my choices
for the Sunshine Blogger Award :

  1. Cristian Mihai, The Art of Blogging
  2. derrickjknight
  3. lilie215, Tea and Toast with Kindness
  4. Sandra, Into the Light Adventures
  5. MeRaw, The Journey of My Left Foot (whilst remembering my son)
  6. Claudia, Humoring the Goddess
  7. Dr. Perry, Dr. Eric Perry, PhD
  8. Betul Erbasi – To Write or not to Write and What to Write
  9. Marts, for much deliberation
  10. Ann Koplow, The Year(s) of Living Non-Judgmentally
  11. ELLE, elleguyence
Here’s my Sunshine Award for you!
Congratulations for being such a great blogger!
You shine your light on my life each time you post!

Dear Readers, you will enjoy checking out the blogs listed above. They are always inspiring. If any of these people wish to accept the award (Big Sky Buckeye already did – he sent this to me) and put it on their blog site, check back to see the rules posted yesterday on JanBeek.

Among the rules, I was asked to answer 11 questions and then create 11 questions for my Sunshine Award recipients to answer. Here are my questions:

  1. When did you start blogging?
  2. Why did you start blogging?
  3. How often do you generally blog?
  4. What’s the main topic of your blog (your “niche”)?
  5. Is there a particular time of day when you generally blog? If so, when and why?
  6. Who is your most faithful follower?
  7. Do you have a tendency to post with that person in mind? Or do you have a different technique for personalizing your message?
  8. Of all your posts, which one would you save if all were lost except one?
  9. What’s one piece of advice you can pass on to beginning bloggers?
  10. Where do you get most of your ideas?
  11. If you could improve one thing about WordPress, what would it be?
Thanks for being a light in my day!

See ya tomorrow.

Category:

Awards, Bible Lessons, blogging, Giving, God, Haiku, Love, Poetry, Sharing, writing

Tagged with:

Enchanting Photo


www.facebook.com/sassyseniorlady/photos/a.673352836020852/2609441439078639

I just HAD to share this with you! I was mesmerized by it!

Have a good Tuesday night.

See ya tomorrow.

Category:

Animals, Love, Sharing

Tagged with:

Love, Light, Listening, Laughter


Welcome to Day #12,
the “L” Day
on the A-Z series,

Add Greater Meaning
and
Purpose to
Life

Ya Gotta Love Life

silhouette of people jumping

Photo by vjapratama on Pexels.com


Life is Light
and
Light is Life

pexels-photo-301599

Without Light, we’d all die

grayscale photography of human skull

Photo by ahmed adly on Pexels.com


Laughter adds Light to Life
It makes Life Lighter
Ya Gotta Listen for and Join the Laughter

IMG_5732

Need a little laughter today?
This one cracked me up!!

54799109_1211519559005835_8981993440300498944_n
I shared this one with my husband and got a chuckle outta him.
This could be my niece’s husband, Bill’s head:

58442118_1233559913468466_2871375805642964992_n

Maybe you’ll laugh out loud at this one:

56157323_1215950568562734_3340019311015100416_o.jpg

58717917_1234925809998543_6894752287789416448_n

Yes,
without Laughter, we might
be at a dead end!!

Photo by Jhonis Martins on Pexels.com
Photo by Kat Jayne on Pexels.com
Photo by Kat Jayne on Pexels.com
Photo by Trinity Kubassek on Pexels.com

Love Life; Be the Light
Sparkle with Light and Laughter
Color my Purpose!

pexels-photo-977539.jpeg

Photo by Godisable Jacob on Pexels.com

People who sparkle with color that lights the path to my purpose are like angels.

Dr Jimmy Walters, a fellow blogger whom I admire and follow,
wrote about Michaelangelo yesterday in his blog.
He told in his article titled, Set Free Your Inner Angel,
how Michelangelo, the famous Renaissance artist,
approached sculpting as a process to “set free” angels.
Dr. Walters said, “He would pick the right block of rigid stone,
and through a discovery process,
chip away until he set the angel,
or statue, free.”
He went on to say,
“You are called to be the hero of your own life,
and as a result, a hero for others.
The road to the light begins with your dreams,
and accepting them as a mandate.
At times, these dreams are finally welcomed by you
because of a crack to your armor.
At other times, dreams are pursued
because you are finally ready to be your true self.”

angel-bee friends

My friend, Art, who is in our Madison Valley Writers’ Group,
shared a beautiful essay on the subject of LIGHT today.
In my estimation, he is a man
who has pursued his dreams and has set his true self free.
As I listened to Art, one sentence that brought
a beautiful image to mind was:
“I write with the fervor of a bee born to die.”

I write with that fervor, too. Do you?

purple flowers in bloom

My husband, Bob, is a retired beekeeper.
Today he is helping to install bees in a new observation hive
at our school here in Ennis, Montana.
He continues to find purpose in life by
teaching people of all ages
about the life of  honeybees.
Like all of us, bees are born to die.

Honeybees sting to protect themselves,
their queen or their hives.
Drones (male bees) have no stinger.
But, the female worker bees, do, of course!
If she stings you,
she dies.

Living to love, listening for/sharing laughter,
and learning to “Bee the Light,”
gives my life purpose.
What are you willing to die for?


Listen for the ideas you love,
and let them add meaning to your life.

Will you share one of those ideas with me?

