Category Archives: Christian Inspiration

Autumn Marks Its Season

Janis Van Keuren

         Autumn stirs my senses and beckons me to embrace its vibrancy like no other season of the year.  Pumpkin orange, sun-fire yellow, burnt cranberry, maple-leaf red encircle me like a forest of color.  Candles glowing dance with fragrances of autumn leaves, apple cider, and pumpkin pie spice.  The whole house tingles with the season’s sensations and the anticipation of holiday celebrations.     Gratefully, the Lord has created beauty for each season of the year and each season of our lives.  … Continue reading →

Learning the Ways of the Lord

Janis Van Keuren

  Crater Lake, Oregon 2004      “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob.  He will teach us his ways, so that we may walk in his paths.”  Michah 4:2 NIV      While a physical mountain will not teach us the ways of the Lord nor bring us His wisdom, direction, or help, sometimes  basking in the magnificence of God’s multi-faceted creation, we can find His peace, see … Continue reading →

The Market Place Press–A Street Life View

Janis Van Keuren

Pike’s Market Place, Seattle, Washington 2004      The press of the crowd was stifling on a record breaking 106 degrees on the streets above the Seattle waterfront.  We came to the northwest in July to visit friends and get away from the triple-digit weather back home in Arizona.  Instead, it looked like we brought the heat with us.     Flesh brushed against flesh as perspiration trickled down our backs and clothes clung like the smell of fish in the famous Pike’s … Continue reading →

The Blessing of Hubby

Janis Van Keuren

     And the Blessings Flow One Upon Another for those Who Are the Lord’s      Today is Hubby’s birthday but we celebrated on Sunday when all could relax and enjoy our time together.  I made his favorite meal, Beef Stroganoff with basil green beans, noodles, and crescent rolls.  We set a festive table in the dining room with crystal goblets and burning candles, dripping burgundy wax into the holders.  Youngest picked up the ice cream cake for dessert while oldest … Continue reading →

He is Our Provider

Janis Van Keuren

Google Image         Ever since I read Ann Voskamp’s heart-wrenching stories of hopeful, wondering, accepting round-eyed children and saw the vivid tear-stained faces of poverty in Guatemala, I have been asking myself, “Do I really NEED another tee-shirt, a fragrant candle, one more pair of shoes, or__________________ (fill in the blank)? Or is this just the disease of materialism fanning the flame of WANT within me and telling me that it is okay to be self-indulgent, satiated, and hungering … Continue reading →

The Rock is Our Refuge

Janis Van Keuren

     The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge.  Psalm 18:2 NIV Linking up with Word Filled Wednesday at the Internet Cafe

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Finding Joy in the Desert

Janis Van Keuren

         When we first moved here, it was the middle of a blazing-hot Arizona summer.  I laughed as we crossed a bridge with a caution sign that read, “Ice Forms First on Bridge” and the thermometer was sizzling in the triple digits.  I thought the road crew was crazy.  Ice on the bridge would have been a welcome sight!     As we wound our way up to our new home, wavy heat shimmers radiated off the asphalt street.  There were … Continue reading →

Be Still And Know He is Near

Janis Van Keuren

     On days when the crashing ocean waves are not visible and the shores are miles away, I can look at my basket of shells and remember the refreshment and peace found walking ankle deep in white foam.  In the same way, when God seems so invisible to me, I just need to open His Word or slip in a CD filled with praises of Him–and He is there. “Be still and know that I am God;” Psalm 46:10a NIV … Continue reading →

Pulled Taut

Janis Van Keuren

Goggle Image by Chidrencherished.com          It’s been a week of waiting, and trusting, and hoping in the Lord.  Waiting to see His plan and purpose unfold for my life.  For the past few weeks I have been working as a special education teaching assisting for a local elementary school.  My days have been filled with the wonder of children learning, the frustrations of children struggling, and the joy of being in their midst to help them along the way.     I’ve … Continue reading →

Reflections of His Glory

Janis Van Keuren

          “From the rising of the sun to the place where it sets the name of the Lord is to be praised.” Psalm 113:3 NIV      I hopped in the car to make a quick trip to the grocery store when drifting clouds caught my eye.  Instinctively I wanted to reach for my camera. The one I left at home.  It was only a short trip to the market.  Why did I need my camera?  However, the Lord’s paintbrush … Continue reading →