Author Archives: Janis Van Keuren

A Fragrant Praise to the Creator

Janis Van Keuren

One can hardly walk down the streets of our neighborhood without drawing in the heady fragrance of Spring’s white orange blossom’s dripping from the heavy laden trees. The scent tantalizes one’s senses like warm maple syrup poured atop pancakes. The aroma drifting in through our patio door beckons me to put aside my tasks, step into our garden, and drink in the beauty before my eyes.  Standing next to our orange tree, I am captivated by the clusters of blossoms hanging above each leaf.  Clusters holding … Continue reading →

Tradition Fills Our Lives With Meaning

Janis Van Keuren

“Tradition, tradition!”  Strains of the song from “Fiddler on the Roof” weave through my mind as I drizzle creamy, sweet glaze on the Easter Bread still warm from the oven.    The bread, with its five colored eggs poking up, is a symbol of the Risen Christ. For our family, for my parents before me, and for my grandparents before them, it was a sacred Holy Saturday tradition to prepare the bread for Easter morning.  Much like Christ’s body was prepared … Continue reading →

A Fast that goes Beyond Lent

Janis Van Keuren

For five weeks, Christ-followers have been Meditating. Fasting. Praying. Preparing.  Intent on emptying  themselves.  Longing to be filled with the one who gave His life for us. Lord, I have come to this time, not really prepared. For one Holy Week, all eyes are riveted on the rough-hewn beams that held our Salvation.  We recline at the table of the Last Supper.  Feet washed  by our Savior. The bread and wine.  His life to nourish our hungry spirits. Strengthen us … Continue reading →

Family Treasures

Janis Van Keuren

Fingering the delicate papers, I gently placed them on the counter in a copy center.  So old and precious, these folded sheets of time-worn paper cradled treasures of our family history.  Treasures too sacred for me to carry to a self-serve machine.  They needed to be entrusted to one who knew the art of handling precious pieces of one’s life, placing them ever so carefully on the glass of the copier, selecting just the right intensity of ink to reproduce  … Continue reading →

Compassion

Janis Van Keuren

In the darkness that engulfed my soul and spirit, I forced myself to read God’s Word.  The exuberance that once flowed at the mere mention of the name of Jesus–Gone.  The struggle ensued. The doubts waged on. Focus. Find the truth.  See the fulfillment of the promises.  The Old foretold the New.  And the New in Jesus completed the Old.  I squeezed these truths between the prison bars that held my mind captive. Oh! How I longed to feel the … Continue reading →

Rescued

Janis Van Keuren

“He was rescued from a shelter,” we proudly respond.  Our normal comment about this beloved, furry creature who has stolen our hearts.  Chip’s fluffy, waggling tail and smiling brown eyes welcome passersby as we take our exercise to the neighborhood streets.  His caramel coat and white facial mask accentuate the sparkling eyes that invite, “Come play with me, stroke my fur, see how gentle I am.”  He sits politely, in anticipation. However, it wasn’t always that way.  That first month after … Continue reading →

Burden Bearer

Janis Van Keuren

The names and characteristics of our Loving Father stare back at me from the page where I’m garnering my praise for Him.  This morning the praise does not flow.  Like a river log-jammed with worry, my praise for God stands motionless in pools of deep anxiety.  My heart feels grey and lifeless.  It finds no way over the fallen trunks of hope. Again I force my eyes to the page of exaltation.  Numbly, I read the words. Names for an awesome God.  And then my eyes focus … Continue reading →

A New Journey

Janis Van Keuren

How did this journey of writing begin?  Was it in a quiet voice whispering to my spirit?  Were there gentle nudges along the way?  What prompted these wonderings?  Was this a direction from the Lord or just my own desire?  But it couldn’t be denied that these inner urges bubbling up within me were looking for a means of expression..Was this the time? I queried others on a Christian website.  The conversations there wrapped around the idea of what each … Continue reading →

Crisp Winter Dreams

Janis Van Keuren

Exiting the church, the crisp, chilly air blanketed me with sensations of winter. As I strolled across the parking lot, the heady smell of burning wood in cozy fireplaces wrapped me in the wonders of winter. Images of snow-covered mountains, an inviting cabin, and the peaceful sounds of a wooded forest captured my mind and carried me to a moment when time stood still. I inhaled deeply of the peace and allowed each of my senses to be saturated with … Continue reading →