This is day #3 inside. There is a snow drift behind my car, too high and hard for Bob to shovel it (although he tried… and I yelled at him to STOP the whole time)! I am blessed that we have a car. We have a garage in which to keep it. I have a husband with good intentions (even if they are ill advised for this guy with congestive heart failure). So, yes, I am counting my blessings!
So, Bob finally stopped before he keeled over! I am glad he did so before he fell in the snow and I was unable to lift him up! The pickup is beside that snow drift. It is frozen. It was -20 degrees this morning!! We had in plugged in overnight into something that was supposed to allow it to start today. But that didn’t do it! Even our pickup is not perfect, right? But, I have called the local auto shop and they are sending a mechanic out who will start the pickup (at least I am praying he is able to do so).
It is time for us to get to the post office and see if the forms from the IRS are there. They are forms we need in order to fill out the application for help getting the medicine Bob needs for his heart problem. The form asks for something related to investment income for 2021. It’s time for the company to send us those tax-related forms!
Not true… If you are fortunate enough to have enough money to invest some of it, you may not always know what those investments are worth. It changes with the winds of time!
But, having time is a gift. Having enough money to pay someone to come start your vehicle is a gift. Having sense enough to stop and come in out of the cold – yup, that’s a gift, too. Having a warm house to come in to – that’s quite a blessing. It’s so cold outside that the pipes in my bathroom froze and I have no cold water flowing in there. But, I have warm/hot water! Now, that’s a real gift!!
What blessings are you counting today? Tell me one or two of them so I can thank God for blessing you, too.
Thanks for visiting JanBeek and for leaving a comment.
You are a blessing to me! Stay warm… and have a Wonderful Wednesday!
Thank you for your prayers for the people of Tennessee who were so grievously affected by the 50 mile stretch of devastation in and beyond Nashville this week. My friend, Debbie, who lives in Nashville half the year, sent me this update this morning:
“Morning, Jan. What I didn’t tell you in the text was the immense response of the people of Nashville. Hands on Nashville, with 25000 volunteer slots, is full. People connected with houses of worship or no connection to anything other than this is home are pouring out of their comfort to help. People are showing up with strong backs (including team members of the Titans and Predators), chain saws, showing up with blankets (it was 29 degrees this am and no electricity in the tornado zones), showing up with ready to eat meals (son Joel is preparing 1500 meals each day), showing up with diapers, flashlights, batteries. Celebrities, including our beloved Dolly (Parton) and Taylor (Swift) and many others, have opened their checkbooks very wide, as have organizations such as the National Football League and the National Hockey League. In Nashville, as we did during the devastating flood of 2010, we show up. In Nashville, We Rise.“
Tennessee tornadoes kill at least 25. More than 150 people were hurt and thousands of homes and businesses were flattened when the twisters hit in the middle of the night.
Thank God for answered prayer as more than 25 thousand people have stepped up and in to physically help the people devastated by this disaster! They are using their money, time, and talents to do what they can to alleviate the suffering and aide those in dire need.
They are angels stepping in to lift the spirits, clean up the debris, and rebuild where possible. They are using their talents to feed the hungry (God bless Debbie & Steve’s son, Joel, whose place of business was spared. It had $50,000 worth of food in freezers and storage, and was only 1/4 mile from the tornado’s path). Now he is using those resources to feed the homeless and hurting. God bless him! He’s one of thousands of angels on earth… God’s hands and feet!
Use Your God-given Talents
I wrote this poem this morning while reading my devotionals and Bible and praying for help to arrive in Tennessee – before I saw Debbie’s update. It certainly fits the way folks are using their talents in and around Nashville right now.
Use Talents Wisely
God has given each of us Talents that are unique to us. Some are singers, others plow, Others use their funds somehow.
Some are math-magicians – true; Others are writers, just like you. Whether science or literature, Use your talents and be sure They are developed as your own, Gaining skill as seeds are sown. Don’t envy others for what they do. Use the talents given to you.
Moles must dig, and roosters crow, Unique gifts they use and grow. Likewise we must search and know Just what talents from us must flow.
Like a poet who thinks in rhymes, You might paint or prepare a pot. Keep your eye on what you’ve got, And never try to be what you’re not.
A woman walks past buildings damaged by a tornado, March 3, 2020, in Nashville, Tenn. Mark Humphrey/AP
One of several churches devastated by the tornado
Dear Lord,
In the wake of this devastation, give the people strength and courage. In the aftermath of death and destruction, give the people hope and tenacity.
We know this “ordinary day” in the lives of so many is not “ordinary” in Tennessee. The extraordinary natural disaster has left more than 25 dead, countless wounded, and thousands without home, church building, or business. Some have lost their jobs as the place they worked no longer exists. Please be with these people. Be with the loved ones of the deceased.
We look at today, grateful for sparing our lives, knowing but for Your grace, we might have been in the midst of Harm’s Way. We thank You for the miraculous way you saved people, like the teenage girl who was whisked in the gale up and out of her home and dumped under a pile of debris into her neighbor’s swimming pool!
We thank you for the rescue workers who pulled people out, for the hospital staff who are working overtime to save lives, and for all those who have stepped up to help by using their time, talents, and money however You placed it on their hearts to do so.
Help us hear, dear God, what You are asking us to do… besides pray. Prayer is a given!
John the Baptist warned us that
Christmas will cost a lot.
But it’s not the money he referred to;
It’s the deliverance we may not have sought.
Purifying fire and judgement wait
For those who fail to believe.
The fire is a punishment for those
Who are stingy and cause others to grieve.
If you have two shirts or coats,
Be ready to give one away.
If someone owes you money,
Don’t overcharge them any day.
Jesus taught people to love and forgive.
“Get ready for the Christ Child.
Give from your surplus,” John preached.
He didn’t ask us to do anything wild.
Jesus’ message was a tough one
For many who held hate in their heart.
John asked folks to prepare for Christ
By repenting, turning, making a clean start.
Be on the true path, headed right
As you prepare for Jesus Christ’s birth.
You’re on the right road in church today.
Let’s be God’s witnesses on earth.
Are you? Am I? Let your life preach His message, And as Mother Theresa is quoted as saying, “Only use words when you have to!”
It is Stewardship Sunday. What does that mean to you? If you are a member of a church, you might think it is a time when the church leaders seek to “Fleece the Flock.” Our sermon today was titled, “The Offering.” As is my habit, I took notes as I listened. Here are my internal reflections as I heard the message:
The Offering
What do I have that God needs? He doesn’t need my money. What do bees have that God needs? You think He needs their honey?
What do I have that I alone produce? My offering to God is FROM me. What do I have that is unique to me? It’s a gift from me that’s FREE.
What can I give to God who has it all? He doesn’t need my $$ bills. My offering is not FOR God; It’s given in gratitude TO God For a life of chills and thrills.
What do I have that God wants? He wants my love and trust. What do I have that’s free from God to me? His love, my faith, and TIME. Give it to God? I must!
What does God need with my money, I wonder. It is not for God, you see. What does my giving mean? Is it plunder? No, it’s a THANK YOU to God from me.
My checkbook is my stationery. It’s how I give thanks for breath. I’ll write my thanks, my gratitude to God, With JOY and WISDOM until death.
What do I have that God wants? More than anything, it is my faithful free TIME. I can waste my TIME or spend it In service to God. The choice is mine.
A woman walks past buildings damaged by a tornado, 
janbeek 