Choosing positivity brightens life; It keeps us happy and upbeat. Even though we encounter difficulties, We can choose victory, not defeat.
It’s up to us to decide the kind Of person we want others to see. If we keep our hearts open to love, We’ll be the best that we can be.
We can choose positivity again and again As we focus on the good things in life. Meet life eagerly as we tackle each task And ask God to take away any worry or strife.
“Have nothing to do with foolish, ignorant controversies; you know that they breed quarrels. And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth…”
Ah, TRUTH! It can be so evasive… But a positive attitude and an open heart and mind Can make Truth more discernible. Seek it out with questions wise and kind.
Positive people are filled with curiosity; They never stop asking when and why. You can’t stop an intelligent child From asking, “Why?” even if you try.
So foster that curiosity! Appreciate it in your own design. You are a Child of God, you know, So embrace your uniqueness and SHINE!
Thank you for visiting JanBeek today. Your positive remark in the comments below Will add to my joy today. Let your positivity show!!
There are several meanings. One is the unmerited gift from God – referenced above.
Another is:
“disposition to or an act or instance of kindness, courtesy, or clemency” …
Each of us has the capacity to act with grace.
When we respond to others with kindness, we are passing along the grace we are given.
Where do we find grace?
Grace is a gift from God
Grace is inside you
Grace is all around you
Grace multiplies when you give it
You have grace in abundance to give. When you reach out in love you are giving grace upon grace.
2 Corinthians 9:8
“And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work.”
One of the definitions of grace involved the word “clemency.”
It is the willingness or ability to moderate the severity of a punishment or an act or instance of mercy, compassion, or forgiveness.
We all know that a life lived well is a life lived with compassion, a life filled with forgiveness of others as well as of ourselves.
We all need to practice clemency!
Find grace in your heart. Let forgiveness and compassion be your first response! When we are merciful, we receive mercy in return.
Today’s post was inspired by today’s devotional in Mornings with Jesus. Gwen Faulkenberry wrote a creative take on Hebrews 4:16, “Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”
She imagined a beggar approaching a palace, being turned away by the butler, but welcomed with open arms by the prince who brings the starving man to the queen. When she sees him approaching, she jumps from her throne, runs to him, and says, “Come in! Come in! How can I help you today?”
Gwen invites us in the “Faith Step” at the bottom of the page to imagine ourselves as the man and imagine the queen as God. What would you ask if you weren’t afraid?
God of grace gives us all the grace we need… and continues to gift us with the compassion, kindness, and courtesy we need in order to pass it on to others freely.
Knowing you have received grace upon grace, approaching the throne of God, what would you ask Him for?
I asked for healing of this broken finger, (it was in there under all that wrapping), renewed strength in this left hand, renewed balance so I could stop falling, and a healing of my head’s 8 stitches before we head for our daughter’s in Switzerland later this month. God is answering my prayers… in His perfect timing (as always).
What will you ask for? See ya tomorrow (God willing) Love to you, from JanBeek
Jesus began to weep. So The Jews said, “See how He loved him.”
John 11:35-36
This week we attended the funeral of a friend who died while we were off in Europe enjoying life. My friend, Jeannie, was grieving while I was obliviously enjoying life. We attended his memorial service when we returned. Many tears were shed. He was dearly loved and will be sorely missed. Over the past decade or so, Bob & I enjoyed many hours of four-wheeling on our mountain trails with him.
As many of you know, if you have followed my blog a couple weeks or more, we visited Jackie & Derrick Knight while on our three week excursion. If you follow Derrick’s blog, too, you know he had just lost his dear mom… and he took a break from planning for her funeral in order to host us. We understood the sacrifice of time and emotion that this delay involved… and we appreciated it so much! It was good to hear later that he was able to facilitate a very meaningful funeral for his mum.
A good funeral Shared grief in community Be sad together
Lie down in green pastures
Read 23rd Psalm Sing Amazing Grace with friends Embrace your grieving
Engaging in the grieving process with a friend caused me to do a lot of introspective thinking. What if this was my husband? How would I be handling this? How could I cope? Do I realize how blessed I am to have had these 60 years together? Do I cherish each minute we have together or do I take these blessings for granted?
