Boojoyful

God is our Rock... our refuge and strength, a very  present   help  in trouble Psalm 46:1 It was one of those evenings my husband was working late at church and unusual for a summer night that I was home alone.  I had just laid down on the couch to elevate my knee, when there was a LOUD banging from what appeared to be inside our front hall closet. First I hollered, "Pop, is that you?"  Then I hoped it was the ice maker exploding and ran to check that which was in the same vicinity of the clamoring.  For certain, I was not opening that closet. Knowing my husband was 45 minutes away and in a church service I dialed my daughter's number. She too was husbandless that particular night.  She had her youngest in the bathtub and oldest in the shower.  I said, "Can you get over here!!!!" The noise increased. Our weather had been horrible all week and the winds were blustering. My next thought was is this a tornado blowing in?  I looked at the front door, right beside th

                     This little two year old always asks for her wings when she arrives at Shiloh,                                                        but she also loves her weapons.  About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them.   –   Acts 16:25 Our worship is a weapon we should know how to wave! The other night I stopped by to check on a couple of our grandsons. The 12 year old was baby sitting the 5 year old and the process involved bedtime.  Using my key I entered the home and both boys anxiously hollered from upstairs, "Who is there?!"  I should have texted I was coming. They said, "We were so scared that is was a robber."  And I asked, "What would you have done?"  The 12 year old looked at me and said, "Scream really loud?"  I then said, "What should you have screamed?"  His response, "The name of Jesus which makes the devil run!"  Absolutely.  

  Last week I was in a local shop picking up a decoration for the 4th.  The lady behind the register said, "My 4th will be celebrated in August when my Army son comes home from deployment."  Her longing was palpable. I shared with her how I had just written a devotional on waiting  and I referenced the families of our military. Another friend texted for prayer as she was leaving to go be with her Army son, the young man above, who is undergoing surgery today for an injury.  She hopes to bring him home for some R and R over the 4th.  Her Army son-in-law will be coming home as well.  Again the longing. Last week I wrote a note to a friend whose retired Army son died of a seizure as a result of a head injury while serving.  This summer they are planning a memorial service.  I can't even imagine the longing in her heart. Then it hit me. Our heavenly Father is longing to bring His soldiers home!  He knows the battle here on earth is not easy.   As a good soldier of Jesus Chris

  A friend walked through my front door with this bouquet and it spoke to me of the different  emotions in life we experience. And guess what...God created each emotion with a purpose. These are those days where we feel exotic and elegant and remember we are beautifully made by God. These white roses remind me that Jesus died on the cross to wash my sins and make me white as snow. These represent the days we are fragile in spirit. These are the days we feel a little fancy, might want to dance and to step boldly out into life! These remind us there are thistles and thorns we will encounter along the path of life. These are the days we feel fresh as a daisy and we are wearing a huge smile. These point me to Jesus! Yup! I got all those feelings from a bouquet that make me stop and think about all God has created.  May this stir our hearts to be patient with others experiencing a variety of emotions on any given day. Look how the wild flowers grow! They don't work hard to make their cl

Our daughter in law sent this precious photo of her daughter waiting for                           muffins to come out of the oven. What are you waiting upon? We are waiting for our family to arrive for our annual first week of July gathering. Two of our sons are waiting to be able to move into their new homes this week and next. Another daughter in law has to only wait one more month for her baby to come. Our daughter and son in law are waiting for their new swimming pool to be done. A friend is waiting for the horrific pain of grief from the death of her child to subside. I'm waiting on a miracle healing of my knee and being able to avoid surgery. Way too many friends wait for results from medical scans. Those battling addiction wait to see if they will make it through another day. Many family members wait for their loved ones to return from deployment. Life is full of the weight of the wait. God's Word directs our minds to different thoughts about waiting Wait for the  Lord

  "Be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord." 1 Corinthians 15:58 The Song "Stand in Faith" Danny Gokey https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0BL7mN4jV8w

Our daughter took her 12 year old son to a We The Kingdom concert. She texted these photos to one of her Nashville friends who is married to a band member. That band member recorded a message and sent it back to our grandson.  What a treat! What an amazing activity to do with your pre-teen son. Listen to your father who begot you,  And do not despise your mother when she is old.  Proverbs 23:22 The Song "Holy Water" by We The Kingdom https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7KLQ2AXQmtA

 I saw a new heaven and a new earth. The first heaven and the first earth had disappeared, and so had the sea.  Then I saw New Jerusalem, the holy city, coming down from God in heaven. It was like a bride dressed in her wedding gown and ready to meet her husband.  I heard a loud voice shout from the throne:  God's home is now with his people. He will live with them, and they will be his own. Yes, God will make his home among his people.   He will wipe all tears from their eyes, and there will be no more death, suffering, crying, or pain. These things of the past are gone forever.  And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”   Revelation 21:1-5 Our pastor lifted a spray bottle in the air and squirted it while quoting James 4:14 ". ..you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes." Th

  Sunday afternoon, we had fallen into our cozy patio recliners to be still and know that He is God.  The lake was bustling with boat activity for Father's Day.  The birds were chirping, the blue heron had perched herself on our dock, while a mother and father goose sat on the shoreline with their four baby geese. (Making a mess in the yard for sure.)  Then Buns ran right across the patio in front of us and settled in to nibble on some clover.  He resides under our front stairs, but runs a regular route around our house on the days when the grands are not running the same route.  He is the tamest wild rabbit I've ever known. On the same stairs we have two lizards, Leo and Lizzy, who have become quite tame as well. They no longer scurry off when footsteps approach. James 3:7-8 gives us insight into what can and cannot be tamed.   All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and sea creatures are being tamed and have been tamed by mankind, but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a