 

Category:

Animals, Haiku, Life and Death, Living in Harmony, Love, nature, writing

Tagged with:

Crack the Door Open


482435_413385842011298_1079521178_n

CRACK THE DOOR OPEN

See yourself opening doors to joy, peace, healing, prosperity, and love.
Doors to understanding, compassion, and forgiveness.
Doors to freedom…
Doors to self-worth and self-esteem…
Doors to self-love…
It is all here before you…
Which door will you open first? ~ Louise L. Hay

I have a lot of crackpot friends
Who make me laugh and sing
They say good friends always are
Half-cracked (if there is such a thing)

It’s through the cracks that light
Can sneak in and add levity
To the darkened places in
The hearts of you and me

We need those crackpot friends
Like we need doors that open wide
To let the light shine in our lives
And erase the shadows we try to hide

So, crack the door open, friends
And invite your light to shine bright
I need it in my life each day
I need it today; I’ll need it tonight

For life can be filled with darkness
If you close yourself into a knot and stay curled
Open your heart to the blessings out there
Crack the door open and welcome the world!

Category:

blessings, friendship, happiness, Life's Challenges, Living in Harmony, Love, mental health, peace, self-acceptance, Serving One Another

Tagged with:

Surrounded by Angels


On a cold and frosty Montana morning
I sit in my sanctuary – surrounded by angels
And the stillness within and without
Takes me to my inner sanctuary

Come and join me this morning
In the beauty of a winter day
From the warmth of my Angel Room
My place of respite, where the Holy Spirit dwells

sanctuary in cloud.JPG

The sky is dark and we’re in a cloud

sanctuary 2 angels.jpg

The angels within sing quietly; they’re never loud

Jesus praying.jpg

Jesus prays with me from His place in my cloud

Faith book cover.jpg

And reminds me that FAITH is not for the proud

Swiss cup.JPG

With humble appreciation, I think of the faces

angel in frosty tree.jpg

Who surround me with love in these heavenly spaces

frosty tree.JPG

I thank God for the trees all frosty with glitter

sweet angel.jpg

I dream of the people gone before me – they flitter

placque 3 gathered.jpg

In and out of my prayers, like the three angels here

3 angels.JPG

They remind me of prayer partners far away, yet so near.

angel ornament.JPG

I think of the gifts of poets and artists

blue egg angel.JPG

The angels surround me – sending thoughts that are part of us

curly-haired angel.JPG

Some are melancholy, reminding me of my sins

angel conductor.jpg

Others are joyful, and my gratitude spins

blue angel egg.JPG

I remember the angel who decorated this egg

multiple angels.jpg

And all the other creative friends – Watch over them, I beg

angel-bee friends.JPG

Help my friends who are ill and need special care

angel light.JPG

Shine Your light on them… let them know You are there

3 angels on ledge.jpg

Bring them comfort and health and wisdom galore

angel w piggy.jpg

Hold them close to Your Heart, Lord, give them so much more…

feathered angel.JPG

… than ever they dreamed of; like the birds of the air

2 angels- mama+boy & gold chain.JPG

Let them know you are with them; show them how much You care.

angels-frosty tree-blue sky.JPG

As the darkness subsides and the blue sky emerges,

blue sky-sanctuary view south.JPG

Send them all Your GREAT LOVE that in my heart surges…

angel faith.jpg

Great love for the angels that brighten my day.

And now, my dear friends, I send some your way!

heart shaped red balloonGo on your blessed, lovely, angel-filled way!And thanks for joining me in my sanctuary today.

IMG_6317

Hugs from JanBeek

Category:

blessings, contentment, Faith, Family, friendship, Giving, God, Gratitude, happiness, Jesus, Living in Christ's Family, Living in Harmony, Love, Montana, peace, prayer

Tagged with:

Prophets – Bah Humbug!


If you’ve been following my blog awhile, you know I take notes in poetry as I listen to the sermon in church on Sundays.

white house on green grass and green mountain

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

If you’re new to my blog, welcome! Thank you so much for following. You help me know with your “likes” and comments that I am not just writing into cyberspace. There are real people out there – my blogging “friends” – who may be touched, encouraged, tickled, or illuminated by my posts. If I help you somehow along this rugged path of life to step a little lighter, see a little brighter, or love each other “righter”, then I have accomplished my purpose.

Here are the notes reflecting the message I gathered from yesterday’s sermon. After the service, I told Rev. Jean Johnson, our pastor at Madison Valley Presbyterian, “Your message spoke to me. I think I’ll blog this one.”

So, here it is:

Prophets – Bah Humbug!

Who needs a prophet?
They are annoying, I think.
At best, they are pests.
At worst, they stink!

Tell ’em to take
Their soapboxes away
To some other place.
They harp doom everyday.

Isn’t it enough to try
To be good to each other?
Isn’t it enough
To love sister and brother?

Here we are this Advent
Being called to goodness and hope.
John the Baptist says we
Need baptism and repentance to cope.

He persists in saying
Mountains must be flat.
Paths must be made straight.
Who needs all that?

We like our high mountains.
We like crooked paths, too.
Who needs these prophets?
Do they annoy you?

Well, to be honest, I must
Tell you these truthtellers
Are important to us.
They’re really not such bad fellers!

They call us to be humble.
They show us the Christ-like way.
They remind us of past errors
And guide us to a better way.

Prophets help us discover
How love is better than hate.
They show us what really matters.
Heed them. Invite them in. It’s a date!

Be the love to the loveless.
Don’t worry and think you’re too small.
Listen to the wisdom of the prophets.
Their message is good for us all.

Let God’s light shine through you.
Be the prophetic face of love.
Go out and BE a prophet.
Share the message from God above.

Amen?

 

Category:

Bible Lessons, Faith, God, Living in Christ's Family, Love, truth, writing

Tagged with:

Tag Cloud

%d bloggers like this: