Spreading love, joy, peace, faith & unity

Posts tagged ‘Native Americans’

All Are Welcome

I bet you choose love, too.

Today in church, the choir taught the congregation a new hymn. At least it was new to us. About verse three, the congregation couldn’t hold – they had to (simply HAD to) join in… and the message resonated with everyone there.

I was reminded of the slogan at Bloom in the Desert where we attended several different Januarys when we vacationed near Palm Springs, CA: “We welcome all who welcome all.”

Wouldn’t it be grand if all people could exhibit that level of inclusivity?

Aren’t those lyrics wonderful?
Did you find yourself singing along?

Hallelujah! Love is grown in this place! I am so happy to worship in a place where “All Are Welcome.” I just wish we could cultivate more diversity in our little corner of Montana. We came from California 15 years ago. Our community in CA was made up of people from many ethnicities. I miss that! Montana does have a large Native American population, though. I wish more of them would move into southwest Montana!

Meet a couple of very talented brothers:

What can we
– as diversity-loving citizens –
do to encourage more of that
“We Welcome All” attitude
in our world?

Share some ideas with me.

Big hugs to you.
Have a beautiful Sunday.
Cheers!
Left hand is gaining flexibility
and strength every day.
Thanks for your prayers.
Keep smiling!!


I send my love to you.
See you tomorrow (God willing)
Love,
JanBeek

Embrace Faithfulness

Every morning I begin my day
with a cup of coffee and a climb
up the stairs to my sanctuary
where I spend time with my Bible,
devotionals, prayers, and Jesus.

One of my devotionals is “These Days,”
a daily devotion for living by faith,
published by the Presbyterian Publishing Corporation.
Its format is scripture, devotional, prayer.

Today’s scripture was:

Isaiah 40:11

He will feed his flock like a shepherd;
he will gather the lambs in his arms,
and carry them in his bosom,
and gently lead the mother sheep.”

In the devotional, the author, Hope Douglas Harle-Mould,
wrote about the comfort Jesus provides.
She included a poem she wrote to
Our God of all Faithfulness:

“We pray for a cure; God sends us healing.
We pray for continued life; God gives us new life.
We pray death will not come; God overcomes death.
We pray in anguish; God weeps with us.
We pray in fear; God teaches us to laugh.
We pray for ourselves; God gives us each other.
We pray for miracles; God fills us with love.
We pray for the future; God showers us with blessedness.
God, help me trust the voices heralding your hope.”

I am assured
as I read and pray
and study God’s word,
that just as he
carries the lamb
in his arms,
he will be faithful
to carry me.

As I descend the twelve stairs
at the end of my devotional time,
I recite my personal
TWELVE STEP PROGRAM
Thank You, Jesus, for the:

  1. Love,
  2. Joy, and
  3. Peace (that are mine). Help me with
  4. Patience,
  5. Kindness
  6. Goodness, and
  7. Faithfulness (which brings blessings),
  8. Gentleness, and
  9. Self-control.
  10. Help me live humbly with an attitude of gratitude, and
  11. A response of generosity, forgiveness,
  12. Obedience, and integrity.
    In Jesus name,
    Amen!

When I get to the 7th step,
I see the metal sculpture
that says, “Blessings” above my door.
It was a gift from our dear friends,
Jim & Terry, so I pause to thank God
for their faithful friendship.
When I get to the bottom of the stairs,
I see this cross on the wall:

It was made by Native Americans.
I pause to pray for them
and their peace and prosperity.
I send occasional gifts to
schools for Native American children –
– places like St. Labre’ and St. Joseph’s –
and they faithfully write back
acknowledging my small donation.

A student at St. Labre’ School
for Native American children

Faithfulness is a two-way street.
We pray to God faithfully; God answers.
We give to people who touch our hearts;
they give back with gratitude & smiles.
We read God’s Word faithfully each day;
He gives us wisdom and discernment,
understanding and blessings.

Photo by John-Mark Smith on Pexels.com

Check out this different version of that old song, The B-I-B-L-E… I love it! What a way to learn to names of the books of the Bible, huh?

How do you begin your day, my friends?
What does FAITHFULNESS mean to you?

Thanks for visiting today.
I hope your Friday is blessed, indeed!

