Spreading love, joy, peace, faith & unity

Posts tagged ‘Lord’

Embrace Courage


Some days it takes courage to get out of bed!
Some days it takes courage to look yourself in the mirror.
Have you had days like that?
Today was one of them for me!

Oh my! Goose egg reduced –
– but eye suffering drained blood!

So, I could go back to bed and feel sorry for myself –
– or I could get up and face the day.
I had to ask myself, WWJD??
(What would Jesus do?)

So, I began with that simple prayer…

Jesus said to me, “Get up and face the day! Be courageous!”
So, I did… and by noon the one black eye was better
and the color had shifted so it was on the other eye, too.

Not near as frightening looking!

Matthew 9:22

“But Jesus turning and seeing her said,
‘Take courage, daughter…’ “

My devotional for today in Mornings with Jesus
reinforced the prayer response.
So, up and out I went!

We have been having day after day with skies filled with smoke
from the fires that are all around MT, ID, CO, CA, and OR.
The mountains have been invisible to us weeks on end.
But today I could see the mountains!

The view of the Madison Range
from our Pintail Ridge
here in Ennis.

By the time I spent a little time with a friend
and returned home this afternoon,
we had the clearest blue sky in months!
See, if you have courage to face the day,
God is good – and He will make you glad you did!

The beautiful view of blue sky
above and around our home…

The moral of the story is,
EMBRACE COURAGE!

Don’t let your hesitancy
keep you from facing the day.

Get up,
Get going,
Get out,
and
Get happy!

God is good.
Trust Him!

Oh, and remember those fires in CA?
They are not over…

Please keep the firefighters and those in Harm’s Way in your prayers.
Our son and his wife are sharing their home with a family of 8
who were evacuated from their home… but it is not destroyed…
just in the evacuation zone … and the fire is still headed toward
our granddaughter’s in S Lake Tahoe. So keep the prayers flowing!

See ya tomorrow – God willing!

EMBRACE COURAGE –
and reach out to do what you can
to help others…


Love,
JanBeek

Category:

Belief, Bible Lessons, courage, Faith, Family, God, Gratitude, health, Jesus, Life's Challenges, Love, mental health, Montana, mountains, optimism, prayer, Serving One Another

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Embrace Trust


Do you embrace trust?
In whom do you place your trust?
The Lord says, “Trust Me!”

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

Luke 8:25

Then He said to His disciples, “Why can’t you trust Me?”

Are you facing strife?
Is life full of challenges?
Where do you place trust?

Do you have answers –
Solutions all by yourself?
Independence sucks!

Interdependence
Is what the Lord asks of us.
Put your hand in His!

Photo by mododeolhar on Pexels.com

When you reach to Him,
Count on His hand there for you.
Invest time with God.

Commit to trust Him.
Recount His great faithfulness.
Put away your doubts.

Give God something small.
Then allow yourself to trust
Him with bigger things.

Psalm 91 is a profound reminder that nothing can separate us from the love of God. It’s a strong reminder of God’s loving care and protection. It is a call to trust in God, even in the midst of danger. The Psalmist reminds us of the safest place:

Psalm 91:1

“Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High
will rest in the Shadow of the Almighty.”

Bob and I are facing some challenging situations these days related to his health, our own home improvements, and church property decisions. We are not alone in facing these dilemmas, but opinions of others can often be conflicting. The Bible tells us that we must put our trust in the one who stills the waters. Lay our souls bare before the Lord and listen for His mighty word… Watch for His guidance … Seek His counsel.

Photo by James Wheeler on Pexels.com

Often the road to answers has a fork in it.
Knowing which path to take requires
discernment,
openness,
and
trust.

Who do you trust?

How do you find the voice of reason?

Share your answers with me!

Sometimes you are the light
He provides!

See ya tomorrow (God willing).
Love ya,
JanBeek

Category:

Bible Lessons, Faith, Family, God, Haiku, Life's Challenges, Living in Christ's Family, Living in Harmony, Love, music, Poetry, relationships, Sharing

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Embrace the Light


Today was a very important, memorable day at our church.
It was Father’s Day, yes…
and we honored our fathers and our Father in Heaven.
But the real LIGHT of the day
was the opportunity to be in church
on this special Sunday when
Mary Grace Reynolds,
was presenting her first sermon as
our official new pastor.
MGR is fresh out of seminary,
but she conducted the service
as if she had ten years of experience!
We are so blessed to have her
at Madison Valley Presbyterian Church
here in Ennis, MT.
If you ever are in our area on a Sunday,
you MUST come and experience
the Holy Spirit alive and well in this little community!!

