Happy Ash Wednesday and Valentine’s Day, my friends! Today’s writing prompt from JetPack asked for a suggested title for a biography should there be one written about me.
Daily writing prompt
If there was a biography about you, what would the title be?
One of my devotionals this morning was about “A Closed Door.” It used this scripture as a prompt for the commentary:
Matthew 6:6 “But whenever you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees you in secret will reward you.”
There may be a need for some people to pray behind a closed door, but my favorite prayer room is up my circle staircase in our entryway to my cozy 12’x12′ “Sanctuary” where I am never alone. The Holy Spirit is alive and well up there… and the front door in that entryway always is open for you to come and join me. My life is An Open Door – an open book! If you’ve followed my blog for awhile, you know I am quite a transparent person. I have nothing to hide! And my Father is not “in secret.” He has an open door for you, too! Go – and sit with His heart – and Let Him into yours!! Open up your heart and let the Son shine in!!
If you have time, and if you can, click on this delightful children’s song below It will make you smile. It’s guaranteed to make you want to sing along, and open up your heart… the door to heart can remain open without fear if the Son shines there!
“An Open Door – a biography about Jan Beekman“ Waiting to “bee” written – someday – hah!
Meantime, let me share openly with you about this little light of mine that I always try to shine.
1 Corinthians 15:14
“Let all that you do be done in love.”
Today is Ash Wednesday when we begin a 40 day period of waiting with love for Easter (Lent). It is a time to reflect on the great gift of eternal life that Jesus made possible through His life and death and resurrection. May we celebrate Lent with the same fervor that we acknowledge February 14th each year as Valentine’s Day!
My dear friends, Lee & Loleta, know how to celebrate Valentine’s Day in style. And Bob & I celebrated Valentine’s Day early in 1962 by using that red & white, hearts & flowers theme for our wedding.
Here we are 62 years later:
Yup, still celebrating our love… with an open door to our hearts and our home.
Today we’ll get a cross of ashes on our foreheads that will symbolize our devotion to the One who brought us together and whose mercy and grace has kept us together all these years.
Yes, He prays with us He stays with us His heart is an open door Mine is, too. Is yours?
I first posted this message 4 years ago, but it is timeless – – – and it is worth reposting as February 14th is tomorrow and we all are thinking seriously about the topic of LOVE, right?
What is TRUE love? And how do we exhibit it? How do we receive it? What is its origin? Poets have written of love for centuries. None resonates more perfectly to me than the words of love in the Bible, like Romans 12.
“Love must be sincere.
Hate what is evil; cling to what is good.
Be devoted to one another in brotherly love.
Honor one another above yourselves.
Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord.
Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.
Share with God’s people who are in need.
Practice hospitality.”
…. Romans 12:9-13
No better Valentine’s message of love ever has been written. To add to it, go to your Bible and read the next few verses, Romans 12:14-16 … and get caught up in the wonderful message of Jesus’ love!
Of course, the scripture that often is read at weddings is also one that must not be forgotten:
1 Corinthians 13:4-8 New International Version
4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
8 Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away.
My blogging friend, Sue Dreamwalker, wrote today, “So, keep love in your hearts for each other and all living creatures. And remember to love yourself…”
This was popular in the 50’s when I was growing up. It is one of my all-time favorites!
Love is more than just a game or two. Two in love can make it… Take my heart and please don’t break it!
Have a wonderful, love-filled Valentine’s Day!
Hugs to you and your loved ones, JanBeek (& Bob, too)
Love is a gift from God. Love is an action word. Bob Goff wrote a book: “Love Does” – have you heard?
Have you heard the Word That tells us how to love? It’s in Corinthians 13 – Instructions from above.
In her post today, Caralyn of “Beauty Beyond Bones” explained her thoughts on the subject of the Source of our love. She remarked about the newest Time Magazine featuring a cover photo of Jesus. The caption, “Who Do You Say that I Am?” caused her to give us a wonderful Valentine’s Day answer:
Caralyn wrote:
“You are my best friend. The source and foundation of my recovery. You are my hope in hard times, my gratitude in the good, my comfort in fear, my joy in the everyday, my courage and fortitude. You are the fullness of my heart. You are the grace running through my veins. You are my everything.”