1960 – at Bob’s sister’s wedding
1962 at our wedding
Us at our 59th anniversary last Feb.
Embracing grief also means embracing news that grieves us- learning to accept that news – and learning to give it to God. Last week we learned that Bob’s compromised heart & kidney functions are probably caused by “Amyloidosis.”
Oh my! Have you ever heard of that? It’s a condition that causes extra deposits of protein in your weakest organ(s). As I understand it, in some cases the weakest organ is the brain, so the extra protein gathers there and can cause dementia. In Bob’s case, the weak organs were heart & kidney.
The extra protein stiffens the heart muscles and causes them not to pump as efficiently. There are several kinds of amyloidosis. One is genetic. To the relief of our children and grandchildren, that one’s been ruled out!
Next week Bob will have a full body PET scan Wednesday and he will have a bone marrow exam on Thursday. The attempt is to rule out bone marrow Amyloidosis (we were told that version of it can be cancerous). So, the challenge is clear: Don’t grieve unnecessarily by worrying needlessly! Worrying about things over which you have zero control is a waste!
Only embrace grief when such sadness is called for! We weep when we see the depth of sadness in those around us. We all need space to be in our sadness. But don’t invite it! Don’t anticipate it! Take time for “good grief” when it is right to do so, just as Jesus seeped beside us when my friend’s husband died. But know Jesus is beside you, sharing your grief, but also fueling your hope.
Believe His power to create change.
Maintain your hope, dear friends. When disturbing news is shared with you, don’t imagine the worst.
Instead, give it to God, knowing He is with you, working for your good.
Trust in His Light which shines in the darkness.
Turn to our Savior in prayer!
Lord, grant us the courage to open ourselves fully to your word’s power and lean on your mercy. Amen
Lord, thank You for sharing our suffering. Help us channel our pain toward you. Help us embrace grief when appropriate, but focus on HOPE and Your MERCY always. Amen
Do you have a prayer request that you are willing to share with me? I’d be happy to pray for you. Please add Bob and his situation to your prayer list. Thank you!
Well dear, guess again! We’re all in need of mercy. It’s undeserved grace.
You ask, what is grace? Well, it’s undeserved mercy! Don’t you just love it?
Definitions are Often so convoluted. Good thing for mercy!
Mercy me! Oh my! I sure need grace and mercy. Both are found in prayer.
Prayer for Help, Mercy and Grace
Prayer from Rev. Steve Hundley PASTORAL PRAYER prayed at Madison Valley Presbyterian Church ZOOM service 2-7-2021
“Loving God, we thank You that You treat us as if all were one; and each one as if there were only one. We thank You that we are all held together in Your love; and none are beyond Your caring reach. Thank You that You hear our prayers:
the prayers we feel awkward about;
the prayers we are hesitant to pray;
and, the prayers we feel that we do not know the right words to pray.
Thank You that You know us well enough to hear our thoughts, our yearnings, our stumblings, our grumblings, our secret hopes and fears, even when we dare not, or cannot put them into words. We are eternally grateful that anytime we turn toward you, the arms of Your grace and love are there to enfold us with Your love that cannot be bought, earned, or bargained for. Since it is the gift which You give and which we can only receive, give us wisdom to joyfully receive it.
O Lord, this past year has reminded us just how fearful and fragile; yet, precious and wonderful life can be. We need Your help. So Jesus, grant us this: the ability to as easily recognize and celebrate the beautiful as we are able to itemize the ugly. Grant us the ability to as easily praise as we are to condemn. Grant us the ability to as easily unite as we are to divide. Grant us the ability to as easily support and help one another as we are to ignore. And, grant us the ability to as easily express joy as we are to display our disappointment.
Grant us some sense of worth and accomplishment which places the mark of meaning to our days. In spite of the many limitations this pandemic has placed on our daily lives, grant us some sense of purpose, that tomorrow is something to look forward to, rather than to dread. Encourage us to reach outside of ourselves, and find ways to express our faith and love in ways that would benefit this world and its people whom You love.
