Spreading love, joy, peace, faith & unity

Posts tagged ‘reaching out’

Embrace Trust

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

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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!

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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.

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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

On Being UnTeachable

We’re unreachable
When we are unteachable.
Let’s check our mindset.

Is our mind open
To attentive mindfulness?
Live expectantly?

Anticipate good?
Humbly work for improvements
In self and others?

Develop ideas –
Hopeful and doable ones
In a right spirit.

We close open doors
When we are unteachable.
Let’s check our mindset.

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Keep your mind focused
On the good that you can do.
Let’s be teachable.

Let’s be reachable.
Let us reach out to others
With humble mindset.

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Pray with me:
“Lord, help us to develop
a heavenly perspective
to look at life’s trials and difficulties
through the Truth and Hope
of God’s Word.
Peel away all barriers to Your wisdom, Lord,
And make us teachable and reachable!
Amen!”

See ya tomorrow.
Love,
JanBeek

In Order to Shine

Just what does it take
In order to shine?
Must you be complete?
.
Just what does it take
To light up a room?
Must you be perfect?
.
I asked that question
Of the sliver of a moon.

z-moon - not whole.
So on this gray day –
Sad memories haunting me,
I let my light shine.
.
You can, too.
Reach out!

backlit clouds dawn dusk
See you tomorrow.

Reaching Out to Others

Reaching Out To Others

 

man and woman holding hands on brown wooden table

Happy Friday morning to you, my friends.
What’s on your calendar for today?

Many of you know that I am a retired educator
who enjoys spending my time volunteering.
I enjoy the spirit of “Paying it Forward.”
It’s not difficult to find people and places
where a helping hand is needed.

One of my favorite places to volunteer my time
is at our local nursing home.
I am a member of the auxiliary there.
At the beginning of each monthly meeting
we all recite this prayer together:

z- Prayer for Auxiliaries.JPG

When I read “all who are in distress of mind and body,”
I personalize it and think of the specific friends
who now live in the nursing home,
and remember them as the
independent, capable,
helpful folks they were…
that person is still in them!!

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Here is my friend, Elaine,
Always reaching out to others,
Always ready with a smile,
The life of every party!

Living now in half a room
in a nursing home,
dependent on others for meals,
transportation, shelter…
It must be hard!

Loneliness could set in
if caring people did not reach out
with generosity, discretion,
and gentleness.

My friend, Elaine, is one of the fortunate ones.
She has a son and daughters nearby.
They come regularly to visit
and to take her to church and to their homes.

Others are not so blessed.
They sit alone in their rooms,
waiting for the next meal, or
the next CNA to come in to check on them,
unless someone volunteers
to come and lead the Bingo game,
visit with them in their room
or on the patio on a good day,
or sit with them in the dining hall.

What can you do to reach out to others
who are in need of comfort, hope,
and companionship?

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This wonderful lady lived for nearly 25 years
in our local nursing home.
Her mom visited her daily,
but could not care for her in the apartment
where she lived alone.
As Karen’s MS progressed, she became
less and less able to manage her own affairs.
But she was always a lion at heart.
A strong soul who inspired those around her.
This face painting and costume
was done for her one Halloween a few years ago
by my granddaughter.
What a joy to see my friend’s true spirit emerge!!

Here is another person who was a lion at heart!

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One Thanksgiving, we had my friend Gloria,
come to celebrate the holiday with us.
She lived in the nursing home the last 5 to 10 years
of her long and illustrious life
(she used to sing with the NY Opera!).
Getting to know her and spending time
talking to her about her life
was such a privilege!!

Another one of my friends
was one who lived alone in a log house
at the edge of the Madison Range
where the deer and the antelope roam.
One early December day we went together to the nail salon
and had matching polish jobs.
See the snowmen on our pinky fingers?

Hands On Christmas

If nursing homes
or visiting the elderly in their homes
are not your bag,
think of other places where you can
reach out to help others.

Today I am volunteering at the
Madison Valley Medical Center.
We “Purple Ladies” do a lot to raise money
for hospital  equiment and other needs,
and to save money by being the
receptionists at the front desk
daily from 8: to 5:
The last two Fridays each month are my turn.

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I’m the “shrimp” with the silver hair in the middle back.

Today is my day to serve.
Better get going.

Who will you reach out to today
with wisdom and humility
to help make their life better?

Jan @ MVMC
See ya later!

 

Making Friends

It’s easy to say, “Make Friends.”
But how do you do that?
It’s not as easy as it sounds.
Not like putting on a hat.

To have a friend, you must
Be a friend, they say.
I say that’s important…
But there’s another important way.

To have a friend, you must
Reach out and share your heart.
You can’t be afraid of rejection –
You just have to be the start.

Be the start by helping others.
Be the start by praying.
Be the start by being compassionate.
Be a friend who’s there for playing.

Play the games they like to play.
Invite them over for tea and toast.
Go out riding on your ATV, or
Ask them what they like the most.

Don’t limit talk to texting words.
Don’t just “friend” on a Facebook page.
Call ’em up. Send a card. Drop by.
Go out for lunch or go dance on a stage!

Friendship is like Love, I think.
It’s a verb, an act of doing.
Lost a friend you used to love?
Reach out and start renewing.

Renew your commitment to be the one
Who is steady, honest, and true.
That friendship can be kindled afresh.
But being a friend is UP TO YOU!

See ya tomorrow.

Love on Valentine’s Day

Love is on fire today. Love is in the air. It’s Valentine’s Day, a day dedicated to LOVE. Love has so many meanings in the English language. Other languages use different words to describe family love, love of God, sweetheart love, love of food or objects, etc. The English word LOVE covers them all – and then some! As a result we can sometimes overuse this four-letter word and in the process dilute its power. Valentine’s Day is a good time to take stock of our use of it. Examine what we truly love and how we express it. Define it in a way that gives it the most power and influence in your life and in the lives of those you truly LOVE. Reread 1 Corinthians 13:4–8a and 1Timothy 1:5. Think about the meaning of Romans 13:10 and Luke 6:32. Contemplate what it means to “let everything be done in love,” as the Bible instructs us in 1 Corinthians 16: 14. Then, decide what you will DO today to demonstrate the love that is in your heart. Try to list at least ten things.

As for me, I…
1) … reached out to my children to say, “I love you.”
2) … am serving with love at the reception desk at our local hospital.
3) … made a special trip to visit a friend and thanked her for helping me with my plants and my home while I was away this past couple months.
4) … will write some thank you cards to the people who extended their hospitality to us while we were traveling.
5) … will hug my neighbors and share an evening meal with them tonight.
6) … spent time in my sancutary this morning, praying for family and friends who are hurting and in need of healing, reading my Bible and devotionals, and praising God for His many blessings.
7) … will write a letter to my grandson who has just entered the Navy and is in boot camp.
8) … demonstrated “love your neighbor as yourself” by taking care of myself – I made healthy meal choices, kept an appointment with my doctor, and I worked out at the fitness center.
9) … mailed a package to a friend in Switzerland.
10) … wrote this blog to reach out in love to each of you.

Tell me about your Valentine’s Day Love list! Are you on fire with love today? Remember, as Bob Goff said, “Love Does.” Don’t just say love or think love – go do it!!

The World of Self-Absorption

Happy Sunday, my friends! It was another beautiful day in Montana’s Madison Valley. I went to church this morning and played golf this afternoon. It’s easy in this life of leisurely retirement to wallow in my own good fortune, become self-absorbed, and just be content to do all I love without being too concerned about folks out there who are not as fortunate. But, when I attend church and pay close attention to the message of the day, it’s impossible to crawl inside my cozy chrysalis and become too self-absorbed. Listen to what I heard our pastor say today:

The world of self-absorption
Is a narrow one at best.
Its walls curve in and
We see others less and less.

The heart whose walls curve in
Will collapse upon itself.
There is no room for others.
It misses others’ wealth.

The world of self-absorption
Doesn’t see another’s pain.
It only looks for what will give
Itself the greatest gain.

Self-forgetfulness is a gift
That comes as we learn and grow.
Our own needs grow smaller daily
As we care enough to others know.

When we reach out to others,
Our hearts’ walls expand to bring
The world of friendship in.
We learn to love and sing.

The world that God created
Is a wide, inclusive place.
It’s a world of love and fellowship –
Expanding our self-absorbed space.

What a gift self-forgetfulness is!
The ability to love another – 
The miracle of reaching out –
Is a gift beyond all measure.

Amen?  Amen!

 

I asked myself, “Have you reached out today? Beyond yourself?”

If I can’t think of a positive thing I’ve done for someone else, then I ask myself,
“Why not? What’s stopping you? Are you self-absorbed? Accept the gift of self-forgetfulness!
Be part of the miraculous Circle of Reachers!”

God Bless You, dear friends.  How will you expand your hearts’ walls this week?

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