Spreading love, joy, peace, faith & unity

Posts tagged ‘riots’

Embrace Courage

In these days of national crises,
It’s easy to feel powerless.
It’s easy to duck our heads and hide.
It’s easy to take the role of cowardice.

Photo by Eva Elijas on Pexels.com
Couldn’t find a picture of the head in the sand!

Our uncertainty about the future
Stirs in us anxiety and fear.
But stronger yet is our faith.
We take courage. God is here.

This letter from Amy Klobuchar,
A politician I have come to admire,
Came to me in today’s mail.
Her message calms the fire.

Jan,

Today’s celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. comes at a time when his work and his message are more important than ever. The forces of division that are trying to convince us that our neighbors are our enemies have been loud in recent months — but I still believe as I always have that there is still more that unites us as Americans than separates us.

Our nation is coming together to reject violence and authoritarianism. This is the spirit that we must bring into the future. We must heed the words of Dr. King, that we are all “tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.”

Thank you,
Amy
The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Turning to the wisdom of the scriptures,
We can gain resolve and be brave.
We can shine a light and be courageous.
God tells us how to behave.

Deuteronomy 31:6

“Be strong and courageous.
Do not be afraid or terrified because of them,
for the Lord your God goes with you;
He will never leave or forsake you.”

Joshua 1:6

“Be strong and courageous,
because you will lead these people
to inherit this land
I swore to their ancestors
to give them.”

Yesterday kicked off a week of celebrations
in preparation for this Wednesday’s inauguration.

The rioters at our nation’s capitol last week were intent on “taking back the country” by overturning the Biden/Harris election. They were convinced that the election was fraught with fraud. Hundreds of court cases were brought against election officials. Each case lost or was thrown out. Even judges appointed by President Trump found “no fraud existed.”

The actions of the rioters were not what Martin Luther King would have sanctioned. They were not what God in His scripture advocates. Paul, in his letter to the people of Corinth said what we need to hear today:

1 Corinthians 16:13

“Be on your guard;
stand firm in the faith;
be courageous;
be strong.”

He was not speaking to rioters.
He was speaking to give courage
to the people of Corinth
to stand against oppressors.

Part of today’s problem in the USA (in my humble opinion) is that there is a host of Americans who have decided the people on the side of the law are the oppressors. They have painted Donald Trump as their liberator. A huge portion of our citizenry still is convinced the election was stolen. For only the second time in our history, the outgoing president will not be there at the inauguration to wish the incoming president well – and to encourage a peaceful transition of power. It is sad, indeed!

The most important thing we can do as a nation – and in fact, as a world – is to pray. Ask God to give courage and steadfastness to those people who have been elected to lead us forward. Join together in asking for a peaceful transition. There are (hopefully) many such prayer meetings occurring today and tomorrow. Here is one of them:

That’s just a picture of an invitation.
Can’t click on it to go there from this post.
But, you should be able to find many similar events.

As we EMBRACE COURAGE and stand in the power and love of Christ, we must be discerning. Listen for the voice of God’s Truth. Try not to believe misleading rhetoric. Be sure we stand in God’s Will as we act by His strength.

2 Timothy 1:7

“For God has not given us
a spirit of fear and timidity,
but of power,
love, and
self-discipline.”

Thanks for visiting JanBeek today.
Embrace Courage, my friends.
See ya tomorrow.

Embrace Unity

“For I know the plans I have for you,”
declares the Lord,
“Plans to prosper you
and not to harm you.
Plans to give you hope
and a future.”

Jeremiah 20:11
Photo by Bhavitya Indora on Pexels.com

It’s a day when we in the USA
Are feeling particularly vulnerable.
A day when we ponder the meaning
Of the troublesome events of yesterday.

It was a day of Troubled Waters
When our fragile democracy
Seemed on the brink of collapse,
A day some imagined, but not I.

I knew we were a country deeply divided,
A country needing a renewed sense of unity,
But never did I think our Capitol
Would be under siege by our own people.

Thousands gathered at the “Trump March.”
Many thought Trump was at the front leading them.
He was not.
They just kept coming…
and they roiled over into the Capitol building.

Not just one of the rioters was killed in the debacle,
but 3 health care workers also lost their lives.

In the aftermath, when the Senate and Assembly
resumed their stations and continued
the task of counting the electoral votes,
a new sense of purpose seemed to emerge.

It took an attack on our democracy
for our lawmakers
to unify and recognize
the importance of our constitution.
The tone was bipartisan.
The future is hopeful.

Photo by Rakicevic Nenad on Pexels.com

A ray of hope
for the unification
of this divided country
was launched yesterday.

A seed of collaboration was planted.

The importance of
“Love Thy Neighbor”
seemed to be elevated.

Yesterday I posted a meme that read:
“We’ve tried hate.
We’ve tried wars.
We’ve tried destruction.
They only caused more pain.
Let’s try something different…”

…and the “different” was
peace
love
empowerment
collaboration.

Today let’s reinforce that commitment.
Let’s try
Open and Honest Communication,
Building bridges instead of walls,
LET’S EMBRACE UNITY!

EMBRACE UNITY!
Let’s honor
One Nation Under God.
One world for us all,
One CREATOR of us all.

Back in 1970, Paul Simon was inspired to write the words to the song,
“Bridge Over Troubled Waters.”
The video below is the story of how that song came to be.
The words are just what we need today…
A Bridge Over [these] Troubled Waters.

Let’s Embrace UNITY.
Let’s see how that turns out!

I hope you took time to hear that You.Tube story. It’s powerful.
Believe me,
the song is just what we need today.

“When you’re weary
Feeling small,
When tears are in your eyes
I’ll dry them all.
I’m on your side.
Oh, when times get rough
And friends just can’t be found,
Like a bridge over troubled water
I will lay me down.
Like a bridge over troubled water
I will lay me down.
When you’re down and out
When you’re on the street,
When evening falls so hard
I will comfort you.
I’ll take your part.
Oh, when darkness comes
And pain is all around,
Like a bridge over troubled water
I will lay me down…
Like a bridge over troubled water
I will lay me down.
Sail on silver girl
Sail on by… More

Source: Musixmatch

Photo by Mohamed Almari on Pexels.com
I’ll drink to that:
UNITY!

Thanks for visiting JanBeek.
A comment about your reaction

to the song and the turn of events would be appreciated.

How are YOU feeling today?
See ya tomorrow.