See ya tomorrow (God willing)

Love,
JanBeek

Embrace Native Americans

My friend, Doris, sent me the anonymous story below today. It made me cry.

My blog is all about loving one another by spreading love, joy, peace, faith and unity.

Treating each other with respect, giving each human his/her deserved dignity is paramount!

We need to spread the word, support and embrace our Native American families –
and help them live peaceful, healthy, productive lives wherever they choose to live.
We need to help them get an education equivalent to any other American, and
we need to STOP the discrimination.

We need to let every person – regardless of race or other personal qualities – work to achieve the “American Dream.” No holds barred!! Let’s do what we can to make this world a better place for ALL!!

.

Many thanks to “Dreamstime” for these lovely photos of a few Native American people:

Here is the “anonymous story” …

A white man and an elderly Native man became pretty good friends, so the white guy decided to ask him: “What do you think about Indian mascots?” The Native elder responded, “Here’s what you’ve got to understand. When you look at black people, you see ghosts of all the slavery and the rapes and the hangings and the chains. When you look at Jews, you see ghosts of all those bodies piled up in death camps. And those ghosts keep you trying to do the right thing. “But when you look at us you don’t see the ghosts of the little babies with their heads smashed in by rifle butts at the Big Hole, or the old folks dying by the side of the trail on the way to Oklahoma while their families cried and tried to make them comfortable, or the dead mothers at Wounded Knee or the little kids at Sand Creek who were shot for target practice. You don’t see any ghosts at all. “Instead you see casinos and drunks and junk cars and shacks. “Well, we see those ghosts. And they make our hearts sad and they hurt our little children. And when we try to say something, you tell us, ‘Get over it. This is America. Look at the American dream.’ But as long as you’re calling us Redskins and doing tomahawk chops, we can’t look at the American dream, because those things remind us that we are not real human beings to you. And when people aren’t humans, you can turn them into slaves or kill six million of them or shoot them down with Hotchkiss guns and throw them into mass graves at Wounded Knee. “No, we’re not looking at the American dream. And why should we? We still haven’t woken up from the American nightmare. ~source unknown

Pray with me that the “American Nightmare” will end for our Native American people.
Work with me in ways we can help.

I give regularly to

St. Labre’ Indian School https://www.stlabre.org/

and St. Joseph’s Indian School https://www.stjo.org/

St. Joseph’s 8th grade 2021 graduates



These are legitimate places where the money donated is guaranteed to help Native American students. You may have other ideas for ways we can EMBRACE NATIVE AMERICANS. If so, I’d love to hear from you. It is waaaay past time for us to end the way in which these lovely people are downtrodden.

What are your ideas?

Embrace Friends

Time to embrace friends
Time to invite them again
Leave the masks behind

Time to hug our friends
Time to share a laugh or two
A welcome relief!

May 21st and it’s snowing outside!!
Loved having the Feldmans & Lyons
here to meet Mary Grace
and share a meal with us
My Native American pancho
is just what MGR needed
to go out and face the bitter cold
The wind blew the snow
It fell and swirled all around
Indian blanket

Just grin and bear it
Don’t worry, spring will return
We will survive this!

My daffodils are probably toast
And the crocus will wait to return next year
They’re buried under four inches of powder
But the ground needs the moisture – never fear
The snow will melt and the sun will shine
By Sunday we could be wearing shorts
Keep an eye on the weatherman
But don’t put too much stock in his reports!

Pray for good weather Sunday!

We’re getting ready for Pentecost Sunday
Mary Grace will preach for the congregation
Afterward, at a special meeting, members will vote.
I’m praying we’ll have cause for celebration.

Pray with me, will you, my friends?
Have a wonderful weekend.
Thanks for dropping by.
See ya tomorrow.

JanBeek

Embrace Perseverance

This quote came in the mail today from Billy Mills, national spokesperson for “Running Strong for American Indian Youth” – a project associated with Christian Relief Service.

The synchronicity of the arrival of this in mailbox today was not lost on me. I already had spent my hour up in my sanctuary reading my Bible, devotionals, and praying for you – and other family and friends on my prayer list (yes, you are there!). Among the names on my list is “Native American Youth.” Lord knows their needs and yours.