Her sermon title was, “There’s a Light On.”

If you have followed my blog for a week or more, you know that most Sundays as I listen to the sermon, I take notes – and most of the time I take them in some form of poetry. Today was no exception. Here is what I heard through my JanBeek filter:

I feel the Holy Spirit
Perched on my shoulder.
How we understand where we’ve been
Matters a lot as we grow older.

Even though this is a new beginning,
We sit on the blessings and woes of the past.
We incorporate these into who we are
As we step into the future – at last.

Genesis One spoke to me this week.
Looking at effortless, timeless majesty,
We are reminded of God’s control
As the mountains loom with no hesitancy.

God holds all the cards; we don’t!
The utility of history – truth and facts –
Reminds us to adapt historical records
As we articulate how God in creation acts.

God’s power was articulated in Genesis
By stories and memories told with persistence.
The Israelites were reminded of their God
Who breathed the world into existence.

The creation story reminded them of hope –
The hope and identity they have in God.
Our stories tell who and where we’ve been.
They reveal our cracks, our cobwebs, our sin.

We can look back at the God
Who turned the light on within us,
And we notice God’s sovereignty –
Grateful for how His Son freed sin from us.

The Israelites remember the pain
They had in exile for so many years.
We too remember the pain and grief
Of life – and thank God for drying our tears.

As we move as a church body
Into newness, remember the past.
Recall how He kept the light on –
And move joyfully into the future – at last.

God is in this place with us
Sure as the sun continues to rise.
We’re challenged to move forward now
Knowing we’re guided by the Light of God’s eyes.

There’s a Light On!
Embrace the Light!
Amen.

Toward the end of the service,
Mary Grace presented a beautiful Pastoral Prayer.
I took notes as I prayed this prayer with her:

Holy God, be with us.
Most High God, comfort and heal the afflicted.
Lord, grant Your presence.
Bring them out of their suffering.
Lord, we know You can – and You do.
Almighty God, whom we sometimes call Father,
pour out Your spirit on all fathers
who are working today
to provide food for their families,
and to keep them sheltered.
Eternal God, whom we still call Father,
You are so much more than earthly fathers.
Make whole what has been broken.
Most Loving God,
we give thanks for all those we call
father.
Thanks for all those
who sacrifice for their children.
God, whom we call Father,
we stand in praise and awe of Your Power.
Remind us
You are in the boat
and
You have the Light on!
Amen

Photo by William Mattey on Pexels.com

Hear our prayer, O Lord.
Hear our prayer, O Lord.
Incline Thine ear to us,
And grant us Thy peace.

Amen

Have a beautiful, blessed Sunday, my friends,
And a very Happy Father’s Day.
See ya tomorrow (God willing) –
Love,
JanBeek

Category:

Belief, Faith, God, Jesus, Living in Christ's Family, Love, music, Poetry, prayer, sermon notes, writing

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Embrace Trust


Where do you place trust?
Only in the hands of God.
Know He’ll pull you through!

Proverbs 3:5-6 – “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all ways submit to Him – and He will make your paths straight.”



See ya tomorrow.
Have a good night’s sleep.
Love,
JanBeek

Category:

Belief, Bible Lessons, Faith, God, Haiku, Life's Challenges, Living in Christ's Family, Love, music, peace, Poetry, Promises

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Embrace a Clear Conscience


Having a clear conscience is one life’s joys.
Looking at myself in the mirror has to be
A time when I can honestly say to myself,
“I am being my best self. I like what I see!”

Life is not about being perfect.
Life is not about never making mistakes.
Life is about appreciation and forgiveness,
Loving God and one another – that’s what it takes.

A clear conscience doesn’t come because
You never say or do things you eventually regret.
It comes because you admit your failings,
Ask forgiveness, receive it, and then forget!

Don’t forget the lessons that you learn
From the errors you readily can see,
But put the mistakes behind you, never to be
Repeated – Never to divide you and me.

Photo by Deeana Creates on Pexels.com

I try not to let my faux pas get me down.
I know I am only human and I disappoint,
But I try not to become entangled in them.
There’s more to life than to finger point!