Jesus grant us this: though life tumbles in, and almost everything seems to crumble around us; when the simple things we took for granted seem a distant memory; when hope frays and a simple touch, or a caring hug is something we remember we used to do; O Lord, find some special way to hold us in the palm of Your hand.
We pray for this wonderful yet sometimes unhappy…this divided yet dependent…this brave but fearful, mixed-up world we live in. We have created enemies by the misuse of its power; and, what could have been a blessing for all has become a curse to many by our misuse of its abundance. O Lord, give us and the leaders of this great nation the will to break out of destructive patterns, and grant us peace in our time. “
Have mercy on us, O Lord, for we pray this prayer in the name of Our Father Who art in Heaven… Amen!
So, what is mercy? Is it something that we need? You bet! Every day!!
Have a wonderful week. I pray for your health, happiness, and safety – every day! Thanks for visiting. See ya later, Love, JanBeek
Before you leave, take a few minutes to treat yourself to the story behind “The Prayer” and hear the most beautiful voices (my bias) in the world. Where do you see God’s mercy at work in this duet??
In her devotional this morning, Cynthia Ruchti reminded me it’s Ash Wednesday. She wrote (on this Feb. 20 devotional in Daily Guideposts), “… my sins have been incinerated, a fine layer of ash is all that remains – and that layer has been blown away by the breath of Jesus’ mercy.”
What a wonderful image that is! She reminded us of the devastation of the 2019 California fires that left whole neighborhoods (in fact major parts of whole cities, like Paradise, CA) incinerated. She mourned, “The ash was so fine it left only a dusting over the footprint of each lost home.”
Cynthia reminded me that Ash Wednesday is “a time of reflection, self-sacrifice, spiritual discipline, and fasting to prepare the heart for Easter.” Her “Faith Step” at the conclusion of the message was: “Our humanity and our sinfulness have been conquered in Jesus and we are free. Ashes to joy. Dust to life. Live victoriously.”
At http://www.Christianity.com the author wrote: “Each year, Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent and is always 46 days before Easter Sunday. Lent is a 40-day season (not counting Sundays) marked by repentance, fasting, reflection, and ultimately celebration. The 40-day period represents Christ’s time of temptation in the wilderness, where he fasted and where Satan tempted him. Lent asks believers to set aside a time each year for similar fasting, marking an intentional season of focus on Christ’s life, ministry, sacrifice, and resurrection.”
My niece, Jodie
I am ready to embrace this season. I am ready to “live victoriously.” I am ready for “Dust to dust” to become “Dust to Life.”
I am ready for “Ashes to ashes” to become “Ashes to Joy.“
Sermon Notes from
5/5/19
Rev. Jean Johnson’s message
inspired by John 21:1-19
“Feed and Follow”
We are needy people
Who need daily encouragement.
We need assurance;
We need to know what Jesus meant
When He said, “Feed my sheep.”
.
We call out for forgiveness.
We are hungry for God’s grace.
How shall we feed on grace?
How shall we receive forgiveness?
Obey Christ’s command, “Feed My sheep!”
.
We hunger for His grace.
We yearn for His mercy.
We are healed by forgiveness.
We are to care for and feed those
Christ meant with, “Feed My sheep.”
.
Christ converted Shakey Simon
Into the Solid Rock Peter.
Through Christ, God provides us
With the Solid Word to feed others.
We can, in fact, follow “Feed My Sheep.”
.
In His command is God ‘s promise
Of provision for His followers.
The church will feed on the Gospel.
The church will nourish others
With Good News – “We feed God’s Sheep!”
.
We are here as needy people
To receive the encouragement
To feed on His assurance,
And then to go out and indeed
Do as He commands: “Feed My sheep!”
. On this Cinco de Mayo, I have decided that when we go out into the world and Feed His Sheep, we bring color into their lives.
Don’t you agree?
The Good News certainly colors MY world!!
Happy Cinco de Mayo, my friends. See you tomorrow.
In the wake of the horrendous events in Newtown, Connecticut yesterday, the Rev. Jean Johnson in Ennis, Montana sent this prayer to her friends. Thoughtful and well-written, it is worth sharing.