The word that was my “Take-Away” from that time upstairs today was “Perseverance.” And that’s BEFORE the mail came with this gift! Go back up and read it again… “Collective Perseverance…” and HOPE …Resilience and Certainty in tomorrow – – – Tomorrow: a better day!

Persevere in those choices!!

It’s perseverance
That changes maybe’s to YES.
Chase the doubt away!

To make an impact
Just practice perseverance.
Keep your dreams alive.

God says you are Unique…
Designed for Greatness!!

Being persistent
As you work to problem solve:
The road to success!

Photo by Gerd Altmann on Pexels.com

I can’t just sit here
Expecting success to come.
Gotta go get it!

It’s perseverance –
Working to make it happen
That completes the goal.

What are you working
To complete with great success?
Live with that purpose.

Persevere with Purpose

But tenacity
Ain’t easy when we don’t see
The results we need.

Positivity
Is hard to always maintain
When we keep failing.

But unless we fail,
We’re not trying hard enough!
Gotta fail to learn.

3 “Not only that, but we also rejoice in our sufferings,
because we know that suffering produces perseverance;
4 perseverance, character; and character, hope.
5And hope does not disappoint us,
because God has poured out His love
into our hearts through the Holy Spirit,
whom He has given us.…”

Romans 5:3-4

Don’t let the fact that
There’s certain failure keep you
From taking chances!

Folks who developed
The vaccines we are using
Failed many times.

Before succeeding,
They conjured up their courage
And kept on trying.

That’s the way it is!
So Embrace Perseverance
And live your purpose.

1 “Therefore, since we are surrounded
by such a great cloud of witnesses,
let us throw off everything that hinders
and the sin that so easily entangles.
And let us run with perseverance
the race marked out for us,”
Hebrews 12:1

Photo by nappy on Pexels.com

Look at that runner;
He did not win his first race!
But perseverance paid off.

What race are you in?
What’s marked out for you to do?
Step out and do it!

Embrace Perseverance!

59 years and still counting

Long term marriages like ours don’t happen accidentally.
Takes lots of perseverance.
Believe me!

Thanks for visiting JanBeek today.

Before you click out,
leave a comment below, will you?

What is the “race marked out for you” today?

Global Gratitude

Sue Dreamwalker wrote this today, “I will be joining the Global Day of Gratitude. This Thanksgiving we need to give thanks for family and friends, and grow our New soul family as we reach out and create New Connections all over the World… As we reach out with our hearts to create Unity and Peace.”

Sue DreamwalkerWalking The Storm

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

The day called “Thanksgiving” has drawn to a close this challenging year of 2020. But as Dwight Roth reminded us in his post yesterday, it is not just a day to be reminded to be grateful for all our blessings, but it also is a day called “National Day of Mourning for Native Americans.” Check out his informative and poignant post:

rothpoetryBlinded By Comfort

Photo by Gabriela Custu00f3dio da Silva on Pexels.com

In the midst of plenty, I am reminded of the suffering of many. I am reminded of the sacrifice of many. I am mournful as I realize the injustices that brought me to the place of comfort where I am today. I apologize to my Native American friends … and yet I know nothing I can say or do today can erase the truth of what white people did to these dear people. I want to be thankful for what I have – (and I am) – but I recognize the cost… and I am humbled in my position of plenty – and trying NOT to be “Blinded by Comfort.”

I hope your Thanksgiving Day was a day of small gatherings … not the big family crowd we are used to on this day. I hope you kept it intimate and safe. We did. Just four of us. But in our hearts we included you all… and thanked God for your presence in our lives. WordPress is a wonderful community – and I am thankful for your shared thoughts, your insightfulness, and your faithful visits to JanBeek.

Our table in Montana

Throughout the day, we texted with our family in California and Maryland and Switzerland and bemoaned the fact that we can’t all be together this year. But, we thanked God for our health and our many blesssings. With the magic of WhatsApp and Messenger and FaceTime, we shared pictures. I hope you were able to do the same thing.

Our son’s table in California
Our son, Ty, at the end of the table.

