11 “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you,” saith the Lord, “thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.”
God promises to give us hope and a future. Grace gives me a chance to clean up today’s messes and try again. Be ready for that prosperous, expected end!
“Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.” Colossians 4:6 (NIV)
Sprinkle the salt of peace. Express the joy of happiness. Smile and let the love of the One who wants only to prosper you shine forth!
Guidepost’s Mornings With Jesus challenged its readers yesterday to “Thank Jesus for seasoning you with His grace” – and “Write down specific ways He has prospered you so you can be salt and light in the world today.”
God provided blue skies. He sent rain to clear the haze. The grass is greening and the flowers are blooming.
I can’t make these things happen… Only God can control the seasons. He sends the sun by day and the moon by night. These are blessings I don’t take for granted.
What are some of the specific ways God has prospered you recently?
I am blessed by your visit here today. Thank you for following JanBeek.
I am gratified by the new followers who have joined us recently.
I LOVE the Jehovah Shalom Acapella sextet. They are phenomenal. Their musicianship, range, uplifting song selections, tone, and delightful facial expressions give me a smile and a sense of peace that lasts all day! I pray for all of them… and their ability to continue to bless us with their music. Do you know them?
I have a smile, a kind word, and a poem of encouragement to share with you. I shared it with the Madison Valley Woman’s Club today. I hope it inspired many to also “Find Peace.”
May this poem, this music, and my prayers for you bring you a sense of inner peace that allows to you to let His light shine brightly through you!
I Can Find Peace
I can find peace It’s here in my heart Living in trust Is a good place to start
I can find peace In stillness and prayer Don’t need to go far Peacefulness is there
Find peace in the world Find oneness with all Find joy and contentment No need for a wall
Peace in relationships Peace from above Just radiate inner peace And reach out in love
Among the poems that my mom collected and saved each week in 1938-1940 from Newman, California’s “West Side Index” was this lovely poem to reinforce the way we each can find peace and pass it on:
Little Things
Somebody did a kindly deed, It helped you all the day. Do it again, for somebody else, Who, needy, passes your way.
Somebody said a kindly word; Say it again, for you May brighten somebody else’s load By the word that brightened you.
Somebody smiled a cheerful smile; It made the day seem bright. It was only a little thing you say, But those little things have might.
Those little things – are they little things? Just think how the whole long day An unkind word or slighting tone Has hidden the sun away.
At our Madison Valley Woman’s Club meeting today, the ladies shared plants of basil and rosemary, gifts of one sort and other, with one another. New officers were installed. A budget for the coming year was adopted. The organization owns and operates the Nearly New here in Ennis. It is a non-profit, volunteer organization that earns “big bucks” by selling “Twice in the Closet” clothing, books, kitchen ware, jewelry, etc. Hats off to all those who donate their goods and services to the Nearly New! The second-hand shop is run totally by volunteer labor. The majority of their profits are given back to the community in the form of scholarships to graduating high school seniors, monthly monetary support to the local library, and countless other worthy community organizations (such as the nursing home, the community pre-school, senior and youth services, etc.). They budgeted $163,000 to be given away in the coming fiscal year.
There is an enormous sense of peace & community pride that comes with the collaborative efforts of the club’s more than 150 members working together all year to make these kinds of profits possible. Our town of Ennis, MT has a population of just a little over 1,000 residents. So, you can just imagine what a gift this club is not just to Ennis, but to the entire Madison County and to the state. Hats off to all those dedicated volunteers!
Luke 6:38
“Give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.”
Give the best you got!
May the peace of Christ be with you and your loved ones as you give generously of your time, talents, and resources.
Remember, your cup is not half full or half empty, It is overflowing… and it is refillable!
God bless you this day and every day! Hugs, JanBeek
Write about a time when you didn’t take action but wish you had.
What would you do differently?
“Everything in our house has a story to tell. I believe a house feels more like a home when it’s full of stories.”
– Diana Matthews
Yes, everything in my house has a story. But the biggest story of all (if the wood could talk), would be the wood floors.
They are 100 year old boards from an old silo in Malta, Montana. The silo was sold to a carpenter who took it apart floor by floor and repurposed the nail-pocked boards in the homes or cabins of crazy folks like us!
There is Paul, the carpenter, on top of the silo. As he was removing the wood to use it on top of the soft, scarred fir that was already on our floors, he fell…
He could have killed himself, but miraculously, he only broke a few ribs. That delayed our replaced floors by a few more months than healing ribs would have taken.
Paul was having massive headaches during his rib-healing-process. The doctors examined all parts of him and discovered a brain tumor! If he had not fallen and broken his ribs, perhaps the tumor might not have been discovered until much later. I say it was a “God thing!”
But what does this have to do with “when you didn’t take action but wish you had”??
We saw those lovely floors in some friends’ cabin and Bob fell in love with them. The colors, the character, the nail holes, the story behind them. He just had to have floors like that. As I said earlier, our soft fir floors were badly scarred and needed to be refinished.
I spoke up and told Bob I thought we should just refinish what we already had. Especially since the floor has radiant floor heating!!
But I did not persevere. After Paul’s tumor was successfully removed, and he was on the road to full recovery, the work began. He put that 5/8″ of extra wood on top of our old floors.