My conscience is clear when I know in my heart
That my motives were pure when I blew it.
So, if there’s more to it than admittance,
Remorse, and forgiveness, who knew it?

Photo by Ketut Subiyanto on Pexels.com

Whatever I said or did to hurt you,
I really didn’t aim to bring harm.
So hug me, my friend, and forgive me –
So my conscience won’t sound the alarm!

I can embrace a clear, clean conscience –
One that is free to stand quiet and true
Before my Lord and Savior, my Maker.
I pray the same blessing, my friend, for you.

May you experience the “Sweet Forgiveness”
That Christ can provide so we can pass it on.
As we embrace a clear conscience, may we
Spread the love so others also have a Bright New Dawn.

1 Timothy 1:5

But the goal of our instruction
is love from a pure heart
and a good conscience
and a sincere faith.



I had not heard Gordon Mote before –
and I didn’t know this song. Was it new to you, too?

Do you have a clear conscience?
If not, is there something you need to
ask God to help you clear up
so you, too, can have a clean slate?

I invite you to contemplate
what that level of forgiveness
means in your heart
as you sit quietly for awhile
and listen to the soothing piano
of this “Gaither Instrumentals.”

Thanks for dropping by JanBeek today.

See ya tomorrow (God willing).

Category:

Bible Lessons, contentment, Faith, God, Jesus, Life's Challenges, Living in Christ's Family, Living in Harmony, Love, Memories, mental health, music, Poetry, prayer, relationships

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Embrace Uniqueness


Aren’t you totally amazed at how
The Creator made us each so unique?
No two fingerprints, no two zebra’s stripes
Are the same – – – just take a peek!

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

No two sets of eyes, not even twins
Have exactly the same DNA.
No two cats – and no two dogs
Are just the same – no matter what you say.

Photo by Sam Lion on Pexels.com

No two leaves – nor clouds in the sky
Are just like any other one.
How did God create such uniqueness
In this world beneath the sun?

Photo by Vali S. on Pexels.com

No two ways of looking
At exactly the same motivation
will result in the same response –
Some see sadness others elation.

Photo by Andrea Piacquadio on Pexels.com

It is our uniqueness that makes us
An interesting, diverse, beautiful world.
We fly our flags in different colors,
But in reality we’re all one world unfurled.

Photo by Shakeb Tawheed on Pexels.com
Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

Let’s embrace our uniqueness
And celebrate how we see things differently
While remembering we are more alike
Than not… and we’re all designed magnificently!

Photo by Carl Attard on Pexels.com

I am grateful for the unique qualities
Of each bird and fish and friend –
And I thank God for His imagination –
For His Creation – that has no end.

Photo by Francesco Ungaro on Pexels.com

There’s no one on earth like me;
No one in the whole world like you,
So embrace your uniqueness, my friend…
Share with others your point of view.

No one sees life quite like you do.
No one can paint or write as you do.
Let your expression of life splash out of you
And help others see the world anew.

Ecclesiastes 3:11

He has made everything beautiful in its time.
Also, He has put eternity into man’s heart,
yet so that he cannot find out
what God has done from the beginning to the end.

Just as no pot created on the potter’s wheel
Ends up looking just like another pot,
And yet each is beautiful in its own way,
So each of us beautiful – no one is not!

Photo by rawpixel.com on Pexels.com

Something beautiful, something good –
All my confusion He understood.
All I had to offer Him was brokenness and strife,
But He made something beautiful of my life.

Give your brokenness and strife to God.
Let Him make something beautiful in you.
Then share it – as only you can do –
So others can appreciate their uniqueness, too.

Use your unique qualities to make the world a better place.
Don’t judge others or turn them away because they’re different.
Embrace them. Love them. Appreciate the way they add color to your world.
Know God designed each of us intentionally … be reverent!

I love you, my friend.
Thank you for adding your uniqueness to my world.
See ya tomorrow.

Hugs,
JanBeek
(& Bob – my unique hubby)

Category:

Animals, Bible Lessons, friendship, God, learning, life, Living in Harmony, Love, mental health, music, optimism, relationships, respect, self-acceptance, self-esteem

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Embrace Bird Songs


Bird Songs – Haiku
by JanBeek

Let’s embrace bird songs.
They bring music to our souls.
Delight in their sounds!