Monika is taking the photo. Her parents were able to join them along with our grandson, Sam, on the left and our granddaughter, Faith and her husband, Kyle, on the right. Two other of our grandchildren are missing here. COVID says, “Keep it small.” Tough task!

Relaxing after dinner

We feel blessed to be able to share this important day with our pastor, Steve, and his wife, Elaine. Thank God for friends near and far who can join us in these days of social distancing and masks and fear – and can help us feel less alone!

Thank you, Elaine, for being such a dear friend!

I hope you were able to share the day with loved ones, too… and that you had reasons to count your blessings in the midst of this very unusual year.

My joy and gratitude overflow.
I hope it spills out globally –
and it is contagious!

I hope you had a safe and happy Global Day of Gratitude
while remembering our Native Americans …

Happy Native American Day!
God bless the Indians!!

Tell me about your Thanksgiving Day.
What did you do?

A Tribute to Ken Hall

This morning I received this wonderful photo of a very talented and compassionate man, Ken Hall. It was attached to a beautiful tribute
written by his wife, Penny. You just need to read it! Click the link below.

https://www.pennyhall.life/ken/

Above our bed, Bob & I have a photograph taken by Ken. It captures a gorgeous sunrise above our Madison Range. On a good day, we can see that sunrise out our bedroom window. But, on cloudy days when the sun is hidden, thanks to Ken’s creative lens, we still have our sunrise.

As Penny mentions in her tribute, one of Ken’s talents was music. He played the Indian flute magnificently. I think he may have had a heavy dose of Native American in him. Here is the video Ken produced shortly before his untimely, unexpected death. I hope it will open for you.

I leave you with the peace
that only God can give.
May you live in such a way
that a tribute to you
is this heart-warming
after your unexpected, untimely death

(hopefully that’s after you’ve lived a healthy 100 years).

See ya later.
God bless you.
Bee well!!

Be The Hands

Be the hands of God

Guaranteed to cure

With “Jewish Penicillin”

Bless those who reach out
Beyond themselves to others
God answers through them

Reaching out to help another is a clear demonstration of these “10 simple words — hope, love, care, culture, kindness, faith, knowledge, health, comfort and warmth.” This quote is not mine… but I repeat them here because these concepts mean so much …

Especially today, October 14th, Columbus Day in the USA. Our banks and post offices and federal buildings and some schools are closed today in honor of Columbus. Why?

Because :
“In 1492 Columbus sailed the ocean blue!”

I memorized that rhyme as a kid in school. Why was it important? Well, Columbus purportedly “discovered America” on this day.

But, who Really “Discovered” America?

 

St. Joseph's Indian School

I received this e-mail from St. Joseph’s Indian School today:

“They are 10 simple words — hope, love, care, culture, kindness, faith, knowledge, health, comfort and warmth — but they mean so much … Especially today.

St. Joseph’s Indian School here in Montana wants you to know it’s not about Columbus! They announced, “Today is Native American Day!”

They continued, “…we want to celebrate in a BIG way! Today we are hosting a special day of giving at St. Joseph’s Indian School. We need 365 people — one donor for every day of the year — to open their hearts and give a gift.

Will you be 1 of the 365?
BE 1 OF THE 365
Some St. Joseph’s students arrive without knowledge of their deep, rich Native American culture. They have spent their young lives more focused on surviving day to day than learning about their ancestors and traditions. 

Today, you can change that by giving a gift to help enrich the lives of young boys and girls with their cultural experiences, education and more. You can see some of the experiences for yourself when you watch this video.

As more people give, more student programs and services will be unlocked. 

At 165 gifts, donors will help unlock regalia for students to wear during powwows. At 165 gifts, donors will help unlock a cultural trip. 

At 365 donors: we will receive a special matching gift offer of $25,000 from a special group of friends who have pledged to support the Lakota students!”

You can join in this effort to recognize, help enrich, and appreciate our Native American friends today. Let’s acknowledge the ones who REALLY discovered America… our Native Americans. They were here long before some white man came to rob them of their land and relegate them to reservations!

I am a faithful supporter of St. Joseph’s as well as the school for our Lakota Natives here in Montana. Won’t you join in?

Be the hands and heart of God!

Philámayayethank you— for your kindness.

Happy Native American Day!!
God Bless You.
See ya tomorrow.

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