There was some major military building going on at the beach at Camo cousin Camp.  This 12 year old constructed quite the military base and certainly posted some look out guards.  The late Art DeMoss wrote- “It should be our rule never to see the face of men before first seeing the face of God,” said Charles Spurgeon, the great nineteenth-century British preacher. Only a fool would fail to post a guard on the gate of the day. “The morning watch anchors the soul so that it will not very readily drift far away from God during the day,” he wrote. “He who rushes from his bed to his business without first spending time with God is as foolish as though he had not washed or dressed, and as unwise as one dashing to battle without arms or armor."  The Song  The More I Seek You  Kari Jobe https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NI_1YliutzA

  Packing our gear at Cousin Camp Camo Sitting around the table sharing God's Word The verses below were the basis for our spiritual training at CCC.  Each day we packed our back packs with the physical supplies we might need, but we also applied God's Word to our hearts.  We reminded each other to seek the Lord, stand strong in the Lord, serve the Lord, sleep peacefully knowing the Lord is watching, sing to the Lord, and simply delight in the love of the Lord. SEEK Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.  Psalm 119:105 You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.   Jeremiah 29:13 STAND STRONG The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to be silent. Exodus 14:14 Be still and know that I am God.  Psalm 46:10 Don't be afraid. I am with you. Don't tremble with fear. I am your God. I will make you strong, as I protect you with my arm and give you victories.  Isaiah 41:10 The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will

  Our list of thank you's to God should be long.  Stop and think back on your last five "thank You's." Was thanking Jesus for the blood He shed for your sins within that list of five? I know I don't say that simple "thank You" enough. T he Song "Thank You for the Blood"  Charity Gayle https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dhU-Omwg2rU

Thanking God today for the fathers of our grandchildren.   So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith .                                                                                          Galatians 3:26 In 1968 a singing group called the Zombies had a hit song called "The Time of the Season."   These lyrics that came to me in my quiet time made me think about who my Daddy really is. "What's your name?   Who's your daddy?   Is he rich like me?                                                             Has he taken A ny time t o show you what you need to live?" WHEW!  His name is Immanuel, El Shaddai, Adoni, and whatever else we need him to be.  He is richer than we are capable of imagining and He has not only taken all the time to show us what we need to live, but He has given us His Word to show us how to spend eternal bliss with him.  He is a good, good Father and He knows each of our names. The lovers of God will walk in integrity,

My husband and our six year old grandson from Tampa, set out on the first Seadoo right of the year.  It wasn't long before our grandson ran in telling me how they had broken down and he had to jump in the water and push his Papa back to the dock. The next day our son flew in from Tampa and my husband asked him to help paddle the broken down Seadoo all the way around our 900 feet of waterfront to the Seadoo left on the back side of the property.  I was watching from the main dock as they began their slow adventure. At that time a boat with two young men came into our cove, behind that boat was a jet ski. I said to my daughter in law, "It will be interesting if these young guys will take the time to offer to help."  Well, they did! It just happened that the young man on the jet ski is a boat mechanic and quickly diagnosed that the issue was the spark plugs and he could come back the end of the week and fix it.   Now there are 500 feet of waterfront on this lake and our pro

  If you are not in the habit of hanging out with youngsters, go volunteer in your church children's program or at least at Vacation Bible School this summer.  Maybe there is a neighborhood child you can build a relationship with. Two of our grandchildren brought smiles to my face as I listened to their perspective on what they saw on the lake.  Sunday the ice cream boat  (a decked out pontoon) came into our cove selling ice cream. Our 2 year old granddaughter above was elated with her oreo popsicle.  Later another pontoon came into the cover and she yelled, "An ice cream boat!"  With positive expectancy she thought all pontoons offered delicious treats! While she was swimming, a group of three people past our dock on paddle boards. She swam right up to them and questioned  "A boat?"  One of the ladies said, "A paddle board."  She repeated the new word "a paddle board" and filed it away in her brain.  Our Tampa grandson was out for a boat rid

  Our 4 year old granddaughter learning to ride a bike. What seems impossible to you right now?  Is it a hurt or betrayal that will never end. Is it a forgiveness you think you will never offer or receive. Is it physical pain that seems to be unceasing or an incurable disease you've been told is hopeless? On my prayer list are way too many women longing to be pregnant. Others in miserable job or home situations that seem to have no happy ending. Open your heart to a friend in deep grief and realize that for them every morning brings the realization the one they long to hold in their arms is still gone. Just keep pedaling into what is called today, knowing the Father is running right beside you.   but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.     Isaiah 40:31 The Song "Grace Got You" Mercy Me https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xtiUjNT_vAM

Summer is a season of coming and going at Shiloh.  Friends and family come from near and far and for many we are not certain when or if we will see them again on this earth. Since this is our 25th anniversary of living at Shiloh, maybe I will come up with a song like "So Long Farewell" in The Sound of Music.   Or I could just use my natural southern drawl and pour our an elongated "Bye, bye!" Or I could become an elegant matriarch with a British accents who says, "Ta-ta."   With the majority of the grands taking Spanish "Adios" would be appreciated. One of my favorites is "Come back soon!" We could change that to an initialism of CBS.  For the grands who live close by "See you later alligator," would work, while those living far away could hear a heart tugging,  "So long. We will miss you!" But the roots of goodbye  are actually quite beautiful.  It is said that it was in the mid 1500's that this contractual phra