The following video is a 42 minute delight.
It displays 80 birds,
identifies them for you,
and plays their songs.
I LOVE it!

I recommend that you
play it as background music
as you read the rest of my blog
and go about your day.

Peek back at it every now and then –
because the close-up pictures of these birds
and the words that identify them
and the settings where you find them
will be sure to delight you!

I woke this morning to the sound of doves cooing.
They have built their nest in the eaves
Outside my bedroom window –
Crafted it with twigs and leaves.

Partner doves made their home there
And sang their song, “I hid hid hid it!”
Soon they’ll lay their eggs there
And change their song to “I did did did it!”

But their nest is not hidden from us.
We can see their coming and their going.
Their song brings us daily happiness.
Our day starts with shared music – enjoying!

.

After you have listened to some of that first video, check this one out. It is just the dove…
Then go back to that first one. Let it mesmerize you!
(You can slide the red bar at the bottom of it to go back to where you left off.)

“Happy are the people to whom such blessings fall;
happy are the people whose God is the Lord.”

Psalm 144:15

Just as each bird has its song,
People have songs that identify them.
Some are blues, some jazz or rock and roll,
Others are known by their favorite hymn.

As I listen to music on my Amazon device
And I hear one I wanna put in my cart,
I say, “Alexa, add that to my favorites.”
My list – like a bird song – comes from my heart.
.

Take a break from the bird songs,
and listen to a song that touches my heart.
I can’t help but sing along whenever it plays:


In my “Happiness Project”
(one sentence journal)
the verse at the top of the page
today was:

“It is neither wealth nor splendor,
but tranquility and occupation, which give happiness.”

– Thomas Jefferson

.

What Creates Happiness for You?


I used to find my greatest happiness in the classroom – working with young children.
Then I found it in my home with my husband and two children.
Neither of those sources, however could be defined as “tranquil.”

It wasn’t until we moved here to Montana, we both retired, and we bought a house with an upstairs “SanctuAiree,” that I found my place of tranquility. Surrounded by trees with singing birds outside and my Bibles, devotionals, and angels inside, I am at peace. Inner peace is my definition of tranquility and happiness. How about you?

For me, there are few things in life which create more tranquility than the sound of a dove cooing. Our God used a dove as the carrier of good news (it returned to the ark with an olive branch to announce “Dry Land! It’s here! It’s here!”) The dove is a symbol of peace.

What a way to wake up in the morning! And then they greet me on the rooftop when I am in my SanctuAiree.

Doves are little gifts from God.
I love them and their song.

What is your favorite bird song?

Thanks for visiting JanBeek today.

I hope you’ll be singing when you leave here!

(You can go back to that first video and continue enjoying those bird songs)

See ya tomorrow (God willing).

Category:

Animals, Bible Lessons, contentment, God, Haiku, learning, Living in Harmony, Love, Montana, music, peace, Poetry

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Embrace Help


Have you ever listened to someone for a minute and thought
“Their cornbread isn’t done in the middle” ??

My beef stew this noon needed cornbread to accompany it.

And the cornbread WAS cooked all the way through.
What does this have to do with Palm Sunday?
Sometimes I stew over the way the disciples
led Jesus to his demise in Jerusalem.

It’s rather corny to suggest that they
were half baked. But they were!
They didn’t have a clue about what
Jesus was about!

Even though he told them
He was going to die
and rise again in three days,
they were as clueless
as those peppers in my stew!

“Hosanna!” they shouted.
“Hosanna in the highest!”

Do you know what Hosanna means?
I thought it was an expression of celebration.
Nope, it means, “Help me!”
And that’s just what He did.
But, like half-baked cornbread,
they had no idea how He was helping them.

Today’s sermon notes from the message
by Rev. Steve Hundley at the
Madison Valley Presbyterian Church
in Ennis, Montana
was titled,
“Going Through the Motions”

Imagine a small church in a small town.
Imagine how the congregation is feeling down.
Their brothers and sisters are being slaughtered.
They’ve forgotten what Jesus did for their sons and daughters.

Imagine the preacher having just received Mark,
The book that recalls Jesus’ light in the dark.
The description of the first Palm Sunday
Leaves out important things that happened that one day.

Mark doesn’t talk about the presence of crowds.
He does write that some shouted aloud
“Hosanna!” but he made the folks sound mundane,
And he paints the disciples as being quite lame!