In my devotional time with In Touch, the daily readings by Charles Stanley, the subject of love was linked to our faith. Yes, it is within all things – because all things were made by our Creator – made with love and care! But the reflection on today’s scripture reminded us that “… accepting God’s love is a matter of faith. Even when you can’t feel it, believe it.“
1 John 4:7-10 “7 Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9 This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. 10 This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.”
Love is a gift from God. We can do nothing to earn it – But it is ours to share!
Charles Stanley wrote: “No one is worthy of God’s grace and mercy… To consider yourself beyond the reach of grace is to trample on the Son’s sufficient sacrifice and the Father’s generous gift.”
Wear your love on your sleeve. Radiate love with each smile. Let love stay behind when you leave – It’s renewable – it’s your style!
Take my heart – and please don’t break it!
Love was make for you and me!
Thanks for visiting JanBeek today.
I send my love to you.
Happy Valentine’s Day! See ya tomorrow (God willing)
This is one of my favorite months. I always look forward to February 11th. That’s our anniversary. And I look forward to the 14th… A day devoted to just loving one another. Start collecting Valentines’ wishes now. Send one each day to a different somebody. Let’s express “I love you” out loud to at least one person every single day this month. Start right now!
Our Valentine Friends Treated us to a dinner At Blue Moon Cafe
Driving to Cameron, The setting sun was gorgeous Happy Valentine
Loved meeting long-time friends in Cameron.
Bob & Richard had a lot of catching up to do.
So did Pam and I. Good friends are such a blessing, aren’t they?
We were grateful for clear roads to and from.
How did you spend your Valentine’s Day? Did you go out to eat? Did you meet up with long-time friends or share the day/evening with family? Tell me about it!
It’s a day for love. Love is so easy to SAY… but while saying it is important (when it is sincere), it’s not the word that counts. It’s the heart and the action behind that word. You know that! So, what did you DO this week, what did you do yesterday, what did you do today to SHOW your love?
Bob Goff is one of my favorite authors. About 8 years ago my granddaughter gave me his book, Love Does, as a Christmas gift. Have you read it? Do you know this zany, whimsical, amazing man? Check him out at this link… Google it – and listen to him. He will inspire you to DO LOVE!!
LOVE DOES by Bob Goff
176,359 views • May 11, 2012
Kittie Eneboe
Yesterday our Madison Valley Woman’s Club had a Valentine party. My friend, Kittie, came dressed for the occasion. I love her spirit! Don’t you?
We decorated chocolate covered strawberries to take home to our loved ones, and we created/decorated Valentine’s cards to give to someone special in our lives. (Oh, and we got to eat some of those strawberries, too. Yum!)
It was a fun activity… but the real fun was delivering our gifts to our “Special Valentine” today.
Of course, you know who mine went to… but I also decorated an extra couple of the strawberries and made a card for our pastor, Steve, and his wife, Elaine, and delivered them to their house yesterday afternoon. Love does! Love shows. Love cares.
Love does show on our faces. Bob got my strawberry and card for his breakfast today.
And love shows on the faces of our friends, Steve & Elaine, too.
Love DOES show in their lives all the time.
Last Sunday Steve & Elaine hosted a fellowship at their house after church. Our mutual friend, Christine, created these skewers to add to the goodies we all enjoyed. Someone else lovingly made the bean dip.
Our friend, Jim Forsberg, brought his guitar.
Jim led us all in singing some of our old favorites. “Oh give me a home where the buffalo roam, where the deer and the antelope play.” Ah yes, music is an automatic transmitter of love, don’t you agree?
I inherited a book from my mom. It is tattered from loving years of use. It is titled, The Modern Hymn Book. It was printed in 1924. There is a bookmark on the page where my mom’s favorite hymn is, “Blessed Assurance.”
“Filled with His goodness, lost in His love.”
Ah yes, on this Valentine’s Day, this song is a great reminder. There is no greater love than the love of our Savior who demonstrated LOVE DOES with His whole life. How blessed I am to have had a mother who marked the page, loved the song, and knew that story well. The song was copyrighted in 1873… and its words are as pertinent today as they were then. The tune is known around the world. Let’s sing it!
And let’s remember the Truth of real AGAPE love on this day of LOVE. John 3:16 – my favorite verse: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” Yes, God is the ULTIMATE example of Love Does.
“I love You Lord, and I lift my voice to worship you, O my soul rejoice. Take joy , My King in what You hear; May it be a sweet, sweet sound in Your ear.”
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!!