Yes, it brightened up the room with its lighter color. Yes, it has a story and great character. But, what a lot of work! And what a lot of money! And the radiant floor heating is not as effective over that extra layer!
In marriage partnerships, we have to pick our battles. Some things are worth fighting over. Others are not. Discernment is the key!
I decided this was not a battle I should undertake. So, I “didn’t take action.” The result is lovely, the story is memorable, the wood talks, but “What would you do differently?”
I’d insist we refinish the old floors! God gave me time to make my case with diplomacy and insistence while Paul healed.
Why didn’t I?
Welllll… a picture’s worth a thousand words…
What would you have done?
Does your home have stories to tell?
See ya tomorrow. Have a peace-filled day~ Love conquers all!
Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again.”
Come down to the Living Waters. We welcome you!
Have a blessed Tuesday evening – and a Wonderful Wednesday!
Today’s JetPack prompt was: Describe something you learned in high school.
Here’s my answer:
When I was in high school, I sang in the choir and I played clarinet in the band and orchestra. I learned a lot about music.
During the summers of my junior & senior years, my parents made it possible for me to attend Music Camp at the College of the Pacific.
I learned there that the accordion was not considered a real instrument.
(Hah! “Welcome to heaven, here’s your harp. Welcome to hell, here’s your accordion.” My friends always shared jokes about it.)
I had to learn to play the piano! That was so hard. (My hands are small and my fingers don’t reach an octave!)
I also learned that a choir or band/orchestra conductor could be very humble and quiet and still demand and receive respect.
During my senior year, I viewed those conductors in my high school with a new set of eyes and ears after singing and playing under the guidance of folks like Jester Harrison, Dr. Bodley, and Curt Herbert Adler during summer camp.
And because I was exposed each summer to music therapy at C.O.P., I listened to music and internalized it with a whole new set of ears.
This video is an experience with music that my Swiss family shared.
Different kinds of music creates different responses. You can blow it off. You can dance to it, or you can join in! Hah! That music makes me hyper! That’s our DeDe and her hubby, Andre’ in there!!
Music from a cello or other soothing stringed instrument sets my mind and body at ease. Piano music can be very soothing. Depends on the choice, of course.
This is my choice for soothing music. If you have some time and want to just listen for a while, see how this music relaxes you! In contrast, ask “Alexa, shuffle music by Fluffy Machine.” That’s my grandson, Nicky’s band. Oh my, it’ll jazz you up!
What’s one way I used “Music Therapy” in my classroom? It’s based on the Iso Principle. Match the mood of the music to the person’s mood; Change the mood of the music, and the person’s mood changes with it.
When my students came in from recess, they were all hyper. I played hyper music on my accordion to match their mood and gradually changed it to calmer sounds. Then we sang a song,
“It’s math time, math time, Time to have some fun. Please get out your books now, Turn to page ___, Be ready. OK, we’ve begun.”
It worked! They were all on the right page and ready to begin!
Parade Magazine once had an article about music. In it, the author wrote, “Can you imagine your life without music? It’s almost impossible. Whether we are cruising in the car headed to the beach on a hot summer day or listening to muzak at a doctor’s office, we are constantly surrounded by song. Makeups, breakups, parties, hanging out with friends, singing along with our kids, or caroling a Christmas tune— music stamps nearly every aspect of our life. Much in the way a killer soundtrack accompanies a movie, most of us have songs that accent each phase of our lives, melodies that instantly bring us back to specific moments or memories when we hear them even years later.”
Is there a song or a piece of music that impacted your life? Here is one of my favorites.
You can go to YouTube to hear this music or you can ask “Alexa” or “Siri” to play this song by Susan Boyle. It is the Prayer of St. Francis of Assisi. I love it… and I want to be exactly that.
Let music change your life – every day! Thank you, JetPack, for this prompt. Thank you, dear blogging friends, for visiting.
I looked in the mirror, My face reflected there Showed lines of fear and worry, The strain of daily care. I looked into a quiet pool, Green branches framed my face. Snow-white cloud passed overhead, Some care seemed to erase.
I found myself in a shady nook My cares confessed to Him. I felt Him near and knew that He was looking deep within. I looked into His loving eyes; Reflecting back to me Was one I’d never truly known … The “Self” He’d helped me be. I looked into the mirror. Sweet peace reflected there. His perfect love had touched my life. He had erased all care.
Thousands of years before His birth, Isaiah predicted Him:
Isaiah 9:6
“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be upon his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”
Then, when Isaiah’s prediction came true, Jesus came to earth… the Prince of Peace, Here to show us how to find His peace, Here to show us how to live.
Ephesians2:14 put it this way:
“Jesus is our peace” Because Jesus “came and preached peace to you who were far away and those who were near.”
Jesus came, lived to show us and teach us, and died to save us. Believing that is the road to His grace. Believing that is the way to Eternal Life. Believing that is the path to peace.
Dr. John Koessler wrote:
“Those who know the peace of Christ become agents of peace themselves. When Jesus first sent His disciples to proclaim the kingdom, He told them, ‘As you enter the home, give it your greeting.’ Matthew 10:12 (the traditional Jewish greeting, Shalom) This was more than a social formality, Christians are offering peace through faith in Christ to others. The shalom of Christ is more than a greeting. It is a promise. There is more to peace than a personal experience. For the Christian, peace is a person. Jesus is our peace.”