Abraham was asked what he thought of the telling.
He said he thought it was just what they were yelling.
“Hosanna” means HELP US and that is what
Jesus did as He told them He’d empty His cup
on the cross that day. Listen up!

He said He would rise again, but they didn’t understand.
We’re like that – just marching along with the band.
Help us this Holy Week to do more than go through
The motions to recognize what You had to do.

Lord, You’ve known the clamor of over 2,000 Sundays
When people wave palm branches as if it’s fun days.
Allow us to stop just going through the motions,
And instead prayerfully express our devotions.

You gave Your life on the cross, O Lord,
So that we might understand where we’re headed toward.
It’s not a deep dark hole for eternity without You.
It is Heaven with You – fully baked – clear through!

Help us, O Lord, to live this Holy Week
Fully alive – remembering You – the One we seek.
You are the bread of life – who died and rose again.
You’re the yeast in life who will come again. Amen!

EMBRACE the HELP
that only God can give.
Hosanna!

He came.
He lived.
He died.
He rose.
He will come again.

Don’t just go through the motions this Easter
EMBRACE the HELP that Jesus offers us
By His life, His teaching, His example,
And let your example be “baked clear through!”
Amen

Have a blessed week.
Love ya,
JanBeek

Category:

Belief, Bible Lessons, Faith, food, God, Jesus, Life and Death, Living in Christ's Family, Love, music, Poetry, sermon notes, writing

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Embrace Tranquility


The ticking of the clock –
The music of chimes’ agility –
The puppy in the corner snoring –
Ah, such tranquility!

Photo by Engin Akyurt on Pexels.com

Ecclesiastes 4:6

“Better is a handful of quietness
than two hands full of toil
and a striving after wind.”

The windmill worked its way
Into the ground with daily spinning.
Standing quiet and tall, the hills
Live in tranquility – stillness winning.

Tranquility is not always stillness;
Sometimes it is purposeful motion –
Tossing away burdens and keeping
Hours of exercise and devotion.

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

Proverbs 14:30

“A tranquil heart gives life to the flesh,
but envy makes the bones rot.”

Tranquility at the core of your soul
Is the result of a heart filled with love.
Your bones cry out in joy when you
Let peace and calm in from above.

The Prayer of St. Francis

When you sow peace, love, hope,
Light, faith, pardon and joy,
Tranquility enters your being –
And no earthly tension can destroy.


James 3:18

“And a harvest of righteousness
is sown in peace
by those who make peace.”

Inside my kitchen cabinet

Arriving at a state of tranquility
In the midst of all this earth’s pain
Is like standing in a gorgeous garden
After a long, earth-quenching rain.

Derrick & Jackie’s garden

Matthew 5:9

“Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they shall be called sons of God.”

And to that we might add,

“Blessed are the gardeners,
for they shall find tranquility
in the beauty of their creation.”

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

A sure path to tranquility:
Keep your eyes on the Son.
Easter is coming and so we know
Death did not win… Eternal Tranquility won!!

EMBRACE TRANQUILITY

SEE ya tomorrow (God willing)

What will you do today
to feel the tranquility
that is God’s gift to you?

I’m sending Hugs,
JanBeek

Category:

Bible Lessons, contentment, Faith, Giving, God, happiness, Living in Christ's Family, Living in Harmony, Love, mental health, mountains, music, nature, peace, Poetry, prayer

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Embrace Silence


Today was a day to embrace silence.
Put away the TV rhetoric.
Turn off the music and chatter.
Just listen to the silence.

Back in 2017 I wrote about silence.
Time to resurrect that post:

THE SOUND OF SILENCE

Silence is resounding in my ears.
Silence wipes away confusion and fears.
Silence speaks as all nature rings.
Silence breaks as songbird sings.

Silence whispers compassion’s song –
Let’s me contemplate yesterday’s wrong.
Allows God’s grace to fill this space
Instead of wallowing in my own disgrace.

Silence brings new life to God’s Word.
It lets the Holy Spirit speak and be heard.
It opens my heart to name the nameless
And enter their world blameless and shameless.

Open my heart, Lord, in silence to know
All that You’re saying, all that You show
Through challenges booming or hugs soft and sweet.
Help me to hear You in ALL that I meet.

Jan Beekman
11-30-2017

Category:

God, Life's Challenges, Love, mental health, peace, Poetry, self-acceptance

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